In the third courtyard, there are less than 30 actors waiting for the final round of auditions. The large courtyard, away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, feels very quiet and subdued.
"Second master, what kind of male lead do you want to pick? The few that came in just now were all top stars, and now they are all eliminated by you. The rest are not that well-known, so it's going to be hard to pick out the right one from that bunch …"
Liu Sang, the Chief Assistant of King Guan Entertainment, says with a big smile on his face albeit a little helplessly.
"It's better to have no one than to have the wrong one."
Replied the imposing looking man sitting in the centre of the interview panel. He is in his late twenties, but his demeanour carried an air of complete dominance. At 6'3" and dressed in an elegant bespoke suit, he exudes an undeniably elite air from head to toe. He seems to carry his own brand of iciness, and as he scans the room of prominent producers and actors, his expressionless face appears distant, as if he is above and beyond this world.
He is none other than Arthur Guan, the second heir to Guan's Properties and the current CEO of King Guan Entertainment.
Since the King has made his intentions clear, Liu Sang should have gone along with it, but when he looks at the final round of auditionees, who are just some unknown small fries, he can't help but feel a little worried. The company veteran executives all look very disappointed and reluctant, but no one spoke up, and he knew that in this situation he has to be the bad guy and try to dissuade King Guan.
He walks gingerly over to Arthur and says warily, "Second master, if we want to start shooting after the New Year, it's already very late in the day for casting. If we can't settle on a male lead today, it will definitely delay the schedule. This audition has been marketed to the hilt and has dominated the trending topics for days. If we can't choose a suitable candidate from these 3,000 people, we will be called arrogant and it will not be good for the company. Besides, with so many partners and clients nominating their ace artists to come in, we have to give them some face …"
Seeing that Arthur did not dismiss him straight away, Liu Sang continues his persuasion, "Second master, while many people in the second courtyard have not yet left, how about you take another look at them, maybe there are some potentials we've missed? The elimination rate of almost 50 to 1 in the previous round is pretty harsh! After all, the 3,000 people here today are all actors with portfolios, not some freshers from acting schools, and those who made it to the second round are all talented. Why don't you move to the second courtyard and see if you can meet someone who takes your fancy?"
The moment Arthur Guan walks through the hall and into the second courtyard, the sharp-eyed crowd immediately notices his tall figure, but are too intimidated by the powerful aura to openly approach him. They whisper from afar and closely follow his every move. Some young actresses never expected the legendary King Guan to be such a tall and handsome young man, and the sight of him made their hearts flutter and they all take out their mobile phones to secretly take pictures of him.
Arthur Guan is completely unconcerned by all the stares he is receiving from those around him. He glances majestically around the courtyard and is soon drawn to a man in the corner who is talking to a young actress with his back to him, holding a small branch and acting out a suicide scene. His full concentration and exaggerated movements bring a faint smile to Arthur's face.
Yuan Ge is still focusing on helping out Chestnut and Stephen with their performance, unaware of the change in atmosphere. The actors around him all have a strange expression on their faces, staring blankly in Yuan Ge's direction, holding their breath and not daring to make a sound.
Yuan Ge, for his part, is quite pleased with the quiet teaching atmosphere. Seeing Stephen staring at him dumbfounded, he takes over the bottle of mineral water from his hand and says, "Stephen, you act out a scene with me first. Suppose you were the enemy general who had captured me, the pregnant wife of a Ming general who refused to surrender, and was about to rape and humiliate me. I will fall to the ground from exhaustion while you flirtatiously lift my chin. I will show Chestnut the expression she is supposed to have here and then demonstrate the key to using the aesthetically pleasing way to spit blood."
Yuan Ge takes a mouthful of water, still on one knee, and leans on the branch in his hand, pretending it is a broken sword, closing his eyes lightly and letting his emotions brew as he feels Stephen crouch down in front of him and lift his chin frivolously but forcefully. The boy is getting into character rather quickly. Yuan Ge thinks to himself - and then he opens his eyes sharply, shame mixed with anger flashing in his gaze, his brows furrowing together as he jerks his cheek sideways to get out of his capturer's confinement, the fierce movement causing the veins in his neck to strain and pull at the wound in his chest, a 'mist of blood' bursting from his mouth and spraying thinly across his enemy's face.
And so, in full view of everyone, Arthur Guan's cold face is covered in a fine mist of water that is dripping down the ends of his short, well groomed hair and has pooled on his bespoke suit, wetting not only his lapels and collar, but also his trousers and shoes.