Chapter 58

"Me? I'm the director." Xia Hou Zhong Ying was taken aback when Li Xiaoli asked him to give it a try and said.

"Who says a director can't act? Am I not a director too?" Li Xiaoli said with a smile, "I'm also going to participate in the performance, aren't I?"

Xia Hou Zhong Ying thought about it and realized she was right. Who says a director can't be an actor?

"Alright, I'll give it a try. Sister Xiaoli, give me a question." Xia Hou Zhong Ying said helplessly. If he still couldn't do it, it seemed he would have to give this spot to DSP Company as well.

"Okay, there's a part in the script where the male lead is misunderstood by his girlfriend and she leaves him. He's very sad. I'll give you some freedom to express this sadness," Li Xiaoli said with a grin.

Gao Yunhao and Quan Xiangjing also watched Xia Hou Zhong Ying with amusement. To be honest, they were quite impressed by Xia Hou Zhong Ying. He had managed to prepare the entire movie and secure sponsorship, something they weren't sure they could do themselves.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Hou Zhong Ying asked Gao Yunhao and Quan Xiangjing, "Brother Yunhao, Brother Xiangjing, do you have cigarettes and a lighter? I need to borrow them."

It seemed he was going to use props. The two were curious to see how Xia Hou Zhong Ying would perform. Quan Xiangjing, who was smoking, took out his cigarettes and lighter and handed them to Xia Hou Zhong Ying.

After receiving the cigarettes and lighter from Quan Xiangjing, Xia Hou Zhong Ying put them in his pocket, closed his eyes, and gathered his emotions.

When Xia Hou Zhong Ying opened his eyes, they were filled with an indescribable sadness. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and fumbled with the lighter, failing to light it several times. He then stared off into the distance, lost in thought, his eyes unfocused.

Gao Yunhao and Quan Xiangjing clapped immediately after seeing Xia Hou Zhong Ying's performance. The clumsy act of trying to light the cigarette effectively conveyed the helplessness after his girlfriend left, combined with his unfocused, lost gaze, which truly captured the feeling of sadness and disappointment.

Li Xiaoli was also stunned by Xia Hou Zhong Ying's performance for a moment before she laughed and scolded, "You're cheating! Students can't smoke. You used a prop that shouldn't exist to express your sadness. That doesn't count."

Xia Hou Zhong Ying stepped out of his role and chuckled, "Sister, I did a good job, right?"

"It's still okay, you pass," Li Xiaoli said with a smile. "You'll play the male lead. The other three are really not suitable. Apart from Song Zhenhuan, who looks acceptable, the other two don't even pass the appearance test. I don't understand why you chose them as actors in the first place."

Gao Yunhao and Quan Xiangjing were surprised when Li Xiaoli directly gave Xia Hou Zhong Ying the role of the male lead, but they didn't say anything. Although it was the male lead, the entire movie revolved around seven female classmates, and the male lead's role wasn't that significant. It even had less screen time than the role prepared for Jeong Soo-kyung, who played the sister of one of the seven girls and often played with the seven sisters.

"Hehe, at the time, I didn't plan to make it a proper movie. It was just a short film for fun. Besides, they are my best friends. Who else would I choose?" Xia Hou Zhong Ying said with a smile. "By the way, Sister, Brother Yunhao, Brother Xiangjing, what do you think of the eight girls' performances?"

"Jeong Soo-kyung's role as the sister can't be replaced. Our company doesn't have such a young trainee, and her performance is quite good. She's one of them," Li Xiaoli said after some thought.

Gao Yunhao and Quan Xiangjing nodded in agreement with Li Xiaoli's decision.

"Among the other seven girls, Li Lixiu is quite different from the others. She's out," Li Xiaoli continued her critique.

The other two judges also agreed with her, which left Xia Hou Zhong Ying in a difficult position, worrying about how to face Li Lixiu and explain the situation to her. He had lured her over to help him trick her father, and now that the trick was done, he was kicking her out. How could he face her in the future?

"Xu Zhuxian is a bit introverted. The eight girls in the movie are all full of energy. I think she's also not suitable," Li Xiaoli said after consulting the other two.

"Alright, Sister, I have four spots. Soo-kyung has already taken one. The other three must include Jeong Soo-yeon. This movie was originally prepared for her. Without her, I would definitely be hated, and I couldn't explain it to my godmother. The other two spots, you decide. Choose whoever you think is good," Xia Hou Zhong Ying said, feeling a headache.

"Huh? You prepared it for her? You never mentioned that before. You also said there was no one you liked in the group. Now you're caught, aren't you?" Li Xiaoli's curiosity was piqued, and she teased him.

"Sister, you're thinking too much. She's my sister, and her mother is my godmother," Xia Hou Zhong Ying said, speechless.

Li Xiaoli didn't know the specific relationship between Xia Hou Zhong Ying and the others, so she immediately became interested in hearing more.

