Jiang Jinsong had not only watched Xu Yifei grow up, but had also accompanied her throughout her journey to stardom.
He had complete confidence in her acting skills and believed she was fully capable of taking on the role of Jia Huan.
Even though the character was extremely complex, Xu Yifei could definitely handle it!
So regarding Xu Yifei playing Jia Huan, Jiang Jinsong had no concerns or objections at all.
However, when it came to casting the other actors in the drama, Jiang Jinsong felt it was something that needed to be addressed immediately.
After all, The Legend of Jia Huan was a massive production with a huge cast of characters.
There were dozens of imperial concubines alone who had names, appearances, and actual storylines.
Not to mention all the other supporting characters.
Where were all these actors supposed to come from?
This was something that had to be decided at the very beginning of production.
"Well… let's first see whether any artists under our company fit the roles in the drama. If there are suitable candidates, we'll let them audition first. If they perform well enough, we'll cast them directly."
Fu Shan pondered for a moment before speaking.
Then he added:
"As for the rest of the cast… we'll follow the usual method and hold open auditions. But this time, we can broaden the scope much more."
"We can publicly recruit actors for The Legend of Jia Huan across the entire entertainment industry. Acting ability, appearance, elegance, and suitability for the roles are the priorities. It doesn't matter whether they graduated from a professional acting school or whether they're famous."
After all, this was a palace intrigue drama that demanded acting skills—not just youthful beauty.
The most important thing for the actors was that they fit the characters and could truly act.
Everything else came second.
"Understood, President Fu. I'll go make arrangements right away."
Zhou Qin nodded knowingly and was just about to leave when Fu Shan waved him down.
"Ahem… about the male lead—the Emperor—and the second male lead—Prince Guo… there's no need to look for other actors."
"I'll be playing both roles myself."
Zhou Qin: "…?!!"
Jiang Jinsong: "…?!!"
Fu Shan's words were utterly explosive—so shocking they left everyone speechless.
Zhou Qin froze on the spot.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jinsong, who had just taken a sip of tea, nearly spat it all out.
"Pff—President Fu, what did you just say? You… want to play both the male lead and second male lead? You mean… you want to play two roles at once?"
Jiang Jinsong's eyes widened in disbelief.
His expression clearly screamed:
President Fu, are you serious? You've got to be joking, right?
Zhou Qin beside him looked equally stunned.
Meeting the shocked gazes of his two trusted subordinates, Fu Shan merely smiled and nodded firmly.
"Yes, Uncle Jiang. That's exactly what I mean."
"For The Legend of Jia Huan, I plan to play two roles at once—the male lead, Emperor Yongzheng, and the second male lead, Prince Guo."
As he spoke, Fu Shan raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong? Do you two have objections to my decision? Or do you think my acting skills aren't good enough for these roles?"
Zhou Qin: "..."
Jiang Jinsong: "..."
"Uh… no! Absolutely not!"
Jiang Jinsong hurriedly waved his hands.
Meanwhile, Zhou Qin also shook his head.
"President Fu, we know your acting ability well, and we fully acknowledge it. Even if you play two characters simultaneously, you'd definitely be able to handle both perfectly. We don't doubt that at all."
What a joke.
President Fu's acting skills were obvious to everyone.
They were absolutely top-tier.
Calling him an award-winning actor wouldn't even be an exaggeration.
How could they possibly doubt his ability to perform the two roles?
It was just…
Playing two characters at once…
Was that really a good idea?
Hearing this, Fu Shan raised his brows at them again, his expression clearly saying:
Then what exactly are you hesitating for?
It's settled.
Zhou Qin: "..."
Jiang Jinsong: "..."
"No… President Fu, our concern isn't your acting ability. It's the audience's acceptance."
"You'd be playing two completely different characters—an emperor and a prince—and both of them have major emotional entanglements and many scenes with the female lead."
"If the same actor plays both roles, won't the audience feel confused or lose immersion? After all, two entirely different characters would share the exact same face. Isn't that a problem?"
Seeing himself almost getting led astray by Fu Shan, Jiang Jinsong finally voiced his true concern.
This was exactly what worried him most.
Beside him, Zhou Qin nodded repeatedly.
"Exactly! President Fu, Uncle Jiang is right. That's what I'm worried about too."
Neither of them doubted Fu Shan's acting skills.
Their concern was entirely about the audience's reception.
After all, having one person play both the male lead and second male lead was an enormous gamble.
What if the audience rejected it?
Wouldn't The Legend of Jia Huan end up failing disastrously?
"Oh, that issue…"
After hearing their concerns, Fu Shan nodded knowingly and smiled lightly.
Then he waved his hand confidently.
"Relax. Makeup techniques and costume styling can solve all of that."
"In short, I'll perfectly portray these two characters."
"The audience absolutely won't feel like they're the same person, nor will they lose immersion while watching."
Hearing this, Jiang Jinsong looked doubtful, clearly unconvinced.
"Can… can that really work?"
It wasn't that he didn't trust President Fu, but…
Did their company really have a makeup artist with skills that incredible?
Someone capable of transforming one person into what looked like two entirely different people?
Why had he never heard of such a talent in the company?
Not only did their Aifei Entertainment lack such a genius—
Even across the entire domestic entertainment industry, there probably wasn't anyone with that level of makeup artistry.
Ideals were full and beautiful, but reality was harsh.
Wasn't President Fu being a bit too optimistic here?
Jiang Jinsong hesitated, unsure whether he should speak up and "burst the bubble" of his overly hopeful boss.
But before he could say anything, Fu Shan smiled and spoke first.
"Of course it can."
"And you don't need to worry about the styling either. If we can't find a suitable makeup artist, I can personally handle my own makeup and styling."
"I guarantee the audience won't realize they're played by the same person!"
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)