Chapter 058

Aside from Shao Jingqiu, Lu Jianxing received several other phone calls that night, all from close acquaintances. While the general public might not have known his role had been snatched away, people within the industry had certainly heard the news. Even Pei Xiwang sent him a message of concern on WeChat.

Pei Xiwang: [Didn’t Master Xiao Man give you a reading???]

Lu Jianxing: [He did. He said it’s a good thing.]

Pei Xiwang: […]

Pei Xiwang swiftly withdrew his sympathy.

Director Yang and the others reacted similarly. They had originally intended to offer comfort, but upon hearing his response, their words of consolation turned into congratulations. Lu Jianxing didn’t reveal the specifics of the fortune-telling, leaving everyone to wonder. This project had looked like a prime opportunity-otherwise, Qi Yuanzhou wouldn’t have fought to steal it-so could it actually be jinxed?

Regardless of whether it was jinxed or not, following Master Xiao Man’s advice was never a mistake. It was best to keep their distance.

Consequently, Qi Yuanzhou’s team was soon puzzled to find that, for some reason, certain people had suddenly become distant and overly formal. On the set of the new drama, several staff members abruptly resigned, leading to a significant amount of turnover.

The next morning, Qiao Man woke up full of energy to see Lu Jianxing off for his audition.

Maomao arrived to pick him up as usual. While Lu Jianxing was getting ready, Maomao scurried over to Qiao Man’s side and whispered, “Baby, did you secretly perform a ritual for Brother Lu?”

“No,” Qiao Man replied.

“Then Brother Lu’s luck… it’s honestly a bit too much!”

Only yesterday, they had been fuming over Lu Jianxing’s role being stolen. Sister Yun had been making calls everywhere, trying to pull strings, but before her anger could even subside, she received a call from her own artist saying that Film Queen Shao had given him an audition opportunity.

It was like a giant meat pie falling from the sky, nearly knocking them senseless with joy!

That was Film Queen Shao!

Everyone knew that Film Queen Shao had come out of retirement to film a movie and was currently collaborating with Director Jin. And who was Director Jin? An internationally renowned director whose works had won countless awards. His name was a guarantee of quality, and actors practically begged for a chance to be in his films. There was a massive divide between television and film; even the most popular top-tier young stars today didn’t necessarily get the chance to work with Director Jin.

And yet! Their Brother Lu was going to audition for a Director Jin film!

Even if they didn’t know if he would get the part, wasn’t the opportunity itself incredible?

If he succeeded, it would be a Director Jin movie!

What a massive stroke of luck! If Lu Jianxing’s role hadn’t been stolen, he never would have had the chance to audition for Director Jin. Furthermore, Baby Xiao Man had predicted that the previous production was involved in criminal activity. If he had actually filmed it, all his hard work would have gone to waste in the end.

This was the very definition of a blessing in disguise, a sudden light at the end of a dark tunnel!

Suddenly, no one hated Qi Yuanzhou anymore. It was a good thing he had stolen the role. They practically wanted to thank him.

Lu Jianxing finished changing and walked out of the bedroom. Maomao gave Qiao Man’s chubby, soft little cheeks a squeeze. “Baby, we’re heading out. Wait for our good news!”

Qiao Man waved his little hand. “Bye-bye.”

…

Shao Jingqiu hadn’t called Lu Jianxing because she saw the news online; she simply happened to have this opportunity on hand.

Director Jin’s film was halfway through production when the actor playing the supporting male lead was suddenly arrested. It had even made the local crime news. All the footage previously filmed with him was now useless, and they had to find a new actor to reshoot those scenes. Thus, Shao Jingqiu recommended Lu Jianxing to Director Jin.

She had worked with the young man on Director Yang’s set and had even coached his acting. Although she had initially done it as a favor to Master Xiao Man, she had developed a good impression of the humble and sincere young man after spending time with him. Therefore, when Director Jin needed a replacement actor to save the production, she suggested Lu Jianxing. Recommendation aside, whether he would be chosen depended entirely on Lu Jianxing’s own abilities.

Even so, Lu Jianxing was immensely grateful.

Director Jin’s films never lacked for actors. Even for an emergency replacement, plenty of people were willing to clear their schedules to join the project.

When Lu Jianxing arrived at the audition location, he saw many other actors waiting. In terms of popularity, he was the most famous among them, but in terms of raw skill, it was hard to say.

