When Xiao He said this, Liu Rulan also fell into contemplation: "That is indeed possible, but I didn't know when he became so familiar with the Hong Kong entertainment circle."
As everyone knew, every circle had its own exclusivity. Without some means and capability, it was impossible to break in on one's own.
The fact that Tong Junhui received such special treatment was indeed quite unusual.
"And there's another strange point," Xiao He continued. "Director Feng previously claimed that even investors didn't know the script's content, yet we immediately obtained the complete script from Director Hou. So who exactly leaked this script?"
Xiao He certainly wouldn't suspect Director Hou, but rather Director Feng.
Although submitting scripts to actors in advance had long become standard industry practice, this particular audition was initially shrouded in mystery by Director Feng's side, promoting the so-called secret script and claiming fair competition would only happen on site. Yet in the end, it still came down to connections and resources, with Director Feng quietly leaking some questions to gain both benefits and favors.
It was equivalent to others having open-book exams while he deliberately set up a closed-book test, promoting absolute fairness and justice. But in the end, he himself was leaking questions while collecting benefits, making it essentially open-book after all the twists and turns. Before the exam, he had already earned both reputation and scraped together various advantages - truly shameless behavior.
Liu Rulan chuckled coldly: "It's not surprising they'd pull these kinds of maneuvers."
Xiao He sighed: "This shameless operation really carries some shadows of old acquaintances."
The last time they saw such shameless public opinion manipulation was when Cheng Hongwen and Tian Heng pulled their stunts, and they were equally despicable.
Indeed, the entertainment industry was a small circle where everyone's tactics had common elements.
...
On the day of the audition, although Liu Rulan had said she would let Xiao He go alone, she still accompanied him in the car all the way to the back entrance of the theater.
After the first day of male lead casting, online discussions had finally calmed down considerably, but many people still wanted to stake out and photograph the subsequent audition lists. Thus the area remained quite lively, and even though Xiao He used the back entrance, he couldn't help but be startled by the crowded masses surrounding the periphery.
The last time they saw such shameless media manipulation was when Cheng Hongwen and Tian Heng pulled their stunts, and they were equally despicable.
"You don't need to feel pressure for this audition," Liu Rulan whispered in Xiao He's ear. "Just perform seriously. I can handle any situation that arises, and I already have leads on new scripts from major directors too. We'll discuss it after you return."
"Once you get out of the car, don't be too friendly with these people. Just keep your head down and walk. You're here to audition, not walk a runway. No need to acknowledge them."
"Okay."
Xiao He nodded, then opened the car door and stepped out.
The moment he exited, he heard commotion all around, including direct shouts calling for him to look over, but Xiao He ignored them all, continuing toward the theater's back entrance.
Due to the recent influx of fans and media, the back entrance also had access control requiring audition invitations to enter.
After scanning his invitation, Xiao He entered the empty security screening area. Following basic checks by security personnel, he was led by awaiting staff to a temporary waiting hall.
The hall already held many people waiting - men and women who all appeared quite young, wearing relatively casual and trendy outfits. Their expressions ranged from calm to nervous, and even when they saw Xiao He arrive, few reacted. Most remained quite indifferent, merely glancing up at Xiao He before returning to study their scripts.
Above hung hollowed-out central chandeliers, while staff moved quietly around the periphery. The entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, inexplicably adding to the pressure.
"Brother Xiao—"
Someone raised a hand, waving slightly. Xiao He accurately met the person's gaze.
It was Liu Zehang, whom he hadn't seen in quite some time.
"You're here too."
Xiao He walked over and sat beside Liu Zehang, speaking softly.
Liu Zehang hadn't attended the "Killing Life" celebration banquet due to various circumstances, and Xiao He hadn't seen him active in group chats for a while. Assuming Liu Zehang was still tangled up with his former agency, Xiao He hadn't proactively reached out.
But judging by Liu Zehang's current state, he seemed to have recovered.
"How have you been recently?" Xiao He asked.
Liu Zehang wore a smile, looking much more relaxed as he told Xiao He: "I ended up renewing my contract, but I changed agents and revised the contract terms. My current agent and team are really good, and I've already started picking up gigs again."
"That's great, congratulations!"
"Hey, by the way, which role are you auditioning for?"
Xiao He raised his hand and pointed to a specific name on Liu Zehang's script.
When he saw that name, Liu Zehang's face instantly fell.
"Oh no, oh no! I actually picked the same role as you!"
So Liu Zehang wanted to audition for the exact same role as Xiao He.
Xiao He's performance in the "Killing Life" crew remained fresh in Liu Zehang's memory. After all, back then he'd been brimming with confidence, thinking he had an amateur as backup, only to end up being repeatedly NG'd by a newcomer. Those sad memories were something he really didn't want to relive.
Liu Zehang genuinely respected Xiao He's acting skills.
However, that was provided the other wasn't his competitor.
But the next moment, Liu Zehang regained his confidence: "I took an intensive swordsmanship course for the past month, Brother Xiao. You're in danger now."
Xiao He: "Oh, I did that too."
Liu Zehang: "..."
Wait, was everyone this well-informed?
Xiao He: "What? Want to spar later?"
Remembering Xiao He's demonstration of the Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique on set, Liu Zehang automatically categorized him as a trained expert and wailed: "No thanks, I'm afraid you'd whittle me down to just bones."
Xiao He: "Tch, I wouldn't. I'm a beginner too, never learned swordsmanship."
But Liu Zehang had already quietly pushed Xiao He further away: "Get away from me. Before the audition, we're opponents now. Don't casually destroy my mental focus."
A beginner? Hah, who would believe that!
Xiao He: "...Fine then. Want to grab food after the audition?"
Liu Zehang: "That I can do."
As the two casually bantered, someone behind them snorted with derision.
Xiao He and Liu Zehang simultaneously turned to look.
It was Chen Yulin.
That guy who lost the "Starry Radiance" audition to Xiao He and then got overshadowed by him in hot search marketing too.
The moment Liu Zehang saw Chen Yulin, he immediately mocked without courtesy: "Well, if it isn't Slippery Fingers Chen! What brings you here today? Hands not too slippery today? Better be careful not to have your sword go flying during the audition from another slip."
Chen Yulin choked, his face alternating between black and red.
Back when Su Shengxi falsely accused Xiao He of on-set bullying, Chen Yulin had been quietly enjoying the drama. When he saw Xiao He getting blacklisted across the internet, cursed so badly he didn't even dare to log into his account by Su Shengxi's fans, Chen Yulin felt extremely pleased, thinking Xiao He was just a cricket after autumn who wouldn't amount to anything.
So in a moment of heated passion, Chen Yulin deliberately "slipped" and liked that comment about Xiao He stealing his role, wanting to capitalize on the opportunity to play victim while delivering one final stomp to Xiao He to properly vent his frustrations.
But who could have predicted the situation would see an earth-shattering reversal? Chen Yulin's "slipped like" became a topic of mockery throughout the industry.
"Don't be like Chen Yulin - nobody 'slips' likes better than him."
During that period, not only did Su Shengxi lose fans, but Chen Yulin also hemorrhaged followers. Even though he came forward to apologize and blamed it on his little assistant, he still suffered significant losses. Even his originally secured lead role disappeared, and recently there hadn't been any standout supporting male roles, forcing Chen Yulin to temporarily take a break. It truly made him sick with frustration.
Fortunately, this misfortune turned into blessing as he happened to catch Director Feng's new production casting.
The only unlucky aspect was running into that guy Xiao He again.
Every time he encountered him, nothing good ever came of it!