Translator: Ink Hub
Editor: Yoog

Whether the candidate could actually meet the requirements would only be known after an audition.

Lin Ji occasionally participated in auditioning actors, but the final decision generally rested with Hu Weiyi. As the screenwriter, Lin Ji joined the casting process only to help select the actors who best matched the characters, not to seize total control.

Most of Lin Ji’s energy remained focused on the script. After smoothing out the story for the first generation of the Bai family, he began drafting the script for the second generation.

Unlike the first generation, the second generation of the Bai family didn’t face as many chaotic upheavals, but the storylines were still intricate. The historical background and environmental shifts were significant, making Lin Ji instinctively more cautious as he wrote.

While writing, Lin Ji meticulously cross-referenced the original novel to ensure there were no omissions in the plot.

While he was diligently grinding away at the script, Hu Weiyi suddenly informed him that the negotiations for the actress to play Bai Mei had fallen through.

“It didn’t work out?”

Lin Ji was somewhat puzzled by the news. From what he knew, this actress wasn’t an A-list Little Flower. She usually played second or third leads. Lin Ji had looked over her resume before, and she hadn’t been in many big productions.

To her, the role of Bai Mei should have been highly attractive.

“Yes.” Hu Weiyi sighed. “Qi Sui herself didn’t show any reluctance to play the part, but when we approached them, her talent agency pushed for a different actor instead.”

“One they’re heavily promoting?”

Hu Weiyi nodded.

Lin Ji said leisurely, “To think such things actually happen.”

“We wanted to negotiate further, but the agency said Qi Sui has already signed a contract with another crew and told us to consider the actor they recommended.”

Lin Ji couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You might not know much about Future Entertainment,” Hu Weiyi explained. “I’ve worked with their actors a few times. That company keeps a very tight grip on their contracts. The actors have almost no autonomy. Their promotion strategy is based on priority; the longer the contract and the lower the actor’s profit-sharing percentage, the more the company pushes them.”

The difficulty in casting lay in the fact that actors with autonomy might not be willing to take the role, while actors who were personally willing to take the script were unfortunately too restricted by their agencies.

Even if a resource was offered to a specific individual from the outside, once it entered the agency’s field of vision, it still had to be redistributed according to the agency’s demands.

“Let’s try talking to them again.”

Hu Weiyi and Lin Ji had seen Qi Sui’s performances in other roles. Currently, she was indeed the most suitable candidate for Bai Mei.

A day later, Hu Weiyi contacted Lin Ji again.

His temperament was naturally impatient. Although he had mellowed out considerably with age, a person’s core nature never truly changed.

When Lin Ji met him this time, he saw the director sitting in a corner, huffing with anger. It was clear he had just hit a wall.

“What happened?” Lin Ji asked.

“Do you know how ridiculous they are? They finally agreed to let Qi Sui play the role, but the catch is that our crew has to provide five other roles for their people. Isn’t that just plain insane?” Hu Weiyi’s voice was distorted with rage.

“Which roles do they want?” Lin Ji asked.

As a universally known masterpiece, the characters of Records of the Bai’s Return were public knowledge. Which roles carried weight and which were the soul of the story was clear not only to the crew but also to any actor interested in joining the production.

The roles Qi Sui’s agency wanted weren’t particularly heavy: they were in a position where they had a presence but wouldn’t affect the overall plot. From that perspective, the agency didn’t have the guts to demand just any role.

“Are there any other requirements?”

“Give Qi Sui the treatment of a female lead.” Hu Weiyi pulled a list from his pocket. “They think they’ve got us over a barrel.”

After all, Hu Weiyi’s obsession with casting was famous in the industry. While Lin Ji had a tough personality, he was also willing to lower his head for the sake of a suitable actor.

Records of the Bai’s Return had a massive cast, making casting a headache to begin with. Lin Ji couldn’t afford to repeatedly scan resumes for a single role like he did with Lou Zhi in Code 11. Since there was a suitable actor, he wanted to find someone who could perform as soon as the contract was signed.

Lin Ji scanned the list. It was a dense wall of text covering hotel accommodations, trailers, assistants, and even meal standards, all of which were to be paid for by the Records of the Bai’s Return crew.

Lin Ji also laughed. “I could arrange for her to be the female lead on my end, but Wei Baishi wouldn’t agree.”

Wei Baishi was the author of Records of the Bai’s Return, who had passed away many years ago.

Objectively speaking, Records of the Bai’s Return was an ensemble drama. There was no absolute male or female lead. In this book, individual fates fluctuated constantly with the times, and the original author never placed any single character at the center.

