Bai Lu got scammed, but I became a superstar through e-commerce.

The casting meeting was held in the conference room of Tianmen Film and Television.

The long table was filled with people on both sides. The three co-directors, Liang Shengquan, He Shuping, and Huang Junwen, sat in a row, each with a script and storyboard sketches spread out in front of them.

The producer, Nanpai Sanshu, sat at the other end of the long table, his laptop open, displaying the original text of his serialized work on the screen.

The actors who came to audition were waiting in the dressing room next door.

Today we're mainly finalizing the casting for three roles: Zhang Qishan, Er Yuehong, and Chen Pi Asi. Supporting roles like Ya Tou, Qi Tiezui, Wu Laogou, and Xie Jiuye will be filled through open auditions in Hengdian by the casting team and won't take up time in today's main creative team meeting.

The first person to come in was Chen Weiting.

When he walked in wearing a dark gray overcoat, the atmosphere in the conference room changed noticeably, and everyone sat up straight at the same time.

Liang Shengquan turned to Zhang Qishan's first major scene in the script. He was drinking alone late at night, sitting in his study cleaning his sidearm. He only had a few lines, but he needed to portray Zhang Qishan's temperament of "seemingly having no love, but in his heart, he carries the lives of everyone on his shoulders".

Chen Weiting didn't exchange many pleasantries, and took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair.

He said he was a fan of the novel "The Grave Robbers' Chronicles" and almost starred in the film, but was unable to participate due to scheduling conflicts.

When Liang Shengquan brought the script to him, he agreed without hesitation.

He practiced Tai Chi for several months for this role, slowed down his tone of voice by a beat, and even relearned how to walk. Zhang Qishan is a former soldier, so every step he took was steady and heavy, unlike any of the roles he had played before.

"Try the second round."

Liang Shengquan turned to a page of the script and pushed it over.

Chen Weiting looked down for a few seconds, then looked up.

His gaze slowly changed, suppressing all his emotions deep within his pupils, his lips pressed into a thin line.

He picked up the pen on the table as a sidearm, rubbing the pen with his fingers slowly, as if he were wiping something that had been wiped hundreds of times.

"Please have the actor describe their inner thoughts."

Liang Shengquan spoke up.

"Because Second Master refused to go down into the tomb, Buddha sat alone in his study, looking at this gun. This was his last connection with the Nine Gates."

Liang Shengquan leaned back in his chair and nodded.

Bai Yicong turned to Qingxiao and whispered that Chen Weiting was the candidate chosen by Nanpai Sanshu. He had read Chen Weiting's information since the time of "The Grave Robbers' Chronicles" and felt that his temperament was very suitable for Zhang Qishan, but they did not work together for various reasons.

The idea for "The Mystic Nine" popped into my head as soon as the project was approved.

Qingxiao put down his pen and made the decision.

Bai Yicong asked, "Don't you want to check the rest of the group?" Chen Xiao and the others had also made plans to meet.

Qingxiao said that Zhang Qishan didn't need to be tested; he was already the one.

He Shuping chimed in, saying that Chen Weiting had a clean and efficient demeanor.

Zhang Qishan is the defense officer of the Nine Gates, with troops and power, but he never puts on airs with the people of the Nine Gates. This clean and decisive manner cannot be acted out; it can only be achieved through the actor's natural talent.

Chen Weiting put on his coat, stood up, bowed slightly towards the long table, and turned to walk out.

He stopped abruptly at the door, turned around, and looked past Liang Shengquan toward Qingxiao.

"I heard that President Qing is the screenwriter for 'The Mystic Nine'?"

Qingxiao looked up from the script and nodded: "I wrote the initial script, and then I went over every step of the plot with Uncle San."

"I've been filming period dramas for several years. When I first received the script, I found that the storyboard for each scene was marked next to the lines."

Chen Weiting leaned against the door frame, as if he had just remembered to say something, or as if he had been holding back all day during the audition and finally found an opportunity to speak. He really wanted this role.

