In the grand hall of the "Floating Boundaries" film crew, Guo Wen, after seeing off the last auditionee, propped his chin in his hands, a worried frown on his face.
Producer Xia Wei finally dared to step forward and cautiously suggested, "Director Guo, we've been casting for nearly two months. If this continues, we'll delay the shooting schedule. In my opinion, why don't we pick one from the backups? That girl, Ru Xin, is quite good. Her acting and appearance are decent in all aspects."
Guo Wen's expression immediately turned stern. "Standing next to Liu Zhi Xi, she looks like a mere maid. Do you think that's suitable? The second female lead is supposed to be celestial. Even if she's not stunningly beautiful, her aura should at least be noble and unattainable. What I'm looking for is someone who possesses a sense of inherent superiority, not deliberately cultivated, but radiating from within, inspiring admiration."
Xia Wei chuckled sheepishly, then his face shifted to a look of bitterness, muttering softly, "If someone truly exists who can surpass Liu Zhi Xi in both aura and appearance, she would likely be a superstar by now."
The staff waiting outside saw Xia Wei emerge with a dejected expression and knew it was another fruitless endeavor.
The director stepped forward, his voice laced with concern, "Producer Xia, our progress has already been delayed by more than half a month. It's equivalent to wasting half a month's worth of money. What kind of person is Director Guo looking for? You need to urge him!"
Xia Wei offered a wry smile. "Do I dare to urge him? He's Director Guo. If you dare, you go. Isn't that like walking straight into a nail?"
The director decisively pulled out the venue fees and other expenses from the past half-month. "Show this to Director Guo. Our crew's funds are already limited. If we continue to waste them like this, we'll end up in debt."
Xia Wei shook his head and clasped his hands together. "Heaven above, grant our Director Guo a second female lead..."
The director tilted his head upwards, gazing at the sky. "Isn't Director Guo digging his own grave? That's Liu Zhi Xi, the national goddess. In the entertainment industry, when it comes to aura and appearance, if she's not ranked first, no one is. The key is that she also has good acting skills, an impeccable personality, and is not lacking in upbringing or knowledge. Where can we find someone who can overshadow such a perfect persona?"
This was like daydreaming, he didn't dare to say it aloud.
"Ring ring~" An old-fashioned telephone rang.
The director's assistant glanced at it. It was an unfamiliar number, but he still answered, "Hello, who is it?"
Upon hearing a young voice, Quan Jiu asked, "May I ask if this is Director Guo Wen's number?"
The assistant hummed in affirmation. "Director Guo is busy right now. If you have something, I can relay it."
Quan Jiu thought for a moment. "I was recommended by Ding Kang, a review manager from the Third Department of the Film Bureau. He said Director Guo is looking for an actress for the second female lead."
The assistant's eyes instantly lit up. He quickly covered the receiver and whispered to Xia Wei and the others, "Someone called Director Guo's phone, saying they want to audition for the second female lead role."
Xia Wei was taken aback. "How did the call get here?" Director Guo's number wasn't easily obtained. Since someone could call, they must have connections.
The director, upon hearing there was someone else, didn't care who it was, as long as they were here to audition. He immediately spoke into the phone, "Alright, then hurry over. The address is..."
Although Quan Jiu knew they might have misunderstood, meeting such a master director wasn't easy. She decided to treat it as a beautiful misunderstanding and immediately took the sample script of "The Small Town" and rushed to the film crew.
Meanwhile, Xia Wei immediately relayed this news to Guo Wen.
Guo Wen was still worried. He knew they couldn't delay any longer, but if he couldn't find the right person, he'd rather not film at all.
"Director Guo, someone else is coming for an interview," Xia Wei said, approaching Guo Wen with some excitement.
Guo Wen replied listlessly, "Haven't they all been interviewed? Who else?"
Xia Wei paused. "Oh no, I got too excited and forgot to ask for the name."
He could only say sheepishly, "They'll be here shortly. I'll go take care of it and bring them to you when they arrive." He then quickly scurried away.
Upon coming out, Xia Wei saw the director and assistants looking dejected again. He became nervous. "What's wrong? Did they not come after all?"