After Xia Hou Zhong Ying explained the relationships to Li Xiaoli, she didn't say anything more. The other two also had no objections to Jeong Soo-yeon's selection. Apart from Jeong Soo-kyung, the performances of the remaining six S.M. girls were similar, making it hard to decide who to choose and who to cut. Xia Hou Zhong Ying's pre-selection of Jeong Soo-yeon helped reduce their workload.

After discussing with the two from DSP, Li Xiaoli and the others decided on the last two spots, which went to Lin Yoon-a and Kim Tae-yeon.

Xia Hou Zhong Ying was surprised when he heard Kim Tae-yeon's name. He didn't find it strange that Lin Yoon-a was chosen, as she performed slightly better than the others, but Kim Tae-yeon's performance wasn't outstanding. He couldn't understand why she was chosen.

"Sister, why did you choose Kim Tae-yeon?" Xia Hou Zhong Ying couldn't help but ask, puzzled.

"We all felt she fit one of the characters in the script, so we chose her," Li Xiaoli replied.

Xia Hou Zhong Ying nodded and didn't say anything more. The three people present were more professional than he was. His father once told him that professional matters should be left to professionals. Just like how an ice cream vendor doesn't need to know how to make ice cream, they just need to know how to sell it. He trusted their judgment and didn't oppose their final decision. After all, it didn't matter to him who the other two were.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Hou Zhong Ying suddenly asked, "Sister, can the other four girls who were cut still play some supporting roles with lines?"

"Sure, they've all studied acting and are better than the students at the school," Li Xiaoli said indifferently.

That was the best he could do. At least it was better than having them completely leave. Xia Hou Zhong Ying felt helpless, thinking he would write a script for them later to make up for it.

After all the original cast members were interviewed, it was already lunchtime. The four discussed and decided to have lunch first and continue the interviews with the people arranged by DSP Company in the afternoon.

Xia Hou Zhong Ying told Li Xiaoli that he needed to inform the others of the results and explain the reasons to them. He wouldn't join them for lunch and would come back in the afternoon. He then left.

Xia Hou Zhong Ying went out and called his group, leading them out of DSP Company. They found a restaurant, booked a private room, and ordered food. Looking at everyone, he didn't know how to start explaining, and the room became very tense.

"Brother Zhong Ying, just say it. We're fine," Kim Tae-yeon, seeing Xia Hou Zhong Ying's expression, knew he had something difficult to say. She broke the silence and said softly.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Among the eight of you, only four roles are available. The other four are from DSP Company," Xia Hou Zhong Ying looked at the girls and said in a low voice. "However, the other four can still participate, but only as supporting roles with lines, though not many."

The girls immediately felt relieved, feeling satisfied that they could still participate. After all, they were just trainees, and Li Lixiu wasn't even a trainee.

This was a real movie, not just a short film, and it featured Li Xiaoli, whose influence was incomparable. Without Xia Hou Zhong Ying, they wouldn't even have a chance to audition for other movies. Even if four of them were only supporting roles, it still meant they would be in the movie.

The girls were delighted, even though they didn't know who would be cut. Even if they weren't chosen, they wouldn't be sad, as just being in the movie and having lines would make them happy, especially since they would be working with Li Xiaoli.

"Are you... not sad?" Xia Hou Zhong Ying asked, puzzled by their happiness.

"Brother Zhong Ying, this is a movie with Li Xiaoli. Just being in it and having lines is already great," Lin Yoon-a said with a smile, clearly very happy.

"Exactly, Brother Zhong Ying, do you think everyone gets such an opportunity?" Kim Tae-yeon added.

Seeing the girls' reactions, Xia Hou Zhong Ying felt relieved. He was most afraid of not knowing how to face the four girls who were cut.

"Let me announce the selected roles," Xia Hou Zhong Ying said, taking a deep breath.

Everyone immediately quieted down, sitting up straight. Although being in the movie made them happy, getting a role would be even better, and they were now tense, some even clenching their fists.

"Jeong Soo-kyung will play the role of the main character's sister. DSP doesn't have a trainee your age, so this role is still yours," Xia Hou Zhong Ying said, looking at Jeong Soo-kyung.

Jeong Soo-kyung was overjoyed, jumping up and hugging Xia Hou Zhong Ying, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Jeong Soo-yeon will play the main character," Xia Hou Zhong Ying continued after calming down the excited Jeong Soo-kyung.

Jeong Soo-yeon was stunned. Although she had been encouraging herself and hinting that Xia Hou Zhong Ying would give her a role, she didn't expect to be the main character. She slowly relaxed her fists and couldn't help but smile.

The others congratulated Jeong Soo-yeon with envy. She was very happy and much more friendly, no longer the icy queen she usually was.

"The other two roles go to Tae-yeon and Yoon-a," Xia Hou Zhong Ying announced the final two spots.