Chapter 120: The Audition Turmoil!

"What's going on?" Everyone looked over, full of curiosity.

Zhang Suijuan picked up her phone and said with an innocent look, "I posted that tweet, and now so many people are leaving comments under it!"

Zhao Rong took the phone, glanced at it, and laughed, "Looks like quite a few people are discussing it!"

"Let me see!" Mai Le crowded over as well, reading the netizens' comments aloud to everyone.

"What studio? Jiang Lun started his own studio?"

"Isn't that normal? Seems like every celebrity has their own studio nowadays!"

"I think there's something fishy going on. Could this be a sign he's about to terminate his contract?"

"Oh, please, the person above me, use your brain. How many stars have their own studios now while still collaborating with those entertainment companies?"

"Jiang Lun is the boss now. Should we start calling him Boss Jiang?"

"I'm so jealous of the poster, getting to join Jiang Lun's studio!"

"..."

Zhang Suijuan had opened her microblog account years ago, but never had she received more than twenty comments, and her followers were only in the double digits. To suddenly have so many people commenting, and her follower count jumping by over five hundred in an instant—how could she not be shocked?

Moreover, she realized from these comments that if she hadn't posted that tweet, perhaps no one would have known that Jiang Lun had opened a studio.

Why wasn't it announced? Was there some strategy or plan? If that were the case, hadn't she just ruined it?

Zhang Suijuan hurriedly explained, "What should I do? I didn't mean to!"

"Hey, it's no big deal!" Mai Le said. "Your tweet didn't mention what kind of studio it is, nor did it say anything about him shooting a TV series. Everyone still thinks it's a music studio! I'll go handle the PR and work some magic. This will blow over in no time!"

"Oh!" Jiang Lun laughed. "You've become quite the pro yourself!"

Mai Le waved his hand and chuckled, "The people at the company play these games every day. I've learned all their tricks with my eyes closed!"

"That's great! When the studio grows big one day, I'll hire you as an artist manager!"

"Really?" Mai Le looked at Jiang Lun, full of excitement. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Would I lie about that?" Jiang Lun spread his hands. "Keep learning a few more tricks from Brother Wu, and I guarantee you'll benefit immensely!"

"Alright, I'll be waiting for that day!" said Mai Le.

...

The next morning, Jiang Lun arrived at the studio just past seven.

Today was for actor auditions, which was the most important step. He didn't have many requirements; his casting choices were based on the character images from the original script. As long as the "feel" was right, a little lacking in acting skills didn't matter. If they could bring out the desired vibe purely through acting, even better.

Stepping out of the elevator, he spotted the girl he had recruited yesterday—Hong Jie. She was standing at the studio entrance, wearing a small backpack, waiting quietly.

"Here so early!"

As he approached, Jiang Lun greeted her.

Hearing his voice, Hong Jie turned around immediately. She seemed to have been lost in thought, but seeing it was Jiang Lun, her face lit up with a smile. "No, I just arrived too!"

Jiang Lun smiled and unlocked the studio door. "Come in!"

"Okay!" Hong Jie stepped inside timidly, looking around for a long time, then sniffed hard. "Did this studio just get renovated?"

"Yeah, the fumes are pretty strong!" Jiang Lun chuckled. "Take a seat wherever you like, get yourself some water if you're thirsty, don't be a stranger!"

"Okay!"

Hong Jie found a place to sit, but seeing Jiang Lun go to open the windows, she stood up to help.

By eight o'clock, the staff members arrived one after another. Except for Zhang Suijuan, everyone was stunned when they saw Jiang Lun, then hurried over to greet him.

"Hello, Boss Jiang! I'm Xiaotong, the studio assistant!"

"Hello, Director Jiang! I'm Liu Feng, the Administrative Director!"

"Hello, Boss! I'm..."

"..."

The titles were all over the place. Once Zhao Rong and Li Xing came in, Jiang Lun spoke to them formally, "Don't call me 'Boss' or 'Director' anymore. I'm not used to it. Since I'm the producer for our studio's new drama, everyone just call me 'Producer Jiang'!"

"Understood! Producer Jiang!" the staff said in unison, and Hong Jie followed suit.

The producer is the soul of the entire production and the core figure leading the project. Not only are they responsible for scheduling the start and wrap dates and supervising progress, but they also manage the total production budget. Furthermore, as the producer, Jiang Lun was also responsible for script planning and casting; his authority was arguably far greater than that of the director.

