After My Ex-Boyfriend’s White Moonlight Proposed to Me - Chapter 43

Xie Ning originally thought that an audition was conducted in a room, with the directors and a group of people sitting behind a table, and actors coming in one by one to act, like an interview.

 

When Zhuang Yan took him into the building, he found out that it didn’t seem to be the case.

 

The elevator stopped at the 7th floor, and when they exited, there was a long corridor in front of them.

 

The side of the corridor that faced outside was a row of large floor-to-ceiling windows. Looking outside, the scene of people flowing in and out of the building was able to be seen.

 

Xie Ning slightly paused his breathing, and leaned more inwards imperceptibly.

 

With that, he was too close to Zhuang Yan and his elbow accidentally hit his arm while walking.

 

Zhuang Yan thought that he was “throwing himself into his arms”, so he took the chance and pulled him to his side.

 

The corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards, and he said, “And you said I don’t know how to restrain myself. You don’t really know how to restrain yourself either.”

 

Xie Ning paled and wanted to glare at him, but he seemed to remember something and silently hugged his arm.

 

Zhuang Yan looked outside the window, then looked at Xie Ning’s expression suddenly.

 

He lowered his voice and leaned into Xie Ning’s ear. “Are you…afraid of heights?”

 

His ears were tickled by the close breath. The tips of Xie Ning’s ears moved a little, and the sense of fear in his heart seemed to ease a little.

 

He nodded. “A-A little bit.”

 

Zhuang Yan looked at the tips of his ears, not knowing if they were red because he was scared or because he was blushing. He laughed silently in his heart, and pulled Xie Ning to his other side. “Is it better if you walk more towards the inside?”

 

Xie Ning’s eyes looked dead ahead, not daring to look at either side, and nodded. “A lot better.”

 

His voice was still so light and soft.

 

Zhuang Yan asked while he walked, “I’ve never seen you so scared before. I didn’t even know you were scared of heights.”

 

Xie Ning said, “It’s not so bad on the lower floors, but from the fourth floor and up…I can’t look down.”

 

Zhuang Yan curiously asked, “It’s the first time I’ve heard that the fear of heights depends on the number of floors.”

 

Xie Ning licked his lips unconsciously. “My fear of heights is…because of psychological reasons.”

 

Zhuang Yan raised his eyebrows thoughtfully, and asked again, “How does it make you feel when you look down?”

 

Xie Ning’s face paled some more. He closed his eyes and said after a long while, “I feel like…I’ll jump down.”

 

Zhuang Yan was shocked.

 

He was still stunned when a group of people came streaming towards them, and stopped in front of the conference room.

 

Xie Ning glanced around and found that he didn’t know several people in the group except for Zhao Yang and an assistant director.

 

From the way they dressed, they didn’t look like ordinary people, but they didn’t seem to be there to audition either–the ages didn’t even match up for some of them.

 

The one that stood out the most was about as tall as Zhuang Yan. He was extremely well-dressed, and he would be the first person anybody saw if they looked at the group.

 

His looks were outstanding, with a good appearance and angular features. His lips were slightly raised and he looked gentle and elegant, with a different kind of distinguished aura.

 

Xie Ning subconsciously glanced at him a couple more times until Zhuang Yan pulled him into the conference room.

 

Zhao Yang took the opportunity to quickly walk over to them because nobody was paying attention, and quietly asked, “Why are you guys stuck together like glue? Are you both not happy if you’re separated for a little? You had to bring him to the audition too?”

 

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhuang Yan stared at him from the corners of his eyes, and pulled Xie Ning to sit down in the seat beside him.

 

Zhao Yang didn’t really mind. He pulled back the chair that was on Xie Ning’s other side, and after he sat down, he quietly introduced the other people to Xie Ning.

 

“That’s WenXin’s representative, his name is Wang CongLiang. You should know WenXin, right? One of our largest investors. Next to him are other investors, but they didn’t invest as much as WenXin did…”

 

Xie Ning nodded as he listened, suddenly in awe of these gold-giving fathers.

 

Zhao Yang, seeing him like this, said cheerfully, “But there’s no need to be uncomfortable, since the person who invested the most is our Director Zhuang. He’s rich and overbearing, so every time we’re almost finished filming, he makes up for whatever losses we have, and isn’t afraid of losing money.”

 

Xie Ning estimated how much investment this movie would need, then compared his own funds with the Zhuang family’s funds behind Zhuang Yan, and wasn’t so uncomfortable anymore.

 

He was still thinking when he raised his head and glanced at the people across from him, only to find that their gazes were also on him.

 

Especially that most outstanding person who looked at him with a smile that brightened his face. A look of scrutiny flashed in his eyes.

 

Xie Ning didn’t know why this was happening, but he didn’t feel any malice from him, so he didn’t think too much about it and blinked when their gazes met.

