Chapter 0469 Things Turn Out Contrary to One's Wishes

Standing dumbfounded in front of a warehouse, Zhao Fusheng looked around and found Fan Baobao and Zhou Yun equally bewildered.

But he couldn't help asking, "Is this the crew you mentioned?"

Fan Baobao didn't say a word; Zhou Yun nodded, "Seems like it."

Looking at the poster by the door, Zhao Fusheng frowned.

"Youth Without Boundaries crew open audition," Zhao Fusheng read the name aloud, then curled his lip. "Just hearing the name, I'm not keen on watching it."

"Don't be so picky," Fan Baobao shot him a glare and whispered, "The info Sister Hua gave says this crew is looking for the fourth female lead. What if I get chosen..."

Before she could finish, Zhao Fusheng waved his hand and said bluntly, "Come on, a crew recruiting in a place like this—what big production could it be? I'm telling you, whether their show even airs on TV is a matter of luck."

He was telling the truth. Whether a TV series or a movie, finishing filming is just the first step of a long march; many more challenges lie ahead.

Submission for review, approval for satellite broadcast, or airing on local channels—each is a hurdle. Good shows naturally get fought over by TV stations, but mediocre ones face issues beyond just censorship; the broadcasting platform itself is a major problem.

After all, with limited TV channels at the time, they couldn't just air any shoddily made series.

The reason later years saw a flood of poorly made, trashy TV shows was largely due to the abundance of platforms. As long as someone had money, they could invest without worrying about anything else.

But now, investing in a TV series or film meant risking total financial ruin if it failed.

So, in Zhao Fusheng's view, this so-called crew was nothing but a makeshift outfit. He wondered how Wang Jinghua picked resources.

Little did he know, Wang Jinghua had simply handed Fan Baobao a stack of casting materials. Despite Zhao Fusheng's instructions, in her eyes, Fan Baobao needed to undergo such trials at this stage.

As the saying goes, jade must be carved to become a gem. Wang Jinghua believed this was the polishing of Fan Baobao's acting skills.

Not everyone is born to be a good actor. Even the most famous actors start with all kinds of minor roles. Those who debut in leading roles either have strong backing or money and people to promote them. For ordinary actors, it's common to toil for ten or twenty years before gaining fame.

The most obvious examples are Wu Xiubo and Zhang Jiayi, who remained obscure in the industry for over a decade after graduation. Even Zhang Hanyu worked as a voice actor for ten years.

But these people honed their acting skills through various bit parts, accumulating experience until they burst into fame overnight.

Of course, if Zhao Fusheng wanted, he could package Fan Baobao as a traffic star, constantly in the media spotlight with all kinds of news flying around.

But the problem is, if he did that, people would later remember Fan Baobao not for any representative works, but for a flood of news—positive and negative. An artist whose fame relies on news ultimately lacks substance.

"Don't worry about it. Zhou Yun and I will go in; you wait outside," Fan Baobao glared at Zhao Fusheng.

She knew he meant well, but regardless, she had to try whenever there was a chance.

Zhao Fusheng felt helpless. Watching Zhou Yun and Fan Baobao march into the warehouse like martyrs heading for sacrifice, he told them to call if anything came up and simply stood by the door waiting.

Half an hour later, Zhao Fusheng saw Fan Baobao and Zhou Yun walk out.

Only, Zhou Yun wore a helpless expression, while Fan Baobao looked furious.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Fusheng asked curiously. Although he looked down on this crew, he didn't think that, given their conditions, Zhou Yun and Fan Baobao would fail to land a fourth or fifth female lead role, let alone that Fan Baobao had some degree of fame—at least some people recognized her as the "Fresh Mouth Girl."

"Don't even mention it. They want actors around forty years old," Fan Baobao said irritably.

Zhao Fusheng burst out laughing. At their age, Fan Baobao and Zhou Yun couldn't even play thirty-year-old roles, let alone forty-year-old ones. Some roles simply couldn't be solved by makeup techniques.

"Laugh at your head," Fan Baobao said angrily, hitting Zhao Fusheng. "Come on, go with us to the next crew."

She was determined now, no matter what, she had to succeed in an audition.

Zhao Fusheng nodded helplessly, glanced at Zhou Yun, and said, "Let's go. I'll call a taxi."

"It's okay. We'll definitely succeed next time."

Sitting in the taxi, Fan Baobao confidently cheered herself and Zhou Yun on, then looked at Zhao Fusheng: "Don't you think so?"

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then quickly nodded: "Right, you definitely can."

What else could he say? Zhou Yun looked at him with eager expectation, and Fan Baobao had an expression that said if he dared say anything unpleasant, she'd fight him. At this point, he could only try to encourage the two girls.

Though in reality, he wasn't optimistic about their audition journey.

…

…

Time passed quickly. In the evening, the three dragged their tired bodies back to their住处. As soon as they entered, Fan Baobao collapsed onto the sofa without any ladylike decorum.

"I'm exhausted," Fan Baobao complained, lying on the sofa. "What the hell? Seven whole crews, and not a single one worked out."

"No choice. We're not famous," Zhou Yun said helplessly.

Although she didn't flop onto the sofa as boldly as Fan Baobao, she leaned against Fan Baobao, looking weary.

Zhao Fusheng was relatively better off, since he didn't have to work as hard as the two girls—they had to perform—while he just accompanied them and waited outside.

But even so, the high temperatures of July were truly exhausting.

Yet what frustrated Zhao Fusheng even more was that Fan Baobao and Zhou Yun's audition path, as he had foreseen, was really not going smoothly.

Or rather, their auditions showed no sign of success at all.

Watching the two girls still discussing which crews to visit tomorrow, Zhao Fusheng silently sighed in his heart. He knew things couldn't continue like this.