There are really very few actors like that in the industry. Those who look like villains usually come off as ugly, or they're too old. Standing next to Lin Yu'an, they don't look like partners moving forward together at all; they look more like father and son, which creates a jarring sense of mismatch—truly unbearable to watch.
The alternative would be to find a younger actor with better acting skills and rely on makeup and styling to create the desired vibe.
But that brings up another problem: in today's domestic entertainment industry, where can you find a young actor who can both act well, carry the box office, look acceptable, and still be relatively young? Even if the production didn't care about box office, or shifted all that pressure onto Lin Yu'an's co-star, both of these roles are important male leads. If either one falls short, they're a liability who drags the whole project down.
Ahem—of course, if you really forced the issue, there are still some names you could throw out off the top of your head, but Director Ren sifted through the previous roles of those candidates and just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Coincidentally, Director Feng Feng Zhengyang's new film had been generating a lot of buzz lately. Even someone like Ren Changwen, who usually avoids following trends, had heard the rumors. When he heard about "Director Feng's big casting spree," Ren Changwen suddenly had a bright idea.
Where else recently have so many young actors gathered in one place? Director Feng's audition site, of course!
That place was crawling with ready-made actors—an opportunity to observe their current condition up close, secretly watch their performances, and not worry about scheduling conflicts. Director Feng would take the spotlight up front and gather actors from all over the industry, while Ren Changwen could trail behind and pick up the scraps—what better arrangement could there be?
So, after staking out the place for a few days, Ren Changwen zeroed in on Xiao He.
Xiao He, whether in temperament or looks, completely matched Ren's original concept for the role of Xu Ning. Coincidentally, Xu Ning uses a Tang blade later in the story; although Xiao He had trained in swordsmanship, and the blade was slightly different, the two weapons shared many filming similarities.
Ren Changwen sat nearby, watching closely, and even sneaked a peek at Xiao He's audition. He was thoroughly satisfied—so much so that he was already scheming about how, if Director Feng cast Xiao He, he could steal Xiao He away and make him his own male lead.
After all, a lead role is more attractive than a supporting role, right?
Fate was on Ren Changwen's side: before he could put his plan into motion, Feng Zhengyang—perhaps hearing the prayers Ren had in his heart—did not pick Xiao He, letting this big fish fall right into Ren's hands instead.
Every time Ren Changwen remembered this, he couldn't help but laugh at his own brilliant cunning.
"Ahem—"
After hearing Ren Changwen's explanation, Xiao He nearly choked on his tea.
To come up with a stunt like that, Director Ren really ought to bring in a sage for consultation.
The others' mouths twitched, and they hesitated to comment.
Isn't Director Ren a well-known director in the circle? Sneaking into another crew's audition site to stake out actors—isn't that a little ungentlemanly?
Seeing everyone stay silent, Ren Changwen realized he might have been a bit too candid. He cleared his throat theatrically and added, "I was there as a volunteer. I went in through official channels to help out. Doing good deeds quietly is better—just keep this between us, okay? Don't go spreading it around."
Xiao He: "..."
You can't go telling people that—otherwise it feels like Director Feng might explode from anger.
Liu Rulan forced a smile and helped smooth things over for Ren Changwen: "Haha, Director Ren is amazing. Congratulations on finding the right actor."
Ren Changwen nodded and sipped his tea to cover his embarrassment.
What the others didn't know was that Liu Zehang owed his being noticed this time to Xiao He's presence.
At the audition, Liu Zehang and Xiao He had been sitting together, with Chen Yulin behind them. While Ren Changwen was watching Xiao He, he also observed Liu Zehang and Chen Yulin. On appearance alone, Ren had actually leaned toward Chen Yulin.
Chen Yulin had a more delicate look, and compared with Liu Zehang, he fit the fragile scholarly type who needs protection.
But when Ren Changwen later reviewed Xiao He's other works carefully, he noticed that the actor who had played "Zhu Second Brother" happened to be Liu Zehang.
From a character standpoint, "Zhu Second Brother" is the clever type—coming up with plans and suggestions—but portrayed with a gloomier edge. Liu Zehang's acting was quite good and vivid, which meant his acting skills weren't a worry.
Plus, at the audition Liu Zehang and Xiao He were sitting together, indicating they had a good rapport. A familiarity like that would translate to better on-set chemistry and less time needed for getting in sync, making them easier to work with…
After weighing all those factors, Ren Changwen chose Liu Zehang.
That's also why Liu Zehang received the script invitation half a day later than Xiao He did.
Now that the casting choices were confirmed, there was no need to spell everything out and risk awkwardness between the parties.
From star power and tenure alone, the fact that Xiao He would share the male lead billing with Liu Zehang—even if he was second billing—was already a huge advantage. And Liu Zehang himself didn't mind; his fans knew the two were close. Otherwise, the matter could have spiraled into a bloody war across the domestic entertainment scene.
...
When the meal ended and everyone had seen Director Ren off, they finally relaxed.
"Phew—"
Liu Zehang put his hand on Xiao He's shoulder and sighed with feeling: "Looks like we brothers are about to start another adventure."
Xiao He raised his hand and returned the gesture in a mock salute: "Then I'll wait for Brother Liu to lead the way."
"Haha, you leading me would be more like it—"
The two joked as they walked toward the parking lot. Behind them, Cheng Xue and Liu Rulan were discussing how to steer public opinion next: "After the crew's official announcement, we'll manage the fans' emotions on our side. We'll need Sister Liu's cooperation."
Liu Rulan nodded: "No problem on our end. I'll take care of the marketing accounts."
Although both male leads' casting was in a state where both principals agreed, both fanbases were pacified, and the director approved, they still had to contend with snarky netizens who loved to meddle.
What if netizens disagreed? What could you do?
You could only try to suppress the heat and calm things down.
"Luckily, Director Feng's new film is already out front, so we can keep the Hot Search as low-key as possible." Cheng Xue narrowed her eyes. "As for that Chen Yulin—if he keeps dragging our Liu Zehang into marketing stunts, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Some people are truly disgusting—seizing every opportunity to hop and shout as if they could ascend on the spot.
Liu Rulan glanced at her and then chuckled softly, offering a plan: "If they love marketing so much, let them play with it themselves. After all, acting is decided by the audience, not the director. You can't fake real skill; the viewers will sort it out."
Liu Rulan loved these self-promoters. They brought ready-made traffic without costing her anything. When she wanted to ride that wave, she could easily snatch a piece; when she didn't, she could amplify the opposite direction and enjoy the show.
Most traffic stars have experienced the backlash from reactive trends.
But there's nothing you can do when the only card you hold is "traffic"—the situation is out of your hands.
Cheng Xue understood what Liu Rulan meant.
A mischievous smile finally appeared on her pretty doll-like face: "That's true. Those chosen by Director Feng aren't just from one camp. Who knows how many people in the domestic entertainment industry were eliminated—his final choices will surely be outstanding actors."
The two women exchanged looks, both wearing the same gleeful, schadenfreude expression as they settled in to watch the show.