Once she was sure she was thoroughly familiar with it, Ji Niandong turned on the microphone beside her, ready to start voice acting.
She took a sip of purified water to soothe her throat, coughed a few times to ensure she was in good condition, and then began.
"Oh, my! How can the weather be so good today, with the recent heavy smog? I thought I was dreaming..."
She was using that exaggerated, flamboyant tone from old films—heavy smog? This line delivery... made Sheng Mingyuan unable to hold back his laughter.
As she was reciting a few lines, a phone's ringtone suddenly went off, interrupting the voice acting.
With no choice, Ji Niandong turned off the microphone and answered the call. A faint voice came from the other side, "Hello, Miss Ji, I am the casting director of the 'Choked Love' crew. Why don't you have an agent or an agency?" There was a hint of disdain and confusion in his tone, "The crew unanimously thinks you're very suitable for the role of the female lead Shen Xiaole. Please report tomorrow!"
For a minor role with nothing much to say, he wasn't there to ask if she would take the part; he just hung up after informing her!
Ji Niandong didn't even have time to say thank you.
"What are you doing?" Sheng Mingyuan came in and asked.
Ji Niandong stood up and said happily, "The 'Choked Love' crew called me and said I passed the audition and asked me to play the female lead's sister, Shen Xiaole!" Her face was beaming with the excitement of a young girl. Sheng Mingyuan had come in furious, but now he couldn't muster his anger.
He glanced sideways, exhaled, and his face sank, "Don't you know you can't have your phone on you during voice acting, and if you do, it should be on silent? Yet, you still answered the call!"
He suddenly started reprimanding her, and Ji Niandong felt a pang in her heart, realizing that she had stopped halfway through the voice acting. She hung her head full of remorse, "I'm sorry, I'll record it again!"
"If you were a real voice actor, how much recording tape would you waste doing it ?" Sheng Mingyuan looked at her sternly, his finger tapping on the table, "And yet, the 'Choked Love' crew still took a liking to you? Their publicity has been pretty strong recently!" His tone was odd, "If I remember correctly, Shen Xiaole is a high schooler, and you..."
He snorted coldly, "Get back to proper voice acting!"
She sat down, exhaled, adjusted herself, and started voice acting again.
Only then did Sheng Mingyuan frown and leave.
But she clearly understood the implication in his words. How could the crew of such a big movie as 'Choked Love' take a liking to someone like her, a nobody with nothing? Besides, she's already 24 but was said to be suitable to portray a high school student under 18?!
Ji Niandong shook her head, exhaled, and decided not to think about it now; the important thing was the voice acting!
"Oh, my! The weather is surprisingly good today! Yet, I'm stuck inside such a stuffy room. I thought I'd never see the sun again..."
Sheng Mingyuan pressed his brow; this frail young girl could really craft lines to express her dissatisfaction!
Finally, the voice acting was complete!
Sheng Mingyuan began to review the results. Ji Niandong stood nervously watching him. After he finished, he stood up and sarcastically said, "Lucky you didn't become a screenwriter; otherwise, you could become a stand-up comedian at any moment!"
Ignoring his sarcasm, she asked, "Is it okay?"
This time, he responded earnestly, "Your speed and articulation are fine now, but when voice acting, you are the protagonist. You need to empathize and be emotional, understand?!"
"Got it!" Ji Niandong nodded.
Sheng Mingyuan waved his hand, "I have a class to attend; you check all the tapes here for any damage!"