Chapter 647: A Million Times for You (9)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“It doesn’t matter, you just have to stay here for two hours every day.”
“Alright,” An Xiaoning agreed.
She could manage to free up two hours of her time each day.
“By the way, I don’t know if your teacher has mentioned this to you before or not, but you should refrain from reading your family and friends’ fortunes as far as possible,” said the elderly lady.
“Yes, Master has told me before to avoid doing so whenever I can.”
“She probably means you should only do it once in a while. I suggest you turn down your family and friends’ fortune-telling requests whenever possible. If you keep helping them read their fortunes and give them the idea of changing their unfortunate fates, you’ll face the consequences of leaking Heaven’s secret and going against Heaven’s will.”
An Xiaoning nodded and said, “I understand, Teacher.”
After staying for two hours, An Xiaoning drove away from her second teacher’s home.
She knew that the elderly lady was extremely experienced. However, the latter’s true abilities completely exceeded An Xiaoning’s expectations.
No wonder Master wanted me to become Teacher’s disciple.
Seems like the decision was correct , An Xiaoning thought to herself.
“Boss, someone is calling you again!”
An Xiaoning pulled over by the roadside and answered the call, “Director Jing, what’s up?”
“Ms. An, the screenwriter has already begun working on the drama, and I’ve already discussed it with the co-director. It’s wintertime now, it just so happens to match the weather in the storyline. I plan to begin filming in December. We still have about twenty-odd days to make preparations. Once everything is ready, we’ll let the drama air while filming at the same time. What are your thoughts on this?”
“Sounds good. I’ll confirm the main cast soon.”
“How about the supporting cast?” Jing Tian asked.
“I’ll leave that to you, Jing Tian. I read online that several directors often resort to underhanded means and coerce actors for sexual favors during the casting of actors for films and dramas. I hope that that won’t happen in our production unit. So, just go ahead and select the actors whom you think would be suitable for the supporting roles. I trust your taste and judgment. It’s not our first time working together anyway. I place utmost importance on this drama, and my goal is to produce a superior-quality drama while keeping things ethical,” An Xiaoning said solemnly.
Upon hearing her words, Jing Tian immediately said, “Ms. An, rest assured, those scandalous acts will not occur in our production unit. I’ll fire whoever gets up to those lewd and sordid deeds immediately, if I find out about it. I’ll also compensate the victim. On top of that, all of the crew members would have to sign a non-disclosure agreement before joining the production team, as well as other agreements that prohibit misconduct and the occurrence of those situations you’ve mentioned.”
“Good to hear. Regardless of whether it’s for a minor or major role, I demand that the actors must first have superb acting skills,” An Xiaoning reiterated.
“That goes without saying. It’s my main concern as well.”
“I’ll proceed to select the actors for the main roles. You and the co-director shall settle the rest. Thanks for the hard work.”
“Not at all.”
After hanging up the phone, An Xiaoning drove toward a theater arts academy.
It was one of the most prestigious theatrical arts institutions in the country.
The academy, from which various famous actors, directors, dancers, and artists graduated from, was located in A City.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the academy, An Xiaoning called a performing arts teacher whose number was given to her by Lin Mingxi in the morning.
The teacher immediately came forth as soon as she heard An Xiaoning’s purpose of visit.
An Xiaoning parked her car near the entrance and walked forward.
Less than a few minutes later, a female teacher appeared at the door and greeted her, “Hello, you must be Ms. An.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.”
After a friendly handshake, the teacher showed her inside the academy.
While walking, the teacher asked, “Ms. An, why didn’t you think of casting a famous actress for the role?”
“Similarity and resemblance to the main character’s personality matter more to me than fame does. I’m looking for an actress who can be both quiet and tame like a virgin and as wild as a buck whenever necessary,” An Xiaoning answered frankly.
