Nobody expected it to be an audition montage. Almost every character’s casting process was explained, and Director Yuan also provided individual evaluations for each of them. Some of the outstanding audition clips were even edited separately. Even those who were regretfully not selected were included in the edit if their performances were good enough. Netizens didn’t expect “Bai Mei Sheng” to directly release audition footage as a prelude. After all, nowadays, before any film or TV series is released, carefully crafted trailers with deceptive levels of special effects are often used to build anticipation. However, the final product often disappoints. This unconventional approach by the production team was a first for many, appearing unexpectedly simple and down-to-earth. After all, the entire performance relied solely on the actors’ skills, even resembling a one-man show. Netizens’ interest was immediately piqued, and they flocked to watch the audition montage. The actors selected by Director Yuan were already skilled; whether lead or supporting roles, it felt like a feast of acting skills. The brief clips for each character were simply not enough. The barrage comments were flooding in: [a] Unexpectedly, the original auditions are so good?! Oh my god, this group is simply divine! [b] The acting is also excellent, just a little less than [a]! What a pity!] [Originally, I thought I could tolerate a bit of spoilers from this, but the more I watch, the more I itch! Why isn’t it finished yet?!]
[Director Yuan deserves credit; the quality control is excellent, and it seems like the entire cast has top-notch acting skills.]
Faced with this montage, everyone immediately remembered the previous audition where Fu Keqi commented negatively on Gu Qingtong’s performance as Xuan Yao.
Especially when she earnestly said, “Even Director Yuan didn’t spare a glance at Gu Qingtong.” So many curious netizens directly skipped to Xuan Yao’s part in the audition footage to verify. The first appearance in Xuan Yao’s part naturally belonged to Tan Siying, who secured the role. As a rising star in the entertainment industry and a former background actor, Tan Siying’s acting skills are among the best. She has always been considered “exempt from inspection.”
In this video montage, she effortlessly displayed her skills as usual, showing remarkable consistency. Yuan Jingyu’s evaluation of her was “remarkably mature and perfect acting.”
Following Tan Siying was the recorded audition footage of Gu Qingtong. Everyone thought that after seeing Tan Siying’s “standard performance,” watching Gu Qingtong would surely feel a disparity and disappointment. However, Gu Qingtong’s portrayal of Xuan Yao was unexpectedly impressive. Initially, before Tan Siying joined the audition, Xuan Yao was the most anticipated character online.
Gu Qingtong indeed had natural advantages in appearance, resembling a naive girl who relied on her elder sister, still retaining her youthful innocence. However, during the audition’s darkened segment, Gu Qingtong demonstrated a stark contrast that deviated significantly from her appearance.
As the girl gradually withered amid lamentation and burning, she perfectly portrayed the semblance of life force being drained away bit by bit. Especially when she turned into such a figure of hatred, there remained in her eyes an indelible love and longing for her elder sister, which was the source of her tragedy and weakness.
Especially the large tears falling down and the eventual portrayal of her collapsing directly to the ground. Even without a single line of dialogue, the crisp sound of her knees hitting the cold hard floor was enough to echo in the ears. Her ability to infect and empathize seemed innate, just by watching her perform a solo act on the screen, it seemed as if even the heart would be moved to tears. It wasn’t until Gu Qingtong’s performance ended that the audience seemed to awaken from a dream, remembering to send barrage comments. Instantly, the screen was filled with incoming barrage comments:
[For the first time, I’m shocked by such a purely unprocessed solo act. I have a different view of this newcomer now.]
[Indeed, it’s really impressive…..I apologize for my previous unfounded comments on her acting skills.]
[Wuwu, our Tong Mei is so impressive, directly slapping the face of haters with her talent! I knew I could trust Tongtong unconditionally!]
[It’s a pity we can’t see Tong Mei play Xuan Yao. It would have been so fitting. She only lacks a bit of experience compared to Senior Tan!]
Amidst all the praise and admiration, a barrage comment suddenly brought up what Fu Keqi had said before:
[I want to interview Fu Keqi. You call that poor performance? What kind of divine acting do you think you have? Why didn’t we see you in any of the exciting clips?]
Everyone suddenly remembered this incident.
Fu Keqi had no idea the program would air audition clips. She was also watching the video, feeling dumbfounded.
Just as she was about to console herself, she thought maybe Yuan Jingyu had genuinely not watched Gu Qingtong. After all, she had seen it with her own eyes.
