35 Opportunity Knocks

"Three thousand! Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? How many actors are needed for this film! Why would so many people want to audition for it? Oh my god! It's not an audition, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack! Besides, all the actors who audition have to bring their portfolios with them, there's no hope for newbies, so it seems our people really don't stand a chance after all."

Amélie sighs as she browses through the webpages on her phone.

"Then you must have underestimated the appeal of King Guan." Chow Mingrun says, "TweeChatters are moaning about why ordinary people aren't allowed to audition, otherwise I reckon at least 300,000 people would have turned up. Also, I asked Liu Sang and he confirmed to me that young master Guan doesn't care what status you are or how big a star you are, the so-called 'just actors not idols', which means that no matter how famous you are, you have to pass the audition. You are only judged by how good your acting is on the day and if you are suitable for the role. No mercy."

"If Arthur Guan can actually do this, it would be quite something. I think this audition will probably be reduced to a hyped up marketing event. King Guan Entertainment was reformed from the old state-owned film and television company. While it does have a high status in our circles, it is also plagued by the most complicated nepotism. When it comes to not showing favouritism, the personnel relationships left behind by the previous management are enough for this second master to cope with. Besides, everything in the show business is all interconnected, pandering to the top and bullying the bottom. This is just a disguised invitation to those influential film and TV production companies, not a truly impartial casting."

"Yuan Ge, can you not be so pessimistic? I came all this way just to show you this! Drum roll please … Ta-da!"

Chow Mingrun says as he triumphantly pulls out a gilded invitation from his suit pocket, with "To Dragon Dreams Pictures" printed on it.

"See this? The King himself gave it to me when I went to see him!"

"What?" Now not only Yuan Ge, but also Amélie and Du Jinghai are quite amazed.

"Took you guys by surprise, didn't it?" Chow Mingrun smiles smugly and says, "Can you believe it? A big cheese like young master Guan has actually seen the debut film of a small potato like us, 'Eve's Fallen'. He seems to admire Yuan Ge's directing talent and specially asked me to make sure you are at the audition. I reckon, if you're lucky, you might get the assistant director position. You'll lead the team and take all our guys and gals to the audition. How cool is that? Thanks to my quick reflexes and smart thinking, I was able to negotiate with the King himself and make an exception to allow our actors to audition without a single work under their names. Come on! Praise me for my heroic effort!"

Du Jinghai's eyes lights up and says, "KGE actually opened the back door for our small company? Fat Chow, you are a genius! If we are chosen by Master Guan for this big production, we've finally got our big break! Our chance is here! Like Amy said, I'll go take a good set of studio photos of our boys and girls, and Yuan Ge can lead the team to try their luck on the day of the audition."

Chow Mingrun looks at Yuan Ge with a big grin and instructs, "Old Dude, don't forget to take a few nice pictures of our director Yuan Ge. That good look of his will definitely make him stand out in the director pile!"

"You're full of it! I've never heard of directors applying for jobs based on their looks!"

Although Yuan Ge is also happy that DDP has gotten this opportunity out of the blue, there is always a bit of uncertainty in the back of his mind.

Watching Chow Mingrun's high spirit on set all day, Yuan Ge kept his cool and carried on with the shooting as planned. He did not share the news of the upcoming audition with the actors. They were too inexperienced, and knowing the news of the audition in advance would not only increase their anxiety but also make them feel unnecessarily stressed, so it was better to focus on shooting the film and improving their acting skills.

Having finally finished with the day's work, Yuan Ge returns to the crew lounge when he suddenly notices a person squatting in the corner of the room, wearing a dirty white costume taken from the prop room, his bloodless face looking sickly and dejected. It turns out to be that "porcelain bumping" boy who claims to be Rong Qiuchen the other day.

"Hey! You! I've been looking for you! Don't hide from me." Yuan Ge looks at his pitiful appearance, not even wearing a coat in such a cold winter, and couldn't help but worry that he might get sick from the freezing cold. But as soon as he opens his mouth, Rong Qiuchen jumps up like a frightened rabbit and tries to escape again. Yuan Ge hurriedly chases after him and tries to stop him from running away, but he deftly dodges. By the time when Yuan Ge rushed to the moon gate of Yi Qiu Garden, Rong Qiuchen has already disappeared into the thin air, without a trace, like a snowflake evaporating in the sun.