There was one week left until the first filming trip for “Grandma’s Journey.”
The small group chat, [Rich Grandmas’ Travel Club], was super lively.
As the only group chat Chu Xingxing was in, chatting with her “old babies” every day brought her a lot of joy.
The only thing troubling Chu Xingxing was that the grandmas had recently gone crazy sharing various tropical island outfits in the group, asking for her opinion.
From accessories to hats, scarves, jewelry, then sandals, slippers, sneakers, and even nail polish colors – the “old babies” would take photos of everything and send them to Chu Xingxing for her review.
The “old babies” were especially obsessed with colorful scarves.
It was like a competition; each one probably showed off about eighty or a hundred different styles.
This really stumped Chu Xingxing, a “straight woman” when it came to fashion.
First of all, Chu Xingxing honestly didn’t really get it…
A person only has one neck, why would you need so many scarves?
Secondly, besides “pretty,” “really pretty,” and “super pretty,” Chu Xingxing felt ashamed of her limited vocabulary for describing beautiful things.
So, being good at learning, Chu Xingxing specially spent a few hours on a short-video platform watching tutorial videos like “Learn High-Level Compliments in Three Minutes,” “Leave No Trace Buttering Up,” “I’ll Give You My Head If the Flattery Backfires,” and other “brown-nosing” instructional videos.
Sure enough, the effect was pretty obvious after the training.
Chu Xingxing could feel that the grandmas had even more energy, and they sent more OOTDs for her to comment on every day.
She just had to perk up and seriously evaluate each outfit. It was truly a “sweet burden.”
Especially Grandma Jiang Yao.
Grandma Jiang Yao’s nephew, Jiang Luoze, was a fashion designer himself. He had long ago put together ten outfits suitable for a tropical island style, from head to toe, down to the accessories and hair ornaments, and had someone bring them back to China from Country F.
This gesture from her dear nephew instantly “defeated” the ordinary stylists the other grandmas had at home.
This move made Grandma Jiang Yao the undisputed winner in the [Rich Grandmas’ Travel Club].
Jiang Yao also created a little suspense in the group, specifically @ing Chu Xingxing (Estrella).
Good baby, don’t let the company schedule too many things for you recently. You need to be on call, okay? There’s a surprise for you! @Chu Xingxing Estrella
Chu Xingxing: Although she didn’t know what the surprise was, it gave her a little glimmer of anticipation.
—
After the live broadcast of the “Grandma’s Journey” preview, Chu Xingxing gained three to four thousand followers.
Her reputation also improved quite a bit, thanks to the grandmas exposing the malicious editing of the “Bestie’s Home” production team on the show and the fan’s live call with Chu Xingxing.
Many viewers went to Chu Xingxing’s Weibo and left comments supporting her.
[I’d only ever heard the name Chu Xingxing before. I didn’t expect her to be this stunning in person. At first, I thought she was just a delicate little white flower, but it turns out she’s an independent and cool beauty!]
[Finally, this beautiful woman has been cleared of the false accusations. Looking forward to Xingxing shining bright and becoming more and more popular in the future!]
[Chu Xingxing has a distinctive kind of beauty. It’s rare to find such a beauty with strong, striking features. I really like her!]
Agent Jiang hadn’t arranged any other work for her besides one audition.
Chu Xingxing didn’t mind having less work and also understood that Jiang Changsheng was young and had no prior experience as an agent.
It was okay; she wasn’t aiming for great wealth and fame in the entertainment industry. As long as she could support herself, it was fine.
Although Jiang Changsheng didn’t say anything, he was actively contacting various production companies, variety shows, and brands in private, trying hard to secure work opportunities for Chu Xingxing.
Young Master Jiang might be young, but he was very steady in his work.
He didn’t want to tell Chu Xingxing about anything that wasn’t completely confirmed yet, in case it got her hopes up for nothing.
Whenever Jiang Changsheng notified Chu Xingxing about something, it was a done deal that he had already successfully negotiated.
—
Chu Xingxing clocked in at the gym every day on time, and spent the rest of her time pondering the script and watching various freestyle fighting competition videos.
To get a better feel for it, Chu Xingxing even used some of her meager savings to buy tickets and went to watch two freestyle fighting matches.
Although the role she was auditioning for was small, requiring at most a day or two of filming,
For Chu Xingxing, the job of an artist or actor was no different from being in a suicide squad.
It was all a profession, and there was no big or small role.
Since she was going to earn this money, she had to take even the faceless roles seriously.
Chu Xingxing’s daily routine had been very regular lately.
She firmly believed that if she kept this up, she would definitely live a long life!
Of course, besides the excellent professional equipment at Go Fit Center and the delicious, healthy meals, another reason Chu Xingxing eagerly went to the gym every day was the chirpy little cutie who worked out with her.
—
The day after receiving the audition notice for “Shining Flowers,” Cookie was waiting for her at the gym bright and early.
As soon as she saw Chu Xingxing, she excitedly pounced on her, wrapping herself around Chu Xingxing like an octopus. “Xingxing, I love you! I got an audition for the Street Dance Girl role! My agent said it’s because the director saw you teaching me the boxing aerobics that he agreed to let me audition for the Street Dance Girl!”