“Will anyone else work?” Lin Ji asked. “The other two backups.”

“They’ll work, but I’m afraid the performance won’t be as good as Qi Sui’s,” Hu Weiyi said. “How about I try to persuade Qi Sui again? If I can sway her, it might be easier to talk to her agency.”

Lin Ji shook his head. “Forget it, don’t make it difficult for her.”

It wasn’t that the Records of the Bai’s Return crew couldn’t give up five roles, but the feeling of being held by the throat was very uncomfortable.

Lin Ji had dealt with many talent agencies. Overall, these companies were easy to get along with. Even when he was turned away by Qin Yi’s agency, it was due to Qin Yi’s own will rather than the agency’s instigation.

“How about this? I have an idea. See if it works for you.”

Hu Weiyi leaned in to listen to Lin Ji, nodding as he heard the plan. “Then let’s do it that way.”

* * *

Future Entertainment was located in a commercial building in the CBD of C City. It had taken nearly thirty years to evolve from a small talent agency into a renowned industry giant with its own building, covering management, film, and television entertainment.

In the eyes of stars, Future Entertainment was less of a talent agency and more of a sweatshop. It was widely acknowledged to have the lowest profit-sharing percentages in the industry, and its roster of signed artists was so large that the internal competition was legendary.

However, Future Entertainment also possessed the sharpest scouts in the business, always managing to dig up the most promising stars of tomorrow. The company’s ability to snatch resources was also famous. As long as a star signed with Future Entertainment, their chances of rising to the top were higher than at any other agency.

In an office on the top floor, a vice president of Future Entertainment and Qi Sui’s manager were discussing the roles in Records of the Bai’s Return.

The two had already mapped out the movements of the Records of the Bai’s Return crew—besides Qi Sui, the crew hadn’t invited any other actresses to play the role of Bai Mei.

This meant that Qi Sui was indeed the crew’s first choice.

Bundling actors was a standard practice for Future Entertainment. In the past, they would intentionally lower prices to squeeze an actor into a crew. Less money naturally meant filling the gap with more bodies—that was the scenario when the company wanted a role but the crew had no intention of using their actors.

But once a crew picked a Future Entertainment actor, the company would change its tune. For instance, now, if the Records of the Bai’s Return crew wanted to use Qi Sui, they had to use several more of Future Entertainment’s signed actors.

Qi Sui wasn’t Future Entertainment’s most promoted actress. Her contract was short, and her profit-sharing was on the higher side, so the company didn’t invest much energy in her.

However, Qi Sui had a gentle face and a wide acting range. Her performances as third or fourth leads were quite popular with audiences. Occasionally, crews would invite her to play the second lead, but an invitation for the female lead was a first.

“Will the Records of the Bai’s Return side agree?”

“If they’re unwilling, we’ll negotiate the terms again. At worst, they’ll look for other actors. Qi Sui isn’t short on roles to film anyway.” The VP appeared calm. “Though the specifications for Records of the Bai’s Return aren’t low, few in the industry are optimistic about how the drama will actually turn out.”

“Haven’t you seen? Among the actors the crew has finalized so far, there isn’t a single A-lister.”

The manager thought about it and felt it made sense.

Actually, Qi Sui herself was quite willing to take the role of Bai Mei. After all, it was a rare chance to be the lead. But she also had concerns: the character of Bai Mei was too famous in literary circles and among book fans. If she played it well, it would be expected, but if she failed, she would likely carry the stigma for a long time.

After careful consideration, Qi Sui had left the final decision to the company.

While the VP and the manager were chatting, the VP’s assistant rushed in from downstairs and handed him a newly received email.

The email was an image. To be precise, it was a handwritten letter from Lin Ji himself.

[If your company continues to insist on your current demands, from this moment forward, I will never use any of your company’s actors in any drama I am involved in.]

Lin Ji’s handwriting was very elegant, but even though the background was just a piece of white paper, the threat in his strokes, which seemed to pierce through the back of the page, was unmistakable.

“Who does he think he can threaten?” The VP showed a look of disdain. “Would we be afraid of him?”

Future Entertainment was a premier large company in the industry. Having been established for so many years, they had seen all sorts of storms. Lin Ji was just a new-generation screenwriter. Although the ratings for Code 11 were good, to Future Entertainment, he personally held no real threat.

“Then… will Qi Sui still take Records of the Bai’s Return?”

“She won’t. Didn’t you hear the man’s meaning? He won’t use any of our company’s actors.” The VP’s tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

The manager remained silent for a long while.

