Chapter 11
Wen Qiehua was a hundred times more excited than Lin Yanran, and the hand pulling Shen Wu couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
The two of them went to a secluded spot. Wen Qiehua forced himself to contain his excitement and said, as calmly as possible, “Um, Xiao Shen, I was wondering if you’re interested in the second male lead role in our drama?”
The offer came so suddenly that Shen Wu was taken aback.
The onlooking Xiang Zixu was also shocked. “Is it common in the entertainment industry to just pick up a second male lead role by visiting a set…?”
Shen Wu shook his head. “I don’t know either.”
“Of course not!” Wen Qiehua said hurriedly. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When we were casting, there were dozens of people competing for this role. If I hadn’t felt that none of them were suitable, and the one I reluctantly chose hadn’t stood me up… you just happened to appear at this time. The moment I saw you, I knew this role was made for you!”
Wen Qiehua spoke with dramatic flair, his face flushed with excitement, as if he were in a play.
“But I’ve never acted before,” Shen Wu said truthfully.
“No problem, no problem, I’ll teach you,” Wen Qiehua’s words were so exaggerated that one couldn’t help but wonder if he was overstating things, but he was actually very serious. “To be honest, I think you just need to be yourself. When I direct, the most important thing is to be natural.”
Shen Wu touched the small mole under his nose and hesitated for a few seconds before saying, “Then can I see the script?”
Wen Qiehua immediately summoned his assistant to bring the script.
In case Shen Wu, who was new to scripts, couldn’t understand, Wen Qiehua thoughtfully explained from the side, ” Racing Heartbeat is a second-chance romance drama that goes from school to the workplace. The role I want you to play is the second male lead, Yan Chuan. You know the second male lead, right? Although his status is a bit lower than the male lead’s, if you play it well—”
Wen Qiehua lowered his voice and said mysteriously, “You can become even more popular than the male lead. Leave the audience wanting more, with a sense of regret, and become the white moonlight in their hearts.”
He looked just like a salesperson shamelessly promoting his own product.
Shen Wu wasn’t easily fooled by him, but he didn’t show any disdain or impatience either. On the contrary, he frowned slightly and listened very carefully.
The second male lead, he was all too familiar with that. In this novel world, besides the two main characters, he was the most important male character. Wasn’t that the second male lead? He died young in the end, serving as both a supportive ex-husband and a tragic white moonlight.
“The second male lead’s character setting is a ‘wild dog.’ In high school, he was a rebellious teenager whose daily routine was riding a motorcycle and flirting with girls,” Wen Qiehua briefly introduced. “The female lead originally had a crush on the second male lead. They had a mutual crush that neither of them ever confessed, and then the male lead came and stole her away.”
Shen Wu thought about it seriously. “Shouldn’t you be holding auditions to select someone for this?”
Wen Qiehua: “It’s just that I haven’t found a suitable person.”
Shen Wu put himself in Wen Qiehua’s shoes and got back to the point. “Director Wen, I think you should find a more professional actor. You’re very responsible, and I’m sure there are many dedicated actors who would be willing to work under you.”
Wen Qiehua: “…” But I don’t think they’re good enough!
Soon, it was noon.
Wen Qiehua was still mulling over Shen Wu’s rejection, like someone replaying a lost argument at home, feeling that he hadn’t performed well in any aspect, and getting more and more frustrated the more he thought about it.
Fang Ci was still troubled by the guest selection for Wonderful Adventure. Coincidentally, he was working near the Racing Heartbeat set today, so he came to catch up with his old friend Wen Qiehua.
Wen Qiehua had to continue directing the shoot in the afternoon, and Fang Ci was understanding of his old friend. The two famous directors, without any airs, ate boxed lunches in a nanny van, on equal footing with the rest of the crew.
Just as they started eating, a figure flashed outside the window, and then Qi Shijun pushed open the car door.
Completely different from his fierce and menacing appearance when he was scolding Nan Dengwei in the morning, Qi Shijun was now all smiles and spoke politely.
“Director Fang,” his target was naturally not Wen Qiehua, whom he saw every day, but Fang Ci. “I just heard someone say you came to visit the set. I thought they were joking, but I didn’t expect it to be you. You’ve been busy preparing for the second season of Wonderful Adventure recently, right?”
Fang Ci was used to such pleasantries and replied casually, without showing any obvious attitude.
His indifference was the best encouragement. Qi Shijun’s heart leaped with joy. He brought a bottle of wine into the car and carefully closed the door behind him.
Only then did he say, “Director Wen, I know you’re busy and don’t have time to go out to eat. My manager happened to bring a bottle of wine. Director Fang has come a long way and must be tired too. We can’t just have boxed lunches.”
This bottle of wine was something his manager always kept in the car, precisely for situations like this.
A small bottle of aged fine wine worth thousands. Even for these famous directors in the industry, who were either rich or noble, it would probably be hard to refuse.
Fang Ci didn’t refuse the toast. Qi Shijun immediately beamed with joy and probed further, “Director Fang, have the guests for Wonderful Adventure been decided yet?”
