Spoiled by the CEO after amnesia!-Chapter 666 - 646: Everyone Fawns and Grovels

At this moment, the words of the head of the purchasing department drifted over, and Jiayi quickly perked up, maintaining a professional smile.

"To be honest, when Director Ye introduced your f.Wang store to our film crew, we were skeptical. f.Wang is famous for wedding dresses, and while its evening gown designs are also well-known, most of them are Western-style, with hardly any cheongsam styles to be seen. This time, to have produced such an Eastern-flavored cheongsam is really stunning. May I ask who the chief designer is this time?"

Though f.Wang had a global chain of bridal stores, it wasn’t possible for every piece of clothing to be personally designed by the head designer, f.Wang. Aside from custom-made designs, each store had several designers sharing the task of handling in-store designs, which is why the director asked this question.

The store manager glanced at Jiayi and, upon receiving her approving look, responded with a smile, "The designer of the cheongsam this time is Miss Chu here, who is also the behind-the-scenes owner of the f.Wang Yunling Shop."

The head of the purchasing department was taken aback. He had thought that the person bringing the sample clothes was just a clerk or assistant, and he hadn’t really given her a proper look. Who would have thought that the behind-the-scenes owner herself had arrived, and she was so young and beautiful?

So young, looking like a female college student, how could she manage an f.Wang store without having substantial family wealth??

"Miss Chu seems somewhat familiar," the head of the purchasing department remarked with a skeptical look as he scrutinized Jiayi’s face.

Jiayi smiled slightly, with poise, "Familiarity is good. It implies that I am destined to work with your crew, and we can cooperate more in the future."

Her remark cleverly diverted the director’s gaze while smoothly transitioning to talk about future cooperation.

The director smiled and didn’t ask any further questions.

After discussing the details of the mass production of the cheongsam and future collaboration plans, it was about time to wrap up.

The sample clothing was basically approved by the film crew, with no major issues. They just needed to go back and make some minor detail adjustments.

"Miss Chu, then I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration in the future." The director stood up, extending his hand to shake hands with Jiayi.

The store manager, who had accompanied Jiayi all the way and noticed that she was sick, saw her complexion growing paler. When she stood up to shake hands with the director, her body swayed slightly. The manager subtly steadied her, just as things seemed to be concluding, but then heard the purchasing department head say with a laugh:

"Actually, we’re in the process of selecting actresses for a few supporting female roles today. The actresses auditioning will be wearing Miss Chu’s cheongsam designs. If Miss Chu has the time, I would like to invite you to visit the audition set and see for yourself. Since you designed the cheongsams, seeing how they fit in person will surely give you a better idea of any adjustments needed."

With the director’s gracious invitation, and because it was part of the job, Jiayi couldn’t refuse, summoning the strength to stand: "No problem, I’ll have a look."

Accompanied by the head of the purchasing department, Jiayi and the store manager arrived at the audition set.

It was an indoor audition set, complete with cameras, lights, backdrops... all the essentials.

A group of directors, assistant directors, and producers sat in a row of makeshift judges’ seats at the front, engaged in talent selection.

Jiayi stood behind the camera operator, her gaze falling on the audition stage, and her expression suddenly turned contemplative.

The young girl on the audition platform was wearing a cheongsam with a blue and white porcelain pattern, with a graceful figure, posing in front of a white backdrop for the cameras.

It was none other than Xiaolei.

Her face, with a touch of Western features, adorned in an Eastern cheongsam, while undeniably beautiful, also seemed somewhat bizarre.

After all, this was a television drama set in the Republic of China era, and having a half-Chinese person play a Chinese character seemed a bit—forced.

It was like seeing an actor in a historical drama sporting bleached blonde hair, pulling the audience out of the scene in an instant.

So it turned out that Xiaolei was talking about this audition last night—for this ’The Intricate Locket’ drama.

Jiayi’s eyelids twitched, and she murmured softly, "This girl is clearly half-Chinese and lacks an Eastern essence or classic beauty. She might be suited for modern idol dramas, but casting her for a Republic of China TV drama doesn’t seem quite appropriate."

This sentence wasn’t specifically targeting Xiaolei, but it was the plain truth.

The head of the purchasing department forced a smile. There was no need to hide anything from this business partner and whispered, "Actually, when the agent sent over this girl’s photo, we felt she wasn’t quite suitable. By all accounts, she shouldn’t have made it past the first round... but who can resist when she’s got such a powerful backer?"

Jiayi obviously understood what the director meant and followed his gaze towards the judges’ table.

An imposing figure surrounded by several directors and producers, the sharp suit accentuating a commanding presence.

Indeed, with the mayor himself showing up to support his cousin, how could the cast and crew not show him favor?

Even if Xiaolei was unsuitable, this role was as good as hers.

Intermittent flattery also floated over:

"Mayor Huo’s cousin truly has talent, not only beautiful but her performance is also so spirited."

"It’s really our good fortune that Miss Xiaolei could join our production."

...

These praises were, of course, not just for Xiaolei but for a certain man sitting in the center.

As the leader of Huo Group, with an impressive net worth and now having stepped into the political arena, holding the titles of national congressman and mayor, he was the revered center of attention wherever he went.

If he said the word, not just the role of the significant third female lead, but even the lead actress could be Xiaolei’s.

Jiayi’s gaze fell on the figure in the hand-tailored suit, unsure whether to approach. After some thought, she finally took her stand.

Forget it, why leave?

With so many people on set, he might not even notice her, and besides, she was here to work legitimately. Why should she avoid him?

Just then, from behind the camera, the whispers of a few actors preparing for the audition reached Jiayi’s ears:

"No wonder the production team is so eager to please that Xiaolei."

"It looks like this role is hers for the taking."

"Exactly, didn’t you see how smug her smile was?"

"I heard this girl grew up in a European country. Whether she speaks Chinese clearly is a question. She’s also a newcomer to Starshine Entertainment, hasn’t even had time to shoot commercials, probably doesn’t even know the basics of acting like mark and angle, let alone her dialog skills. Isn’t this ruining the show? Why does she get to parachute into such a critical role without merit, it’s so infuriating."

"It’s because she’s the mayor’s cousin, and what can you do about it if you’re not convinced? Haven’t you seen how the directors are all trying to please Mr. Huo?"

...

At that moment, Xiaolei seemed to hear the low mockery from a few female actors below and slowed her movements slightly.

Seeing Xiaolei had finished several sets of sample shots and was sweating slightly, an assistant director hurriedly instructed, "Go touch up Xiaolei’s makeup and get her a glass of water."

At the director’s signal, a member of the crew handed over a bottle of mineral water and called the makeup artist over to powder and touch up Xiaolei’s makeup.