Mr. Zhou Doesn’t Want to Work Hard Anymore!

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After drinking this poisoned chicken soup, life must go on.

Zhou Chenxi worked diligently, occasionally taking time to prepare for auditions. Finally, the audition day arrived.

Currently, Zhou Chenxi had two scripts in his hands.

Zhi Qi mentioned that Director Cabot was interested in having him audition for a supporting role. That wasn’t a lie. The first script Zhou Chenxi received was a perfect match for his age and appearance.

What does this mean?

“The Peak Battle” is a Sino-foreign co-produced film, and the Chinese production and investment side wanted to have more domestic actors audition. They were afraid that the movie would be dominated by foreign faces, and the domestic audience wouldn’t connect.

So, they cast a wide net to catch talents. Almost every young actor with a bit of fame in China received an audition invitation from Director Cabot.

Zhou Chenxi was one of those caught in their net.

He didn’t even have a chance to compete with the imagined possibility of sharing the stage with the Emperor of Acting.

When he went to participate in the role audition that day, a crowd of people arrived at the scene, making it a dazzling spectacle. It felt like a gathering of stars, even more so than an awards ceremony. Zhou Chenxi was amazed.

“Chenxi!” Zhuang Jingle beckoned him from nearby. “Over here, come quickly!”

Zhou Chenxi walked over in surprise and sat down next to Zhuang Jingle.

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“Why are you here too?” Zhou Chenxi asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Zhuang Jingle responded, looking puzzled.

Zhou Chenxi said, “Aren’t you a variety show celebrity?”

“Who said that? I’m also an actor!” Their conversation sparked instantly, shattering their superficial friendship.

However, Zhuang Jingle turned to look at the vast conference hall and, after a while, couldn’t help but turn back to Zhou Chenxi and say, “There are so many people here today.”

“Yeah,” Zhou Chenxi couldn’t hold back from speaking after such a long silence, briefly mending their friendship. “I didn’t expect this.”

The character they were auditioning for, in their early twenties, was a police officer with an unremarkable role in the script. A typical righteous character with low presence, negligible lines, specifically designed to boost the film’s popularity through young, fresh faces.

Although “The Peak Battle” had the potential to win international awards, it was still a commercial film, and star power was a necessary element.

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Therefore, it was foreseeable that those who had come today were roughly the same age as Zhou Chenxi, some of them top-tier celebrities within the entertainment industry. Even a few idol artists, primarily known as singers, had come over.

“Yuan Yike looks so handsome! I love listening to his songs,” Zhuang Jingle stared at a handsome guy in front of them with great envy. “He’s an excellent dancer too.”

As Zhuang Jingle spoke, he couldn’t help but start moving to the rhythm. “Have you seen it? ‘Idol Miracle.’ He performed really well in it, and his dance became popular nationwide. He has a strong fan base, and he’s quite wealthy. Otherwise, how could he have won first place in ‘Idol Miracle’? You know, the production team created multiple voting links on different platforms to see whose popularity was the highest among us.”

Zhou Chenxi certainly knew. He had even received notifications. After Zhi Qi organized a fan group, many of his fans began to vote for him voluntarily. His brother also joined in. Zhi Qi mentioned that his vote count was consistently ahead, even neck and neck with Yuan Yike. But it was because of this that Zhou Chenxi wasn’t too happy.

It seemed like that wasn’t what he wanted.

“You know…” Zhou Chenxi bit his lip and suddenly said, “Why do some people effortlessly land the leading role?”

“What?” Zhuang Jingle didn’t hear his words clearly, turned his head, and asked, “Are you aiming to play the lead role?”

Zhou Chenxi wore a disheartened expression and remained silent.

“Well, I can understand how you feel!” Zhuang Jingle patted him on the back, encouraging him. “You have the talent. You’ve already played the lead role in Director Luo Jitian’s film, so why not? But, you know, it’s different this time. Sometimes, people’s luck and opportunities vary. How many Best Actor winners have been in the industry for years but still end up playing supporting roles in other films? Although my analogy may not be entirely suitable, didn’t Ren Ge cast you as a supporting character in ‘The Cat Demon’s Tale’?”

Zhou Chenxi could understand and knew that his current thoughts weren’t right, but once he became associated with Luo Xinghe, his mindset became somewhat unbalanced.

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They waited for a long time, all the way until the afternoon. At one point, Zhou Chenxi and Zhuang Jingle each nibbled on a piece of bread to avoid feeling too full, which might affect their performance.

It wasn’t until nearly two-thirds of the people in the conference hall had left that Zhou Chenxi heard someone call his name, “Zhou Chenxi, it’s your turn. Zhuang Jingle, prepare in the back.”

