The three of them, Pu Songri, had completely lost face with that fall, but it warmed up the atmosphere for Wu Chen, who was chatting very harmoniously with the Central Academy of Drama's Three Golden Flowers.
The Central Academy of Drama's 96-level Eight Golden Flowers each had their own strengths, and these three, in particular, had distinct styles, truly embodying three different flavors.
"Director Wu, are we heading to the Performance Department building?" Hu Jing asked with a smile, looking at the path ahead.
"Yes!" Wu Chen nodded.
"I knew this road looked familiar; Mr. Chang brought us here a few years ago, and it hasn't changed a bit," Hu Jing was clearly more lively, her hands behind her back, looking left and right.
"The school is quite poor, it's normal," Wu Chen said indifferently.
The three beautiful eyes simultaneously flashed with smiles.
As the four of them walked, they attracted quite a bit of attention.
Although it was midday in the dead of winter, there were always people aimlessly wandering around the school, covertly peeking and staring, and in the eyes of Wu Chen and his companions, the little thoughts in their eyes were as clear as a bright lamp.
"Such a strong sense of sneakiness!" Wu Chen silently shook his head, thinking, 'How can you pick up girls like this? Only being open and generous will make girls favor you, though having many talents and much wealth works too.'
Compared to the men, the women had far fewer reservations.
When Guan Yue saw Wu Chen, she specifically came over and called him 'junior brother', then blinked her eyes repeatedly, full of deep meaning.
Wu Chen's mouth twitched slightly; he had realized during their last meal that Guan Yue was definitely a big mouth, and now he wondered what wonderfully bizarre story she would concoct when she went back.
Fortunately, there were no other acquaintances behind them, and the path was smooth.
In the classroom of the Performance Department building, Wu Chen had already handed over the script.
The three of them were auditioning for the role of the male lead's current girlfriend.
"This role requires a little sacrifice in terms of scale; I'll explain that upfront," Wu Chen said when he saw the three of them take the script.
The original version had a very large exposure scale, and in later generations, it was even adapted into an explicit, sensual film by those idiots in Korea.
But essentially, this was a suspense thriller, and Wu Chen hoped to return to its original intention, of course, due to the mainland censorship.
He had changed all the overly explicit scenes, and he also made some minor adjustments to the sensitive parts circled by Mu Deyuan.
What remained was just showing a bit of shoulder, leg, and back, relying on editing to be enticing.
Theoretically, it was all acceptable, but stating it beforehand was a preventive measure.
The three nodded, with Yuan Quan appearing the most relaxed and composed.
However, as time passed, the three's expressions changed repeatedly; they inadvertently exchanged glances, their eyes filled with seriousness.
Yuan Quan sighed, and said softly, "Li Zi, Hu Jing, you two must take this script seriously!"
She was truly conflicted; she had come over muddle-headedly, thinking it would just be a formality, like a get-together with her sisters.
However, the role in the script genuinely moved her.
The inner monologue and emotions were quite complex, not the kind of superficial role that simply overflows with expression.
She believed that if she was willing, she could definitely secure one of the two female lead roles here.
Alas, this production team was destined to have no budget to hire her, unless she was willing to act for a low price or even zero pay as a favor.
Even if she was willing, her agency would not be.
An unknown college student, even with a good script, whether it could be filmed was one thing, and whether it could achieve the desired effect after filming was another; this not only meant lowering her status but also taking a huge risk.
"Mhm!" Zeng Li and Hu Jing exchanged glances, silently delving into the character's emotions.
Wu Chen leaned by the window, watching the bare trees outside sway, occasionally glancing at the three, waiting patiently.
Half an hour later, Yuan Quan went first for her audition, while Hu Jing and Zeng Li waited next door.
"Li Zi, this is absolutely our chance, two female leads..." Next door, Hu Jing whispered to Zeng Li.
"No wonder Mr. Chang told us to come and try; the Beijing Film Academy Photography Department is truly mysterious!" Zeng Li recalled Chang Li's instructions when she called her, specifically emphasizing to come and see first.
