Cherished in One’s Heart [entertainment circle] - Chapter 04

Chapter 4

On the night after signing the contract, Wen Siheng sent her a recommendation on WeChat, claiming to be her manager.

Although she was familiar with the work of a manager herself, she couldn’t possibly handle two roles at once.

However, the so-called manager was probably just someone replacing Wen Siheng to keep an eye on her.

Soon, a person named “Mai Sui” messaged her: [Chengyan, hello, I am your manager Mai Wen, you can call me Mai Mai.]

[Tomorrow, there will be an audition for a magazine cover. You need to wake up at 7 o’clock in the morning. I will come to pick you up, don’t forget.]

Later, Mai Wen sent her all the information about the audition.

“Mirror” is a recently launched magazine, organized by the famous domestic actress Chu Qi. It has gained great momentum in the chaotic entertainment industry in recent years, and it appears to be quite high-end.

The tagline that has always been present on the cover of the magazine is: “Have you seen yourself?”

At the same time, this magazine adheres to the concept of authenticity.

Being able to appear on the cover of this magazine requires extremely high facial features and expressive abilities. Previously, an actor who had been silent for many years suddenly welcomed a second spring in their career by appearing on this magazine’s cover.

However, no newcomer has yet appeared on the cover of this magazine.

However, upon reaching this point, Huo Chengyan probably understood what Wen Siheng meant – her face was suitable for the camera, enough to attract attention and speculation without inviting backlash.

However, Chu Qi…

She chuckled softly, her voice low.

The next morning, as agreed, Mai Wen arrived at Huo Chengyan’s place to pick her up and took her to the studio of “Mirror.”

When the makeup artist saw her, they were slightly stunned. Huo Chengyan had already applied her base makeup, lightly contoured her face, leaving only the eye makeup and lipstick undone.

Because the makeup style would vary depending on the shooting style, but it was evident that she understood her facial features well and was familiar with the workflow.

This actually saved them a lot of time.

After the makeup artist began working on her, Mai Wen entered the room and said to Huo Chengyan, “Did you read what I sent you yesterday? The theme for this issue is ‘Flowers and Moon’. What are your thoughts?”

The theme was specifically tailored for women, with flowers and the moon as the main elements. Thinking of words associated with flowers – budding, shy blooming, graceful and charming – there were countless possibilities. As for the moon, it represented purity and mystery.

What would they want to achieve?

Seeing Huo Chengyan furrowing her brows and unable to make a decision, Mai Wen didn’t press further. Instead, she said, “Chu Qi will also be present. She’s a strict person, so be mentally prepared.”

Upon hearing these words, Huo Chengyan displayed a bitter smile of understanding. “I know.”

Chu Qi’s demands have always been strict, whether it is towards oneself or others.

After finishing the makeup, all that was left was to wait.

Huo Chengyan couldn’t help but look around. There were several familiar faces and even more fresh blood that looked younger than her but whose names she couldn’t recall.

Somehow, what was originally nothing became a bit unsettling at this moment.

At this moment, her phone rang with a message notification from Wen Siheng.

Only a few words.

[Don’t be nervous, believe in yourself.]

Huo Chengyan couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t know whether he lacked confidence in her or had confidence in her.

Just as she was about to reply, she heard a familiar voice from behind, “Miss Huo Chengyan, are you lacking confidence in yourself or not taking this audition seriously?”

Huo Chengyan quickly turned her head.

It was Chu Qi.

A hint of sarcasm appeared on her face. “Those who have connections backstage are indeed different.”

Although aware of Chu Qi’s strictness towards herself and others, it was hard to ignore the other implications in her words.

With a gentle smile, she slowly said, “If there were really connections backstage, I wouldn’t have to come for the audition.”

Doesn’t this opportunity belong to her every minute?

Chu Qi snorted softly through her nose, but didn’t argue further and simply walked past her.

In fact, initially, Huo Chengyan had a good relationship with Chu Qi when she was still a talent manager. However, her popularity among the audience was lacking, so the resources gradually decreased. This led to numerous disputes between her and Huo Chengyan. Later, she decisively terminated her contract with the company, despite having to pay a considerable penalty. She then fought tooth and nail for various TV drama resources, gradually transitioning into a film actress. Now, she has become synonymous with “acting skills.”

Although the relationship between her and Chu Qi is not great at present, Huo Chengyan couldn’t help but admit that she carved out her own path to stardom.

