Magnate Tycoon: How Did Simply Enjoying Life Make Me a Male God?-Chapter 619 - 424: Zhang Fuqiang (2)

The assistant director took a deep breath and pondered his words: "Teacher Zhang, this actor's physical appearance is indeed outstanding, but her acting skills..."

"Acting skills?"

Zhang Fuqiang burst into laughter, shaking the water glasses on the table along with him, "Acting skills can be trained, but where do you find such innate good looks? If you can't teach her, I'll do it myself!"

Without waiting for a response, he directly shouted towards the door, "Go, call number 2 in!"

A moment later, Actress Number 2 walked into the room, her eyes full of delight and unease.

Zhang Fuqiang leaned forward, the gold chain around his neck gleaming brightly with the movement, his face full of smiles that sent chills down others' spines:

"Your name is Wang Jing, right? We all agree you have great potential, but your acting needs polishing.

But you're in luck, I happen to be free tonight. I'll send you an address later, I'll personally tutor you, how about it?"

Upon hearing this, the actress's smile froze instantly, and she clutched her skirt tightly.

Seeing no response, Zhang Fuqiang's expression darkened, and his voice turned a few degrees colder:

"Not willing? Plenty of actresses are lined up waiting for a chance. This play of ours is vying for the number one spot of the year and awards, you'll regret it if you miss out.

It's just acting guidance, such a good learning opportunity, and you're hesitating? Young people should have some ambition!"

Under Zhang Fuqiang's oppressive gaze, the actress hesitated for more than ten seconds before finally forcing a reluctant smile: "Okay... okay, Teacher Zhang, I'll... I'll definitely be there tonight."

The assistant director stared at the table, his face looking grim, while other judges pretended to sort through their paperwork.

Zhang Fuqiang glanced around the room, leaning back in his chair with satisfaction: "Then we're settled on number 2, no objections, right?"

When no one answered, he suddenly raised his voice, his gaze cutting towards the assistant director: "Or should I discuss this with the producer?"

The assistant director's face turned pale, the veins at his temples bulging, and after a prolonged silence, he finally nodded painfully: "No... no objections." Seeing this, the other judges could only reluctantly concur.

Only then did Zhang Fuqiang show a satisfied smile and gesture to Actress Number 4: "Leave your number with my assistant later, don't go anywhere these days, be ready for a notice at any time."

The actress thanked him profusely and left the meeting room under the guidance of the staff.

As soon as the audition ended, Zhang Fuqiang took out a gold-plated lighter without a care for those around him and lit a cigarette with a click.

The smoke filled the meeting room, causing a few female judges to frown repeatedly, but no one dared to speak out.

He crossed his legs, the buttons on his floral shirt strained tight, and the gold chain swung with his movements.

"I stayed up too late last night, didn't get up until eight thirty this morning." Zhang Fuqiang exhaled a smoke ring, which flew directly towards the assistant director.

The assistant director instinctively shrank his neck back, yet still forced a smile and replied, "What big event kept Teacher Zhang so busy last night?"

"What big event could it be?" Zhang Fuqiang flicked the ash, embers landing on the expensive carpet, "Just having dinner with the producer, director, and a few heads of the investment companies."

He deliberately dragged out his words, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes gathering with his smile, "Those guys insisted I accompany them, saying the party wouldn't be complete without me. You tell me, isn't that giving me too much credit?"

The assistant director felt a surge of jealousy but barely maintained his smile.

He hadn't even qualified to step into that dinner party last night, but he could only hypocritically flatter now:

"Teacher Zhang really has some clout, the investment firms wouldn't show this level of respect to anyone else, would they?"

These words clearly hit Zhang Fuqiang's sweet spot, he threw his head back and laughed, the gold chain clinking.

Ash from the cigarette slid down his shirt collar, making him flinch slightly, but he paid it no mind: "Director Liu, your ability has not escaped my eyes."

He reached out and heavily patted the assistant director's shoulder, the cigarette ash sprinkling down the other's well-pressed suit,

"When there's a chance, I'll put in a good word for you with the producer. With your skills, gather some more resources, and who knows, one day you might helm your own project!" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The assistant director stared at his greasy face, outwardly grateful but inwardly disbelieving.

He knew full well Zhang Fuqiang's words were empty promises, but he still feigned gratitude: "I'll be relying entirely on Teacher Zhang's support then."