Their numbers were sequentially arranged, with Zhuang Jingle following Zhou Chenxi. Zhuang Jingle patted Zhou Chenxi’s shoulder and said, “Cheer up, you’ll succeed!”

Zhou Chenxi responded with a quiet “Hmm.”

Zhuang Jingle’s support was sincere. He had come to the audition purely for fun. Despite their previous verbal exchange, he still hoped that Zhou Chenxi would succeed in this audition.

As Zhuang Jingle had mentioned, even if he ended up as a vase (an actor with few lines or little importance in a movie), it was still a role in Director Cabot’s film. It was better than having nothing at all.

Zhou Chenxi entered the audition room. Surprisingly, Director Cabot wasn’t seated in the main position for this audition. Instead, the Chinese producers were in the center, accompanied by a Chinese investor. In a corner, there sat the marketing manager from Huantian Films.

Zhou Chenxi: “…”

The producer introduced, “This is Mr. Shang Qian, the marketing manager at Huantian Films. He’s here to assist us with market analysis and assessment. You might have noticed that several online voting activities were initiated by him. Huantian Films has more experience in evaluating an actor’s popularity and positive public image. We will consider his opinions. However, don’t worry, even though there are several Huantian actors auditioning today, as long as your popularity is sufficient, we will ensure fairness.”

Zhou Chenxi responded with a hesitant “Okay.”

In other words, as long as you can draw a crowd, you don’t need to care whether we, the judges, are impartial or not. This role is yours. We can accept it even if your acting is terrible.

This was how most commercial films operated. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; different films had different working models. The diversity in the film market was partly due to the ability of major commercial film directors to make things work, even if the actor was inexperienced or hadn’t acted before. With a little guidance, they could still give a decent performance.

It was a win-win situation.

Zhou Chenxi carefully studied the script that the producer handed him. He had auditioned many times before and had gained experience, understanding the importance of improvisation and bursts of energy on the spot.

After ten minutes, he completed a scene for the audition. The producer said, not very enthusiastically, “Alright, Zhou Chenxi, you can go back and wait for our notification. We’ll contact your agent afterward.”

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Zhou Chenxi asked, “Can I still attend the ‘Bearded Dog’ audition tomorrow?”

The producer raised his head, smiled, and said, “Of course, you’re welcome.”

Zhou Chenxi didn’t linger any longer. He walked out with a dejected spirit. When he reached the door, he heard the producer quietly ask Director Cabot, “Can we proceed with the next one?”

“Of course,” Director Cabot replied, “continue.”

It seemed like he didn’t even spare a second glance at Zhou Chenxi.

Zhou Chenxi’s performance hadn’t impressed him.

Perhaps the scariest thing in the world is struggling in a familiar field for so long, thinking you at least have some skill, only to be dealt a heavy blow that tells you that you might not even be close.

Zhou Chenxi was feeling quite down. When he got home, he ate his dinner mechanically, holding an iPad as he went upstairs to watch movies directed by Cabot. He wanted to familiarize himself with Cabot’s style and directing techniques, hoping to do better tomorrow.

“Knock, knock, knock!” Zhou Mingxuan knocked on the door from outside.

“Chenxi?” he asked, “What’s wrong? Aunt Zhang just told me you only ate half a bowl of rice. You’re too thin. You won’t look good on camera like this. Don’t you have another audition tomorrow?”

His older brother had just returned from work and was concerned about whether Zhou Chenxi had eaten properly.

Zhou Chenxi forced himself to open the door, his whole demeanor gloomy.

Zhou Mingxuan hadn’t seen him like this in a long time. He remembered that when Zhou Chenxi had just returned home to mend the family relationship, he had gone through a similar phase. It was as if shadows loomed over him. Later, when he appeared on TV and acted in “Journey to the West,” Zhou Chenxi’s face had gradually brightened.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Mingxuan asked calmly. “Did the audition not go well? Or did that guy, Lu Ji, bully you again?”

Zhou Mingxuan instinctively felt that encountering Lu Ji was never a good sign.

“No, it’s not that!” Zhou Chenxi hurriedly explained, “I just suddenly felt a bit unhappy.”

When Zhou Chenxi encountered something troubling, Zhou Mingxuan had to make an exception and be a caring big brother. He said, “Can I come in?”

Zhou Chenxi opened the door slightly, and Zhou Mingxuan entered the room.

Zhou Chenxi’s room was very cozy, with plush carpets covering the floor. At one point, when Zhou’s mother was preparing this room for him, she had almost wanted to paint the walls pink, but Zhou Mingxuan had stopped her.

