Entertainment from Divorce

the next day.

Brilliant Entertainment Company, Television Drama Department.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the conference room with warmth.

In this makeshift audition room, a row of folding chairs stood against the wall, a light gray carpet covered the central floor, a simple blue backdrop stood against a camera, and several staff members were adjusting the lights and equipment. The air was filled with a tense yet orderly atmosphere.

Lu Chuan was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, his hair casually combed back, his eyes focused intently on the cast list and script excerpts in his hands, his fingertips lightly tracing the pages, marking the key characteristics of each character.

Qian Tao sat beside him, wearing a neatly pressed light gray shirt, holding a thermos in his hand, taking sips of water from time to time, his gaze sweeping over the actors who arrived one after another, his face bearing a gentle yet serious expression.

In addition, the company specially invited two senior acting teachers, who sat on one side and were exchanging their understanding of the supporting characters in "The Three-Body Problem".

"Next up is the first auditioning actor, Wang Hao, auditioning for Ding Yi." The staff member's voice broke the silence in the room.

A young actor wearing a white shirt and black-rimmed glasses walked in quickly, clutching the script tightly in his hand, his face showing obvious tension.

Ding Yi is a highly charismatic scientist character in "The Three-Body Problem." He appears cynical, but in reality, he has an extreme passion for physics. He possesses both the elegance of an intellectual and a carefree attitude that comes with a clear understanding of the world. It is not easy to portray Ding Yi well.

"Let's begin." Lu Chuan's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power.

Wang Hao took a deep breath, adjusted his state, and began to act out the scene where Ding Yi showed Wang Miao the water droplet model.

He tried hard to imitate the tone of a scientist, reciting his lines at a rapid pace, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused. He neither showed Ding Yi's passion for physics nor the relaxed feeling that comes with the character. His body movements were stiff, and he was completely out of character.

After the performance, Wang Hao nervously watched Lu Chuan and the others, waiting for their comments.

Lu Chuan was silent for a moment, then said sincerely, "Wang Hao, your understanding of the character is too superficial."

"Ding Yi is not just a bookworm. He has experienced too much and has a profound understanding of the truth of the universe. Therefore, his nonchalance hides despair, and his persistence is tinged with helplessness. Your performance just now was too deliberate. You did not grasp the core essence of the character. Go back and study the script carefully."

Qian Tao added, "Your delivery of lines is good, but your emotional expression is lacking; there's no emotion in your eyes."

Wang Hao looked disappointed, nodded, said "Thank you, teacher," and then turned and left the audition room.

"Next, Li Meng, will audition for Zhuang Yan."

Zhuang Yan is a highly controversial character in "The Three-Body Problem". She is pure and beautiful, like a ray of light shining into Wang Miao's gloomy life. The actress needs to have a clean and clear temperament, and at the same time, she also needs to portray the character's inner determination.

Li Meng has a delicate and pretty face. Wearing a white dress, she walked into the audition room with a gentle and graceful aura that immediately caught the attention of the people present.

She portrayed the scene of Zhuang Yan's first meeting with Wang Miao, her voice soft and her eyes clear, striving to show the character's gentleness and tranquility.

However, during the performance, she focused too much on external beauty and neglected Zhuang Yan's inherent resilience. Her eyes lacked liveliness, and her emotional expression was rather one-dimensional. It was as if she was reciting lines rather than communicating with her co-star.

"Li Meng, your temperament is very similar to Zhuang Yan, but your performance is too shallow," Teacher Zhang Min commented, her tone gentle yet incisive.

"Zhuang Yan is not an innocent young girl. She has her own ideas and principles, and beneath her gentle exterior lies a determined heart. Your performance just now only achieved a superficial resemblance, not a spiritual one. Relax a bit more and try to understand the character's inner world."

Lu Chuan nodded and added, "Eye contact is very important. Zhuang Yan's gaze towards Wang Miao should have contained curiosity, appreciation, and a subtle, almost imperceptible probing. You didn't convey those layers. Go back and review the script carefully, and try to improve next time."

Li Meng lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, thanked the audition staff, and left the audition room.

Over the next few hours, actors came in to audition for roles including Evans's assistant and a guard at the Red Coast base.

Most actors failed to accurately grasp the core of their roles, either due to insufficient understanding or overly immature acting skills.

Lu Chuan and Qian Tao patiently provided feedback to each person, pointing out the problems. The two acting teachers also offered professional guidance from time to time, making the entire audition process rigorous and efficient.

