Chapter Fifty-Eight
Shen Qianzhan didn’t take Ji Qinghe’s phone call seriously.
She took the time to carefully review all the actor resumes submitted to Thousand Lights, sorting out a batch of high-quality performers for Shao Chouxi to arrange auditions.
The cast of a TV series, from leads and supporting roles to extras, requires at least dozens of people, not to mention epic historical dramas like Spring River, where a single grand scene might involve hundreds.
With so many actors, they are typically divided into three categories.
One category consists of artists favored by investors, another includes actors signed under the production company, and the third comprises professional actors without strong backing, recruited through open submissions.
As a tribute drama personally endorsed by higher-ups, the prestige of Time was evident.
Almost as soon as audition news broke, Shen Qianzhan’s recently cleared inbox was flooded with dozens of pages of resumes. Beyond the submissions, many agents she had some prior connection with took the opportunity to schedule meetings, promoting their talents over meals or afternoon tea.
Not just Shen Qianzhan, even Su Zan had been attending such meetings after work lately, not returning home before midnight for a whole week.
Today.
Shao Chouxi scheduled auditions and asked Shen Qianzhan to join the on-site interviews.
The audition was held at a studio in the Beijing suburbs. Shen Qianzhan brought Su Zan along.
Shen Qianzhan had been making waves recently—first with Time’s official filing announcement, followed by auditions to cast actors. The crew had expanded from just a handful of core members to include cinematographers, production assistants, script supervisors, and art designers.
When she arrived, many commercial vehicles were already parked outside the studio. The steady flow of cars and bustling crowd created a lively scene.
Shen Qianzhan observed from the car window for a while, waiting until it was nearly the time she had agreed to meet Shao Chouxi before entering with Su Zan.
Inside the studio, white cloth was hung as a backdrop, and partitions were set up to create a closed room for auditions. A long line had formed outside the partitions, filled with actors auditioning that day.
The moment Shen Qianzhan entered the room, the girls at the end of the line turned to look—some curious, others wondering which company she represented. She ignored them, leading Su Zan straight into the audition room.
Shao Chouxi sat behind a makeshift desk, flipping through resumes one by one.
His assistant leaned halfway over the table, pointing out familiar names and explaining: “This one is from Yihai Agency, we’ve worked with them before. Their actors are all self-made, arrogant, and hard to manage.”
“This actor, Director Chen put in a word for us…” Before he could finish, he looked up and saw Shen Qianzhan entering, quickly standing up to greet her: “Producer Shen is here.”
Shen Qianzhan smiled politely, nodding slightly in acknowledgment.
She and Su Zan took the empty seats behind the desk, and tea was promptly served. Shen Qianzhan casually flipped through the stack of resumes beside her and asked, “Any standouts, Director Shao?”
“A few.” Shao Chouxi picked out several resumes. “I’ve worked with these before. They’re here for auditions today—you can take a look later.”
Shen Qianzhan glanced through them, already forming an impression.
She worked decisively. By the end of the auditions, she and Shao Chouxi had narrowed down most of the resumes. With filming still some time away, there was no rush to make final decisions. After wrapping up, she arranged dinner with Shao Chouxi before heading back to downtown Beijing.That day when they were drafting the list of potential lead actors, Shao Chouxi hadn't said anything. Now that only Shen Qianzhan and Su Zan were present, he finally brought it up: "I've been wondering if it's possible to cast all newcomers for the main roles."
Shen Qianzhan had guessed he might have this idea, which was why the lead roles had remained undecided and she hadn't discussed it with Su Lanyi yet.
Shao Chouxi was undoubtedly an excellent director, but those with too much talent often marched to their own beat, especially enjoying challenging the impossible.
She showed no emotion on her face, serving herself a bowl of tofu soup. After putting down the serving spoon, she asked, "Do you have suitable candidates in mind?"
"Don't laugh at me when I say this." Shao Chouxi's old face flushed slightly, his gaze darting away from hers: "Half of our male lead's character is based on Mr. Ji Qingzhen's experiences, and now there's a ready-made heir right here..." Before he could finish, Shen Qianzhan choked in disbelief.
She nearly coughed up the tofu soup, hacking for a good while before asking incredulously, "Who did you say?"
"Mr. Ji, Ji Qinghe." Shao Chouxi looked utterly innocent: "I didn't have a concrete, three-dimensional concept for the lead role, so a while ago, Su Zan showed me a work photo of Mr. Ji for inspiration."
He handed her the printed photo like a treasure: "Look, Mr. Ji's temperament fits perfectly—his natural elegance in every gesture is simply innate. The key point is, he's already involved in watch restoration, so you wouldn't even need to spend extra time training him."
Shen Qianzhan took the photo.
The photo was taken in Beijing, inside the Time Hall studio.