The audition time was set for nine o'clock. Since Hong Jie was the first to arrive, she would audition first.

"This is the character design and the lines. Take a look!" Zhao Rong handed her two sheets of paper. "You have ten minutes. Based on the character and the scenario, act out this scene!"

"Okay!"

Hong Jie took the pages and read the character profile carefully.

Name: Zhu Wushuang
Zodiac: Libra
Identity: The only female constable in the Seven Heroes Town yamen, junior martial arts sister to Bai Zhantang.
Family Background: The disciple with the lowest martial arts ranking in the Sunflower Sect; orphaned.
Specialty: Chores.
Hobbies: Bai Zhantang, Lü Qinghou.
Ideal: To get married as soon as possible.
Weapon: Her fingers.
Special Skill: Sunflower Pointing Hand, Sunflower Unblocking Hand.
Nemesis: Bai Zhantang, Scholar Lü.
Catchphrase: "Leave it to me."
...

In the original series, since the actress playing Zhu Wushuang had endorsed advertisements for Tingmei, the script featured many lines and actions referencing those ads. Jiang Lun had left those blank while revising the script, saving them for future product placement.

There were a few similar instances, though the advertisements in "My Own Swordsman" were not numerous and the integration was shallow, existing mostly in a few lines that didn't affect the overall plot. This was likely because when the original show was filmed, there were few investors, so some advertising segments were self-parodies, like the Tang Clan Non-stick Pan or the White Camel Mountain Bone-Strengthening Powder.

As for figures like Confucius, Shakespeare, Cao Xueqin, and the Four Great Classical Novels, they existed in this world as well, with identical life stories and famous quotes.

However, some of the ancient poets and poems that appeared in the original show did not exist in this parallel world. Jiang Lun simply changed the names of the poets to "A Certain Poet" and kept the poems intact.

Ten minutes passed. Hong Jie took a deep breath and said, "I'm ready!"

"Begin!"

As soon as Zhao Rong spoke, Hong Jie started her performance. She delivered a few simple lines, yet she brought them to life with a rich variety of facial expressions.

Jiang Lun watched for a few moments and immediately decided he hadn't chosen the wrong person. Especially when Hong Jie was showing off her charm, she was almost identical to the character in the original show.

"Good! Excellent!"

As soon as she finished, Zhao Rong clapped and turned to ask Jiang Lun, "What do you think?"

"I think she's great too!" Jiang Lun smiled. "She's the one for this role!"

He didn't say anything about leaving a phone number or waiting for notification; he made the decision on the spot. For a split second, Hong Jie couldn't believe it; it felt like a game or a prank. But looking at the character design and the script in her hand, combined with Jiang Lun's status, it was clearly real.

"Really?" She pinched her own cheek to make sure it wasn't a dream, then stepped forward to shake everyone's hand. "Thank you, Producer Jiang! Thank you, Director Zhao! Thank you..."

When she got to Li Xing, she didn't know what to call him and looked at Jiang Lun and Zhao Rong for help. Li Xing, whose hand was still being held, shivered for no reason and hurriedly introduced himself, "I'm Li Xing, you're welcome, you're welcome!"

"Thank you!" Hong Jie let go of his hand, completely oblivious to Li Xing's emotional shift.

"Alright. Go find Legal and sign the contract; they'll discuss your pay with you!" Jiang Lun said.

Hong Jie nodded, said "Okay," and backed out of the conference room while continuing to express her gratitude.

"Phew... so this is what it feels like to hold auditions?" Jiang Lun let out a long breath. Being the examiner was actually quite a thrill.

"There are still many people coming. We've only confirmed one role!" Zhao Rong laughed. "You have six main characters and two recurring roles, one of which is a child—these are hard to find! Besides, there are over a hundred minor roles in your script, some with significant screen time. Those aren't easy to fill either!"

"I've talked to President Liu about that!" Jiang Lun said. "He has a lot of actor resources and can provide them for cameo appearances, but they won't work as leads; their rates are too high."

"Aren't cameo rates also high?" Zhao Rong laughed. "I heard your fee for that cameo in 'Beauty of the Fallen City' wasn't low!"

"That was different!" Jiang Lun laughed and waved his hand.

"Doesn't matter. If we really run out of people, you'll have to step in!"

"If I do, I can only do it once. Besides, there's you, Li Xing, Cai Fei, Wang Qilin, and even Mai Le could do cameos..."

