MQSP - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Su Yu watched the big and small figures sitting side-by-side from a distance. She saw Lin Yuqing's obvious lack of enthusiasm, and Xiao Bao was looking left and right beside her, seemingly searching for her mother. The little girl's mouth was trembling, and it looked like she was about to cry again.
Su Yu rubbed her forehead, imagining how Lin Yuqing would raise her own child if she ever had one. She'd probably scare the kid into regretting it was ever born...
Just as she was chuckling to herself, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was Lu Qing.
Lu Qing was an old classmate of hers. They had been friends for over twenty years, and she was now a teacher at Qin Chuan Film Academy.
"Hello, Teacher Lu. Is class over?"
"Yeah. Why did you call earlier? It's the end of the semester, so I'm pretty busy. I don't have time to go fool around with you."
"I'm busy too. My new drama has started filming. Hey, do you have any promising students over there? Recommend a few, will you? It's hard for me to find new actors."
"Hmm? All my students haven't graduated yet. You'd dare to use them?"
"I just need a few young adults. Students are obedient and easy to direct. They're also relatively innocent and won't turn my set into a chaotic mess. Average acting skills are fine. The key is a good attitude—they have to be eager to learn and ambitious. And of course, the most important thing is that they have to be gorgeous. The kind of fresh-faced young woman who makes your heart skip a beat at first glance. Give me a dozen of those."
Lu Qing let out a laugh, her disdain unconcealed. "What kind of film is it?"
"Emm... you know. GL."
Lu Qing was silent on the other end for a moment. "In that case, no."
"Hey, that's not very friendly of you. It's so hard to cast actors these days. The ones who show up are all so plain-looking, and I can't bring myself to pick them. I'm about to worry myself to death." Su Yu's standards for actors were all about looks. Acting skills could be honed, but their appearance absolutely could not be subpar. She herself had an extreme appreciation for beautiful women; two celestial beauties simply standing shoulder to shoulder was enough to leave her feeling immensely satisfied.
"But you can't just go and ruin those kids," Lu Qing said. She was more considerate; as a teacher, she couldn't help but worry about her students. "They haven't even graduated yet, and you want them to film something with a theme like that. Never mind what it'll do to their future careers, how are they supposed to get by at school afterward?"
"Same-sex themes are the coming trend. Who knows, they might even become famous overnight because of this drama," Su Yu argued, unwilling to give up. "Hey, I'm telling you, the script I chose this time is really good."
"This 'coming trend' you speak of? I doubt our generation will live to see it. Don't say any more. I can't help you with this."
"What, no spirit of dedication for the craft of acting? Fine, if you won't help me, I'll go to the school and pick someone myself. I refuse to believe no one would be tempted by the chance to work with Lin Yuqing."
"Who? Who did you say?" Lu Qing's voice suddenly shot up.
"Lin Yuq—uh..."
"I'm not getting involved in this. I'm a bit busy here. We can talk when I'm free. I'm hanging up."
"Hey, wait—"
Listening to the dial tone, Su Yu tapped her forehead in frustration. She had really touched a sore spot. The relationship between Lu Qing and Lin Yuqing was already strained; now that she'd mentioned her, Lu Qing definitely wouldn't help. It looked like she'd have to make a trip to the school herself.
"Wang Qiong." Su Yu waved her assistant over.
"This afternoon, you and the assistant director keep an eye on things. I'm heading to Qin Chuan Film Academy to pick out a wife for her." Su Yu dreaded filming scenes with children, so she had already dumped the first half of the drama—the part covering the female leads' childhood—on the assistant director. She needed to hurry and find suitable actresses for the main roles.
"Pfft... Understood." Picking out a wife? If Lin Yuqing heard that, wouldn't she flip out?
"Oh, right. Keep an eye on that old fellow. Tell her to tone it down and not scare the kid into crying again."
"I doubt she'd dare. Look at her. Making her comfort a child is like torture for her; she's about to die of worry." Wang Qiong glanced over at Lin Yuqing, who was propping her chin on her hand with an expression so troubled it looked like the word "worry" was carved on her face. Wang Qiong found it hilarious.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you. Call me if anything comes up."
"Okay."
At one-thirty, Su Yu was driving straight to Qin Chuan Film Academy under the blazing sun.
Sometimes she felt her efforts weren't worth it. She had felt lost and had doubted her own persistence. With her skills, even if she wasn't on par with the nation's most legendary directors, she certainly didn't think much of the ones who were currently all the rage. They directed mainstream films, had their pick of scripts, and had actors flocking to them uninvited, even fighting tooth and nail for a single role. But what about her? Not only did no one come to her, but she had to run from school to school. When she finally found someone she liked, she had to use every ounce of persuasion she had, and they still might not agree. Worse, some would mock her with contemptuous glares. The difference was like that between the clouds and the mud. Day in and day out, she endured scorn, her hard work unappreciated.
This era, she thought. When will people finally take off their prejudiced glasses and look at same-sex love for what it is?
An hour later, she arrived at Qin Chuan Film Academy.
Su Yu was also a graduate of Qin Chuan Film Academy. She often returned to her alma mater to visit, so she was on friendly terms with the security guard at the gate, who let her in without any trouble.
After parking her car, she glanced at the students milling about campus, brimming with youthful energy, and instantly felt ten years younger herself.
It was during class hours, so there weren't many students wandering around campus. Su Yu stood outside the main academic building for a while, her roving eyes scanning the pretty young women. This year's students had an excellent look and demeanor—innocent and natural. Judging by their attire, very few were overly flashy or trying too hard to stand out. For instance, there was a young woman in a pale blue floral dress and white canvas shoes, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Just the sight of her profile was enough to make Su Yu's heart skip a beat.
