Chapter 77: The Audition Scene

Before things could get more out of hand, Mo Fei took the initiative and walked over to Wu Miao.

“Mo, bro!” Wu Miao greeted him, raising his hand in a gesture as though playing a card. “How about it? I’ve mastered it!”

Mo Fei smiled broadly in congratulations. “That’s great. Once you’ve got this skill down, you can start learning flourishes and card throwing.”

Wu Miao froze for a moment, suddenly sobering. Right, there was still so much he hadn’t learned or practiced. But it was really difficult.

Wu Miao’s manager, who had finally managed to restrain her client, shot Mo Fei a grateful look.

Ever since Wu Miao had been poisoned by those mushrooms, it was as if some strange switch had been flipped; he’d become increasingly lively.

As his big sister, she was happy to see her little brother in such spirits. But as his manager, she truly felt she needed to apply for injury leave.

Lu Chunqiu came over and struck up a conversation, “Do you know what Director Wang’s new film is about? Any spoilers?”

“No,” Wu Miao’s manager replied, lowering her voice, “But I’ve heard the main roles are all male, and there are a lot of male characters. So it’s probably a similar genre to the last one.”

The two exchanged knowing smiles.

If there were many significant male roles, then the competition between Wu Miao and Mo Fei would be much less fierce.

Their artists had few friends in the industry; it was better to maintain such a friendship if possible.

After a short wait, the auditions began.

This revealed the second strange thing about this audition.

The staff called for pairs to enter together. After one group went in, the next was called before the previous group had come out, so multiple groups were inside at the same time.

Mo Fei did a quick count: at most, five pairs—ten people—were kept inside at once.

So many people… What was Director Wang planning?

Was he assembling a boy group right there for their debut?

But the actors didn’t even share a similar style.

Mo Fei couldn’t make sense of it, but it didn’t stop him from watching with great interest.

Those who came out were either brimming with confidence or completely bewildered.

Yet they all had one thing in common: none of them revealed anything about the audition to those waiting outside.

It was as though they were saying, “If I’ve suffered, you’ll have to suffer too.”

Well, that was only human nature.

Soon it was Wu Miao’s turn.

Unsurprisingly, he picked Mo Fei as his partner.

Managers weren’t allowed to accompany them during the audition.

The two managers stood together, silently praying their artists wouldn’t do anything outrageous.

Hopefully, those poisonous mushrooms hadn’t left the two of them permanently addled.

But it hadn’t affected anyone else.

Their fervent hopes went unheard by their artists, who nevertheless knew to put on a show for the outside world, entering the audition with polite smiles.

Everyone behind the table was a familiar face.

Director Wang sat in the middle, flanked by his favorite assistant director and the scriptwriter.

Seeing the pair enter, Director Wang, who had been drinking water, choked and started coughing.

The assistant director, recalling the chaos these two had previously caused, cleared his throat and braced himself. “There are two roles: a stern, upright police officer and a roguish, smiling criminal. Assign yourselves and improvise a scene.”

Wu Miao and Mo Fei exchanged a look, coming to an unspoken agreement.

Mo Fei’s brows arched; his smile widened to a dazzling extent. “Officer, arresting someone without evidence? I could sue you for that.”

Just that one line made Director Wang’s heart thump wildly.

Damn, wasn’t this just the kind of brazen attitude all those criminals from Old Bauhinia had? Disdainful of authority, contemptuous of the law, dismissive of the police—arrogant and insolent.

This kid’s acting had improved again.

Wu Miao, worthy of his child star beginnings, picked up Mo Fei’s cue immediately. He fixed him with a cold look, glancing at his empty hand. “If I didn’t have evidence, you wouldn’t be here.”

With his other hand, he mimed flipping through files. “You have a lot of confidence in yourself?”

Mo Fei leaned back, swaying his upper body as if lounging in a chair. With his head bowed, eyes looking up, his smile took on a different edge. “I’m not confident in myself. I’m confident in you, officer—”

“You were very good friends before,” Director Wang interjected, adding another layer to the scene.

Wu Miao’s face took on a touch of anger beneath the coldness. He clenched his fist. “You think I can’t catch you slipping up?”

“You think you know me better than I know you?” Mo Fei laughed aloud. “Don’t kid yourself. Since we were kids, in all our games of cops and robbers, when have you ever beaten me?”

“But this time, it’s not a game.” Wu Miao stared him down.

“No,” Mo Fei tilted his head, his expression turning flippant. “This time, it’s life and death.”

Wu Miao’s facial muscles twitched. He calmly shut his imaginary file, opened a non-existent door, and walked out—remembering even to gently close the door behind him.

But the moment the door closed, his composure cracked, and he mouthed a colorful curse.

As Wu Miao exited, the smile faded from Mo Fei’s face. Now, as if talking to himself, he murmured, “Good luck, officer.”

“Cut.” Director Wang nodded. “A splendid performance.”

Splendid didn’t begin to cover it—Mo Fei’s smile had never left his face, yet it revealed so many layers.

And what’s more, none of those smiles were happy!

That was truly rare.

To be able to smile, and do so without a hint of joy.

Among all the actors before, no one had captured that nuance so vividly.

“We’ve worked together before, so I’ll get straight to the point.” Director Wang closed the notebook in front of him. “The script I’m preparing—either of you could play the roles.”

After their previous collaboration, he had come to respect Wu Miao’s acting and dedication, and Mo Fei’s slightly unhinged energy and considerable talent were a perfect fit.

In fact, Mo Fei had been part of his inspiration for the script itself.

“But—” Director Wang turned serious, “if no one more suitable comes along, the roles are yours. For now, go home and wait for the notice.”

Watching the two young men’s expressions shift from joy to concern, Director Wang was deeply satisfied.

Who said only actors could perform for directors?

When he was younger, he’d made cameos in movies too!

But he was also being honest.

If a better candidate appeared, he’d hesitate to choose Mo Fei. The man was pure chaos—there wasn’t a single peaceful day during filming, and even afterwards he’d managed to attract a batch of poisonous mushrooms.

Still, Director Wang doubted he’d find anyone more suitable. Mo Fei was the source of his inspiration, and his acting was more than adequate. Anyone else would only be a compromise.

He wasn’t willing to settle for mediocrity.

With a faint hope, Director Wang looked forward to seeing if any truly exceptional actor would appear.

If someone with overwhelming talent turned up, that would be ideal.

Outside the audition room, the two managers hurried over to ask their stars how it went.

Wu Miao thought for a moment. “I think it went pretty well. What do you think, Mo?”

Mo Fei lazily raised his hand in an OK sign. “I think it was a little better than just ‘pretty well.’”

“You’re so full of yourself,” Wu Miao said, baring his teeth in mock annoyance, then grinned goofily. “But you were pretty cool.”