Chapter Fifty-Five: This Old Man Acts Like a Beast! (Revision Compensation Extra Chapter)

Although Jiao Chendong was fuming at his own boss, there was nothing he could do.

Wang Hai was doing it on purpose.

Usually, when someone assists in an audition, they're there to support the actor, to guide their emotions and help them perform at their best. But with Wang Hai? He was practically crushing people with his lion's roar. With his style of "assisting," even a seasoned star would struggle, let alone a newcomer!

Everyone present could see that this wasn't how supporting roles in auditions were supposed to work, but no one could say a word against him. After all, Wang Hai had constructed the sketch's plot—if you couldn't handle his overwhelming momentum and failed to respond, who could you blame but yourself?

Gritting his teeth, Jiao Chendong called out the next few promising candidates to the center of the dance studio.

But unfortunately, faced with Wang Hai's relentless barrage—one merciless family quarrel after another, scenes like "Wu Dalang catching Pan Jinlian in bed with Ximen Qing," or "an old lady at a butcher's stall selling pork at thirty-six yuan a pound," and his wild, over-the-top Ma Jingtai-style acting—every last one of these promising newcomers was defeated.

Even a young male actor whom Jiao Chendong had high hopes for ended up fleeing the audition in tears.

"Ahem, um..." After more than twenty minutes of this, Wang Hai himself was getting tired. He slumped into his chair behind the audition table, rasping as he grabbed his phone.

After waiting a while, seeing that Jiao Chendong hadn't said anything, he finally looked up from his phone. "Ahem, Old Jiao, what's the matter? Are we out of résumés?"

Damn it!

Before this audition, Jiao Chendong had imagined a million ways Wang Hai might try to control the actor selection, but never did he expect his boss to sabotage him in such a shameless way!

Just as Jiao Chendong was grinding his teeth in frustration, Wang Hai snatched the stack of audition résumés from his hands.

He flipped through a few at random and scoffed. "Look at these, what kind of misfits did you pick? I won't say anything about all these greenhorns, but you've even chosen a guy who's played traitors for eight years and an online drama actor who's never shot a film."

Ignoring Jiao Chendong's darkened face, Wang Hai tossed the résumés onto the table and picked up the next one. "Ha! This one's even better. This actor is something else, just registered as a bit-part extra, and has only ever played a background role! Old Jiao, your casting skills are really something, huh?"

"President Wang..." Jiao Chendong was so angry his breath grew heavy, but Wang Hai didn't care. He waved his hand dismissively. "This is it! I already gave you several tries and none of them worked. Listen up, this is the last one. If this doesn't work, you're out of the casting process—let the company handle it."

"Li Shixin!"

Still ignoring Jiao Chendong's feelings, Wang Hai called out loudly.

Hearing Li Shixin's name, Jiao Chendong's heart sank.

Truth be told, the actors he had prepared were not experienced, but they all had excellent qualities—except Li Shixin, who was not only lacking in experience but also a mere background extra.

It's over.

Watching Wang Hai unscrew a bottle of water and gulp it down to soothe his throat, Jiao Chendong closed his eyes.

He felt that this project was doomed from the very start, destined to flop.

Meanwhile—

Hearing his name called, Li Shixin took a deep breath and slowly stepped out from the waiting crowd.

"Take care, old man..." A young actor next to him clasped his arm as if bidding a hero farewell, wishing him luck. Li Shixin nodded.

Under the gaze of the other actors, who watched him as if he were marching to his fate, he walked unhurriedly to the center of the studio.

Once Li Shixin stood before the audition table, a young staffer operating the equipment frowned. "Hey? Are you...?"

Li Shixin didn't notice him. Facing the panel, he introduced himself, "Good afternoon, teachers. My name is Li Shixin. I'm sixty-five years old, and I've been at the Rongdian branch for just half a month."

The staffer frowned in disbelief, mumbled "No way," and ducked back behind his camera.

"Ahem, all right, all right," Wang Hai said, waving his hand while glancing at Li Shixin's résumé, which listed "Supporting Male 3, Qiao's Father" as the audition role. He stood up.

Looking at Li Shixin, dressed in a Zhongshan suit as if he'd stepped out of an old photograph, Wang Hai laughed. "Old man, are you ready?"

Li Shixin nodded.

"Okay." Wang Hai curled the corner of his mouth, thought for a moment, and said, "You're auditioning for the role of the female lead's father. After accidentally hurting someone while defending your daughter's reputation, you became a fugitive, now scavenging in the city to evade capture. Let's do a sketch where, while scavenging, you encounter a gang boss. I'll play the boss, you play the scavenger. The setting is a restaurant—you've pissed me off, and I'm making things hard for you. React to me."

Oh?

Hearing this, Li Shixin raised an eyebrow. In his mind, the image of a timid, shrinking figure began to form. The animal-like eyes in the van that was like a grave in the junkyard became clear.

He felt confident in this character.

Around the dance studio, a few actors shook their heads at the sight of Li Shixin.

