Chu Xiaxing was a seasoned veteran in the industry. For a moment, Zhang Anlu couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or genuinely sincere.
Zhang Anlu looked hesitant. “...Just average?”
Chu Xiaxing nodded righteously. "Yes, her double eyelids are so obviously fake, didn't you notice?"
"She had double eyelid surgery?" Zhang Anluo hadn't really paid attention to Zhou Xuelu's eyes. Hearing this, she was even less sure of Chu Xiaxing's aesthetic preferences, and said doubtfully, "But I don't think she's suitable for the second female lead..."
Chu Xiaxing said casually, "Hey, anyone can play the second female lead. Anyone will do. This is a drama centered around the female lead. Let's not have too high expectations for the supporting roles. The budget can't keep up either."
Hearing Director Chu's phrasing, "anyone will do" for the second female lead, Zhang Anluo suddenly inexplicably thought of "reaching King rank in the game just requires hands," feeling a strange similarity between the two.
"If you're not satisfied, we can discuss revising the script now. Where do you think the script needs adjustments?" Chu Xiaxing directly flipped through the paper script at hand. She seemed very easy to talk to. "Adjusting the second female lead's scenes is fine too."
Seeing how generous Director Chu Xiaxing was, Zhang Anluo hesitated, looking at the paper script, and said in a low voice, "...No need to revise the script."
The actor team would have a dedicated person to review the script. The story of The Immortal Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty was indeed flawless, absolutely a drama centered around the female lead. Even the male lead couldn't compare to the female lead. Zhang Anluo had also read the story arc of the second female lead, Princess Chaoyun. The princess seriously injured the male lead while trying to kill the female lead, and later even destroyed a village, undeniably ruthless and villainous.
Princess Chaoyun's character would definitely be remembered by the audience because she was just too evil. Not only did she deceive the female lead in the early stages, but she also injured the male lead in the later stages, a complete villain character, the type that leaves psychological trauma. If Zhang Anluo were choosing a role to play, she would definitely not touch such a toxic character, which would seriously affect her future career path.
Chu Xiaxing asked Zhang Anluo to revise the script, but Zhang Anluo couldn't come up with any suggestions. Princess Chaoyun was indeed not a character that could overshadow the female lead. In fact, many of the female lead's shining moments required this character. Without a tool character to push the plot, where would the protagonist's brilliance come from!
Zhang Anluo couldn't find fault with the second female lead's scenes, and said hypocritically, "This role isn't particularly good either. Isn't it a waste of her talent to play this? I think she's quite beautiful!"
Chu Xiaxing said casually, "What's the use of being beautiful? She hasn't acted before. It's good enough that she has a role to play."
Hearing this, Zhang Anluo finally put her heart back in her stomach. Facing Director Chu's frank and open attitude, she felt that she had made a fuss over nothing. Zhou Xuelu was originally a newcomer with no work to her name. The role she was playing wasn't exactly scene-stealing. Apart from her striking appearance, she really had no advantages.
Thinking that she was arguing with an 18th-tier small actor and even came to bother the director about it, Zhang Anlu felt a bit embarrassed. She exchanged a few polite words with Chu Xiaxing and didn't mention Zhou Xuelu's matter again, pretending that nothing had happened.
Chu Xiaxing wasn't surprised by Zhang Anluo's reaction, but she only said that Zhou Xuelu was lucky to have a role to play now, but didn't say that the other party might never lack roles to play in the future.
She wasn't really interested in suppressing Zhang Anluo, nor did she rush to promote Zhou Xuelu. She was merely introducing a competitive mechanism in the crew to make The Immortal Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty the best it could be. The script and appearance were half and half. The two would rely on their own abilities to rise to the top, with acting skills being the sole determinant of victory or defeat.
As Chu Xiaxing flipped through some test makeup photos, she muttered to herself, “Well, the stage is all set now…”
Not long after, Zhou Xuelu, who had finished her makeup test, also found Chu Xiaxing. She was now very enthusiastic about everything in the crew, waving her ancient costume sleeves and excitedly saying, "What am I supposed to do now? Can I post a WeChat moment? I think this outfit looks so pretty."
Chu Xiaxing glanced at her and said calmly, "If you want to be sued by the crew until you're bankrupt, then go ahead and post it. I can help you introduce a lawyer."
Zhou Xuelu instantly deflated. “Then… never mind.”