“Most high-production teams would often avoid selecting fresh faces for the main roles and would usually prefer casting famous actresses. Don’t you realize that we always see the same few actresses on-screen? Many of those who possess great acting chops often go unnoticed simply because they’re not given the opportunity to shine,” the teacher said with a look of astonishment.
“That’s why I’m here, to save those newbies…”
The female teacher eased up upon hearing her words. She was surprised to see that An Xiaoning was candid and affable and did not put on airs at all.
“There are a few outstanding students in my class. You may have a look at them later. If they’re not to your liking, I’ll take you to view the students from other classes.”
“Alright, sorry for the trouble, Miss.”
“Not at all. I’m taking the class for the next period, I’ll show you the photos of the students whom I think are outstanding and get them to act out a scene during class later.”
“Alright.”
An Xiaoning followed her to the office to take a look at the photos and profiles of the shortlisted students. An Xiaoning could remember all their faces clearly after just browsing through the files.
The few female students were all pleasant-looking with immaculate features, and each possessed a unique charm of their own.
But their acting chops have yet to be put to the test.
During class, the female students immediately became refreshed and attentive upon hearing that An Xiaoning was here to select a female actress for the main role of an upcoming drama. They kept their eyes fixed on An Xiaoning intently.
An Xiaoning could see all sorts of emotions in their eyes, which reflected their innermost thoughts.
“Just relax and take it as a normal lesson. You guys don’t have to get tensed up or nervous,” An Xiaoning said, showing a smile.
The female teacher then shot the students a glance, as if to cheer them on, and instructed them to act out the roles they’d been practicing on the regular.
An Xiaoning took a seat on a chair and watched attentively.
After watching each of their performances, An Xiaoning realized that none of the female students had made the cut, for they all fell way below her expectations.
However, An Xiaoning thought it would be awkward to voice her opinions openly and instead tactfully said that she would go on to look at the other students and did not need the teacher’s company.
The female teacher was too embarrassed to say anything else upon realizing that An Xiaoning was not impressed by any of her students.
An Xiaoning proceeded to stroll slowly along the corridor while wearing a surgical face mask. She would stop in her tracks and peek through the window whenever she walked past a classroom where an acting class was going on.
After making several rounds around the academy, she still did not chance upon any budding actress who caught her attention.
Not only were the female students’ acting skills not up to par by An Xiaoning’s standards, but none of them had an image or looks that fit those of the main female character’s either.
It was not a fruitful trip for An Xiaoning, who’d headed to the academy with high hopes.
She then called Lin Mingxi to inform her that she could not manage to find a suitable actress for the female lead in the theater arts academy. Lin Mingxi then told her to settle on a male actor first since famous actors usually had tight schedules. Thus, the selected actor would be able to make it for filming by December, if they were to confirm their choice now.
An Xiaoning agreed.
While sitting inside her car, An Xiaoning stared at a photo of a male celebrity on her mobile phone.
The male celebrity was famous and handsome, and he was a splendid actor.
He was none other than Yan Ge, the thirty-three-year-old, unmarried actor who could pull off an ancient costume best. Standing at 1.83 meters, he had once been awarded the prestigious accolade of Most Popular Actor in the country’s showbiz industry.
Yan Ge was the first person that came to An Xiaoning’s mind when she imagined the main male character in her head. She had watched the films and dramas Yan Ge had starred in before and found that his acting chops were superb and flawless.
An Xiaoning reckoned that the results would be beyond excellent if they could cast him in the drama.
Thus, she requested Gu Beicheng to send her the mobile numbers of Yan Ge as well as of his manager. Gu Beicheng was quick to act, and she received the information she needed just minutes later.
She then proceeded to call them, only to find that they had switched off their mobile phones.
An Xiaoning went on to find out the location of the artiste management company Yan Ge was signed to, as well as his residential address, both of which were in C City.
She also tried to locate Yan Ge’s current whereabouts and discovered that he was currently filming for a movie in C City, which was to be wrapped up soon.