"The older the ginger, the spicier it is!" Hu Jing nodded.
"What are you saying..." Zeng Li playfully chided.
On the other side, Yuan Quan had already completed her audition and was discussing the issue of her remuneration with Wu Chen.
Wu Chen also spread his hands helplessly, "Sister Yuan Quan, it's not that I don't want to give you more; the production team only has a 400,000 budget, and I really can't spare 100,000!"
Before the Golden Rooster Award and Hundred Flowers Awards, Yuan Quan's remuneration, with a bit of a struggle, might have been acceptable.
But after the Golden Rooster Award and Hundred Flowers Awards, her remuneration tripled, and now, even if Yuan Quan was willing to lower her price to 100,000 for the role, Wu Chen could only regretfully give up.
Yuan Quan clutched the script, hesitated to speak, and after much deliberation, finally gave up regretfully, extending her hand: "Director Wu, I hope we can collaborate in the future."
"We will!" Wu Chen was a bit regretful; Yuan Quan was indeed quite suitable, but suitability for a role doesn't always guarantee a successful collaboration.
Next was Hu Jing's audition.
Three people were rumored to be the campus belle of the Central Academy of Drama's 96-level.
First, Liu Ye believed the class belle was Hu Jing; second, Hu Jing believed the most beautiful was Zhang Tong; and finally, Zeng Li was named the campus belle.
In the center of the classroom, Hu Jing flung her trench coat, stood still, and chuckled lightly: "You think I'll believe you?"
Her tone was as gentle as water, but her eyes concealed a sharp edge, like a spring breeze wrapped around cold thorns, and the smile on her lips revealed calculation.
That's right, she was a scheming woman.
Hu Jing's acting characteristic was that when she played a righteous role, she looked upright and awe-inspiring, a typical strong female lead;
When she played a villain, seeing such a beautiful villain, one immediately knew she was a scheming woman.
This was a natural bonus, perfectly fitting the character's persona in the script.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Wu Chen applauded, not beating around the bush, but getting straight to the point, "Sister Hu Jing, can you accept a remuneration of 20,000?"
"Ah, remuneration!"
Hu Jing was momentarily dazed by Wu Chen's approach, which skipped a lot of steps, and couldn't quite process it. She shook her head, and after regaining some composure, she instinctively said:
"Um, Director Wu, isn't 20,000 a bit too low?"
Although it was normal for a newcomer's film remuneration to be halved, it shouldn't be only 20,000.
Wu Chen understood that Hu Jing had gained prominence in the television drama field with "Secret History of Xiaozhuang," which aired at the end of last year, and her popularity was not low.
But for the quality of the film, he had to push for a lower price; he'd cut as much as he could.
When bargaining, you cut to the bottom first and then see the situation.
"Sister Hu Jing, let me break down the production cost of this film for you. You see, actors, locations, costumes, cinematography, lighting, post-production..."
Wu Chen knew Hu Jing was interested in this role, so he avoided directly discussing remuneration and instead used a reverse calculation method to lay out the costs.
"Calculating it like this, 400,000 just isn't enough to spend!" Wu Chen said helplessly, "Sister Hu Jing, you wouldn't want to make a bad film, would you?"
"But 20,000..." Hu Jing was swayed by Wu Chen's persistence; she already liked the role and naturally didn't want to lose it so muddle-headedly.
"How about 25,000?" Wu Chen interjected at the opportune moment.
"Huh?" Hu Jing was stunned. Was remuneration increasing by 5,000 at a time now? She felt like something wasn't right.
"Sister Hu Jing, let me tell you, the villa location alone will cost at least 20,000, and the production team's daily expenses will be tens of thousands more..." Seeing that Hu Jing still had a little capacity for thought, Wu Chen immediately began another mathematical calculation.
In a daze, Hu Jing seemed to remember that she had somehow agreed to act for 30,000, and then, inexplicably, Zeng Li came in to audition...