Zhuo Ting didn't take the two people to heart at all.
However, Zhou Lu couldn't stop worrying. She hadn't slept well for the past two nights, fearing retaliation from the uncle and nephew.
Unexpectedly, instead of retaliation, she received news that Qin Chu Ming had been transferred.
Only then did she relax.
"Yin Yang Kaleidoscope" was a series of stories. The opening narrated how the protagonist, an orphan, accidentally acquired a kaleidoscope toy. One day, while playing with it idly, he saw a bizarre painting inside.
The protagonist in the painting was him as a child, but the two people beside him, who should have been his parents, were strangers to him.
The next morning, he woke up to find himself back in his childhood, with parents he didn't recognize and a host of strange relatives.
He spent the day in utter confusion. When he woke again, he was back in the real world. He dismissed the experience as a dream and thought nothing of it.
However, that night, he re-entered the dream. His "parents'" behavior grew increasingly strange, as if they wanted to kill him. He began to panic, wanting to escape the dream but finding himself unable to.
At the brink of death, he returned to reality once more.
He started to doubt himself and picked up the strange kaleidoscope again.
Then, he saw the scene of his own death as a child within it.
To save himself, he began to recall the events of his "dream," deducing the actions of those people and guessing their motives for wanting him dead. When he entered the dream again, he used a pre-prepared excuse to avoid his demise.
The first part of the story was the beginning, detailing the protagonist's struggles and wits against his fake parents and relatives, barely achieving a balance.
In the second story, his "parents" bought him a kaleidoscope identical to the one in reality. From it, he saw himself in the real world, also surrounded by danger and on the brink of disaster.
Thus, he began to save different versions of himself from two worlds.
Zhuo Ting was captivated by this story and stayed up all night to finish it. The protagonist, initially a timid, ordinary office worker, repeatedly risked danger to survive, outwitting the villains, and eventually gained the ability to travel through time.
The story actually concluded in the fourth part, where the protagonist successfully saved himself and returned to the real world, his life returning to peace.
The fifth and sixth parts were more like extras and sequels, telling other people's stories. In these, he acted more like a cheat code, helping others survive, just as someone had helped him in the past.
This story was more of an urban legend, so filming did not require special locations; ordinary residential buildings would suffice.
As Zhuo Ting began memorizing lines, preparatory work was also underway. Three students from Tian Xuan Zhi Zi, who had shown interest, were being considered for roles, and Zhou Lu was doing her best to cast them in suitable parts.
The three female characters who interacted with the protagonist had already auditioned and been cast. Then, they realized they were missing one crucial role:
The protagonist's "mother" when he was a child.
This role required a young actress with excellent acting skills, as the character was extremely duplicitous – outwardly kind and loving, but inwardly a ferocious, bloodthirsty monster.
Many actresses were unwilling to even appear ugly, let alone portray the grotesque and terrifying form the character took when she transformed into a monster.
These two limitations meant they couldn't find a suitable candidate. The CEO dared not make a rash decision and had to ask for her opinion.
Initially, Zhuo Ting was at a loss. She wasn't familiar with anyone in the industry, and the original host had few true friends. This dilemma troubled her for two days.
It wasn't until Yao Chong called, telling them to prepare for the promotional event of "Yu Cheng Jiao" that she had an idea.
Upon seeing the female lead at the event, she immediately set her sights on her.
If nothing else, the female lead's eyes were definitely suitable. The protagonist of this world had a relatively upright moral compass and was willing to put in the effort for acting. Choosing her would surely work.
Qiao Yiyi was grateful for the invitation to audition, though her agent was less enthused, viewing Zhuo Ting, an acclaimed actress, embarking on filmmaking as unreliable.
It was only through the female lead's repeated insistence that she agreed to let her audition.
After the promotional event for "Yu Cheng Jiao," "Yin Yang Kaleidoscope" was set to begin filming.
The protagonist was played by Chong Yan, and several important supporting roles were filled by actors of middling status in the industry. Their primary motivation for participating in such a film was money, followed by a desire to try their luck.
Regardless of their reasons, they were committed to filming with their best efforts.
Yao Chong's "Yu Cheng Jiao" was scheduled for after the New Year, and he didn't plan to take on new projects during this time. Upon hearing that Zhuo Ting was making a film herself, he insisted on visiting.
His presence would help keep many in line, which Zhuo Ting gladly accepted.
The child actor playing Chong Yan's younger self had a demanding role in the early stages, with scenes comparable to Chong Yan's. For a child to portray the strangeness of an adult playing a child was no easy feat.
However, he was diligent, more so than some adults. Under Yao Chong's careful guidance, filming proceeded smoothly. Su Dan Novel Network.
Yao Chong watched the story unfold and the actors' performances, feeling quite confident.
He turned to Zhuo Ting and asked, "Why didn't you cast yourself and create some buzz with him?"
"This is filmmaking, not a real relationship. What's there to create buzz about?"
Yao Chong found her somewhat affected.
"It's all fake, but why did you want to play Ming Yue Lou Zhu, who had scenes with him, as soon as you heard he was going to play a swordsman?"
"Because, if nothing unexpected happened, that would be his screen debut, and its significance would be far greater."
Yao Chong: "..."
"Besides, the protagonist in the novel doesn't have a fixed romantic interest. Are we going to ask the author to change the novel for that?"
Unable to argue with her, Yao Chong relented.
The first part of the story took over two months to film. The final film, resulting from these two months of shooting, would be around two hours long. Compared to many films today, this was considered quite diligent.
In fact, if only the first part were considered, the story would feel incomplete, with many unanswered questions, designed to pique curiosity.
"Are we really not going to edit it into a TV series? If it's released like this, I don't think the box office for the first part will be good. If the subsequent parts can't connect, it will all be for naught."
"Editing it into a TV series would be too drawn out, so no."
"Then when will the movie be released? And when will the second part be filmed?"
"We'll start filming next week and release it after everything is finished."
This was hardly a strategy. It would cause many problems, and if she hadn't stated that she wasn't doing it for money, the CEO would have been the first to object.
He repeated "the other party is the boss" in his mind several times before he calmed down slightly.
"Alright, Chairman Yao."