Huayu: I was immediately ensnared by Jing Tian as soon as I entered the industry.

"Is this Mr. Wang?"

"It's me!"

A man dressed in an executive jacket, who looked like a secretary, led Wang Xuan away from the guardhouse.

As expected of a state-owned enterprise, they are very meticulous in their work. Seeing that Wang Xuan is still young, they let him contact someone to pick it up.

"I heard you were coming, so Manager Shi is waiting for you in his office."

Wang Xuan didn't recognize this Manager Shi and thought he was Lai Peikang, since he only knew Lai Peikang.

Upon closer examination, it's not hard to understand why the person in charge was changed. China Film Group is a state-owned enterprise with several vice presidents, each with their own responsibilities, so they generally don't overstep their boundaries.

This Manager Shi should be involved in areas such as film control, distribution, and investment.

I thought I'd finally meet the infamous Zuo Shandiao, but it seems I was wrong.

Having just been promoted to head of China Film Group, he's extremely busy every day and probably won't be paying attention to him.

The secretary knocked on the door, and a deep voice came from inside: "Come in."

The door opened, and Wang Xuan walked in, introducing himself: "Hello Manager Shi, I'm Wang Xuan."

"You must be Wang Xuan. You are indeed a young man of great talent. Winning the first Chinese Best Actor award at such a young age has brought honor to Chinese-language filmmakers."

Shi Dongmin praised with a smile.

"Manager Shi is right."

"Bring the script with you, let me take a look. Old Lai said you're a young man with ideas."

"It's too kind of you, Manager Lai. Here's the script."

The other person was reading a script. Wang Xuan looked around the office with a bored expression. There was a tea set and a bookshelf. The office was simply furnished.

Half an hour later, Shi Dongmin adjusted his glasses and closed the script.

"The subject matter is novel and unique, a comedy script rarely seen on the market."

"I asked Professor Tian for guidance before I came, and he said the same thing."

"Old Tian? He certainly has a good eye."

Shi Dongmin paused for a moment, then asked, "Who are you planning to cast?"

Wang Xuan revealed his plan: "For the role of the old lady, I plan to find a veteran actress with a comedic sense to play the younger version of the character, and I will audition for young actresses from mainland China."

"Considering box office performance, I suggest that when casting young actresses, it's best to choose those with high profiles."

Shi Dongmin's concerns are valid.

These days, you still have to rely on the popularity of celebrities to attract audiences to the cinema.

Wang Xuan quickly thought about it. There are four Dan actresses, two Bing actresses, one Fei actress, and one Yuan actress who are well-known in mainland China. There are indeed many choices.

But Wang Xuan didn't want to hire these people, firstly because they didn't have box office appeal.

If we're really talking about someone, it might only be Fan Binbin who can attract moviegoers to the cinema.

As for Liu Yifei, she is beautiful, but she has too many male fans, most of whom are lewd, making it difficult to translate into box office success.

The others take the artistic route, not to mention they don't have any movie fans willing to pay for their films.

Secondly, the most crucial factor in determining the quality of a film is whether it can tell a good story.

"Manager Shi, I have confidence in the script, and I'd like to use newcomers."

Seeing Wang Xuan's firm attitude, Shi Dongmin did not raise any further objections.

If the movie makes money, everyone's happy; if it loses money, then there won't be a next time.

Wang Xuan's directing career may have come to an end.

"Leave the script here, I'll arrange for it to be submitted for review. As for the investment ratio, we can discuss that once the cost budget is finalized."

Wang Xuan agreed, meaning he would definitely take control of the project and get more than half of the share.

Judging from Manager Shi's attitude, he probably doesn't want to invest more.

He's too young, and this is his first time directing; it's hard to say what the outcome will be.

···

On the way back to school, Wang Xuan wondered which actresses in China had comedic talent.

At this time, Ma Li's age was not appropriate.

Song Dandan and Cai Ming are both under fifty years old, are they capable of portraying the demeanor of an old woman?

Suddenly, Wang Xuan's memories were awakened.

Song Dandan is really good; her portrayal of Aunt Baiyun on the Spring Festival Gala stage was incredibly lifelike.

Whether we can invite them to act is something only China Film Group can try.

As for roles played in their younger years, there aren't many actresses who are comedic and uninhibited.

Xiao Tian is ruled out first, as her temperament and image don't match. If she were to play a wealthy young lady, she wouldn't even need to act; she would be perfect for the role.

"The classmate has arrived."

Wang Xuan snapped out of his thoughts, paid the fare, and got off the bus at the school gate.

"Best Actor, what a coincidence to meet you here."

Upon hearing this title, Wang Xuan was certain that someone was calling him, because he was the only current student at the Beijing Film Academy who had ever won the Best Actor award.

Yuan Shanshan and Zhang Xiaofei walked over hand in hand, like close sisters.

"Did the two senior students call me?"

"Yeah, who else could it be?"

Yuan Shanshan is very good at making friends. She put her hand on Wang Xuan's shoulder and leaned against him.

Wang Xuan took a half step back, dodging the pig's trotter: "Being a movie star is a thing of the past, let's not mention it again. I'm very low-key."

"Junior, you're different from everyone I've ever met. You're talented, humble, and very handsome."

Wang Xuan's attempt to avoid suspicion was met with indifference from Yuan Shanshan, who, as a junior in college, was already considering her post-graduation plans.

The junior in front of her was clearly a good investment opportunity. She had heard that "Buried Alive" had sold for a good copyright fee, and she didn't mind if something happened between them.

"Can I add you on QQ? I'll ask you for help if I have any questions in the future. I hope the movie star won't look down on us?"

Since that's what they've said, Wang Xuan couldn't refuse, so he just added them and ignored them.

He glanced at Zhang Xiaofei, who hadn't said a word, and thought she seemed a bit introverted, perhaps because she lacked confidence in her looks.

Since we've already added Yuan Shanshan, it wouldn't be right to leave her out.

"Let's add one too."

"Ah, okay~"

Zhang Xiaofei had always been used to being ignored, so she never expected Wang Xuan to take the initiative to ask her.

After adding their QQ numbers, Wang Xuan waved to them and walked towards the school.

Watching her retreating figure, Yuan Shanshan coldly warned Zhang Xiaofei:

"Xiaofei, don't get any improper thoughts about junior Wang Xuan. Don't bother him. He's my type."

"Shanshan, are you going to pursue Wang Xuan?"

"Of course, he's so handsome and talented, isn't it normal to like him?"

Yuan Shanshan said confidently.

Remembering something, she instructed Zhang Xiaofei, "Don't tell Yang Mi that we added Wang Xuan's QQ number."

"Afraid she'll steal your food?"

"Yeah, she's a very thoughtful person; she can't resist handsome guys."

Yuan Shanshan started complaining about her roommate Yang Mi, her jealousy written all over her face.

···

When Wang Xuan thought about who should play the younger version of Shen Mengjun, he thought of Jia Lin when he saw Zhang Xiaofei.

He was probably only in his early twenties at this time, and he had already gained some fame in the Beijing crosstalk scene. He had also become an apprentice of Feng Gong.

Inviting Jia Lin shouldn't be difficult. Making movies is a high-class thing, and a small-time comedian like her can't resist that kind of temptation.

The most important female lead has been secured, so the other roles are easy to find; we can just look for them at the school.