Chapter 18 018 Continuing Auditions

Chapter 18 018 Continuing Auditions

Lu Xu could only sigh. Whether in this life or the last, the entertainment industry would never lack assistant directors like this.

In his past life, after he became famous, these types of people seemed to vanish overnight. In the production team, everyone who communicated with him was polite and kind, not daring to speak too harshly to him. But in this life, his acting career had only just begun. Although *The Noble Son* had become popular, it hadn’t been recognized by the mainstream television industry, and in some ways, he had even offended this circle.

After all, *Watchmen* was considered a representative of the mainstream television world.

Lu Xu didn’t respond with a rebuttal.

There were simply too many people in the industry who liked to put on a “let me teach you” attitude as soon as they had a little power, and he couldn’t possibly rebut all of them. Responding now would only make him seem like he was breaking down over not getting the role.

With Lu Xu’s understanding of the television industry, it was almost certain that this particular assistant director would remain stuck in their position.

Truly successful directors always had edges and corners; those without personal conviction could never create great works.

When it came to the profession of acting, Lu Xu always insisted on letting his work speak for itself.

If they said he couldn’t make it in the industry, he was determined not just to survive but to thrive and outshine everyone else.

He would provide the evidence.

……

At the same time, on the set of *Rising Sun*.

Gu Sinian subtly signaled to Assistant Director Chen Changyin, who then quietly approached him. Gu Sinian frowned and asked, “He didn’t reply?”

“No,” Chen Changyin lit a cigarette, “I sent another message, but he didn’t reply or block me.”

Lu Xu was unaware of the casting controversy within the *Rising Sun* production.

In fact, Director Mu Qian and scriptwriter Jin Mu were more optimistic about Lu Xu, hoping he would play Wu Shen. However, Gu Sinian, the male lead, strongly disagreed. *Rising Sun* was co-invested by Ling Ge Entertainment and Fei Wo Film, and Fei Wo Film wanted their own artist to play Wu Shen.

The casting controversy was intense. Mu Qian almost flipped out but still couldn’t go against the investors. After a week of negotiations, the director finally gave in.

However, because of this, Mu Qian was very unhappy and bluntly stated that he wouldn’t work with Ling Ge Entertainment again in the future.

Assistant Director Chen Changyin was tasked with rejecting Lu Xu on behalf of the production team.

He only needed to inform Lu Xu that he didn’t get the role, but the additional comments were not the opinion of the *Rising Sun* crew. They were his personal additions.

To be precise, it was a tacit understanding between Chen Changyin and Gu Sinian.

Chen Changyin’s role was to provoke Lu Xu, ensuring that any sarcastic or angry response would serve as proof of his emotional breakdown.

Next, they would stir up the story of Lu Xu’s casting rejection and then release his angry outburst, establishing Lu Xu as a low-class figure.

However, both Chen Changyin and Gu Sinian didn’t expect that Lu Xu would show no reaction at all.

Given how Lu Xu was always dissing this and that on Weibo, they knew he had a fiery temper.

But this time, Lu Xu didn’t take the bait.

Naturally, there wasn’t much to stir up about Lu Xu’s casting rejection alone. After all, he wasn’t the only one who auditioned for Wu Shen, and mocking him alone would cause dissatisfaction among the other rejected actors. But if they could expose Lu Xu’s particularly unprofessional behavior, it would highlight the professionalism of the other actors.

If they only focused on Lu Xu’s rejection, it might also provoke Director Mu Qian.

This director wasn’t someone to mess with. If they really angered him, he might walk away from the project entirely.

This was something Mu Qian had done before.

Gu Sinian sighed with regret.

However, Lu Xu not landing a role in *The Rising Sun* still made him very happy.

He admitted that *The Noble Son* was highly popular and also acknowledged that Lu Xu's acting skills were excellent. Otherwise, Mu Qian wouldn't have been unable to stop thinking about him. He was angry that Lu Xu inexplicably had the acting skills that impressed the director, but he was also relieved that acting skills alone weren't enough; resources were crucial as well.

Otherwise, how could he be the male lead while Lu Xu couldn't even land a secondary male role?

Recently, there had been too much digging into Verse, and Gu Sinian had lost quite a few fans because of it. The only thing that secretly pleased him was Lu Xu's failure to secure the role.

The success of *The Noble Son* had been just Lu Xu's dumb luck. Surely his luck couldn't hold out forever, right?

……

Since he didn’t land the role of Wu Shen, Lu Xu naturally shifted his focus to that historical drama.

He already had part of the script, and even though the audition had been delayed, he could still begin preparing.

He hadn’t acted in many period dramas, but that didn’t mean he never had. In his earlier years, Lu Xu had even played a youthful emperor full of vigor. However, he had taken on fewer weak-willed characters, since—after all—he mostly played lead roles.

The production team had shown great sincerity, and during the preparation for the role, Lu Xu also gave his full sincerity. The script provided very little information, and he wasn’t sure if this was a test by the crew. However, as an actor, interpreting scripts was a fundamental skill, and Lu Xu was confident he could pass this hurdle.

After preparing for a few days, he made an appointment to meet with the crew.

