OSM Chapter 22: “No… could it be? Is he your…?”

Not many people received the second audition invitation from the Pingsha production team.

The most popular candidate for the third male lead was only a handful, four or five at most, and there were even fewer for the small villain role—just two people.

Besides He Zhiqiu, the other one seemed to be reluctantly there, pacing in the hallway while constantly saying he didn’t want to take the role.

“Why do I look like a villain? And a role like this will definitely get me cursed out. He’s the one causing all the trouble throughout the entire story, his scenes are few, and his character is unlikeable! I don’t want to waste time on a character like this!”

His voice wasn’t quiet, and the entire floor could hear him.

There were many staff members on the floor besides the actors who had come for the audition. His assistant circled around him a few times, trying to get him to hang up the phone, but he refused to do so and his voice only got louder.

He Zhiqiu couldn’t hear much anger in his tone, but rather a kind of unruly arrogance. He thought to himself that the person on the other end of the phone probably wasn’t his boss, but perhaps a friend or family member.

But Xu Sui immediately denied He Zhiqiu’s assumption, taking a drag of his cigarette and scoffing as he said, “It’s probably some high-level executive’s kept lover. Acting all lawless like that, he must be the favorite right now.”

He Zhiqiu blinked, surprised to learn that such relationships really existed in the industry. He felt a bit curious and took a few more glances at the actor.

Xu Sui found it amusing that He Zhiqiu seemed so naive and said, “This kind of thing is pretty common in the industry. After all, it’s one of the quickest ways to get resources besides hard work. Some people don’t even have to try—they just get what they want through certain behaviors.” Xu Sui glanced at He Zhiqiu, noting his dark circles, and asked, “Do you think that’s fair?”

He Zhiqiu looked away, thought for a moment, and said, “I think… it’s fair.”

“Huh?” Xu Sui had never heard this before and asked, “Why?”

He Zhiqiu replied, “Some people value becoming famous and rising to the top, while others value their self-respect and dignity more. Everyone has different views and things they cherish. If someone gains something through selling themselves, while others choose not to take that path or hold on to certain principles, you can’t really compare them.”

Xu Sui asked, “How so?”

He Zhiqiu explained, “Because people choose different paths, their bottom lines aren’t the same. Since they’re not on the same path, how can you even talk about fairness? The only thing we can compare is how well we perform after a project is released—how good our acting is. After all, that’s the most important thing in this industry, isn’t it?”

Xu Sui gave He Zhiqiu a once-over and said, “You seem to have a pretty clear perspective.”

He Zhiqiu shook his head. “It’s just my personal opinion, it’s not that deep.”

At that moment, the door across from them opened, and a staff member called He Zhiqiu’s name to come in for the audition.

Xu Sui gave him an encouraging “Good luck,” sat down on a chair, and lit another cigarette as he continued waiting.

The audition this time took longer than expected—almost an hour and a half. By the time He Zhiqiu came out, Xu Sui had finished his cigarette and asked how it went.

He Zhiqiu said they still had to wait for news.

After all, the person who had been on the phone earlier still hadn’t gone in yet.

Xu Sui asked, “What if the other person gets the role because of connections?”

He Zhiqiu replied, “Then it just means I’m not capable enough to get to that point.”

“Fair enough.” Xu Sui laughed heartily, patted his shoulder, and said, “Then we’ll just wait for the results. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get it. There are plenty of good scripts out there. We’ll cross paths with one again.”

By the time it was noon, Xu Sui planned to take He Zhiqiu out for lunch before heading back to the company.

Just as they were leaving the parking garage, a black city SUV blocked the back of their car.

Xu Sui walked over and knocked on the car window, trying to get the driver to move a bit.

After a few seconds, the window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.

“Li… Yuze?!”

Xu Sui hesitated for a long time before finally saying the name. He never expected to run into him here.

Li Yuze smiled slightly, politely calling out, “Xu Sui-ge.”

