Chapter 124

With Li Guoli's words spoken, the entire office fell silent.

Cai Yinong was headachingly caught between a financier and a seasoned veteran director.

If these two clashed, the upcoming work would surely be impossible to proceed.

Then Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"Director Li seems to hold a deep grudge against me… As one of the financiers, don't I have the right to recommend actors for the production?"

"If Director Li is dissatisfied with my recommended actors, feel free to refuse—I respect the director's opinion."

This was clearly a move to break the facade!

Wu Jinyuan sat aside, thinking silently.

Cheng Chen's words were perfectly reasonable—at least on the surface, no fault could be found.

Li Guoli was a veteran director; he naturally understood the implication behind Cheng Chen's words.

If he truly acted as Cheng Chen suggested, he might soon find his director position threatened by the financier's influence.

After all, Cheng Chen was the second-largest investor, just behind Cai Yinong!

Li Guoli's expression shifted, then he nodded and said:

"Director Cheng, I'm very strict when filming…"

His meaning was clear: once you join the crew, I won't care about your investor status—you're just another actor under me!

Then I'll properly train you, kid!

Cheng Chen smiled slightly and said:

"I enjoy working with strict directors—the stricter the director, the better the quality of the drama. That's a good thing, isn't it, Director Cai?"

Cai Yinong nodded with a bitter smile, worried these two would wreck the production.

No, I must privately talk to both of them…

The auditions continued, and Cheng Chen sat on the audition panel, participating in the evaluations.

"Hello, teachers. My name is Liu Yifei. I'm here to audition for the female lead role, Zhao Ling'er."

Liu Tianxian appeared.

This was Cheng Chen's first time seeing Liu Tianxian in person; his gaze involuntarily settled on her.

At this moment, Liu Tianxian's face was full of collagen, radiating a burst of youthful energy.

Everyone in the room lifted their heads to look at this slightly awkward girl, deeply surprised.

Such a beautiful girl—perfect bone structure, plus a flawless, porcelain-white face.

Even without makeup, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

She carried an aloof, ethereal beauty, her naturally divine aura mesmerizing.

Cai Yinong and Li Guoli exchanged glances, both thoroughly satisfied with the girl.

"Hmm, her appearance fits Zhao Ling'er perfectly—those big, watery eyes radiate an ethereal charm."

"But this girl looks familiar…"

Director Li Guoli bent down to flip through the actors' submitted files.

It was her!

Bai Xiuzhu from The Family of Golden Powder!

Liu Tianxian's debut TV drama, The Family of Golden Powder, had been a ratings smash.

The series averaged a viewership rating of 7.68%.

If nothing unexpected happened, The Family of Golden Powder had already secured the CCTV viewership championship.

The file also noted she had played Wang Yuyan in The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Though this drama had not yet aired…

The four audition panelists were highly satisfied with her.

At least visually, she made an excellent impression.

"Alright, to audition for Zhao Ling'er… perform the scene where Xiaoyao Gege first meets Zhao Ling'er."

After speaking, Li Guoli glanced toward Cheng Chen and added:

"Director Cheng, could you please help with the scene?"

Cheng Chen nodded—he understood: Li Guoli was testing both Liu Tianxian and himself with this scene.

The scene was short: Xiaoyao went to Xian Ling Dao to rescue Aunt Li, fell into a trap, and accidentally encountered Zhao Ling'er.

At that moment, Zhao Ling'er was bathing; Xiaoyao was caught spying, and she prepared to cast a spell to punish him.

But when she saw Xiaoyao's face, she recognized him as Xiaoyao Gege from ten years ago…

"Director Cheng, hello. I—I'm Liu Yifei. I really love your song Blue Lotus. Please guide me."

Liu Yifei's face glowed with excitement.

As the Asian sensation Heavenly King, almost no one didn't know Cheng Chen.

And Liu Yifei's claim of loving his songs wasn't merely polite flattery.

She had once openly admitted she adored rock music—completely at odds with her quiet appearance.

"Hello, I also really liked your performance as Bai Xiuzhu."

Cheng Chen smiled and nodded at the girl.

"Ready? Start!"

Li Guoli called out.

Cheng Chen mentally replayed the scene of Xiaoyao Gege's first encounter with Zhao Ling'er.

He picked up a thick stack of paper on the desk and held it as Zhao Ling'er's clothing.

He picked up the script paper and sniffed it lightly, saying:

"How come there's a girl's clothes? So fragrant."

Cheng Chen had already slipped into character; the Li Xiaoyao he portrayed was a young man who had never left his small town.

He was curious about everything.

