Chapter Text
“1428……1428……14-啊！找到了！”
<1428…1428…14-ah! Found it!>
He carefully pushed open the door to find other auditionees seated in a row of foldable chairs. Taking a seat, he observed the other boys going over lines and actions that they have probably gone over more than 100 times, some were rubbing their hands together nervously, tapping their foot on the floor in a rhythmic pattern.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. A text from his manager, Zhao Yong (赵zhào永yǒng).
赵姐(Sister Zhao): 放松点，台词和动作背好就行。第一次试镜，能拿下这角色对你这样的新人来说在事业上很有帮助。加油！！！（。＾▽＾）
<Relax, just remember your lines and actions. This is your first audition, it’ll be a good career boost for a newbie like you if you get this role. Fighting!!!>
你(You): 知道了 <Got it>
你(You)：谢啦 TwT <Thanks TwT>
“徐滨?”
<Xu Bin?>
He lifted his head to see a lady with a clipboard in her hand nodding towards him, before slipping his phone back into his pocket and following her to the next room.
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“炯炯啊，刚刚那位你觉得怎样？”
<Jiong Jiong ah, what did you think of that one just now?>
“还好吧...…”
<He was alright...>
“前面几位你都这么说。”
<You said the same for all the previous guys.>
“...”
He quickly turned back to the script in his hand, avoiding the director’s point. To be fair, all the previous auditionees had acting experience, and their skills were decent. But every interaction only consisted of surface level laughter and polite smiles, none of them were close to a real sense of connection.
How did he end up here?
Since he was the first confirmed actor for one of the 2 main leads, the director wanted him to have a choice in choosing who he wanted as his partner for the other leading role. In the director’s words, “让演员亲自选搭档，才会有CP感。”<The characters will only have good chemistry if the actor chooses his own partner>
So here he was, going through the exact same scene with multiple different auditionees, saying the exact same lines over and over. While all the previous candidates did well, none of their interactions stood out to him, each smile was either too shallow or too forced. In all honesty, he was just looking for a natural, comfortable interaction, a personality that could click with his own.
“下一位是...…徐滨，对吧？我是导演，柴鸡蛋。这位是苏御的演员，张炯敏。”
<Next auditionee...Xu Bin, right? I'm the director Chai Ji Dan. This is Su Yu's actor, Zhang Jiong Min>
Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice the next candidate entering the room. He lifted his head to see the new face shaking hands with the director. As their gazes locked, a knowing sense of recognition hummed between them – foreign, yet familiar.
“好，你可以站在炯炯旁边然后简单自我介绍一下。”
<OKay, you can stand beside Jiong Jiong and do a simple self-introduction.>
Xu Bin nodded, positioning himself next to Zhang Jiong Min.
“Hello各位老师你们好，我叫徐滨，今年20岁，身高188，体重72公斤。我的个人技能是击剑和柔道。期待与您的合作。”
<Hello everyone, I am Xu Bin, 20 years old this year, my height is 188 and my weight is 72kg. I am excited to be working everyone.>
The director raised an eyebrow, “那时候你不是说你186吗？”<Didn't you say you were 186?>
Xu Bin nodded sheepishly, “现在肯定高一点嘛。而且是半年前量的，没量过。”lgt;I must be taller now. And that was half a year ago, it wasn’t newly measured.>
“你现在长个了？”
<You grew taller?>
“必须！我才20，必长个！” Xu Bin gaped, pretending to sound offended.
<I ought to have! I’m only 20, I have to grow taller!>
Zhang Jiong Min, along with the rest of the crew, grinned at Xu Bin’s child-like response. The director smirked, putting down Xu Bin’s report, “好啦，不逗你了。你们随时准备好就可以开始表演了。”
. . . . .
“谢谢你来参加试镜，保持联络。”
<Thanks for coming for the audition, let's keep in touch.>
“嗯，好的。谢谢。”
<En. Okay, thank you.>
Zhang Jiong Min watched as Xu Bin left the audition room after they finished their scene, not realising that he was still staring at the empty doorway until the director tapped him on the shoulder.
