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Lu BaoBao stomped her feet and balefully watched Jiang Se descend the stairs. She wanted to say something to stop her from leaving, feeling a little guilty, but her parents kept nagging her to come back inside. She would typically just ignore them and do as she pleased, but today she really did not dare to test their patience. She had been disciplined one too many times lately, so Lu BaoBao could only unwillingly close the door. 

__________

Jiang Se was actually very familiar with the downtown area of the capital. With its tall skyscrapers, upscale shops that cater to the wealthy, as well as a number of well-known historical sites, museums, and art galleries, the Central District, which is located in the inner ring, was referred to as the financial center of the city. Most of the people who wander around here were usually immaculately dressed and had money to squander

Naturally, Jiang Hua’s headquarters were also nearby, as it was one of the top corporations in the nation.

The Yu Jing Building lay in the northern part of the Central District, and right across from it was the headquarters of Zhong Hua 1 Film and Television Group. The office buildings in this area were generally engaged in the entertainment business, and so most of the people working here were staff of various media companies. It was quite common to see people entering or exiting black ‘celebrity vans’ with their heads bowed, wearing dark sunglasses or face masks, and being escorted by one or more assistants. If a person stood in a single corner for one whole day, it would not be ridiculous to say that he or she had encountered someone famous, whether he knew it or not.

Jiang Se did not enter the building right away; instead, she dawdled for a minute outside the entrance. The trip coming here was a long and arduous one, and it was inevitable that she was less tidy than usual because of the commute. Jiang Se untied her hair and slowly ran her fingers through it. Using the reflective glass windows of the building, Jiang Se cleaned herself up.

Today, she wore a plain white T-shirt and a pair of white jeans that had obviously been washed one too many times. Although her outfit looked very minimal, with no other accessories adorning her, her long, straight legs were still quite pleasing to the eye.

She carefully tucked the hem of her shirt into her jeans, drawing attention to her narrow waist and highlighting her butt and the feminine curve of her hips.

Her simple clothes did not diminish her appearance. The body’s inherent beauty, slender frame, and Feng Nan’s temperament made for a lethal combination, displaying a rare subdued feminine charm.

When Jiang Se was finally ready, she walked into the first-floor lobby and headed straight for the information desk. Several receptionists greeted her politely, and a young woman with a friendly demeanor immediately stepped forward to assist her and inquired about the purpose of her visit. 

“The 13th floor,” Jiang Se simply replied. 

The other receptionists, who were nearby, kept giving Jiang Se curious looks as they attempted to determine whether or not this visitor was a newcomer.

The Yi Jing Building had a total of fifty floors. The businesses renting here varied; from well-known talent agencies and radio and television stations to production companies, publishing firms, and other media organizations. Thus, the employees of the building were rather accustomed to seeing actors, models, and the like. Even extremely well-known, prominent celebrities occasionally dropped by the building for one reason or another.   

Nevertheless, Jiang Se stood out, not only because of her outward appearance but also because of the way she carried herself, and the quiet confidence she exuded. There was no arrogance in her actions and no air of vanity; instead, her simplicity stuck out. 

The young lady nodded courteously in response and then immediately led the way to the elevator. 

“There’s been rumors going around these past few days that the movie ‘From Make Believe to Reality’ is holding auditions up on the 13th floor. Is the beautiful Miss also here for the interview?” the young woman asked, making small talk.

Hearing this, Jiang Se hummed her reply. She was relieved—the information the female student she met a few days ago shared with her was accurate after all.

The elevator doors opened, and Jiang Se flashed a grateful look at the young receptionist and walked in. The young woman enthusiastically returned the smile, saying, “I wish you good luck on your audition and hope to see you on the big screen!”

A little excited and happy that the pretty girl she met this time was pleasurable to interact with, she cheerily waved goodbye as the elevator doors closed.

The young receptionist returned to her post and started gossiping with her colleagues: “The pretty girl just now was really nice! Her features are so exquisite up close, and her attitude was even better. In my unprofessional opinion—ahem!” the girl playfully boasted, “that girl has an even more graceful bearing than the hottest six xiaohuadan! And get this, she’s here for the screen test. I bet you that she’s going to make it big one day.”

Her colleagues were intrigued and gossiped back. “She really didn’t look arrogant. With that face, you would think she would have at least some haughtiness in her bones, but she even looked me in the eye when I greeted her.”

“Me too! Too bad I didn’t have the guts to talk to her,” another girl sighed.

“She did look just a bit detached, but it’s not as bad as the other celebrities I’ve seen. And I’ve seen a lot. Those little 3rd and 4th tier stars 2 don’t deign to look you in the eyes as if they’re afraid it would bring down their level or something,” one receptionist snorted. “That pretty girl must have undergone good etiquette training; it shows.”

Jiang Se was unaware that the moment the elevator doors closed, she had sparked a passionate discussion among the young women on the first floor. The more they gossiped, the deeper their ‘like’ for Jiang Se became, turning them into veritable fans.

Ding!

The elevator came to a stop and opened directly onto a wide, brightly-lit lobby. You could tell there were a lot of people waiting for their turn just by looking around. Jiang Se estimated that more than half of the people here should have come from the IAFT, as they gathered in groups and quietly discussed amongst themselves.

