Mad Dog

Chapter 9: Quit The Entertainment Industry

Jiang Qi’s eyes were fixed on the audition room below the glass window, but his thoughts were in the summer eight years ago. His pupils were dazed, almost in an “immersive” obsession, without even realizing it.

But Shen Lei, who was waiting beside him and couldn’t get his response, noticed it.

The man raised his eyebrows slightly, his skeptical gaze lingering on Jiang Qi’s ever-changing face for a moment. Slowly, he followed the direction of the young man’s eyes to the audition room, then paused, and his eyes brightened.

Jiang Qi seemed to find this movie somewhat interesting.

Shen Lei, realizing this, was as excited as Columbus discovering a new continent. Seizing the moment when Jiang Qi was staring at the glass window in a daze, he didn’t hesitate to grab his wrist and pull him down.

The production team naturally knew Shen Lei. Seeing him bringing a tall, thin man wearing a mask, the staff did not stop them. Coincidentally, catching a break between the auditions of the first two male actors, Shen Lei left the bewildered Jiang Qi waiting on the side and went to chat with Wang Zhaoqiu behind the camera. Except for the area where the male and female leads were located, the audition room was dimly lit, almost entirely dark.

Jiang Qi stood somewhat stiffly in place, watching Shen Lei’s series of ‘eccentric’ actions—he walked over and said something to Wang Zhaoqiu. Surprisingly, the elderly director with graying hair actually looked over in his direction.

The sharp gaze behind the glasses seemed to pierce straight into one’s heart.

The atmosphere in the room was quiet, and Jiang Qi heard a ‘hm’ from Wang Zhaoqiu, followed by, “Let him come and give it a try.”

“Hey,” Shen Lei couldn’t hold back a laugh at his words. “Then you’ve hit the jackpot.”

Wang Zhaoqiu frowned and lowered his eyes, reprimanding him, “Sturdy, I trust you this once.”

Although he said so, Wang Zhaoqiu had some reservations in his heart about Jiang Qi, highly praised by Shen Lei. An undeveloped jade, no matter how beautiful, had its limitations. It couldn’t be to the extent that trying out once in front of the mirror was a ‘jackpot.’

Jiang Qi had recently gained great fame in the industry, and Wang Zhaoqiu had heard some rumors, but he hadn’t found time to watch “Gazing at the Sky.” He couldn’t judge this rumored ‘Purple Micro Star.’

However, let Jiang Qi try the audition once. In the eyes of Wang Zhaoqiu, this old fox, there is nothing to lose by having him around.

Firstly, it’s giving Shen Lei some face, and secondly… he also wants to see how much this so-called Purple Micro Star really weighs. Shen Lei stands in front of Jiang Qi, his voice lowered but unable to conceal his excitement: “Just watched the audition of two male actors, did you write down the lines?”

Jiang Qi frowns at him: “Do you want me to audition?”

“Yes, go quickly.” Shen Lei’s eyes sparkle with eagerness. “Wang Zhaoqiu’s audition is not easy to come by.”

Jiang Qi wants to say that he won’t go, but it’s hard to express. His personality has always been solitary and cold, but he also knows that Shen Lei has always taken care of him. If it were someone else, he might have refused, but Shen Lei deliberately worked to get this opportunity for him. Jiang Qi feels a bit awkward just turning away.

Although he doesn’t quite understand why Shen Lei wants him to audition.

“I think…” Shen Lei’s next words help him understand. He says softly, “You seem to really like this script?”

Jiang Qi smiles self-deprecatingly. Shen Lei doesn’t understand. Where does he like this script? He just saw himself, who used to be despicable and deceitful, in that scene a moment ago. It’s actually a wound in his heart that he doesn’t want to open, but because there is Zhi Qi in his memory, it is also comforting.

Jiang Qi doesn’t want Shen Lei to lose face, so after some thought, he walks to the lighting board in the audition room.

His sudden move leaves everyone except Shen Lei and Wang Zhaoqiu stunned. The third actor waiting outside, rehearsing lines, is taken aback when he sees Jiang Qi’s sudden appearance. Subconsciously, he looks at the nearby staff.

“Wait a moment, let me ask…” The staff is also confused, subconsciously trying to direct the staff in the venue to make Jiang Qi, who ‘trespassed,’ leave. However, a voice comes through the earpiece.

The staff holds the earpiece, listens for a while, and then understands.

He looked up and smiled at the male actor, somewhat embarrassedly saying, “I’m sorry, you may have to wait for the next one. This is the person specified by Director Wang for the audition.”

Wang Zhaoqiu personally specified the person for the audition?

The male actor was a bit stunned, busy turning his head to look at the screen, his eyes fixed on the tall and slender figure inside, who didn’t blink. Until everyone saw the young man take off his mask, revealing a beautiful and cold face with sharp features, sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, and amber pupils…

The male actor couldn’t help but exclaim, “Jiang Qi?”

“Um, the recently popular Purple Micro Star?” The staff’s eyes were also captivated by the young man, staring at him and murmuring, “How did he come?” How did Jiang Qi come? Perhaps, except for Shen Lei and Wang Zhaoqiu, no one knows how he suddenly appeared for the audition.

But what does it matter? It doesn’t hinder anyone as all eyes are drawn to his face.

Jiang Qi’s face has always been captivating, otherwise, Shen Lei wouldn’t have firmly remembered him with just a glimpse two years ago in prison. And Yue Yuan, standing in the center of the lighting board, saw Jiang Qi suddenly appear. After a moment of stunned, she couldn’t help but be attracted to him involuntarily.

As the young man approached her step by step, Yue Yuan, who had always been disregarded, unconsciously felt a bit nervous. Her fingers hanging at her side curled up, and her nails unconsciously sank into the tender palm. Her clear eyes stared at him blankly.

Yue Yuan saw Jiang Qi stop at a close distance, and the deep voice entered her ears. It was the same line she had just heard twice from the male lead:

“I’ll accompany you, okay?”

Under Jiang Qi’s gaze, complex and obscure yet gentle, Yue Yuan’s heart unconsciously beat rapidly.

It seemed like at this moment, she had truly entered the role, becoming the female lead in the script. She asked timidly, “Will you always be with me?”

Jiang Qi smiled. The young man’s light-colored eyes looked softly at the girl in front of him, but it seemed as if he was gazing at another soul through her delicate features.

He gently reassured, “Yes.”

It’s like coaxing a little girl.

The entire audition room fell silent because the atmosphere between the two people acting was so harmonious, beautiful, dreamlike, and almost surreal.

Even Shen Lei didn’t expect Jiang Qi to perform so well.

All along, he knew that this young man had talent in acting. Jiang Qi didn’t undergo any systematic training in film and television school, and he didn’t even graduate from high school. Shen Lei was worried that he might not even understand the characters in the script.

But at the same time, Shen Lei also knew that Jiang Qi was a natural, an experiential actor who immersed himself deeply in the role. Once he got into the character, it would give people an irresistible feeling.

Only such an actor could be called the ‘Purple Micro Star.’

However, the character Shen Lei had assigned to Jiang Qi in the script was perverse, mentally ill, manic and anxious, with a bloodthirsty personality. In Jiang Qi’s debut film, he portrayed a sociopathic character, a solo performance without any supporting roles.

So, Shen Lei didn’t expect Jiang Qi to be so convincing when acting opposite a woman, portraying this soft and deceitful side. Maybe this was really a godsend. Shen Lei could feel his blood vessels excitedly pulsating, a feeling of exhilaration.

“Cut!”

When everyone was deeply immersed in the plot, Wang Zhaoqiu called a halt.

In an instant, Jiang Qi seemed to step out of the role as if he had never been in it. His eyes suddenly turned cold, and he stood up straight, walking back to Shen Lei without saying a word. A chilly air lingered around him, and Yue Yuan inexplicably felt a bit lost, her eyes following Jiang Qi’s slender figure.

“Uh, not bad.” When Wang Zhaoqiu saw Jiang Qi coming back, he unexpectedly stood up personally, a face that was usually solemn now showing a smile.

Then, amidst the various emotional gazes around him, he said something astonishing, “Can you play the male lead?”

?!

Even Shen Lei, who always had a triumphant smile on his lips, was shocked by this statement. The role that half of the entertainment industry was watching, and several film emperors in the audition room—all ended up on this newcomer with a ‘famous talent and rumored scandals’?

In the entertainment circle, how many didn’t know about the ambiguous rumors surrounding the recently rising star Jiang Qi?

The accompanying producer’s nerves suddenly tightened, and he quickly approached, wanting to interrupt, “Uh, Director Wang…”

However, Wang Zhaoqiu did not allow him to speak, raising his hand to signal him to be silent. The veteran director kept his eyes fixed on Jiang Qi. Jiang Qi was also momentarily stunned, then shook his head.

He unexpectedly refused without hesitation, “I can’t play.”

Everyone was dumbfounded once again, feeling that something ‘fantastical’ had happened this afternoon. That Wang Zhaoqiu would choose a newcomer with scandals to play the male lead in his movie was already unbelievable. But even more astonishing was that Wang Director had been rejected!

Ten minutes later, Shen Lei dragged Jiang Qi to the top-floor coffee shop in Hengdian, where Wang Zhaoqiu also joined them. Because this place was usually a resting spot for Hengdian’s stars, the layout featured separate small compartments, offering a high level of privacy for conversations.

After Jiang Qi said, “I can’t play,” Wang Zhaoqiu had a lingering feeling of being played. His face was heavy, staring at the coffee cup without saying a word.

Shen Lei, who had actively played matchmaker for the two, felt embarrassed and annoyed. He kept signaling Jiang Qi with his eyes, “Jiang Qi, how could you… Do you know how difficult it is to act in Director Wang’s movie?”

Originally, Shen Lei wanted to say, ‘Do you know what you just rejected?’ But after some thought, he realized that this rebellious guy, Jiang Qi, might really not know. After all, despite being in the entertainment industry, he was practically ignorant of it.

—Consider him a stubborn ‘oddity.’ He thought it would be better to be straightforward.

After Jiang Qi listened to his impatient and frustrated words, he didn’t react much. The sharp gaze of the young man had been indifferent since the end of the performance, appearing somewhat weary. He spoke politely, devoid of any enthusiasm, “I understand, but I can’t act.”

Wang Zhaoqiu couldn’t help but be stunned. Shen Lei, witnessing Jiang Qi stubbornly pushing away this priceless opportunity, couldn’t hold back and pounded the table, “Why not?”

Jiang Qi honestly said, “I can’t act well.”

“Who says that?” Shen Lei didn’t believe his nonsense. “You performed well in the audition just now, or else Director Wang wouldn’t have chosen you.”

Wang Zhaoqiu, who had been silent since the beginning, finally spoke at the right moment, briefly agreeing, “That’s right.”

However, his praise was limited, obviously not wanting Jiang Qi to become too arrogant. Regardless of Shen Lei and Wang Zhaoqiu’s arguments, Jiang Qi remained indifferent.

He knew himself well—when he agreed to take on Shen Lei’s play initially, besides the high remuneration, another reason was that he felt he could play the character in that script. A delinquent, a murderer, someone with mental issues, a mad dog-like youth… wasn’t that him?

It was so familiar, as if driving a well-known car, not really acting at all. However, Jiang Qi knew that he couldn’t play the role in Wang Zhaoqiu’s movie.

Jiang Qi smiled perfunctorily, honest and straightforward, “I’m only suitable for playing eccentric psychopaths. I can’t act in scenes involving romance with girls.”

Shen Lei naturally felt that his excuse was too perfunctory, furrowing his brows, “Why?”

“Brother Shen, I really can’t act.” Jiang Qi’s eyes were hollow, muttering to himself, “I don’t like her either.”

He didn’t know that girl Yue Yuan, didn’t like her, so how could he portray an attitude of ambiguous tenderness towards her?

The recent audition was just a momentary recollection of Zhi Qi.

Moreover…

Jiang Qi lifted his gaze, the light-colored pupils staring directly at the two ‘seniors’ across from him. The youth’s lips gently parted, and the words he spoke sounded absurd and bizarre, but not laughable, “I’m sorry, I want to quit the entertainment industry.”

This apology was directed towards Shen Lei, who had always had great expectations for him and wanted to promote him. He never really had any ‘patron’ in his life, and Shen Lei could somewhat be considered one.

But Jiang Qi hated the entertainment industry.

He detested the countless pairs of eyes in this environment, going out fully armed with masks and hats. It seemed like at any moment, countless cameras would target him, and any misstep could cause a huge storm. What’s even more ridiculous is that there are always people confidently questioning whether he can influence others’ ‘values.’

If an adult’s values are so easily influenced by the outside world, then they shouldn’t have the internet, phones…

In this grand environment, it seems almost no different from a ‘prison.’

Jiang Qi abhorred this atmosphere, so he simply didn’t want to stay. He chose to quit actively.

“Are you… are you crazy?” Shen Lei and Wang Zhaoqiu, having seen all kinds of eccentricities in the entertainment industry, were experiencing someone like Jiang Qi for the first time, truly rare in the world.

Shen Lei’s voice even had a hint of disbelief, “You’re quitting the entertainment industry? What can you do?”

“Well…” Jiang Qi pondered seriously for a moment and answered earnestly, “Maybe open a supermarket.”

The remuneration he received before should be enough.