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Chapter 100: You still want me to be a rogue ninja?

"Thank you for your kind words." Yang Yang gave a standard aloof smile.

So what is a "cool smile"? It's when you have no expression, but the corners of your mouth are slightly upturned, giving off a pretentious vibe, and you laugh while doing so.

This is also an expression he thinks is very handsome.

Seeing this, Li Mo smiled indifferently. From the brief conversation just now, Li Mo knew that he and the other party were probably not on the same path.

Li Mo felt that Li Yifeng was better than Yang Yang; at least Li Yifeng wasn't pretentious when they were together.

They get along quite well.

Moreover, when interacting with boys in private, she doesn't have much of an idol image to maintain and is very outgoing.

Li Mo immediately lost interest in continuing to talk to Yang Yang, but the people around Yang Yang did not leave.

Instead, they started chatting casually, probably to ease the tension between them.

"The role of Zhang Qiling is very sought after; this is already the sixth person to play it."

"Indeed, it's hard to say who will get the role. But for a role like this, it seems difficult to secure it without connections within Huanrui!"

"It's hard to say for sure, but what I've heard is that the male lead is Huanrui's own top artist, and I feel like Zhang Qiling is probably already a shoo-in."

...

Li Mo felt like these people were the underachievers in his elementary school class, who would gather together after the exams to discuss who came in first.

Does it matter to you who comes first?

They even talked about it in front of Yang Yang and Li Mo. Li Mo was alright, at least he knew the inside story.

But Yang Yang was genuinely having some doubts.

He is currently an artist under the auspices of Hungry Da, but Hungry Da's development in the past two years has been rather mediocre.

In 2008, over 100 million yuan was spent to produce "The Dream of Red Mansions," but it lost so much money that even its own mother wouldn't recognize it. Moreover, around 2010, a group of top artists left the company.

Moreover, it missed the wave of IPOs, making its decline inevitable.

Yang Yang joined the company after starring in "The Dream of Red Mansions". He thought this drama would become his representative work like the 83 version.

Unexpectedly, such a big IP flopped terribly after airing.

Subsequently, Yang Yang began his struggle in the entertainment industry.

After six years of drifting along, he still hasn't accomplished anything. In fact, he had wanted to leave Rongxinda for a long time, but he couldn't find another job.

However, Rong Xinda hasn't been paying much attention to him these past two years, which is why he's been able to take on freelance work and hopefully meet some influential people along the way.

That's right, this audition had absolutely nothing to do with Rong Xinda; it was his own private contact.

After all, he's not young anymore; in fact, he's five years older than Li Mo.

At this age, not having made a name for yourself in the entertainment industry is actually a bit late. In another two years, you could be in the semi-established circle.

After all, being popular in your teens, twenties, and thirties is really different.

After all, the former is called the "nurturing system," while the latter is called the "uncle circle."

So, he's really getting anxious now.

Whether he can get the role is still up in the air, and the threat Li Mo poses to him is not insignificant!

Just as Yang Yang was pondering, the door to the room opened.

The first to enter was the stage manager, followed by Manager Wang, who had previously contacted Li Mo, and at the very back was Mr. Jia Shikai, the then Vice President of Huanrui.

The moment the group entered, the room, which had been filled with whispers and preparations, fell completely silent.

Everyone looked up at the people who were giving them this opportunity.

However, the people who came in ignored the people in the room and instead began to search the crowd with their eyes.

Yang Yang straightened her back deliberately, hoping to stand out from the crowd.

When Yang Yang saw the group's gaze sweep over them, her heart pounded.

"I must consider whether this is my only chance in this life to restore the honor of the Yang family. It is our duty!"

Then Yang Yang was surprised to find that the other person's gaze had actually stopped in his direction.

Yang Yang had actually dreamed about this scene a couple of days ago. In his imagination, he would be appreciated by a big shot this time.

Then the other party decided to become his agent, to get resources for him, and to help him get Rong Xinda to do public relations, which put his career on the fast track.

By the way, in his dream, he acted in a movie in the future, and from that, he soared to fame, becoming a rising star in the entertainment industry that could not be ignored.

For a time, it was a place of unparalleled beauty.

And right now, everything is exactly like the scene in my dream. Could it be... that wasn't a dream, then it was...?