Soon, someone called out Huo Chengyan’s name.

It was her turn.

The audition presented itself in the form of on-site photography. Each person showcased their best side based on their understanding of the words “Flower and Moon.”

Seeing her enter, Chu Qi spoke first, “Miss Huo, if you’re ready, we can begin at any time.”

She nodded and said, “I’m ready.”

Then she stepped onto the white backdrop.

After her, there were several props available for the person to choose from for the trial mirror. She glanced at them and finally picked up a bunch and sat down on the ground with her legs bent.

After the photo came out, Huo Chengyan ran over to take a look and found that the effect was not satisfactory.

She herself looked pretty good, but there was no difference between the photo and the ordinary ones, no highlights.

“Miss Huo,” at this moment, Chu Qi also came over with a trace of mockery, “It’s been a year, and you really disappoint me.”

Huo Chengyan ignored her sarcasm and just looked at herself in the photo, frowning and thinking.

After a while, she looked up at Chu Qi, “Can you give me another chance?”

Chu Qi didn’t deliberately make things difficult for her and just smiled lightly, agreeing to her request.

This time, Huo Chengyan pulled up her turtleneck sweater to the highest point, covering almost half of her face, and then said to the photographer, “Can you take a black and white photo of me?”

After the photographer agreed, she ran to the camera.

But she didn’t use any more props or pose, she just let the photographer capture a close-up photo of her face, only showing the area above her nose.

Before Chu Qi could react, Huo Chengyan said again, “Can you please take a picture of this flower for me, in close-up, but not black and white?”

The photographer did the same.

Then she said to the photographer, “Can you help me superimpose this flower on my eyes? Just like a reflection in the eyes.”

The photographer understood her intention immediately after hearing her words, and his gaze towards her became more approving.

After the finished product came out, most of the people in the studio were attracted to it.

Huo Chengyan covered half of her face, leaving only her eyes visible. The floral pattern in her eyes, faintly visible, was in color. The color was light and not abrupt, but it immediately captivated people’s attention.

The theme of “Mirror” is, have you seen yourself? And this time, the theme is women, which can be interpreted as women being the dazzling flowers themselves. At the same time, because of the “flower moon,” it reminded Huo Chengyan of the night-blooming cereus, a fleeting beauty.

In this black and white photo where the model’s face is unclear, Huo Chengyan squinted her eyes, even with a hint of fleeting melancholy, giving people a sense of unattainable beauty.

It not only fits the magazine’s consistent theme but also aligns with the current theme, making it quite stunning.

“Awesome!” the staff members who seemed to be from Europe and America couldn’t help but praise and embrace her enthusiastically, “This is it!”

Chu Qi, who had been silent and observing from the side, walked up to her at this moment and said, “Not bad.”

Chu Qi’s smile was faint, but he still extended his hand, “Congratulations on becoming the cover of this issue of ‘Mirror,’ Huo Chengyan.”

Huo Chengyan also showed a bright smile, “Thank you.”

She felt a little embarrassed by the praise.

When Huo Chengyan finished removing her makeup and walked out of the dressing room, the phone rang right on time.

She glanced at her phone and then turned her gaze towards Mai Wen.

Only to see her innocent expression of “it’s none of my business” and “I’m just following orders”, Huo Chengyan finally answered the phone.

“Siheng,” Huo Chengyan didn’t know what to say to him, “shouldn’t you at least hide your intentions from Mai Wen, who is constantly watching me?”

Wen Siheng’s words sounded righteous and confident: “I don’t think that if I hide it, you won’t know.”

So he decided to let her know openly and boldly.

“…”

After a pause, he continued, “Did you forget to have breakfast again because you were in a hurry to leave today?”

This man seemed to understand her better than anyone else.

She explained, “I will eat later.”

“It just so happens that I’m hungry too,” Wen Siheng said nonchalantly, “Will you join me later?”

“But you have to go to work…”

Without much thought, he almost interrupted her, saying, “Well, I’ll have Mai Wen take you to the office to eat with me.”

“…”

A laugh could be heard from the other end of the phone, and he could almost imagine the expression on Huo Chengyan’s face.

“But…”

Huo Chengyan wanted to refuse, but Wen Siheng barely gave her a chance to speak and simply said, “See you later, okay?”

She pursed her lips, and in the end, she could only squeeze out one word, “Fine.”

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