Tonight, No Retakes

“Chen… Ruowen, would you consider joining the show’s publicity campaign?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the meeting room fell silent again. But in the next instant, Huang Yaming, the chief director, snapped back to himself. He slapped the table excitedly and raised his voice.

“Brilliant! If Miss Chen is willing to join the shooting, even if she only appears occasionally, this project is guaranteed to be a hit!”

Chen Ruowen’s face darkened.

She understood what Gao Tang and Huang Yaming were getting at. Although audiences these days hadn’t quite reached the point of worshipping appearances above all else, the love of beauty is human nature. Ever since the rise of talent shows, the standards for celebrities’ looks had only grown stricter.

If the lead actor is good-looking, even a poorly written drama will get higher ratings. With someone of Chen Ruowen’s caliber gracing the screen, it would basically blow all other variety shows out of the water.

But… Chen Ruowen glanced at Huang Yaming, pointed at herself, and asked in a dangerously calm tone,

“So, you want me, the boss, to sell my face for the show’s sake?”

Huang Yaming: ┌(。Д。)┐

He didn’t dare say a word…

This idea was clearly suggested by Young Master Gao, not him!

Huang Yaming kept sneaking glances at Gao Tang, who sat there with a calm smile, hoping to signal to Chen Ruowen who the real culprit was.

“The planning team should come up with a catchphrase—something natural. Whether it’s a signature saying, a trademark gesture, or a running joke, if it’s not suitable for the contestants, assign it to the judges. Fill in whatever shots are needed, add post-production effects as necessary.”

Chen Ruowen made the final decision.

Zhang Jiang nodded and recorded this in his notebook.

“As for the editing… this version of the pilot isn’t bad, but I remember seeing some contestants the other day—while their acting wasn’t great, they were actually pretty funny and entertaining.”

Gao Tang glanced around the meeting room, smiling.

“Inserting a few comedic segments to liven up the atmosphere when the competition gets heavy isn’t a bad idea.”

Chen Liwan’s gaze changed. Although Young Master Gao from the Gao family seemed laid back, for someone from a real estate company to have such an eye for entertainment was rare.

And his conversational skills were clearly the product of rigorous training. For the Wanguo Group to cultivate someone like this…

They must be planning something.

Seeing everyone waiting for his decision, Chen Liwan considered the feasibility, then nodded.

“Then find a few clumsy clips to fill in. Once the pilot is edited, show it to Ruowen… and Young Master Gao as well, to see how it works.”

“I’ll pass. The company has many meetings every November and December, so I won’t have the energy. But if Shuangxing needs anything—”

At this point, Gao Tang naturally opened his phone, pulled up a QR code, and handed it to both Chen Liwan and Chen Ruowen.

“This is my contact info. Feel free to reach out at any time.”

Even if Gao Tang hadn’t offered, Chen Liwan would have asked the director’s team for his contact after the meeting. Now that Gao Tang took the initiative, Chen Liwan didn’t hesitate to take out his phone and add him on WeChat.

But when Gao Tang handed his phone to Chen Ruowen, she clearly hesitated for a moment. Only when she saw Gao Tang’s serious expression, with no hidden intentions, did she add him out of a sense of formal courtesy.

The friend requests were quickly accepted. Gao Tang, with clear intent, opened Chen Ruowen’s profile.

Heh, her nickname was simply “Chen Ruowen.” How straightforward.

But that profile picture…

Gao Tang’s brow creased imperceptibly as he clicked on the image to enlarge it.

The background was a deep blue sea. A girl sat on a deck railing, leaning against a young man’s shoulder. The boy had one hand hovering protectively near her, as if afraid she might fall off the boat.

Both wore matching white clothing. Although the shot only showed their backs, Gao Tang looked up and compared—by build, silhouette, and aura, the girl was clearly Chen Ruowen herself. But the boy beside her…

Gao Tang sighed. He’d known it—how could such an attractive woman not have admirers?

Given Chen Ruowen’s obviously untouchable demeanor, for her to be so close to someone, and to use a photo together as her profile image—if he wasn’t her boyfriend, he must still be someone who held a significant place in her heart.

He just didn’t know who the man was.

“…As for the ‘Apartment’ production team, if there’s no breakthrough by the final round, then we’ll simply announce that there’s no champion.”

When Gao Tang’s attention drifted back from the profile photo, he heard Chen Liwan declare this decision.

“But… isn’t that bad?” Zhang Jiang protested timidly. “There’ll be backlash online.”

The entire show “Actor” was launched for these four IPs. If one is missing at the end, netizens might immediately suspect a scandal. If “Apartment” later recast the role, online opinion about the ‘poached’ actor would hardly be friendly.

“These days, the only thing worse than controversy is no discussion at all.”

Chen Liwan shook his head, correcting Zhang Jiang’s thinking.

“If handled well, leaving the championship vacant could be the biggest talking point of all.”

Zhang Jiang looked hopefully at Huang Yaming. Director Huang stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded vigorously.

“Let’s do it! When the ‘Apartment’ scenes air, make the judges’ comments sharper. The audience isn’t blind.”

Watching the show’s biggest issues get resolved one by one, everyone (except Gao Tang) seemed visibly energized, as if they could already see their variety show becoming the blockbuster hit of the winter break.

“That just leaves the final issue,”

Chen Ruowen’s expectant gaze swept the conference table. The PowerPoint displayed the words “Looking for an Actor,” then a bright red X abruptly covered them.

“Let’s change the name.”

Coming up with a title was tricky—after all, inspiration doesn’t appear on command. But seeing Chen Ruowen’s determination to settle everything in a single meeting, the group began quietly discussing possibilities.

“How about ‘This Is an Actor’?” suggested Huang Yaming, since several recent hit shows from Eastern Entertainment all started with “This Is…”

Buzz…

Just as Chen Ruowen was about to retort, her phone vibrated. She glanced at it and saw the message was from Gao Tang, who’d just added her and was seated right beside her.

“Great profile photo. Where was it taken? Wanguo is planning an employee trip at the end of the year, and the scenery in your picture looks fantastic.”

“East Sea,” Chen Ruowen typed simply, then added, “Shuangxing doesn’t need to ride another company’s wave. Think again.”

“The people in the photo—is that you and Chairman Chen? Didn’t realize the Chairman kept in such good shape.”

Gao Tang clearly knew the answer, but feigned ignorance.

Chen Ruowen rolled her eyes, leaving the heated discussion at the table behind as she tapped out her reply:

“What’s wrong with your eyesight? Bai Jinyan is my age—how could you mistake him for my dad?”

She paused, then added another message:

“Hurry up and suggest a title.”

“Bai Jinyan…”

Gao Tang silently repeated the familiar name, his expression growing complex as he looked up.

“For the show’s name, how about… ‘No NG Tonight’? What do you think?”