At this moment, Yang Yang had already begun to fantasize, and as their gazes gradually locked on each other, this feeling intensified.

"Xiao Mo, I'm not trying to be mean, but what are you doing hanging around here? Just come inside and find me. We might have already finished talking and gone to eat by now."

A thunderous sound rang out, and Yang Yang's gaze instantly went blank.

This...isn't it coming for me?

When the other person reached Li Mo's side, they stopped and began to chat with him.

Seeing how happily Yang Yang was chatting with Li Mo, he felt terrible. He felt as if something of his had been taken away from him.

It turns out that their goal wasn't even me...

Yang Yang wasn't the only one who was shocked; those around him were too.

Among these people were some with good eyesight who recognized Jia Shikai.

However, different mindsets and different relationships will definitely lead to different perspectives on this matter.

Let's assume Yang Yang is Li Mo's competitor. He would definitely be the first to harbor hostility towards this kind of thing.

As for these people, it's different. They're not in competition with each other. Take the matter of Jia Shikai specifically coming to find this guy, for example.

Clearly, when there is a significant gap in status between them, feelings of jealousy will actually disappear.

Instead, emotions turned into envy and regret for not having latched onto someone powerful.

"I see you're too busy, so I thought I wouldn't bother you. I'll contact you when you're done."

"It's just a phone call... Even if you have to wait, you can come to the office. If someone hadn't recognized you, I wouldn't have known you were here."

As a businessman, Jia Shikai was naturally good at talking.

Li Mo raised an eyebrow, somewhat doubting Jia Shikai's attitude towards him, after all, the other party was a businessman.

What is it that would make a businessman lower himself to discuss with you and greet you with a smile?

It seems like it's all about profit now.

But Li Mo couldn't think of any benefits he could offer that the other party would value...

There are others in the Chinese entertainment industry with higher popularity than Li Mo, and Li Mo's collaboration with H&R Century Pictures is gradually coming to an end...

Why would someone start a fire at a time when they're neglecting their own cause? What are they really up to?

However, Li Mo didn't say anything and left with Jia Shikai in full view of everyone.

Yang Yang and the others watched Li Mo's departing figure without saying anything more.

To put it bluntly, who wouldn't want to be like Li Mo? Perhaps that's why they joined this industry.

Because there are always enviable examples around us, the midnight hours linger in everyone's mind.

So even if they only earn a meager salary, as long as they can dream, they can keep going!

It is worth mentioning that Jia Shikai did indeed meet Yang Yang, as if by fate.

However, he did not choose to communicate with Yangyang this time.

Because he has the more dazzling Li Mo by his side.

...

Jia Shikai's office was not large; at least among people in his position, his office was not considered luxurious.

After entering, Jia Shikai poured Li Mo a cup of tea to calm him down.

"About this play..."

Before Li Mo could finish speaking, Jia Shikai raised his hand to interrupt him.

"No rush. I know who you chose for the role. There aren't many options for this role anyway. The reason I called you here today is actually for something else."

So they really came?

Li Mo wasn't surprised at all; on the contrary, he was somewhat looking forward to it, anticipating what new things the other party would bring out.

"Speaking."

"I want to sign you!"

Li Mo was somewhat disappointed by this answer, and consequently, somewhat disappointed in Jia Shikai as a person.

I thought I could say something different.

Seemingly having discerned something, Jia Shikai continued:

"I know about your relationship with H&R Century Pictures, but this time I'm not representing H&R Century Pictures, I'm representing myself."

I know the conditions Huanrui offered you, and my offer will undoubtedly be higher. Moreover, compared to Huanrui, my advantage is obvious: I only have you, so I can fully support you.

"There are plenty of resources, but you're the only person right now, and I understand that your management team is indeed lacking a real agent..."

Jia Shikai spoke at length, drank a cup of tea to soothe his throat, and observed Li Mo's expression.

As a result, Li Mo did react, but his focus was actually on:

"Are you going to become a traitor to Huanrui too?"

Li Mo, a traitorous ninja of Jiaxing, spoke to Jia Shikai as if he were one of their own.

What? Is this really that important?

Jia Shikai frowned, feeling that the term "traitor" had a somewhat derogatory connotation. If possible, it would be better to call it: "Seeking one's own versatility, realizing one's life value, and striving for the great Chinese dream of the 21st century."