With that, she gave Chu Xingxing a loud smack on the cheek. “I also heard you got an audition for the Fighting Girl! Actually, the moment you made the first move that day, I thought you were super suitable for the Fighting Girl role!
I was even thinking of giving this audition to you, since I didn’t really like the Fighting Girl role anyway, but I was afraid you might not want it. Now it’s all good, we can go to the audition together~”
“Okay, okay, get down first…” Chu Xingxing finally managed to peel the long-limbed girl off herself.
Honestly, Chu Xingxing really liked, even envied Cookie a little.
This kind of girl, whose every emotion was written on her face, had clearly grown up carefree in a happy family.
Cookie was unreserved with people, had a carefree personality, and even her bluntness wasn’t annoying; instead, Chu Xingxing found her candid and cute.
Wiping the saliva off her face, Chu Xingxing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Congratulations, Little Cookie. Looks like you won’t have to endure hard workouts at the gym anymore.”
“No!” Cookie shook her head wildly, clutching her arm. “I want to learn weight training and build muscle with Xingxing! Girls with nice, defined muscles are super cool, aren’t they?!”
From then on, Chu Xingxing had a “little tail” at the gym.
She didn’t mind at all and even gave Cookie the nickname “Little Cookie.”
It was Wen Han, the gym regular, who was a bit troubled.
He could see Chu Xingxing every day, but she was always monopolized by Cookie. Wen Han couldn’t even find a chance to say a single word to Chu Xingxing alone.
A flicker of imperceptible disappointment would occasionally flash in his naturally beautiful, peach-blossom-like eyes.
—
The audition for “Shining Flowers” was scheduled for the third day before the official filming trip for “Grandma’s Journey”.
The location was the film and television base invested in by Orange Fly Pictures.
Jiang Changsheng skipped a lunch business engagement to personally accompany Chu Xingxing to the audition.
Inside the van.
Jiang Changsheng suddenly pulled a green object from a bag beside him and stuffed it into Chu Xingxing’s hand. “Don’t be nervous. Remember to smile as soon as you walk in, leave a good impression on Director Wang. Relax, whatever you do, don’t be nervous. If you really get nervous…”
He paused, his tone a bit awkward. “…just squeeze it.”
“I’m really not nervous.” Chu Xingxing blinked, looking at what had been shoved into her hand.
It was a soft, squishy stress-relief toy shaped like a fat, green caterpillar with horns on its head and squinty eyes, wearing a smug grin.
Whenever you squeezed it, the caterpillar’s eyes would bulge out comically.
Chu Xingxing chuckled wryly.
Emmm, back in the apocalypse, when she stomped on zombie heads while wearing her exoskeleton, their eyeballs popped out just like that…
Jiang Changsheng seemed to find the toy a bit embarrassing too. He cleared his throat. “Ahem, Director Wang’s audition style is to have multiple actors go together, not individually, to make comparisons easier. Don’t be scared, I’ll go in with you.”
“I feel like you’re more nervous than I am.” Chu Xingxing squinted at him.
“Tch, what would I be nervous about? It’s not like I’m the one auditioning…” Jiang Changsheng retorted stubbornly, shifting his gaze to look out the van window.
Soon, Chu Xingxing’s van pulled up at the audition location.
Chu Xingxing hopped out without wearing a mask.
She felt that with her level of fame, there was no need to cover up; it wasn’t like she had fans cheering for her anyway.
Jiang Changsheng habitually wore a hat and mask, following behind her.
Just then, a mixed-race girl with her hair in pigtails came bouncing and skipping down the long steps of the film base auditorium.
“Xingxing!” Cookie, dressed in sweet and spicy hip-hop style, hugged Chu Xingxing tightly.
Under the midday sun, the freckles on Cookie’s face looked soft and pink, making her look vibrant and cute.
Chu Xingxing was wearing her freestyle fighting boxing shorts on the outside, revealing a pair of long, straight, fair legs. On top, she had on a loose black sports hoodie. Her hair was styled in a dreadlock ponytail. If she didn’t smile, you’d think she was some cool athletic model.
But Chu Xingxing’s cool demeanor shattered in an instant.
“Be good, Little Cookie, no octopus hugs…”
Chu Xingxing quietly reminded Cookie that she was about to be squeezed breathless.
“Cookie from JAM?” Jiang Changsheng was stunned for a moment.
How did they know each other, and they seemed so close???
“My agent, Jiang Changsheng.” Chu Xingxing finally managed to detach Cookie from herself, introducing them. “Little Cookie is a friend I made at the gym.”
Jiang Changsheng took off his mask and nodded at Cookie.
Cookie looked him over, blinking. “Jiang Changsheng… Eh? You look a lot like Brother Chang’an from our show. With your mask on just now, I almost thought Brother Chang’an had come too.”
“Jiang Chang’an is my older brother,” Jiang Changsheng said flatly.
“I see.” Cookie gave Chu Xingxing a meaningful smile.
Just then, Cookie’s executive agent, Sam, also rushed out.
Seeing the three of them standing together, Sam quickly gave a slight bow. “Hello, Young Master Jiang. Hello, Chu Laoshi. The sun is so strong, let’s go to the waiting room first. Director Wang doesn’t like lateness.”
“Okay.”
Held by Cookie’s hand, Chu Xingxing couldn’t walk fast anyway.
