Lu Baobao mentioned a few names in rapid succession. Jiang Se did not even have the time to eat while commuting to the academy and back. When Lu Baobao grabbed her hand and swung it, she felt slightly dizzy.
"No."
She looked at the open English textbook before Lu Baobao. "Aren't you done yet?"
"I've copied them a few times already. Teacher Lin is doing this on purpose." Lu Baobao tossed her pen away in irritation and held onto Jiang Se's hand with both of hers. "She said that I'm not using my brain while writing from memory."
She had been left alone to copy the English vocabulary in the classroom. Her mind had traveled elsewhere long ago, so she naturally could not continue.
Despite having copied them for half a day, she did not remember even a single one, thus she made several mistakes during the dictation test.
Teacher Lin was furious at this. She would only allow her to leave when she passed the dictation test.
"Tell me about the film academy," she inquired about the trip that she did not make with Jiang Se, seeming as if she was wronged. "I wanted to go as well."
"I didn't see any stars. I just when there and looked around. I don't think it's possible for me to casually bump into celebrities on campus."
The National College Entrance Examination was just around the corner, yet this young girl was still thinking about meeting celebrities. Jiang Se thought about it and decided to not tell Lu Baobao about the casting call in the Yijing Building at the outer circle of the imperial capital on the 12th in case she would be distracted from the looming exams.
She decided to tell her about it after the exams and go with her.
She gave her no hints about this and ended her chat with Lu Baobao. Then, she took out her books and started revising.
Because she could not switch on the lights as she liked back at home, she could only make full use of the night revision times at school to cram the contents of the books into her head. Beside her, Lu Baobao was still trying to find out about the film academy. However, she noticed Jiang Se memorizing the books in silence. After pestering her for some time to no avail, she felt bored and turned to annoy someone else.
When it was time for the National College Entrance Examination, Jiang Se was well prepared. After the final paper on the morning of the ninth, many of the students lingered outside and were reluctant to part.
Jiang Se packed her things and went out, but someone poked her back with a pen.
She turned to look and saw a boy blush under her gaze. There was a hopeful look in his eyes as if he wanted to get a response. He stammered, "H-hi, do you remember what your answer was for the question 5(c)?"
After the exams, many of the students compared their answers the moment they got out. When he asked this, some other students moved closer as well.
"I don't remember," Jiang Se rejected them directly.
As she shook her head, the boy behind her turned a bright shade of red. He merely looked on as she walked down the stairs, not daring to give chase.
When she returned home, Zhou Hui was still clearing the table. She did not ask how Jiang Se did in her exams. Instead, she demanded, "When will you get your graduation certificate?"
After she asked her question, she added an explanation, "It'll be easier for you to land a job if you have a high school certificate. I heard from your Uncle Du that even factory salespeople need to have high school certificates now…"
Jiang Se paused halfway through her drink. When she saw that Zhou Hui wanted to continue, she made a gesture to stop her. "I told you that I don't want to give up on my studies to find work in the factory."
Zhou Hui paused halfway while she was wiping the table. There was an accusing look in her eyes. "Your results are bad. You'll only be wasting your time in college. Moreover…"
"I have some confidence in my results this time. As for the tuition fees, I'll find something to do during the summer holidays. I'll think of a way to earn money. You and Uncle Du won't have to bear the cost."
Zhou Hui clearly did not believe her. However, it was difficult to put a rein on her daughter once she was grown up.
After her second marriage, the centers of her life were her new family and children. She could barely help neglecting her eldest daughter. She wanted to give her a lesson now, but she realized that when she met Jiang Se's eyes, she could not say a word.
When she mentioned this to Du Changqun that night, he merely said coldly, "If she has the ability to earn her tuition fees, then let her study all she wants. In any case, I won't spend even a single penny on her."
He did not speak softly, so Jiang Se could hear the entirety of his statement clearly from the lower compartment.
"I found a sales job in the factory for her, but she doesn't appreciate it. I've done my part. Since she's graduated from high school, she'll have to pay if she wants to continue living under this roof…"
The remainder of his words were drowned out by thumping footsteps. Zhou Hui blindly agreed to him, "I'll talk to her tomorrow."
The couple spoke no more. Jiang Se heaved a long sigh.
Fortunately, Du Changqun did not insist on forbidding her from furthering her studies. However, his words were filled with disdain and he was very upset with her.
She had to earn some money as quickly as possible. It would be best if she could live independently.
