Chapter 189: Chapter 189: Changing the Team

Seeing Deng Zimo pester him again and again, Thompson was starting to lose his patience.

“I’m sorry. Please leave.”

In that instant, all the light of determination in Deng Zimo’s eyes died out. He knew it was useless to keep pestering.

He could only bow dejectedly and leave.

As a pure human, this wasn’t the first time he’d been turned away.

But it was the first time he’d had a chance to audition for a role.

Although he came from a humble background, he was passionate about bringing characters from stories to life. When he was little, he would act by himself in front of the mirror.

When he got older, besides working as an extra, he would also record himself performing scenes on the Star Network.

However, he never mechanically copied the originals; instead, he would act out his own interpretation of the character.

He had chased his dream for ten years, day in and day out, but his career had never taken off.

It wasn’t that no directors appreciated him, but they all ultimately passed on him because he was a pure human. At most, they would give him cannon-fodder roles with a scene or two, and never anything more.

To prove that his body could truly handle the strain, he had spent the last few years doing heavy, exhausting labor.

Honestly, even those manual labor jobs were hard for him to find.

Because, all things being equal, employers would always choose the physically superior Half-beastmen, not a pure human who looked fragile enough to be blown over by a gust of wind.

’If I didn’t offer to work for just one-tenth of the pay, I probably wouldn’t be able to find a job at all.’

During the day, he did back-breaking work to build his physique. At night, he took on academic problem-solving gigs on the Star Network to earn money for medicinal potions.

In his spare time, he also had to squeeze in work as an extra.

So he was truly busy and exhausted. Sometimes, he didn’t even know what he was holding on for.

’Is it because I’m not willing to give up, or because I truly love it? Even I can’t tell anymore.’

He had originally thought that it would be good enough to just rely on his skills and land a small supporting role in this lifetime.

After all, supporting roles have fewer scenes. Even if something really happened to him, the loss from recasting wouldn’t be too great.

But there was still a risk. If not for a good personal connection, no director would be willing to give him such an opportunity.

For a minor supporting role, good acting is just icing on the cake, while bad acting doesn’t ruin the whole picture.

There was no need to take on unnecessary risk.

So when he came to audition today, he knew his chances were slim. ’But people never give up until they’ve hit a wall, do they?’

Figuring his chances were low anyway, he decided not to audition for a supporting role.

Instead, he followed his heart and chose his favorite character, Cheng Yong.

The exciting part was that his performance was recognized.

The devastating part was that he was a pure human.

A reason for rejection tantamount to a death sentence.

After walking out of the doors of Tianwen Entertainment, Deng Zimo had no idea where to go.

He had considered wallowing in despair for a bit, just going on strike and not returning to that back-breaking work.

But self-discipline was already carved into his bones. The very thought of going home to lie down and rot made his skin crawl.

In the end, he composed himself and returned to his job.

***

Meanwhile, the auditions were still ongoing.

After Deng Zimo left, many other male actors auditioned for the role of Cheng Yong.

But with such a gem preceding them, everyone felt that the subsequent actors all lacked a certain spark in their eyes.

Seeing the somber atmosphere, the assistant director joked, “I think that actor from just now, Lu Xi, was quite good.”

In truth, he had accepted a fee from the actor and promised to put in a good word or two for him.

As for whether he’d be chosen, that couldn’t be guaranteed.

After all, Lan Yuyan had already warned them that no one was allowed to interfere with Jiang Qin’s project.

Even in cases where they needed to accommodate a business partner, they couldn’t just cast someone directly. They had to speak with him first, and then he would speak with Jiang Qin.

If anyone acted on their own authority, they would have to deal with the consequences themselves; Tianwen would not step in.

That was why, when he accepted the bribe this time, he hadn’t dared to make any firm promises.

The thought of it made him a little irritated.

As an assistant director, his salary and bonuses weren’t very high. He normally relied entirely on these bribes to maintain his high-spending lifestyle.

Most people turned a blind eye to this sort of thing, since it was common practice.

’But now a project has come along where you can’t skim anything off the top, and of all people, I got assigned to it.’

If he weren’t so optimistic about this production, he would have found an excuse to bolt long ago.

Thompson also had an impression of Lu Xi. “He is indeed pretty good. His acting is fine, he has a large following, and a stable fan base.”

After speaking, he looked at Jiang Qin. “What does Miss Jiang think?”

Jiang Qin was silent for a moment before saying, “Let’s hold off on deciding Cheng Yong for now. We can finalize the other roles first.”

She handed the list of her chosen actors to Thompson.

“You all get the other miscellaneous preparations underway. As for the role of Cheng Yong, I will choose the actor.

Then there’s the filming. This movie is of the utmost importance, so I will be on set for the entire shoot.”

Thompson hadn’t expected this twist. He felt a bit displeased but didn’t say anything to her face.

Instead, he immediately went to find Lan Yuyan.

“President Lan, a team can only have one person in charge. Having two will cause problems.

I can understand that Miss Jiang holds her work in high regard, but how to film it is the director’s job. For her to interfere in this as well is going too far.

Either you put together a separate team for her, or I quit and you let her take the lead.”

Lan Yuyan explained, “She doesn’t intend to interfere, just to be on set.

And if there are parts that aren’t filmed well, I hope you’ll be open to her suggestions. After all, she is the original author and understands her work best.”

“Even so, I cannot accept it. I’ve been making movies for thirty years, and no one has ever tried to teach me how to film.

It has always been me instructing others on how to shoot a scene.

Now you’re asking a junior—a female, at that—to teach me how to make a movie. Isn’t that a joke?

I’ll say it again: either replace me, or make Miss Jiang stay out of the filming process.

I can listen to her on casting, but when it comes to how we shoot, I, the director, have the final say.”

Lan Yuyan fell silent.

Knowing he couldn’t convince Thompson, he could only sigh with regret. “So, you intend to leave with your entire team?”

“Of course. They are my people, so naturally, I will take them with me. If you want to indulge your female master’s nonsense, then find someone else. We won’t be a part of it.”

’It’s just a shame about that excellent script.’

“Let it be so, then. I will assemble another team. You can all make your own arrangements from now on.”

Although time was tight, Lan Yuyan showed no intention of compromising.

Thompson had gotten one thing wrong. It wasn’t that he was indulging his female master’s nonsense.

Rather, his female master was helping him ascend to greater heights.

Tianwen’s entry for the awards season was already prepared. While it was good, it was conventional and completely lacked the power to move people’s hearts the way “Medicine God” did.

If it weren’t for him, Jiang Qin wouldn’t have to deal with any of this trouble.

Therefore, this movie could do without anyone else, but it could not do without her.

’It’s her own work, so she gets the final say. Anyone unwilling to cooperate can just be replaced.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep