The Best Actor Insists On Living With Me!-Chapter 1770 - 1760: Audition (1)

Xia Siyu glanced at the entrance; Bo Yan’s slippers had already been changed and were neatly placed there. Clearly, he had gone out.

Seeing Xia Siyu looking around, Wei Jingjing casually asked, "Are you looking for Bo Yan?"

"Who said I’m looking for him? Why would I look for him? Is he that important?"

Wei Jingjing thought, whether he’s important or not, she’s not sure, but Xia Siyu’s response definitely sounds like a case of "There are no 300 taels of silver buried here." Still, Wei Jingjing answered, "When I came over, I think I saw his car at the intersection ahead, he should have already left."

"Let him leave if he wants to, it’s not like I care if he stays," Xia Siyu said casually, and then headed to the bathroom. This guy was used to the speed of a battlefield, cleaned up quickly, and soon after getting ready, she casually put on some clothes and was ready to head out.

Wei Jingjing stopped her, "You’re going like this?"

T-shirt and jeans, plus a baseball cap. Even if it’s just someone from that side, and it’s a formal occasion, you don’t need to wear an evening gown, but you should at least look a bit sharp, right?

"Why, what’s wrong with this outfit? Isn’t it just fine?" Xia Siyu asked. Her initial excitement had already faded.

Anyway, she’s been messing around here for ages, and Bo Yan hasn’t even glanced at her. Besides, she’s not desperate to grab that list—for all she knows, the character might turn out to be a mere vase. It’s a two-way selection, not like she’s just lying there waiting for people to pick and choose. If they don’t let her wear this, she just won’t go!

"At least just wear a jacket?" suggested Wei Jingjing, eventually persuading her to wear a casual blazer that fit the occasion.

In her heart, she figured, this is over. Xia Siyu wanted to try for a sexy female spy role, but here she is, coming in looking so laid-back, not at all matching the character, which surely spells disaster.

But once this young lady has made up her mind, what can she do except follow along resignedly?

All the way to the meeting spot, it was a private room in a quiet restaurant. Xia Siyu entered to find, besides Qin Baizhou, two unfamiliar faces. One was Asian-looking and seemed more familiar with Qin Baizhou, while the other was a Western man with a bushy white beard.

Upon seeing Xia Siyu, Qin Baizhou got up, "Siyu, you’re here. Let me introduce you—Xia Siyu, one of the most in-demand actresses in China, this is the producer I mentioned, Mr. Wang, and this is his friend, Steve."

After all, it’s a meeting, and even though things weren’t going smoothly with Bo Yan, Xia Siyu wouldn’t show it in front of others. Not overly enthusiastic or flattering, she extended her hand graciously, "Hello to both of you."

Mr. Wang, who was of Chinese descent, spoke fluent Mandarin and smiled, "Just to meet you, I’ve traveled from Hollywood and quarantined here for over ten days. It wasn’t easy."

Xia Siyu was straightforward, "Doesn’t that just prove I’m worth it? It was worth your trip, wasn’t it?"

After a few pleasantries, they sat down to eat. Qin Baizhou was very adept at hosting these types of gatherings. If he wanted, he could click with you in five minutes, making you feel cheerful without seeming obsequious. Since he fought his way up from a star scout to become a majority shareholder in the now-listed company Huixing, he’s got some skills.

For instance, arranging the meal—given the presence of a foreign guest, the dishes were a bit of a fusion of Western and Chinese. The dishes were all easy to handle with a knife and fork. But no matter how well things are arranged, there are always slip-ups, like when Xia Siyu noticed someone pulling out a cigar but seemingly without the necessary tools, prompting Qin Baizhou to immediately call in the waiter.

Fortunately, smoking indoors was allowed here. The waiter brought a lighter, but the man, after looking at it, put his cigar aside. Qin Baizhou thought the man was just being courteous about smoking indoors and didn’t press the issue. Xia Siyu, however, asked, "Do you have a cigar cutter and a proper lighter for it?"

Cigars, although they’re tobacco products, aren’t the same as regular filtered cigarettes. Abroad, some cigar shops have professional staff who toast the cigar for you to bring out its aroma, then clip a small bit off with a cigar cutter. You can’t use a regular petrol lighter to light it, as the chemical taste affects the cigar’s flavor.

The attendant went to find one and managed to produce a cigar cutter, but apart from a lighter, he couldn’t exactly head to the kitchen. Xia Siyu asked, "Do you have any matches?"

She noted that this restaurant had a custom of lighting incense in a small temple. If done with true devotion, they wouldn’t typically use waxed matches.

She was right. The restaurant did find her a box, and she handed it to the bearded man.

The bearded man was a bit surprised, "Do you smoke, miss?"

Xia Siyu shook her head, "I don’t."

She doesn’t smoke, nor is she a heavy drinker, only indulging occasionally without any dependency.

The bearded man asked, "Yet you know a fair bit about cigars."

Speaking broken Chinese was too troublesome for Xia Siyu, so she switched to English directly. "I don’t smoke, but sometimes it’s required for a role, so I pay attention. I recall that this superhero script had a scene where the female lead needed to smoke a cigar, so I specifically asked someone knowledgeable about it."

That someone, of course, was Bo Yan. The guy was practically her encyclopedia—ask him anything, and he’d know. Yet thinking of Bo Yan again, she remembered his recent coldness and it immediately soured her mood a bit.

The previously quiet bearded man showed interest when Xia Siyu spoke up, "Seems like you have a bit of a London accent."

"I learned when I was little; I grew up in Sicily."

"Oh, really, do you speak Italian?"

"Of course." Xia Siyu turned and addressed him in Italian, "Mr. Steve, you’re actually the casting director, aren’t you? Or perhaps you’re not the casting director yourself, but you’re definitely related to this casting process."

The film’s director is a renowned figure, whom Xia Siyu would certainly recognize if present. The casting director, not necessarily, but during the casting phase, the casting director’s opinion holds weight. Since casting directors work behind the scenes, not many would know them, meaning they are relatively more low-key.

The bearded man was intrigued, "How did you know?"

"That Mr. Wang is actually your subordinate, isn’t he? It wasn’t him bringing you here; it was you bringing him to the East Asian region for selection. That cigar in your hand isn’t cheap; just one costs over a hundred dollars." Though dressed modestly, a hundred-dollar cigar isn’t something an ordinary film industry worker would splurge on.