So when Cheng Chen performed the scene of sniffing the clothes, his eyes held no lust—only pure curiosity.

If this scene were mishandled, the audience would surely call him creepy and sleazy.

"Hmm, not bad."

Li Guoli nodded; at least Cheng Chen's handsome face made it impossible to associate him with anything lewd.

Cheng Chen had already entered character, but Liu Tianxian was still standing there dazed.

Director Li Guoli cleared his throat, and only then did the girl slowly slip into character.

She swept her arms through the air, pretending to bathe in water.

Cheng Chen stared at Liu Yifei with wide-eyed astonishment, exclaiming:

"So beautiful… I've never seen a girl this lovely…"

Unbeknownst to him, the sound from Cheng Chen startled Liu Yifei, who called out:

"Who's there? Is it Xiao Hua?"

Cheng Chen panicked and instinctively shielded his face with the script paper, blurting out:

"I—I'm not Xiao Hua…"

Liu Yifei, startled, crouched down quickly and asked:

"Who are you? How did you get here?"

"I—I came for medicine. I accidentally stumbled into the fairy sister's bath. Please forgive me…"

Liu Yifei hugged her arms tightly, nervously saying:

"Y-you don't come any closer!"

Watching this, Li Guoli frowned slightly but said nothing, continuing to watch silently.

After Liu Yifei dressed, she immediately unleashed a spell and gave Cheng Chen a harsh scolding.

"Fairy sister, spare my life!"

Cheng Chen covered his head and begged for mercy.

"My grandma said men who spy on girls bathing are evil, perverted scoundrels—I'll beat you to death!"

As she spoke, Liu Yifei formed a hand seal, ready to cast the spell.

Cheng Chen suddenly stood up and shouted at Liu Yifei:

"Enough!"

Seeing Cheng Chen's face, Liu Yifei suddenly remembered something from childhood, joyfully exclaiming:

"Xiaoyao! Xiaoyao Gege! I knew you'd come to see me—I've finally waited for you…"

"Wh-what?"

"I'm Ling'er, Xiaoyao Gege!"

"Ling'er?"

A flicker of confusion passed through Cheng Chen's eyes.

This girl, whom he'd never met before, knew him?

"Come quickly, Xiaoyao Gege! Ling'er waits for you every day—I've already prepared a gift for you…"

"Good! Cut!"

Director Li Guoli suddenly called "Cut!"

His brow had been furrowed the whole time; Liu Yifei was beautiful, but her performance was painfully stiff.

For example, when angry, she just frowned and raised her voice.

In this scene, Zhao Ling'er had four emotional shifts.

First, the calm pleasure of bathing, then the shock of discovering someone spying.

Then the anger of punishing Li Xiaoyao, and finally the joy of realizing Li Xiaoyao was the man she'd waited for years.

Liu Yifei handled all four emotions too simply, too superficially.

She only showed surface emotions—never conveyed the character's inner feelings.

In contrast, Cheng Chen's performance was far more mature—utterly crushing hers!

His acting was steady, even overwhelming his co-star.

Testing both actors together revealed the difference without mercy.

Only now did Li Guoli truly feel at ease with Cheng Chen, and his favor toward him rose significantly.

Moreover, Cheng Chen and Liu Yifei standing together looked perfectly matched.

In modern terms, they had strong CP chemistry.

But the problem was, Liu Yifei…

Seeing Li Guoli's furrowed brow, Liu Yifei's face was tense.

Especially with Li Guoli looking like he'd swallowed something foul, she felt even more uncertain.

She instinctively glanced at the "Xiaoyao Gege" who had just acted with her.

She met a pair of warm, bright eyes.

Cheng Chen nodded at her, signaling her not to be so nervous.

Liu Yifei's tension eased slightly, then she heard Li Guoli say:

"Hmm... Liu Yifei, why don't you go back and wait for word?"

Go back and wait... for word.

Liu Yifei, who had already appeared in two television dramas, naturally understood the implied meaning behind these words.

Both of her previous directors had used this excuse to reject actors during auditions.

Waiting for word... meant no word.

She couldn't help but feel utterly disappointed; young girls' emotions often showed clearly on their faces.

Seeing her gloomy expression, Cai Yinong smiled and volunteered:

"Waiting for word means we still need to discuss it further on our end—don't overthink it."

"Yes, thank you all, teachers, and thank you, Teacher Cheng, for the scene work just now."

The girl bowed politely to everyone, then turned and left the office.

As she opened the door, Cheng Chen happened to see Liu Xiaoli, Liu Yifei's mother, waiting outside.

Liu Xiaoli was tall and slender, with a delicate and lovely appearance.

