Chapter 7: Choosing him to play Lu Bu—no problem!

"Don't worry, Miss Nazha. The crew's filming schedule remains unchanged; it won't affect your availability."

Upon hearing this, Guli Nazha nodded, half-believing, and didn't ask any further questions.

Artists don't need to handle these tedious negotiations themselves; if there’s a scheduling conflict, the manager handles it.

She was just checking in on the situation.

Even though the "firefighter" for the role of Lu Bu hadn't been found yet, Sun Qiang didn't mind talking big for a moment.

After all, the crew had been a bit anxious since the incident. Regardless of whether he had a candidate, he couldn't let the production stall, even if he had to step in himself.

Besides... who said there wasn't a suitable candidate?

Regarding the role of Lu Bu, if they were filming a serious, authentic Three Kingdoms drama, the requirements would certainly be strict.

But this *God of War Zhao Zilong* thing? You couldn't say it was similar to a serious drama; you could only say it was completely unrelated.

It perfectly fits that saying: adaptation isn't random fabrication, and dramatization isn't nonsense.

*God of War Zhao Zilong* could be said to dabble in both fabrication and nonsense.

So, the requirements for casting Lu Bu could be relaxed a bit.

However, there was a hard requirement regarding height.

Mainly because the lead actor, Lin Gengxin, was too tall. If they found a male artist around 1.7 meters to play Lu Bu, would Lu Bu have to look up at Zhao Yun during their scenes?

That would be too weird.

Yet, that was the height of most male artists in the industry... Regardless, Sun Qiang had rejected all the tall guys he could find.

At this moment, Sun Qiang was considering whether to just let Bai Liang fill the vacancy.

He wasn't just grabbing at straws; he had his reasons for wanting to use Bai Liang.

First, Bai Liang was very handsome and tall.

At the same time, he wasn't one of those scrawny male artists. He couldn't be called a hulking brute, but he was at least sturdier than Lin Gengxin.

That was enough.

Second, the guy had connections.

That "Sister Yang" who introduced Bai Liang to the crew, Yang Xing, used to be Zhang Ziyi's manager before spending some time in the Hong Kong circle.

She had extensive connections and capital backing. There was news that Yang Xing was planning a major move by next year, shifting her focus from Hong Kong to the mainland.

Oh, and another important point: Yang Xing’s philosophy for cultivating artists was the "few but high-quality" route.

In Sun Qiang's view, even though Bai Liang was a newcomer, since Yang Xing had taken a liking to him, his future prospects wouldn't be too bad.

As a casting director, Sun Qiang admitted his eye for talent might not be the sharpest, but he was a practical man.

If his own eye wasn't sharp enough, he’d just copy the homework of those who were.

When Yang Xing reached out, she had said Bai Liang was a newcomer and to give him a small role.

Sun Qiang had indeed prepared a small role, but now, wasn't this a perfect coincidence?

He might as well give Yang Xing some face!

The entertainment industry is all about favors; having someone behind you makes things easier.

So... Sun Qiang didn't ask Bai Liang any basic questions at all.

Like whether he graduated from a professional acting school or if he had acted before. He figured Yang Xing must have already "vetted the goods."

The only problem currently was... Bai Liang’s temperament didn't quite fit.

That gentle, sunny smile of his would likely attract a lot of attention from girls, but it didn't look like a "three-surname slave" at all.

However, Sun Qiang claimed that as a casting director, he had a few tricks up his sleeve and was good at "reading people." "Come on, Xiao Bai, wipe that smile off and tighten your face."

Bai Liang didn't quite understand the audition process, but he respected professional expertise.

As he tightened his face, he subconsciously narrowed his eyes.

The cool, handsome style inherent in his bone structure and features instantly returned! Because of the squinting, it even seemed to carry a hint of killing intent.

Whoa! Not bad!

Sun Qiang marveled inwardly.

Yang Xing’s eye for talent was truly impressive!

Harmless, gentle, sunny, handsome boy when smiling; the style changed instantly when he tightened his face.

What does this mean? This kid has a wide acting range and a versatile temperament—he’s someone Heaven has blessed with a career.

An actor of this type can play many roles.

Lu Bu is certainly one of them, at least the Lu Bu in *God of War Zhao Zilong*.

*Clap!*

Sun Qiang clapped his hands. "Alright, no problem! We'll sign the contract tomorrow. Do you want me to send it to your manager to look over first?"

