Luo Mingbai stepped out from behind Xia Xianning: “Of course I do!” Director Xiao didn’t expect him to be so straightforward. Excited, he said: “That’s great! I have a role that perfectly matches your temperament. I took a liking to you at first glance. Try an audition, and if you do well, becoming famous overnight is possible!”
Seeing Luo Mingbai getting carried away, Xia Xianning interrupted: “What role do you want him to play?” Director Xiao: “Ah, Captain Xia, didn’t you both see? It’s that male companion role.”
Luo Mingbai: “…No, are you saying my temperament is like a male companion?” He whispered disbelievingly to Xia Xianning: “Is he here to mock me? Did you offend him earlier?” Xia Xianning said: “No, probably not.” He paused, then sincerely added, “It’s actually quite similar.”
Luo Mingbai instantly forgot their previous camaraderie of cheering him up and angrily said: “Shut up! Show some respect!” Xia Xianning touched his nose and fell silent.
Director Xiao looked at the two, surprised that the larger one was actually Luo Mingbai, but still focused on the main business and decided to try again. To be honest, Luo Mingbai only somewhat matched Director Xiao’s standards when deliberately acting silly. His appearance was cold, with a lazy and mysterious temperament that was quite different from the script’s character. But he could act, and that was enough.
Director Xiao: “Oh, young man, I don’t mean anything bad. Don’t take it to heart. I just think you’d play this role brilliantly. Try it out. That feeling of being the center of attention in front of the camera, you’ll definitely love it!”
Luo Mingbai didn’t want to play along anymore: “Thanks for your kindness, but I’ve never done this before, and…”
A noisy sound drowned out the rest of his words. The door to the nearby restroom opened, and Wei Le-yi walked out, already changed into regular clothes and seemingly not planning to perform anymore. His agent was following, continuously trying to persuade him.
Wei Le-yi loudly said: “Stop talking. It’s not because of the director scolding me. You heard it too—everyone’s secretly talking about what happened to Ou Ziheng yesterday. Zheng Hui! He must have come back for revenge. I’m not ready to die, so I absolutely won’t play this role!”
