novellhall Chapter 7: Auditions Require Payment
Chapter 7: Auditions Require Payment
"Hey you two, it's just a class meeting, does it have to be like a blind date?"
While adjusting her clothes in front of the mirror, Zhu Yawen raised an eyebrow at Ji Qingxu. "Qingxu, you don't understand. Everyone who can study at the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy is a great beauty. First impressions are very important. If you meet a pretty girl, you know what will happen."
Luo Jin, who was standing to the side, sprayed perfume but did not say anything, though he nodded frequently in agreement.
Seeing the two of them acting like this, Ji Qingxu couldn't help but find it funny. He never imagined that future famous artists would be so "cringeworthy" when they were in school.
"Alright, alright, you look great. Hurry up, what's with all the dawdling from a grown man like you?"
"Don't rush me, don't rush me, it'll be ready soon... Hey, wait a minute."
The four of them chatted and laughed as they left the dormitory and headed towards the classroom.
......
"Hey, did we go to the wrong class?"
"You didn't go to the wrong class. I specifically asked. This is the undergraduate class, and next to it are the vocational class and the dubbing class."
"How come... I feel like the four of us are a bit of a 'crane standing among chickens' in the class?"
"..."
Listening to Zhu Yawen's quiet complaints, Ji Qingxu looked around at the classmates in the classroom. Apart from the three people next to him, Ji Qingxu couldn't find a single familiar face in the class. They all seemed quite ordinary.
However, Ji Qingxu glanced at Zhu Yawen with a smile and wondered where he got the confidence to think he was so outstanding. At least in Ji Qingxu's opinion, there were still a few boys in the class who were more handsome than him.
"Holy crap, look! Finally, a stunning beauty has arrived."
Hearing Zhu Yawen's signal, Ji Qingxu looked towards the classroom door and saw the female classmate who had just walked in. Ji Qingxu raised an eyebrow. It was another familiar face: Jiang Yiyan, an architect from Jiang University.
This woman is indeed quite good-looking; she's probably the prettiest among the girls in the class who's already in the classroom.
Seeing Jiang Yiyan casually glance around the classroom as soon as she entered, and even give him a second look in his direction before nonchalantly walking straight towards the girls' group, Ji Qingxu's eyes flashed with a smile. This woman is indeed quite skilled.
A few minutes after Jiang Yiyan entered, a middle-aged woman with a mature demeanor walked into the classroom.
The woman clapped her hands and said with a smile, "Class, please be quiet."
Upon hearing the woman's signal, the classroom instantly fell silent.
The woman glanced around the classroom, nodded slightly, and said with a smile, "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Wang Chunzhi, and I'm your homeroom teacher. For the next four years, I will be working with you all... Come on, everyone, come up and introduce yourselves so we can get to know each other. Who wants to go first?"
"Teacher, it's me."
Looking at Zhu Yawen, who was raising his hand, Ji Qingxu smiled and glanced at him. This guy was like a conspicuous bag.
"Okay, come on, handsome young man, you're first."
Seeing Zhu Yawen walk excitedly toward the podium, Ji Qingxu gestured to Luo Jin and Lu Fangsheng beside him, and the three of them clapped loudly.
Inspired by the three people's applause, the classmates all clapped.
"Thank you, thank you for your applause, everyone. I'm truly flattered."
Watching Zhu Yawen make a funny gesture with her hands clapping, Ji Qingxu clapped and laughed, thinking to himself, "It seems there's a reason why some people can make it big. Actors need to be outgoing and lively."
"Ahem, hello everyone, my name is Zhu Yawen, I'm 18 years old, from Tinghu District, YC City, Jiangsu Province, I..."
After Zhu Yawen finished her self-introduction, Ji Qingxu stood up and walked towards the podium.
After standing on the podium, he glanced around at the students, smiled, and revealed a set of bright white teeth. "Hello everyone, my name is Ji Qingxu, I'm 18 years old, and I share a dorm with Zhu Yawen. I'm from Lion City, Hebei Province..."
"This guy is so handsome, and his smile gives off a really comfortable feeling."
"I think this boy is the best looking one in our class."
"I wonder if he has a girlfriend?"
"You've got your eye on him?"
"Of course! Such a handsome guy, we should act quickly before he joins the film crew, or it will be too late."
"..."
Listening to the discussions of her classmates, Jiang Yiyan did not join in, but silently observed Ji Qingxu.
After the standard introduction, Ji Qingxu walked towards his seat, followed by Luo Jin and Lu Fangsheng.
Half an hour later, all the students in the class introduced themselves.
