Then she saw Director Gu's brow unfurrow. After she finished her performance, he pointed out a few areas he wasn't happy with and then immediately confirmed her for the female lead.
After Chu Yao finished speaking, Shan Wei was stunned again. It wasn't her first time dealing with Gu Changning, but she'd never known the director to make a move like this. Rejecting Mi Feifei and choosing Chu Yao?
'Has he completely lost his mind?'
"Then what about Mi Feifei?"
"She said she was more interested in the female supporting role and wanted to challenge herself," Chu Yao said.
Shan Wei frowned again. She didn't actually believe Gu Changning had lost his mind; instead, her mind was rapidly analyzing the possibilities.
Mi Feifei's explanation was quite plausible. Since her debut, although Mi Feifei had portrayed many characters, she had almost always been the female lead. These roles, blessed with a "protagonist halo," were naturally never the villain. Even if they were forced to resort to certain tactics, it was always a case of "having no other choice."
But Mi Feifei had never truly played a "purely evil" character like the female supporting lead in this script.
With Mi Feifei's level of fame, there wasn't much difference between being the female lead or the supporting lead. It was very likely she just wanted to challenge herself.
Once she figured that out, Shan Wei breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I guess you can count this as a windfall. Yaoyao, make sure you seize this opportunity."
For once, Chu Yao didn't trade barbs with Shan Wei and simply nodded.
After they had driven for a while, Shan Wei suddenly remembered something and said, "Right, there are going to be some big changes at the company in the next couple of days. Don't worry about it, just focus on preparing for this drama. This is Director Gu's production. Don't think that just because you're the female lead now, you'll stay the female lead. If he's not satisfied, he's been known to replace his main actors mid-shoot."
"Big changes?"
"CY Media is going to acquire us. According to the grapevine, the higher-ups have already reached an agreement. It should be officially announced in the next day or two."
"CY Media?" Chu Yao blinked. It was an entertainment company that had emerged and risen to prominence in recent years. Now, it had clearly become the industry's top dog. The other established major companies could barely compete with it even if they all teamed up.
"Yep. For you actors, this is both good and bad. The pie is bigger, but there are also more people wanting a slice."
As Shan Wei spoke, Chu Yao nodded in agreement, but she didn't take it to heart. She was just a minor actress; a change like this was far beyond her influence.
But speaking of CY Media, Chu Yao had once joked with Shan Wei that the company might have been founded by a secret admirer, since the pinyin initials for Chu Yao are "CY."
Shan Wei had bluntly poured cold water on that joke.
"You've got a terminal case of Mary Sue syndrome. The boss of CY Media is named Cheng Yu. He used his own initials. And you? Who do you think you are?"
Of course, it was just a joke from Chu Yao. She said it and forgot about it, not taking it seriously at all.
After accepting Director Gu's project and negotiating the contract, the pay wasn't very high, but Chu Yao was already quite satisfied. This was the highest-paying role she had ever landed.
She had twelve days before filming began. During this time, Chu Yao diligently studied the script, analyzing her character's personality and temperament.
The show was a refreshing youth campus drama. The plot wasn't particularly novel; it was basically about a female protagonist who meets the male protagonist in high school, falls in love at first sight, and then spends her entire high school life revolving around him.
They then promise to get into the same university, but after the college entrance exams, the male protagonist vanishes without a trace, breaking their promise.