A New Kid On the Block

By the time they reached the second courtyard, the waiting list has shrunk considerably, leaving only 64 actors of each gender for the second round of auditions. Unlike the first round, which took place in the main hall of the first courtyard using cattle call method, the second round took place in different rooms, clearly differentiating between genders and roles for more targeted tests.

Amidst tense number-calling and busy screening activities, time flies by quickly. Soon it is noon.

Many companies have ordered premium lunch take-aways from the surrounding restaurants and the courtyard is filled with the delicious aroma of food. Stephen savours the mouth-watering aroma in the air and says longingly, "Boss, I'm hungry too, what are we having for lunch?"

To this, Chow Mingrun responds with a big smile on his face. He looks well prepared as he pulls a bag of small bread rolls, ham sausages and a few packets of individually wrapped Chow's Pickles from his backpack, "Ta-da! Here comes our lunch - the classic picnic set! What a nostalgic thing to do, uh? Your boss I have been carrying it personally for the whole morning, isn't it sweet?"

Seeing Waylon and Stephen muttering in discontent, he adds defensively, "Hey guys, I'm not being petty, trying to save money. It's for your own good! In case you have to show off your bodies and compete with your abs at the audition later, what chance do you have if you're full and your bellies are bulging!"

Everyone has no choice but to take a bottle of mineral water each and reluctantly pick up their share of the cold "winter picnic".

Not far from them, the fancy "peacock" they have seen earlier called Sean Shen is no longer wearing that over-the-top chavvish T-shirt, but looking quite handsome in a stunning flying fish brocaded costume and an actor's long-haired headgear, crouching under a small tree, munching on a piece of bread all by himself. Still appearing as jovial as ever, he sees that the group of people from Dragon Dreams seem pretty down-to-earth and approachable, so he stands up, trots over with a big grin on his face and asks Chow Mingrun for a packet of pickles to go with his bread. Noticing that Chestnut and the other two were of a similar age to himself, he simply sits down and starts chatting with them as if they were his old friends.

Stephen is also a chatty guy and is surprised to see Sean in this outfit. "Hey man, what school are you from? How come you're all dressed up? This costume of Embroidered Uniform Guard[1] looks really good on you. Are you a cosplayer?"

"Oh, I'm an actor too, but I didn't go to acting school. I started doing acting not that long ago. I used to study design." Sean pointed to his flying fish costume and continued, "As for this - my number was called early and I've just passed the second round and made it to the final round of auditions. The casting director at the third courtyard said that the second master Guan was going to be interviewing me in person this afternoon, so he had the stylist put me in this ancient costume and told me to wait outside and get a feel for it first."

"Gee, not bad, lad, you've made it to the third round so quickly! Have you found out what kind of film King Guan is going to do this time? Which novel is your brocade-clad guard look from?"

Chow Mingrun pulls Sean to his side and asks warmly. Yuan Ge knows that he is just trying to get as much inside information about the audition as possible. But in all fairness, this Sean seems to be a straightforward young man. His black and white smiling eyes and lively, witty demeanour are very endearing.

"Sean, you're from Nine Koi Media, right? I overheard it when your number was called earlier, but I don't think I've heard of your company." Yuan Ge's memory is quite good, and although he didn't place any hopes for this audition, he still pays close attention and has a pretty good idea of who went in and who came out along the way.

"Wow, you're Director Yuan! Nice to meet you!" Sean flashes his pearly white teeth and gives him a big smile as he rushes over to shake his hand.

"You know me?" It was Yuan Ge's turn to be surprised.

"Of course I do! I loved your film 'Eve's Fallen'. It's the pinnacle of small budget arthouse movies, with its taboo subject and exploration of complex emotional matters. I came over here mainly because I wanted to talk to you." Sean smiles excitedly, as if he has seen his idol. "The company I signed to, Nine Koi Media, is owned by a layman. He probably just wanted to make a round of quick money and then get out, but these days the company can barely make ends meet and I'm the only actor left, so they asked me to come over today to try my luck."

"And where is your boss?"

"He texted me this morning saying he had a fever, so I came here alone."

King Guan's audition is a big event in the industry, but no one from Nine Koi Media has accompanied him to this potentially life-changing event. It seems that the boss has truly given up. His fever must have just been an excuse. What a shame that such a good talent is neglected like this.

Yuan Ge thought to himself as he closely examines Sean's innocent smile, optimistic and likeable manners. He suddenly feels that his image is perfect for a role in his film Qingqing, so he hands over his business card and says, "In case, I mean just in case you get out of your contract and become a free agent, if you still want to be an actor, you can come to me at Dragon Dreams Pictures."

"Thank you, Director Yuan, I would love to have you take me in one day!" A bright smile appears on Sean's face.

--------------------

[1] The Embroidered Uniform Guard, or jinyiwei in Pinyin, literally means 'brocade-clad guard', was the imperial secret police that served the emperors of the Ming dynasty in China. The guard was founded by the Hongwu Emperor in 1368 to serve as his personal bodyguards. In 1369 it became an imperial military body. They were given the authority to overrule judicial proceedings in prosecutions with full autonomy in arresting, interrogating and punishing anyone, including nobles and the emperor's relatives. The guards donned a distinctive golden-yellow uniform, with a tablet worn on his torso, and carried a special blade weapon.