Anchor Effect - Chapter 17.1: It's Okay

The elevator slowly ascended and eventually stopped on the floor where the crew was located.

The spacious corridor was crowded with crew members and auditioning actors, including students from the film school.

Ye Yuchen couldn't help but become nervous. Following Yu Xiu out of the elevator, he tugged at Yu Xiu's sleeve and whispered, "Can I really audition directly?"

"Don't worry, Xiao Ye," Dong You reassured him. "I'll go say hello to the director."

Dong You walked ahead and quickly blended into the crowd. Yu Xiu turned to Ye Yuchen and said, "Don't be nervous."

How could Ye Yuchen not be nervous?

Unlike the dance troupe audition, everything here was unfamiliar to him.

Other students from film school clearly noticed the two of them, and some even took out their phones to openly take pictures.

Suddenly, Ye Yuchen understood why Yu Xiu didn't like being in the spotlight.

He really didn't want to be photographed now because if he made a fool of himself during the audition, wouldn't everyone at school find out?

"Keep moving forward, ignore them," Yu Xiu adjusted their position, positioning himself between the paparazzi and Ye Yuchen. He took off his baseball cap and placed it on Ye Yuchen's head.

Suddenly, a shadow covered his vision, and it strangely brought a sense of security.

Although those people were still paying attention to Ye Yuchen and Yu Xiu, Ye Yuchen lowered the brim of his cap and inexplicably felt more relaxed.

Yu Xiu was the first to audition in the conference hall, and it was indeed just a formality. He came out in less than ten minutes.

Next was the casting for the character Zhang Xiaole. Ye Yuchen took a quick glance and saw that there were probably five or six actors preparing for their auditions. He had thought he would be placed at the end of the line, but to his surprise, Yu Xiu had just come out of the conference hall and said to him, "Go ahead."

The hard-earned relief from his nervousness had suddenly resurfaced, even more intensely than when he had exited the elevator.

Ye Yuchen's heart was filled with apprehension, and he hesitated, "So soon?"

"Yeah," Yu Xiu said. "The director is waiting for you."

Ye Yuchen took a deep breath, thinking that if he chickened out now, he wouldn't have a future at the school.

Yu Xiu would definitely tease him if he backed out now. If he were to face ridicule from people like Du Rui and Gong Hao, he might as well drop out of school.

"I'm going in," Ye Yuchen prepared himself mentally. While he spoke to Yu Xiu, it seemed more like he was motivating himself.

Yu Xiu nodded. "Good luck."

The moderately-sized conference room had its tables and chairs cleared out, leaving only a row of long tables against the wall. Behind them sat the director, casting director, and others.

The conference room's door slowly closed, cutting off the gazes of the other auditioning actors and giving Ye Yuchen some peace of mind.

While he had been extremely nervous when he first entered the room, when he stood in front of the director, he surprisingly felt calm. He had no mental space for anything else.

"Hello, I heard you're a friend of Yu Xiu," the director, a young man who appeared polite and approachable, said. "Please introduce yourself."

Ye Yuchen had prepared his self-introduction while waiting outside the door. He briefly explained his background, maintaining a natural and confident demeanor without any unnecessary hesitation.

"You probably don't have the audition script for Zhang Xiaole," the director said, looking down and searching through his materials. Ye Yuchen had already prepared himself for an improvised performance, but to his surprise, the director couldn't find the script. Instead, he looked at Ye Yuchen and asked, "Earlier, you mentioned that you have a background in modern dance. Can you demonstrate a short piece?"

"Yes, I can," Ye Yuchen replied. He knew that auditions often included a talent demonstration and had mentally prepared for this.

The dance he had been practicing recently was the same one he had used during the dance troupe audition. Although he hadn't warmed up in advance due to the scrutiny of the other actors, it didn't affect his ability to perform at his best.

He felt that his jacket would hinder his performance, and the patterns on his short-sleeved shirt were too distracting. So, he decided to take off his top, leaving himself in just a pair of long pants, and began his dance.

His body still exuded youthfulness but was filled with explosive power. Every dance move showcased the beauty of that strength to the fullest.

Even the assistant director, who had initially shown no interest, put down his phone and stared at him intently as he danced gracefully.

When the music ended, the people behind the long table exchanged surprised glances, as if they couldn't believe that a last-minute auditionee like him possessed such remarkable talent.

After confirming that everyone else was as impressed as he was, someone jokingly said to Ye Yuchen, "If Yu Xiu hadn't already been cast as the male lead, you could have competed with him."

Ye Yuchen knew that the comment was exaggerated. Regardless of their acting skills and looks, at the very least, Yu Xiu had won the Best Newcomer award at the Golden Orchid Awards, and the two of them were incomparable.

"You don't have any acting experience?" the director asked.

"No," Ye Yuchen replied. "But I have consistently ranked near the top of my class in my major courses."

The director nodded and asked several more questions. He even had Ye Yuchen perform a monologue, and Ye Yuchen's performance was flawless.

"Alright," the director looked at the people around him and, seeing that no one had any further questions, said, "That's it for today. You can go home and wait for our notification."

As he exited the conference room, the tension that had been coiled in his mind finally relaxed. Ye Yuchen quickly spotted Yu Xiu waiting outside and walked briskly to his side. "You scared me."

Yu Xiu placed the baseball cap back on Ye Yuchen's head and asked, "How did it go?"

"It went okay," Ye Yuchen unconsciously lowered the brim of his cap, which made it hard to see Yu Xiu's eyes. So, he lifted his chin slightly and looked at Yu Xiu. "They seemed to have a favorable impression of me."

"That's good," Yu Xiu said. "Uncle Dong has already gone back. Should we head back to school now?"

"Okay," Ye Yuchen lowered his chin and walked towards the elevator. "If I pass the audition, I'll treat you to a big meal."

The journey from the hotel back to the school was just over half an hour, and Ye Yuchen hadn't expected the notification to come so quickly.

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