"Look at the old guy, not sure he's up to it. Those young ones couldn't handle the teacher's yelling, and he's much older—he'll probably go deaf!"

"Isn't that the old man who came in with his own fan club outside the office? Ha, forget it. No need to watch, folks—he's just a show-off."

"Didn't the teacher just say? Sixty-five, just registered as an actor, only ever played a background role. No chance. I get it now, this crew isn't really looking to hire anyone. This audition must be just for show. I bet the main roles are already decided! Let's go, no point wasting time here."

"Wait, we're here already—what's the rush?"

Ignoring the chatter, Li Shixin set a bottle at Wang Hai's feet to establish the scene, then nodded. "I'm ready, teacher."

"Action!"

At the staff's cue, Wang Hai's eyes bulged and, with all his strength, he roared at Li Shixin, "Are you blind?! Can't you see I'm standing here?!"

The shout shook dust from the ceiling, and with a kick, Wang Hai sent the bottle flying.

Turning around to continue his tirade, he realized the old man who'd been standing straight before him had vanished.

"Hey? Where's the old man?"

"Hiss! Oh my... this..."

As Wang Hai looked around for his target, he heard gasps all around.

He looked again and his eyes widened.

The old man, previously upright and spirited, now stood hunched and trembling at his side.

His neck shrunk, his head bowed, his gaze darting like a rat fished from the gutter, casting furtive glances at Wang Hai.

This image sent a jolt through Wang Hai's heart!

The old man was dressed in a neatly pressed Zhongshan suit, his shoes were polished, his hair slicked down with mousse, but crouched at Wang Hai's feet, one couldn't help but see him as a beggar living in the city's darkest corners, surviving by scavenging.

Especially those rodent-like eyes—they gave Wang Hai goosebumps.

After so many years in show business, Wang Hai could recognize real talent at a glance.

And with that one look, he knew: this old man had it in his bones.

"What the hell are you looking at?!" Forcing down his own excitement, Wang Hai raised his hand, pretending to strike.

The moment Wang Hai's hand went up, the old man shrank even further, wrapping his arms tightly around his head like a pangolin warding off danger.

The movement was so natural, as if he'd been through this a thousand times, beaten a thousand times, and now it was pure reflex.

"That was brilliant! What a detailed character design!"

"Impressive! Those moves don't just come from improvisation—this old man has definitely studied this kind of role before!"

"Did you see his micro-expressions? It's not just the fear of an ordinary beggar facing a bully—there's a layer of forbearance that matches the backstory of a fugitive perfectly!"

"No, you're all missing the point. This old man's truly remarkable... He's turned a living person into a creature surviving solely on animal instincts!"

With the crowd's admiration growing, Jiao Chendong, who had been hiding his head behind the audition table, finally looked up. Seeing Li Shixin's stunning performance and innate sense for the camera, he couldn't help but stand.

At this moment, a hot surge welled up in his chest—he wanted to shout his approval.

He never expected that all his favored actors would fail under Wang Hai's hand and that the one he thought weakest would rise to the occasion.

A true lifesaver!

"Damn, got my pants dirty," Wang Hai muttered, equally stunned by the contrast between Li Shixin's external appearance and his portrayal. He didn't even notice that, for once, his curse was weak and lacked conviction.

At his feet, the frightened old man began to edge away, inch by inch, like a startled mouse, trying to escape the danger.

"You old thing!" Though Wang Hai had been completely overpowered, he still finished his part, giving the old beggar a light kick.

With a thud and a clatter, the old man fell to all fours, fleeing like a startled gecko, scrambling away so quickly that he knocked over several chairs and even a camera.

Watching the whole scene, it was clear: the old man wasn't playing a person so much as a creature, a blend of several animals—a being surviving by sheer instinct, with his humanity suppressed to the extreme.

The sense of realism and on-camera impact were explosive.

It wasn't until Li Shixin had scuttled far away and was still curled on the floor, unable to come out of character, that the others in the studio snapped out of it.

Seeing Li Shixin still crouched on the ground, veins bulging on Jiao Chendong's forehead, for a moment he truly saw a fugitive hiding in the city, struggling to survive, living like a beast.

"Bravo!" In the silence, he clapped forcefully.

Thunderous applause erupted in the dance studio.

Ding.

Received 19,211 points of acclaim with [admiration]!

On the floor, Li Shixin heard a faint chime in his mind.

"Director, did I pass?" Prompted by the system's notification, Li Shixin finally pulled himself out of the role. Looking up at Jiao Chendong, he asked.

"You passed. Well done, old man!" Jiao Chendong wiped his eyes and nodded vigorously.

Li Shixin breathed a sigh of relief and struggled to his feet.

"President Wang, what do you think?" After drying his tears, Jiao Chendong lifted his chin at Wang Hai.

"I think..." Wang Hai, his face dark, glanced from the struggling Li Shixin to the defiant Jiao Chendong and shook his head.

"He's not up to it."