271: Audition

After paying, the girl took the lunchbox, found a spot on the edge of a nearby flowerbed, and opened the lid with an almost 'judgmental' mindset.

The next moment, her expression froze.

The food was vibrantly colored and inviting, and a pure, authentic aroma wafted towards her.

The Spicy Diced Chicken was glistening and fragrant, the shredded pork was tender and smooth, and the Fish-Fragrant sauce was perfectly balanced.

The stir-fried seasonal vegetables were crisp and green, cooked to perfection.

The presentation completely exceeded her expectations for a 'lunchbox meal'.

Hesitantly, she picked up a piece of Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth.

Instantly, her eyes widened like lit-up stars.

"Mmm—!"

She quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from losing composure, but the shock and delight on her face were impossible to hide.

The tenderness of the chicken, the crispness of the bamboo shoots, the chewiness of the wood ear mushrooms, and the perfectly blended savory, sweet, sour, and spicy classic Fish-Fragrant flavor exploded in layers in her mouth.

The taste was even better than the famous old Sichuan restaurant near her school.

She no longer cared about any 'judgment' and began eating mouthful after mouthful, quickly and eagerly, her cheeks bulging, her face filled with satisfaction and disbelief.

"Boss! Boss!"

She finally managed to swallow the food in her mouth, excitedly ran back to the food truck, her eyes shining.

"This lunchbox of yours... it's amazing! Truly amazing! Twenty-eight is such a great deal! No! It's too cheap! Those fifteen and twenty yuan meals are like pig slop compared to yours!"

Lu Chuan was amused by her exaggerated reaction.

"As long as it suits your taste."

"More than just suiting my taste!"

The girl said excitedly:

"I'm from Sichuan, and I love spicy food. I just graduated and came here to find extra work. I was worried about not adapting to the local food, but after tasting your lunchbox today, I feel like I can stay here forever! Hehe, once I find work and get paid, I'm going to try the one hundred and twenty-eight yuan meal!"

Lu Chuan chuckled, saying:

"Is that so? Well, I wish you smooth sailing in finding a job then."

"Thank you, Boss!"

The girl energetically waved her fist, then, dragging her suitcase, she seemed re-energized and turned to leave with high spirits.

Lu Chuan watched her back disappear into the crowd, then shook his head with a smile and began to pack up his stall... The girl, Ren Xiaozhen, spent the entire afternoon running back and forth between various film crews.

On a hot day, dragging her suitcase, she went from initial excitement and novelty to a gradual numbness and frustration.

"It's too hard, boohoohoo."

Hengdian now is no longer the dreamland filled with ideals and aspirations it once was.

At least for many, it isn't anymore.

It's crowded with migrant workers from all over the country, perhaps initially like Ren Xiaozhen, dreaming of instant fame and soaring to success, but under the monotonous work of being an extra and the heavy pressure of life, their original aspirations have long changed.

Many no longer fantasize about replicating the miraculous paths of certain big stars. In the gradually solidified rhythm of life, they are unwilling to leave the 'comfort zone' they have grown accustomed to, choosing to sink into it, living day by day, muttering foolish words like 'eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.'

Of course, if they choose to wallow in self-degradation, that is their choice, as long as it doesn't affect others.

However, when they see newcomers, they can't help but remember their own past selves, equally ignorant and naive. Looking at those vibrant faces, full of simplicity and innocence, evil thoughts would arise in their hearts.

Long-term suppression and confusion twisted into jealousy and resentment, followed by absurd thoughts like, 'Anyway, they'll fall eventually, might as well come down and join me sooner,' leading to various acts of bullying newcomers.

What's even more hateful is that they take pleasure in it, spouting hypocritical words like, 'This is educating newcomers,' 'helping newcomers succeed early,' and 'newcomers should thank us seniors.'

Throughout the afternoon, Ren Xiaozhen ran to several crews recruiting extras, but they were either overcrowded or had strict requirements, and the extras themselves were full of cold, mocking remarks.

She mustered her courage again and again, only to fail repeatedly due to nervousness, lack of experience, or malicious exclusion by 'seniors.'

The intensity and cruelty of the competition far exceeded her imagination.

During one audition, she even became stiff with tension because she wanted to perform too well, and was directly waved away by an impatient casting assistant.

As the sun set, she walked back dejectedly, dragging her heavy suitcase and even heavier feet.

Besides being tired and hungry, her self-confidence had taken a severe blow.

When she passed Lu Chuan's stall again, he called out to her.

"How was it? Any luck?"

Lu Chuan had a gentle smile on his face and handed her a cup of warm water.

Ren Xiaozhen took the water, her eyes a little red, and shook her head, her voice lowering.

"...I ran to seven crews, and didn't get into any of them. Boss, am I really useless? Maybe I'm just not cut out for this line of work."

"Don't rush, take it slow."

Lu Chuan's tone was calm but had a comforting power.

"Which big star didn't start as an extra? You must be hungry, eat first."

Ren Xiaozhen looked at the lunchbox handed to her, smelling the fragrant and spicy food. For some reason, her nose stung, and she almost shed tears again.

After silently paying, she sat in the same spot as that afternoon, opened the lunchbox, and began to eat.

As she ate, the familiar, delicious taste, similar to her hometown's cuisine, comforted her tired body and mind, and slowly calmed her down.

"Thank you, Boss."

After finishing, her mood was much better.

"I want to try again!"

"That's the spirit."

Lu Chuan smiled and nodded.

After Ren Xiaozhen left, she went to another crew that was still recruiting people at night.

She heard it was a low-budget web drama that needed a few extras for night scenes.

The audition area was crowded with people, including a sharp-faced female extra who had mocked her that afternoon.

When the woman saw her, she sneered and deliberately spoke to the person next to her in a voice loud enough for Ren Xiaozhen to hear:

"Oh, it's this student girl again. Still not giving up after getting rejected this morning? This industry isn't just about having a pretty young face."

Ren Xiaozhen bit her lip, ignoring her, but felt even more nervous inside.

The audition content was simple: an 'eating scene.'

"This is a scene without props; no props will be provided to you. Listen carefully to the requirements, I will only say them once."

The casting assistant looked at the crowded group with an expressionless face and said:

"You need to portray the feeling of being utterly exhausted and disheartened to the extreme, then being completely healed and rekindling hope by a delicious meal you stumble upon. No lines are needed, it's all about your eyes and expressions."

As soon as these words were spoken, most of the people who had been crammed together started to grumble.

This included the sharp-faced woman who was hostile towards Ren Xiaozhen.

As experienced extras, they knew immediately how difficult this scene would be.

Let alone them, many popular celebrities active on screen might not even be able to pull it off.

The sharp-faced woman snorted from within the crowd, muttering to the person next to her:

"This crappy crew, making extras perform such a difficult scene, it's clearly just trying to get a lot done with little money."

The person next to her nodded repeatedly, believing that this audition was probably a wasted trip, and inwardly cursed the crew to hell.

The casting assistant frowned, looking at the people whispering to each other. He didn't need to hear to know what they were thinking.

After a cold snort, he impatiently clapped his hands and shouted loudly:

"Don't waste time, line up and start the audition."

Hearing this, the crowd, who had been grumbling about the crew, immediately lined up and stood in front of the camera, preparing to audition, with the sharp-faced woman being the most eager.

Since they were already there, even though they knew the chances of passing the audition were slim, they still had to try, just in case.