Li Yuze calling him “ge” almost made Xu Sui slam into the car door. It wasn’t surprising that he knew Li Yuze, but to think that Li Yuze knew him… that was truly weird!

Although Xu Sui had been in the industry for many years and had helped nurture many stars, he had never had any direct contact with Li Yuze. Even if Li Yuze had heard of his name, it would be impossible for him to casually call him “ge” right off the bat. He certainly wasn’t worthy of such a title from Li Yuze. Xu Sui definitely didn’t have that kind of standing.

And the way Li Yuze looked now—so harmless and unassuming—was very different from the rumors he had heard.

For a moment, Xu Sui wasn’t sure whether to acknowledge the “ge” or to shake his hand first.

While he was still hesitating, Li Yuze spoke again, “Are you going to eat?”

“Eh?” Xu Sui replied, “We were just about to.”

Li Yuze said, “Then let’s go together.”

Together? Why together?

Before Xu Sui could figure it out, he saw Li Yuze glance at He Zhiqiu and, with complete ease, say, “Let our ge get in the car.”

Our ge!?

Xu Sui’s ears rang as if struck by thunder. He mechanically turned his head and looked at He Zhiqiu in surprise.

He Zhiqiu hadn’t expected Li Yuze to show up either. With a helpless smile, he said, “Then Xu Sui, let’s go with him.”

By the time they reached the restaurant Li Yuze had chosen, Xu Sui was still in a daze.

He recalled how, just a few days ago, He Zhiqiu had suddenly moved out of his dorm, saying he was going to stay with a friend.

At the time, Xu Sui had assumed that the friend was Tao Yang, but he never thought that the friend would actually be Li Yuze.

Xu Sui wanted to clarify things, but every time he tried, Li Yuze skillfully redirected the conversation, chatting with him about other things. They talked about topics Xu Sui was really interested in, like how he had shifted his focus to production in recent years. Li Yuze spoke about film investments, hitting the mark perfectly with every word, saying exactly what Xu Sui was thinking.

The conversation deepened, and Li Yuze even shared insights about the basic operational structures of large production companies.

At that moment, Xu Sui felt a sense of regret for not having met him sooner. He had never expected Li Yuze to be such a good talker, completely breaking the silent, cold image Xu Sui had of him.

After the meal, Xu Sui didn’t want to leave. Li Yuze glanced at He Zhiqiu and suggested they sit on the sofa in a private room.

Xu Sui was more than happy to oblige, but poor He Zhiqiu had no idea what they were talking about.

Even the parts he could understand, he only grasped vaguely.

On top of that, he had been busy preparing for auditions, and hadn’t slept the night before. Listening to the conversation, he eventually closed his eyes and fell asleep.

“Shh.”

Just as Xu Sui took a sip of tea, he saw Li Yuze put his finger to his lips and whisper, “Xu-ge, let’s talk next time.”

“Eh?” Xu Sui, caught off guard by Li Yuze’s polite and humble manner, was left in a daze, almost at the point where he would agree to anything Li Yuze said.

“Then I’ll take him home first,” Li Yuze said. “He’s been preparing for auditions these days, and he’s worked hard. I’ll ask for him to take the afternoon off, is that okay?”

“Of course, no problem,” Xu Sui said. “I was actually planning to let him rest this afternoon anyway.”

Li Yuze thanked him, stood up, and walked over to He Zhiqiu. He then effortlessly scooped him up into a bridal carry.

It was at this moment that Xu Sui fully regained his senses. The way Li Yuze was holding He Zhiqiu struck him as odd. He asked, “What exactly is your relationship with Zhiqiu?”

Li Yuze didn’t answer directly. Instead, he casually jingled the ring on his finger.

In an instant, Xu Sui understood. He stared at him in disbelief and stammered, “No… could it be? Is he your…?”

Li Yuze neither confirmed nor denied it. He gave a vague smile and said, “Some things are better if you just know in your heart.”