"Alas... we've interviewed hundreds of people, and not one has been approved by Director Guo. I'm numb. There's no hope. I think we'll become the first crew in history to be shelved due to failure to cast a role."
Hearing this, Xia Wei's two points of confidence vanished.
He sighed again. "That's true. In the entertainment industry, who can outshine Liu Zhi Xi? If there were such a person, she probably hasn't been born yet."
After much thought, he simply said, "Let the screenwriter change the character of the second female lead. Let's not create a celestial being. The celestial being has already gone to play the female lead, where else would we find another?"
The others looked at him blankly. *If you want to go, you go.*
"Ah..." Xia Wei really wanted to go crazy. He could only desperately wait for the auditionee whose name he didn't even know.
They waited for an hour.
When Quan Jiu walked into the film crew and announced she was there to see Director Guo Wen, the staff outside were stunned.
Everyone knew that Director Guo had been frantically searching for a suitable actress for the second female lead role recently, but they also knew that such a person likely only existed in Director Guo's imagination.
However, upon seeing Quan Jiu, the staff outside subconsciously let out a sigh of relief, then enthusiastically and excitedly, without asking any questions, led Quan Jiu to Xia Wei.
At that moment, Xia Wei was utterly helpless and was trying to persuade the screenwriter to let him talk to Director Guo about modifying the celestial persona of the second female lead.
But before he could make any headway, a woman was pushed towards him by the staff outside.
Xia Wei froze, speechless.
The other staff members inside were also stunned speechless upon seeing the newcomer.
After a long while, the director trembled, pointing at the person in front of him, and murmured, "This... isn't this a fairy descending to earth?"
Xia Wei snapped back to reality, almost moved to tears. He stammered, "Are you here for an audition? Ah, the call, you are that... oh oh, what's your name?"
Quan Jiu smiled, introduced herself, and said, "Actually, I'm not here for an audition, I'm..."
"No, you are here for an audition. Hurry and come with me to see Director Guo," Xia Wei said, pulling Quan Jiu along towards the audition studio before she could finish.
Quan Jiu choked slightly, smiled helplessly, and since she had to see Director Guo anyway, she followed.
Guo Wen was flipping through the photos of the candidates, but after comparing them repeatedly, he still couldn't choose a suitable one. Frustrated, he suddenly heard Xia Wei exclaim with joy.
"Director Guo, the person is here."
Guo Wen tilted his head to look, froze for two seconds, then his eyes widened, staring at Quan Jiu in disbelief. Before Xia Wei could speak, he slammed the table and stood up abruptly. "It's you, it's you! Congratulations, you've passed the audition for the second female lead in our 'Floating Boundaries'."
Quan Jiu looked troubled. "Director Guo, I am..."
"The salary can be discussed. Come, come, let's sit down and talk," Guo Wen said, his eyes shining, unable to take them off Quan Jiu.
Xia Wei even more enthusiastically brought a stool and placed it in front of Quan Jiu, looking very pleased. "Please, sit, please sit."
Quan Jiu had no choice but to sit down and try to explain again. "Director Guo, actually, I..."
"The scenes can all be negotiated. The screenwriter is flexible," Guo Wen said with a smiling wink.
Quan Jiu was amused and exasperated. She blurted out, "Director Guo, I am not an actress, nor am I here for an audition. I am a screenwriter. You can call me Quan Jiu, or you can call me Nine. I'm here today mainly to discuss script collaboration with you."
Guo Wen and Xia Wei were both taken aback.
Xia Wei paused, his face filled with confusion and disbelief. "Screenwriter Nine? The screenwriter of 'Floating Life'?" That was a screenwriter he and Guo Wen both wanted to collaborate with.
Quan Jiu nodded slightly. "'Floating Life' was indeed my first film work after returning to the country."
Guo Wen finally reacted, but he didn't want to believe it. "You're not an actress? You're a screenwriter? Don't lie to me."
Quan Jiu smiled helplessly. "Director Guo, how could I..."
"Try on the costume first, and then we'll discuss the collaboration," Guo Wen said, crossing his arms, his tone leaving no room for refusal.