The lunch that Cesare and Tao Cen were supposed to have had yesterday was postponed to today. In France, the two enjoyed the most authentic French meal. Tao Cen seemed to be unaffected by Cesare's hint of cooperation with Jiang Se yesterday, and was all smiles.
She is a very smart woman, scheming and resourceful, but she always knows how to avoid being annoying.
"The film festival is over. I know you're in a hurry." After the dessert was served, Tao Cen smiled:
"However, I haven't had the chance to meet you since the filming of The Lost City was completed. I heard that the Finnish band Time is coming to Nice and will have a concert this afternoon..."
Cesare did not touch the dessert in front of him, but smiled and rejected Tao Cen's kindness:
"I'm sorry, but the appointment this afternoon is not on my schedule."
Finland's 'Time' orchestra is one of the world's top orchestras, with a history dating back more than seventy years.
The orchestra does not have fixed members, but has absorbed outstanding members since its establishment. Tickets are hard to buy, and it has always been a favorite in the eyes of people who love music and art and is extremely sought after.
Tao Cen's invitation at this time proved that she should have already obtained the tickets. Cesare's eyes fell on the exquisite pastry in front of him:
"I appreciate your kindness," he shrugged.
"It's just that I have other things to do this afternoon."
His refusal was so obvious that Tao Cen should have been smart enough to keep quiet about it, but somehow, she remembered Cesare's praise of Jiang Se yesterday.
Tao Cen, who was nominated for the Best Actress award together with Jiang Se, also received an invitation to the charity dinner after the closing ceremony of the film festival last night. She also saw the conversation between Cesare and Jiang Se at the dinner. Cesare had something to do in the afternoon, which was most likely related to Jiang Se.
Although she snatched the role of "The Lost City" from Jiang Se and starred in the first part, this is a series. When the producers signed the contract with her, they only signed for the first part of "The Lost City", and did not sign the second and third parts.
This is also the main reason why Tao Cen made an appointment with Cesare for dinner today. Considering that Cesare told the media that he would cooperate with Jiang Se, the person Cesare wanted to invite this afternoon might be Jiang Se.
Tao Cen pursed her lips, suppressing her curiosity at the moment, smiled, put down the fork she was eating dessert with, picked up the tablecloth to wipe her mouth, opened her bag, and took out two tickets for the band 'Time':
"In that case, I'm really sorry that I can't go to this wonderful concert with you. If you have some free time, maybe you can go to the concert with your friends."
Cesare likes beauties, art and photography, and he is not resisting music. Tao Cen's tactful behavior won Cesare's favor. She was smart and tactful. Even when Cesare had refused, she was able to hold back the embarrassment and took out the tickets as if nothing had happened to please him, which made Cesare smile.
He did not take the two tickets, but was willing to accept Tao Cen's kindness, even though he knew she had other intentions.
The audition in the afternoon was held in a conference room temporarily rented by the hotel. In addition to Cesare, there were also his assistants and staff. Jiang Se appeared in the conference room wearing simple jeans and a matching sweater.
She had her long hair tied up and was holding the book "Prisoners" borrowed from Cesare. After greeting Cesare, she solemnly handed the book back to him.
"Already seen it?"
Cesare took the book and asked with a half-smile.
While the book was with Jiang Se, she protected it well and didn't get any wrinkles on it. It was obvious that it had been flipped through. There was a simple bookmark in the book. Cesare opened the book where she had left it open, and it happened to be the chapter where Shireen appeared.
Jiang Se did prepare in advance for this audition today.
She was so cautious and did not neglect her because of their friendship. This attitude made Cesare full of expectations for her performance before Jiang Se had a formal audition.
For Jiang Se, it is not easy to play the role of Shilin well.
The brief interactions with Jiang Se allowed Cesare to roughly understand Jiang Se's character. She was not a devout believer, and her appearance was not like that in the original novel. Shireen looked a little tough, and her personality was not enthusiastic, but rather a little cold. If she wanted to bring Shireen to life, she could not rely solely on her friendship with her and luck.
"Watch carefully." Jiang Se understood what Cesare meant by asking this question. With this novel in hand, she and Cesare will have more interactions in the future, and it also represents unlimited opportunities.
"You've thought it through."
Cesare lifted the book and shook it:
"I can't guarantee that this audition will be successful."
"Prisoners" is a very special work for him. It is a work he has loved for many years. He wants to bring it to the big screen and hopes to select the most suitable actors for it.
Even for a character like Shireen who doesn't occupy much of the screen, he is still very critical.
After today's audition, he will continue to audition other actors when he returns to Italy before making the final decision.
If Jiang Se returns the novel to himself now, there is a high possibility that he will not be selected in the future, and it will not be easy to get such an opportunity again.
"I understand." Jiang Se nodded, "But for me, the novel "Prisoners" is also my favorite. It is more than just a fallback for me." Even if the audition was unsuccessful this time, Jiang Se never thought of holding on to "Prisoners" which belonged to Cesare.
Some opportunities only come once, and using the same method to approach Cesare every time will only ruin all the goodwill you have accumulated previously.
Her answer made Cesare smile. He put the book away and did not rush Jiang Se to start. Instead, he talked to her about Shireen:
"In your opinion, what is the significance of the character Shireen in Prisoners?"
In the novel, Shireen's existence serves as a bridge for Andre to communicate with the gods. In the end, she is sacrificed by Andre, allowing Andre to successfully touch the top of the pyramid that was previously out of reach.
In the story, Andre was just one of the bishops in a remote town. If it weren't for the accident that happened later, becoming the Pope would have been just a ridiculous and unattainable ideal for him throughout his life.
But he rescued Shireen, and learned from her a spell to communicate with the gods. He prayed to God and expressed his wish to become the Pope, and the gods agreed.
At that time, Pope St. Peter was already old and had been looking for a successor. Various forces in the Vatican were ambitious and eager for this position.
Andre was ecstatic at that moment, but he didn't expect that while gaining power, the purity of Shireen's soul came with a heretical curse on her body.
The moment she was sacrificed, the door to the other world opened and a large number of evil spirits invaded.
In that battle, almost the entire town became a living hell. Andre almost died in this battle. He sealed the heresy, but was left with a fatal wound. When he was dying, the Vatican was impressed by his great contribution in this battle and promoted him as a candidate for the future Pope. (To be continued)