HYAT - 58

Shen Qianzhan didn’t take Ji Qinghe’s phone call seriously.

She took some time to carefully review the resumes of the artists who had applied and selected a batch of high-quality actors for Shao Chouxi to audition.

A TV series requires dozens of cast members, from leads and supporting roles to extras. Not to mention an epic historical drama like Spring River, where a single grand scene can involve hundreds of people.

These actors are usually divided into three groups.

One group consists of artists favored by the investors, another group consists of actors signed to the production company, and the last group consists of professional actors without any specific connections, who joined the crew by submitting their resumes.

As a tribute drama commissioned by the higher-ups, it was obvious how prestigious Time would be.

As soon as the news of the auditions came out, Shen Qianzhan’s empty inbox received more than a dozen pages of resumes. In addition to the resumes, there were also many agents she had some connection with who scheduled meetings to promote their artists over lunch or afternoon tea.

Even Su Zan had to go to appointments after work, not getting home before midnight for a whole week.

One day, Shao Chouxi scheduled auditions and asked Shen Qianzhan to come to the set to interview the actors with him.

The audition location was a studio in the suburbs of Beijing. Shen Qianzhan brought Su Zan with her.

Shen Qianzhan had been very busy lately. First, the Time project was announced, then she started casting for actors. The crew had gradually expanded from just a few key members to include cinematographers, logistics staff, script supervisors, and art directors.

When she arrived, there were already many commercial vans parked outside the studio. The traffic was heavy, and people were coming and going, creating a lively scene.

Shen Qianzhan observed for a while from inside the car. When it was close to the time she had agreed to meet Shao Chouxi, she and Su Zan went inside.

Inside the studio, a white cloth was used as a backdrop, and display boards were used to create a closed room for the auditions. A long line of actors was waiting outside the room.

The moment Shen Qianzhan entered, the girls at the end of the line looked at her, some with curiosity, others wondering which company she was from. She walked straight, leading Su Zan into the audition room without even a glance.

Shao Chouxi was sitting behind a makeshift desk, flipping through resumes one by one.

His assistant was half-leaning on the desk, and whenever he saw a familiar face, he would explain: “This one is from Yihai Media. We’ve worked with them before. The actors are all from humble backgrounds, but they’re arrogant and difficult to work with.”

“This actor, CEO Chen has already spoken to us...” Before he could finish, he looked up and saw Shen Qianzhan enter and quickly greeted her: “Producer Shen is here.”

Shen Qianzhan smiled politely and gave a slight nod in greeting.

She and Su Zan sat in the empty chairs behind the desk. Soon, someone brought them tea. She casually flipped through the stack of resumes next to her and asked: “Director Shao, have you seen any good ones?”

“There are a few,” Shao Chouxi said, picking out a few resumes from the stack. “I’ve worked with these people before, and they’re here to audition today. You can take a look later.”

Shen Qianzhan glanced at them and had a general idea of who they were.

She was decisive in her work. After a round of auditions, she and Shao Chouxi had shortlisted most of the resumes. There was still some time before filming started, so she wasn’t in a hurry to make a decision. After they wrapped up, she made dinner plans with Shao Chouxi, and they headed back to the city together.

When they were discussing the lead actor list that day, Shao Chouxi didn’t say anything, but now that it was just him, Shen Qianzhan, and Su Zan, he brought it up: “I was wondering if it might be possible to use all new actors for the leads.”

Shen Qianzhan had guessed he might be thinking this, which was why the lead actor decision had been hanging in the air and she hadn’t discussed it with Su Lanyi.

Shao Chouxi was undoubtedly an excellent director, but people with too much talent are often unconventional and particularly fond of taking on impossible challenges.

She didn’t show any emotion on her face. After serving herself a bowl of tofu soup and putting down the serving spoon, she asked: “Do you have a suitable candidate in mind?”

“Don’t laugh at me,” Shao Chouxi said, his old face flushing with embarrassment. His eyes darted around as he looked at her. “Half of our male lead’s character is based on the experiences of the elder Mr. Ji Qingzhen, and now there’s a living heir right here...” Before he could finish, Shen Qianzhan choked.

She almost choked on the mouthful of tofu soup and coughed for a long time before asking in disbelief: “Who are you talking about?”

“CEO Ji, Ji Qinghe,” Shao Chouxi said with an innocent look. “I don’t have a concrete idea for the male lead, so Su Zan showed me a picture of CEO Ji working the other day to get some inspiration.”

