Chapter 44: Audition

The Shelter Director was filled with confusion, while Director Luo Qin, who personally came looking for Cat, was brimming with anger.  

Luo Qin had worked on several films previously funded by Feng Sheng, and their collaborations had always been smooth.

So when Feng Sheng invited him to direct their original script this time, he agreed just by reading the script.  

But after joining the crew, he found out that the main actors had already been decided by Feng Sheng.

He was used to their casting their own actors, and as long as the actors cooperated and could act well enough, he usually turned a blind eye.  

This time, however, the male lead hadn’t even become popular yet but was already acting like a big star—insisting on pushing back the fixed schedule, finding excuses to delay joining the crew, and even trying to sneak in his own pet cat.  

Luo Qin kept his temper in check—after all, it was just a cat.

If they could tolerate sneaking in people, why not a cat?

Besides, he had agreed to all this himself, so no matter how bad the mess was, the shoot had to be completed.  

But unfortunately, while he tried to play nice, some people only took advantage of it, treating the cat like a royal figure to be worshiped.

Luo Qin finally lost his temper on the spot and stormed off to find Cat himself.  

Though (Pet Fate) was an urban romantic comedy, the pets had a considerable role.

Delving deeper, it even touched on the relationship between humans and animals, so Luo Qin valued the three animal actors highly.  

He asked his assistant to look for suitable animal actors.

The assistant happened to see a public service advertisement from the Animal Shelter and showed it to him.  

The black cat in the ad was incredibly lively, the chubby orange cat perfectly matched the image of the female lead’s pet cat in the movie, and even Da Zhuang, the husky missing one ear, looked exceptionally calm and steady.  

Luo Qin watched the advertisement clip back and forth three times.

From initially rejecting the black cat to eventually accepting the orange cat and especially being impressed by the parts teaching it to hunt, which was almost a reenactment of the script, he was very satisfied.  

He hadn’t expected to find suitable animal actors so easily.

Following the shares, Luo Qin found the Animal Shelter’s Official Weibo and messaged them directly to inquire about collaborating with the crew.  

Of course, Luo Qin’s troubles were unknown to Xie Xiaobao.

Based on screenshots sent by the Shelter Director, Xie Xiaobao messaged Luo Qin himself, saying he was the owner of Orange Bao and asking about the cooperation.  

[*Feng Sheng had previously discussed cooperation on (Pet Fate) with me, but I heard the other two animal actors on the crew were already cast, so the collaboration was put on hold.*]  

Luo Qin hadn’t realized this was going on behind the scenes, and his anger flared even more.

Gritting his teeth to suppress it, he politely replied to Xie Xiaobao.  

[*Nothing is final yet. The previous two animal actors are not quite suitable. If you’re interested in collaborating, we can schedule an audition first.*]  

Naturally, Xie Xiaobao was interested, but since this wasn’t just his decision alone, he didn’t immediately agree.

He said he needed to discuss it with others and would reply later.  

Luo Qin had no issue with that.

They were just starting to shoot the female lead’s scenes, and male lead Yang Qifei wouldn’t join the crew for another two days, so the pets’ scenes wouldn’t be filmed immediately either.  

This matter needed to be discussed with Old Wang.

Xie Xiaobao first replied to the Shelter Director, then coordinated with Old Wang to ask how to handle it.  

Old Wang knew that Xie Xiaobao wanted Orange Bao to take this movie role mainly for the sake of the Animal Shelter.

Instead of telling Xie Xiaobao to reply, he contacted Feng Sheng’s Producer and Luo Qin personally.  

The Producer at Feng Sheng hadn’t expected a cat to cause such a stir.

Yang Qifei’s cat was probably spoiled and had a very bad temper.

During its first audition at the crew, it scratched two crew members.

Such a temperament was impossible to cooperate with.  

Among directors, Luo Qin’s temper was considered mild, but he lost it on the spot and also rejected another dog that barked wildly, insisting on making the final decision himself.  

The Feng Sheng Producer was caught in the middle, stuck between the company’s favorite young star and the heavyweight director—offending either side was impossible.  

But Luo Qin was straightforward: “Let’s do it my way. First the audition. If they pass, they’re cast. As for Yang Qifei, I’ll handle him. He’s been too arrogant for too long; it’s time someone put him in his place.”  

The Feng Sheng Producer breathed a sigh of relief.

Luo Qin’s status was well-established, and since he knew the CEO personally, even if they embarrassed Yang Qifei, he probably wouldn’t complain.  

With Luo Qin willing to step forward, the three parties quickly settled on the plan to bring the three animals for auditions the day after tomorrow.