They had just climbed a few steps when they heard a commotion behind them.
“Tongtong! Mom loves you!!!”
“Dream Tong, fly bravely! Ai Tong will always be with you!!!”
“Tian Mengtong, look here! Look here, look here!!!”
“Ahhhh! It really is Tong Bao, wuwuwuwu. Tong Bao, look here, wa!”
—
In front of the studio city auditorium.
Dozens of fervent fans holding up high placards surged forward, quickly surrounding a van that had just parked.
Suddenly, several security personnel jumped out of nearby ordinary cars.
The security personnel, speaking politely all the while, managed to create a path with a human wall.
Tian Mengtong, wrapped up so only her eyes were visible, got out of the van accompanied by her agent, Chen Dong.
“Thanks for your support, babies. I’ll treat everyone to milk tea later.” Tian Mengtong made a heart gesture and waved to the fans.
“Ah!!!” The fans screamed.
“Is Tongtong here today to audition for ‘Shining Flowers’?” a fan asked loudly.
Tian Mengtong didn’t answer, her eyes smiling as she turned and went upstairs.
As she looked up, she came face to face with Chu Xingxing, Cookie, and the others.
Tian Mengtong was below, they were above.
Unaccustomed to looking up at others, Tian Mengtong shot Chen Dong a resentful glance.
This wasn’t what Chen Dong had promised earlier.
The plan was to take photos and videos of the three of them together, but not here.
The heated discussions and sounds of camera flashes from behind were incessant—
“Isn’t that Chu Xingxing?”
“OMG! Am I seeing things? Tongtong and Chu Xingxing are auditioning together???”
“With Chu Xingxing’s lousy acting skills, she still wants to snatch our Tongtong’s resources? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I also saw Cookie from JAM, the main dancer! Holy crap, why is Cookie holding hands with Chu Xingxing???”
“This feels like a crossover, but gotta say, the long-legged beauties are so pleasing to the eye. Chu Xingxing in person… is kind of pretty, actually. Her face is so small and delicate, and her legs are ridiculously long.”
“Are you even a fan of Tongtong? Careful, you might get your fan status revoked!”
“Oh… I was just saying, you know? I wonder if Tongtong and Chu Xingxing have made up yet?”
“Tongtong posted on Weibo a few days ago hoping to reconcile with Chu Xingxing. Has Chu Xingxing responded?”
……
Stuck with the fans still discussing behind her, Tian Mengtong gritted her teeth behind her mask and enthusiastically extended her hand to Chu Xingxing. “Xingxing, long time no see. I’ve missed you so much!”
She had to keep her persona intact, even if it meant grinding her molars to dust.
Chu Xingxing ignored Tian Mengtong’s outstretched hand. From this angle, she was practically looking down at her with her chin.
Without a mask, Chu Xingxing’s eyes showed undisguised sarcasm. “My ‘good bestie,’ long time no see. Hope we never see each other again.”
“Let’s go, Xingxing, it’s so sunny.” Cookie tugged at Chu Xingxing’s sleeve, ignoring Tian Mengtong, and dragged her up the stairs with big strides.
Tian Mengtong’s face turned ashen. She watched in disbelief as they linked arms intimately like real best friends.
Chu Xingxing and Cookie, both long-legged beauties, took the stairs with ease, easily skipping two steps at a time.
Their agents were also tall and long-legged. The four of them quickly disappeared from Tian Mengtong and Chen Dong’s sight.
To make matters worse, Tian Mengtong was wearing high heels that were very difficult to walk in, specifically chosen so the fan site operators could take beautiful photos.
The auditorium stairs were narrow and steep. With Chen Dong and an assistant supporting her, Tian Mengtong slowly managed to shuffle up step by step.
Before the audition had even started, Tian Mengtong was already sweating profusely and had nearly twisted her ankle.
—
The audition location was in a temporary setup inside the auditorium.
Director Wang Yang stood with his arms crossed, looking very displeased.
Today’s auditions were not going smoothly at all. The atmosphere on set was tense.
The crew members were tiptoeing around, speaking in hushed tones, afraid of incurring Director Wang’s wrath.
Among the supporting roles auditioned earlier, three or four had been personally scouted by Director Wang himself.
There was a talented content creator with explosive video views on a certain small video platform, students Wang found through professional channels at sports schools and arts schools, and a female rapper recommended by a friend.
The students with strong professional skills had absolutely no camera presence; they were so stiff that they couldn’t even be coached.
The content creator, after all, wasn’t an actor. Their eyes wandered everywhere, and their personal appearance off-camera was also quite different from their videos.
The rapper’s acting was wooden, her lines were poor, and her facial expression management was also lacking.
In short, when they actually stood in front of the camera, Director Wang wasn’t satisfied with any of the people he had personally selected.
Next up were the three artists recommended by CBM Entertainment.
Director Wang wasn’t holding out much hope anymore.
Although he had been instantly impressed by Chu Xingxing’s boxing moves when he saw her at the gym that day, acting skills were still essential for filming.
No matter how good Cookie’s dance moves were, she was still just an idol.
If the action sequences weren’t good, they could always use a stunt double. But if the acting was beyond salvage, nothing else mattered.
By comparison, the two male group vocalists previously sent by CBM Entertainment at least had strong visuals. Standing still, they were like two nice-looking pieces of wood.