Chu Xiaxing couldn't help but tease, "It's okay. Maybe you'll marry a rich second generation after posting the WeChat moment, and then you won't have to worry about these lawyer fees."
Zhou Xuelu quickly looked around. She found that there was no one else in the room, and then stopped her unhappily, "That was just a casual chat with you in private. Don't make fun of me outside!"
Zhou Xuelu was flustered by Chu Xiaxing at the night view restaurant last time. She said this in the heat of the moment. She is usually very concerned about her image and has always taken a reserved and dignified route.
"Oh, you have quite the idol baggage." Chu Xiaxing pulled out two printed script segments. She handed them to the confused Zhou Xuelu and said, "Try acting out these two scenes."
A trace of panic flashed across Zhou Xuelu's eyes. She hurriedly took the script pages and pointed to herself, unsure, "Me? Now? But I’ve never learned acting!”
Chu Xiaxing: "Just act."
Zhou Xuelu could only bite the bullet and start performing. She hadn't even read the script of The Immortal Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty. After acting out the scene, she carefully looked at Chu Xiaxing's face, but the other party was calm and expressionless throughout, and she couldn't see her true thoughts at all.
Zhou Xuelu said nervously, "How was it?"
Chu Xiaxing objectively commented, "Better talent than the male lead in my last drama, but not as serious as he was."
Chu Xiaxing knew that Zhou Xuelu was a good seed, but the other party still entered the crew with a playful attitude, which was indeed less resilient than Cao Yangang. This couldn't be helped. People's characteristics are different, and there is no perfect existence in the world.
Zhou Xuelu: "...Who was the male lead in your last drama?"
Chu Xiaxing: "Some unknown 18th-tier small actor."
Zhou Xuelu: "..." Does this mean I didn't act well?
Zhou Xuelu said awkwardly, "You should at least give me some time to prepare. Don't look at me like this, but I actually memorize things very fast. I just haven't been exposed to..."
Chu Xiaxing couldn't help but be curious, "How fast do you memorize things?"
Zhou Xuelu glanced at the script on the table and gestured with her fingers, "If I have a week, I can memorize this whole thing."
Chu Xiaxing deliberately dragged out her tone, "Really? I don't believe it."
Zhou Xuelu immediately fell for her trick, raised her eyebrows and said, "Of course it's true! You can check it out then!"
Chu Xiaxing said calmly, "Okay, then come for another makeup test in a week. I'll see how you perform then."
Seeing that she was so straightforward, Zhou Xuelu couldn't help but be suspicious, "...I feel like I've been tricked?" Chu Xiaxing didn't say whether she performed well or not, and she inexplicably promised to memorize the entire script.
Fortunately, Zhou Xuelu didn't reject the crew's work now. She just checked the information of The Immortal Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty online and found that the crew's background was quite reliable. Since it wasn't a small makeshift team, she didn't want to lose the opportunity.
Chu Xiaxing didn't say that only confirmed actors could get the entire script. She didn't want to praise Zhou Xuelu too highly from the beginning. People should still put in effort for their choices. She also briefly talked to Zhou Xuelu about the basics of acting. Since she had taught Cao Yangang in Distant You in My Heart, she was quite skilled in tutoring students with no foundation.
After the makeup test was over, Chu Xiaxing also planned to leave the crew meeting room and started packing up her things. Zhou Xuelu had already changed back to her original clothes. She saw a lot of new things in the crew today and suggested, "Let me treat you to dinner tonight!"
Chu Xiaxing was stunned when she heard this, and then teased, "Then you're really one step late. I've already been asked out tonight. If you want to treat me to dinner in the future, remember to get a number and line up first."
Zhou Xuelu looked disappointed. “Ah, I thought you’d be free after work, that’s why I waited till now…”
Chu Xiaxing and Zhou Xuelu walked downstairs together, and the metal elevator door opened with a ding. Zhou Xuelu saw Song Wenye not far from the revolving door, and she cleverly shrank behind Chu Xiaxing, immediately frightened out of her wits, and said in disbelief, "You're having dinner with President Song tonight!?"
Chu Xiaxing took it for granted, "Yes, he said he owed me a meal."
Chu Xiaxing still had time to make dinner appointments during the early stages of the crew's preparation, but if she officially entered the crew for filming, Song Wenye would have to run to Hengdian to treat her, which would definitely not be as convenient as now.
Zhou Xuelu panicked, "Oh my god, he shouldn't have seen me, right? Is there a side door here?"
