Huayu 16: I Became the Dream-Fulfilling Master for Young Actresses

In the evening, the script reading session arranged by the production team was held in the conference room of the hotel where they were staying.

Chen Xingzhou arrived ten minutes early. As soon as he opened the door, he heard a cheerful voice.

"General Chen! Over here!"

Wang Yanlin was sitting near the door. When he saw him come in, he immediately stood up, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Oh, you're here."

Chen Xingzhou smiled and nodded.

"Not bad, bro, the promotional photos are pretty handsome," Wang Yanlin whispered as he leaned closer, "If I were a girl, I'd be totally smitten with you."

Chen Xingzhou was speechless, instinctively covering his back and waving his hand, saying:

"No, I'm not from the capital."

He knew Wang Yanlin was sexually normal, but he still couldn't help feeling a chill down his spine. It just goes to show that prejudice in people's hearts is like a city.

"Chengdu?" Wang Yanlin asked doubtfully, "I didn't actually ask you where you're from. Are you from Chengdu?"

"No," Chen Xingzhou explained to him helplessly.

"The Foggy City? The Foggy City is nice..."

Wang Yanlin sighed.

Chen Xingzhou pulled out the chair next to him and sat down, placing the script on the table: "Alright, stop flattering me. Your costume fitting photo for Yuwen Huai also perfectly captured that twisted vibe, didn't it?"

"What do you mean by 'perverted'?!"

Wang Yanlin immediately retorted, "That's a villain, okay!"

He quickly deflated and said helplessly, "I'm just a character who gets criticized. I feel like I won't dare to go out after the show airs."

"Well, don't worry, you might not even be able to go home." Chen Xingzhou couldn't help but chuckle.

"Can't even go home? That can't be that bad, can it?"

Wang Yanlin looked incredulous.

"By the way, the main creative team, Sister Liying, Brother Gengxin, and Sister Liqin will all be here later. Don't be nervous, just perform normally."

Chen Xingzhou nodded with a smile, but his heart was not really stirred.

A few minutes later, the conference room door was pushed open again, and director Wu Jinyuan entered with the main creative team.

Following closely behind were the other core actors.

Zhao Liying was the first to enter.

In 16, she was already incredibly popular, at the peak of her career.

She was dressed simply in a white T-shirt, with no makeup, and clutched a script that was even more annotated than Chen Xingzhou's.

She greeted everyone with a smile as soon as she entered, and when she saw Chen Xingzhou, she smiled and nodded politely.

Along with her smile came a system notification sound.

[Ding! Detected female celebrity Zhao Liying.]

[Current wish: To create a resilient, spirited, and fully fleshed-out classic female lead; to make Chu Qiao's growth arc even more moving through seamless teamwork.]

Chen Xingzhou glanced at them, then looked back at the newcomer.

Following behind Zhao Liying was Lin Gengxin.

Dressed casually, he exchanged a few pleasantries with the director and screenwriter before finding a seat by the window.

Li Lin was the last to enter.

She was holding a script in her hand, and when she saw Chen Xingzhou, she smiled with her eyes crinkling.

Seeing Li Lin's smile, Wang Yanlin immediately leaned close to Chen Xingzhou and whispered, "See? Handsome guys attract women."

Chen Xingzhou glanced at him sideways and pushed his head away as he leaned in.

Wang Yanlin chuckled twice, and was about to say something more when Director Wu Jinyuan, sitting at the head of the table, tapped the table, and the conference room instantly fell silent.

"Everyone's here, so let's skip the formalities and get straight to the script reading."

Director Wu scanned the room, his gaze lingering on Chen Xingzhou for a second longer, a hint of expectation in his eyes:

"Princess Agents is our key project this year, and it's fate that we can all get together. Today, let's go over the lines, refine the characters' logic, and feel free to share any ideas you have. We'll discuss them on the spot."

As soon as he finished speaking, the assistant director immediately distributed the detailed scene-by-scene scripts.

……

The reading session began with the opening scene of the first episode.

Zhao Liying was the first to speak, and she perfectly captured Chu Qiao's forbearance, resilience, and ruthlessness when she first entered the hunting grounds, all with just a few lines.

She truly lives up to her reputation as a "workaholic" in the industry.

When it was Chen Xingzhou's turn to speak, everyone in the conference room instinctively turned their attention to him.

They had never met Chen Xingzhou before and were curious to hear that he was still a newcomer. After all, Yan Xun was not the main character, and supporting roles were more about acting skills.

It's amazing that a newcomer can play this kind of role.

That's not simple at all.

Chen Xingzhou turned his gaze away from the script, his voice suddenly changing, carrying the unique exuberance and nonchalance of a young man.

Wang Yanlin, standing next to him, was already shocked. Although he had seen Chen Xingzhou's acting skills before, he still thought he acted well when he saw him again.

Zhao Liying, sitting opposite Chen Xingzhou, looked up at him with admiration in her eyes and accurately caught his lines.

The back-and-forth between the two, Chu Qiao's stubbornness and Yan Xun's gentleness and protectiveness, instantly created a vivid image.

Wu Jinyuan couldn't help but nod repeatedly.

Lin Gengxin's scenes followed closely behind, and he still maintained that nonchalant demeanor.

However, once he opened his mouth, Yuwen Yue's aloofness, restraint, and outward coldness masked his inner warmth.

When it was Wang Yanlin's turn, he portrayed Yuwen Huai's arrogance, ruthlessness, and jealousy with remarkable depth.

This is simply a natural performance.

With the script reading halfway through, it was finally time for the key scenes between Yan Xun and Yuan Chun.

Chen Xingzhou did not portray Yan Xun's attitude towards Yuan Chun as a cold rejection and disgust.

He used his own rhythm in the dialogue to give Li Lin's performance ample room to maneuver.

After finishing the recitation, Li Lin let out a long sigh of relief, looked up at Chen Xingzhou, and her eyes were filled with gratitude and approval.

Chen Xingzhou nodded slightly to her, as if in response to her gaze.

The reading session lasted until late at night. When Wu Jinyuan gave his final summary, he specifically mentioned Chen Xingzhou's name:

"Xingzhou's understanding of Yan Xun is very accurate, even better than I expected. We will continue to maintain this level of understanding in the subsequent filming."

As the event ended and the cast and crew left one by one, Li Lin stopped deliberately as she passed Chen Xingzhou, and said with a smile:

"Xingzhou, today's scene with you was very comfortable. I'll need your cooperation for the rest of the filming."

"You're too kind, Professor Li."

After everyone had mostly left, Wang Yanlin hooked his arm around Chen Xingzhou's shoulder again, teasing him with a mischievous grin:

"Wow, impressive, bro! It's only the first day, and you've already won over the director and all the lead actors. Especially the way Teacher Li Lin looked at you just now—it was really different!"

"Being handsome is awesome!"

"Get lost," Chen Xingzhou said with a laugh, pushing him away and picking up the script and phone from the table.

As soon as the screen lit up, several unread messages popped up.

Li Yitong: [Xingzhou, is the reading session over? Have you taken your costume photos? I'd love to see what you look like in ancient costume.]

Meng Ziyi: [A-Zhou, take good care of yourself in Hengdian. Remember to call me when you're done!]

Another message Bai Mengyan sent half an hour ago was a selfie of herself practicing her lines with the script, captioned: [Xingzhou, how did the reading go? I've been practicing my acting skills diligently.]

I'm waiting for you to come back and see me.