"Very good, everyone should have a basic impression of each other now. There are 30 students in our class. One student is temporarily unable to attend due to filming. That concludes today's class meeting. Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock, everyone will gather in the classroom to begin classes."
After Wang Chunzhi left the classroom, Ji Qingxu stood up and gestured, "Let's go too."
After leaving the classroom, Ji Qingxu glanced at the dubbing class as he passed by and suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, Qingxu?"
Seeing Lu Fangsheng and the other two looking at him with puzzled expressions, Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just saw a classmate who looks a bit strange."
"strange?"
The three of them curiously looked towards the voice acting class.
"Holy crap, that guy with medium-length hair, his looks are amazing."
Seeing that Lu Fangsheng and the other two recognized Huang Bo immediately, Ji Qingxu smiled. Huang Bo's appearance was really eye-catching at the Beijing Film Academy, but no one expected that this somewhat ugly-looking actor would become so famous in the future.
"Let's go."
Hearing Ji Qingxu's signal and noticing that the voice acting team members were looking over, the three of them turned their gaze away and followed Ji Qingxu into the distance.
......
Back in the dorm, Zhu Yawen asked curiously, "Do you think that student who didn't come must come from a very powerful family, since he didn't show up on the first day of school?"
Lu Fang-sheng and Luo Jin shook their heads, indicating they didn't know.
"Qingxu?"
Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "You'll know when she arrives."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yawen suddenly realized, "That's right, that's really amazing. They've started acting before even starting school. I wonder when we'll ever get to act."
"Has Lao Lu ever acted in a movie?"
Hearing Ji Qingxu's question, Lu Fangsheng smiled and held up two fingers. "I filmed two. One was filmed at Xiao Rizi, called 'Love in Beijing,' and the other was a Singaporean TV series called 'Autumn Tide Towards Evening Sky.' I guess you guys haven't heard of it; it's not very famous."
"Holy crap, you're awesome! You've already filmed two movies. Lao Lu, tell us about your experience and what to pay attention to when filming. You're the only one in our dorm who's ever been on a film set. None of us have ever filmed a movie."
"Then I'll share what I know, it may not be correct, just take it as a reference."
"It's okay, we've never acted before, you can say whatever you want."
"Okay, my first acting role was in 'Little Days,' back then..."
As Ji Qingxu listened to Lu Fangsheng's story, he thought back to Liu Yifei, the classmate who was absent. The little girl should be on the set of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" now. Filming for the show started at the end of last month.
Ji Qingxu also auditioned for the role in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", but he didn't pass the first round of auditions.
The first round of auditions involved submitting resumes. When Ji Qingxu went to submit his resume, he didn't see Zhang Jizong. Instead, a man named Yu Min was in charge.
After handing over his resume, Ji Qingxu did not leave immediately. Instead, he chatted with a member of the film crew, hoping to get some information out of them.
After spending 1000 yuan on a big meal and a pack of cigarettes, the "insider" told Ji Qingxu that if he wanted to enter the second round of auditions, he had to pay money first, and there was no guarantee that he would pass. He would have to pay money again after the second round of auditions, and there was no guarantee that he would pass the next round of auditions. He did not say how many rounds of auditions he would have to go through, but he had to pay 1 yuan to pass the first round of auditions.
If Ji Qingxu hadn't seen him sitting in the room when she handed in her resume, she would have thought he was a fraud.
Finally, after Ji Qingxu got him completely drunk, this "insider" who was being a bit more lenient told Ji Qingxu that someone like Ji Qingxu who came alone shouldn't have too high hopes, and even if he passed the audition, he might only get one or two shots.
There are so many people with connections vying for named roles in the production crew. Unless Ji Qingxu can come up with hundreds of thousands or millions to knock Zhang Jizong unconscious, he might not have a chance to get a role with a significant amount of screen time.
At the time, Ji Qingxu only had a few thousand yuan on him, so he gave up. Sure enough, he failed the first round of auditions.
Thinking back to when Zhang Jizong filmed "The Return of the Condor Heroes," Ji Qingxu had seen a gossip news article online in his previous life that Huang Xiaoming played the lead role of Yang Guo and not only did he not ask for a salary, but he also paid out of his own pocket 50 or 100 million.
Thinking of this, Ji Qingxu subconsciously glanced at his pocket. Damn, he had to pay out of pocket to act. The entertainment industry is really corrupt.
However, if he really had the chance to play Yang Guo, Ji Qingxu would be willing to pay for it. After all, Yang Guo is one of the most handsome male protagonists in Jin Yong's novels.