Chang Yu's Candidate

On the evening of December 29th, Dai Ying finally received the script for the second arc of Young Bao Qingtian from Li Xun. After dinner, she sat down at her computer and began to read it carefully.

Honestly, she wasn't too worried about the quality of the script.

Huang Zhou had been torn between director Zhao Guocheng's new project and Young Bao Qingtian. After learning that Huang Zhou was concerned about the quality of the subsequent scripts for Young Bao Qingtian, Li Xun had personally narrated the plots for the second and third arcs on the spot. This had dispelled Huang Zhou's doubts, leading him to resolutely turn down Director Zhao's new project and join the Young Bao Qingtian cast.

Therefore, Dai Ying, who knew these details, was confident in the script's quality even before seeing the second arc's script.

Tonight, the script finally arrived in Dai Ying's inbox. After dinner, as she sat at her computer, she felt an inexplicable nervousness.

The basic quality of the script was certainly good, but the outside world's expectations for Young Bao Qingtian had already been pushed incredibly high. Li Xun's script would undoubtedly receive an excellent review, but the current demands from the public were no longer satisfied with mere excellence.

Dou Miao's rating of 9.2 was a full affirmation of the first arc of Young Bao Qingtian, and it also placed a heavy burden on the second arc and all subsequent arcs.

Weibo, Tieba, Douyin, D-station – praise for Young Bao Qingtian was everywhere. Even CCTV and the General Administration had publicly commended it.

In the past couple of days, Dai Ying and the self-produced drama center at Penguin Video, under her leadership, had been truly basking in glory. It was foreseeable that Dai Ying had already gained a significant advantage in the upcoming competition for funding between the self-produced drama center and the acquisition department next year.

So, before tonight, Dai Ying hadn't been too nervous. But at this very moment, upon seeing the new email from Li Xun, Dai Ying felt inexplicably tense.

Unit dramas were like new beginnings for each arc. The moment she saw the new script, the achievements of the first arc officially became a thing of the past. What lay before her now was a brand new journey.

EXT. TIANHONG ACADEMY - DAY

Gongsun Ce believed his talent was no less than Bao Zheng's, yet Bao Zheng had gained great fame from the Goryeo envoy case. Gongsun Ce felt indignant and thus devised a challenge for Bao Zheng.

Five copper coins, each corresponding to one of the five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Gongsun Ce left clues, and Bao Zheng had to find the five copper coins within the time it took for one incense stick to burn.

Bao Zheng handed the fourth copper coin to Academician Ying Ming.

STUDENT 1: Bao Zheng has found the coins for wood, water, fire, and earth. Only "gold" is left.

STUDENT 2: Where is the last one?

Zhan Jun: I bet it's in the armory!

ACADEMICIAN YANG QISHAN: Bao Zheng, this incense is about to burn out. How about this: I'll count down five seconds as your remaining time. One, two, three...

Bao Zheng strode into the room and headed straight for Gongsun Ce.

Gongsun Ce: I knew the first few coins wouldn't stump you, but this last one... just admit defeat!

Bao Zheng: I'm not here to admit defeat, I'm here to find the fifth copper coin.

Gongsun Ce: The fifth one? I don't see anything related to "gold" in this room.

Bao Zheng: It has nothing to do with metal. Gold, wood, water, fire, earth – you deliberately made them up to confuse me. The coin found in the music room was under the strings, not under the instrument itself, so it shouldn't count as wood. It should be gold. The one that belongs to wood is on you, Gongsun Ce. Your name, "Ce," contains the character "wood," so that coin must be here!

Bao Zheng took Gongsun Ce's purse and poured out a copper coin.

As the plot unfolded, Dai Ying gradually let go of all her distractions and became completely immersed in the story.

At 1:25 AM, she finally finished reading the entire story of the second arc, Blood Altar.

Afterward, she sat in her computer chair, feeling utterly lost.

At first, Dai Ying's eyes grew brighter and brighter as she read. The story of Blood Altar was undoubtedly of the same quality as Famous Throughout the World.

