Chapter 116: Phantasm 02

Two audition videos sparked a massive upheaval in the entertainment industry—something no one on the cast of "Twinkling Stars" had anticipated.

Yet, the current situation couldn’t exactly be called bad.

Zhou Qi glanced at Song Wan, then shifted his gaze to the languid posture of Guo Kai, who looked every bit the noble scion. “Right now, the situation is honestly hard to call good.”

At least for their production team, they were caught in a dilemma.

Song Wan’s acting was being praised—an excellent sign, with no objections. Guo Kai, a newcomer, also received acclaim—again, something no one dared to dispute. The production was suddenly enjoying unprecedented attention, on track to become a hit before filming even concluded. Who in the crew wouldn’t be pleased?

But the fact that both the female lead and the second male lead delivered stellar performances created a misleading impression online—that every actor in the production was outstanding.

Damn it, where on earth would they find a whole group of newcomers with exceptional acting skills?

If only they hadn’t released that poster calling for open auditions. Now, caught between a rock and a hard place, they couldn’t even resort to recruiting second or third-tier actors who had years of experience but never truly broke through.

The entire crew was anything but joyful; instead, they wore worried, gloomy expressions, as if mourning the loss of their parents.

"At least, we should find a male lead and a second female lead with decent acting, right?" Zhou Qi puffed on his cigarette, his brows furrowed like a mountain ridge.

In truth, "Twinkling Stars" centered almost entirely on the female lead; the second female lead’s role was so minor it barely mattered. Even the male leads had limited screen time. Out of a forty-episode series, the female lead was present throughout, the male lead appeared in about fifteen episodes, the second male lead in ten, and the second female lead was pitifully relegated to roughly eight.

The majority of the story revolved around the female lead’s adventures—interactions with strange animals, plants, insects, encounters with the “natives” of the dream world, and being chased by unknown assailants.

Other human characters barely had any presence.

Yet the original author’s skill was remarkable; despite the few human roles, each was portrayed so vividly and profoundly that they left an indelible impression, cultivating a massive fanbase for every character.

Compared to the first role Song Wan was playing, Miao Yu, these roles were no less significant.

As for the various non-human parts, the crew had long since prepared extras for those, so that was no concern.

But there were ten human characters in total to appear. Four roles, including the male lead and female lead, had been cast. Now, Zhou Qi was beginning to doubt whether the remaining two actors could truly capture the essence of their roles…

But the contracts were signed; there was no use dwelling on it now.

“What about the other roles?” Zhou Qi looked up at Song Wan, who also held a voting sheet.

Song Wan wasn’t particularly worried. “The poster for open auditions has already been posted online, and the news about the production has caused quite a stir. Wouldn’t aspiring newcomers eager to break into the industry seize this chance? You really don’t need to worry too much about the actors.”

Zhou Qi stared at her. “Can you just say you’re not worried and be done with it? I’m the director, and since both you and Guo Kai’s acting have been recognized, if the series turns out poorly, I’ll be the only one to face the backlash!”

Song Wan couldn’t help but smile, her eyes sparkling with warmth and charm.

Zhou Qi was shaken to the core, hastily lowering his head. “Oh my god, what a sin, what a sin. If General Jin found out, I’d definitely be blacklisted!”

“Hmm?” Song Wan was curious. “Director Zhou, what were you just talking about?”

“Nothing at all,” Zhou Qi said quickly, shaking his head repeatedly.

Song Wan lifted an eyebrow but didn’t press further. Changing the subject, she continued, “I think the most important thing for our team right now is to announce the roles we’ve finalized and simultaneously declare online that we want to hold auditions to find the most suitable actors.”

Zhou Qi was stunned, not quite grasping her meaning.

Guo Kai, however, lit up at Song Wan’s words, eyes gleaming like a starving tiger suddenly spotting a bone, eager to pounce.

“I think that’s a great idea.”

Zhou Qi remained perplexed. “What exactly are you two talking about? Explain it clearly.”

Gao Xiang covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “Director Zhou, what they mean is that they want to use this online buzz to hold a real-time audition event.”

Having been in the industry the longest, Gao Xiang’s mind worked faster than Song Wan’s and Guo Kai’s combined.

If the event attracted enough online viewers, they could even edit the audition clips into a variety show.

Her thoughts raced as she considered which company to collaborate with and which sponsors to approach.

“How can that be?” Zhou Qi suddenly shouted.

His voice was so loud that it snapped Gao Xiang back to full alert.

She frowned. “Director Zhou, you’re filming a drama with fantasy and sci-fi elements aimed at young viewers. If you don’t build momentum and attract more viewers early on, which TV station would buy the rights? Which advertiser would want to sponsor it?”

“I…” Zhou Qi faltered.

“Are you planning to give up on prime-time TV and shift entirely to online streaming?” Gao Xiang’s anger was unmistakable.

Zhou Qi looked at her, speechless and somewhat pitiable.

“If you want TV stations to purchase the broadcasting rights, you need to show them that airing this drama will bring ratings and profits,” Gao Xiang softened her tone. “In today’s world, without benefits, it’s all just talk.”

“I know…” Zhou Qi was still overwhelmed.

Song Wan smiled at him. “Director Zhou, I really think this audition idea is excellent. We can even livestream every moment of the auditions online.” She chuckled softly. “If you’re brave enough, after the live stream, just edit the audition footage into a variety show.”

No one in the country—or even the world—had ever done such a show before. If they pulled it off, they would surely attract a large audience.

After all, the acting profession was shrouded in mystery for many ordinary people, who were intensely curious about filming scenes.

Filming locations couldn’t be revealed to avoid spoilers, but audition videos posed no such risk.

Moreover, this drama had a huge advantage—it was based on a novel with an enormous fanbase. So many people in the country had read it that even without spoilers, the plot was common knowledge.

They had promised the original author, "Box Girl," not to make major changes to the storyline.

If they launched a variety show as a warm-up, it would undoubtedly boost ratings when the drama aired.

It had to be said that Song Wan and Gao Xiang’s ideas were perfectly in sync.

She glanced back at Gao Xiang; they both smiled in unison.

Guo Kai didn’t comment but the smile in his eyes clearly showed he was very pleased with Song Wan’s suggestion.

This was his last desperate gamble; the greater the chance of winning, the better.

Zhou Qi looked from one to the other, finally turning to the screenwriter and assistant director for support.

These two were his indispensable right and left hands—surely they would side with him?

However…

The screenwriter, a young woman, paid no attention to Song Wan and Gao Xiang’s conversation, her eyes sparkling as she gushed over Guo Kai.

The assistant director wore an excited expression—not because he was starstruck, but because Song Wan’s bold proposal had stunned him, letting his mind wander into the bright future she described. He didn’t even notice Zhou Qi’s pleading look.

Zhou Qi suspected that even if he did notice, he’d switch allegiances and urge Zhou Qi to agree to the proposal.

Suddenly, Zhou Qi found himself utterly alone.

“Anyway, I disagree!”

Who had ever heard of a production releasing all their audition videos? Was there no privacy or mystery anymore? Did he have to consult the audience on whether the actors were suitable?

“Those netizens don’t know the first thing about acting, and they certainly don’t know what makes an actor suitable!”

Gao Xiang burst out laughing. “That’s why, Director Zhou, you simply don’t understand variety shows.”