051

When Ben found out that his aunt had rejected two top stars in a row by calling them "too expensive," he almost died laughing.

"Good thing the news didn't leak, or else you would have angered both sets of fans."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow, "If I only take a fixed salary and no share of the profits, who plays the male lead is up to the director, but this won't work for this film."

"I understand, I completely understand. One big star is enough for our movie; if it becomes a hit, it will be all thanks to you, Auntie. Adding a top male lead doesn't bring many benefits. It's not cost-effective to pay more and have to share the credit.

Both the director and I agree that your star power is strong enough, we don't need a male lead with a huge following, it's more important to consider their acting skills, image, and how well they fit the role. Those who have experience in becoming school idols will find it easy to play this cool guy."

Since the last draw, Ben hadn't let Jasmine make any decisions, but he would still come every two days to update her on the progress.

How many people were vying for an audition, how many male leads were being considered, which roles had been finalized, how far the novel adaptation had progressed, and which team was handling the costume and makeup department, etc.

Jasmine usually just listened; she wasn't the type to meddle in everything as a collaborator.

Based on trust, she had only one requirement besides the actors having passable acting skills - they must have good character.

By October, after the National Day, all the main actors had been cast.

Jasmine joined the WeChat group and was warmly welcomed.

Tang Wen (Female 2): [Is this the surprise of getting up early??? Sister Jas joined the group??? Sister, I am your fan, I have watched your TV dramas and movies at least three times, I especially like the characters you portray, I am so excited to audition for this drama.]

Jasmine: [Fake fan.]

Jasmine: [Real Fans wouldn't call me Sister Jas.]

Jasmine: [/doge]

Luo Zihao (Male 2): [Hello, Sister Jas, I am Luo Zihao, the actor playing Male 2, a newcomer, currently studying at the film academy, dreaming of working with you, it still feels like a dream!!!]

Jasmine greeted him and jokingly asked: [Where is my male lead? Not in the group?]

Tang Wen (Female 2): [Seems like he's practicing martial arts.]

Luo Zihao (Male 2): [I was already happy to be chosen to play Male 2, now I feel a bit jealous.]

Jasmine looked at Male 2 and Female 2 with a hint of confusion.

How to put it?

She felt that she had not been in the industry for a long time, having only filmed four or five movies, it seemed like she had just recently moved beyond the newcomer stage. She was not used to being praised by fans regularly, but now the whole cast of a production was showing exceptional excitement to work with her... She then realized, do I hold such a status now?

Ben said that among the people who came for auditions, many idolized her.

"Miss, you are the dream of all young actors, your dramas are popular, your movies have high box office numbers, even if you don't take commercial performances, endorsements, or please fans, you are living well. As long as you are willing, there are roles to play, this is what they aspire to become."

Later in the morning, the actor playing Male 1 finally finished his work and checked his phone.

Bi Xiao (Male 1): [I'm here!]

Bi Xiao (Male 1): [When did Sister join the group? I didn't notice at all.]

Bi Xiao (Male 1): [So excited, what should I do? I want to go downstairs and run in circles!]

Jasmine went to act in front of the mirror, not paying attention to the group chat, while others teased him a bit.

Playing the male lead, he was nineteen years old, studying at the film academy, very young, and not very famous before.

In fact, not just him, all the actors playing student roles were relatively inexperienced young actors, while those playing parents and teachers were a few seasoned professionals.

The atmosphere in this production has always been harmonious.

Because no one dared to act like a big shot in this production, as long as the director assigns something, the actors are very proactive, they read the script when needed, understand their characters, and discuss how to perform together.

Realizing that Sister Jas is approachable, Male 1, Male 2, and Female 2 took the opportunity to seek advice from her.

"Sister, could you take a look at the character bio I wrote? Is my analysis correct?"

"How can I portray what I feel inside?"

"I'm not sure if my thoughts on the character are right, could we rehearse a scene together?"

"Do we need to get familiar with each other if we're playing a couple?"

These were the common approaches, which Ben found very commendable.

