novelraw Chapter 74 finalizes the casting for the newcomer, "General Above".
Chapter 74 finalizes the casting for the newcomer, "General Above".
He clicked "accept".
Three seconds later, a voice message popped up.
47 seconds.
Click on it, and Na Ying's signature loud voice bursts out.
"Good job, kid, you're quick-witted. From now on, call me 'Sister Na.' Your mom's got your back!"
Song Ze's entire face was twitching.
A top female singer in the Chinese music scene took the initiative to add him on WeChat, and her first words were, "I'll protect you, Mom."
This level of connections would make anyone else kowtow to eight generations.
He won over the audience with just one variety show joke.
Song Ze found a meme of someone in a suit bowing, captioned it "Yes, ma'am," and sent it over.
Na Ying immediately replied with a thumbs-up.
The relationship is off.
He locked the screen, leaned back in his hotel chair, and closed his eyes to rest.
He was woken up by his phone at seven o'clock the next morning.
The private message notification sound on Weibo is as loud as a machine gun.
He swiped the screen.
Top three trending topics:
#Na Ying recognizes Song Ze as her son#
#Song Ze calls Na Ying "Mom"#
#MaskedSingerA cappella performance of divine status#
Clicking on it reveals a screen full of clips from last night's videos.
The scene where Na Ying opens her arms and shouts "Good boy, son" has been repeatedly edited by various marketing accounts and paired with all sorts of clickbait headlines and covers.
The comments section is even more outrageous.
"That woman hasn't taken on any apprentices in thirty years, and today she's suddenly recognizing a son?"
"Who is this Song Ze? His a cappella performance completely impressed Na Ying."
"I just went from being a casual observer to a fan, this voice is absolutely amazing."
Song Ze logged out of Weibo and glanced at his follower count.
One million three hundred thousand yesterday.
Now—3.12 million.
It increased by two million overnight.
When it comes to traffic, it really is all about finding a powerful backer.
Song Ze didn't dwell on this number.
He pulled out his contacts and dialed Zhang Juan's number.
I answered it after it rang twice.
Zhang Juan's voice was hoarse from just waking up.
"Xiao Song? Why are you up so early?"
"Sister Juan, I need you to do a few things for me."
"……you say."
"Get all the videotapes of Wang Churan's performances at the Shanghai Theatre Academy Affiliated High School, high-definition versions, not a single one missing. Find out which city the 'General and I'm filming in now, and which hotel the artistic director, Lü Haojiji, is staying at. Book me the next flight there."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.
"You're going to see Lü Haojiji in person?"
Zhang Juan's drowsiness vanished instantly.
"He's notoriously picky; we can't even find a way in. Last time, a top-tier agency sent someone there, and they didn't even pass the assistant's test."
"No connections are needed."
"So what do you plan to do—"
"Sister Juan," Song Ze interrupted her, "prepare another template for an actor evaluation report for me. The most professional one."
Zhang Juan swallowed the second half of her sentence.
"Okay, I'll take care of it right away."
After hanging up the phone, Song Ze sat up in bed and drew back the curtains.
The sky in Changsha was overcast and gray.
The traffic downstairs during the morning rush hour was jammed into a long line.
He didn't look at the scenery.
I opened my laptop and started clicking through the video files of Wang Churan that Zhang Juan had sent me half an hour later.
School performances, drama festivals, final exams, and classroom segments.
Song Ze looked at it frame by frame.
With my complete understanding of the character Liu Xiyin from "Oh My General" based on my memories from my previous life.
Liu Xiyin.
She possessed a beauty that could topple kingdoms and a temperament that was both exceptionally intelligent and refined.
Deep down, however, he possessed an unwavering and resolute spirit that would last until death.
On the surface, she is Ye Zhao's cousin, but in reality, she has become someone who sacrifices herself for a joke she made in her childhood.
Every instance of her tenderness was genuine, and every breakdown she experienced was not due to weakness, but rather to loving too intensely.
Wang Churan's performance in "The Distant Hometown".
Song Ze dragged the progress bar back and watched it again.
This is it.
First Prize in the National "Civilized Demeanor" Competition (Scenario Drama Category); Outstanding Individual Performance Award at the Shanghai Middle School Students' Drama Festival.
This young girl, who only experienced stage plays for the first time in her second year of high school, won two major awards for this school drama.
That stubbornness and brokenness that seeped from the very marrow of his bones was not an act.
It's innate.
Later, Lü Haojiji watched the recording of this play, took a liking to her at first sight, and personally selected her to play Liu Xiyin.