Wang Yang flipped through the actor profiles in his hand. He was still more inclined towards Tian Mengtong. Among the three, she was the only one with a professional acting background, a newcomer with a good reputation for her acting skills.
For Chu Xingxing and Cookie, Director Wang Yang was just going through the motions, thinking, “since they’re here anyway, might as well give them a quick test.”
“Tian Mengtong wants to audition for two roles. Thanks for the effort. Let’s start with the Street Dance Girl first…” Before Director Wang could finish his sentence, his phone let out an urgent ringtone.
He thought about silencing it.
But glancing at it, he saw it was from the investor.
Director Wang: “Sorry, it’s the investor. I need to take this.”
The investor’s side indicated they wanted to insert a role for a girl who plays the erhu. They had already discussed it with the screenwriter. The role wasn’t big, just a cameo for the investor’s niece.
Director Wang rolled his eyes.
These people are always causing trouble.
For every person they insert here, I have to cut one from somewhere else!
When Director Wang returned, his expression was even more serious. “The investors discussed it with the screenwriter and suggested merging the Street Dance Girl and the young female rapper into one character. I’ll give you both the script for the young female rapper’s scenes to look at. Prepare a little. Chu Xingxing, you go first. The underground boxing scene for the Fighting Girl. You have five minutes to prepare.”
“Okay.” Chu Xingxing put down the script, stood up from her chair, and went to an open area nearby to warm up and get into character.
—
Tian Mengtong got the new script, a frozen smile on her face.
In her previous life, she had easily landed the Street Dance Girl role in “Shining Flowers.”
Although it was a small supporting part, it earned her high praise, and she was voted by viewers as the Most Popular TV Series Supporting Actress of the Year.
In that life, Tian Mengtong had specifically spent two months training at a street dance studio and hired a private coach.
During the audition, Director Wang was very satisfied and confirmed her for the role on the spot.
Meanwhile, Cookie from the girl group had failed her Fighting Girl audition and was even scolded to tears by Director Wang.
When Chen Dong mentioned that Chu Xingxing was auditioning for the Fighting Girl, Tian Mengtong couldn’t swallow her pride and declared she would audition for both roles, just to let Chu Xingxing know she could easily overshadow her.
In her previous life, after turning twenty-six, Tian Mengtong started seeking a career shift. She successfully starred in several action films and trained with martial arts stuntmen for a few months.
She still remembered the moves and could imitate them convincingly.
She didn’t actually plan to successfully get the Fighting Girl role; she just wanted to show the director her capabilities.
Chu Xingxing might be strong and rough, but she definitely didn’t have any real martial arts skills. Tian Mengtong was sure of that.
By showing off a little, letting the director see that even an actor without martial arts training could perform such beautiful moves, she could easily ruin Chu Xingxing’s audition.
Besides, Chen Dong had bribed a crew member on set to secretly film their audition segments and post them online, then buy some promotional accounts to spread articles like “Tian Mengtong’s Overwhelming Acting Showcase.”
In the entertainment industry, no matter how good your persona is, nothing beats solid skills like acting ability.
But now, Tian Mengtong, who had prepared thoroughly for street dance and fighting, was completely thrown off by the sudden rap requirement.
Oh my god! She had absolutely no idea how to rap!!!
The script only had two words for the rap part: improvise.
And Cookie, sitting right beside Tian Mengtong, had her amber-colored eyes sparkling!
Street dance and rap were both well within her skills!
Ah! Xingxing really was her lucky star!!!
—
Five minutes later.
Chu Xingxing took off her loose sports hoodie.
She wore a simple black sports tank top on top, the boxing shorts slung low on her hips, clearly revealing the defined lines of her abdominal muscles.
She put on bright red boxing gloves.
Thump, thump. She tapped her gloves together.
With a slight exertion, the smooth, defined muscles in her arms looked as beautiful as a work of art.
She bounced lightly back and forth a few times, rolling her neck.
Finally, she signaled an assistant to help her put in her sports mouthguard.
This entire sequence left the professional fighter she was about to act opposite completely dumbfounded.
The fighter looked questioningly at the director, his expression clearly asking: Uh, this… do we really have to fight???
Cookie silently cheered for Chu Xingxing: “Xingxing, go!!! Xingxing is so cool!!!”
Jiang Changsheng and the others watching from below were also stunned.
Especially Tian Mengtong and Chen Dong, they looked at each other in dismay.
Weren’t they told that Chu Xingxing was just a rough and crude girl with brute strength???
Chu Xingxing nodded at Director Wang, signaling she was ready.
—
Throughout the entire scene, Chu Xingxing held back while fighting.
In the drama, the Fighting Girl was an antagonist who would stoop to any means to win, even secretly fighting in underground boxing matches.
The screenwriter hadn’t written much detail, but from the sparse descriptions of the Fighting Girl’s clothing, her expressions, and the few words from her parents’ phone calls, Chu Xingxing had roughly sketched out a multi-dimensional character.
For the Fighting Girl, boxing was her only way out. If she lost the competition, her only option was to drop out of school and get married.
If she won, she still needed tuition fees to continue her studies, and the fastest way to make money was through underground boxing.
This underground boxing scene was also very familiar to Chu Xingxing.