These kids nowadays know how to seize opportunities, knowing that Sister Jas responds well to kindness. Anyway, as long as you speak nicely, if she has time, she will offer valuable advice. Many things Sister Jas casually mentions are beneficial for newcomers in the industry, at least helping them understand how to proceed and avoid pitfalls.

Among the three, Bi Xiao and Jasmine have many scenes together, to enhance their chemistry, they rehearse via video calls.

Ben was aware of this situation.

He could see that Jasmine was committed to the success of this film, but he wasn't sure if the young man's intentions were pure.

Furthermore, he thought even if the intentions were initially pure, such intense rehearsals could be risky.

Those familiar with Jasmine's acting know.

Practicing scenes over video calls could lead to unexpected outcomes.

Ben thought that after Bi Xiao finished filming this production, he might find it hard to move on for a while. Even if he anticipated this, he didn't dare to dampen the spirits before joining the group. The current state of youthful exuberance is good, that's what youth films need, even if his acting skills are lacking, he can still portray the role naturally. But if he messes up this role, what then?

Ben, he was like a capitalist.

The capitalist is the one who makes the movie first, and after that, I will talk to you about conscience. By then, I will definitely give you a bucket of ice water to wake you up clearly from the crew.

Planning like this, Ben doesn't even think he's unscrupulous. He feels that I am vividly teaching you a lesson so that you know that professional actors should not develop feelings for a role.

Everything is fake in the play. The person who sees through everything doesn't reveal anything, Jasmine, the partner, continues to bring in new talents to achieve the film.

What's the result?

Before the movie even started shooting, the male lead and the male supporting role almost had a showdown with the female supporting role.

They all want to have a better relationship with the sister and get along better.

In front of Jasmine, the three of them are affectionate, privately... let's not talk about that.

Ben also noticed this situation. He felt that it was nothing. After all, in the play, these three roles are mainly connected to the female lead, and there is not much interaction between them. The female supporting role did a lot of things because she had a crush on the male lead, but there is no romantic storyline between them, so there is no need for emotions and understanding.

Because Ben saw through everything and didn't say anything, the male lead, male supporting role, and female supporting role in the crew formed a direct competitive relationship, and Jasmine was still unaware.

She just felt that everyone was working hard. It seemed that as long as you pointed out their mistakes, they wouldn't repeat them next time. The progress of the three of them was particularly fast.

Jasmine also mentioned to Yu Yang privately that he had teamed up with some energetic young people this time. They were all hardworking, not afraid of hardship, very proactive, and should be able to make a movie worth watching.

Yu Yang: [...hmph.]

Jasmine: [No way...Are you still throwing a temper?]

Yu Yang is the type who, if he has nothing on his mind, wants to make a scene in front of you to assert his existence. In other words, he acts like a dog throwing a tantrum.

The real conflicted one is not him, it's Chi Yan.

Chi Yan is a bit aloof, with a label of reservedness attached to him. Even if he feels wronged, he might not necessarily say it. He often quietly keeps his grievances to himself, at most giving you a little hint.

This hint thing is something a straightforward girl wouldn't understand.

Then Chi Yan found out that what those online relationship teachers taught was useless. The teachers said that being a lapdog all the time is not advisable, and after being proactive for a while, you should also be appropriately reserved. Don't let the other person feel that you being good to her is taken for granted. You should suddenly ignore her for a couple of days to make her feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar, and she will turn around and look for you.

That's just nonsense.

As long as he doesn't reach out, Jasmine won't even like his posts on social media.

They went without talking for seven or eight days last time, and Chi Yan couldn't hold it in and greeted him. She asked: "Are you done with your work? Are you resting?"

Chi Yan realized that if he didn't reach out to her, she wouldn't think much about it, let alone feel uncomfortable. She would just assume you were busy with work.

She probably thinks you're a top star, very busy.

Realizing that moving forward straightforwardly was a dead-end, Chi Yan thought and asked her, "Is the new movie going smoothly?"

"Pretty good, although the few kids we're collaborating with this time have limited experience, they are all hardworking and dedicated. What about you? Are you preparing for a new drama too? What kind of drama?"

"It's a suspense film."

"What's it about?"

"It's probably about a couple who were very loving, and suddenly one day the woman proposes a breakup and then disappears. The man follows the clues to find her and gets involved in a huge case."

