Chapter 37: Do You Want to Be a Star?

Her gaze swept once more over the copy of *The Art of Film Directing* and the glowing screen, her curiosity plain to see.

Jiang Ye’s smile deepened as he reached out a hand. "Jiang Ye. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bai Mengyan. It seems we’re quite fated to run into each other here in the library."

His fingers tapped lightly against the cover of the book as he added, with an air of casual ease, "Actually, I’m from the Directing Department at the Beijing Film Academy. I just finished shooting a web series."

He paused, studying Bai Mengyan with a thoughtful look. "I’m currently preparing for the music video for the theme song, and I’m in need of a suitable lead actress."

Bai Mengyan’s eyes lit up instantly, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the book in her arms.

The Beijing Film Academy? A web series?

These words were like a key, gently unlocking a dream she had kept buried deep within her heart.

"That’s amazing..." Bai Mengyan tried to keep her voice steady, though a sweet, involuntary smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I’ve always been quite curious about acting."

Jiang Ye suddenly froze, his eyes locked firmly on her smiling face.

"Huh?"

He leaned forward slightly.

Taken aback by his sudden reaction, Bai Mengyan’s smile stiffened. "Wh-what is it?"

"This smile of yours..." Jiang Ye’s voice turned unexpectedly serious. "It’s the perfect match for the feeling I want for my music video lead!"

Bai Mengyan’s heart skipped a beat, and a faint blush instantly colored her cheeks.

She subconsciously reached up to touch her face. "Really?"

"It’s a perfect fit."

Jiang Ye opened his photo gallery and quickly pulled up a concept image. "Look, the most important quality for the lead is this kind of vibrant, lively smile that shines with sunshine."

In the picture, a girl stood against the light, her brilliant smile seemingly able to pierce through the screen.

To her surprise, Bai Mengyan noticed that the expression indeed bore a striking resemblance to her own.

"I came to Changzhou to gather some inspiration, but I never expected such a wonderful surprise."

Jiang Ye’s tone was filled with pleasant surprise. He swiped across the screen, pulling up a few pages of the script. "The lead role in this music video isn’t huge, but it’s very impactful."

Bai Mengyan’s gaze flickered between the script and the concept art, her heart hammering faster and faster.

"However..." Jiang Ye suddenly tucked his phone away, wearing a troubled expression. "We need to finalize the casting by tomorrow."

"So soon?" Bai Mengyan blurted out, then realized her lack of composure and hurriedly added, "I mean... if there’s still time..."

Jiang Ye pretended to consider it for a moment. "How about this? There’s a quiet café nearby. If you have a moment now, we could talk about it in detail? And perhaps do a simple audition."

Bai Mengyan glanced back at her best friend in the distance, who was signaling frantically, then bit her lower lip. "O-okay."

As she followed Jiang Ye out of the library, she caught a glimpse of Hehe, whose eyes were wide and mouth hanging open enough to fit an egg.

She secretly flashed a "wait for my news" gesture, but was met with an exaggerated throat-slitting motion from her friend.

No sooner had she stepped out of the library doors than her phone began to vibrate incessantly.

[Hehe]: Bai Mengyan, you traitor! You chose a guy over your best friend!!
[Hehe]: What happened to helping me scout for information???
[Hehe]: How could you just openly stab your sister in the back like this???
[Hehe]: [Animated emoji: relentless meat cleaver hacking]

Bai Mengyan’s fingers flew across the screen. "It’s a misunderstanding! He’s a director! He’s looking for a lead for his music video!"

As soon as the message was sent, Jiang Ye, walking ahead, suddenly turned back. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing." She hurriedly locked her screen, nearly dropping her phone. "It’s just... my friend is a bit..."

"Impatient?" Jiang Ye gave a knowing smile and pointed to a nearby café. "It’ll be quick; I won’t take up too much of your time. If you pass the audition..."

"Who knows, your friend might see you on television."

