Liu Wenwen left, but it didn’t affect Lin Jiang in the slightest.
He had the two women try a few other scenes. After receiving some guidance from Li Wenzhong, he could see a clear improvement in Tang Wan and Liu Peipei, which left him satisfied.
Even so, he didn’t decide to cast them on the spot. Instead, he told them to go home and wait for news.
"Director Li, what do you think?"
"For amateurs, performing at this level is incredible," Li Wenzhong praised highly. "With a little more refinement and proper coaching, their acting skills could reach a whole new level."
Li Wenzhong smiled at the two of them. "President Lin and President Fang, your eye for talent is truly impressive."
"You’re too kind, Director Li."
"But the only drawback is that these two can’t carry a movie at the box office. The male actor we pair them with will need to be somewhat famous. However, our budget is a bit tight, so that might be difficult to pull off."
"I have faith in this script. We don’t need to worry about whether the actors can carry the box office. As long as their acting is good enough, that’s all that matters."
Lin Jiang’s immense confidence was instantly infectious, and the other two decided to follow his lead.
In addition to Tang Wan and Liu Peipei, other actors came to audition that afternoon, including Miao Xiaoyuan, who had been chosen the day before.
After the auditions were over, it was already past six in the evening.
After leaving the hotel, Lin Jiang drove Fang Jie home.
Compared to her previous unease, Fang Jie was much calmer this time.
"Want to grab a bite together? Or go to the gym tonight?"
"I’m afraid I can’t today. There’s an acquisition deal at the company that I need to look into."
"You should’ve said so earlier! I thought you were free tonight."
Fang Jie unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. "Go on, get to your work."
"Okay, I’m heading out then."
"Bye-bye. Drive safe on your way, okay?"
After leaving, Lin Jiang went to Chen Jingxian’s home.
Chen Jingxian was at home working out, dressed in yoga shorts and a sports tank top.
"Your figure is getting better and better. Keep up the good work. It’ll be even more comfortable to touch this way."
"In your dreams. I won’t let you touch me anymore from now on."
"That’s not for you to decide."
"It’s my body, don’t I get a say?"
"Of course not. You’re my employee, so I’m the one who calls the shots."
"Oh, you’re so full of yourself."
Chen Jingxian twitched her small, dainty nose, led Lin Jiang to the dining table, and sat down across from him.
"Let’s eat. I’ve made everything for you."
On the dining table were three dishes and a soup.
Stir-fried pork with chili peppers, tomato and beef brisket stew, garlic-stir-fried cabbage, and seaweed egg drop soup.
"You don’t have to go to so much trouble next time. One dish is enough."
"I wasn’t doing anything else, so I wanted to make a bit more for you."
"Let’s eat."
"Then I’ll dig right in."
Lin Jiang picked up his chopsticks and dug in heartily, which is the greatest respect one can show the cook.
Seeing Lin Jiang eat with such relish, Chen Jingxian felt a sense of satisfaction.
"I’ve pretty much finished looking into the Li Yuan matter for you," Chen Jingxian said.
"The price is 43 million. Factory Director He says that’s on the high side. 35 million would be a very suitable price, and 40 million would be acceptable. But they seem to be stuck firm on their price and won’t budge a penny. I think they might not be sincere about selling."
Although Lin Jiang was busy, he had also taken the time to look into Li Yuan’s situation.
Although its circumstances were similar to Mu Xing’s in the past, they were far from as dire. The company could easily hold on for a few more years.
So they weren’t in a hurry to sell; you could even say they didn’t have a strong desire to sell at all.
This way, the upper hand was in their court, so naturally, they wouldn’t leave any room for negotiation.
"Looking at it this way, it seems pretty much impossible to buy it for under 40 million."
"What are your thoughts? Do you still want to buy it?"
"Of course, we’re buying. Hand this matter over to Factory Director He. Have him go investigate Li Yuan as a company and get familiar with the relevant situation."
After thinking for a moment, Lin Jiang continued,
"Also, help me set up a meeting with the leaders from Shudong City. They’ve already come here to attract investment, and I’m also planning to build a factory up north, so we definitely need to meet."
"You’re right. After acquiring Li Yuan, we’ll inevitably have to deal with the city’s leadership, so meeting them now is essential."
Chen Jingxian looked at Lin Jiang. "When are you free?"
"I have more auditions tomorrow, but it should be over in one day. Schedule it for the day after tomorrow. You two can coordinate the time and place, just let me know when it’s set."
"Okay."
After dinner, Lin Jiang got up and stretched a bit.
"Want to work out together?"
"Sure! I was getting bored by myself anyway."
After a simple warm-up, the two began their at-home workout journey.
But their workout session soon found its way to the sofa.
Lin Jiang was sitting, Chen Jingxian was kneeling...
Lin Jiang also stayed for the entire audition process the next day.
The main cast was mostly decided, so he didn’t plan on sticking around for the rest. He would let Li Wenzhong handle it from here.
That evening, after the two of them had dinner, Lin Jiang drove Fang Jie home.
"The casting is basically settled. The next step is to choose the filming locations," Fang Jie said on the way back.
"We can book the plane tickets then. Let’s get over there and take a look as soon as possible."
"I’ve never met an investor as hands-on as you," Fang Jie said with a smile.
"I can’t help it. This is the first movie I’m producing, and I’m counting on it to build our reputation. There can’t be any mistakes. I have to personally oversee the casting and location scouting. As for everything else, I’ll stay out of it."
"Should I book tickets for the day after tomorrow? That gives us a day to prepare."
"Sounds good. I have something to do tomorrow anyway, so leaving the day after is fine." Lin Jiang looked at Fang Jie.
"What about you? Can you arrange things for your child?"

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