The sun slowly set, draping a pale golden curtain over the bustling city of Tokyo. The lobby of the Mukai Hotel had become much emptier than before.
Those who had failed the audition had long since left, while the successful ones waited off to the side for the subsequent contract signing.
"Hello."
Yuan Chuan You spoke calmly after dialing his agent's number.
"How did the audition go today?"
The agent's voice carried a hint of fatigue. His name was Nakahara Kazuya, and he managed four or five talents at once. Although none were big stars, he had plenty to schedule every day.
"I got it."
"You got... huh?"
Nakahara Kazuya was stunned for a moment, then wondered if he had misheard. "What did you get?"
"I got the role of [Inoue Satoshi]."
Yuan Chuan You glanced at a blue-haired girl who was also on the phone not far away, his tone nonchalant.
"For real?!"
Nakahara Kazuya's trembling, shocked voice immediately came from the other end of the line.
"You're not kidding me, are you? You really got [Inoue Satoshi]? That role has scenes in several episodes!"
"Yeah."
Yuan Chuan You rubbed his stomach. Since acting hadn't officially started yet, he definitely wouldn't be able to snag a free crew bento box today. He just found it a bit of a shame.
"Good, good, good!"
Nakahara Kazuya shot up from his workstation. Seeing his excited face, a female agent sitting next to him couldn't help but glance over.
"Since you got it, do you need me to come over?"
"What would you come here for?" Yuan Chuan You didn't quite understand.
"This is your first successful audition. I imagine you're not familiar with all the production crew's rules. I can also come over and greet the crew on your behalf."
Nakahara Kazuya felt there was a lot he needed to do; after all, the other party was just a newcomer.
"Alright, then."
Yuan Chuan You had no objection to this and quickly agreed to his idea.
As soon as Nakahara Kazuya hung up, the female agent next to him immediately asked.
"Nakahara-san, did something good happen?"
"Yeah, one of my talents finally passed an audition. It really wasn't easy," Nakahara Kazuya sighed.
"It couldn't be... Yuan Chuan, could it?"
The female agent had, of course, heard of Yuan Chuan You's "glorious deeds." When he first signed with the agency, he was just a raw teenager fresh out of high school. Now, over a year later, he'd only just now passed an audition?
She had thought he'd given up long ago.
"Yeah, I didn't expect him to actually succeed either."
With a sigh, the agent with the gold-rimmed glasses snatched his coat from the back of his chair and strode out of the talent agency.
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"Nakahara-san, it's been a while."
Inside the room, Yuan Chuan You stood to the side, watching his agent shake hands and exchange pleasantries with a staff member from the crew of "49".
"Yes, it has. From now on, I'll have to ask you to take good care of Yuan Chuan. He's worked very hard to get here."
Regardless of Yuan Chuan You's past "brilliant track record," Nakahara Kazuya would do his utmost to speak well of the talent under his wing. This was the mark of a professional agent.
"Hehe, no need to be so modest. I heard Director Asano even specially arranged to add scenes for Yuan Chuan-san. I imagine his performance must have been quite good, right?" the staff-san said with a slight smile, chatting as they printed out the acting contract.
"Is that so?"
Nakahara Kazuya couldn't help but look back at the black-haired young man standing in the corner. He had just turned twenty this year and hadn't landed a single role in over a year since his debut. Could it be that today was finally the day his hard work paid off?
"Alright, you can call Yuan Chuan-san over to sign the contract now."
"Okay."
An acting contract is a very complex thing. Compared to a normal business agreement, it has additional clauses stipulating various contingencies during filming.
Yuan Chuan You looked down at the document, his finger stopping in the middle of a page. He scanned it back and forth a few times, a look of resignation suddenly on his face.
"What's wrong?"
Nakahara Kazuya, standing behind him, asked with some confusion.
"This contract... it's three times thicker than I imagined."
He flipped to a certain page and tapped a line with his fingertip. "It says that no matter what emergency arises, I must ensure it doesn't affect the filming schedule. What if I get sick?"
"There's no way around it. We can't delay everyone else's time just for you. You'll just have to tough it out," Nakahara Kazuya said in a low, earnest tone. "This is your first chance. Don't mess it up!"
"I understand."
Yuan Chuan You signed his name.
The rest was simple. Since his agent was here, he would handle everything from this point on.
Nakahara Kazuya could stamp the contract with the agency's seal, then negotiate the salary and payment method with the production crew. Watching the man's suddenly serious side profile, Yuan Chuan You smiled, then got up and walked towards the restroom.
Just as he had finished washing his hands and was walking into the hallway, he heard a strange sentence from around the corner up ahead.
"Why did you hide it from me?"
"Because this show has excellent investment, and I believe it can help take your acting career to the next level."
The person who answered was a mature woman, her tone carrying an unshakeable resolve that brooked no argument.
"When you showed me the script, why didn't you say the investor was Johnny & Associates?"
"Is the investor's identity that important? As long as it gets wide-scale promotion, that's what matters."
"Hmph! Who doesn't know Johnny & Associates' habits? The male lead they pushed on us today has absolutely no acting skills. He just walked through the motions and got the main role."
The girl's voice sounded utterly disdainful of Johnny & Associates. "And I've heard they have a history of changing scripts. If that's the case, aren't they just using me as a foil to boost his popularity?"
"..."
The mature female voice fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking again.
"Mai, you need to understand that some things don't just go the way you want them to. Johnny & Associates is one of the three giants of the entertainment industry. This is just a collaboration, and I will help you get an equivalent return."
"Besides, the director and producer of this drama are very skilled. The quality won't be low."
Mai?
Those two syllables made Yuan Chuan You think of the black-haired girl, a former child star, who had given him an encouraging look.
It seems things aren't easy for her either.
The young man shook his head. He hadn't intended to eavesdrop; he had just stumbled upon the conversation by chance.
But just as he turned and took a few steps away, a rush of hurried footsteps sounded from behind him.
Having just finished arguing with her mother, Sakurajima Mai rushed out from around the corner. The moment she looked up, she ran right into Yuan Chuan You, who was just a short distance away.
"?"
"Good afternoon, Sakurajima-san."
Yuan Chuan You's expression was calm. He simply nodded, pretending it was just a normal chance encounter.
"..."
The anger on the girl's face hadn't completely faded. Upon seeing Yuan Chuan You, her expression instantly turned to astonishment. Her round eyes widened slightly, and her composure broke on the spot.
"Um, I have something else to attend to, so if you'll excuse me."
Yuan Chuan You didn't know what she was thinking, but of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, fleeing is the best.
"Wait..."
A thought struck Sakurajima Mai, and she quickly stepped in front of him, physically blocking Yuan Chuan You's attempt to leave.
"You can't leave just yet."
"..."
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