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

"Brother Ji Ran." Putting down his coffee cup, Chen Chao looked at Ji Ran and said, "Do you remember those two girls who came to me for autographs in the parking lot of the 'Duckweed' press conference last time?"

Startled for a moment, Ji Ran frowned and thought for a moment before quickly realizing, "That Tian Xiwei with the ponytail and that Zhang Ruonan in the white dress?"

"Yes." Chen Chao nodded with a smile and said, "Could you please contact them for me, Brother Ji Ran? If they are interested, I would like to invite them to audition for the female lead in my music video."

"Tian Xiwei is a student in the acting department of Shanghai Theatre Academy, and her image is very much in line with my imagination of the female lead in 'Waiting for You After Class'; as for Zhang Ruonan, her temperament is very much in line with 'Won't Cry' and 'Exchange of Lives'."

"If we cast the two of them, the effect should be great. Besides, they are my fans. It would be quite a story to have my fans play the female lead in a music video."

After hearing Chen Chao's idea, Ji Ran nodded slightly after thinking for a moment and recorded the task on the tablet's calendar.

"Ah Chao, your idea is great. Fans appearing in their idols' music videos can add another talking point for promotion." Ji Ran smiled and affirmed as he turned off the tablet screen.

"And compared to those complete newcomers, at least you have an impression of them, which makes it easier to work with them. I will try to get in touch with them in the next couple of days."

......

As always, the efficiency of the top agent was high. It didn't even take two days. On the second day at noon, he knocked on the door with his tablet.

"I've already contacted Tian Xiwei." Sitting on the sofa, Ji Ran handed the tablet to Chen Chao. "She's a freshman in the acting department at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and she's from Chongqing."

"I haven't signed with any agency yet. I got her contact information through some friends and had some initial communication with her."

Reaching out to take the tablet, Chen Chao looked at the photo of Tian Xiwei on the screen. In the photo, she had braids and smiled, revealing two small tiger teeth, looking very energetic.

"What was her reaction?"

"Her first reaction was, 'Don't try to fool me,'" Ji Ran couldn't help but laugh as she mimicked Tian Xiwei's Chongqing dialect. "I sent her the studio's official verification information, and she checked it several times before she believed it."

"But she added at the end that she was willing to audition, but she wanted to audition fairly and squarely. If she didn't get the role, she wouldn't blame anyone, but if she did, she would definitely not embarrass you."

Chen Chao picked up his teacup and took a sip. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He wasn't surprised by Tian Xiwei's reaction. After all, Tian Xiwei only looked like a sweet girl. In reality, she was a typical spicy girl from Sichuan and Chongqing.

"What about Zhang Ruonan?"

"Her contact information is easier to find. She usually does photoshoots for male models and has a publicly available business email address." He got up and retrieved the tablet Chen Chao had placed on the table. "I sent her an email, and she replied that same evening."

Her exact words were, "Really? Professor Chen Chao still remembers me?"

"and then?"

"Yes, she said she can come anytime. Oh, and she also asked if she could bring some local specialties from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, saying she wanted to thank you for the autograph you gave me last time."

He smiled and shook his head. The two girls' behavior was exactly as Chen Chao had witnessed in his previous life. "Then let's settle on it. Have you communicated with Director Iraoshi?"

"I arranged to meet him at 2 PM." Ji Ran glanced at his watch and said in a deep voice, "Now is the perfect time to leave."

Director Irao Shi is a man in his thirties with a neatly trimmed short beard and black-rimmed glasses, which fits the aesthetic of the Sichuan region.

He has been shooting music videos in the industry for several years and has collaborated with many top singers. His style leans towards artistic narratives, and he is good at using light and shadow and details to tell stories. Ji Ran got to know him through Li Ronghao's introduction.

"Three music videos, right?" Yi Laoshi frowned slightly as he flipped through the few pages Chen Chao handed him, pondering them seriously. "Waiting for You After Class, Promise Not to Cry, and Exchange the Rest of Our Lives."

"Yes." Chen Chao nodded and affirmed, "Waiting for You After Class is more of a campus style, Say You Won't Cry is mainly about urban romance, and Exchange the Rest of Our Lives has a bit of fantasy elements and uses parallel universes as its selling point."

Without immediately responding, Yi Laoshi simply read through those few pages again from beginning to end. What Chen Chao had given him was not a complete script, but rather a story outline and descriptions of key scenes.

"I've listened to all of these songs." Rao Shi raised his head and pushed up his glasses. "To be honest, before I came here, I thought it would be another one of those assembly-line music videos where 'the singer stands in front of the camera and lip-syncs, and the background changes a few times.'"

"But your stories..." He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "The ending of 'Won't Cry' has a very interesting twist. The girl helped the boy fill out an application form to send him abroad, without saying a word from beginning to end. In the end, the boy came back, and they reunited at the entrance of a bubble tea shop."

"Although this kind of restraint of 'sacrificing for you but not wanting you to know' is a bit old-fashioned, it is indeed more powerful than those heart-wrenching confessions."

Upon hearing Yi Laoshi's words, Chen Chao nodded with satisfaction. He didn't speak, but simply gestured for him to continue.

"And there's the parallel universe setting in 'Exchange of Lives'." Irausch tapped his finger lightly on the page and continued, "That concept is indeed very interesting."

"Then I'll have to trouble you to take care of it, Director Yi."

"Don't be so polite." Waving his hand, Irausch's expression turned serious. "The story framework you've set up is very good, but a music video isn't a short film; it's only four to five minutes long."

"We want to tell a complete story in such a short time, while also leaving room for the audience to experience it for themselves, which requires very precise control of the visuals."

He pulled out his sketchbook from his bag, turned to a blank page, and started drawing as he spoke, "For example, in 'Waiting for You After Class,' the campus scene itself has a natural narrative quality."

"My idea is to use a montage of scenes at the beginning, from the campus, corridors, playground to the cafeteria, to quickly establish a sense of space."

"Then a long shot follows the female protagonist through these scenes, finally landing on the school playground, where the male protagonist appears, just as the lyrics describe, silently watching over her, playing the piano and writing love letters, wanting to convey his feelings to her, but unable to find the right time or way."

At this point, he looked up at Chen Chao, "So the female lead is also very important; she has to leave a strong impression. After all, if the female lead is too..."

Although Iraus didn't finish his sentence, Chen Chao already understood what he meant. "Don't worry, I already have someone in mind for the female lead."