Huayu: This top star doesn't play by the rules.

Back at the hotel, after washing up, Chen Chao immediately opened the email sent by Ji Ran and began to review the portion of the script sent by New Classics Media.

Chen Chao, who had read the novel "Joy of Life," was no stranger to the character Fan Xian, a time traveler who brought modern thinking to ancient times. On the surface, he seemed cynical, but in reality, he was meticulous, loyal, and pursued fairness.

As for the TV series "Joy of Life", although he had not read it in his previous life, he had some knowledge of the content. For example, in order to pass the censorship, many of the novel's settings were changed, such as Fan Xian's identity as a time traveler.

Of course, they didn't make too many adjustments to Fan Xian's character, especially his performance in court and when facing Emperor Qing, where he acted as if he was putting on an act and didn't even know which part was true. This required a very high level of acting skill.

However, Chen Chao was still very confident in his acting skills. After looking at the script for a while, his phone suddenly lit up.

Upon opening the message, I found it was from Sister Zhao: "Have you finished reading the script they sent you? If you need someone to help you watch a play or audition, feel free to call me anytime."

After staring at the screen for a moment, Chen Chao replied, "Okay, I understand. If the performance goes wrong, just say it's because Sister Liying didn't teach me well."

After this text, Chen Chao added a smirking emoji, and less than a moment after he sent it, Zhao Liying replied, "Get lost."

In addition to that word, she also posted a fist emoji to express her emotions.

Seeing the meme, Chen Chao couldn't help but laugh. He casually tossed his phone onto his pillow and lay back on the bed.

The following morning, Chen Chao took the initiative to approach director Zhang Kaizhou to discuss his recent solo scenes being filmed in a concentrated manner to catch up on the schedule.

After learning that Chen Chao was going to take three days off to audition for New Classics Media and Tencent's S+ film and television projects, Zhang Kaizhou did not refuse and immediately nodded in agreement.

After all, if Chen Chao could get the male lead role in an S+ film and television project, it would bring another wave of buzz to the "The Story of Minglan" production team, which would be a free publicity opportunity. Why would he refuse?

—————————————————————————————

The audition was scheduled for the Shanghai branch of New Classics Media. After speaking to the staff, Chen Chao was led to the audition room.

Because today's audition was only for Chen Chao, the first choice for the male lead, he didn't see any colleagues of similar age at the event as he usually does.

"Mr. Chen Chao, this way please." After greeting everyone upon entering the audition room, a staff member came out to usher Chen Chao inside.

Led by staff, Chen Chao entered the audition room, where five people were sitting: director Sun Hao, producer Yu Wanqin, screenwriter Wang Juan, and executives from New Classics Media and Tencent Pictures.

The group sized up Chen Chao, quite curious about this young man who, despite his lack of experience, had an impressive track record.

A second male lead in a 1.5 billion yuan box office film, a second male lead in the hit drama "Princess Agents", the male lead in Daylight Entertainment's big-budget production "The Story of Ming Lan", and also holding two major awards at the Chinese Golden Melody Awards: Best Newcomer and Best Mandarin Album. This resume is basically unmatched by many of his peers.

"Hello, teachers, I am Chen Chao." With a slight bow, Chen Chao, who already had a lot of audition experience, was no longer nervous at all in this situation.

With a smile and a nod in response, the producer spoke first, saying, "We've all seen your 'Princess Agents.' Your portrayal of Yan Xun was very nuanced and showed great acting skills."

"Today we're mainly going to rehearse a scene, where Fan Xian first arrives in the capital and argues with Fan Sizhe at the entrance of the Fan residence. You have five minutes, so get ready."

They had originally planned to have Chen Chao try out a scene that showed Fan Xian's shrewdness and vigilance, but considering Chen Chao's performance in "Princess Agents," they all agreed that Chen Chao should have no problem portraying these qualities, so they canceled the attempt.

"Okay." After receiving the script from the producer, Chen Chao glanced through it and memorized it completely.

Five minutes later, Chen Chao stood in the center of the field, and his aura changed instantly. He slightly raised his chin, his eyes filled with a nonchalant mockery, and a lazy smile played on his lips. His words were both cheeky and cheeky.

He vividly portrayed Fan Xian's fearless and clever nature when he first arrived in the capital. His roguishness was not annoying, and even Wang Juan couldn't help but adjust his glasses and nod slightly.

After Chen Chao finished performing the scene, the audition panel was silent for a moment. Then screenwriter Wang Juan spoke first, his tone clearly showing appreciation, "Chen Chao, your understanding of Fan Xian is very accurate. You grasped the sense of relaxation very well. You didn't deliberately try to look cool, nor did you act pretentiously. The character's energy comes from within."

Afterwards, the audition team asked Chen Chao a few more questions about his understanding of the character Fan Xian. After Chen Chao explained his understanding in detail, the producer smiled and nodded, "Okay, we have no problems on our end. We will contact your agent this afternoon for more details."

After thanking the audition team members once again, Chen Chao pushed open the door and left.

The next afternoon, Chen Chao, who was resting and playing games in the hotel, received a call from Ji Ran, "Chao! Xinli just called and said you've been cast as Fan Xian! We'll go over to discuss the contract tomorrow morning."

"Yes, as expected." After replying to Ji Ran with a smile, Chen Chao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

After landing the role of Fan Xian, he secured the male lead roles in two big-budget TV dramas, firmly establishing himself as the leading actor in film and television.

"Oh, right, there's something else." Ji Ran's tone suddenly became a little subtle. "I heard from their staff that the actress for the female lead, Lin Wan'er, has been decided. Guess who it is?"

"Who?"

"Li Lin".

Chen Chao paused for a moment. Although he knew that Li Qin had played the role of Lin Wan'er in his previous life, he didn't expect her role to be decided so quickly. "Okay, I understand."

After ending his call with Ji Ran, Chen Chao immediately sent Li Qin a WeChat message: "I heard Lin Wan'er got engaged? Congratulations, future chicken leg girl."

Less than half a minute after he sent the message, Li Qin called him directly, "Oh, how did you know? I just received a notification from my agent! Wait, could it be... Fan Xian has chosen you?"