Huayu: The young actress is heavily dependent on me

In the crowd, a female reporter holding a microphone from Sohu Video suddenly stood out from the group of reporters.

She had a neat short haircut, sharp and capable features, and her gaze accurately swept past the main cast in the front row, landing directly on someone in the back row of the actors.

"Hello, you over there—yes, the handsome guy standing in the back row. I'm Wang Xiaoyu, a reporter from Sohu Entertainment. Would you mind giving me an interview?"

Chen Li felt all eyes on him converge.

He paused for a moment, then subconsciously glanced to his left and right.

Wang Yanlin stood to the side with his mouth agape, while Han Dongjun in the front row turned his head slightly to the side.

Chen Yao stood not far away, holding the script, a mischievous smile in her eyes.

"Hello, reporter Wang, I am Chen Li, a student in the 2013 undergraduate class of the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy. I play Zhang Xianzong in this drama."

Chen Li nodded slightly in Wang Xiaoyu's direction, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

"Chen Li—" Wang Xiaoyu pushed the microphone forward, a professional glint in her eyes.

"Wait a minute, I watched a youth drama called 'So Cute Us' on Tencent Video before. The opening and ending credits were really interesting. The director, screenwriter, and lead actor were all named Chen Li. Is that you?"

"It's me." Chen Li smiled.

"It really is you!" Wang Xiaoyu's voice rose noticeably by half an octave, her interest in the interview shifting from routine to genuine curiosity.

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask—that drama just surpassed 7 million views, and you played Tan Song in it, and now you're in Hengdian playing Zhang Xianzong."

"Tan Song is a charmingly roguish older brother next door, while Zhang Xianzong is a villainous warlord from the Republic of China era. The two roles are so different; how do you plan to switch between them?"

Just as Chen Li was about to answer, another reporter holding a microphone suddenly approached:

"Chen Li! I'm a reporter from Southern Metropolis Daily—the internet is saying you're 'a musician whose talent was wasted on acting,'"

"Both 'Bu Ran' and 'Qi Feng Le' are ranked in the top five on two different charts on Kugou Music. What's your take on this label?"

Then a third and a fourth media outlet also gathered around.

In an instant, most of the reporters who had been surrounding Han Dongjun by the offering table were drawn away, and microphones sprouted up in front of Chen Li like mushrooms after rain.

Wang Xiaoyu stood at the front, holding the microphone from Sohu Video. A smug smile appeared on his lips as he watched his unintentional act of curiosity attract so many colleagues.

On the stage, Han Dongjun was waiting.

He has already given several rounds of routine interviews.

As a key project for Sohu Video this year, the investment and cast of "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer" had already generated buzz in the industry, so it was only natural for the male lead to be interviewed.

At that moment, he turned his head slightly and noticed that the microphone from Sohu Video had been moved to the back row of the actors' formation.

The second male lead, who wasn't present during the first round of auditions but was repeatedly mentioned during the producers' discussion in the second round.

He composed himself, remained silent, and simply looked away.

Zhou Hao also noticed this scene.

His original plan was to interview the main characters first, follow the standard procedure, and then take a group photo.

As a result, Wang Xiaoyu's unconventional question completely disrupted the rhythm of the interview.

He knew Wang Xiaoyu, a senior reporter at Sohu Entertainment. Wang had been working in the media industry for many years and was once the general manager and editor-in-chief of "Complete Entertainment." He had an exceptional reputation and network of contacts within the industry.

At this moment, the veteran reporter was holding a microphone and enthusiastically asking Chen Li about the filming details of "So Lovely Us", determined not to give up until he got to the bottom of it.

Zhou Hao stood next to the main seat without saying anything more.

"This little miss." Zhou Hao shook his head helplessly, but when his gaze fell on Chen Li, who was surrounded by reporters, there was no dissatisfaction in his eyes. Instead, there was a thoughtful look in his eyes.

The young man playing the second male lead stood in front of a group of reporters, answering questions clearly and confidently, neither becoming arrogant because of the sudden attention nor deliberately keeping a low profile because he was a supporting actor.

He is indeed strikingly good-looking, possessing an inexplicable allure that makes people want to take a second look.

But the reason these reporters swarmed around them was clearly not just because of her face.

A director and lead actor with 7 million views, an original musician who has topped two charts on Kugou Music, and the proposer of a revenue-sharing drama rating system.

With these three identities combined, no one in the media would let him off the hook.

"President Cai," Zhou Hao turned his head and lowered his voice to Cai Yinong beside him, "this kid is more than just a pretty face."

Cai Yinong nodded slightly, her gaze falling on Chen Li, who was surrounded by reporters, and gave a soft "hmm".

Cai Yinong saw this and felt a mix of emotions.

The interview has ended.

Only after the last few waves of media had finished asking questions did Chen Li manage to extricate herself from the crowd of reporters and return to her seat.

He had just caught his breath when he noticed several eyes on him.

First, there's Zhou Hao's position in the main direction.

Seeing Chen Li looking over, Zhou Hao nodded, then smiled and whispered something to Cai Yinong beside him.

"Wow, so I've become the clown." Wang Yanlin patted Chen Li on the shoulder, his tone a mix of envy and wistfulness.

"What did I just tell you? No one is interviewing the supporting actors."

"And what happened to you? The first reporter from Sohu went straight for you. You didn't see Han Dongjun's expression just now—"

He lowered his voice and glanced at the main actors' area, not finishing his sentence.

Chen Li followed his gaze.

Han Dongjun spoke to the staff around him with a smile, his expression showing nothing unusual. However, when he noticed Chen Li's gaze, his eyes changed and then he looked away.

"An unexpected disaster," Chen Li murmured to himself calmly.

He didn't actively seek out the media interviews he just received, but since it has already happened, he won't deliberately avoid it.

That should have been the effect of "attracting attention".

There's no way around it, being handsome is just a hassle...

At the filming launch ceremony in December 2014, Chen Li stood in the position for the second male lead, enjoying media attention worthy of a leading actor.

As for what Han Dongjun really thinks...

When soldiers come, we will block them; when water comes, we will dam it.

Anyway, the contract has already been signed, and he's going to give Zhang Xianzong the best possible performance.

The production team was very efficient; the opening ceremony was held in the morning, and filming officially started in the afternoon.

However, the first scene has nothing to do with Chen Li; it's a scene featuring the male and female leads.

"Hey, Director Chen, long time no see." Jin Chen's voice came from behind.

She was wearing the costume of the crescent moon from the play, her hair casually draped over her shoulders. She hadn't even bothered to remove her makeup after filming her scene with Han Dongjun, and simply strolled over to him.

"When are you going to visit Yitong? She misses you so much~"