Chapter 406 - 405: Basically the Same

Finally, at noon, the morning auditions came to a close. Only then did Gao Mi speak up and ask Yun Zijin:

"Miss Yun, did any of the candidates stand out to you?"

Although Yun Zijin had said she wouldn’t interfere with the production’s casting, Gao Mi couldn’t just ignore her opinion entirely.

Asking her directly was also a way to show his respect for Yun Zijin.

"As for the female lead, a few of them met the standard. I’ve made notes on their résumés, so you can take them and have a look.

But I’m no expert, so I can’t be sure if my choices are actually the right ones."

’Anyway, those were her picks. As for what Gao Mi decided, Yun Zijin wouldn’t concern herself with it.’

’Let the professionals handle their business. Yun Zijin just wanted to see the candidates for herself. Before the final cast was decided, she absolutely had to run another background check.’

’Otherwise, with the rate of celebrity scandals being so high these days, Yun Zijin was worried that halfway through filming, an actor would suddenly be hit with a major controversy.’

’This was all her hard-earned money on the line!’

’Reshoots would mean finding other actors, and if a location became unavailable, the continuity would be completely ruined.’

’Just thinking about that scenario made Yun Zijin’s head ache.’

"You certainly have a good eye, Miss Yun. Rest assured, I will give your opinions careful consideration."

After he finished speaking, Gao Mi took the stack of résumés Yun Zijin handed him. His eyes lit up when he saw the numerous notes she had written.

He had thought that when Yun Zijin said she’d selected a few people, she simply meant she’d picked a few who left a strong impression. He never expected that she had meticulously taken notes on every single one, and then selected her preferred candidates based on those notes.

Gao Mi looked over Yun Zijin’s notes and her selected candidates again, finding that her choices were basically identical to his own.

At this point, Gao Mi’s respect for Yun Zijin was no longer just for her role as an investor; he was also moved by her diligence.

Investors these days were rarely as responsible as Yun Zijin.

Furthermore, as the sole investor, if she were anyone else, there was no telling how many people she would have tried to shoehorn into the production.

The entertainment industry today was too fickle; not many people were genuinely committed to their craft.

"The people you chose, Miss Yun, are about the same as who I had in mind."

After reading all of Yun Zijin’s notes, Gao Mi said just that one sentence. The other people on set all wore expressions of surprise.

Apparently, they hadn’t expected a layperson like Yun Zijin to have such a sharp eye.

"Good. Once you’ve finalized the list, send it to me before you send out the notifications to the actors.

To ensure a smooth filming process, I need to run a background check on the actors we’re about to hire."

"Alright! I’ll let them know. But how long will your investigation take? These notices need to go out as soon as possible. Otherwise, I’m afraid the actors won’t have room in their schedules if we wait too long."

Celebrities thrive on exposure. If they couldn’t join the production, they would have to take on other gigs, or they’d risk being forgotten by the public.

"Don’t worry, it’ll be fast. We should have the results in two or three days.

However, just in case some of your chosen actors turn out to be unsuitable, I suggest you prepare a few backups."

’Some people put on a very good act in front of others, but are completely different in private.’

’But Yun Zijin had faith in Mei Lin’s investigation techniques. No one could escape Mei Lin’s inquiries.’

"That works. If you’re handling the investigation, it saves me the trouble of looking into it myself."

Background checks were standard practice, but the thoroughness of the investigation varied from one production to the next.

Gao Mi’s methods typically involved just asking people the actors had recently been in contact with, or maybe talking to paparazzi who had tailed them.

After all, the budget was limited; he couldn’t possibly use it to hire a private investigator.

’The production needed so many actors. If he hired a private investigator for every single one, he might as well just become a paparazzo himself and forget about making a show.’

"I’ll send you the investigation results when I get them. You’ll need to send me the list of alternate candidates in advance as well, in case we need to replace anyone who is unsuitable."

’Yun Zijin would absolutely not allow anyone in her production to risk a career-ending scandal mid-shoot.’

"No problem!"

Since Yun Zijin’s actions were lightening his workload, Gao Mi was, of course, more than happy to agree.

"Boxed lunches are here!"

A crew member’s voice rang out, and everyone on set began to get their food.

"Miss Yun, would you like to try one of the crew’s boxed lunches?"

Gao Mi had just finished his question when Yun Zijin’s phone rang. She gave him an apologetic look before answering the call.

"Hello..."

"I ordered you takeout from Qingjin Pavilion. The delivery person is outside the film studio now, but they just called and said you need to go pick it up yourself."

Filming for many productions at the studio was confidential, so outside personnel were generally not allowed entry.

"I know. I’ll go out now. You remember to eat, too, or else..."

Yun Zijin didn’t finish her sentence, but Lu Yunque had already surrendered.

After they hung up, Yun Zijin saw Gao Mi was still waiting for her nearby.

"Sorry, my boyfriend ordered food for me, so I won’t be having one of the crew’s boxed lunches.

If one was ordered for me, please see if someone else needs it and give my portion to them."

Yun Zijin knew that for some people with bigger appetites, one boxed lunch wouldn’t be enough.

"Oh! Alright, then. Should I find someone to go with you?"

"No need. I have people with me."

Zero One and the others usually concealed their presence like Shadow Guards, appearing the moment Yun Zijin needed them.

Hearing her say that, Gao Mi didn’t insist. He went to get a boxed lunch and found a place to eat.

Meanwhile, Yun Zijin followed the path from memory and headed out of the film studio’s entrance. She immediately spotted a person dressed in the uniform of a Qingjin Pavilion server.

The Qingjin Pavilion server recognized Yun Zijin and hurried over with a food container when he saw her emerge. "Miss Yun, this is the lunch Mr. Lu ordered for you.

Could you please sign here to confirm receipt?"

The server handed a slip of paper to Yun Zijin.

Yun Zijin glanced over it, and after confirming everything was in order, she signed her name.

"Thank you. Enjoy your meal."

With that, he quickly ran back.

Yun Zijin returned to the set carrying the food container. Many people saw it in her hands, and a few of the bolder ones even craned their necks, trying to see what dishes were inside.

Ignoring the stares, Yun Zijin borrowed a small table and a stool from someone on the set and sat down to have her lunch.

From a short distance away, Gao Mi saw Yun Zijin eating alone, so he picked up his own boxed lunch and came over.

However, after he sat down and saw Yun Zijin’s lunch, he looked back at his own, and suddenly his boxed lunch didn’t seem so appealing anymore.

"Want some?"

Gao Mi’s expression hadn’t escaped her notice.

"Heh, one look and you can tell that wasn’t cheap. The production certainly doesn’t have the budget for something like this."

’Thirty million might seem like a lot, but money like that gets spent in a flash.’

"I’m not telling you to use the budget. It’s my treat. As the investor, there’s no problem with me treating the crew to a meal, is there?"

"Of course not!"

Since Yun Zijin was offering to treat, Gao Mi certainly wasn’t going to refuse.

Besides, a private room at Qingjin Pavilion wasn’t something just anyone could reserve.