"Mr. Qing, I've acted in many directors' scripts, but I've never seen a screenwriter write camera movement suggestions into the script. You are truly amazing, and I hope to have the opportunity to work with you in the future."

He left after he finished speaking.

Qingxiao leaned back in his chair and picked up a pen to jot down a few notes in his notebook.

The good script is all thanks to the system.

Then he looked up and continued, "Next."

The second person to enter was Zhang Yixing.

He was wearing a black hoodie and came in a little reserved. He bowed towards the long table and said hello to the teachers.

His voice wasn't loud, and he was very polite, a stark contrast to his stage presence when he sings and dances.

The role of Er Yuehong was the most difficult to cast in the entire series.

Both Nanpai Sanshu (the author of the novel) and the executive producer Bai Yicong have said this.

He's a henpecked husband; he must be straight.

At the same time, she is also a female role, giving people a gentle feeling.

After going through my thoughts, I didn't find many suitable ones. It's hard to grasp the right balance, and I'm afraid of ending up with something that's neither fish nor fowl.

Nanpai Sanshu had previously considered Chen Xiao, as Chen Xiao's period drama appearance and opera skills were quite good.

Both Zhang Qishan and Er Yuehong considered him for auditions.

Huang Junwen flipped through Zhang Yixing's previous performance clips and asked him what his understanding of Er Yuehong was.

Zhang Yixing thought for a few seconds and said he had read the passage in the original novel where Er Yuehong begged for medicine.

To cure the girl's illness, he knelt before Zhang Qishan and begged for the thousand-year-old herb.

In this scene, Er Yuehong isn't kneeling before Zhang Qishan, but before the maid's life.

He felt that this person valued dignity more than life, but he was willing to trade his dignity for the girl to live one more day.

After speaking, he turned to a section of the script that he had marked as important, a line from a flower drum opera. He had found a Peking Opera teacher beforehand and practiced the rhythm of Peking Opera for several months. He said that although he could not sing the whole passage, he had already caught up with the charm of the lines.

Liang Shengquan turned to a scene in the script between Er Yuehong and Ya Tou and asked Zhang Yixing to read a few lines on the spot.

Zhang Yixing took the script and began to read the lines carefully.

But his voice changed tone; he lowered his voice.

After listening, He Shuping whispered to Qingxiao, "He even practiced his voice in advance, I think it's good."

"President Qing, what do you think?"

Everyone looked at Qingxiao, especially Zhang Yixing, who became both nervous and expectant.

Qingxiao said that when he first saw Zhang Yixing, he immediately made up his mind.

Zhang Yixing is handsome but not effeminate, which perfectly matches the character of Er Yuehong.

Er Yuehong was a famous actor in Changsha Flower Drum Opera. He learned opera from a young age and was incredibly talented on stage, but off stage, he only cared for a seriously ill maid.

This kind of person needs a "non-competitive" attitude. When Zhang Yixing stood there without saying a word, there was no aggression in his eyes, which was just right.

"Thank you, teachers, and thank you, President Qing."

Zhang Yixing stood up and bowed.

Later, Chen Xiao also auditioned, and the result was also good. In some aspects, he even achieved a temperament and charm that Chen Weiting's Zhang Qishan and Zhang Yixing Er Yuehong did not have.

Director Liang was particularly satisfied.

Ultimately, Qingxiao, based on the positive market response to the original cast, rejected the casting of Chen Xiao as Zhang Qishan or Er Yuehong.

Qingxiao added that Yatou had the casting team continue screening.

Er Yuehong is the emotional core of the entire drama, and Ya Tou is his life.

When she said, "Second Master, I'm alright," the audience was moved to tears.

This role has few scenes but is extremely important, so we can't just find anyone to fill it.

The casting team spent several days looking at many actors before finally selecting Yuan Bingyan. After makeup, she and Zhang Yixing's Er Yuehong looked very well-matched.

The role of Qi Tiezui required a face that "looks like a fortune teller," and the casting team recommended Ying Haoming. He had acted in several period dramas before, had a scholar's background, and naturally had a smile on his lips.