Ji Qinghe sat at a desk, head bowed as he repaired a Fanli carved wooden clock. The light from outside the window fell precisely on his glasses frame, the faint gilded arc accentuating his jade-like features. His eyelashes lowered slightly, his gaze focused intently on the escapement mechanism of the dial. He seemed to be smiling, the sharpness at the corners of his eyes softened, resting gently like warm obsidian jade—stunningly beautiful.
Shen Qianzhan, the self-proclaimed "beauty enthusiast," was immediately captivated. She couldn't bear to look away for even a second, kicking Su Zan under the table: "Where did you take this photo?" She didn't even have one—how dare this brat keep it to himself!
"Mr. Ji's studio." Su Zan picked up a piece of cherry foie gras, closing his eyes in satisfaction as he ate it: "On New Year's Eve, you dumped me with him. When I woke up the next day and found the studio, I secretly snapped a photo."
Shen Qianzhan licked her lips: "Just one?"
Su Zan chuckled, wiping the corner of his mouth with a damp towel. Instead of answering directly, he looked past Shen Qianzhan to Shao Chouxi beside her and said, "Director Shao, I advise you to drop the idea. Mr. Ji doesn't have that kind of hobby, and our producer Shen won't agree either."
"I know I'm being wildly unrealistic." Shao Chouxi furrowed his brows, looking dejected: "But looking at Mr. Ji gives me so much creative inspiration. I was hoping Producer Shen could help me make it happen—why wouldn't she agree?"
"I thought asking Fu Xi was already bold enough." Shen Qianzhan finally tore her gaze away from the photo: "But it turns out there's someone here with even bigger guts."
She flipped the photo over and declared righteously, "Confiscated."
——
In the following days, Shen Qianzhan first contacted Song Yan to confirm her schedule.Song Yan's contract with "Spring River" was signed until the end of March. A few days after the snow melted in Wuxi, "Spring River" had resumed filming. To catch up on the previously delayed schedule, she started work at six in the morning and didn't wrap up until late at night. Her communication with Shen Qianzhan was intermittent, often taking several days to finish discussing a single matter.
Since the day Shao Chouxi brought up the absurd idea of wanting Ji Qinghe to play the lead role, he had been pestering Shen Qianzhan for several days. It wasn't until he heard Su Zan's report that Shen Qianzhan favored Song Yan and was currently negotiating with Fu Xi that he finally gave up.
—
Shen Qianzhan's process of signing Song Yan and Fu Xi was not smooth sailing. First, Jiang Yecheng opposed it. This old fox had a kind face but a malicious heart, never confronting her directly. Instead, he constantly targeted her, stirring up trouble behind the scenes and making things difficult for her.
Ai Yi, on the other hand, didn't cause any trouble. After recommending several artists to Shen Qianzhan and being politely rejected, she simply stopped getting involved.
When the overall situation was nearly settled, Shen Qianzhan called Ji Qinghe to inform him about the lead actors she was currently in talks with: "Song Yan is basically confirmed, but Fu Xi is still under negotiation. If you have no objections, I'll start pushing hard for it."
Ji Qinghe neither agreed nor disagreed: "It's up to you."
"Before finalizing the leads, there was an interesting episode," Shen Qianzhan chuckled and said, "Director Shao suggested you play the lead role. What do you think?"
It seemed crowded around him, with chaotic background noise. He covered the phone with his hand and moved to a slightly quieter corner before replying, "Would you be willing to watch me being intimate with another woman?"
Shen Qianzhan thought for a moment and said, "That part is fine." Sensing a change in his tone on the other end, she quickly added, "It's just the exposure of shoulders, back, and face that I can't accept."
Ji Qinghe chuckled softly, "I think so too. It's better for you to appreciate those alone."
Shen Qianzhan suddenly felt her face grow warm and followed up by asking, "We start filming in April. When are you coming back?" After speaking, she realized her tone sounded somewhat resentful and tried to cover it up by adding, "When we signed the contract, you insisted on personally reviewing the script and demanded car service. We've held dozens of script meetings, and you haven't attended a single one."
If Ji Qinghe weren't working for free, she would have stormed over long ago to demand compensation for breach of contract.
Ji Qinghe turned around and glanced at the date on the display screen—March 20th.
For nearly two months, he had been stuck at headquarters due to the new product launch of Endless Year watches. During this time, he had returned to Beijing twice, each time so busy he barely had time to breathe, without even a moment to schedule a meal with her. It felt somewhat like the legendary figure who passed by his home three times without entering—filled with a sense of helplessness and weariness.
Ji Qinghe pinched the bridge of his nose and took off his glasses.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, half the city's lights sparkled. Standing above this starry expanse, a wave of longing suddenly washed over him, overwhelming and all-consuming.
"I'll definitely be there for the opening banquet."
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