He handed her the printed photo like he was presenting a treasure: “Look, how well CEO Ji’s temperament fits the character. His every move and gesture exudes a natural elegance. The best part is that he repairs watches himself, so you won’t have to spend any time training him.”

Shen Qianzhan, a fan of handsome men, was immediately captivated. She couldn’t take her eyes off the photo for a single second and kicked Su Zan’s leg: “Where did you get this photo?” She didn’t even have one, and this brat dared to keep one for himself!

“In CEO Ji’s studio,” Su Zan said, his eyes half-closed in satisfaction as he put a piece of cherry foie gras in his mouth. “On New Year’s Eve, you abandoned me with him. The next day, when I found the studio, I secretly took a picture.”

Shen Qianzhan licked her lips: “Just one?”

Su Zan scoffed and wiped the corners of his mouth with a wet towel. He didn’t answer directly. He looked past Shen Qianzhan to Shao Chouxi beside her and said: “Director Shao, I advise you to drop the idea. CEO Ji doesn’t have this hobby, and our Producer Shen won’t agree to it.”

“I know I’m being a little crazy,” Shao Chouxi said, his eyebrows furrowed with disappointment. “But looking at CEO Ji gives me a lot of creative inspiration. I was hoping Producer Shen could help me out. Why won’t she agree?”

“I thought asking Fu Xi was already very bold,” Shen Qianzhan said, finally tearing her gaze away from the photo. “Turns out there’s someone even bolder here.”

She put the photo face down on the table: “Confiscated.”

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Over the next few days, Shen Qianzhan first contacted Song Yan to confirm her schedule.

Song Yan’s contract with Spring River was until the end of March. After the snow melted in Wuxi a few days ago, Spring River had resumed filming. To catch up on the lost time, she started work at six in the morning and didn’t finish until late at night. Her communication with Shen Qianzhan was intermittent, and it would take a few days to get anything done.

After Shao Chouxi brought up the preposterous idea of having Ji Qinghe as the lead actor, he pestered Shen Qianzhan for several days. He finally gave up after Su Zan told on her, saying that Shen Qianzhan had her eyes on Song Yan and was trying to sign Fu Xi.

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The process of signing Song Yan and Fu Xi was not smooth sailing. First, Jiang Yecheng opposed it. This old fox was kind on the surface but had a wicked heart. He didn’t act openly but kept targeting her, stirring up trouble behind the scenes and causing her headaches.

Ai Yi, on the other hand, didn’t cause any trouble. After Shen Qianzhan politely declined her recommendations a few times, she stopped interfering.

When things were almost finalized, Shen Qianzhan called Ji Qinghe to inform him about the potential leads they were in contact with: “We’ve pretty much locked in Song Yan, and we’re still negotiating with Fu Xi. If you have no objections, I’ll go all in.”

Ji Qinghe didn’t commit to anything: “You can decide.”

“Before we finalize the leads, there’s a side story,” Shen Qianzhan said with a laugh. “Director Shao suggested you be the male lead. What do you think?”

There seemed to be a crowd of people around him, and the background noise was chaotic. He covered the phone with his hand and moved to a slightly quieter corner before replying: “Would you be okay with me being intimate with other women?”

Shen Qianzhan thought for a moment and said: “I’m fine with that.” Noticing that his tone changed, she immediately added: “But I can’t accept you showing your shoulders, back, or face.”

Ji Qinghe chuckled softly: “I agree. You should be the only one to appreciate that.”

Shen Qianzhan’s face suddenly felt hot. She went along with his words and asked: “Filming starts in April. When are you coming back?” As soon as she said it, she realized her tone sounded a little resentful and tried to cover it up by adding: “When we signed the contract, you demanded to personally review the script and have a car pick you up and drop you off. We’ve had dozens of script meetings, and you haven’t attended a single one.”

If Ji Qinghe wasn’t free labor, she would have already gone to him to demand compensation for breach of contract.

Ji Qinghe turned and looked at the date on the screen—March 20th.

To avoid the new products of his lifelong watch brand, he had been trapped at the headquarters for nearly two months. During this time, he had returned to Beijing twice, but he was so busy that he didn’t even have time to have a meal with her, feeling a sense of world-weariness and helplessness as if he had been near his home three times without entering.

Ji Qinghe pinched the bridge of his nose and took off his glasses.

In front of the French window were the lights of half a city. As he stood above the scattered lights, the feeling of longing overwhelmed him in an instant.

“I’ll be there for the wrap party.”