Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

Seeing Wei Zheng's flustered appearance, Tang Youyou felt quite helpless, but she didn't know how to handle the situation.

Even he did his best.

After all, he has other films to shoot.

In addition, he has devoted a lot of time to the preparation of this Love Apartment.

At this moment, even his own work has been affected to some extent.

However, when he thought about how much Jiang Nian valued this TV series, and looked at Wei Zheng and the other members working so hard, he knew that he couldn't give up easily.

"Director Wei, hang in there a little longer."

"As Teacher Jiang Nian said, this role is very important, and rashly changing it may affect the comedic rhythm and character balance of the whole play."

"How about I ask my classmates who studied in Japan? Their accents might not be perfect, but at least they'll have a feel for it?"

In Wei Zheng's original script, there were many interesting characters.

Every character is the soul of the entire Love Apartment, and their settings cannot be easily changed.

As an actor, he naturally knew the consequences of changing the character settings.

Moreover, for Wei Zheng, this was his masterpiece, and it would be inappropriate to make changes so easily.

Finding a suitable candidate is indeed difficult.

It's easy to create such a character when writing, but it's a different story when it comes to someone else.

Wei Zheng could only shake his head helplessly at this point.

Where are things so easy?
Not only what Tang Youyou said, but even he himself traveled to various places just to find the most suitable candidate.

Unfortunately, I've never met him.

Moreover, they are now under pressure from the outside world.

While the funding issue has been resolved, many directors and stars are still unwilling to work with them.

Therefore, some good actors, or actors they think they can work with, often do not choose to work with them.

Even though they reluctantly looked at a few, they ultimately chose to decline.

Wei Zheng sighed and waved his hand: "Forget it, Youyou, you've already given enough to this drama."

"We can't put all the pressure on you."

"Maybe I'm being too stubborn; the character setting itself is a bit idealistic."

"In reality, it's not so easy to find someone who speaks Chinese with a Japanese accent and has an artist persona."

Before he could finish speaking, his phone on the table suddenly rang.

Wei Zheng picked it up listlessly and saw that it was an unfamiliar local number.

Normally, he would have hung up immediately.

But at this moment, he didn't want to let go of any possibility.

"Hello, who is it?"

Wei Zheng tried his best to make his voice sound normal.

"Hello? Is this Director Wei Zheng?"

A slightly shy male voice with a very distinctive accent came from the other end of the phone.

Wei Zheng sat up straight instantly, his heart skipping a beat for no apparent reason.

"It's me, you?"

"Oh, Director Wei, hello! My name is Guan Gu Shenqi," the person on the other end of the phone introduced himself.

“A friend of mine, surnamed Wang, said that you are looking for an actor who can draw comics and is a bit introverted?”

He said my qualifications might be somewhat suitable, so he gave me your number.

When the call first came in, Wei Zheng didn't want to answer it, thinking it was another scam call or a call to reject their further invitations.

But upon hearing that accent, he couldn't help but sit up straight.

This accent is so rare. Although the speaker is speaking very normal Chinese, there is a good sense of Japanese in it, as if the person speaking to me had studied in Japan for a period of time.

Wei Zheng forced down his excitement, took a deep breath, and asked as calmly as possible, "Mr. Guan Gu? Are you Japanese?"

"No, no, no, I am Chinese."

Guan Gu Shenqi quickly explained, "But I lived in Japan for a long time when I was a child, and only later returned to China to study art."

So my Chinese might not be very good, please forgive me!

Wei Zheng's eyes lit up instantly!
Is your Chinese accent slightly Japanese?
Isn't this exactly what he wanted?!

Moreover, his accent is very distinctive and distinctive.

Even through a phone call, he had already formed a good impression of him.

This was the most suitable candidate he had been searching for.

"no problem, no problem!"

"You said you studied fine arts? And you can draw comics?"

"Hi! Yes!"

When comics were mentioned, Guan Gu's tone became noticeably more excited.

"I've loved drawing comics since I was a child, and my dream is to become a world-class comic artist!"

"I'm also currently working on some original works and fan fiction..."

As Wei Zheng listened, he mouthed "It's him!" to Tang Youyou in an exaggerated way, and he was so excited that he danced around with his hands and feet.

