Chapter 13
Two days had passed since the conclusion of the exchange meeting event. During these two days, various entertainment news focused extensively on the event. Most of the coverage featured photos from the red carpet, with the majority of the attention given to the already popular celebrities.
The coverage of newcomers was pitifully sparse. Only a few entertainment and talent agencies managed to secure introductions for the select new talents of the year through their connections with certain media outlets. These introductions were then showcased in separate segments within the entertainment news.
Interestingly, among the new talents under Silver Fox’s management, there was only one photo that appeared in the reports. It was a collective photo of Xia Li leading a group on the red carpet. The cluster of people walked together, and even Xi Ze only revealed the back of his head in the crowd, his face completely absent.
In the days following the exchange meeting, there were no keywords related to Asian newcomers in the entertainment reports. However, there had been an abundance of astonished exclamations at the event itself. Countless media personnel and reporters were pleasantly surprised, and many in attendance had witnessed Xi Ze’s promotional photo firsthand.
Nevertheless, the news had been suppressed, and the mastermind behind this was undoubtedly the cunning old fox, Xia Li. He held a trump card in his hand and refused to play it, leaving everyone speculating and waiting for him to unveil it. While others were becoming anxious and desperate, Xia Li was biding his time for the perfect moment to reveal his hand.
Jian Anning and Xi Ze were well aware of this situation. Xia Li had informed them of his plan early on, and Xi Ze had no objections. Presently, aside from being recognized as a pure Asian face, he had no other works to his name. It was truly not the most opportune time for him to appear in the public eye. According to Xi Ze, both talent and appearance were equally important. At the age of nineteen, he believed he had ample time to refine his path in the entertainment industry.
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Xi Ze turned the mobile display around, enlarged a real-time entertainment news, and indeed, there was news about Selina. The headline read, “Rising Star Selina Auditions for ‘Player’ Today, Possible Collaboration with Superstar Arnold.”
Jian Anning let out a sarcastic snort, wearing a mocking expression as she said, “Possible collaboration? Journalists can really exaggerate. Aside from Selina, there are other actresses auditioning for ‘Player’ today. Seems like she really thinks she’s the queen of pop.”
Xi Ze, on the other hand, remained composed. He turned the display back and browsed a few more real-time articles, confirming that there were numerous reports about the “Player” auditions today. Besides Selina, several other well-known names were mentioned, but of course, Arnold’s name appeared most frequently.
As expected, Zhang Kai had high standards for his project. While Arnold was already pre-selected, the remaining cast members had to undergo a personal audition with Zhang Kai himself. It didn’t matter if they were established actors or newcomers, leading or supporting roles; trying to secure a backdoor route was even more improbable.
The auditions were being held in a studio under his name, not too close to Silver Fox. When Jian Anning and Xi Ze arrived at their destination, the parking lot was already filled with numerous nanny hover cars. It was evident that a substantial number of people were auditioning this time, indicating the high importance attached to the project by Zhang Kai and its potential future popularity.
Jian Anning had already given Xi Ze all the necessary instructions before coming, and she had great confidence in him now. Therefore, she didn’t waste any more words and proceeded into the studio soundstage with the audition notice, following the staff.
Zhang Kai’s studio wasn’t particularly large, and there weren’t many private rooms to accommodate all the stars. Instead, he had most people gathered in a common waiting room. When he was ready to see someone, he would call them in for the audition.
Jian Anning and Xi Ze entered one of these waiting rooms, and the staff quickly busied themselves elsewhere. The atmosphere in the waiting room was quite tense, and it was amusing how fate worked, as Jia en and her boy group were also present.
In this chance encounter, their eyes met, and both parties were momentarily taken aback.
Jia en was still sporting her ostentatious floral shirt, squinting her eyes. Her attitude was completely different from the last time; she had done a 180-degree turn. Previously, she had even mocked Jian Anning. Now, she wore a broad smile and politely said, “So, Anning is here with Xi Ze as well.”
Jian Anning’s demeanor oozed confidence. She raised her chin and gave a disdainful “Hmm.”
Xi Ze cast a faint smile at the group, thinking that as long as the interaction went smoothly, that would be sufficient. It seemed the other side was thinking the same.
Jia en was accompanied by four strapping young men. Except for Xi Nan, Xi Ze didn’t recognize the others. However, the three of them were staring at him curiously, and they quickly approached, enveloping Xi Ze with their enthusiasm.
