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Actually, Jiang Se’s physical qualities were in line with director Gu JiaEr’s requirements, but according to her information sheet, she had zero acting experience.

On top of that, she was not even a student of any film school. Although the entertainment industry places a high value on appearance, they were searching for more than just a pretty face.

There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Gu JiaEr gave this movie a lot of consideration. He had personally vetted the script, going through multiple revisions and improvements before passing.

He intended to compete for a prize in the Hundred Flowers Arts Award for this movie, so the film crew was extra cautious and picky when choosing investment companies. They were concerned that once the funding was secured, the investors would introduce and ‘recommend’ their favorite actors and actresses for pivotal roles, the majority of whom usually lacked even the barest semblance of talent or experience, and this would inevitably lower the film’s quality, ruining the project that everyone had devoted their hearts and labor to.

When choosing a candidate for the female lead role, the casting team carefully combed through a large pool of applicants before narrowing down their top choices. Only after several rounds of interviews and testing did they settle on an actress. Gu JiaEr was particularly adamant that the female lead should be beautiful and have complementary acting talent; in the end, Zhao RuoYun was chosen.

Sun QiMing carefully read Jiang Se’s information sheet. The male and female roles had already been decided, and a few supporting roles had also been filled in by the ‘recommendations’ of several investors.

Even though the roles for today’s screen test were all minor ones, the film crew still insisted that each candidate possess some level of acting ability.

But given Jiang Se’s meager experience, even if she were hired, she would at most be designated as a background cast member.

Sun QiMing placed the file on the table and looked up at Jiang Se. Just as he was about to say something, a person behind him quietly called his name, “Sun-ge.”

Sun QiMing turned his head to the side, then fixed an inquiring gaze on a man who was wearing glasses. The man had leaned forward to better converse with Sun QiMing, but his eyes were trained on Jiang Se, and the depravity in them was unmistakable.

With a smirk on his face, the man asked, “Doesn’t Zhao RuoYun need a stand-in in the script?” 

Sun QiMing’s expression immediately changed to one of understanding. 

The movie ‘From Make Believe to Reality’ was a romance-centric film, so it was unavoidable that there would be many scenes that required physical intimacy.

Zhao RuoYun had been signed by a very famous agency in the industry, Hua Xing 1, and the company had been very supportive of her since her debut. Right from the start, she had been introduced as a young and fresh-faced talent with a clean background and a darling personality, allowing the public to form a good image of her and thus making her an idol for young people. Hence, her company had always been strict about managing her.

Since their star was selected as the female lead, Hua Xing naturally had to accede to some demands, but because intimacy was an essential element of a romance film, the entertainment company still bargained with the film crew. There was a particular scene in the script where Zhu LianYou, the female lead, would need to be partially naked, and Hua Xing resolutely refused to subject their artist to this. Both parties discussed this issue at length, and in the end, it was decided that the film crew would look for a stand-in in Zhao RuoYun’s stead.

There were all kinds of people in the entertainment circle, all of whom were constantly dreaming and hoping that one day they would make it to stardom. But those who really made it were pitifully few. As a result, there were a lot of aspiring actors and actresses who would agree to ‘bare-it-all’ for the sake of fame.

This fact meant that Sun QiMing never had to worry about finding a body double. It was just a question of their similar body shapes and heights and nothing else.

The man’s suggestion caused Sun QiMing to pause, and he gave Jiang Se in front of him another look before carefully examining her figure with a thoughtful look on his face.

Unwritten rules were common in this circle, as were young women like Jiang Se, who had exceptional looks and a desire to become famous.

It was a commonly known fact that if you want the crew to notice you and put you behind the camera, then you must either have a background or have decent acting chops; else, you can also use the ‘advantages’ given by nature to push yourself forward.

Everyone sitting around Sun Qi Ming was well aware of the rules of the game, and they barely reacted when they heard the short exchange, their faces remaining stoic and only their eyes revealing a slight change.

“You don’t have any experience and for this screen test we—”

The moment Jiang Se stepped foot into the conference room, she was met with scrutiny one after the other, but in turn, she quietly observed back.

She had seen the looks of appreciation and surprise on their faces, and she also noticed the very slight shift in their attitudes when Sun QiMing and the man behind him talked.

