Huayu: I'm surrounded by the most popular young actresses!

When Lin Mo arrived at the "Twenty Not Confused" film crew, the female lead had already been cast.

This is a youth inspirational drama centered around a female perspective, so it's no wonder Zhou Ye wanted to join the cast; this kind of subject matter is quite popular among female viewers.

Zhang Wuju was a man with messy hair. Before this, Lin Mo couldn't even find him on the internet.

He was just one of the screenwriters in the production team, someone who had some say, but not much.

"Mr. Lin, right?"

"Teacher Zhang."

Lin Mo acted very humbly. This screenwriter was not a public figure, so he could not tell how much the other party liked him.

Lin Mo only just realized that favorability ratings are only associated with public figures.

"You flatter me, Mr. Lin. Since you are Professor Zhou's friend, there's no need to be so polite."

Zhang Wuju led Lin Mo to an empty storage room, as if this was the only place he could find to talk.

"Mr. Lin, you can choose a role first, and I'll see if I can help you get one."

Lin Mo asked in confusion, "Am I not an extra?"

Zhang Wuju touched his nose, his thick hair obscuring his expression.

He said, "Since you were introduced by Teacher Zhou, I will naturally take special care of you."

Just as a glimmer of hope ignited in Lin Mo's heart, he quickly calmed down upon sensing the oppressive atmosphere around him.

"Teacher Zhang, are you sure that if I choose the role I want, I'll get the part?"

Zhang Wuju, like a child whose thoughts had been read, awkwardly said, "The male lead and second male lead have already been chosen. As for the third and fourth male leads, their roles are not much different from those of extras."

Zhang Wuju analyzed the situation of the play for him.

Starring Guan Xiaotong, Jin Shijia, and Niu Junfeng, with Bu Guanjin, Li Gengxi, and Dong Siyi as supporting actresses.

There are four girls and two boys in this story, and both boys are involved with the female lead, Guan Xiaotong.

In other words, even the third male lead, who has a slightly more prominent role, still has six main characters ahead of him in terms of screen time.

In a drama, especially an idol drama.

Often, if there are more than four main characters, the other supporting characters will have fewer memorable moments.

"So, there's not much difference between the third and fourth male leads?"

"Yes, Mr. Lin, yes."

Zhang Wuju took out the information on the candidates for the third and fourth female leads, and then said to Lin Mo, "The appearances of the third and fourth female leads will create a different kind of chemistry when you act opposite them."

"Um...you mean, I can find a slightly better co-star to play a supporting role to her, right?"

Zhang Wuju nodded; this seemed to be the back door he could open for Lin Mo.

This back door... it seems like it doesn't matter whether you use it or not.

After all, if he were to be the opponent of Li Gengxi, the fourth female character, he would have to become the fourth male character, a man with "seven gourd brothers" in front of him. But Lin Mo is not a "golden gourd brother," and is a character who is better than nothing.

Undeterred, Lin Mo felt that since she had come all the way from her own city to this distant film crew, she should at least treat herself better.

Zhang Wuju quietly added, "Filming is about to start. If Mr. Lin hasn't made a decision yet, the director will be auditioning new supporting actors, and I might not be able to get a word in edgewise."

"Okay, then you can try to get the role of the fourth male lead with me."

This is a role that is destined to have little competitiveness; some people may not even remember that such a character existed after watching the entire film.

But this is precisely the kind of opportunity that allows Lin Mo, a novice actor, to showcase his skills and find the limits of the system's abilities.

---

"What? You cast someone like this to play the fourth male lead in my show?"

The director was furious with Zhang Wuju. He walked over to Lin Mo and started criticizing him.

"My height is passable, my looks are passable, and my temperament is passable, but my drama is not a passable one!"

What I want is to win the title of best-selling drama this year, and I can't afford to make any mistakes in any aspect.

"Fifth Bureau, you're just a junior screenwriter. If you have so many ulterior motives besides scripts, I suggest you quit."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo thought to himself: Had his charm failed him?

But then he thought again: Perhaps... without improving that little bit of charm, I wouldn't even qualify for a "good enough" rating...

The director looked at the two of them, sighed, and said, "Let's go. These two 'big shots' in the crew are enough of a headache for me. I didn't expect that even you would make me uneasy. I'll get Cao Enqi to play the fourth male lead. Go back."

Zhang Wuju took Zhou Ye's request very seriously. Knowing that Lin Mo didn't have much of a chance, he still cautiously asked, "Director, can't we really give him a chance? His temperament is quite suitable for the role of Lu Ran."

"roll!"

Under the director's reprimand, Lin Mo followed Zhang Wuju out of the room in a disheveled state.

Lin Mo had never been involved in the entertainment industry before, but he had long known that it was a tough place to make it, and seeing it for himself today confirmed it.

But what he cared about wasn't whether he could get the role of the fourth male lead; he asked Zhang Wuju, who was sitting next to him.

"Who are the two important figures the director just mentioned?"

Zhang Wuju's demeanor changed; he looked around, seemingly worried about something.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no staff members were paying attention to the area.

"Who else could it be? Guan Xiaotong and Jin Shijia, of course."

One insists on being the leading lady, and the other insists on being the leading man.

Now the male lead doesn't act like a male lead, the female lead doesn't act like a female lead, and the two of them don't even want to act opposite each other.

Our scriptwriting department is currently revising the script like crazy, just to maintain the screen time for the male and female leads.

Lin Mo was exhausted just listening to it.

"If the male and female leads aren't acting opposite each other, how are they considered male and female leads?"

Zhang Wuju countered, "The men and women with the most screen time are the male and female leads. There's no rule that the male and female leads have to be together, which leads to a disconnect between our ideas as screenwriters."

Lin Mo keenly noticed something: "Doesn't that mean the screen time for other supporting characters will be infinitely reduced?"

"That's not the case."

Lin Mo frowned; logically, his idea shouldn't be wrong.

Little did he know that what Zhang Wuju said next would confirm his suspicions.

"The second male lead and the daughter will definitely have more screen time, otherwise the male and female leads won't stand out. As for the other characters, they'll just have to make their presence felt in certain situations."

Lin Mo asked again, "Aren't we supposed to be an inspirational youth drama?"

Zhang Wuju nodded and said, "That's how it started, but now we want to change it to an inspirational youth idol drama. There doesn't seem to be any conflict there, right?"

"Inspirational? Youthful? Idol drama?"

Lin Mo's eye twitched; he suddenly felt much less interested in participating in this film.

Zhang Wuju encouraged Lin Mo, saying, "I will try my best to add some of your scenes to the passages I can write, so don't worry."