Li Mo then continued, "I think I understand what you mean, but the problem is, a team can only have one leader! And we're both rogue ninja... you understand?"

In fact, what Li Mo wanted to express was very simple: when the two of us cooperate, each of us wants to be in charge and make the other obey.

Conflicts and frictions are inevitable in the future. For the sake of interests, they can endure for the time being, but the problem is that both of them are traitors and unreliable.

Jia Shikai chuckled, suddenly finding the kid rather endearingly honest.

She's definitely not as naive as Yang Mi next door. You know, today's suggestion was inspired by the Zeng family.

Unexpectedly, I encountered a clever person.

"It's right that you don't trust me, but look at your senior next door, Yang Mi. Isn't she also very close to her agent? So, I don't think you need to worry about these things... By the way, she's already thinking about going public."

Jia Shikai thought he had found a good example.

They were smug and thought they had a very good chance of winning the negotiations.

But just then, Li Mo's phone suddenly rang.

The caller ID showed Qin Lan.

Qin Lan speaks extremely fast, especially when she's emotionally agitated. As soon as Li Mo answers the phone, Qin Lan starts rambling on and on.

The gist of it is: Jiaxing's listing plan seems to have a preliminary model, but upon closer inspection, it turns out that Yang Mi is bearing all the risks, while the other two are keeping a low profile.

I really don't know what Yang Mi was thinking. She usually seems so clever, but now she's been sold out and is even paying for it.

Li Mo looked up at Jia Shikai again.

Well, it seems things aren't going so well for my senior next door either.

...

Mr. Jia came with high hopes, but he did not leave empty-handed.

At least, Li Mo and he have cleared up the details of the play and decided that Li Mo will play Zhang Qiling.

As for those "fake Zhang Qilings" outside, they will still go through auditions as usual, but they are destined to be runners-up.

As for Yang Yang... she left dejectedly after seeing Li Mo laughing and leaving with others.

With nothing else to do, Li Mo even went with Jia Shikai to visit the audition room. The room wasn't very big, not even as big as the one for "Gu Jian Qi Tan" last time.

Is this what web series are all about? They don't seem to get much attention...

There were several people sitting in the room: the director, the producer, and some of Huanrui's own people.

After Li Mo entered, he greeted everyone. Everyone in the room recognized Li Mo.

Director Zheng Baorui looked up at him and nodded in acknowledgment. Then Li Mo found a seat on the far side and sat down.

After watching for a while, to be honest, it was a bit boring. The self-introductions were similar, the acting was similar, and the faces were similar.

On average, every four, Li Mo's mind would refresh, forgetting the previous four and then remembering the new four.

However, Li Mo soon ran into someone he knew.

"Hello teachers, my name is Yang Yang, and I'm here to audition for the role of Zhang Qiling."

Li Mo looked up and met Yang Yang's gaze again, but their identities were now completely different.

Jia Shikai, who was standing to the side, had some impression of this person. He was alright looking, but a bit short. Standing next to Li Mo, he looked like a younger brother.

"Okay, let's begin. Let's perform a short scene first."

Yang Yang nodded, took a few steps forward, and began her performance.

Li Mo squinted as he watched. This performance was actually a plus for him; his preparation was decent, and he benefited from his good looks, but…

Director Zheng Baorui nodded, and was about to continue speaking when Li Mo spoke first.

"Hello, did you intentionally show your jawline just now? Or is it a habit you carried over into the role?"

Li Mo wasn't asking this question to make things difficult for him; she was genuinely curious because he always seemed to look down at people when they met before.

When I was acting, I still had this problem: when I turned around, my jawline had to be shown first.

As Li Mo finished speaking, Yang Yang felt a little unhappy, even though he was quite satisfied with his performance.

In his mind, it was like Zhang Qiling himself had been reincarnated, only to be criticized...

No wonder I felt uncomfortable when I first met him outside; it turns out it was a physiological aversion!

"It was intentional. I deliberately used that method to show Zhang Qiling's handsomeness and ruthlessness."

Li Mo was a little confused by this answer. What did the jawline have to do with being handsome and cold?

Even if you shove the camera right up to Liu Neng's jawline, he still won't look handsome.

Then, Li Mo showed the same puzzled expression as Teacher Benshan, scratching his head.