When she was nine, just after her parents sold her to black market traffickers, the traffickers, seeing her long limbs and natural physique, trained her to fight in underground matches for a while.
Luckily, she was smart enough to pretend she couldn’t learn, and was eventually sent to learn other “skills.” Otherwise, she would have died long ago in those boxing rings.
In the final shot, Chu Xingxing was “beaten” to the ground by her opponent.
The opponent was on top of her, pressing down on her head, arrogantly spitting out his mouthguard. “I’m asking you, do you give up?”
After a moment’s silence, Chu Xingxing practically gritted her teeth and uttered one word: “Yes.”
“Giving up” referred to the outcome of the underground fight.
But “not giving up” was written all over her big eyes, which were filled with the characteristic stubbornness and hatred of a young girl, along with a trace of unwillingness.
She didn’t hate the opponent who had knocked her down, nor the ruthless boxing ring owner and the frantically yelling gamblers placing bets. What she hated was her own fate; she was unwilling to submit to her current circumstances.
No matter how many beatings she took, for the sake of money, she had to get out of this.
“Cut!” The assistant director beside Wang Yang helped call out.
But Director Wang seemed not to have snapped out of the scene yet.
To be honest, the Fighting Girl was his favorite supporting character in the entire film. But portraying the multifaceted nature of this antagonist was quite challenging for a young actor.
After “Cut” was called, Chu Xingxing’s opponent immediately changed his expression.
The fighter smiled sheepishly and quickly pulled her up. “You’re something else, sis. I can tell, you can really fight.”
Chu Xingxing smiled too, shaking her head. “Can’t compare to you professional fighters. Thank you for protecting me several times just now.”
The fighter said seriously, “No, no, no. There were a few times I almost really went for it, but I could feel you were always holding back. I really thought you had fought in underground matches. That fake fall gave me a scare. Awesome!”
Chu Xingxing handed the sports drink her assistant had brought over to the fighter. “Have this, on me. Thanks for your hard work.”
Director Wang was very satisfied with Chu Xingxing, but since another actor hadn’t gone yet, he still needed to compare.
“Tian Mengtong, are you ready? Your turn,” Wang Yang said.
“Ye… yes.” Tian Mengtong wiped the sweat from her brow with a tissue. A stylist helped tie her hair into a tight bun that pulled at her eyes, causing pain.
At this moment, her heart was racing like crazy.
Even if she wanted to deny it, Tian Mengtong had to admit that Chu Xingxing’s acting and fighting moves just now had completely overshadowed her.
Tian Mengtong changed her clothes and used the excuse to go to the restroom.
When she came out, her face was frighteningly pale, and her lips had almost no color.
Director Wang: “Are you feeling unwell?”
“It’s nothing, Director. I can do it.” Tian Mengtong bit her lip and nodded.
In the restroom just now, she had deliberately wiped off her lipstick and applied an extra layer of powder with her compact to make her complexion look worse.
Less than ten seconds into the audition, before her opponent’s fist even came close to touching a single hair on Tian Mengtong’s head, she conveniently crouched down on the ground.
“What’s wrong?” Director Wang was startled.
Tian Mengtong’s small face was pale and pitiful. “It’s nothing, Director. I, I’m a little dizzy. I haven’t been feeling well these past few days. The fighting moves are too big. I, I might not be able to do this scene…”
Seeing Tian Mengtong was dressed too lightly, Director Wang didn’t dare to help her up. “It’s okay, if you can’t do it, forget it. Assistant? Quickly help your artist down to rest.”
Tian Mengtong was helped down by her assistant and sat resting on a chair, a flicker of secret glee in her eyes.
Since she already knew she couldn’t compete with Chu Xingxing, she might as well conserve all her energy to fight for the Street Dance Girl role that rightfully belonged to her.
She was still confident that her acting skills could easily surpass Cookie’s.
But she never expected that Cookie, with her charming dance moves and cute-but-cool improvised English rap, would completely captivate Director Wang and the casting directors.
Chu Xingxing led the applause for Cookie.
Although Little Cookie’s acting was a bit green and her line delivery wasn’t strong, her strength in both dance and rap was undeniable.
Chu Xingxing had faith in Little Cookie.
Tian Mengtong, of course, wasn’t willing to give up easily.
Even though the director told her to rest and try another day, she insisted on going on stage.
Tian Mengtong knew that if she didn’t go on now, she might even lose the Street Dance Girl role to Cookie.
But following Cookie was a disaster; it was a classic case of “no comparison, no harm.”
Tian Mengtong’s street dance moves were weak and lacked power, making her look like one of those idols in a group who slack off.
Her improvised rap was comparable to a major train wreck. She wasn’t acting as a rapper; she was more like a reader.
However, in the final lines and the scene with her acting partner, Tian Mengtong’s performance was indeed commendable. Her acting skills were undeniable.
After the three finished their auditions, Director Wang stated on the spot, “Chu Xingxing is the Fighting Girl in my mind. This role is undoubtedly yours.”
Jiang Changsheng almost clenched his fists in victory. If there weren’t so many people around, he really would have jumped for joy.
Cookie, disregarding others’ glances, jumped up and shouted, “Yes!!!”
“As for Tian Mengtong and Cookie’s roles…” Director Wang didn’t announce immediately, looking a bit torn. “Each has their strengths. We need to consider it further. We’ll notify you as soon as we decide.”