Tang Youyou initially watched from the sidelines, wondering why Wei Zheng was suddenly so excited.

But after seeing the lip movements, I couldn't help but lean closer, just to hear what was happening on the other end of the phone.

Hearing that unique accent and the excited tone when talking about comics, a surprised smile appeared on my face.

"That's great! Mr. Guan Gu, do you have some time recently?"

"Could we meet as soon as possible? At the place where our production team is preparing, you can also take a look at the script and we can chat!"

Wei Zheng couldn't wait to extend the invitation.

"Sure! I'm free this afternoon!"

Guan Gu Shenqi readily agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Wei Zheng and Tang Youyou exchanged a glance, both seeing unbelievable excitement and joy in each other's eyes.

“You can’t find anything even after wearing iron shoes, but it takes no effort to get there!”

"Youyou, can you hear me?"

"That accent!"

"That feeling!"

Wei Zheng rubbed his hands excitedly, all his previous fatigue gone.

I thought I really couldn't find the best candidate, but unexpectedly, one appeared at this time, and the other side took the initiative to approach me.

This is an unprecedented opportunity, and we must seize it.

"Yes, Director Wei! It seems our persistence was the right thing to do!"

"The projects that Professor Jiang Nian favored have indeed turned around!"

Tang Youyou was genuinely happy.

With this one person chosen, their main cast will be almost complete.

The rest were just extras and unimportant characters.

This means that their entire crew can officially start filming now.

We've been planning this for so long and putting in so much effort.

Finally, we've achieved something.

In the afternoon, when Guan Gu Shenqi found the preparatory office for the renovation of this somewhat rudimentary warehouse according to the address.

Wei Zheng and Tang Youyou had been waiting for a long time.

Appearing before them was a young man dressed in a clean but somewhat casual T-shirt and jeans, wearing black-rimmed glasses. "Excuse me, are you Director Wei and Ms. Tang Youyou? I'm Guan Gu Shenqi."

"It's me! Please come in!"

Wei Zheng warmly welcomed him in.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Wei Zheng handed him the relevant script excerpts.

"Mr. Guan Gu, please take a look at this first. Don't be nervous, just feel it."

Guan Gu Shenqi took the script, adjusted his glasses, and began to read it intently.

He was a little reserved at first, but as he watched, his expression became focused.

As they watched, Wei Zheng, Tang Youyou, and the others became somewhat nervous.

After all, the script is quite difficult, and it seems that Guan Gu Shenqi doesn't have much acting experience at the moment.

So it's uncertain whether he'll find the script too difficult and reject it.

At this point, experience was secondary to Wei Zheng and his men; the most important thing was to keep Guan Gu alive.

This person is the most suitable candidate for him, and he can't let him go no matter what.

After reading it, Guan Gu Shenqi looked up, his eyes sparkling:
"Siggo! This character is very interesting!"

"I think I can understand his dedication to comics and his somewhat unconventional way of thinking."

Suppressing his excitement, Wei Zheng tentatively asked, "Could you try reading a line from the script? Just pick one that you feel a connection with."

Guan Gu Shenqi nodded and selected a scene where Guan Gu was going crazy because he was being pressured to finish his comic manuscript, and he used Chinese mixed with sporadic Japanese to complain.

He took a deep breath and began reciting his lines.

At first, I was a little reserved, but I got into the mood.

His slightly stiff but exceptionally earnest Chinese, coupled with the occasional Japanese exclamations like "Nani" or "red bean paste," was quite striking.

And the natural engagement and excitement when talking about comics.

It's as if it was tailor-made for this role!
Especially when he tried to explain a simple problem in a logically rigorous but completely off-topic way, his earnest and adorable demeanor made Wei Zheng and Tang Youyou, who were watching, burst out laughing.

Tang Youyou was also shocked.

It's worth noting that in the script, the main storyline involving him is all about Guan Gu Shenqi.

As a somewhat well-known actor, he must have a certain understanding of his co-stars and is afraid that they might not be able to keep up with his performance.

But after seeing Guan Gu's performance, he knew that all his worries were unnecessary.

Not only that, but there's a possibility that I might not be able to take on the role of Guan Gu.