The girl she had met in the Imperial Capital Film Academy the other day had said that the "Pretense to Reality" crew would be holding an audition for the cast on the 12th, so Jiang Se went to Lu Baobao's house the next morning.
When she reached the Lu residence, she found that Lu Baobao had been grounded.
Lu Baobao looked sullen at the door, dressed in her pink pajamas and she had not even bothered to tidy her hair. When she saw Jiang Se, she pouted and pointed into the house.
"I'm dead!" The first sentence she uttered when she saw Jiang Se was a sort of wail.
"My dad told me to repeat Grade 12 for doing badly in my National College Entrance Examination." Tears were welling up in her eyes while she looked sickly and her usual smile was nowhere to be seen. "I've compared answers with the others after the exams and I got most of them wrong."
A few days before the exams, she had still been busy paying attention to the celebrities. Naturally, her results were not too satisfactory.
Her parents were eyeing her like hungry tigers glaring at their prey. They asked, "Who's there at the door?"
"My classmate," she turned and answered. She turned back to Jiang Se and admitted sadly, "My parents forbid me from going out with you. They're still nagging me about returning late from Shen Villa the last time."
In Lu Baobao's parent's eyes, the beautiful Jiang Se was like the devil who had taught their daughter to become wild, thus they did not like her. Jiang Se had been standing at the door for a long time now, yet they did not invite her in.
Lu Baobao turned and swept her gaze across the inside of her house before asking Jiang Se, "By the way, what brings you here?"
Jiang Se could see that she was flustered as she replied, "When I went to the film academy the other day, I met one of the students there and learned about the audition for the 'Pretense to Reality' cast.
When Lu Baobao heard this, her eyes brightened first. Shortly after that, she stomped her feet and asked, "For real?"
Jiang Se nodded. "She said that there's an audition tomorrow in the outer circle of the imperial capital on level 13 of the Yijing Building."
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"
When Lu Baobao heard that it was the next day, she was so exasperated that she almost cried. "Tomorrow's impossible. My dad's forcing me to compare my answers with the other students. I won't be able to go anywhere tomorrow." When she finished, she grumbled again, "Now that you came here to meet me, my dad will raise his guard even higher and keep a closer eye on me. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"
She harped on, "If you'd told me this sooner, I might've been able to think of something."
"We were sitting for the National College Entrance Examination a few days ago. How was I supposed to tell you? Was I supposed to distract you?" Jiang Se frowned whilst Lu Baobao appeared to be at a loss for words.
"Anyway, I told you the time and address. If you have the time, just go. If you don't, forget it."
Lu Baobao mumbled, "How can I let this opportunity slip past me?"
Soon, Father Lu called her name from inside the house, and Jiang Se took a step back.
"Your father's calling you. I'll head back now."
Lu Baobao stomped her feet. When she saw Jiang Se turn around, she wanted to call her, but her parents were urging her to go in already, so she could only reply to her parents and close the door helplessly.
Jiang Se was very familiar with the outer circle of the imperial capital.
There were plenty of shops and office buildings with the most expensive luxury brands gathered in the same area. Even the passersby were people with impeccable fashion sense.
Many of the top industries had their headquarters located in the center of the outer circle. Even the Jianghua Group headquarters were there.
The Yijing Building was on the northern side of the outer circle. Jiang Se walked along the street and could see it located opposite the China Film Group Corporation building. Many of the offices here were somewhat related to the entertainment industry. Among the pedestrians, celebrities wearing shades over their eyes could even be seen hurrying into their cars while being escorted by their assistants.
Before Jiang Se entered the building, she let her hair down and combed it with her fingers. Then, she checked her reflection in the glass door.
She was only wearing a simple white T-shirt and had paired it with faded jeans. Although her attire was simple, her slender and long legs were still eye-catching.
She tucked the hem of her shirt into her jeans to accentuate her slim waist which formed a wonderful curve with her pronounced derriere.
The underrated clothes could not suppress her natural beauty. Feng Nan's elegance was coupled with Jiang Se's godsent lovely looks. When she walked into the main lobby, several receptionists at the counter went forward to greet her and asked her softly about her destination.
"Level 13."
The receptionist glanced repeatedly at Jiang Se's face. She was wondering if Jiang Se was some celebrity who had yet to make it big.
There were 50 floors in the Yijing Building and the offices were rented by notable filmmakers.
Working as a receptionist here meant that their chances of meeting celebrities were very high. Sometimes, they would even meet famous stars.
However, Jiang Se's looks and demeanor were far better than the slightly popular female celebrities. She looked pretty even without makeup on.