Having studied dance, her figure was excellent, radiating an elegant feminine charm.

Her profile was sharply defined, her features refined and pleasing to look at—she was also a beautiful woman with high looks and poise.

Standing together, the mother and daughter looked like sisters, a very pleasing sight.

Inside the office, Li Guoli spoke first:

"Her appearance is fine, her aura is excellent, but her acting is somewhat average..."

Calling it average was only because she had already acted in two dramas.

If Li Guoli had encountered Liu Tianxian, a newcomer to the entertainment industry, he would have rejected her on the spot.

"As for the acting issue... I think it's acceptable.

Besides, there's still time before filming begins—she has room to improve.

With Director Li's guidance, I don't think it'll be a problem.

Moreover, our General Manager Cheng plays Li Xiaoyao, and he shares many scenes with her.

Didn't General Manager Cheng once guide Gao Yuanyuan on the set of Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre?"

"With both of them helping her, she can definitely handle the role of Zhao Ling'er."

The story of Cheng Chen guiding Lai Shuiqing, who didn't speak Mandarin, on the Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre set.

Since the broadcast of Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, it was no longer a secret.

Li Guoli glanced at Cheng Chen in surprise—he hadn't expected this kid had such ability.

He looked at Cheng Chen and asked:

"What do you think, General Manager Cheng?"

Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"I respect the director team's opinion—I leave it to you and Director Wu."

"What do you think, Director Wu?"

Wu Jinyuan rubbed his bald head and said:

"Her acting is indeed average, with room for improvement, but her appearance and aura are excellent.

I think General Manager Cai is right—flaws don't overshadow the virtues..."

Li Guoli was internally conflicted.

Honestly, the moment he saw Liu Tianxian, he felt she perfectly fit the role of Zhao Ling'er.

Added to that, she had previously played similar roles, which made him feel more at ease.

Since the investor (Cai Yinong) and Wu Jinyuan had both spoken up, he no longer hesitated.

"So it's settled?"

Cai Yinong, Cheng Chen, and Wu Jinyuan all nodded with smiles.

"Settled!"

"Phew..."

With Li Guoli's words, everyone exhaled in relief.

Thus, the three lead roles of Immortal Sword I were confirmed.

Li Xiaoyao, played by Cheng Chen.

Zhao Ling'er, played by Liu Yifei.

Lin Yueru, played by Yan Danchen.

As for the other actors, they didn't matter—they could be found gradually.

Having secured the lead female role, Cheng Chen also took the initiative to take his leave.

Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something and said to Li Guoli:

"Director Li, I've recently had Yan Danchen come in for an audition—when are you free?"

Li Guoli waved his hand:

"Yan Danchen is fine—I've watched all her dramas, she's very talented.

She's perfectly suited for Lin Yueru—no audition needed."

Uh...

So all along, your objection to people being pushed into the crew was only aimed at me?

Upon realizing the truth, Cheng Chen felt a sharp sting.

It seemed his constant activity in the music industry had made people in the film and television world doubt his abilities.

It made sense—Cheng Chen had only officially taken on roles in the film industry as Song Qingshu in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.

Zhang Xiaoqi in The Story of the Police, Lu Jiaju in The Great Dyeing Workshop, and Chen Ge in the movie Kung Fu.

Kung Fu is set aside for now, since it hasn't even finished filming, and its release is still far off.

The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber and The Story of the Police have both finished airing.

Cheng Chen's screen time in both dramas was limited, and while there were standout moments, he was still a supporting actor.

The Great Dyeing Workshop, his only role as the second male lead, had only just been released and hadn't yet become a blockbuster hit.

The promotional team for The Great Dyeing Workshop had reached out to him before, but at that time he was busy recording an album.

Then he joined the Kung Fu set for three months and missed the roadshow.

Immortal Love: The First Sword was his first time carrying a drama as the lead, plus his move of bringing funding into the production.

Any director with even a shred of ambition would be wary of him—it was only natural.

After declining Cai Yinong's invitation to dinner, Cheng Chen flew directly to Fan Yang City in Ji Sheng to visit the set.

Lai Shuiqing was currently directing Zhao Wenzhuo, Jia Jingwen, and Gao Yuanyuan filming The Divine Doctor and the Hero.

At first, Lai Shuiqing had planned for Cheng Chen to take the lead as the male protagonist in this drama.

But since Cheng Chen landed the role in Kung Fu, he never brought it up again.

Yet Cheng Chen still understood the value of repaying kindness, after all, the opportunity to appear in Kung Fu had come from Lai Shuiqing.

This trip, he wasn't just visiting Gao Yuanyuan on set—he also intended to make a cameo to help Lai Dao…

……