What Song Ze needs to do now is to make this happen sooner rather than later.
Two days later.
Hengdian.
The crew of "Oh My General" is stationed at the International Hotel next to Hengdian World Studios.
Song Ze discovered that Lü Haojiji drinks Americano at the coffee shop on the first floor every morning at nine o'clock.
Unwavering.
At 8:55, Song Ze sat by the window in the coffee shop.
A latte and a tablet are placed in front of me.
At 9:02, Lü Haojiji appeared.
He was in his early forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a white linen shirt, carrying a white porcelain cup as he walked towards his usual spot.
Song Ze stood up and blocked his way.
Lu Haoji looked up and sized him up for two seconds.
"Who are you……"
"Song Ze".
Without exchanging pleasantries, he handed over the tablet directly.
"Director Lü, I know you're looking for Liu Xiyin. Give me three minutes."
Lu Haojiji stopped in her tracks.
The matter of finding Liu Xiyin was not even publicly discussed within the production team.
The casting process lasted two months, and more than a dozen people were auditioned, but none of them were satisfactory.
She possessed a beauty that could topple kingdoms, an intelligence that was as sharp as ice and snow, and a fierce spirit in her bones.
The three criteria seem simple, but very few eligible actors in the film and television industry actually meet them.
He stared at Song Ze for a while.
The young man stood very straight.
There was no fawning attitude, nor any sign of nervousness.
I calmly handed him the tablet and waited for him to take it.
Lü Haojiji took the tablet and sat down.
The screen displays a video.
A scene from Wang Churan's performance in the campus drama "The Distant Hometown".
The girl in the picture is standing in the center of the stage.
There was no set design, no background music, only a beam of white light.
When she uttered her first line, Lü Haojiji's hand holding the cup paused.
That kind of temperament.
Beyond her stunning beauty, she also possesses a stubbornness that emanates from her very bones.
Beneath this stubbornness lies a fragility that could shatter at any moment.
It's not the kind of vulnerability meant to elicit sympathy, but the kind of fragility that's destined to be broken because it's too strong.
This is Liu Xiyin.
The video is 3 minutes and 17 seconds long.
Lü Haoji watched it all without fast-forwarding for a second.
He looked up and gave Song Ze a deep look.
"Have her come for an audition tomorrow."
Song Ze nodded, took back the tablet, and turned to leave.
A week later.
Wang Churan has signed on for the role of Liu Xiyin in "Oh My General".
The fee will be based on the market rate for newcomers.
As the facilitator, Song Ze received a commission according to the company agreement.
My bank card balance jumped one notch.
We're one step closer to our goal of 80 million.
Although it's still ridiculously far away.
He was packing his luggage at the hotel, preparing to fly back to Shanghai, when his phone rang.
The vehicle.
"Teacher Song! Great news!"
Che was so excited on the phone that he almost ate the microphone.
"The station has decided to capitalize on this momentum and add a special episode to 'Masked Singer,' themed 'The Queen of Pop and Her Godson,' allowing you to have an in-depth musical dialogue with Na Ying, broadcast live!"
Song Ze stuffed the T-shirt into his suitcase, holding his phone between his fingers.
"time?"
"Next Saturday at 8 PM."
"OK."
After hanging up the phone, Song Ze sent a message to Na Ying.
"Sister Na, you know about the live talk show next Saturday, right?"
Na Ying replied instantly with a voice message.
"Okay! Get ready to be tested by your mom!"
Song Ze replied with a "shivering" emoji.
My phone vibrated again.
Zhang Juan.
He answered the call.
"Xiao Song, Wang Churan's contract has been signed, and the profit sharing has been deposited into the company account."
Zhang Juan paused for a moment.
"There's something else..."
"explain."
"Your precious junior sister, Tian Xiwei, almost cried from being scolded by the director."
Song Ze stopped zipping up his suitcase.
"What happened?"
"It's feedback from the partner training base. They said she's been distracted these past two days, frequently losing focus during camera awareness training. Today, the director publicly criticized her, saying that if she continues like this, she'll be replaced."
Zhang Juan sighed.
"You went to all that trouble to prepare a birthday surprise for her, and what did she do—"
"What are you saying!"
Song Ze abruptly interrupted.
Zhang Juan was taken aback on the other end of the phone.
"what?"
"Who gave you permission to say that on the phone?"
"I...I just mentioned it casually—"
Song Ze gripped his phone, a sense of foreboding washing over him...