Huayu: Brother, I'm having such a great time!

Chapter 31 Taking the Role

Xu Jingxing stood in front of the mirror, looking at himself after his makeup and hair were done.

He wore a moon-white robe and a golden crown, and was dignified, elegant, and gentle as jade.

What a noble young master!

The girl who went out to buy coffee has returned and is now standing next to Xu Jingxing, helping him adjust the details of his robe.

Seeing Xu Jingxing in the mirror, one can't help but sigh.

"They look like they stepped out of a traditional Chinese comic book."

Mei Youji stood behind Xu Jingxing, holding a coffee in her left hand and rubbing her chin with her right, as if she were admiring a work of art that she had just completed.

"No wonder Bingbing strongly recommended you to act alongside her in this role. Your image is much better than that guy from inside or outside the pass."

"It's mainly because Ms. Xiaomei did a great job with the makeup; I'm just benefiting from your work."

"You've got a sweet tongue, huh? Pshaw! I'm not falling for that."

Although he said that, his face was beaming with joy.

Mei Youji waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, you there, take him to the studio and then call the next person in."

"OK."

"Come with me." The girl walked ahead and led Xu Jingxing toward the photography studio.

"Thank you. What's your name?"

"Huh?" The girl was a little surprised when she heard Xu Jingxing ask her, and quickly replied, "My name is Ji Xiaohe, and I'm Teacher Xiaomei's assistant."

The photography studio is right behind the dressing room; a door was specially opened, and you can get there by going through it.

"Just go inside and find the photographer. I'll get back to work now."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Teacher Xiaohe."

Ji Xiaohe blushed, "No...no need to be so polite."

After saying that, he quickly ran away.

She's quite shy.

Xu Jingxing smiled, pushed open the door, and walked towards the photography studio.

......

At this moment, in the conference room of the Fengjing Jiali Hotel, a group of people were sitting together, watching photos and some videos on the projector.

Some of the faces were familiar.

Cheng Lidong, Yang Xiaoming.

Also, several lead actors from the Investiture of the Gods series.

Fan Bingbing, Zhou Jie, Ma Jingtao, and Liu Dekai.

"This young actor who plays Nezha is quite talented. What's his name?"

A slightly overweight man with long hair sitting next to Cheng Lidong pointed at a young actor on the screen and asked a question.

"His name is Wu Lei, Director Ju," Yang Xiaoming replied.

The person asking the question was Ju Jueliang.

"What does Director Cheng think? What do you think?" Ju Jueliang asked Cheng Lidong.

"I think it's a good idea, let's go with him."

Cheng Lidong, as the executive producer and director, was the one who made the final decision on the casting.

However, CCTV usually has a strong control over large-scale historical and mythological dramas like "Investiture of the Gods". In addition, with other co-producers, even as the chief producer, Cheng Lidong still needs to consider the opinions of all parties before finalizing the project.

Upon hearing Ju Jue praise an actor by name, Cheng Lidong naturally had to give him face.

"Next role, Hu Ximei."

Upon hearing that the role had been decided, Yang Xiaoming clicked the remote control and switched to the next role.

"The roles of Hu Ximei are tentatively set for three people: Liu Li, Su Qin, and Wu Jiani."

Yang Xiaoming operated the remote control, playing the actors' makeup test photos and videos one by one.

Hu Ximei is a member of the demon concubines in the harem of King Zhou of Shang. Her original form was a nine-headed pheasant spirit.

Therefore, the casting requirement was that the actress be as beautiful as Fan Bingbing's Daji, but with a sweeter and more manipulative charm.

"I think Su Qin is pretty good; she's quite a pretty girl."

Someone spoke up first to praise the role, clearly indicating that it was his recommendation.

"I think Wu Jiani is also quite good. She has a sweet image, which complements Bingbing's portrayal of Daji."

After hearing this, another person quickly spoke up, recommending their own artist.

Cheng Lidong was in a dilemma. Both actors were indeed quite suitable and had no obvious shortcomings. How to balance them was a serious problem.

What does Jingtao think?

At this moment, we can only ask the actress who plays King Zhou of Shang, who has many scenes with Hu Ximei.

Ma Jingtao was replying to messages on his phone when he was suddenly called out. He paused for a moment, clearly not having heard what was said.

Seeing him stunned, Fan Bingbing quickly whispered a few words of advice in his ear.

"I think Wu Jiani is pretty good."

Ma Jingtao's answer was straightforward.

Cheng Lidong was taken aback, not expecting Ma Jingtao to give a direct answer. He had originally intended for Ma Jingtao to give him some time to arrange other roles for those who were not selected.

But on second thought, Ma Jingtao has always been a straightforward person, so it's not a bad thing to let him make the decision directly.

"Then let's go with Wu Jiani."

"Next."

"..."

Ma Jingtao never expected that the actress he chose based on his gut feeling would later become his wife and give birth to two sons.

Several more actors were selected, and the screen was turned on.

"Next character, Boyi Kao."

The images displayed are the costume photos of the actors competing for the role of Boyi Kao.

"The role of Boyi Kao is tentatively assigned to two actors: Xu Jingxing in the first group and Guan Lijie in the second group."

"Is this Xu Jingxing a new actor?"

"His image is quite good."

"What if they lack experience?"

"Yes, after all, it's a relatively important role in the early stages."

"..."

Discussions arose.

"Personally, I think Xu Jingxing is more suitable for the role of Boyi Kao."

Cheng Lidong spoke.

The murmurs at the scene gradually subsided.

Fan Bingbing sat to the side, observing Ju Jueliang sitting next to Cheng Lidong. Seeing that he was about to speak, she quickly said:

"It's actually quite good. What do you think, Director Ju?"

Ju Jueliang forcibly swallowed back the words he was about to say.

He explained that his purpose in coming here was to expand into the mainland market, and there was no need to offend anyone for a supporting role, so he could only smile and say, "I think it's a good idea."

"Alright, Boyi, set the angle!"

"Next up, Yang Jian!"

"..."

At this moment, Xu Jingxing had just removed his makeup, changed back into his own clothes, and followed the staff's instructions to an empty room to wait for the results.

Tomorrow is the official start of the "Goodbye Zi Ling" competition. He was chatting with Zhang Jiani on his phone when Li Liang walked in, patted Xu Jingxing on the shoulder, and gestured for him to come out with him.

Coming out of the house, Li Liang looked at Xu Jingxing with a big smile, "Congratulations, the role of Boyi Kao has been cast, and you will play it."

"That's great! Thank you, Brother Liang."

"Hey! Why thank me? I just served as a notification."

Li Liang led Xu Jingxing to a room. "Sit here and wait for a while. President Yang will come over to sign contracts with the actors who have been selected."

Li Liang picked up a bottle of water from the table and handed it to Xu Jingxing. "Director Yang is Yang Xiaoming, who was with Director Cheng yesterday. He's the casting director for this project."

"Thank you, Brother Liang!" Xu Jingxing took the water.

"Okay, you can sit here and wait a while. Just call me if you need anything."

After sitting for a short while, several more actors came in one after another.

"Dude! Congratulations on this!"

Xu Jingxing was sending messages to Tang Yan and Zhang Jiani to report the good news when he looked up and Han Dong's face appeared in front of him again.

"My buddy won too! Haha, who says you can't pop champagne at halftime!"

"Uh, didn't you say that yourself...?"