Zhou Mingxuan was a tough guy, but when it came to his younger brother, he was always warm-hearted.

He was dressed in a suit and shirt, which looked somewhat out of place as he sat on the beige sofa in Zhou Chenxi’s room.

“What kind of difficulty did you encounter? Do you need money?” he asked, raising one leg and placing both hands on his knee.

It was a negotiation posture.

Zhou Chenxi shook his head and hugged a pillow.

Getting financial support to join Cabot’s film project wasn’t that easy. Otherwise, many companies would want to push their own artists into such projects. If it were so easy to succeed, there would be no need for popularity votes.

Besides, even if his brother invested money, it wouldn’t mean much to him.

At most, he could secure a relatively insignificant supporting role.

“How are the online votes going?” Zhou Chenxi suddenly asked him.

Zhou Mingxuan hesitated for a moment, almost slipping up, but then he quickly responded, “What votes?”

Zhou Chenxi said, “Brother, don’t pretend. I’m thinking of posting on Weibo to call on my fans not to vote for me. After all, I don’t want to compete for this role based on popularity. I feel like I’m not deserving of everyone’s support.”

Zhou Mingxuan finally understood what Zhou Chenxi was agonizing over. He quickly grabbed Zhou Chenxi’s hand that was reaching for his phone and said, “Did your audition not go well today?”

Zhou Chenxi deflated and said, “Actually, it went okay.”

“So, you’ve realized that this production doesn’t care about your skills but only your popularity. You feel indignant, like they’re disrespecting you?” Zhou Mingxuan guessed correctly.

In some ways, Zhou Chenxi was indeed like that—strangely confident yet lacking self-confidence. In the past, Zhou’s mother had organized a family art exhibition for Zhou Chenxi, and although it was for business purposes, she did want to show off her son’s talents. However, Zhou Chenxi wasn’t happy despite everyone politely praising his artwork. He felt they were all trying to please Zhou’s mother, so he secretly cried about it. Afterward, Zhou’s mother never organized such an exhibition again.

At most, they would hang one of Zhou Chenxi’s paintings on the wall at home.

This time, Zhou Chenxi didn’t cry secretly behind Zhou Mingxuan’s back, so Zhou Mingxuan was already relieved. He said, “Popularity is also a form of skill. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about admitting that. Or how about this: I won’t vote for you, and let your fans take action on their own. If they want to vote for you, they will, and if they don’t, they won’t. You can try to secure this role on your own. What do you think?” Zhou Mingxuan admitted openly this time.

With his brother’s support, Zhou Chenxi regained some confidence and said, “Okay, I will do my best.”

Zhou Mingxuan knew that sometimes he needed to go along with Zhou Chenxi’s wishes, or else he would brood over it.

That night, the official account of “@Zhou Chenxi Global Fan Club” released an announcement, temporarily suspending their active participation in several popularity-related voting activities for Zhou Chenxi and wishing him success in his audition the next day.

This major fan was not only wealthy but also influential. Previously, under his organized efforts, Zhou Chenxi’s vote count on several websites had closely rivaled that of Yuan Yike.

When this major fan withdrew from the voting activities, Zhou Chenxi’s vote count instantly fell behind Yuan Yike by over a million votes. Fans then realized that this major fan was truly a master of vote manipulation.

Without any voting interference, Zhou Chenxi went to the audition the next day, but Cabot, the director, remained unimpressed, just as he had been the day before.

The producer even asked him, “Zhou Chenxi, how did your vote count suddenly fall so far behind Yuan Yike? You need to step up!”

Zhou Chenxi could only accept his fate.

When Lu Ji found out, he called Zhou Chenxi a few days later, “What’s going on? How did the audition go, and why didn’t you tell me anything?”

“I still don’t know…” Zhou Chenxi said in a despondent tone. “I’m sorry, Lu Ji, I won’t be able to win the Best Actor award at the Rose Film Festival. Cabot, the director, doesn’t even want me as the lead.”

Zhou Chenxi told him about what had happened over the past few days.

Lu Ji laughed, “I thought something serious happened. You silly, your brother is right. Popularity is a form of skill too. If he wants to vote for you, why don’t you let him?”

Zhou Chenxi was momentarily stunned.

“If it weren’t for the recent increase in our company’s workload, and if I knew that your investment in this film wouldn’t get you a significant role but might dampen your enthusiasm, I would have bid for the project myself. What’s so unacceptable about it? You have money, so bring in the investment. You have popularity, so bring in your fans. Didn’t Luoxing River enter the project with some luck too?”

