That evening, when Xiao He turned on his phone and saw his name trending again, he found it somewhat amusing.
He had previously told Sister Liu that he wanted to keep a low profile for a while, but he never expected that the trending topics would come after him.
Even without any explicit marketing, his magic trick explanation video spread at an extremely fast pace and was pushed to the top of the trending list by netizens who were just watching for fun. It was the only one in the list of trending topics to have its traffic soar naturally.
Great, even CCTV programs don't get this kind of treatment!
From a marketing perspective alone, he made a huge profit.
Xiao He smiled helplessly and continued scrolling through his phone. Then he remembered that "The Phantom Thieves 2" was officially released tomorrow.
This also means that he should continue to generate a lot of buzz and discussion, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will likely remain a trending topic.
Xiao He watched the relevant marketing videos and eventually logged back into his account to help promote "The Phantom Thieves 2".
The next moment, a new trending topic about Xiao He surged into the trending list once again.
Xiao He:...I never imagined that getting on this entertainment list would be so easy.
...
Meanwhile, in Kyoto, on the other side...
Director Qiu Zhenlong turned off the TV, feeling bored, and decided to go to his study to work overtime.
He sat down in his chair, slowly put on his reading glasses, and opened the final audition list on the table.
Most of the people on the list came through the recommendation slots, which were deliberately released by Qiu Zhenlong.
He had been away from the Chinese entertainment industry for too long, and most of his connections had gradually disappeared from the market. However, the most important role of Emperor Chen needed to be played by a more outstanding young actor, so he simply released some slots to attract young capital and new connections to his field of vision. At the same time, he also wanted to restore his previous connections and use the recommendation slots to build relationships.
However, the quality of actors who come through the recommendation slots varies greatly.
The list in front of Director Qiu covers almost all the famous and well-connected young actors on the market. Some of them have excellent acting skills, while others have average acting skills but are good at marketing. Their only thing in common is that Director Qiu doesn't recognize any of them.
He pushed up his reading glasses and felt his eyes were getting blurry; his brows furrowed.
"Why are all the girls' resumes being sent over? How did the assistants organize the data...?"
He muttered to himself, then focused his gaze intently on the gender field again, only to discover that the young man, who looked as delicate and beautiful as a Barbie doll, was male.
Qiu Zhenlong:...
On my first day back, I was deeply impressed by today's young people, just as much as I was by the TV program I just watched.
He stared at the young man's resume again and again, and even looked through the period costume audition photos that the young man had attached, trying to judge the other party's true identity with his "old man's" eyes. In the end, he confirmed that this pretty boy really did not meet his casting criteria at all, and he couldn't stand it anymore and put the resume on his right.
Continuing to look at the resumes, Qiu Zhenlong picked up another person's resume.
"Shu Han... Hmm, that name sounds familiar."
Qiu Zhenlong glanced at Shu Han's photo and nodded slightly in satisfaction.
This young man has a handsome appearance and excellent bone structure; he looks quite good. He could easily play an emperor if dressed in ancient costume.
But his gaze continued downwards, finally settling on one of them.
"He went abroad to develop his career... Hmm."
Qiu Zhenlong snorted lightly, offering no comment, but silently lowered his impression score. However, after taking a closer look at Shu Han's other experiences and achievements, he had to admit that this person currently met his standards quite well.
So Qiu Zhenlong thought about it and placed the resume in the middle.
As he continued scrolling down, another person appeared in front of him.
“Yun Ziqi...”
Qiu Zhenlong squinted and stared at the name for a long time. In the end, he said nothing and simply raised his hand to place the resume on his left.
In selecting the recommenders this time, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Qiu Zhenlong divided the auditioning actors into three groups in advance.
The actors on the left are the ones I should pay close attention to; Qiu Zhenlong will be observing them closely during the auditions.
The actors in the middle are secondary targets. Although the actors themselves are of good quality overall, there may be many hidden dangers and problems. They need to be carefully considered and are not as high priority as the main targets.
As for the actors on the right, it's quite obvious; they're just there to make up the numbers. There's basically no need to pay attention to them. They'll just go through the motions, which will save face for the recommender and allow us to smoothly reject these guys who clearly have no chance.
Qiu Zhenlong was already very adept at using this method.
However, he also had to admit that it was really hard to distinguish the appearances of these young people nowadays, and many of them had no memorable features.
How should I put it? At first glance, they seem alright, but after looking at them a few more times, and then looking at other people, you realize that these guys all look the same.
Qiu Zhenlong carefully (casually) selected the triplets, observed them for a moment, and before he could tell who was who, he noticed that his assistant had marked one of their resumes.
"Hmm, a popular celebrity... with a pretty high level of fame... so why is this lower-profile version more famous?"
Although Qiu Zhenlong couldn't match the faces and names of the "three brothers" yet, at first glance, he thought that the ugliest of the three brothers was actually the most famous.
Qiu Zhenlong:...Hiss.
I feel that my career has been greatly challenged.
Is he really able to preserve his reputation in his later years?
With heavy hearts, the three Qiu brothers placed the items on their right, cough cough, that is, the "trash can," and then gritted their teeth and continued to dig for "treasure" from it.
Soon, Qiu Zhenlong hissed softly again.
The resume in front of him was also highlighted by the assistant, which indicated that the other party was also the top star of a certain company, a well-known actor with high popularity, many topics, large traffic, and a powerful background.
However, these things did not immediately attract Qiu Zhenlong's attention.
Because he was initially attracted by the other party's ID photo.
—Yes, it's quite unique.
The person in the photo is wearing a simple white shirt, with a cold and hard expression. His eyes are indifferent with a hint of malice, and his straight nose makes him look mean and aggressive. His thin lips are tight without a trace of a smile, and his gaze on the camera carries a strong sense of oppression, making his temperament even more gloomy and ruthless. It seems more like a suspect's photo in a criminal case file than an ID photo, exuding a fierce feeling that keeps strangers away.
This was the first time Qiu Zhenlong had ever met an artist with such "edgy" personality.
That sharp edge wasn't in his appearance, but rather in the sharpness and aura he exuded, full of a menacing aggression that made a lasting impression at first glance.
It can only be said that Liu Rulan posted this photo with a gambler's mentality.
But without a doubt, she made the right bet.
Qiu Zhenlong was indeed captivated, staring at the photo for a long time without looking away.