 

The man paused, then smiled at him, looked away, and whispered something to the people around him.

 

What Xie Ning didn’t know was that yes, today was the audition for the male protagonist, but there was only one person who came to audition–Shen ShiSong.

 

Before, WenXin wanted to push Sheng ShiSong to become the male protagonist, but Zhuang Yan wouldn’t back up at all. In the end, WenXin had to retreat and was given the chance for Sheng ShiSong to have the first audition, but the investment amount shrank a little.

 

When Zhuang Yan brought Xie Ning into the room, the investors groaned.

 

Because Xie Ning was born too good-looking and had an extraordinary aura around him, Wang CongLiang suspected Zhuang Yan brought him to fight against Sheng ShiSong on stage.

 

In the film industry, the actor that the director wants and the actor that the investor wants is oftentimes not the same, and the final result isn’t something the actor can decide either. It still depends on who is more confident and has more of a foundation.

 

It’s basically a battle of capital.

 

“I don’t think he’s here to audition for the role of the male protagonist.” The person involved, Sheng ShiSong, seemed quite calm and relaxed.

 

His agent Chen GuangBin, who was sitting next to him, couldn’t help but glare at him. “This really is a case of the observers being more anxious than the person involved.”

 

After a pause, he couldn’t help but ask, “What do you think?”

 

Sheng ShiSong said, “He doesn’t really seem like it. At first glance he definitely looks like an amateur without much acting experience.”

 

Cheng GuangBin replied, “Some amateurs are very competitive. Some directors even like to use amateurs, saying that they’re pure and simple, so it’s easier to shape and train them into what they want.”

 

Sheng ShiSong thought about it and said, “Then he still won’t work. When using an amateur, the aura and temperament will definitely have to be very similar to the role, but for him…”

 

Chen GuangBin became curious. “What about him?”

 

The corner of Sheng ShiSong’s mouth lifted. “His temperament is too cold and the look in his eyes is too innocent, and is much too different from the image of the male protagonist. You’ve also seen some of the script. The male protagonist is an idle, frivolous young mater, frivolous but not obscene. Letting an amateur with no acting experience take on the role is a massive challenge. No matter how dissatisfied Director Zhuang is with me, he definitely wouldn’t pick someone with a temperament that is so incompatible.”

 

Chen GuangBin listened to him speak so confidently, and the worry in his heart eased a little. He wondered, “Then why did Director Zhuang bring him this time?”

 

Sheng ShiSong hesitated for a moment. “Actually, his temperament is quite similar to another role’s…”

 

Chen GuangBin: “Which one?”

 

Sheng ShiSong said, “The other male lead. That cold, noble, glamorous, and famous actor.”

 

He paused, then rejected his own idea. “…It doesn’t really work either, since that role requires a certain amount of acting experience and foundation.”

 

Chen GuangBin thought about it as well, and felt like none of the other important roles fit him either, so he decided to stop thinking about it. “It doesn’t matter which role he’s here for, as long as he’s not here to fight with you for the role of the male protagonist.”

 

Sheng ShiSong nodded, and let out a smile. “Even if someone comes to fight for it with me, it doesn’t mean I’ll get the role.”

 

Although Zhuang Yan hasn’t been back in China for long, he was already known to be notoriously difficult in the investment circle.

 

In the film industry, there were definitely many directors with bad tempers. Some were very arrogant, or strange, but as long as investors could drop a high enough price, they would all obediently shut their mouths.

 

But not with Zhuang Yan. No matter how much was dropped in front of him, he could drop back double the amount with no problem.

 

If it wasn’t for WenXin producing too many commercial films for money the past couple of years and their reputation through word of mouth dropping to such an extreme, they wouldn’t have picked to invest in Zhuang Yan’s film.

 

The group of people chatted amongst themselves for a little before Wang CongLiang took the lead and shifted the topic to today’s audition.

 

Wang CongLiang’s Mediterranean hairstyle might have been touched with hair spray today, because it was very shiny. “As for the cake, we’ve already finished dividing it. Today, we’re here mainly to watch the audition, so let’s not say too much, and watch ShiSong’s performance, alright?”

 

As he spoke, he once against tried to promote Sheng ShiSong to Zhuang Yan, saying how he had outstanding acting skills, would have box office guarantees, etc., and his peripheral vision couldn’t help but turn towards Xie Ning sometimes.

 

Zhuang Yan pretended to not see, and turned to Xie Ning to introduce and say, “Sheng ShiSong is here today to audition for the role of the male protagonist.”

 

Xie Ning looked at Sheng ShiSong a couple of times, and suddenly felt like he looked familiar. “I think I remember. He acted in {The Lawyer’s Unstable Situation}, right?”

