I've already picked out who I want for the female lead.
"But I haven't talked to her yet, so I'm not sure if she'll accept."
As he spoke, Gavin Yu had this wry, kind of 'what can you do?' smile on his face.
"China Kung Fu King" is a movie Gavin Yu has wanted to make for a very long time, so every aspect is chosen according to his most ideal standards.
The female lead is already chosen.
But he’s not sure if she’ll take the part?
Hearing Gavin Yu's words, quite a few people around him were stunned.
They glanced at each other, and all saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
"No way, Director Yu—there are actually people out there who'd turn down a role in your movie?"
"Yeah, everyone knows that once you're in Director Yu's crew, you're guaranteed a great project. It's a huge boost for your career!"
"I seriously can't believe anyone would turn down an invitation to be Director Yu's female lead!"
Quite a few people spoke up, their words showing both surprise and curiosity—and, of course, a bit of subtle flattery toward Gavin Yu.
"That's true, but honestly, she might not be all that interested in my movie. And when it comes to work attitude, she's even stricter than I am—she's way tougher on scripts, too."
Gavin just let out a dry laugh.
He’d already tried hitting up Serena Tong’s agent a couple times.
Her name’s Queenie Tong, apparently.
Queenie was super blunt—she just told him to send over the script, then hung up.
That agent's attitude is pretty much just like Serena’s.
If it were any other agent, they'd probably treat Gavin Yu like a god. But Queenie? She didn't bother with any small talk at all.
So what happened after that? Nothing. Total radio silence.
But after that, nothing happened.
Serena Tong never contacted him, and her agent Queenie Tong didn’t reach out either.
That left Gavin Yu getting more and more anxious.
He was seriously considering just going to find Serena in person, ask her directly what she thought, and even planned to try persuading her to join the movie.
Honestly, Gavin couldn’t think of anyone else who fit his vision of the female lead better than Serena Tong.
Her personality, vibe, and looks—it was like the script was made just for her.
Actually, Gavin had been toying with the script idea for ages, but could never pin down a clear image for the female lead.
Then one day, he watched a movie starring Serena, and ended up binge-watching all her recent works.
The more he watched, the clearer the heroine’s image got in his mind.
Right after that, Gavin got a team together and started writing the script.
You could say this movie was basically tailor-made for Serena Tong.
"Director Yu, I think you’re overthinking it," Lily Tan piped up, tugging Kevin Zhou beside her.
"By the way, Director Yu, I heard you’re still picking the male lead, right?"
"Yeah," Gavin nodded. "I’ve got the female lead figured out, but I still haven’t decided on the male lead."
"What I’m really looking for is someone with some real kung fu skills, who can handle tough shoots. To make the action scenes feel real, I want their moves to hold up under scrutiny, and I’d prefer to use as few stunt doubles as possible."
Gavin nodded again.
"So, what do you think about Kevin Zhou?" Lily jumped in.
Kevin jumped in right away: "I’ve always hoped for a shot to be in Director Yu’s movie."
"Honestly, I loved your work even before I debuted! My parents are big fans too. If I get the chance to work with you, I’ll give it everything I’ve got!"
Kevin was all fired up.
He kept pitching himself.
Gavin Yu was basically the hottest ticket in town.
Plus, he saw Yara Song over there trying to get into the cast too.
If, by some miracle, Yara landed the female lead and Kevin got the male lead...
He’d get to act alongside Yara!
If that happened, with Gavin Yu and Yara Song’s fame boosting him, Kevin figured it wouldn’t take long for his own value to skyrocket.
This was a golden opportunity.
"You?"
Gavin sized him up. "You do fit my idea of the male lead, at least in terms of looks."
"But this role has pretty high action requirements."
"You know, the hardest part about kung fu movies isn’t the plot twists—it’s whether the actors can make the fight scenes feel real to the audience."
"Acting matters, sure, but acting alone just won’t cut it."
"Have you ever studied kung fu?" Gavin pressed.
When it came to work, Gavin Yu’s whole vibe changed.
He was all business.
His gaze at Kevin Zhou turned sharp, almost like he was sizing him up for an exam.
He looked him over with a critical eye.
"I haven’t formally studied kung fu, but I’ve hired someone to help me. With his guidance and my hard work, I’m sure I can impress you, Director Yu!"
Kevin sounded super confident.
"Oh?"
Gavin looked curious. "Who did you hire?"
"Gold-medal action choreographer, Master Liang Chengbo."
Kevin straightened up even more, and just mentioning Master Liang made him sound way more confident.
He even started talking louder without realizing it.
"Master Liang!"
Hearing the name, Gavin’s eyes lit up with a hint of delight.
Gavin had thought about inviting Master Liang before, but the guy wasn’t interested in most people, and hardly any actors could get him to coach them seriously.
He never expected Kevin Zhou to actually get Master Liang out of retirement!
Thinking it over, Gavin’s attitude toward Kevin instantly got a lot warmer.
"If Master Liang really wants to coach your kung fu and action scenes, I could seriously consider you for the role."
As he said this,
Yara Song and Victor Wu exchanged glances, both clearly unhappy.
Part of it was frustration at being offered the second female lead; part of it was that Kevin Zhou might actually land the male lead?
If Kevin got the male lead, Yara would have to play his supporting role?
What a joke.
How could she stand for that?
They weren’t even on the same level!
Everyone had their own thoughts swirling.
Just then, the elevator doors opened.
(End of chapter)