“Pardon me, but, actually, I have participated in the movie ‘Operation Rescue’ filmed at Shen Farms. Director Zhang personally called my name and assigned a role to me.” Jiang Se gently interjected when she heard the tone of refusal in Sun QiMing’s voice.

Jiang Se purposefully left room for interpretation in her statements and did not state outright that she was only a supporting character with a line.

As expected, Sun QiMing’s expression immediately changed from casual disinterest to a serious one.

“What?” he asked in a brusque voice, sitting up straight in his chair.

He then reached for Jiang Se’s file and looked through it one more time before looking up at her and frowning. “You have acted in ‘Operation Rescue’?” he probed.

“Yes,” Jiang Se replied, nodding her head.

The look in her eyes was firm, neither wavering nor dodging, giving the impression that she was not lying.

While it was true that ‘Operation Rescue’ was currently being filmed at Shen Farms, Sun QiMing was still skeptical about the veracity of her claims.

“Then why didn’t you write it down in your information sheet?”

“Did I have to include that?”

“I was able to enter the crew thanks to Liu Ye qianbei 2  who spoke up for me, so I actually have never filled out any kind of information sheet before, my apologies,” said Jiang Se, brushing the hair behind her ear.

Jiang Se then continued, “I’m really sorry,” bending slightly forward, and her long hair fell from her small shoulders, framing her bowed head. Her legs were perfectly straight, and her figure highlighted her slender waist.

Once again, Sun QiMing’s demeanor changed, as Jiang Se had just name dropped Liu Ye after all. While her words could not be completely trusted, it would not do to immediately brush them off.

In any case, Jiang Se was undeniably attractive, and it was obvious to everyone that she had the potential to draw the attention of the movie king.

Jiang Se’s significance had changed somewhat with the addition of Liu Ye and Zhang JingAn, at least to him. Without another word, Sun QiMing reached out and picked up another stack of papers from the table, then slowly looked through them.

Jiang Se watched him flip the pages here and there, his face frowning in concentration, and that was when she knew that her words just now had played an important role in leading up to this moment.

Still, even with this development, Jiang Se remained nervous; she was not confident she would be hired by the film crew.

Sun QiMing’s gaze stopped at a folder on his hand. It was a portfolio of roles for the movie, some of which they had opened auditions for today. While most of them could not be called supporting roles, a few still held rather significant parts. There was a sheet of paper in it with the names of characters crossed out in red, and behind it was another list of characters with written notes on the side.

The roles crossed out in red meant that the actors or actresses had already been chosen and could not be changed, while the ones without were still being cast. Sun QiMing’s finger moved slowly down the paper, occasionally pausing at particular locations. 

He did not know what kind of role Jiang Se received in ‘Operation Rescue’ but with her words previously, it was enough to make him pay attention.

Zhang JingAn was a very famous director, one of the ‘Great Directors’ of his time, and ‘Operation Rescue’ was a big budget film with extraordinary requirements in both production and casting. 

Sun QiMing silently considered what would happen after Director Zhang’s movie was released: Zhao RuoYun had also been able to bag a small part in the film and if Jiang Se really was given a role with speaking parts then their appearances would help ‘From Make Believe to Reality.’

This possibility was what Sun QiMing put significance to.

With her beauty and the probable buzz she would create after her appearance, it would bring some advantages to their film crew.

Sun QiMing’s finger slowed to a stop, and he pensively tapped his finger on the words ‘Flight Attendant Miss Zhang,’ as he debated the feasibility of Jiang Se taking the role.

“Can you speak English? Even just conversational English would do.”

The role of Miss Zhang needed an actress to at least speak basic English.

Truthfully, Director Gu JiaEr’s request was that they find someone who could speak French, as the role had several lines spoken in that language. Understandably, this was not that easy to carry out.

Although there were plenty of girls who could speak French in foreign language schools, if the requirement was for someone not only to speak the language fluently but also to possess good looks and be photogenic, then there really were not many out there.

For this reason, Gu JiaEr lowered his demands and requested that the actress at least speak English.

Prior to today, Sun QiMing had already made plans to visit several airline companies and interview genuine flight attendants for the role.

When she heard his question, Jiang Se sighed with relief and smiled. 

Footnotes

Hua Xing – Literal translation China Star or also could be Flower Star/Magnificent Star. 前辈 qian bei – Senior. Usually used to address colleagues who are older or have seniority in the workplace.