As the lead actor, Lu Chuan remained focused throughout, and his requirements for each role were very clear.

He would explain the scenes to the actors in detail, analyze the character's personality traits and emotional changes, and even personally demonstrate the actions and expressions.

Although he was a new director, his dedication to his work and his professional attitude earned him the admiration of everyone present.

Qian Tao offered timely advice, such as reminding Lu Chuan to pay attention to the compatibility of the actor's aura with the core character and to consider the coordination issues during filming. The two worked together very well.

Meanwhile, in the president's office on the eighth floor, Tan Yue had just finished processing the last document, handed it to Chen Ye, leaned back in his chair, and stretched.

He picked up the green tea on the table, took a sip, and the rich aroma of the tea dispelled some of his fatigue.

Tan Yue turned on his computer and browsed through the work reports submitted by various departments.

A smile unconsciously crept onto Tan Yue's lips.

Today, Brilliant Entertainment is no longer the small company that could only stand on one film. Instead, it has developed into a comprehensive entertainment group covering multiple fields such as film, television series, variety shows, and artist management. Each department performs its own duties and operates efficiently.
He no longer needs to do everything himself as before, and can focus more of his energy on core projects.

After resting for a while, Tan Yue remembered that the casting for "The Three-Body Problem" was starting today, so he got up, grabbed his coat, and decided to go to the audition site.

What he cared about most was not only the suitability of the actors, but also wanted to test Lu Chuan's performance.

Lin Qingye has successfully transitioned into a film director, and the company does need to cultivate a new pillar in the field of television drama directing. Lu Chuan is the candidate on whom he places high hopes.

For Lu Chuan, filming "The Three-Body Problem" is both a challenge and an opportunity.

Upon arriving at the conference room, Tan Yue did not go in immediately, but stood outside the door, looking at the situation inside through the glass.

At this moment, Lu Chuan was giving acting instructions to an actor auditioning for the role of Evans. He held the script and analyzed the emotions behind the lines word by word, speaking patiently and meticulously.

"Evans is an idealist who is desperate about humanity's greed and selfishness, which is why he chooses to help the Trisolaran civilization. His lines can't be too harsh; they have to be delivered with a compassionate tone, and his eyes should show disappointment in humanity as well as blind worship of the Trisolaran civilization."

After listening, the actor nodded thoughtfully, readjusted himself, and began to perform.

This time, his performance was noticeably better; his tone carried more complex emotions, and his eyes were more determined. Tan Yue pushed open the door and walked in. The people inside immediately noticed him and stood up to greet him: "President Tan!"

"Everyone, don't be shy, let's continue. I'm just here to take a look." Tan Yue waved his hand with a smile and sat down in the empty seat next to Qian Tao. "Don't worry about me, just proceed with the original plan."

When Lu Chuan saw Tan Yue, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his focus, nodded, and signaled for the audition to continue.

Next up for the audition was a young actor named Zhao Yu, who was auditioning for the role of Shi Qiang's assistant.

Although this character doesn't have many scenes, they need to be capable, loyal, and have a certain sense of humor to ease the tense atmosphere of the plot.

Zhao Yu has a rugged appearance and was dressed in casual clothes. When he walked into the audition room, he exuded a military aura.

He portrayed the scene where Shi Qiang asked him to investigate the Red Coast Base. His tone was crisp and decisive, his movements were efficient, his eyes were firm, and he would occasionally reveal a simple and honest smile. He brought out the character's traits to the fullest and performed better than the previous actors.

After the performance, Lu Chuan looked on with admiration: "Zhao Yu, your performance was very good. You captured the core essence of the character. Your lines and body movements were very natural, and your emotional delivery was also very effective."

"However, there is a small problem. When you receive a task, the trust in your eyes could be a little stronger. You are Shi Qiang's most trusted assistant, so your obedience is not passive, but active and unconditional."

"Thank you, Director Lu, I understand!" Zhao Yu smiled excitedly and nodded quickly to make a note of it.

Qian Tao looked at Tan Yue and asked with a smile, "Mr. Tan, what do you think?"

Tan Yue nodded slightly, his tone calm: "Not bad, this actor has great potential, and his temperament fits the role. We should give him serious consideration."

In the subsequent auditions, several more actors delivered outstanding performances.

For example, in his audition for the role of Zhang Yi, a guard at the Red Coast Base, he perfectly captured the character's meticulousness and loyalty.

