The entertainment empire began with Liu Yifei's premarital pregnancy.

Yesterday, Xu Ke specially invited Zhou Xun to audition, though he said it was just a formality.

Xu Ke had already made up his mind: if Zhou Xun really didn't perform well after the audition, he would do everything he could to persuade Lin Bufan not to let Zhou Xun play the role of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

However, an accident occurred.

When he saw Zhou Xun's portrayal of the Nine-Tailed Fox, he was instantly captivated by her appearance and acting skills.

In particular, the naive cruelty in the eyes of the Nine-Tailed Fox, like an animal's instinctive hunting, struck Xu Ke's heart.

At that moment, he vowed that no one was more suitable for the role than Zhou Xun.

Perhaps Zhou Xun isn't beautiful enough, and her figure isn't good enough. At first glance, where is the charm of the Nine-Tailed Fox?

However, upon closer examination, it was discovered that Zhou Xun's portrayal of the Nine-Tailed Fox was not based on the typical glamorous style, and the glamorous fox spirit archetype had already become commonplace.

The story of the Nine-Tailed Fox in this movie is not about the Nine-Tailed Fox seducing people with her beauty.

Zhou Xun perfectly embodied the image of the Nine-Tailed Fox that the film aimed to portray.

"Deng Chao?"

Immediately afterwards, Lin Bufan saw the character Wang Sheng, and Xu Ke had chosen Deng Chao for the role.

"Why did you decide to cast Deng Chao in the role of Wang Sheng?"

Lin Bufan looked at Xu Ke with a slightly scrutinizing gaze.

"Director Lin, this is what I'm thinking..."

Xu Ke prepared a speech and reported to Lin Bufan.

There were quite a few young actors in the industry who auditioned for the role of Wang Sheng, including Tong Dawei, Huang Xiaoming, Nie Yuan, Lu Yi, and Chen Kun.

After auditions, several people were found to fit the character description and had good acting skills, and Deng Chao was one of them.

Ultimately, considering that Deng Chao was a contracted artist with the company, Xu Ke chose Deng Chao to play the role of Wang Sheng.

"Deng Chao has signed with Kyoto Animation?"

Lin Bufan was slightly taken aback.

Just now he was thinking, everyone in the industry knows that he has a grudge against Huayi Brothers, but Xu Ke found people from Huayi Brothers to play roles. What does he mean by that?

However, he heard an unexpected piece of news from Xu Ke.

That means Deng Chao signed with Kyoto.

He knew absolutely nothing about this.

Of course, with Xu Ke here, he certainly wouldn't show it; he could only wait until later to ask what happened.

Lin Bufan then continued reading.

The exorcist Pang Yong in "Painted Skin" was originally played by Yu Zhoudan, but now Xu Ke has replaced him with Zhang Jin.

If Yu Zhou Dan knew, he'd probably be devastated.

Zhang Jin stole the classic role that should have belonged to him in the "Ip Man" series.

As a result, when it came to "Painted Skin," it was taken away by the other party again.

The role of the licking lizard spirit is played by Xie Miao.

Both Pang Yong and the licking lizard demon have fighting scenes, making them perfect for actors with action backgrounds.

Moreover, crucially, they are all contracted artists within Kyoto Entertainment.

The role of the female exorcist was originally intended for Sun Li, but it has now been changed to Wang Zhi. The reason is that the role involves action scenes, and Wang Zhi has practiced martial arts since childhood. She is very suitable for the role in terms of appearance, figure, and movements.

In "Painted Skin," there is also a female noblewoman who is bewitched by the Nine-Tailed Fox, and Xu Ke chose to have Shu Chang make a cameo appearance in it.

All told, Shu Chang has already made guest appearances in several Kyoto Animation productions, and she has now signed with Kyoto Animation.

If suitable opportunities and roles arise in the future, I will consider Shuchang.

In Lin Bufan's films, and in Kyoto, every role is judged solely on one thing: suitability.

If a role doesn't suit the actor well, even if the actor is one of the company's own artists, they will be ruthlessly rejected. This is for the sake of the film and also for the sake of the audience.

So far, the main characters in "Painted Skin" have basically all been cast. The reason I say "cast" is because the role of Pei Rong, one of the female leads, has not yet been cast.

"What were your considerations regarding the role of Pei Rong?"

Lin Bufan put down the list of personnel and looked at Xu Ke.

He casually picked up the tea that Bai Bing had poured for him and took a small sip.

"Director Lin, I would like to invite Ms. Liu Yifei to play this role."

Xu Ke paused slightly, then looked at Lin Bufan and said with a serious expression.

"Sissi?"

Lin Bufan frowned subconsciously: "Why?"

When preparing for this movie, Lin Bufan considered many actresses for the lead role, but he never thought of Liu Yifei.

"Director Lin, first and foremost, there's the relationship between Ms. Liu Yifei and you. If she were to play the lead role, it would generate a lot of buzz, making the movie a hit even before its release and giving it a head start..."

Xu Ke answered with a serious expression.

That's true. Since Liu Yifei gave birth, she hasn't made any public appearances except for attending the premiere of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate".

But last time, his only public appearance caused a sensation both inside and outside the industry.

No one expected that Liu Yifei, who was already stunningly beautiful, would become even more beautiful after giving birth, and would gain a mature and charming allure, making her even more captivating.

If Liu Yifei in the past gave people a fairy-like feeling, she seemed a bit cold and unapproachable.

Liu Yifei now, based on this foundation, gives people a very alluring feeling, making people both afraid to get close and extremely attractive.

These two contradictions combined in one person did not diminish her charm but rather increased it, even more than doubling it from before.

Many photos of Liu Yifei on the red carpet of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" have appeared online. According to incomplete statistics, many netizens now use her photos as their computer screensavers.

In fact, many game companies now want Liu Yifei to be their spokesperson, offering tens of millions of yuan for the endorsement, but Lin Bufan has turned them all down.

"Secondly, the character Pei Rong is gentle and even has a touch of maternal warmth, all of which are very suitable for Ms. Liu Yifei..."

Xu Ke spoke eloquently.

In short, this role can only be played by Liu Yifei.

"I'll talk to Sisi about this myself later. If she's unwilling, then you can choose someone else."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Bufan did not make a decision for Liu Yifei.

Liu Yifei had mentioned to him once before that she wanted to make a comeback in acting, but he hadn't heard her say anything about it recently, so he didn't know what she was really thinking.

After Xu Ke left, Lin Bufan called over Shen Xiuya, the manager of the artist department.

"What happened with Deng Chao signing the contract?"

Lin Bufan looked at Shen Xiuya with a puzzled expression.