"Sounds interesting and promising, do you have confidence in it?"

"It's alright, we have a lot of preparation time, we won't start shooting until next year."

"Then I'll bring you a coffee truck when the time comes!"

Chi Yan smiled, "Just a coffee truck? You said last time you wanted to rehearse with me."

"Yes, yes, you come over, we can rehearse however you want."

Finally steering the conversation back to this point after much effort, can Chi Yan still refuse to go? So, he went openly to Jasmine's house as a guest.

When he arrived, it was quite coincidental; Jasmine was discussing the script with Bi Xiao while holding a tablet. She paused to answer the doorbell.

After let him in, she ask Chi Yan wait for a moment. Jasmine then rushed off to finish what was left.

After watching the video cut off, Chi Yan asked, "Is he a co-star?" 

Jasmine nodded, "He's the male lead in my new film, how is he? Pretty sunny, handsome, and fits the role well, right?" 

Chi Yan: ... 

"So you rejected me and chose him." 

Why does that sound so strange? "Just say that you coming to act isn't beneficial for both of us, and later you took on a suspense film which wasn't great, big male lead role." 

Chi Yan nodded, "I was joking with you." 

"Didn't you say you came to rehearse with me? What about the script?" 

"...I asked the director before leaving, the director didn't allow any spoilers." 

"True, for your suspense film, if the plot is revealed in advance, it loses the suspense... so since that's the case, you could have just told me directly, why bother coming here?" 

"My script didn't work out, but don't you have yours? Just fulfill my wish to play the male lead in your new film, let me try this role." 

Honestly, it wasn't really necessary to begin with. 

If he wanted to satisfy his acting urge, it didn't seem to matter much, right? 

Jasmine picked up the script placed aside, flipped through it quickly to the part where the emotions explode at the end. 

"The first half of this movie is all sweet, with conflicts and tensions erupting in the latter part. Look at this part, the second female lead deliberately exposes her affair with the male lead to the female lead. The female lead initially avoids confrontation, but due to being too conflicted, in pain, and caring too much, she decides to confront her boyfriend. At first, the boy wants to play dumb to fool her, but when he can't, they end up in a heated argument. 

From the perspective of the girl, she faces immense pressure after her early love affair is exposed, the boy doesn't face it with her but sleeps with her friend instead. 

The boy feels guilty but also frustrated, he turns to drinking when neglected, and after getting drunk, he causes trouble, which wasn't something he intended or wanted." 

After listening, Chi Yan calmly pointed out, "A drunk man can't do that, the plot isn't right." 

"...It's staged, the second female lead undressed him for show, nothing actually happened." 

Seeing Chi Yan had more to say. 

Jasmine stared at him, "Bro, if you apply your logic and style, it won't be a youth film anymore, the movie's plot will certainly be more dramatic." 

"Oh." 

"Then look at this part, the male and female leads blame each other, the male lead does this to make her think he's at fault and to brush over the issue.

But for the girl, her world collapses, she has a major breakdown, after venting, she wants to retreat and avoid, then the boy realizes shifting blame won't work and tries to reconcile and change her mind..." 

While Jasmine spoke, Chi Yan was reading the script, and when she finished, Chi Yan was also on board. 

"Let's rehearse together." 

"Did you memorize all the lines?" 

"Yes, I remembered." 

... 

This is outrageous! 

Even more outrageous was that Chi Yan really seemed to be acting, with a serious expression, no hint of playfulness.

It made Jasmine burst out involuntarily. 

What was the result of her outburst? 

The skill from Andrew Yan's great-grandma was unleashed all, flooding the room with sadness and sorrow, Chi Yan, who had always obediently followed the script, was pulled into the drama by her, unable to resist, he suddenly hugged her tightly. 

A puzzled Jasmine was being held in his arms. 

Thinking about it, she reached out and poked his shoulder, "We haven't finished arguing, when we do, I'll leave and then you can hug me, you hugged me too soon, bro." 

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Chi Yan: Why is it that according to my logic, it can't be a youth film? What else could it be then? 

Yu Yang: Sunset The elderly film →_→