Check out our advanced chapters
Please kindly turn off your Adblock
Chapter 21.1
Editor: Jodi
“What happened?” Wilder leaned in worriedly, “Who bullied you?”
Mu Nan shook his head, pressing his lips together tightly, “No one, but I’m not taking this role.”
Wilder suddenly made a “shh” gesture, and then the elevator doors in front of them opened. Inside, another artist and an agent stepped out.
“Hello Mu Nan Ge, hello Wilder Ge, my name is Xi Qing.” The artist across from them had delicate features, single eyelids, and small facial features, giving off a bit of a boy-next-door vibe.
“You’re being too polite.” Wilder smiled, and then poked Mu Nan from behind.
Mu Nan forced a smile, “Hello.” He had some impression of this face, it seemed as if he had seen him at some event before.
“Mu Nan Ge, are you also here for the audition?” Xi Qing asked.
“Yeah.” Mu Nan replied, “Good luck, I wish you success.”
After exchanging pleasantries, Mu Nan and Wilder took the elevator downstairs.
“He’s actually auditioning for the same role as you.” Wilder frowned. “We didn’t get any word about it before, he must’ve been added at the last minute.”
“Is there a problem?” Mu Nan asked him.
Wilder explained to him, “Their team….. is quite interesting. He’s a trained actor and has decent acting skills, but his looks are a bit lacking by entertainment industry standards. At first, his team only had him act in artistic films and niche genres, desperately trying to overshadow top-tier actors just to build up his reputation as a skilled actor.”
“And then?”
“Well, it flopped. No one’s fans paid him any attention, and there wasn’t anyone to chat with online. Now, I guess they’ve realized it’s not working and are trying to switch directions.”
Mu Nan’s eyes twinkled, “So, his acting is pretty good then?”
Wilder nodded, “I’ve seen his work, it’s decent.”
“Then let him take the role, and I won’t need to act.”
“You still haven’t told me what happened earlier.” Wilder pressed.
Mu Nan shook his head, not wanting to talk about it at all, “Nothing.”
*
It was afternoon by the time they got home, and Cheng Han had just woken up. He had stayed up all night filming a variety show, and now his face, unusually, looked a little puffy.
Mu Nan couldn’t help but say as he looked at him, “This is a sign of kidney deficiency.”
“Don’t you know whether I have kidney deficiency or not?” Cheng Han asked as he drank an Americano that could reduce puffiness.
Wilder: ?!
“Did I just hear something I wasn’t supposed to have?” His face was filled with fear of being silenced, then he slipped away immediately.
After a moment of confusion, Mu Nan reacted, “Cheng Han! You’re slandering me! You actually…… you actually!”
“Hey, hey, hey.” Cheng Han, seeing Mu Nan trying to grab his cup, stepped back and raised it high, “This is Panama estate coffee beans, it’s very expensive.”
“Drink, drink, drink!” Mu Nan slammed the table angrily, his hand aching from the marble surface, “You’re just a fraud!”
And seeing him hopping mad, Cheng Han stopped joking around and poured him a cup of coffee, “Okay, who upset you?”
Mu Nan was surprised. He hadn’t said anything, so how did Cheng Han know?
Cheng Han seemed to have read his mind again, “Anyone with eyes can see it.”
“Oh.” Mu Nan took a sip of the coffee, however it was too strong for his taste, so he immediately moved to add milk.
“Waste of good coffee.” Cheng Han said, however he still opened a carton of milk for him.
Now it was just the way Mu Nan liked it. As he sipped his coffee, he told Cheng Han about everything that had happened today.
He thought Cheng Han would side with him, but unexpectedly, Cheng Han just said calmly, “That’s normal.”
“What?” Mu Nan was stunned.
“The first time I went to an audition, it was in the conference room of a film company. No assistants were allowed, there weren’t any cameras, and the director filmed the audition with his phone.”
“Then you also had it…. quite rough.” Mu Nan said sympathetically.
“You didn’t really think much of this role anyway, so just treat it as you testing the waters.”
But Mu Nan was still a little downcast, “But I prepared really seriously.”
“So what?” Cheng Han said casually, “Doesn’t your company have people who’ve trained for five or six years and yet still haven’t debuted?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Cheng Han cut him off, “Did they not prepare seriously?”
Since his debut, Mu Nan had rarely faced failure or setbacks. It seemed like he was naturally meant for this line of work, like he was born to make a living off it.
Which was why this attempt hit him harder than usual. And while it wasn’t really a rejection of him, being ignored was much more upsetting than being rejected.