Jiang Se approached the nearest front desk and was about to ask when she was handed a blank information sheet with instructions to fill it out properly. Taking out a pen from her bag, she quickly filled out all the necessary information about herself, then searched for a quiet spot to sit.

Even though there were plenty of people around, from what Jiang Se gathered, her arrival was considerably early. The lobby was rather spacious, and only about a third of it was occupied by hopeful interviewees. A careful look around, and it immediately became obvious to Jiang Se that Lu BaoBao was not here—either she did not come or was not allowed to come.  

As the minutes passed, more and more people started to show up, and Jiang Se became aware of the growing hostility directed her way. Because of the intense competition and the fact that the interviewees were mostly young people, they were unable to conceal their annoyance, and they kept casting nervous, angry glances her way and then openly snickered at her while talking amongst themselves.

Jiang Se sat for more than an hour before her name was finally called. Nobody ever spoke to her during the wait; she was isolated and shunned, receiving only a few sympathetic looks here and there. Jiang Se quickly stood up and walked toward the voice.

The person who called out her name was a beautiful woman with a bob haircut. She was holding a thin wad of documents and a pen and slowly looked over Jiang Se’s figure, stopping at her legs and her face for a second before asking, “Jiang Se?”

“Yes.”

The woman briskly nodded. “Come with me,” she said, gesturing with her hands.

Jiang Se was led to what looked to be a conference room. However, everything had been removed from the room except for a long, narrow table and several chairs placed on one end of the room in place of the large meeting table that was typically set up in the middle. The room was obviously used as an audition room. A single chair was positioned in the middle, facing the table, where ten people were seated in various positions.

When Jiang Se walked in, she immediately felt the scrutiny from the ten individuals looking at her one by one.

To be quite honest, Jiang Se was not confident coming into this audition. She had no acting experience, and her ‘performance’ during the filming of ‘Operation Rescue’ was just her taking advantage of the circumstances. Director Zhang had been pleased with her looks and had been mildly impressed by her skills, if they could be called that, but she herself knew she had no such talent at all.

She had been driven by her own emotions when she heard the words ‘Feng Nan’ and was lucky enough that her anger fit with the scene, ultimately getting a pass from Director Zhang.

All the same, Jiang Se never revealed any of her misgivings. She remained silent as she stood and looked attentively forward.

“Sun-ge 3, the next one’s here,” the beautiful woman with the bob cut said, addressing a person at the table.

The woman nodded once at Jiang Se before walking to a corner. Her hands clasped in front of her and her back straight, she, like the other ten people in the room, silently gazed at Jiang Se, examining her from head to toe.

For a moment, no one said a word, and only the faint sounds of breathing could be heard throughout the room.

The majority of those present were seasoned professionals with years of experience in the entertainment industry. They had seen all kinds of gorgeous people, both men and women, but like everyone else, they had been mildly surprised by Jiang Se’s beauty.

Without a doubt, she was a newcomer, a fresh face with a unique temperament. Finally, the person addressed as ‘Sun-ge’ lifted his hands up and motioned towards Jiang Se, saying, “Could you turn around for me, please?”

Jiang Se complied wordlessly and spun on her feet. From any perspective, her figure, her bearing, and her face were very pleasing to the eye. As far as could be seen, she was flawless and had no awkward angles. She had an excellent demeanor, was tall enough, and slim enough. It almost seems as though she was designed for the camera based on this simple evaluation alone.

In the entertainment world, nearly all celebrities looked good on camera, but when you met them face to face, there would always be some shortcomings, whether it was their height, their figure, their skin, or their facial features—there were flaws, and that left them ‘merely’ photogenic.

This newbie, however, seemed different. She did not look to be wearing any kind of makeup, and her hair was simply put up, exposing her small ears and the fine curve of her jawline.

Even if she did not smile, the way she stood was very refreshing, like a flower in bloom in a pavilion, captivating anyone who saw her.

“Are you a freshman from the academy?” a young man in a white shirt seated behind Sun QiMing asked, his eyes sparkling with interest. “You’re in very good shape.”

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“No, she’s not,” Sun QiMing interjected, casting a glance at Jiang Se before looking down on the information sheet in his hand. “She’s only seventeen, from Ju Cai Middle School.”

There was a pregnant pause, and then the other people in the room began talking amongst themselves.

Gu JiaEr’s ‘From Make Believe to Reality’ was a youth idol movie focusing on beautiful aesthetics, and thus most of the chosen actors and actresses were rather good-looking, with the main leads being popular idol actors and actresses with strong appeal to today’s youth.

Footnotes

中华 Zhong Hua – another name for China. Chinese celebrities have a so-called ‘tier’ ranging from 1-9 (technically 1-18 but beyond the 9th tier are basically nobodies) see: https://lujuba.cc/en/684648.html Sun ge – Directly translates to Brother Sun (sounds awkward). Often used by those who are close or relatively close to each other. Usually used between family members, but here it is said between colleagues to denote familiarity with a touch of politeness as one is older than the other. see: https://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art43970.asp