Inside the meeting room, Director Jin frowned deeply as he looked over Lu Jianxing’s resume and saw his previous works. “All idol dramas?”

The assistant whispered, “He was recommended by Film Queen Shao.”

Director Jin said begrudgingly, “Let him in for a try.”

Director Jin had only one standard for casting: the actor had to perform well and deliver the effect he wanted. Film was different from television. On the big screen, every subtle change in an actor’s expression was captured by the lens. Delicate emotions required exquisite acting to convey. To move an audience and keep them immersed, an actor couldn’t just have a blank, deadpan face.

When Lu Jianxing walked in, Director Jin’s frown deepened.

The reason was simple: this actor’s appearance was too good.

The big screen didn’t necessarily require extraordinary looks; what mattered most was that an actor’s face could “tell a story.” On the contrary, being too handsome could easily distract the audience.

But since he was already here, he had to give him a chance.

Director Jin signaled the Assistant Director to begin.

“Lu Jianxing, right?” The Assistant Director flipped to a page in the script. “Perform the second segment. Do you need a moment to prepare?”

“No need,” Lu Jianxing said. While waiting outside, he had already memorized the content.

The Assistant Director replied, “Alright, then begin.”

Before entering, Lu Jianxing had already analyzed the character’s psychology and emotions. He took a deep breath, imagining himself as the person in the script, and quickly delivered the first line.

The audition segment wasn’t long, just a small scene with a few lines of dialogue that lasted about a minute or two.

The Assistant Director flipped through his resume. Seeing his past works and noting that he hadn’t graduated from a prestigious theater academy, he was secretly surprised. Lu Jianxing’s performance was no worse than that of a classically trained actor. His delivery was solid, sounding as though he had practiced extensively. He was full of emotion, and even listening with eyes closed, one could feel the immersion. His acting was much better than expected; though there were still some unpolished areas, his emotions were sincere, and he had clearly stepped into the character’s shoes.

No wonder Film Queen Shao recommended him.

The Assistant Director glanced at Director Jin. Seeing that Director Jin remained silent, he spoke up again. “Could you try the sixth segment?”

Lu Jianxing nodded. “No problem.”

Several more segments followed.

Until the very end, Director Jin didn’t say a single word. The Assistant Director closed the script. “That’s enough. You can go home and wait for our notice.”

Lu Jianxing couldn’t tell what they were thinking. He bowed politely in thanks and left the meeting room.

As he walked out, quite a few people looked his way. Compared to the actors who had gone in before him, Lu Jianxing had been inside for a long time, which made many of them feel uneasy. Soon, the next person was called in.

Maomao ran over with his bag. “Brother Lu, how did it go?”

Lu Jianxing shook his head. “I don’t know. There’s no result yet.”

“No result is a good result,” Maomao said cheerfully. He pulled a Yellow Talisman from his pocket and showed it off. “Look, I came fully prepared. While you were in there, I was constantly praying to the heavens for you.”

Lu Jianxing looked closely and quickly recognized it as a Good Luck Talisman drawn by Qiao Man.

Lu Jianxing asked, “…When did you buy that?”

“A while ago. I wanted to pull some cards in my game, so I asked the little one to draw one for me,” Maomao said, treasuring it. “Then I thought about it and realized using luck on gacha¹ was too wasteful, so I saved it until now. It’s the perfect time to use it.”

A wave of warmth filled Lu Jianxing’s heart. He gave a faint smile. “Do you want to eat hotpot?”

“Hotpot?”

“The weather is a bit cold today. Come over to my place for hotpot.”

Maomao was delighted. “Sure, sure!”

…

The weather was indeed a bit cold today, but the indoor heating was turned up high. Qiao Man was watching cartoons. After finishing his math problems for the day, he hugged his children’s water bottle and gulped down some water.

It was gray outside. A layer of mist had formed on the transparent glass due to the temperature difference between inside and outside. Qiao Man leaned against the window and wiped away a patch of mist, only to discover that it had started to snow.

Snowflakes drifted down, fluttering past his eyes and landing on the ground. He didn’t know when the snow had started, but a layer of white frost had already accumulated on the treetops. Because of the snow, even the people walking outside had become sparse. This was the first snow of the winter.