“Not yet,” Fang Ci said. “We’re still missing two.”
Qi Shijun was overjoyed to hear this and toasted him again.
After a round of probing and hinting, Qi Shijun figured that one of the two remaining spots would surely be his.
Little did he know that after he left, Fang Ci let out a long sigh.
“You see, the moment Qi Shijun came, he toasted me. His intention couldn’t be more obvious. He wants to be on Wonderful Adventure, and he’s acting all respectful and flattering. But it’s no secret that I’m trying to quit drinking, yet he didn’t pay any attention to that at all.”
Then, he finally had time to vent his frustrations to Wen Qiehua.
“Huaizhi is still the best. He doesn’t drink, so I don’t have to deal with all this,” Fang Ci rambled. “When I’m with him, honestly, for two hours, I didn’t think about alcohol at all. Even the anti-alcohol medication isn’t as effective as him.”
Wen Qiehua laughed loudly. “Come on, you just want him on Wonderful Adventure, so you think everything about him is great.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Fang Ci said with a smile. “Although reality shows can’t do without scripts and character settings, the ones that can truly capture the audience’s hearts are definitely the most interesting, unique, and authentic artists. Whether a reality show can become a hit has a lot to do with the production team’s level. But the show and the guests complement each other. As for whether the guests can be liked by the audience, in my opinion…”
“There’s nothing else, it’s just charisma,” Fang Ci said. “Not only is Meng Huaizhi’s character setting special, but we all know that he’s really like that in person. There’s no fear of his character collapsing, and the fans love it. When he’s on a reality show, he might even show a side of him that no one knows. If Wonderful Adventure doesn’t become a hit, what will?”
“As for Qi Shijun… let’s not even mention him.”
Fang Ci still had two spots open, but unfortunately, he had not included Qi Shijun in his considerations.
Wen Qiehua naturally wouldn’t speak up for Qi Shijun. If it weren’t for Qi Shijun, he wouldn’t be so troubled about the second male lead role now.
He had been a listening ear for half an hour and couldn’t help but change the subject. “Old Fang, why don’t you help me out first? Meng Huaizhi’s matter is hard to say, but this favor of mine is something you can help with right away.”
“What favor?”
“Help me persuade a newcomer to accept the role of Yan Chuan.”
Fang Ci’s eyes widened in surprise.
Wen Qiehua was famous for being picky, which was why sponsors disliked him. He had been in a slump for a long time and had no choice but to accept Qi Shijun, who came with funding.
His temporary forbearance was all to accumulate enough capital to support the career he truly loved in the future.
Fortunately, the second male lead in this drama didn’t have many scenes, but his character setting was more outstanding than the male lead’s. So Wen Qiehua had put a lot of effort into selecting the second male lead, picking and choosing, but was never satisfied. He had finally found a passable one, only to have him scared off by Qi Shijun.
Fang Ci still found it hard to believe. “That second male lead who rides a motorcycle, you finally found a suitable person?”
“More than just suitable,” Wen Qiehua said with great passion. “It has to be him!!”
It was the first time Fang Ci had heard such words from his old friend, and he couldn’t help but be taken aback.
And Wen Qiehua’s determined look was somewhat similar to his own longing for Meng Huaizhi.
The difference was, Meng Huaizhi was a hot top-tier star that no variety show director wouldn’t want to invite. But from what Wen Qiehua said, “a stubborn kid who refuses to do romance scenes,” he was most likely an unknown newcomer.
Fang Ci’s curiosity was instantly piqued, and the food in his mouth no longer tasted good. “You were so picky during the auditions before, and now you’re even willing to take a newcomer?”
“Who didn’t start as a newcomer?” Wen Qiehua said. “Everyone thinks that the workplace scenes in this kind of idol drama are the most important, and the school parts can be acted out casually. But whether the drama is in reverse or chronological order, he exists in his youth before he exists as an adult. The performance in his youth directly determines the audience’s perception of this character. An unpolished newcomer actually has an advantage in playing this kind of growth-oriented role.”
And Shen Wu’s noble yet not arrogant temperament, as well as his unrestrained youthful spirit, he couldn’t find a second person like that in the entire entertainment industry.
It was only when he saw Shen Wu get on the motorcycle that he understood the female lead in the script even better, understood why she would fall for him.
Wen Qiehua put down his chopsticks and, before leaving, instructed Fang Ci again, “I’m going to call him over now. You have to help me out.”
Not long after, Wen Qiehua returned.
Shen Wu followed Wen Qiehua back to the RV. The moment the door opened, he froze.
The person inside the car…
Wasn’t it Director Fang, who he had seen at the KTV with Meng Huaizhi?
Wen Qiehua had brought Shen Wu over under the pretext of discussing the car race. He coughed and hurriedly gave a meaningful look to the dazed Fang Ci.
Fang Ci ignored him, his eyes fixed on Shen Wu, his eyes lighting up bit by bit, and he couldn’t help but sit up straight.
Isn’t this the one Meng Huaizhi was so protective of at the KTV?