Bai Liang shook his head, thinking to himself, *What manager?*

Still, it was quite formal for a small role with only a few lines. He had originally thought the pay would be daily, like modeling.

He retracted his assessment that this crew was a fly-by-night operation.

It’s better to be formal; it avoids getting stiffed on pay like Huang Jingyu.

He felt a little excited—he was going to be an Emperor!

The role Sister Yang introduced him to was an Emperor. Though it sounded impressive, in this show, it actually had very little presence.

It mainly served as a background prop; the lines were very sparse.

Bai Liang didn't mind; how cool would it be to experience being an Emperor!

Before coming, he had done his homework and briefly looked up the life of Liu Bian, the Emperor of the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

After researching, he found there wasn't much to research.

He ascended the throne at seventeen and was gone by eighteen.

He also understood why Sun Qiang told him to tighten his face. An Emperor—how could he be smiling gently at everyone?

Bai Liang thought it was perfect!

"Welcome to our crew. Have your assistant register at the front desk; we'll arrange a room for you..."

Assistant?

Bai Liang was confused. He had neither a manager nor an assistant... Is this standard equipment in the entertainment industry?

Does everyone have one?

When Sun Qiang said this, his eyes were actually glancing at the guy standing not far away.

That was the crew member who had taken two packs of cigarettes from Bai Liang and brought him to the hotel lobby to wait.

Sun Qiang clearly didn't recognize his own employee. When he arrived, he saw the guy accompanying Bai Liang and naturally assumed he was an assistant or driver.

Very reasonable.

With this, Bai Liang’s image in Sun Qiang’s mind was complete.

A potential heartthrob discovered by a famous manager, highly malleable, and even equipped with an assistant before he’d even acted—this was enough to show how much Yang Xing valued him.

Young man, your future is limitless!

Choosing him to play Lu Bu—no problem!

This was at least a top-tier supporting role. Using company and crew resources to leverage his own connections—he couldn't lose either way.

The audition ended in a daze. Bai Liang’s first acting audition in two lifetimes was over just like that.

To be polite, he sent a text to thank Yang Xing and told her he had passed the audition.

At the same time, he didn't forget to show off to Huang Jingyu, adding, "How about you?"

Huang Jingyu replied with a middle-finger emoji, then went silent.

Meanwhile, Yang Xing, who was in Shanghai, glanced at her phone and smiled.

The famous producer Zhang Jiazhen, who was dining with her, asked curiously, "Any good news?"

"Oh, just an interesting young man I ran into earlier. His image and temperament are quite good, so I introduced him to a crew."

"Someone you took a liking to? Did you sign him?"

"He’s not professionally trained and has never acted. Let him hone his skills first. The crew is a big melting pot; it’s not easy for actors from unconventional backgrounds to make it."

"What if he’s a good seedling and someone else signs him first?"

"It’s not that easy to make it. His role is as small as it gets. The crew was originally going to find a bit-part actor on the spot anyway. It was just a casual move. If he truly has talent, he’ll eventually end up in my hands. This kid is very sharp."

Regarding Bai Liang’s move of tipping her off at the business KTV, Yang Xing was confident that if he really wanted to make a name for himself in the industry, he wouldn't overlook her, his "talent scout."

Besides, this was only his first role. Next year, the company she was partnering with Zhang Jiazhen to form would officially launch, and she would be the executive director.

Before that, whenever Bai Liang contacted her, she would help out a little by introducing him to some minor roles.

The weight of his subsequent roles would gradually increase, but not too much.

Yang Xing mainly wanted to leave an impression on Bai Liang: *Whatever I let slip through my fingers is enough for you to live on.*

Feeding him too much wouldn't work. The result of over-baiting a fishing spot is just raising the fish's appetite, which leads to an empty catch.

Once that impression is formed, if Bai Liang really strives and wants to sign with a company to develop properly, he’ll definitely look for her.

While maintaining a sense of gratitude, it also makes it easier for Yang Xing to "control" him.

It’s not that she has any strange hobbies; this is just the relationship that must exist between a manager and an artist.

Many managers or behind-the-scenes teams who can't keep their artists in check can only watch helplessly as their artists do stupid things that make people cringe on the spot.

In an entertainment industry where the average education level is low, such things are not uncommon.