“You must be Xi Ze, right? Hello, hello. You’re truly a pure-blooded Asian, huh?”
“Are your eyes naturally like that? And your hair, it’s never been dyed?”
“We’re Asian too, but our lineage isn’t as pure as yours. What’s your contact code? Can we be friends?”
Xi Nan’s mood had been sour since Xi Ze entered the room. No, to be more accurate, his mood had been quite terrible since the exchange meeting. He was sitting coldly, his head turned away, his icy gaze fixed somewhere else. Meanwhile, Jia en was nearly driven insane by the hyperactive and outgoing trio in Xi Nan’s company!!
Sure, you’re all newcomers, but could you at least learn a thing or two about composure from others? Do you even have a sense of dignity? Could you be a bit more composed and reserved? After all, you guys are already an established group with popularity!! Are you guys so eager to please that you’ll wag your tails off!?
Jia en rolled his eyes several times in succession, utterly exasperated. This was beyond infuriating. Except for Xi Nan, his group members were practically groveling in front of Xi Ze. To him, Xi Nan was the only one maintaining some level of composure. The rest, who were barely in their twenties, acted like big boys without any political acumen. Jia en considered his courteous address to Jian Anning as giving her face. At this moment, his artists were literally bending over backward for Xi Ze, and he felt his own face was getting lost in the process!!
Initially, Jian Anning had maintained her facade, but she couldn’t help but chuckle as she witnessed the unabashed sincerity of the trio. Xi Ze, surrounded by them, wore an amused and exasperated expression.
The three young men all had East Asian features. The moment they gathered around, Xi Ze had no idea who was who. He was constantly bombarded with their chatter, and one of them even produced a pen from nowhere, earnestly and sincerely requesting, “You’re definitely going to become a big star! You might even surpass Arnold. Could you sign your name for me? Just on the back of my shirt, please.” He then turned around, presenting his back to Xi Ze.
The other two chimed in, echoing in unison, “Yeah, yeah!! We want one too! We want one too!!” They promptly turned around as well.
Xi Nan: “…………”
Jia en: “…………” Where was a gun when you needed one? He really wanted to smack some sense into these three idiots all at once! He wanted to drag the three happy puppies back, but he couldn’t risk offending Jian Anning right now.
Xi Ze was caught between laughter and tears, holding the pen. While he disliked Xi Nan and wasn’t fond of Jia en either, he had to admit that these three young men were different. They were cheerful, innocent, and seemingly without ulterior motives. Besides, they genuinely seemed eager for an autograph.
After a moment’s contemplation, Xi Ze reluctantly picked up the pen and signed his name on the backs of the three young men, adding the date. It was his first autograph since arriving in the future. Even though the circumstances were rather awkward, he found it rather amusing.
Initially, Jian Anning had maintained an air of sophistication, but now, seeing the genuine and sincere side of these three young men, she couldn’t help but be amused. It was clear that simplicity and innocence had their own charm. Seeing Xi Ze finish signing, she finally approached and said, “Alright, that’s enough. Go back and take a seat. The auditions will start soon.”
The three young men looked at the autographs on each other’s backs, all wearing silly smiles. They ran back to Jia en and Xi Nan, eager to show off. However, the moment they saw Jia en’s expression, their enthusiasm quickly waned. They obediently took their seats, appearing like three scolded puppies.
Soon, the staff entered and called the newcomers in for the audition, while the managers waited outside. Consequently, the five auditionees followed the staff through a short corridor and entered a fully enclosed room.
After entering the room, Xi Ze was utterly amazed. He knew that the world in the future differed from the past in terms of making TV shows and programs. Thanks to advanced technology, the presentation formats were much broader. For instance, Zhang Kai had created “Stellar Exploration.” And just now, when he had woken up, he was clearly at an audition, but he couldn’t see any crew members, and he had been chased by a Kaia beast.
However, this was undoubtedly the first time in his life encountering such a “room.” Rather than a studio or set, this fully enclosed space was more like a laboratory. Machines filled about half of the walls, and there were more than a dozen blue screens flickering with holographic projections in the room…
The work done here was clearly on a whole other level compared to what he had known in the past. It was a space where technology and entertainment seamlessly merged. He couldn’t help but be fascinated by the futuristic equipment around him.
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Thanks for the chapter! The exited puppies were cute!