Actually, Director Wang already had an answer in mind.
He just didn’t feel comfortable announcing it openly with Chen Dong, the agent from CBM Entertainment and a senior figure in the industry, present.
Besides her excellent dance and rap skills, the most important reason Director Wang chose Cookie over Tian Mengtong was the clear, pure girlishness he saw in Cookie’s eyes.
As for Tian Mengtong, although she looked petite and seemed to fit the cute and sweet category, Wang Yang couldn’t find a single trace of youthful spirit in her eyes.
She had very beautiful, cute round eyes and was a very good actress with solid line delivery.
But strangely enough, with Tian Mengtong, Director Wang just couldn’t feel the same sunny, vibrant atmosphere that radiated from Chu Xingxing and Cookie.
Director Wang even inadvertently caught a flash of that unique cunning and calculation of an adult in Tian Mengtong’s eyes?
He wondered if he had seen it wrong???
—
Cookie stepped over Tian Mengtong, grinning, and took Chu Xingxing’s hand. “I was so nervous I could die!”
“You did great. I have faith in you.” Chu Xingxing patted the back of her hand.
Little Cookie’s eyes widened. “Really? But I think Xingxing did the best! You were so cool, it was awesome! I’m joining your fan club today and becoming your die-hard fan!”
Chu Xingxing didn’t have the heart to dampen Little Cookie’s enthusiasm.
She didn’t even have a fan club.
“Shall we go?” Chu Xingxing turned to ask her agent.
Jiang Changsheng instructed his assistant, “Wait for me in the car. I need to discuss something with the production side. We’ll go back in the same car.”
“Then how about having afternoon tea in my van first? My mom came from Korea and brought me lots of snacks I loved as a kid!”
Without waiting for Chu Xingxing’s reply, Cookie grabbed her hand and ran off.
—
Jiang Changsheng didn’t go to find the production side.
He unhurriedly followed behind a short, thin crew member wearing a fisherman’s hat and a chest bag.
He followed him to an empty corridor.
Quickening his pace, Jiang Changsheng grabbed the crew member by the collar and pulled him into a nearby storage room.
“Talk. What did you record?” Jiang Changsheng squeezed the crew member’s shoulder, his eyes sharp.
“N… nothing…” The crew member in the fisherman’s hat stammered, afraid to answer.
“Not talking is fine too.” Jiang Changsheng took a mini GoPro from his chest bag, removed the memory card, and dangled it in front of him. “I’ll hand this over to the director. From now on, in this industry, you won’t be able to work any job.”
“Please, no, no, no…” The fisherman’s hat finally spoke, stuttering, “It… it was Chen Dong from your CBM Entertainment who asked me to secretly film the audition process. I don’t know what he wanted it for. He said he’d give me four thousand in cash after it was done. I haven’t even taken a single cent yet! If you don’t believe me, he’s at the back door of the auditorium. You can go ask him!”
“Alright, I understand.” Jiang Changsheng took a photo of the fisherman’s hat’s work badge, but only took the memory card. “Go. I won’t tell the director. Don’t do this kind of shady thing anymore. I’m borrowing this memory card. I’ll get you a new one later.”
The fisherman’s hat fled out the door. “No need, the card is… is yours…”
“Do I really look that scary when I’m mad?” Jiang Changsheng looked puzzled.
—
At the back door of the auditorium.
As soon as Jiang Changsheng pushed the door open, he heard Chen Dong’s voice. “Damn it, why are you so late? Give me the recorded video. No backups allowed…”
“Chen Dong.”
“Jiang Changsheng?” Chen Dong, holding an envelope in his hand, took a step back.
Jiang Changsheng had recently gathered a lot of evidence of Chen Dong’s violations, some even illegal.
If this came to light, it would harm the company.
Jiang Changsheng had discussed this matter with his father, and his father agreed to let him handle Chen Dong himself.
Even with his father’s “verbal decree,” Jiang Changsheng’s progress within the company was still difficult.
The other party was dragging their feet on the contract termination with Que He.
He asked the company to check the IP address of the email Tian Mengtong sent, but kept getting delayed in getting the results.
And Chen Dong had only flippantly said at a regular meeting, “I sent that email. I’ve always been the one using Tian Mengtong’s company email. She didn’t know about the contract issue. I was wrong in this matter, wrong for not carefully reviewing the contract. I’ll pay more attention in the future.”
“I should call you Brother Dong.” Jiang Changsheng’s expression was complicated, and he spoke with some difficulty. “Brother Dong, I didn’t realize before how much influence you have in CBM Entertainment.”
“Young Master Jiang wants to fire me? Let me make this clear today: you can’t fire me. As long as Brother Xiang is still in the company, I’m not leaving.” Chen Dong let out a cold, sarcastic laugh.
Just then, Jiang Changsheng’s phone vibrated.
On WeChat, Xiao Xiang, a company veteran almost on equal footing with his father, and also his brother’s agent, sent him a voice message.
Xiao Xiang: “Nephew, your Uncle Xiang watched you grow up. I gave you piggyback rides when you were little, and my yearly red envelopes were bigger than your parents’, weren’t they? The company’s situation isn’t optimistic right now. We need anyone with ability. Do your Uncle Xiang a favor. You can punish Chen Dong, you can demote him, but don’t fire him. Things haven’t reached that point.”