"Forget it! If the director has to do a cameo, this production is truly dirt poor!"

"Haha..."

As they were chatting, Zhao Rong suddenly widened his eyes, checked the time on his phone, and said in surprise, "Hong Jie has been out for so long, why hasn't anyone else come in for an audition?"

"I'll go check!" Li Xing immediately stood up and left the conference room.

Before long, he returned, looking grim. "It's strange. There's not a single person outside waiting to audition!"

"What?" Jiang Lun was stunned. He hadn't expected this at all and asked Zhao Rong, "What's going on? Did you write the wrong time?"

"How could that be? I wrote today!" Zhao Rong pulled a notice from a stack of papers and pointed the time out to Jiang Lun. "Look, I didn't get it wrong!"

"Then what is happening?" Jiang Lun asked, surprised. "What about those fourteen people you mentioned?"

"I scheduled them to come for auditions all at once this afternoon!" Zhao Rong said. "I was actually worried there would be too many people in the morning!"

Having encountered such a bizarre situation on his first production, Jiang Lun felt momentarily flustered. He wondered if someone was intentionally trying to trip him up.

"How about this! I'll head over to the Beijing Film Studio and see what's going on!" Li Xing stood up. "Wait for my call!"

"Alright! Go ahead!" Jiang Lun nodded.

Time ticked by. Nine o'clock turned into ten, then eleven. All this time, no one had arrived, and there was no news from Li Xing.

Finally, approaching twelve o'clock, Zhao Rong's phone rang. It was Li Xing.

"Hello! Did you figure out what's going on?" Zhao Rong asked impatiently as soon as he answered.

On the other end, Li Xing said indignantly, "Brother, did you not notify the people at the Actor Management Association over here?"

"Uh... no, I didn't!" Zhao Rong asked, confused. "What? Do I have to notify them?"

"Are you stupid? You've been a director for so many years, and you don't even know this?" Li Xing snapped. "The notices you posted are useless. Nowadays, extras get their work directly from the Association. They probably think you're a scammer because of the flyers on the telephone poles and walls!"

"Damn it, how was I supposed to know? When have you ever seen a director recruiting extras? I've been a director for years and haven't even recruited a lead actor myself—investors always hired me! Do you have any idea?" Zhao Rong was also losing his temper, standing up, slamming the table, and shouting.

The studio assistant poked her head in, saw Zhao Rong's state, and was scared off.

Directors are notorious for having bad tempers. A saying has circulated in the industry for a long time: a director who hasn't made an actor cry isn't a good director. Naturally, a director without a temper is an unqualified director. Once they start filming, their schedules are never stable. While actors can rest when they aren't needed, directors cannot. As long as the cameras are rolling, they have to keep going, sometimes spending twenty-four hours a day burning through their mental energy for a single shot. Consequently, their moods are impossible to regulate normally, and they all end up a bit depressed.

Zhao Rong's anger came quickly and faded just as fast. Having vented, he said stiffly, "Just come back and we'll talk!"

Jiang Lun snatched the phone from his hand and said directly, "Li Xing, wait a second!"

"What is it?" Li Xing's tone was sharp, but when he realized it was Jiang Lun, he softened it. "Sorry, I..."

"It's fine. Tell you what: tell the Actor Management Association that we're hiring crew-based actors. Forget the auditions; just pick ten people and bring them over. Time is money, and this production can't afford to waste any!" Jiang Lun said.

"Alright, I understand! I'll bring people back directly!" Li Xing said, pausing for a moment before adding, "Um... please talk to my brother, my attitude just now wasn't great..."

"Don't worry about it. Just come back, and I'll make him apologize to you!" Jiang Lun comforted him.

Hanging up the phone, Jiang Lun handed it back to Zhao Rong.

Zhao Rong was rubbing his hair, looking miserable. "Sorry, I lost my cool just now."

"It's fine, we're all doing this for the sake of the project!" Jiang Lun waved his hand. "You really should keep that temper in check. You heard him—when he gets back, apologize to him. He is your cousin, after all!"

"Sigh!" Zhao Rong rubbed his face. "Alright, I got it. So, what about these auditions...?"

"Just have those fourteen people you mentioned come over!" Jiang Lun said. "We'll take it one step at a time!"

"That works, I'll contact them right away!"

"And keep a good attitude!"

"I know! I know!"