The two entered the café, and Jiang Ye specifically chose a window seat. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm halos across the wooden tabletop.

"Take a look at this first." Jiang Ye pulled a tablet from his bag and brought up a polished proposal. "These are a few projects our company is currently preparing."

Bai Mengyan took the tablet, her fingertips sliding gently across the surface. Professional film and television proposals flashed across the screen, each accompanied by detailed storyboards and budget sheets.

Her eyes lingered for a moment on the "Estimated Investment" column, and her heart rate accelerated involuntarily.

*So professional! With this level of professionalism, he couldn't be a scammer, could he?*

"Actually..." she began hesitantly, "I have absolutely no acting experience."

Jiang Ye chuckled softly and picked up his coffee cup. "Every actor has a first time. What matters is..." He pointed to his own eyes. "...the director’s eye."

Just as Bai Mengyan was deep in thought, Jiang Ye suddenly pulled out his phone. "By the way, let me let you meet the male lead of the music video."

He started a video call, and a handsome, sleepy face soon appeared on the screen.

"Old Jiang, what is it?" Ou Hao rubbed his eyes, the décor of a hotel room visible in the background.

"Didn't you promise to sing the theme song for *The Concubine’s Promotion* for free?" Jiang Ye asked naturally.

Ou Hao looked blank. "Did I? Did I really promise that?"

At that moment, Ma Sichun’s voice drifted in from off-screen. "Is that our great Director Jiang? Why haven't you come to visit us?"

She leaned into the frame, her bare face still stunningly beautiful.

Bai Mengyan covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. This was a real-life celebrity!

"Hello, Sister Chun!"

"Yes, you did," Jiang Ye continued to Ou Hao. "You were drunk on the night of the wrap party. Do you want me to help you recall the details? For instance..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Ou Hao interrupted hurriedly, his ears visibly turning red. "I remember now! I did promise!"

Ma Sichun leaned closer to the camera curiously. "Who is that with you?"

"Our new lead actress for the music video." Jiang Ye turned the camera toward Bai Mengyan. "Say hello?"

Bai Mengyan waved awkwardly, her cheeks as red as a ripe apple.

After the video call ended, she remained stunned, unable to collect her thoughts.

"Do you believe I’m not a scammer now?"

Jiang Ye smiled as he put his phone away and took a contract out of his briefcase. "This is a standard contract for a newcomer. You can take it home and read it over slowly."

"Wait, isn't it just for one music video? Do I need to sign a contract?"

"Yes! On the condition that you become an artist with our company!"

"Bai Mengyan, do you want to be a star?"

...

When Bai Mengyan left, her steps were so light she felt as if she were walking on clouds, her eyes sparkling with dreams of the future.

Watching her retreating figure, Jiang Ye finally let out a sigh of relief.

The first step of the plan had finally been achieved successfully.

He picked up his coffee, which had long since gone cold, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Coming to Changzhou specifically to sign Bai Lu was, of course, a well-calculated move. As someone who had been reborn, he knew all too well how much potential this girl—who laughed so boisterously—would have in the future.

Signing her now was a bargain that was almost absurdly cost-effective. Even more rare was her natural audience appeal and comedic timing, traits that were precious in the entertainment industry.

"A future top-tier starlet..."

Jiang Ye tapped his fingers against the table, calculating his next moves in his mind. His film company was just starting out and needed to build its own team of artists. Instead of spending exorbitant fees to hire established stars from the '85-generation to act in his projects, it was better to sign several newcomers with potential while he still could.

Why did Yu Zheng love using newcomers? Wasn't it just to save money?

Thinking of this, he opened the memo app on his phone, which held a list of names: Tian, Bai, Zhang, Zhou, Zhang, Liu, Wang...

Jiang Ye put the contract away, a glint of ambition in his eyes. He wasn't just planning to build an ordinary film company.

Of course, one had to walk the path one step at a time. The publicity and distribution for the web series were about to begin!