"Why are you being so polite with me?"

Zhang Fuqiang slung an arm around the assistant director's shoulders, rubbing ash onto his collar, leaving a gray-black mark, "What kind of rapport do we have? When good things happen, can your brother forget you?"

He squinted, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth, with smoke seeping through the gaps.

Zhang Fuqiang's hand holding the cigarette suddenly paused, ashes fell in a flurry on the meeting table, and he spoke as if unintentionally:

"By the way, is Yang Xiaoxiu still the second female lead in this drama of ours?"

Smoke rings wafted out of his mouth, fogging his greasy face.

The assistant director's grip on his pen tightened, ink spots staining the audition form.

He forced himself to stay calm and adjusted his glasses: "That's right, Yang Xiaoxiu is currently very popular. Although she's young, her acting is spirited, and her image fits the role well.

Most importantly, her salary is thirty percent less than other artists of the same profile, truly cost-effective, even the director praised her sharp eye."

"Director Liu, you're still too naive."

Zhang Fuqiang suddenly sneered, his thick fingers heavily knocking on the table, causing ripples in the tea cups, "You can't just look at appearances when assessing someone."

He flicked the cigarette ash, embers splattering on the assistant director's neatly sorted documents, "I've dealt with that girl a few times, and she raises her nose in the air just because her flow is high.

I once arranged an event to invite her for dinner, but she stood everyone up."

He squinted, an ominous gleam in his eyes behind his glasses, "Once we're filming and she's on set, who knows how much trouble she'll cause."

The assistant director's Adam's apple bobbed, and cold sweat trickled down his back. He was well aware of the motives behind Zhang Fuqiang's words but could only humor him with a smile:

"Teacher Zhang, I can give opinions on supporting roles, but for a key role like the second female lead, ultimately the director and producer make the decision.

The contract is signed already, and I really can't interfere..."

"Of course, I know you're not in charge."

Zhang Fuqiang suddenly leaned closer, a strong mix of smoke and alcohol invaded his personal space, "Just giving you a heads up, so if something goes wrong later, you as the assistant director won't have to take the fall."

When he straightened up, the gold chain refracted a blinding light in the sunlight, "Some people might seem to bring in popularity, but they're actually a ticking time bomb."

The assistant director's mouth twitched slightly, but he maintained his professional smile.

Watching Zhang Fuqiang swagger out of the meeting room, he quietly gathered the documents dirtied by ash, a powerless irritation welling up inside him.

Down the corridor, Zhang Fuqiang hummed an out-of-tune ditty, the clinking of the gold chain gradually fading into the elevator.

Once Zhang Fuqiang's footsteps completely disappeared from the hallway, the tense atmosphere in the meeting room slightly eased.

A few judges immediately gathered around the assistant director, one young judge frustratedly took off his glasses to wipe them, the lenses creaking in his grip:

"Director Liu, Zhang Fuqiang is too much! Casting should be handled by us professionals, yet he meddled all the way through, ending with everything going his way!"

"Absolutely!"

Another judge, with graying hair, pounded on the table heavily, causing water to splash from the cup,

"He's just an actor, what right does he have to interfere with the cast selection? Constantly bragging about his connections with the producer, does he really think he's some kind of Emperor?"

The crowd chimed in one after another, the pent-up frustrations surging like a floodgate.

"Director Liu, we can't continue holding back like this!"

The youngest female judge said, "What he said about Yang Xiaoxiu was completely upside down.

The girl works over ten hours a day, praised for both her acting and reputation, unlike him..." She suddenly fell silent, her eyes full of indignation.

The assistant director leaned back in his chair, rubbed his temple, and slowly shook his head.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, cutting across his face in a pattern of light and shadow:

"You think I don't want to do anything? But the Zhang's Prop Company behind Zhang Fuqiang supplies props for several period dramas and has an extensive network."

He let out a bitter laugh, "Moreover, the producer excuses him at every turn, what can we people do?"

The meeting room fell silent, only the whirring sound of the air conditioning unit seemed exceptionally piercing.

After a long time, an older judge sighed, "Forget it, like Director Liu said, best to look out for ourselves. As long as it doesn't touch on principles, let's just turn a blind eye..."

Hearing this, everyone's faces gradually shifted from anger to resignation, and then they trudged out of the meeting room with weary steps.