Lin Xi, who auditioned for the role of a young scientist, was relatively inexperienced, but the spark in her eyes and her understanding of the character impressed everyone present.

Tan Yue sat quietly to the side, not saying much, just watching the actors' performances and observing Lu Chuan's direction and comments.

He discovered that although Lu Chuan was young, he had very clear requirements for the roles and his comments were incisive. He could not only point out the actors' problems, but also give specific suggestions for improvement, which was unlike that of a new director.

Moreover, he is a good listener. He carefully considers the suggestions made by Qian Tao and the two acting teachers, and adjusts them in accordance with his own ideas, thus adhering to his creative philosophy without being stubborn.

Looking at Lu Chuan's focused profile, Tan Yue nodded inwardly.

After Lin Qingye transitioned to film, the company did indeed experience a shortage of television directors. Although there were a few senior directors, their styles were too rigid and lacked innovation.

Lu Chuan is different.

He is talented, has ideas, and has a deep understanding of science fiction.

More importantly, he has a deep reverence for his work.

As long as you maintain this seriousness and dedication, given time, you will definitely become a pillar of the company's TV drama directors, and may even achieve cross-industry development like Lin Qingye.

Tan Yue was already planning in his mind that after the filming of "The Three-Body Problem" was completed, he would give Lu Chuan more resources and opportunities and focus on cultivating him.

Halfway through the audition, Chen Ye hurriedly walked in and whispered in Tan Yue's ear, "President Tan, the finance department has submitted a budget adjustment plan for 'The Three-Body Problem,' which needs your approval as soon as possible. Also, the overseas distribution department has raised some last-minute changes to the cooperation details and would like to discuss them with you."

Tan Yue frowned, glanced at the audition scene, and felt a little reluctant, but work was the priority.

He stood up, walked over to Lu Chuan, and patted him on the shoulder: "I still have some work to take care of, so I'll leave this to you. Keep it up, you've done a great job."

Lu Chuan felt a warmth in his heart and quickly nodded, "Thank you, President Tan. Don't worry, I will definitely do a good job in the audition!"

Qian Tao also stood up: "President Tan, you go ahead and do your work. We'll take care of things here. I'll report to you as soon as I find a suitable candidate."

Tan Yue nodded, greeted the two acting teachers, and then left the audition room with Chen Ye.

Stepping out of the elevator, Tan Yue asked, "What are the main adjustments made to the finance department's budget proposal?"

"The main issue was the budget for special effects. Because the science fiction scenes in 'The Three-Body Problem' were more complex than expected, the special effects team requested an increase in the budget to ensure the visual effects."

"In addition, regarding the actors' salaries, because we invited veteran actors such as Zhang Lan, the salaries are a bit higher than the initial budget," Chen Ye reported in detail.

Tan Yue pondered for a moment and said, "The special effects budget can be approved. The visual effects of 'The Three-Body Problem' are crucial and cannot be skimped on. As for the actors' salaries, have the finance department double-check to ensure that they do not exceed the total budget."

"Yes, Mr. Tan, I'll convey your message right away." Chen Ye nodded and strode towards his office.

Tan Yue returned to the president's office.

He opened the budget adjustment plan submitted by the finance department and carefully checked it.

As the company's key project this year, "The Three-Body Problem" has a sufficient budget, but it cannot be wasted.

In terms of special effects, Tan Yue knows how important the visual effects are for hard science fiction dramas. Only by doing a good job with the special effects of scenes such as the Red Coast Base, Operation Guzheng, and Water Drop can the audience be truly immersed in the story. Therefore, increasing the budget is worthwhile.

Regarding actor salaries, although the salaries of veteran actors like Zhang Lan are not low, their acting skills and reputation can safeguard the quality of the work, making them very cost-effective and well within an acceptable range.

After reviewing the budget proposal, Tan Yue signed his name on it and had Chen Ye send it back to the finance department.

He then called Zhang Peng, the director of the overseas distribution department, and explained the key points in detail, emphasizing the importance of derivative development rights and stressing that they should not be easily compromised.

After finishing these urgent tasks, Tan Yue leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.

Although the company's various tasks are progressing in an orderly manner, as CEO, he has too many things to consider, from major project decisions and budget approvals to minor employee communication and cooperation details. He cannot be careless about any of them.

However, seeing the company grow and expand step by step, with its directors and actors constantly developing, and the imminent release of a major work like "The Three-Body Problem," Tan Yue felt a renewed sense of motivation. (End of Chapter)