Chu Xian (GL) · Conversa

<narration>At the final audition stage of Chenxing Entertainment's Studio 1, the afternoon sunlight was kept out by blackout curtains, and the stage lights burned starkly white. Down below, five judges were seated in a row, score sheets gripped in their hands, while rookies in the waiting area clutched their resumes, repeatedly drawing deep breaths. The air held a faint scent of cosmetic powder mixed with unmistakable tension.</narration> <narration>Chu Xian happened to drop by while making her building inspection rounds.</narration> <narration>Having just wrapped up the quarterly meeting for the Nanlu Industrial Park, she was dressed in a sharply tailored black suit, her sleeves cuffed to her forearms, revealing an understated vintage watch around her wrist. Her executive assistant, Lin Yan, followed half a pace behind, holding a stack of pending documents. The two slipped through the side door into the observation area at the back; their footsteps were light, unnoticed by the judges and staff in the front rows.</narration> <narration>She had no intention of staying long. With rookie scouting twice a year, the formulaic selections and interchangeable faces only felt tedious after seeing so many. The thoughts of these industry newcomers were plastered in their eyes: fawning, anxious, desperate to make a mark—even the curve of their smiles seemed calculated in advance, precise yet lifeless. Leaning back in her seat, Chu Xian idly flipped through the operating report in her hands, rarely glancing up at the stage, intending to leave after watching a couple of rounds.</narration> <narration>Of the previous three contestants, one sang and danced steadily but had wavering eyes, one had green acting skills yet deliberately fished for sympathy, and another recited from a script with stiff perfection—all textbook, risk-free performances. Chu Xian turned a page of the report, not even lifting her eyelids.</narration> <narration>Until the fourth person stepped onto the stage.</narration> <narration>The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow. Upon coming to a halt, the contestant first gave a slight bow toward the panel of judges. The self-introduction was clear and crisp, at just the right volume, free from cloying, artificially pitched sweetness and devoid of the stumbles common among novices. Chu Xian lifted her eyelids, her gaze settling onto the figure at center stage.</narration> <narration>The spotlight cascaded over your shoulders. You were dressed simply in a white shirt and black midi skirt, with clean, understated makeup and no excessive embellishment plastered on your face. When you looked up toward the judges' table, your gaze was remarkably frank and bright, devoid of timid shrinking or eager sycophancy. You merely stood there quietly, waiting for the judges to give the prompt.</narration> <narration>The performance wasn't flawless; there were still unpolished edges in technique, but its strength lay in sincerity. Your spine remained straight throughout, your gaze unwavering and focused. Even when a minor slip-up occurred in the middle, you merely paused for half a second before smoothing it over naturally, without a shred of panic showing on your face.</narration> <narration>Chu Xian stopped turning the pages of the report.</narration> <narration>She leaned back slightly against the chair, her fingertip tapping once, unconsciously, against the edge of the document. She had seen far too many people in this industry, long accustomed to the sharp-elbowed ambitions clawing to the top, and well-acquainted with the calculated shrewdness of currying favor with power. Someone so clean, bearing an unyielding resilience, yet carrying such an impeccable sense of boundaries was exceedingly rare.</narration> <narration>Like an unpolished rough gem—radiant at the core, upright in character.</narration> <narration>A thought surfaced without warning: Sign her, manage her myself.</narration> <narration>Not handing her down to the subordinate agents, but placing her directly under her own name, personally mapping out her path and watching over her growth. The thought came abruptly, yet with unyielding certainty. Looking at you on the stage, her gaze darkened, like a hunter fixing eyes on an ideal quarry. She was in no rush to pounce, merely watching in silence, having already laid out the path ahead in her mind.</narration> <narration>As the brief three-minute performance drew to an end, you bowed once more, turning to leave the stage. The judges began muttering in low voices as they scored. In the rear observation area, Chu Xian withdrew her gaze, looking back down at the report in her hands, her tone as placid as if discussing the most ordinary matter.</narration> <message>"Lin Yan, compile this rookie's file and email it to me before the end of the day."</message> <narration>Lin Yan paused for an instant before responding immediately.</narration> <message>"Understood, President Chu. Should I arrange for the talent management director to handle the onboarding?"</message> <message>"No need."</message> <narration>Chu Xian turned a page. The rustle of paper was soft, but her words carried immense weight.</narration> <message>"I'll negotiate the contract personally. From now on, she'll be under my name. I will manage her myself."</message> <narration>Lin Yan felt a flicker of surprise, though none of it showed on his face as he bowed his head to make a note. Having served Chu Xian for nearly ten years, he had never seen her invest this kind of attention in any newcomer—for someone of her stature as the president of the Chu Group to personally manage a rookie fresh out of open auditions, the entire industry would be shaken if word got out.</narration> <narration>Chu Xian said no more, her eyes resting on the figures in the report, though her thoughts drifted back to the stage just moments ago.</narration> <narration>She had always been accustomed to controlling everything, accustomed to having all matters unfold according to plan. Yet today's unplanned pause, this unexpected rookie, had stirred a long-dormant spark of interest within her.</narration> <narration>Take it slowly, she thought.</narration> <narration>This was the person she had chosen. The road ahead would be paved with her own hands. And naturally, she would also personally enclose this person into her own territory, carving her mark upon her, piece by piece.</narration>