When the female receptionist learned that Jiang Se wanted to go to the 13th floor, she politely pressed the elevator button for her.
"I hear that 'Pretense to Reality', the film directed by director Gu Jiaer that's about to begin shooting is having an audition on the 13th floor. Are you here for the movie as well?" The receptionist's words confirmed what Jiang Se had heard from the sexy female student she had met at the film academy before this.
As the elevator doors slid open, Jiang Se merely gave her a smile. The receptionist returned an even sweeter smile and said, "I hope to see you in the movie when it comes out."
When the receptionist saw Jiang Se smile and nod at her, she seemed slightly excited. Before the elevator doors slid shut, she waved at Jiang Se and only returned to her post after the elevator went up. She chirped happily, "That girl was beautiful and has great charm. She's much better than the six other young female actresses. She's here for Director Gu's 'Pretense to Reality'. I have a feeling that she'll be famous!"
When the other female receptionists heard this, they immediately grew excited.
"She didn't seem to be the prideful type as well, but I couldn't bring myself to talk to her just now." When someone said this, the receptionist who spoke with Jiang Se just now nodded vigorously.
"She's slightly cold, but she's much better than many of the other celebrities. The famous stars aside, even the third and fourth-tier actors or actresses who aren't all that famous won't even look at you. However, the pretty girl just now was polite. It's clear that she has a much better upbringing compared to the small stars."
Jiang Se had no inkling that the receptionist who had helped her with the elevator just now was intending to become her fan. When she reached level 13, she saw many others who were there for the audition as well.
The receptionist handed her a list and asked her to fill in her particulars. Most of the people here must have been students from the film academy since many of them knew each other and were huddled together.
Jiang Se filled in her details and waited quietly in a corner for her name to be called.
Although she was one of the earlier ones, there was already a queue. She swept her gaze across the room and did not see Lu Baobao. She wondered if she was on her way here or if she was not coming after all.
There were more people in the reception room. However, a majority of the people here for the audition were students, and many of them noticed Jiang Se's unfamiliar face. They isolated her instinctively.
The person who called her name was a beautiful woman with a bob cut. She gave Jiang Se and appraising look before asking, "Jiang Se?"
"Yes."
"Come with me." She beckoned Jiang Se to follow her.
The location for the audition was a meeting room. When Jiang Se entered, there were about a dozen others seated inside. Half of the meeting room had been cleared away, clearly meant to give the audition participants space to perform.
Jiang Se was not very confident in her performance. Although she had earned the internationally acclaimed famous director, Zhang Jingan's praise during the filming of "Rescue Mission", she had no actual acting experience. Naturally, she was not in a position to discuss her acting skills.
She had unwittingly satisfied Zhang Jingan the other day because she had heard the news about "Feng Nan". Even so, she showed none of this on her expression.
"Brother Sun, she's here," announced the beautiful woman who led her into the room before silently retreating to the back of the meeting room. She rested her hands before her stomach and looked at Jiang Se who was making her way to the empty space in the middle.
The others in the room were sizing Jiang Se up. For a moment, nobody spoke. Only quiet breathing could be heard.
Even to those who were used to seeing handsome men and beautiful ladies in the entertainment industry, Jiang Se's beauty came as a pleasant surprise. There was no doubt that she was a newbie. Her face was fresh and her aura unique. The person called "Brother Sun" looked up and gestured toward Jiang Se.
"Turn around for me."
Jiang Se turned as she was told. There were no flaws in her form, mannerisms, or face regardless of the angle. It was as if she was born for this line of work. She looked pleasingly beautiful no matter which angle she was looked at.
Many celebrities looked gorgeous on-screen but might not necessarily be so in person. They were merely suitable for the screen.
However, this newbie was different. She had not put any makeup on while her smooth, long hair was tucked behind her ears, revealing the graceful lines of her chin. Even without smiling, she looked like a flower waiting to bloom as she stood there. She was mesmerizing to look at.
"Is this a freshman from the film academy's Faculty of Performing Arts?" A young man in a white shirt leaned forward from behind Sun Qiming, his eyes shining. "She has great physical appeal."
"She's not." Sun Qiming shook his head before giving Jiang Se another glance. Then, he picked up the list and read out, "She's only 17. She's written Jucai High School in the academy column."
The others whispered among themselves. Gu Jiaer's "Pretense to Reality" was a youth romance film with aesthetic cinematography. It featured good-looking idols as its male and female leads and was a product aimed at the younger viewers.
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT