NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38
Chapter 38: Satisfied
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When the music stopped abruptly, Brother Cao and the others snapped back to the present. The person who was recording with the phone seemed to realize this now and hastily pressed the stop button.
The others felt that it was a shame for the music to stop. The atmosphere was great just now. If they had shot this with a camera, it could definitely have been used as a scene.
The gaze of the crew in the studio were drawn toward Jiang Se. Her temperament matched the borrowed, expensive handmade piano. Even the cheap white shirt she wore, which Brother Cao had disliked just moments ago, seemed exceptionally fitting on screen.
“Show this to Director Zhao.”
The crew member who was replaying the recording was slightly excited. He had barely turned around when someone said, “There’s no need to.”
The others turned to look at the speaker. Jiang Se stood up as well. Two men stood at the door. One of them was old and wore a cap while the other appeared to be in his mid-20s and wore a gray worn-out shirt. He was staring at Jiang Se with keen, sparkling eyes.
“Cui Xing, does he look like your goddess?” the older man lifted his cap slightly as he spoke.
Brother Cao and the others walked up to him. “Director Zhao.”
From the side, Cui Xing was giving Jiang Se an appraising look. He smiled. “It’s true that she’s suitable for the role.”
“Director Zhao, we were introduced to her from Director Gu’s ‘Pretense to Reality’. We just recorded her and wanted to show it to you. Take a look at…”
Since Zhao Rang was there himself, there was no need for him to look at the recording anymore.
The actress that he needed for “The 99th Love Letter” was a crucial character who would propel the plot forward although she would not be showing her face at all throughout the film.
Zhao Rang had seen many newcomers himself. Some of them were even celebrities introduced by major talent management companies. However, he never found one who suited his needs.
The shooting of the film had begun some time ago, but they had a hard time determining the actress for this role. The investor, Ruiqiao Media Corp, was beginning to pressure them about this, both directly and indirectly.
However, because this character would not be showing her face, the requirements of her back profile and temperament were much higher than usual.
When the film was aired, the audience would not be able to see her face. They could only imagine what she looked like from their impression of her back. Therefore, she had to be of exceptional quality to get the job done.
The crew member who recorded the scene with a phone walked toward Zhao Rang and the others. Although Zhao Rang and Cui Xing had already been standing at the door for two minutes just now, he went anyway.
As the recording was replayed, Zhao Rang announced his decision, “We’ll go with her.”
In the recording, Jiang Se sat up straight. The youthfulness and elegance of a young girl merged perfectly in her. She seemed to have received a good education since young. As she moved about, even the sight of her back was attractive.
Although they could not see her face under the sunlight, her hands on the piano were visible. They were slender and long, and every part of them was refined.
A recording from a phone could never be compared to that of a professional camera. However, the outcome of the recording without any lighting or styling was clearly enough to satisfy Zhao Rang.
He could find no fault with the outer appearance and temperament with this newcomer. She could definitely suit the role of the goddess whom the male lead, portrayed by Cui Xing, was infatuated with at first sight.
“She does look good.” Cui Xing moved closer to take a look at the recording as well.
The entire recording was only slightly longer than five minutes. Without intentionally seeking a better angle, Jiang Se had raised the notch of the visual quality of the video with her own external looks alone.
“Our schedule’s full for today. The filming location for the unexpected encounter will be in the Steinway Piano Store in New World.” When Zhao Rang said this, he turned to glance at Jiang Se. “I hope the newcomer won’t get any stage fright there.”
He instructed his assistant to arrange for a time with the staff of the piano store. Zhao Rang and Cui Xing’s schedules were tight as well. After deciding on the actress, they left it to the assistant to work the other things out with Jiang Se.
Zhao Rang’s assistant was a young man. As he spoke, he adjusted his spectacles, “So, I think you have a rough understanding of things around here. Director Zhao is very satisfied with your audition. If there aren’t any questions, tomorrow,” he said as he referred to his phone for the schedules and confirmed the time, “come to our office at 2 p.m. to sign the contract. Are you alright with that? I’ll send you the address later. Someone will be explaining the details of the contract, your pay, and the details of the job tomorrow. Do you have any questions?”
Jiang Se had come with the determination to land this role. When she got the role she wanted to in “The 99th Love Letter”, she could not help but smile. “I don’t.”
The man returned a smile. “In that case, please give me your contact information.” As he said this, he produced a leather file and handed her a name card. “Just give this number a call tomorrow.” After reminding Jiang Se not to be late tomorrow, he asked someone to record her phone number.
Jiang Se left the studio with the name card in her hand and the crew member’s number had been saved in her phone. However, she had no cash with her, so she looked for an ATM and withdrew $100.
She was left with $3,000 in her bank card. The “Pretense to Reality” crew still owed her $4,200. In the meantime, she had landed a new role.
Although Zhao Rang’s assistant did not mention the pay, since he told Jiang Se to head over to their office tomorrow afternoon just to sign the contract, she reckoned that though it might not be as high as “Pretense to Reality”, it would not be as low as “Rescue Mission”.
Zhao Rang’s studio was inside the Imperial Capital’s inner ring. When Jiang Se arrived, the staff at the counter was obviously informed as she was led into the office directly.
A middle-aged woman in a black dress came out to greet her. After inviting Jiang Se to sit down, she produced two contracts and laid it before Jiang Se on her desk.
The conditions of the contract were similar to those that she had signed for “Pretense to Reality”. Jiang Se merely glanced through them before putting the contract down.
“As for your remuneration, the arrangement is $30,000 after taxes. It’ll be paid 30:70. Will there be any issues with that?” The woman placed the tip of her pen on the blank space where the remuneration amount should be written before she turned to look at Jiang Se.
Although Jiang Se had guessed that the remuneration for this job would not be very low since Zhao Rang’s assistant had asked her to go and sign the contract, when she actually heard the amount the woman mentioned, she was surprised.
In this role, she would not be showing her face. She would merely be filmed from the back and she did not even have a single line. However, her pay was several times higher than the role of the air stewardess, Miss Zhang, in “Pretense to Reality”.
The woman stared at her and tried to read her mind.
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