Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 649: Someone from the National Team Arrives, a Formidable Competitor?

"Alright, let's talk about something more interesting."Shu Han clearly didn't want to dwell on being treated differently either, so he switched to joking about other people's mishaps to lighten the mood for both of them.

"At noon, that was the first batch of actors. I heard it was an absolute circus over there. Someone showed up wearing an emperor's robes, and got kicked out as soon as he walked in. They told the kid to stop wearing adult-sized clothes."

Xiao He: "Pfft—"

Yeah, that was impossible to hold back.

"Also, there was this guy with heavy stage makeup. The contour on his cheekbones was so terrifying that Director Qiu thought he hadn't bathed in days and told him to go find a bathhouse and scrub himself clean."

Xiao He: "Haha—"

"There was another guy who was even funnier. The moment he walked in, Director Qiu said he'd already auditioned and couldn't do it again."

"Huh? Why? What does that mean?"

"Because this guy and the actor before him had identical faces. They looked so much alike that Director Qiu couldn't tell them apart at all."

"Cough, cough, cough—"

Xiao He was literally dying of laughter from these clowns.

Too late—this batch should have been saved for the Spring Festival. It was pure comedy gold.

Xiao He wasn't the only one laughing. Even Shu Han couldn't hold it together after telling the story.

"I think Director Qiu's tongue isn't just sharp—it's poisonous."

And maybe because he was already out of the game, no longer paying attention to the entertainment industry, and disliking the behavior of some current people, Qiu Zhenlong carried deep prejudice against young actors today. His words always had a biting edge, along with a deathly humor that came from being out of touch with the times without realizing it.

Shu Han nodded in agreement, but after laughing, his face quickly fell again. "I have a feeling this audition of mine won't go smoothly."

Not long ago, Director Qiu had been questioning an actor about plastic surgery, flat-out refusing to believe his claim that he'd just lost weight. He made a few passive-aggressive sarcastic remarks before kicking the guy out.

Shu Han figured he wouldn't fare much better.

The guy was definitely going to press him about why he chose to go overseas to develop his career.

What else could it be? Back then, everyone was going out. Hollywood's action films were at their peak, while the domestic industry was in decline—there were no films to shoot. So naturally, he wanted to go along.

But how could he answer that?

If he told the truth, he'd offend others. If he didn't, he'd offend Director Qiu.

Shu Han sighed again.

Though he didn't have to agonize much longer, because soon enough, he was called to wait backstage.

As the staff members moved around with their notices, Xiao He noticed that groups of people were leaving the scene one after another.

A lot of people were called away this time. The already spacious hall quickly became empty and quiet.

Even the other actors who had been competing for important supporting roles left along with them.

Soon, only five people remained in the room.

Yun Ziqi was also sitting among them.

Xiao He didn't sit down. He stayed by the window, enjoying the breeze. First, because this spot was tucked away and harder for others to notice; second, because it gave him a better view of his other competitors.

Besides his familiar "old friend" Yun Ziqi, there were two people Xiao He recognized. One was a veteran actor nearing forty but still looking youthful, who had won the grand slam of television awards—a Best Actor. The other was around thirty, a late bloomer whose acting had always been on point. It seemed his debut role years ago had been a minor supporting character in the final work of Qiu Zhenlong himself.

As for the last one—

Xiao He's gaze fell on a young, unfamiliar man sitting in the corner, seriously studying the script, never once lifting his head from start to finish.

Actors who made it this far were naturally good-looking, and this man's posture was the most outstanding among the group. But without a doubt, that face was incredibly young, still carrying a hint of boyish innocence. He looked maybe around twenty years old, the youngest candidate present besides Xiao He.

Xiao He even suspected the guy might still be in school, possibly not even done with the college entrance exam.

More importantly, that face was completely unfamiliar. Before this, Xiao He had never even heard of this person!

Not just in the online selection of recommended actors after the open auditions for "Imperial Enterprise"—even in the competitor files Liu Rulan had privately collected and organized, there was no record of this person!

So there were only two possibilities:

One: The guy wasn't from the industry circle.

Two: The guy was a newcomer who hadn't officially entered the entertainment industry yet.

But neither of those were good news for Xiao He.

If it was the first, that meant his background was from the National Team—meaning an official actor from the National Theater, a stage play background.

These kinds of actors often performed in serious dramas, historical dramas, and stage plays with obvious mainstream themes. They possessed extremely strong acting, vocal, and stage skills. They could be considered "artist-level" powerhouse performers.

And the fact that he could be sent as a representative of the National Team for this audition at least meant he was the top-tier actor in that theater, and highly likely had years of experience playing these kinds of roles. He was already a perfect fit.

If it was the latter, that was even scarier. Of the five people sitting here, four had already won different types of Best Actor awards. Being kept until the end showed how much Qiu Zhenlong valued them. Yet a newcomer who hadn't even formally entered the entertainment industry? How terrifyingly talented and capable would he have to be to directly reach the final round and sit on equal footing with everyone else?

So clearly, neither scenario was good.

And when Xiao He saw that person, he suddenly had an instinct.

That guy would be his biggest rival in this competition. Even Yun Ziqi, who had been digging traps for him the whole time, would have to step aside.

Because from the recesses of his memory, a very important thing suddenly came back to him—

Back then, Director Yang Li didn't give him that recommendation slot. He didn't give it to Yun Ziqi or any other actor they knew. So who did he end up giving that recommendation slot to?

Who was it that made Director Yang Li choose a third option between him and Yun Ziqi?

Xiao He frowned, racking his brain to remember. That was when he realized: none of the names on Sister Liu's list seemed to have come through Director Yang Li's recommendation channel.

Could it be that the recommendation slot had just rotted in Director Yang's hands, and he didn't give it to anyone?

That probability didn't seem high.

And coincidentally, Director Yang Li was technically an external personnel of the government. He had participated in the filming of multiple mainstream political assignments. He was also from Beijing. The serious drama and stage play actors he knew were definitely more numerous than people like Xiao He—after all, many of the veteran actors in serious dramas had started out as stage actors, and many were from the National Team.

If he knew a guy like this... it wouldn't be that strange.

Xiao He observed subtly, feeling more and more that the guy looked familiar.

But where had he seen him before?

Xiao He rubbed his brow, but after a long while, he still couldn't figure it out.

-

And obviously, Xiao He wasn't the only one worried on-site.

After observing the final competitors, the others also fixed their eyes on the unfamiliar young man, their expressions shifting slightly.

Even Yun Ziqi, who had been constantly focusing on Xiao He, couldn't help but frown, shifting his attention from Xiao He to that guy.

Xiao He didn't know this person. Naturally, the other three didn't know him either, and they hadn't received any relevant information about him.

It was as if this guy had suddenly materialized out of thin air.

No, that wasn't quite right either...

Among them, the Best Actor winner nearing forty who had won the grand slam studied the guy seriously for a moment. He seemed to finally recognize him, and a look of understanding dawned on his face.

So the next moment, Xiao He saw this senior colleague put down his crossed leg, his expression finally shifting from relaxed to serious.

Xiao He: ...So he really is from the National Team, huh?