Because his performance was so good, it wasn't even acting; he genuinely brought those parts to life, as if he were one of the people in the crew.

After reading a line of dialogue, Guan Gu Shenqi looked at Wei Zheng and Tang Youyou somewhat embarrassedly.

"Um...did I act strangely?"

"No! Not surprising at all! It's absolutely fantastic!"

Wei Zheng excitedly slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Mr. Guan Gu! You're the one! You're the actor we've been looking for! We don't need to look for anyone else!"

Guan Gu Shenqi was taken aback by Wei Zheng's enthusiasm.

"Really? Director Wei, are you sure? Can I really do this?"

"Confirmed! Absolutely certain!"

Wei Zheng nodded vigorously, "Your accent, your temperament, your understanding of comics—it's exactly what I wanted!"

"It's even better than I imagined!"

Guan Gu Shenqi was equally excited.

He only came here to audition with a try-it-out attitude.

To my surprise, I had barely finished making my greetings and tried it out when it was immediately finalized.

Moreover, looking at the cooperation agreement handed over by Wei Zheng, although the money offered was not much, the benefits and various perks were really good.

"Okay, I'll sign it right away."

Guan Gu didn't hesitate and immediately signed an agreement with Wei Zheng.

The biggest casting problem that had plagued the production team for days has finally been solved.

The original cast of "iPartment" has finally been fully assembled!

Wei Zheng immediately shared this fantastic news with Jiang Nian.

"Not bad, the progress is faster than I expected."

Jiang Nian was also somewhat surprised after hearing about Wei Zheng.

Although he knew that the group would eventually gather, the speed at which they did so still exceeded his expectations.

It seems that it is related to my influence and that of Tang Youyou.

Especially after capital entered the market, the directors of the previously rival Love Apartment production team also chose to withdraw.

Even after the original restrictions on them were not so great, quite a few people were still able to join.

This allowed their crew to start filming quickly.

With a complete cast and enough funding from Star Capital to get the project started, the production team's preparations finally got on the fast track.

The warehouse rented by Wei Zheng was quickly transformed, and the prototypes of the two main suites, 3601 and 3602, of the Love Apartment began to emerge.

Although the set design and props are still relatively simple, the warm and lively atmosphere is already evident.

Not only that.

The actors spent almost every day in the preparation office, reading the script and discussing their roles.

Hu Yifei and Zeng Xiaoxian argue frequently, Lu Ziqiao and Chen Meijia undermine each other, Tang Youyou is immersed in her own world of acting, and Zhang Wei is constantly calculating various expenses.

Guan Gu Shenqi often offers insightful opinions with a serious expression that make everyone burst into laughter...

Everything is proceeding as planned.

When Jiang Nian arrived at the entrance of the film crew, this is what she saw—they were all so busy.

Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but smile.

Here and now, this almost familiar scene reappeared before him, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

Wei Zheng finally tidied up his messy hair, and it no longer looked as scraggly as it had at first.

He didn't disturb many people; he simply stood at the door, quietly watching the bustling scene inside.

With a complete core team, although the number of behind-the-scenes personnel is still somewhat limited.

Most of them were recent graduates or enthusiastic but inexperienced young people, but under Wei Zheng's leadership, they were full of energy and had the spirit of a newborn calf not afraid of tigers.

When they saw Jiang Nian come to visit the set, everyone couldn't help but gather around.

"Teacher Jiang Nian!"

Wei Zheng immediately went over excitedly.

"I didn't expect Teacher Jiang to be so busy, yet she still made a special trip to visit us on set."

"I heard that your preparations here are almost complete, so I came to take a look."

"So far, progress is going well. How's the funding situation?"

Jiang Nian looked around at the environment and facilities surrounding Wei Zheng, and found that almost everything was already in place.

While it's not exceptionally good, it's still quite decent for a TV series in this radio drama format.

Wei Zheng nodded immediately.

"It's enough for now. Xinghui Capital has been very generous, giving us several rounds of funding."

"With these funds available, there are no immediate problems."

However, when he said this, Wei Zheng couldn't help but lower his head.

I don't know what their boss is thinking, but they always use this distribution method.

They give us money every now and then, but they're unwilling to give us all at once.

If we could give them more all at once, we could develop even better in the future. (End of Chapter)