He wanted to say that as long as the company dropped those demands and let Qi Sui film alone, it would be fine.

Future Entertainment indeed operated in this style, but bundling sales depended on who the target was.

Lin Ji wasn’t some minor character that anyone could manipulate at will. After Code 11 aired, his personal reputation among the satellite stations had risen by several levels.

Moreover, Lin Ji was very young. As a screenwriter, he still had thirty or forty years of career ahead of him.

At the moment, Lin Ji seemed to have no great impact on Future Entertainment, but in the future, if an actor encountered a dream role they couldn’t participate in, it wouldn’t just be about losing a role—it would be equivalent to handing an opportunity over to a rival for nothing.

* * *

Lin Ji always kept his word. After receiving Future Entertainment’s response, he posted his original words on Weibo.

“Little Lin is my only connection in the entertainment industry. All my gossip comes from him.”

“How did they start fighting again? Wherever Little Lin is, there’s always a bloodbath.”

“…Emmm, I’m really curious what Future Entertainment did to Screenwriter Lin.”

“Even though Lin Ji talked tough, the impact on Future Entertainment should be quite limited, right?”

Lin Ji didn’t mention the details of his harsh words, but Future Entertainment was a large company with many eyes and ears. There were plenty who knew the inside story. Before long, the news that Records of the Bai’s Return had invited Qi Sui to play Bai Mei was leaked.

“…This isn’t the first time such rumors about Future Entertainment have surfaced, right? They really love bundling.”

“You can’t blame Little Lin. Their business is massive; Little Lin can only use this method to give them a lesson.”

“Future Entertainment doesn’t think Lin Ji will actually fall for their tricks, does it? Why don’t they look at what happened to Qin Yi?”

* * *

According to Future Entertainment’s predictions, even if Lin Ji personally announced a boycott of their signed actors, it wouldn’t affect the company one bit.

However, what Future Entertainment didn’t expect was that just minutes after Lin Ji spoke out, Rice Grains Video followed up at the fastest possible speed.

The current hit dramas on Rice Grains Video were still God of War Returns Home and The Heiress. When the two dramas premiered, they lacked fame, so they used newcomers. However, as the view counts climbed higher and higher, famous actors began to join the two series, including actors signed to Future Entertainment.

Beyond that, to show support for Lin Ji, Rice Grains Video kicked out all Future Entertainment artists who were slated for upcoming dramas and variety shows.

Rice Grains Video’s reasoning was simple: the platform was still counting on Lin Ji to find time to write new short drama scripts!

As long as other screenwriters could connect with satellite stations, they would inevitably cast web drama platforms aside. Lin Ji, however, had promised Rice Grains Video early on that once God of War Returns Home reached its finale, he would write a new short drama script for them.

A boycott by Lin Ji alone was nothing, but a boycott by the entire Rice Grains Video platform was a weight that Future Entertainment had to take seriously.

Records of the Bai’s Return had originally approached several Future Entertainment actors for other roles. Once Lin Ji’s Weibo post went up, the cooperation with them naturally ceased as well.

Slowly, Future Entertainment’s actors discovered that no matter which satellite station they went to for auditions, the crew would always vaguely ask about their talent agency. Actors signed to other agencies didn’t receive the same treatment.

Actors with high enough status were limited in how much they were affected. They could either carry a drama themselves or had a massive fan base to support them. In such cases, the television stations were still willing to use them.

But the situation for actors with average popularity and traffic was completely different—roles they could have easily secured in the past were suddenly snatched away by actors from rival companies for some unknown reason.

The actors initially thought it was just a hallucination, but gradually, they realized that not only themselves but also other actors in the same company were facing the same problem.

Future Entertainment was indeed very good at squeezing people in, but if a crew made up its mind not to let them in, Future Entertainment was equally powerless.

Having collaborated with major satellite stations for years, Future Entertainment sent someone to inquire for news.

“Well… we have plans to collaborate with Lin Ji later. You know, this man’s heart is… a bit broader than the average person’s. If we reach a deal here and he turns around and writes a script for Dajiang TV, what are we supposed to do?

“Don’t worry, this is only temporary. Our station doesn’t exactly beg Lin Ji for anything. Just endure it for a while.”

As for how long they had to endure, the station didn’t disclose.

Future Entertainment did ask if there was any other solution. The station staffer rolled their eyes. “Simple. Just write a drama with a 4.8% rating.”

Future Entertainment: “…”

If they could write one, why would they come begging the station? They would just start their own production to promote their people.

From that moment on, 4.8% became the number Future Entertainment hated most.

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