Zhou Chenxi said, “Ah…”

Lu Ji continued, “You don’t have to compete with him head-on right away. If it weren’t for your brother’s investment, would you have had the opportunity to meet Director Luo and get the role in ‘Cat Demon’s Story’?”

This question was sharp, and Zhou Chenxi couldn’t find words to respond.

“Don’t worry about it. I admit that Luoxing River is a bit unconventional,” Lu Ji said, “I don’t care how he secured the lead role. You just need to showcase your own talent.”

“You’re Zhou Chenxi, not Luoxing River. You might have had some bad luck, but you have me, your brother, and your fans. Together, we’ll get you into the ‘Peak Battle’ cast. What’s wrong with that? Or do you not believe that if you join the ‘Peak Battle’ cast, you can showcase your acting skills?”

“That’s not it,” Zhou Chenxi quickly clarified.

“Then go and take the role that belongs to you,” Lu Ji said, “Don’t let it be given to someone else, that’s the rule. Whether it’s the lead role or a supporting role, I believe you’ll shine in it. Show Cabot that you’re not just a decorative vase. He’ll regret not choosing you as the lead.”

Zhou Chenxi replied, “Alright!”

Zhou Chenxi, who was feeling deflated, was filled with enthusiasm by Lu Ji’s encouragement. He wiped away tears and said with some emotion, “Lu Ji, you’re so good…”

Lu Ji heard the sniffles in his voice and said, “Don’t cry. Do you remember the gift you owe me?”

Zhou Chenxi perked up and said, “Of course, do you know what you want?”

“I do,” Lu Ji smiled and said, “But it’s not the right time yet. Can you promise me for now? Promise that no matter what I ask for later, you’ll give it to me.”

“If you don’t tell me what you want, how can I promise?” Zhou Chenxi said, somewhat puzzled.

“Will you give it to me?” Lu Ji asked.

“I will!” Zhou Chenxi thought, even if it’s the stars in the sky, I’ll climb up and pick them for you.

Lu Ji laughed and said, “Good, rest well. I see that Zhuang Jingle is rallying the company’s people for votes. You’re so laid-back; be careful not to lose to him.”

“What?!” Zhou Chenxi thought, that’s not good!

He hung up the phone and shared a voting link on his Weibo.

After checking the Weibo accounts of a few other competitors, everyone was secretly making efforts. Zhou Chenxi’s strong opponent, Yuan Yike, even reposted the voting link every day, and his fans were very enthusiastic. He had already pulled ahead of Zhou Chenxi by more than two million votes.

Beneath Zhou Chenxi’s Weibo posts were worried fans.

【Baby, what’s wrong? Is Director Cabot not supporting you enough? Find a way to secure that role!】

【Talking to Xixi won’t help. Vote quickly! Yuan Yike has already surpassed us by more than two million!】

【But no one is organizing this. What can we do with just us scattered fans? It’s really tough. Xixi, is @Zhou Chenxi Global Official Fan Club really the official fan account? He said you don’t need our votes, and many fans believed it. But we want to see you in “Peak Battle”!】

【Quickly show your determination. As long as you say the word, we’ll charge forward for you immediately!】

In English, the text translates to:

As soon as Zhou Chenxi reposted the voting link, the comments below exploded:

【Ah, ah, ah, finally, you’re here, dear!】

【Xixi, what’s up! Voting, right? No problem, we’ll arrange it immediately!】

【I’m so touched, our Xixi is finally not so laid-back. I thought he had given up.】

【Sisters, let’s support Xixi, charge ahead!】

Instantly, Zhou Chenxi’s vote count began to approach Yuan Yike’s, and excited fans nearly overwhelmed several voting websites.

The @Zhou Chenxi Global Fan Club also started mobilizing, organizing fans to vote systematically.

Then, everyone noticed that a mysterious blogger with a verified yellow V badge had also cast several votes for Zhou Chenxi.

【@Lu Ji: I’ve cast a precious vote for @Zhou Chenxi on the Watermelon Voting Statistics website. Come support him with me!】

This was an automatically generated voting share by the system, and users could choose whether to share it on their own Weibo.

In other words, the blogger posted this voluntarily.

And his Weibo verification read: 【President of the Lu Group】.

Fans were ecstatic.

President Lu joined Weibo!

Oh no!

Is the Hope CP (Couple) giving us sugar again!

Author’s note: President Lu is online, delivering precise sugar.

Thanks to “松眠” for the landmine!

Thanks to “sarahte,” “獨眼鷹” (One-Eyed Hawk), “燼天” (Ash Sky), “阿爾法” (Alpha), “木蓮” (Magnolia), and “清梨” (Clear Pear) for the nourishment!