Coincidentally, the screen switched to Yuan Jingyu, and after seeing Gu Qingtong’s performance, she smiled and said to the producer:
“Don’t bother watching anymore. If you do, you’ll definitely be torn between whether to cast her as He Haomei or Xuan Yao. Both roles are just too suitable for this child.”
[…So this is why Yuan Jingyu didn’t watch Sister Qingtong’s audition. Fu Keqi is really a rumor monger.]
[Yuan Jingyu’s statement seems to imply that she wanted Gu Qingtong to audition for the female lead role early on, right?]
Before the audience could ponder further, the last audition clip was revealed.
It was the improvised scene between Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi during the audition.
Before it started, there was a scene of Yuan Jingyu and her assistant talking.
The assistant looked at the monitor screen with some concern and asked, “Not giving Xiao Gu a script, and she doesn’t even know that she’s auditioning for the role of He Haomei. Isn’t it too difficult?”
“My intention was not for her to audition in the first place. After all, she’s the only one who fits He Haomei’s character right now. I just want to see how far she can go under Yan Chi’s guidance.”
Obviously, everyone knew that this was an improvisational performance without a script, and they couldn’t help but feel quite excited.
After Yuan Jingyu finished speaking, the scene finally changed to the heavily draped and quiet palace.
This sudden set change once again drew the audience’s attention upward, sensing a completely different atmosphere from the previous solo auditions.
Gu Qingtong’s figure approached from afar, with a hint of confusion and hesitation, like a lost deer in the forest.
Even though her appearance and attire were identical to when she played Xuan Yao, her aura completely changed when she detached from the role of Xuan Yao.
When Yan Chi, with her eccentric demeanor, appeared on the screen, slowly untying the ribbon on her head and approaching her prey Gu Qingtong, the atmosphere was instantly intensified, causing a frenzy of screams in the barrage.
[It’s getting intense! Teacher Yan is yyds1Used to express appreciation or admiration for someone/something, from now on, we don’t need post-production for Teacher Yan’s movies. Just let her do improvisation and show it to us directly.]
[To be able to see Teacher Yan play Crazy Pi Beauty in my lifetime, I’m fulfilled!]
Before Gu Qingtong could react, she was already under Yan Chi’s control, with her hand holding her chin.
In the next moment, her eyes were covered by the ribbon that had just been untied.
From the audience’s perspective, they could clearly see Yan Chi whispering into Gu Qingtong’s ear from behind.
Several slender and fair fingers were gripping the woman’s chin, noble yet obsessive, almost leaving red marks on her delicate skin.
And the woman’s eyes, covered, were the finishing touch, adding countless splendor and romance to this confrontation.
Yan Chi’s words, “Duo Saoxing2Statement implied by Yan Chi that brings the atmosphere to peak/climax.,” almost brought the dense and fiery atmosphere to a climax.
Every detail of their confrontation, every tone and expression, was filled with tension, completely unrelated to improvisation.
[This is so thrilling!! The blindfolded prelude is dancing in my imagination.]
[Stop fighting, go fight on the bed, please! How did we not notice that our Silent Gaze was still so intense in this adult CP3Couple Pairing dynamic?!]
After a heated argument, Gu Qingtong bit Yan Chi’s finger, leading to a punishment of having her wrist handcuffed.
In this audition performance, Gu Qingtong quickly got into character.
Although not as prepared as Xuan Yao, she still managed to match Yan Chi’s emotions one by one.
Most importantly, her innate charm manifested effortlessly in every gesture and movement, adding tension between her and Yan Chi as if they were truly living their roles.
This improvisational audition reached the level of a finished film.
And perhaps it’s just an illusion, but the editing and visuals of Gu Qingtong’s two audition scenes seemed smoother and more comfortable than the others, making her performance appear more natural.
The scene abruptly ended when Gu Qingtong was handcuffed, leaving the nearly full barrage of comments momentarily disappointed.
[What about the rest?! Don’t tell me we have to wait for another year or so to see it, I’ll die!]
[This is luring people in just to kill them! The whole internet is devoid of sustenance without this, what else am I supposed to watch?]
[I’m lying flat at the bottom of this pit, sisters, feel free to join me!!]
Just over ten minutes after this audition clip was released, it soared to the top of the trending list, and countless viewers, captivated by what they saw, eagerly dove into the rabbit hole.
No one expected that such a simple and straightforward approach, using audition footage for promotion, could lead to such envy-inducing explosive marketing. With its sudden popularity, the “Silent Gaze” CP was once again revitalized, and even developed in a direction that couldn’t be described due to the tension and allure.