Xiao Xiang was an elder who had watched the two brothers grow up. He had remained single all these years, never marrying or having children.
In the eyes of everyone in the company, and even outsiders, and even the Jiang family relatives, it was believed that Xiao Xiang genuinely treated Jiang Chang’an and Jiang Changsheng like his own sons.
Jiang Haidong was busy with work and, as their biological father, was often absent during the brothers’ upbringing. Many parent-teacher meetings that required a father’s presence were attended by Xiao Xiang instead.
For his brother Jiang Chang’an, Xiao Xiang was closer and more respected than their own father.
Although Jiang Changsheng’s relationship with Xiao Xiang wasn’t as close as his brother’s, it wasn’t bad either.
For the sake of his brother, Jiang Changsheng had to give Xiao Xiang this face.
Chen Dong’s tone also softened. “Young Master Jiang, I understand you’re young and energetic. For Brother Xiang’s sake, let’s both take a step back on this. I’ll take the responsibility, I’ll take the blame. I’ll accept the fines and demotion, but Tian Mengtong cannot be tarnished.”
Tian Mengtong was the money tree Chen Dong had cultivated himself. She couldn’t have any stains on her record.
Jiang Changsheng was silent for a moment, then said coldly, “My conditions are: you issue a public apology, accept a demotion, suspend all current work, and leave Tian Mengtong’s team. Otherwise, even if it means falling out with Uncle Xiang, I will fire you.”
Chen Dong was so angry he laughed. “You little brat…”
This kid who was barely out of diapers had turned into a cunning little fox?
Jiang Changsheng: “You know I have the ability. Who do you think the company would choose to keep, you or me?”
Chen Dong thought for a moment and agreed. “Okay.”
Retreat to advance. Leaving the team temporarily was no big deal.
Anyway, everyone on Tian Mengtong’s team was his people, and he had Brother Xiang’s backing.
As long as he was still at CBM Entertainment, everything could be handled. Where there’s life, there’s hope.
Jiang Changsheng left the back door of the auditorium.
A truce was impossible; he had only outwardly agreed with Xiao Xiang.
This incident made Jiang Changsheng even more determined to get to the bottom of things and thoroughly rectify the chaos within the company.
—
That evening, Chen Dong posted a letter of apology on his own Weibo.
He admitted that everything was his fault, stated that he had left Tian Mengtong’s team, and apologized to Chu Xingxing.
Before posting the apology, Chen Dong called Tian Mengtong.
He had genuine feelings for the artist he had nurtured, truly treating her like a little sister.
Chen Dong’s tone was sincere, with a hint of sadness. “Mengtong, Brother Dong needs to take a break for a while. If anything comes up, you can still come to me. Whatever Brother Dong can help you solve, I will. You’re very talented, you work very hard, and you’re naturally cut out to be an artist.”
Tian Mengtong felt an inexplicable lump in her throat, suddenly unsure of what to say.
In her previous life, Chen Dong had always been her agent.
Whether it was during the major overhaul and renaming of CBM Entertainment, or when she established her own small studio with the veterans, or even after she married Jiang Chang’an, Chen Dong always handled her agency affairs.
Professionally, Tian Mengtong relied heavily on Chen Dong.
She found it hard to accept that Chen Dong was leaving the team indefinitely.
“Brother Dong, can’t you stay?” Tian Mengtong’s voice was choked with tears.
Chen Dong sighed. “Sigh, this was Young Master Jiang’s decision, I can’t do anything about it. I’ll find a way to get back to the team as soon as possible. Until then, the company will temporarily assign another agent to you.”
Tian Mengtong held back her tears, unable to believe what she was hearing.
How could the nineteen-year-old Jiang Changsheng have such ability?
Chen Dong was Xiao Xiang’s capable right-hand man, and Xiao Xiang’s influence in the company could almost rival the founder, Jiang Haidong.
“Okay, Brother Dong. Get some good rest during this time. I look forward to you returning to the team soon.” Tian Mengtong hurriedly hung up.
Chen Dong was a bit bewildered.
He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like Tian Mengtong wasn’t sad at all at the end???
—
Tian Mengtong had a new line of thought.
In her previous life, Jiang Changsheng’s development was no worse than his older brother Jiang Chang’an’s. It was only later, because of his brother, that he ended up in prison…
But until she made a well-thought-out plan, relying on anyone else was not as good as relying on herself.
Tian Mengtong still couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on the future top luxury brand, Saci.
The first filming trip for “Let’s Travel Together” was about to start soon. She decided to take the initiative.
She had her team continue contacting Saci’s headquarters in Country F to fight for the qualification to be the Asia-Pacific ambassador, or at least a brand friend.
At the same time, Tian Mengtong sent a message in the family group chat.
She got a reply quickly.
Her most doting brother said he would take the earliest flight from Country E to Country F, buy all the new season’s items from the Saci flagship store, and then take a friend’s private jet to personally bring them back to her in the country.
He promised to make sure the most beloved little sister of the Tian family looked beautiful on the show.
—
Evening.
At home, Chu Xingxing had just confirmed with the “old babies” in the [Rich Grandmas’ Travel Club] their respective favorite colors.