Before the audition, Lu Xu had specifically checked online. Like in his previous life, historical dramas in this world were relatively niche and considered a thankless genre. They had been glorious in the early years, but now, with capital flooding into the television industry, no one had the patience to make a meticulously crafted historical drama anymore. Even if they did, audiences might not favor it.

In terms of potential, this drama certainly wasn’t as promising as *The Rising Sun*.

Of course, Lu Xu had always felt that if everyone thought a drama was "bound to be a hit," usually, that drama would flop.

Because a "surefire hit" would inevitably draw interference from all directions. The casting process would become a battleground for various companies to show their strength, and who knew what the script would turn into… it wasn’t hard to imagine.

Lu Xu had originally thought that this audition would be like before, with several candidates performing the role together. But when he arrived, he found that he seemed to be the only one auditioning for the role of the Crown Prince.

There were more people in the audition room than in the *The Rising Sun* crew. Director Liu Chunfeng and scriptwriter Qin Yu sat in the middle, with a few familiar faces on either side of the long table—probably actors in the drama.

Liu Chunfeng had an intimidating appearance. When he wasn’t speaking, he seemed angry. And when he spoke, his face took on a pufferfish-like appearance. He was clearly a man of few words, leaving even the reminders to scriptwriter Qin Yu.

Honestly, Lu Xu found it hard to picture someone with such a face enjoying *The Noble Son*.

Was the assistant director pulling his leg?

In any case, he was already here, so he might as well give it a try.

"Let's begin when you're ready."

The scene Lu Xu was auditioning for involved Crown Prince Qin Zhao, who had carried heavy responsibilities since childhood. He accidentally witnessed his father, the emperor, picking up his second brother and showing a father's gentleness.

The crown prince studied, practiced martial arts, and learned the ways of a king daily, but his father rarely showed him any warmth. The emperor only demanded that he follow the rites and set an example for the people and his brothers in the palace.

The scene of being picked up by his father was something he had never experienced.

As Lu Xu began his preparation, Liu Chunfeng and Qin Yu both looked at him.

Qin Zhao had just been praised by his tutor for his academic achievements and was about to show off in front of his father. However, in the imperial garden, he saw his usually stern father affectionately picking up his second brother. Unlike him, his brother was more relaxed and interacted with their father like any normal child.

This scene had very few lines for Qin Zhao.

His gait was initially light and brisk, occasionally slowing down as he kept in mind the demeanor expected of a crown prince.

But at the sight of his father and younger brother, Qin Zhao halted and then took a slow step backward.

At that moment, a flicker of disappointment flashed across his eyes, and shortly after, he wore a more complicated expression. If one looked closely, they would find disappointment and self-mockery within it. He even lowered his head for a brief moment, only to raise it again quickly.

He did not approach further, and only when the figures of his father and younger brother had disappeared did Qin Zhao resume his previous posture.

In other words, Lu Xu needed to fill these few tens of seconds with his emotions.

Lu Xu stood directly facing Liu Chunfeng and Qin Yu, and from their angle, they could see his performance in this scene more clearly—

From his expression, it was clear that Qin Zhao no longer had expectations.

But as a son, while everyone believed he was favored, he himself knew that he wasn’t. It was impossible for him not to feel disappointed.

Even in ordinary families, the eldest son who is not expected to succeed feels disappointment.

And he was the crown prince. His father not only possessed the dignity of a father but also the oppression of imperial power.

At this moment, his expression also betrayed self-doubt.

Disappointment, doubt... the involuntary aura of sorrow made these few tens of seconds not feel long.

Lu Xu had a well-suited face for an actor, but when he exposed his emotions, in the eyes of everyone present, there was only Qin Zhao.

In portraying this character, Lu Xu deliberately held back some emotions. The crown prince was cautious, timid, and gloomy. He wasn’t the kind of elder brother respected by his younger brothers; his brothers only wanted to kick him off the position of crown prince as soon as possible. In his youth, it was bearable, but as he aged, Qin Zhao’s unease had become almost paranoid.

He held back because the scene hadn't ended yet.

After his father's figure vanished, a subordinate voiced concern, but Qin Zhao merely waved his hand. “It’s alright, I am the crown prince.”

At that moment, the complicated emotions in Qin Zhao’s eyes had vanished. His figure stood even more upright. The identity of the crown prince was a heavy burden to him, the source of his unease, but at the same time, it was also his armor.

With this, this segment of the audition officially ended.

“Try this other segment; you have half an hour to prepare.”

Lu Xu didn’t expect an impromptu performance.

However, auditions generally have two modes: one where actors are given ample time to prepare, and another where actors are asked to improvise freely.

Lu Xu took the script and found that it was a much later part—before the audition, the crew had only given him a few pages of the script, all concentrated in the early stages of the plot.

He knew this was a later part of the story because in this segment, Qin Zhao, the crown prince, had already been deposed.

He shed the constraints of his crown prince identity and, as a desperate son, turned his words into sharp blades, laying bare his years of resentment.

Scriptwriter Qin Yu handed this segment of the script to Lu Xu without hesitation, and the director’s expression was also calm; it must have been pre-arranged.

In this segment, Lu Xu had a partner—the male lead of the drama, Cheng Yun, playing the emperor.