“盯那么久。怎么？舍不得他走？”
<You've been staring for so long. Hm? Reluctant for him to leave?>
“啊？没有啦。”
<Ah? That's not it.>
“刚才他演‘不是就不是’的时候看你笑得那么开心。被可爱到了？”
<I saw you beaming so happily when he did the ‘I said no!’ scene. You think he’s cute?>
“我只是觉得...…他很吴比。”
<I just feel that...he's very similar to Wu Bi.>
Letting out an exasperated huff, Zhang Jiong Min briskly returned to his seat before the director could continue to tease him.
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[At night, in Zhang Jiong Min apartment]
“恭喜炯炯试镜成功！”
<Jiong Jiong, congratulations on getting the role!>
“谢谢！”
<Thanks!>
Glasses met with a resounding clink! in celebration. Everyone was in town for work, and the friend group gathered at Zhang Jiong Min’s place for dinner as usual. Conversation jumped through topics related to life and gossip, until it finally got to that morning’s audition. To his right was Zhao Lu Si, who playful elbowed him.
“你们明天会做决定对吧？你想好了吗？”
<The final decision will be made tomorrow, right? Anyone in mind?>
“有一位...…挺像吴比的。“
<There is one…kinda like Wu Bi.>
“长得怎样？”
<Is he handsome?>
“挺可爱的...…欸？等下！我的意思是-”
<Kinda cute...eh? Wait! I mean->
A smack from Ba Xiao Xin landed on his shoulder, “少废话。他叫啥？”<Save it. What's his name?>
“好像是叫...…徐滨。”
<I think it’s…Xu Bin.>
“有没有什么喜好？”
<Any hobbies?>
“他...…好像学过击剑和柔道。欸？等等你们在干嘛？！”
<He…learnt fencing and judo. Eh? Wait what are y’all doing?!>
Zhang Jiong Min turned around to find the entire group crowded around Zhao Lu Si’s phone scrolling through Xiao Hong Shu, clicking on profile before flipping her screen to face Zhang Jiong Min.
“你看，是不是他？”
<Take a look, is this him?>
The profile picture showed a selfie of a boy between 18 to 20, dressed in a hoodie and a basketball in hand. A closer look confirmed that it was Xu Bin, probably from a year ago, with a head of black hair. Zhang Jiong Min let a soft hum serve as an answer, and the group started scrolling through Xu Bin’s profile while Zhang Jiong Min looked over Zhao Lu Si’s shoulder.
“哇瑟...…他参加过《运动吧少年》，今年还参加了《青春有你3》。击剑还得了这么多奖，看起来挺有自信的吗...…” One of the girls suddenly slapped Zhang Jiong Min on the back, “喂，你不是有在个采访里说过你喜欢会保护人的和可爱的类型吗？这不就有了。”
<Whoa…He took part in ‘Let’s Exercise, Boys’, even joined ‘Youth With You Season 3’ this year. So many prizes for fencing, looks pretty confident to me…> <Hey, didn’t you mention in that one interview that you liked the protective and cute type? This is it.>
“哎呀你别乱说。况且我是选搭档，又不是什么相亲节目...”
<Aiya don’t say it so simply. Also I’m choosing a filming partner, not like it’s a reality dating show…>
“但你们不是明天做选择吗？”
<But aren't y'all choosing tomorrow?>
“嗯.”
<Mhm.>
Zhao Lu Si smirked, “那你是不是要选他？”<Then are you going to choose him?>
Zhang Jiong Min turned away from the screen, dodging the question, leaving the rest to laugh at his defeat.
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[The next day, in the meeting room]
The director and crew gathered around the meeting table while everyone went through the potential candidates, each person voicing their opinions on who should get the role. Votes narrowed the choices down to 2, one of them being Xu Bin. Ultimately, the director wanted Zhang Jiong Min to have the final say, and so everyone’s attention had turned to face the actor.
“炯炯，你想选谁？”
<Jiong Jiong, who do you wanna pick?>
Zhang Jiong Min’s eyes lingered on a particular name on the screen.
“我...…”
<I...>
“...…我想选徐滨。”
<...I pick Xu Bin.>