It had to be said that Qin Chuan Film Academy truly lived up to its reputation as the nation's top film school, the "cradle of stars." Nearly a third of the hottest actors in the entertainment industry were its alumni. This was likely due to its stringent admissions process. In addition to testing basic skills like voice, stage presence, physique, and performance, Qin Chuan's academic requirements were significantly higher than other academies. Furthermore, the school placed great emphasis on a student's moral character, strictly adhering to a "quality over quantity" principle and rejecting unqualified candidates or those who tried to get in through connections. These were the three great hurdles of Qin Chuan.
"Hey, I'm here. Aren't you going to come and greet me?" Su Yu shamelessly dialed Lu Qing's number again. She couldn't help it; casting was more important than her pride...
"...Fine. Wait for me on the third floor of the cafeteria. I haven't had lunch yet." Lu Qing was helpless against her persistence.
"Hehe, okay, okay! My treat~"
Su Yu made her way to the cafeteria with practiced ease. The moment she stepped inside, the familiar aroma of the food made her feel a pang of nostalgia for her own college days.
She headed straight for the third floor, ordered a plate of the fried rice Lu Qing had loved back when they were students, and then found a table to wait.
Before long, the sound of high heels clicked behind her, and she turned to look.
Lu Qing approached gracefully, her long, wavy hair cascading down her back over a long white dress. She was the picture of elegance.
The moment she entered, she spotted Su Yu staring around at the dining students like a total creep. It was a good thing she was wearing sunglasses; otherwise, the look in her eyes would have been truly sleazy.
Su Yu quickly stood up to greet her. "Ah, Teacher Lu! It's been too long. Still as elegant as ever. Come on, let me give you a hug," she said, grinning as she moved in.
Lu Qing gave her a huge eye-roll. "Get away from me." But despite her words, she still opened her arms naturally to accept the hug from her old friend.
It had been nearly half a year since they had last seen each other. It had been a while, and she had missed her.
"So, how are the new students?" Su Yu was an impatient person and didn't bother with pleasantries, getting straight to the point.
Lu Qing shot her a helpless glance. "Well, this year's class... there's really no one who particularly stands out. I doubt any of them would meet the great Director Su's standards."
"Oh, come on, don't be like that. I'm really here to ask for your help. The script this time is really good, and I really want to do a good job filming it!" Su Yu emphasized the word "really" three times to show her sincerity, attentively handing her a bottle of mineral water.
"It's not that I won't help you, it's just a very difficult position for me to be in. Besides, using my position to recruit actors for you is against school policy."
"Then are there any students looking for acting jobs? You can just put me in touch with them. I'll talk to them myself; you don't have to be directly involved."
"I really wish I could help, but I can't." The main reason was that the theme of Su Yu's film was simply too sensitive. Lu Qing had seen firsthand the public's hostility toward same-sex relationships—the rejection, contempt, and verbal abuse were enough to drive a person to their death. She would never dare gamble with her students' futures.
Su Yu looked displeased and snatched back the bottle of water just as Lu Qing was about to drink from it. If you're not going to help, you don't get to drink my water!
Lu Qing paid her no mind and didn't argue, simply continuing to eat her meal.
Su Yu watched her for a moment, then felt she was being a bit childish. She handed the water back. If she wouldn't help, she wouldn't help. They were still friends, after all.
"Fine, I won't make things difficult for you."
Su Yu sighed heavily, propped her cheek on her hand, and resumed her creep-like observation of the students in the cafeteria.
"How did you get mixed up with Lin Yuqing?" Lu Qing asked, frowning.
"Huh? We're not 'mixed up.' I'm a director, and she's an actress. She wants to be in my drama, so how could I not consider her? Besides, it's hard to find actors for this kind of project, and she's a perfect fit."
"She wants to be in it?"
"That's right. She approached me about it."
A flash of disgust crossed Lu Qing's eyes. She set down her chopsticks and took a sip of water, as if the mere mention of Lin Yuqing had ruined her appetite.
Su Yu felt a little awkward and ran a hand through her hair. Suddenly, she froze mid-motion, as if paralyzed, her expression completely fixed.
"What's wrong?"
"That... that one! Look at that girl!" Su Yu was so excited she was nearly incoherent. She pointed at a girl who had just walked in, urging Lu Qing to look.
Lu Qing turned to look. Her gaze froze for a second before she turned back and pushed Su Yu's pointing hand down. "What are you getting so worked up about? How old are you, still ogling little girls?"
"No, don't you think she looks a bit like..."
"Not at all. You're imagining things."
Su Yu wasn't listening to Lu Qing at all, her eyes shining as she stared at the young woman. The girl was dressed simply in a white button-down shirt and jeans with the cuffs rolled up, paired with clean canvas shoes. Her long, straight black hair fell obediently at her cheeks, giving her a gentle appearance. Her features were delicate and refined, highlighted by a pair of peach blossom eyes that tilted up slightly at the corners. When she spoke, they would naturally curve into crescents. Though her clothes were unremarkable, the girl herself seemed to possess a unique aura. At the very least, out of the four girls who had just walked in, Su Yu's gaze had landed on her immediately.
"Wow. I heard they raised the admission standards this year, but this is just off the charts! It would be a criminal waste if she didn't go into acting. She could make a living on her looks alone. Hey, do you know her? What department is she in? Is she an acting major?"
"I don't know her," Lu Qing had just said.
When the very girl Su Yu was staring at walked gracefully over to their table, stopped, and smiled sweetly at Lu Qing. "Hello, Teacher Lu."
Su Yu's heart gave a violent lurch. The girl's voice was soft and ethereal, so beautiful it made her want to commit a crime! Aaaah!!
"What was that you were saying?" she asked Lu Qing, dumbfounded.
"..." I was saying I'm eating my words.
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