 

{The Lawyer’s Unstable Situation} was a commercial movie that WenXin produced. That year, the box office sales were unimaginably high, but the public’s opinion and word of mouth were extremely polarized. On one hand, a group praised it as a deluge of heavenly flowers, while on the other hand, another group criticized that it wasn’t even as good as trashy movies, and was a pure money-grabbing piece of work.

 

Yan Xi pulled Xie Ning to the theater to watch it at that time. Since it wasn’t a style that he liked, Xie Ning didn’t have many feelings about it.

 

But Yan Xi liked this film quite a lot, and even quarreled with people online about it.

 

In short, there was no conclusion as to whether it was a good film or a bad film, and as a result, the topicality of the film was quite high at the time.

 

In the end, both sides labeled the other as paid promoters of the film.

 

Wang CongLiang, listening to their conversation, turned his gaze to Xie Ning and asked, “…This is?”

 

Zhuang Yan introduced him: “Xie Ning.”

 

Seeing how Wang CongLiang was confused, he added, “Have you heard of the Xie family that invests in the real economy?”

 

Wang CongLiang suddenly understood. It wasn’t anything new for a second-generation wealthy person to invest in the film and television industry.

 

Zhuang Yan gave a number. “Half of my investment is actually his.”

 

Taking advantage of the empty time when Sheng ShiSong went to prepare, Xie Ning suddenly pulled Zhuang Yan and asked, “What did you mean by what you just said?”

 

Zhuang Yan rubbed his hair, saying, “If I say you’re the art director, I’m afraid that they’ll take you lightly, since everyone here today is either a CEO or a famous producer.”

 

“I’m not asking about this.” Xie Ning pulled a little on his sleeve. “When did I invest half of the money you did?”

 

“Ah, that.” Zhuang Yan smiled and made a sound in response, and said after a while, “Even though you haven’t yet, but there will be a day when you do invest half.”

 

Xie Ning was even more confused. “Didn’t you say that the funds were enough? I’ve never thought about investing, either.”

 

Zhuang Yan chuckled softly. “Married couples have common property, so doesn’t that mean half of it is yours?”

 

Xie Ning: “…”

 

He looked at the calm Zhuang Yan and couldn’t help but start letting his imagination go wild.

 

Was Zhuang Yan’s progression not on the same page as his? He hadn’t even accepted the confession yet, and Zhuang Yan was already talking about marriage.

 

If he agreed, then would Zhuang Yan…

 

As he was thinking about it, he tossed Zhuang Yan’s arm to the side, and his cheeks were inexplicably tinged red.

 

What things was he thinking about, at this time?!

 

Before today, Xie Ning was stuck on what the male protagonist should look like.

 

To be honest, in the script that Zhuang Yan wrote, the male protagonist wasn’t a very likeable character.

 

He’s distinguished, admirable, yet a loiterer, lingering among all kinds of beauties, and had an image of a playboy.

 

But he was responsible and affectionate. After he fell in love at first sight with his white moonlight at a teahouse, he never forgot about him until the end of the film.

 

If the actor isn’t able to grasp the charm of his personality, then he will either seem like a disgusting player or seem to have a split personality.

 

Xie Ning had wondered what the male protagonist would actually be like, and whether or not anyone can portray him accurately.

 

Until he saw Sheng ShiSong’s interpretation.

 

He auditioned with the scene where the male protagonist and his white moonlight first met.

 

His white moonlight sat in a rickshaw and looked backwards when he passed by downstairs while the male protagonist glanced down from the upstairs of the teahouse.

 

The props at the audition were very simple and consisted of just a table and a couple of paper cups.

 

Sheng ShiSong’s fingers stroked the cup, and the romantic and elegant feeling came through just like that.

 

The corners of his lips carried a smile, and his eyes carried a sense of casualness. The paper cup was just like the ceramic cup of a teahouse, and emitted a crisp sound under the tapping of his fingertips.

 

After a while, as if he was bored, he tilted his head and looked out the window casually, then stopped as if something had crashed into him.

 

The casual mood in his eyes gradually dissipated.

 

A look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

 

He didn’t know if it was a coincidence or an accident.

 

At that moment, Sheng ShiSong’s eyes landed on Xie Ning.

 

“OK.” Zhuang Yan interrupted him, his face cold.

 

Sheng ShiSong looked away and returned to his original gentle and upright image.

 

Xie Ning’s gaze lingered on Sheng ShiSong for a while, and suddenly, as if he’d been enlightened with some sort of wisdom, understood what he was missing from the style he’d designed for the male protagonist.

 

With his newfound inspiration, he couldn’t help but grab Zhuang Yan’s hand that was next to him.

 

Zhuang Yan paused, then expressionlessly said to Sheng ShiSong, “This part is fine, let’s try the next one.”

——————————–

Author’s Note: ZhuangZhuang: You can’t look at my NingNing that way.

NingNing: (eyes lighting up) I found inspiration!

ZhuangZhuang: (jealous)