Grandma Sheng Shuwen loved bright red, Grandma Ai Minli liked serene blue, Grandma Wen Xuelan liked noble emerald green, and Grandma Jiang Yao liked vibrant fuchsia.
For some reason, Wen Han wasn’t in the “rich grandmas” group chat.
Chu Xingxing privately asked him on WeChat and learned that Wen Han liked white.
She also asked Cookie, who said she liked bright yellow.
So, based on everyone’s favorite colors, Chu Xingxing ordered six portable foot bath buckets in red, blue, green, pink, white, and yellow as travel gifts.
For herself, she bought the cheapest option — random color.
Jiang Yao sent her another private WeChat message, telling her to keep her schedule completely free tomorrow.
Chu Xingxing, burning with curiosity, asked several times what they were going to do.
Comrade Jiang Yao was a determined comrade; she refused to spill the beans no matter what.
But soon, Chu Xingxing received a WeChat message from Agent Jiang, informing her to come to the company early tomorrow morning without any makeup.
“We’re about to leave for the trip, why do I need to go to the company?” Chu Xingxing had no idea what they were up to.
After showering and drying her hair, she casually glanced at Chen Dong’s apology statement.
She swiped away from the page after a few seconds.
Jiang Changsheng couldn’t trace the email IP, and with the recording she had of Chen Dong, she still couldn’t definitively prove anything against Tian Mengtong.
It wasn’t Young Master Jiang’s fault. Jiang Haidong hadn’t delegated authority, and he had never handled internal company affairs before. Everyone needs time to learn and grow.
—
The sentiment in the Weibo comment section had clearly shifted.
[See? I told you it was definitely the agent’s fault! Our Tongtong is innocent!]
[Chu Xingxing wasn’t lying. She took so much flak for nothing before. I feel sorry for the beautiful woman.]
[Sigh… but this kind of thing will definitely affect their friendship. Today, Tian Mengtong and Chu Xingxing went to audition for ‘Shining Flowers’ together, and they barely interacted.]
[I saw the photos and videos too. It looked like Tongtong initiated reaching out to Chu Xingxing, but Chu Xingxing ignored our Tongtong, wuwuwuwu.]
[Actually, neither of the beautiful women was wrong. They were just driven apart by the agent. I hope their friendship continues!]
[I love seeing pretty sisters being close. I hope Tongtong and Xingxing can reconcile!]
With Chen Dong coming forward to take all the blame, fans quickly started playing the role of peacemakers.
Tian Mengtong also posted on Weibo.
But this time, Tian Mengtong didn’t directly @ Chu Xingxing. Instead, she went for a painfully youthful, literary style.
Tian Mengtong VIP7: Feeling really down today. Shocked and saddened by everything that happened. I truly miss our past, those carefree childhood days.
Tian Mengtong shared a piano version of “Want to Go Back to the Past.”
Fans were even more touched by this “tragically beautiful” friendship.
Unable to bear seeing their idol’s friendship with her best friend end like this (BE), they flocked to Chu Xingxing’s Weibo to apologize and plead for reconciliation.
Chu Xingxing looked at the comments and snorted derisively. “Not bad, Tian Mengtong. She really knows how to swallow her pride and endure. It’s okay, ‘good bestie.’ I’ll play with you slowly.”
She was aiming to live a healthy, peaceful life past one hundred. There was no rush for a day or two.
She had never looked at her Weibo private messages before, but today she was in a good mood and decided to randomly open a few.
Originally, she just planned to browse for a few minutes before bed.
But accidentally, she ended up lying on her bed, reading for over an hour, not caring that she missed her optimal bedtime.
And she replied seriously to every single private message she read.
The latest private messages were almost all expressions of concern from strangers.
A cute little girl said she liked the green dress and lace headband Chu Xingxing wore in the “Grandma’s Journey” preview, and wrote a serious, hundreds of words long compliment. The little girl excitedly shared photos of a matching outfit she had tried to make for her doll.
[Sister Xingxing, this is my favorite doll. Her name is Xingxing too. Now my doll is as beautiful as you!]
Someone said they liked the way she smiled; it looked very warm. They even sent a GIF emoticon.
[Xingbao’s eyes shine when she smiles. Looking at her feels so warm.]
Someone said they liked her eyes and wanted to get double eyelid surgery to look like hers, asking if she could post a close-up photo of her eyes.
[Please, Xingxing, can you post a close-up of your eyes? I’m begging you! I really, really need it!]
Someone said they liked her courage, the way she confronted haters head-on, which gave them the courage to fight against rumors and gossip at school.
[I’ve been holding it in for a long time. When I go to school on Monday, I’m going to confront the boy who’s spreading rumors face-to-face and let him know I’m not afraid of him!]
And many, many more people said they liked her…
For some reason, Chu Xingxing suddenly thought of the original owner’s final moments before she left.
The girl, facing the sea that seemed capable of swallowing everything, step by step walked towards the abyss, without fear.
The cold sea water lapped at her calves as she cried and murmured to herself, “There isn’t a single person in this world who likes me…”
Chu Xingxing turned over and lay on her bed, touching the heart beating passionately in her chest, and whispered softly, “Hey, the other Xingxing.
I like you.
In this world, many people like you.
From now on, more and more people will like you.
In your next life, be a happy star.
Just like our names.”