Chu Xiaxing was quite puzzled, "Why are you so scared? He's not a demon."
Zhou Xuelu: "President Song especially hates people around Duan Chengyan. The only one he tolerates is Xia Hong.”
Chu Xiaxing: "Why does he hate you?"
Zhou Xuelu mumbled quietly, “He probably thinks we’re all Duan Chengyan’s degenerate friends. Like we’re all useless and might even corrupt him…”
There are also categories of wealthy children, including those with outstanding strength and those who are playboys. Song Wenye obviously doesn't belong to the playboy type. He may indeed be disgusted by the playboy young masters who only know how to play, let alone the kept canaries around them.
Chu Xiaxing showed a look of sudden realization. She nodded and replied, "Then his feeling is not wrong. You really don't look like serious kids."
Zhou Xuelu: "...I'm quite serious!"
Although Zhou Xuelu was unwilling and timid, she was still noticed by the sharp-eyed Song Wenye and had nowhere to escape in embarrassment.
Song Wenye also felt a headache when he saw Zhou Xuelu. He didn't actually remember Zhou Xuelu's name, but he just felt that she looked a little familiar. She seemed to always be around Duan Chengyan and Xia Hong, belonging to the little girls who wanted to get into the circle with a goal. He had no intention of guiding other people's lifestyles, but seeing Zhou Xuelu sticking to Chu Xiaxing's side, he naturally frowned and felt worried.
Chu Xiaxing had already gotten her footing as a proper director. If she kept associating with people like that, it was hard not to worry she might be led astray.
Zhou Xuelu found that there was really no way to avoid it, so she could only bite the bullet and say hello to Song Wenye, too afraid to raise her head in front of him, and said nervously, "Hello, President Song."
"Director Chu, then I'll go first, have a pleasant meal!" Zhou Xuelu was still chatting happily with Chu Xiaxing just now, but now she was simply leaving the scene at the speed of light, completely afraid of being remembered by Song Wenye, wishing she could take out a mask and put it on on the spot.
Seeing that she was so panicked, Chu Xiaxing didn't want to stop her and replied, "Oh, okay, then contact me at any time."
Hearing that the two had each other’s contact info made Song Wenye’s expression darken further. His worry deepened. Zhou Xuelu really didn’t seem like someone reliable. What good could come from Chu Xiaxing staying in touch with her?
Chu Xiaxing said happily, "Okay, then let's go too. What does President Song plan to treat me to?"
Song Wenye wasn't as relaxed as Chu Xiaxing. He led her out, opened the car door for her, and looked serious and hesitant all the way.
After the two got into the car, Song Wenye didn't start the car immediately. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and he said earnestly, "Is your current drama short of money? Does the project need more investors? I could chip in a bit more, if needed.”
Seeing the concern on his face, Chu Xiaxing looked completely confused. "?" What's this all about?
Chu Xiaxing said decisively, "There's no shortage of money. This is a platform-produced drama. How could there be a shortage of money?"
The Immortal Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty was a video website's self-produced drama, and the production cost was completely provided by the platform, so the budget would never be tight.
Song Wenye always knew that Chu Xiaxing's acting skills were outstanding. He was skeptical of her words at this time, and said earnestly, "If you are short of money, tell me, and don't make strange friends, and don't do stupid things that you will regret."
Chu Xiaxing: "..." Why are you talking in the tone of an old father? This is like when college students go out to study, their parents tell them to ask their family for money if they don't have enough.
Chu Xiaxing didn't know that she thought she was immune to everything, but Song Wenye felt that she would be led astray, so he hinted to her in a subtle and tactful way!
Chu Xiaxing was both amused and annoyed and said, "President Song, whether I'm short of money or not is another matter, but your attitude of rushing to give money does make you seem not short of money, but a little short of something else..."
Song Wenye: "?"
She looked at his handsome and worried face and joked seriously, “I should give you a Japanese name—how about Keshin Yazuko? Like Song Wenye-ko. Has a nice ring to it.”
[“Keshin Yazuko” sound quite similar to “缺心眼子” (quē xīn yǎn zi), especially if said quickly or stylized for humor. It literally means “dimwit” or “dummy.” It could be a mock-Japanese rendering or a playful romanization of the Chinese insult to make it sound like a name, which is something you’d definitely see in memes, parodies, or satire like calling someone "Miss Blockhead-san".]