aircannonsinc Chapter 100 Eavesdropping Outside the Door
Chapter 100 Eavesdropping Outside the Door
Lu Ran then dialed Xu Manxue's number, and soon Xu Manxue appeared outside the door of the eighth part of the long drama.
"Minister Lu, Tan Yu, you're all here." As soon as Xu Manxue entered the room, she noticed Lu Ran and the other four people inside.
"Okay, Manxue," Lu Ran spoke first, "I think your song is ready to be released. You can record a version live at the company's recording studio later, and I'll give it my approval."
"Okay, thank you, Minister Lu," Xu Manxue said gratefully.
"Don't call me Minister Lu anymore. Just call me by my name, or like the others, call me Brother Lu." Seeing that Xu Manxue still seemed a bit distant, Lu Ran said.
"Okay, Brother Lu," Xu Manxue replied cheerfully.
"Um, I just heard Tan Yu say that he seems to have something to discuss with you. You two chat first, I'm going out for a coffee," Lu Ran said at the right moment.
"I'm going out for a smoke."
"I'm going downstairs to pick up a package."
"I'm going to print some things."
The other three also made excuses to leave, and in an instant, only Tan Yu and Xu Manxue remained in the office.
"Man, Manxue..." Only Tan Yu and the other person remained. Tan Yu's words were somewhat slurred. "Um, I... our company has a new drama, a campus-themed one, and I think you'd be perfect for the female lead. I was wondering if you'd be interested?"
He finished speaking in one breath and then waited nervously for a response.
Meanwhile, Liu Jun and his group were lying on the doorway, listening to the sounds coming from inside.
Lu Ran originally didn't want to eavesdrop, but he couldn't resist the persuasion of the others and joined the eavesdropping team.
"May I take a look at the script first?" Xu Manxue neither agreed nor refused, but asked first, her tone calm.
"Of course!" Tan Yu said quickly, "I'll get it for you right away! I'm the director, Brother Lu is the producer, and he wrote the script too, so the quality is absolutely guaranteed!"
"You're the director?" Xu Manxue asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yes! I've been learning from Director Chen Ke for a long time and want to try directing independently," Tan Yu said honestly. "Brother Lu said this drama has a low budget, making it suitable for practice. But I promise I'll film it seriously!"
Another silence followed.
Just when Tan Yu thought the project was going to fall through, Xu Manxue said softly, "Okay, I'll read the script first. If the role is suitable, I'm willing to give it a try."
"That's great!" Tan Yu almost jumped up. "I'll get it for you right now! Thank you, Manxue!"
As Tan Yu handed over the script, Xu Manxue kept looking at it intently, her expression very focused.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Manxue closed the script.
"I've finished reading the script. The role of Shan Cai is very challenging, and I'd like to give it a try. When is the audition?" Xu Manxue asked Tan Yu.
Tan Yu was so excited his hands were trembling. He quickly replied, "No audition needed! Brother Lu said you're the Shan Cai he's looking for! You're the one!"
"Thank you for your trust, Brother Lu. When will we sign the contract?" Xu Manxue asked with a smile.
"Tomorrow! It can be done tomorrow!" Tan Yu said quickly. "As for the salary, we'll charge market rate; you won't be shortchanged!"
"Okay," Xu Manxue replied, adding, "Thank you too, Tan Yu."
Tan Yu was taken aback. This seemed to be the first time Xu Manxue had called him by his full name. Before, she had always called him Teacher Tan.
Looking at Xu Manxue's sincere smile, Tan Yu felt his heart melt.
Lu Ran and the others were listening intently outside the door when suddenly a voice came from behind them.
"What are you guys doing?"
The sound wasn't loud, but it startled Lu Ran and the others.
The group turned around and, upon discovering it was Liu Siqi, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sis, what are you doing? You scared me to death! Why don't you make any noise when you walk?" Liu Jun said first when he saw that the person who came was Liu Siqi.
Liu Siqi rolled her eyes at the group and said softly, "And you're the one talking? What are you all doing sneaking around here in broad daylight?"
Liu Jun pointed inside and gestured for silence.
Lu Ran and the others laughed awkwardly, then continued eavesdropping.
Seeing the way the group was acting piqued Liu Siqi's curiosity.
She looked around and, finding no one else, quietly moved closer to the door, pressing her ear as close to it as possible.
She is, after all, a superstar, and her behavior is not as unseemly as Liu Jun and the others.
Because the door was very soundproof, Lu Ran and the others couldn't hear very clearly, only hearing Tan Yu's calls intermittently.
After a while, the room fell silent, and the group unconsciously pressed their ears even closer together.
"Sizzle!"
As the office door opened, Tan Yu, Xu Manxue, and Lu Ran and the others stared at each other, especially Lu Ran and the others, who remained in an eavesdropping posture.
"Brother Lu, why are you guys like this?" Tan Yu didn't want to lose his temper in front of Xu Manxue, so at this moment he looked a bit like a wronged little wife.
"And you, Siqi, how did you learn to eavesdrop too?"
Caught red-handed by Tan Yu, Liu Siqi felt a little embarrassed. "Um, I came to see Lu Ran. Your door just opened, and I didn't hear anything."
Xu Manxue, on the other hand, appeared very poised and confident.
"It's nothing. Teacher Tan and I were just discussing the script, and I also think the role of Shancai is quite suitable for me," Xu Manxue said to Lu Ran. "Thank you, Brother Lu."
"Hey, why are you thanking me? You should thank Tan Yu. That kid has been working himself to the bone these past few days for this drama." Then, as if remembering something, Lu Ran added, "By the way, let's go record that song now. Liu Tianhou is here too, so let her give you her feedback."
"That's so embarrassing," Xu Manxue said, feeling a little awkward.
"I'm free anyway, and I was just talking to Lu Ran about the song, so I thought I'd go listen to it for you." Liu Siqi was about to make an excuse to leave when she heard Lu Ran's words, so she just went along with what he said.
"Did Lu Ran write this song for you? His songs would definitely suit you well. The emotions you convey when you sing are truly powerful." On the way to the recording studio, Liu Siqi didn't forget to praise the two of them.
"Indeed, Brother Lu's songs are all very well written."
As the group arrived at the recording studio, Xu Manxue went into the recording room, while Lu Ran and the other person stayed outside.
Outside the glass, Lu Ran sat in front of the mixing console, his expression focused. Liu Siqi stood beside him, arms crossed, listening intently, nodding occasionally.
As the prelude ended, Xu Manxue's clear and narrative voice rang out.
...
As the music ended, the lingering notes slowly dissipated in the monitor speakers.
Lu Ran pressed the call button: "Very good, the emotion is spot on. In the second verse of the chorus, the breath could be a little deeper to make the power last longer. Let's do it again."
Xu Manxue made an "OK" gesture inside.
Before the second round began, Liu Siqi spoke up:
"I received an invitation from 'The Voice of China'."
...