As the plot deepened, the terrifying atmosphere intensified. Her house was large, 150 square meters, and felt a bit empty when she was alone. By the end, she had turned on all the lights in her house before continuing to read.

But when she reached the end, when Bao Zheng finally found the real culprit, she couldn't feel any joy. When she understood the killer's motive, and saw the tragedy of the Kuayi Tribe and their so-called treasure, her heart felt as if it were being crushed by a giant stone.

Seeing both the brother and sister die at the end, Dai Ying felt an indescribable sadness. For the first time, she had the thought that perhaps it would have been better if Bao Zheng were a little slower.

Yet, she also knew that the second arc of Young Bao Qingtian was a sure success!

The next day, a bombshell piece of news swept through the entertainment industry.

Casting for the second arc of Young Bao Qingtian had begun!

One of the female roles was described as gentle, considerate, and understanding. Most importantly, she harbored a secret crush on Bao Zheng and had a romantic storyline with him.

Actresses of suitable age immediately began mobilizing their connections and resources, desperately trying to gather details about the role.

Young Bao Qingtian was simply too popular; everyone wanted to bask in Bao Heitan's popularity.

Especially since the ending of the first arc saw the female lead, Ling Chuchu, leave with a letter. Now, with another character having a romantic storyline with Bao Zheng, was it possible this role could be upgraded to the female lead?

Actresses who considered themselves suitable for the role became excited.

"I don't care what you have to do, I will get this role!"

Many actresses said this to their agents.

On the second day of the Gregorian New Year, Li Xun saw the almost-confirmed candidate for Chang Yu at Dai Ying's desk.

"Xia Qing?!"

Li Xun softly read out the name.

"I didn't expect it to be her!"

Li Xun's eyes narrowed.

It was an incredible coincidence that she actually auditioned for the role of Chang Yu and managed to secure it.

"No, she can't play this role!"

Li Xun didn't hate this woman, but he certainly didn't like her, and he was even less willing to work with her.

There was also a stack of female stars' profiles on the desk; these were the ones who had auditioned for the role but were ultimately eliminated.

Li Xun calmly picked up the stack of eliminated candidates' profiles and began looking through them in Dai Ying's office.

After finishing their business discussion, Dai Ying saw that Li Xun hadn't left. Instead, he was looking at the profiles of the female stars who had already been eliminated. She felt a bit strange and asked, "Is there something else?"

Li Xun said, "Regarding the role of Chang Yu, which has already been cast, I don't think the actress is suitable."

Li Xun pursed his lips and shook his head, continuing, "She's too far from the image in my mind!"

"Is that so?"

Dai Ying picked up Xia Qing's profile with doubt, looked at it carefully, and found no issues.

This role was personally auditioned by Director Kong Teng. Director Kong had praised her highly, saying that although she was a singer, her acting was unexpectedly superb. He even said that Xia Qing's future achievements in the film and television industry would likely surpass her achievements in the music industry. This person seemed naturally suited to be an actor, but she just happened to become famous in the music scene first.

After looking at the profile for a long time, Dai Ying still found no problems and asked, "I've read the script for Blood Altar no less than three times, and I believe I've thoroughly grasped the character of Chang Yu. How come I don't see any issues with her?"

Li Xun said seriously, "I understand the character I conceived best. In any case, she is too different from the Chang Yu in my mind."

Dai Ying was skeptical, but she still called Director Kong Teng. After a brief conversation, Dai Ying told Li Xun, "Director Kong's opinion is that if you have a more suitable candidate, you can recommend them. Perhaps he didn't grasp the role of Chang Yu well enough."

Li Xun pulled out a profile from the stack of eliminated female stars and smiled, "I think she fits the role of Chang Yu in my mind perfectly."

Dai Ying took the profile and read, "Cao Shiyu?"

Li Xun nodded and smiled, "That's right, she's incredibly suitable, practically a replica of the Chang Yu image in my mind."