“Wow!” Qiao Man pressed his entire little face against the glass, his chubby cheeks squishing into a flat pancake.

He and his master lived on a mountain. Every winter, the small house would become exceptionally cold. Even the chickens they raised became reluctant to lay eggs. At that time, his master would start slaughtering the chickens to make soup for Xiao Man. By the time winter ended, they would have finished eating all their chickens.

It snowed on the mountain too. After a snowfall, the roads became difficult to walk on. Once, Xiao Man had run out to play and accidentally fell into a snow pit. He was so small that he couldn’t climb out for a long time, and it was his master who eventually found him. Unlike the mountain, winter in the city wasn’t cold at all; the house was as warm as spring.

After watching the snow for a while, Qiao Man smacked his lips, suddenly craving chicken soup.

Just as he was thinking about it, the front door clicked open. Lu Jianxing walked in carrying bags of freshly bought ingredients.

“Xiao Man.”

He lifted the bags toward the child, who was standing on a small stool leaning against the window to watch the snow. “How about pig stomach chicken soup for dinner?”

Maomao also held up the bag in his hand. “Kiddo, I even bought you some milk tea.”

“Wow!”

Forgetting all about the snow, Qiao Man happily pounced toward the milk tea.

After finishing his milk tea, he dragged his little stool to the kitchen door and sat down to help wash the vegetables.

Maomao crouched beside him peeling potatoes, muttering under his breath, “Kiddo, do you think Brother Lu’s audition will pass?”

Qiao Man seriously scrubbed the vegetable leaves. “It should, right?”

“Really? I think so too, but that’s Director Jin. His standards must be very high. I’m not saying Brother Lu isn’t good, it’s just, that’s Director Jin. Director Jin, you know…” Maomao said in a low voice. “Even though Brother Lu is amazing, he’s not quite that amazing yet…”

Lu Jianxing, who was chopping chicken in the kitchen: “…” He could hear everything.

He cleaned and blanched the pig stomach, then stewed it with a whole chicken into a thick, white broth. The remaining ingredients were sliced and set aside.

Maomao rummaged through the cabinets and skillfully found an induction cooker to place on the dining table. Qiao Man had already taken his seat. He gripped the edge of the table, his eyes sparkling as he watched Lu Jianxing bring a large pot of chicken soup to the table. Lu Jianxing ladled a bowl and placed it in front of him first.

“Drink the soup first,” Lu Jianxing said. “We’ll start the hotpot once Sister Yun arrives.”

“Okay!”

Qiao Man picked up his spoon and took a big gulp of the chicken soup.

In winter, the sky turned dark very quickly. After nightfall, Sister Yun arrived covered in snowflakes. As soon as she entered, she announced, “Xingxing, I just got word from Director Jin’s studio. You passed the audition!”

“Really?!” Maomao was the first to cry out in surprise. “Director Jin’s movie? Brother Lu gets to act in Director Jin’s movie?”

Sister Yun replied, “That’s right!”

She walked in quickly, took a small bowl, and had a sip of the hot chicken soup, feeling the warmth spread to her very bones. The dining table was covered with hotpot ingredients. Once everyone was there, they began adding the food into the boiling pot.

Sister Yun gently blocked Lu Jianxing’s chopsticks with a pleasant expression. “Director Jin said it would be best if you could lose another five pounds. Time is tight, so watch your diet these next few days. Eat less in the evenings, and no more hotpot or anything like that, okay?”

Lu Jianxing: “…”

Qiao Man was huffing and puffing from the heat of a handmade beef ball. Hearing this, he looked up. “He can’t even have chicken soup?”

Sister Yun said, “No.”

Qiao Man said sympathetically, “So pitiful…”

Lu Jianxing remained silent for a moment, then stood up to pour himself a glass of vegetable juice. Amidst the savory aroma filling the room, he downed it in one go.

After dinner, the three of them, full and satisfied, sprawled on the sofa, playing with their phones to digest.

The evening cartoons were playing on the TV, and Qiao Man was watching with great interest. Suddenly, Maomao let out a loud “Holy crap!” Qiao Man was startled, his whole body jumping as he turned his head in confusion.

Maomao clutched his phone, gritting his teeth. “Qi Yuanzhou is so shameless! He’s the one who stole the role, and now he’s actually trying to step on Brother Lu!”

Translator’s Notes