106: Fans: He is suitable for playing the kind of role of a gentleman who is as handsome as jade and unparalleled in the world!
After hearing the system's objective evaluation of him, Chen Fang happily opened the mall interface.
Recently, the news about his clarification had gradually cooled down, but he had managed to fleece his fans again at the fan meeting, making them cry tears of remorse and express their heartache for their 'Gege' (older brother).
As a result, his negative emotion points increased by over 1 million compared to when he first joined the company, leaving him with 2.9 million negative emotion points.
“System, search for Traditional Wushu,” Chen Fang said in his mind.
He knew Sanshou, but its style didn't quite match wuxia films. Few wuxia film actors came from a Sanshou background. Most were from Traditional Wushu.
Chen Fang scanned the search results, excluding martial arts commonly used by righteous characters such as Shaolin Fist and Wing Chun, and finally set his sights on Bajiquan.
Bajiquan is fierce and explosive, making it very suitable for portraying tough characters or villainous masters.
The price was—
Advanced Bajiquan: 1.2 million negative emotion points.
If he bought it, he would still have 1.7 million left, which was acceptable.
However, adhering to the principle of saving money whenever possible, he would observe the situation later; if his opponents were too weak, he wouldn't buy it for now.
Having planned his retreat, Chen Fang closed the system and closed his eyes to rest.
The nanny van slowed down, preparing to enter the gates of the film and television base.
Reporters carrying long and short lenses were guarding the entrance. Seeing a high-end nanny van approaching, they quickly guessed it was a celebrity of considerable standing and rushed forward, standing at the edge of the protective barrier, extending their arms with microphones, and questioning the car.
“May I ask which Teacher it is?”
“Are you here to audition for the legend of fong sai-yuk?”
“Are you available for an interview?”
“Can you please open the car window?”
Assistant Song Yu looked through the privacy glass at the surging reporters on the other side of the protective barrier, his mouth slightly agape. “Is the buzz for this film really that high?”
Tang Chen hummed in affirmation. “It’s quite high. Firstly, it’s been many years since there’s been a wuxia film, and many wuxia fans still harbor their wuxia dreams and the sentiments of their youth. This film hasn't even started shooting, but its promotion has already gained traction within wuxia fan circles. Secondly, fight scenes in current film and television works are often criticized, so with Teacher Director Yuan Lang coming out of retirement, the public expects him to raise the bar for fight scenes. Thirdly, his fans from back in the day will also show their support, just as a way to reminisce about their youth.”
The makeup artist beside him smiled and echoed, “Yes, I heard this film was going to be made, so I re-watched ‘Shaolin Temple’ two days ago. Old movies are still so good.”
Tang Chen nodded in agreement. “I think so too. Although there are good ones now, I find more old movies to my taste.”
Chen Fang and his team did not intend to accept interviews at the main entrance. The car slowly drove into the film and television base and stopped in front of a massive gray-white building. This building housed studios, digital production areas, and other facilities. Today, he would be auditioning here.
One can run, but one cannot hide.
As soon as Chen Fang got out of the car, he heard a clamor from not far away.
He turned his head to see over twenty reporters standing on the other side of the protective barrier, holding microphones and cameras, jostling slightly against each other, eagerly vying to ask a barrage of questions.
Amidst the clamor, a sharp voice was particularly clear: “Teacher Chen, are you also here to audition for the legend of fong sai-yuk?”
As Chen Fang walked towards the entrance, he nodded towards the cameras in acknowledgment. “Yes.”
Given his current popularity, even if he didn't say anything, the media would speculate wildly. Rather than letting them guess something absurd, it was better to tell the truth.
“Sorry, we’re on a tight schedule,” Tang Chen said with a polite smile, shielding Chen Fang with the bodyguards as they entered the building.
On the second floor, a staff member greeted them. “Hello, Teacher Chen. The director is currently assessing other roles. Please go to the actor’s lounge to prepare. The stylist will provide you with audition costumes. A staff member will invite you to draw lots shortly. The audition for the Nine Gate Admiral role is expected to begin at 9 AM.”
“Alright.” Chen Fang led his team to the lounge and began to prepare.
...
Meanwhile, the reporters, having finally caught a high-profile Chen Fang, quickly sent the news back to their respective agencies, and various media outlets swiftly drafted articles.
After all, news of the legend of fong sai-yuk's production was only gaining traction in specific circles, while Chen Fang's reputation had a much wider reach.
Idol star and rising music star vs. veteran wuxia film crew—this wave of traffic was too good to pass up.
Soon, even before Chen Fang had finished changing, news articles were already being published online.
Among them, an account named “Entertainment Industry Uncovered” posted a short video titled “Chen Fang Participates in the legend of fong sai-yuk Casting.”
Thanks to the account's accumulated followers and Chen Fang's drawing power, the video garnered tens of thousands of reposts within half an hour of being posted, and the comment section was filled with curious onlookers.
“Are you kidding me? Chen Fang acting on the big screen? He should stick to writing songs, why is he acting again?”
“An idol star coming in really lowers the prestige of this movie. Guess I’ll have to support more YouTubers.”
“Don't you dare insult him! I’ll fight you all! What idol star? That’s all in the past!”
“Stop arguing. Chen Fang should just act in roles that suit his natural persona.”
“Perhaps the production team needs his popularity. If the role suits him and doesn't ruin the movie, then it’s fine.”
“I think he’s very suitable for playing roles like ‘a gentleman as beautiful as jade, unparalleled in the world.’ (✧∇✧)”
“Look at the comments section, it sounds like they really believe it can be a wuxia film. Looks like it’s just another movie to fleece fans.”
“I get annoyed just looking at him.”
“If you don’t like him, just long-press the screen and click ‘dislike’ to reduce recommendations and avoid his films. Why watch his news if you hate him? Are you sick?”
“Guaranteed bad movie.”
“It hasn’t even started filming, why say that?”
“Haters, obviously. What’s so surprising about that? Haters are truly outrageous. There was a historical drama before that was delayed by an hour, and before it even aired, a bunch of haters on a review site claimed they couldn’t stand the first episode. 666, everyone’s a time-traveler.”
“Beyond normal comprehension. Are there any time-travelers here? Which stock or fund should I buy now to get rich?”
“Chen Fang has a good image. If he chooses the right role, his participation won’t be an eyesore.”
...
“I just passed by and took a look, his image is really good!” Director Director Yuan Lang entered the audition room with a cup of coffee and sat next to producer Producer Tang Shan.
Producer Tang Shan frowned slightly and sighed, “Indeed, and he’s very popular. The most important thing is for more people to know about our film. Otherwise, no matter how good it is, if few people know about it, it will still flop.”
For a serious film, the main income relies on box office and audience numbers.
This film will definitely be of high quality, so getting people to know about it and come watch it is the most difficult hurdle.
Producer Tang Shan pondered for a moment and asked, “Are there any suitable roles for Chen Fang among Fong Sai-yuk’s friends?”
Director Yuan Lang placed his coffee on the table, frowned, and shook his head. “His image is too good; he would steal Fong Sai-yuk’s thunder. Some viewers might think the female lead should like him after watching the movie, right?”
The casting director, holding a stack ofmaterial (materials), handed them to his assistant, motioning for him to distribute them to everyone, then turned to Director Yuan Lang and the other person and said, “If we really want to use Chen Fang but there isn’t a suitable role, can we add a role? For example, give the female lead a paternal cousin?”
The director nodded. “We can consider it. Let’s see his performance first.”
As stated in the Book of Rites, people of the same surname should not marry. In ancient times, paternal cousins generally could not marry. Pure sibling affection would not threaten the protagonist.