Video clips and fan fiction surged like a geyser, all based on the derivative settings of “Bai Mei Sheng,” even sparking a phenomenon within the fan communities. Anyone who had seen this audition footage could no longer claim that Gu Qingtong had joined the cast through connections. Whether in terms of acting skills or her fit with the character of He Haomei, she was irreplaceable.
Previously, Gu Qingtong had only been playing supporting roles, unseen by many, but this was the first time she had revealed herself to such a large audience, showing her potential. Even though she hadn’t expected these recordings and videos to be released. Just based on these two performances, Gu Qingtong gained countless fans. More importantly, she managed to overturn the reputation of being a vase, returning to her roots as an actor.
The foundation of an actor will always be their acting skills, and despite any misunderstandings, they can still turn the tide with their own abilities. True talent is never too late to be recognized.
Although Gu Qingtong had known that the cast selection results would be announced by the production team today, she had been busy with scenes all morning. Knowing that there would likely be criticism and negative comments online, she was afraid it would affect her state of mind, so she deliberately avoided checking her phone.
It wasn’t until the afternoon when she finally had some free time that she mentally prepared herself and secretly sneaked a peek at Weibo when no one was around. She had expected to see a lot of people criticizing her for getting the role through connections rather than merit. However, as soon as she opened it, she was shocked to see that her follower count had increased by nearly ten thousand. Bewildered, she checked the official account of “Bai Mei Sheng,” where she finally saw the audition video.
From the direction of the barrage, it was evident how those who had initially criticized and doubted her were gradually changing their minds and praising her acting skills after watching the audition video. Gu Qingtong had originally thought that any change in perception would come after the movie was completed and released, but she never expected it to happen so soon. She was caught off guard and felt a sense of elation, her cheeks flushing slightly from the compliments.
Although she had experienced the feeling of becoming popular due to variety shows before, this time it was about her career and dreams being recognized, something she truly cared about. She covered her face, trying to cool down her flushed cheeks.
As she calmed down, she suddenly remembered why the production team had inexplicably released such an audition clip – it seemed to be an attempt to change her online reputation.
After all, Yuan Jingyu had hardly ever released any official photos before, let alone directly promoted the film with posters and trailers before its release. Moreover, “Bai Mei Sheng” was already generating significant buzz, so there was no need to release audition footage to boost its popularity.
Undoubtedly, she was the one who benefited the most from their actions. With this in mind, Gu Qingtong immediately went to thank Yuan Jingyu.
However, she ended up thanking the wrong person.
Yuan Jingyu also learned, after listening to Gu Qingtong’s words, that Yan Chi had never told her little wife about this matter. Of course, she didn’t try to take credit for it either.
“You should thank Teacher Yan instead. From the audition onwards, she asked me to save the recordings and evaluations, saying they might be useful. And she even helped edit and process your audition clips,” Yuan Jingyu added, trying to divert attention. “I wonder why that is~”
As Yuan Jingyu said, Yan Chi knew that today’s events would unfold ever since she found out that Yuan Jingyu wanted Gu Qingtong to play He Haomei. So, she started laying the groundwork from the auditions, recording everyone’s performances, including Yuan Jingyu’s comments.
What Yuan Jingyu didn’t mention was that not only were the two audition clips from both of them, but the segment Gu Qingtong performed alone also came from Yan Chi’s hand. This made it even more meticulous and seamless, almost reaching the level of the final cut.
When Gu Qingtong heard this, she widened her eyes and took a while to speak: “Yan…..Teacher Yan helped edit and process it?!”
How come she had never known that Yan Chi had edited her videos? It was as shocking as the fact that Gu Qingtong was Yan Chi’s station sister.
Yuan Jingyu was stunned. She only knew that Yan Chi hadn’t told Gu Qingtong about this.
But Yuan Jingyu didn’t know that Gu Qingtong was completely unaware of what she had done to Yan Chi. Feeling she had misspoken, Yuan Jingyu fell into silence for a moment.
“…..I heard what those people said later, I’m not sure either. You have the chance to ask Yan Chi yourself.”
Gu Qingtong had no choice but to nod as if nothing had happened in front of Yuan Jingyu. However, countless possibilities flashed through her mind.
Before Gu Qingtong became popular, there were few fans and various video materials. She cherished these fans and outputs greatly, even creating a special folder to collect these videos. Gu Qingtong had watched almost every video about herself on U Station, from the gaming live stream with over five hundred thousand views to the character cuts with only tens of views.
The thought that some of these videos might have been edited by Yan Chi made Gu Qingtong’s breath catch in her throat.
