For the first time, Yu Mian saw Chairman Michaels in person as he presented the awards. He handed each recipient a bouquet of flowers and a golden honorary badge.
“Young man, your writing is quite impressive.”
Even though Chairman Michaels was known for being quite amiable, Yu Mian still felt a bit nervous facing him in person.
“I heard from that kid Huo Ting that most writers tend to lose hair during their writing process? That when they get really focused, they can’t even hear the outside world? And that’s why they can’t write very fast?”
But on hearing this, Yu Mian was suddenly stunned.
‘That guy Huo Ting was spreading rumors in front of the elders?’
At most, he shed a few scales, okay?
Fine… he admitted that when experiencing severe writer’s block, he did tend to subconsciously tug at his hair.
But saying he couldn’t hear the outside world, wasn’t that just a passive-aggressive jab at how he often forgot about people?
When writing the new dungeon for “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain”, he did tend to get fully immersed in the process.
“Uh, ahem, well, there are many different states one can be in while writing, so that’s not entirely accurate…”
Still, he had to defend himself a little.
Chairman Michaels was simply curious about the writing process. He smiled as he asked a few more questions and listened to Yu Mian’s responses, occasionally nodding and laughing, clearly in a good mood.
As Yu Mian continued speaking, he gradually relaxed and no longer felt as nervous as before.
“Very good, very good. It’s truly a great thing that such a unique and rare race that’s also talented at storytelling chose to settle in our Federation and build a career here.”
However, this final remark from Chairman Michaels made Yu Mian’s eyes widen slightly and he subconsciously turned to look at Huo Ting beside him.
Seeing this, Chairman Michaels chuckled and explained before Huo Ting could respond:
“We old folks may have failing eyesight, but we can still discern a few things.”
Of course, he didn’t need Huo Ting to tell him.
Decades of experience had sharpened his keen perception, allowing him to notice many unique traits about this young mermaid the moment they met.
That was why, upon seeing Yu Mian for the first time, the chairman was momentarily surprised.
But he also suddenly understood something about the subtle mental power enhancement effect in Yu Mian’s works.
The universe contained countless unique races, each possessing their own extraordinary abilities. Who could say this wasn’t some kind of rare, innate talent?
Just like the Delanchi’s dragon race. While they were extremely strong, they also had an unparalleled obsession with gems and jewelry.
“But this talent is indeed quite rare. Having that kid Huo Ting around makes me feel more at ease. By the way, there’s one more thing I almost forgot.”
As soon as Chairman Michaels finished speaking, the directing team, who had been waiting outside the auditorium, waved at Yu Mian.
It turned out that casting for the film and TV adaptation for “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King” had already begun some time ago. But when the director heard that Teacher Fish Soup Noodles was visiting the department today, they wanted to take the opportunity to have Yu Mian personally review the final candidate.
“The lead actor for Lin Mu?”
Yu Mian hadn’t expected such an interesting surprise today.
“It just so happens that Huo Ting and I have something to discuss, so Marlene, why don’t you take Yu Mian over first? You’ve been pestering me about this for so long…just don’t scare the little one.”
Chairman Michaels chuckled as he gave the instructions.
“Yes! Thank you, Chairman!”
The female director named Marlene immediately shook hands with Yu Mian in a bold and straightforward manner.
“Let me introduce myself. I am Marlene, the chief director of the film production department!”
This Director Marlene was one of the rare directors with a military rank. In her younger years, she had carried out multiple missions on the front lines and had directed several well-known military documentaries.
“But the role of Lin Mu is indeed crucial. I’ve seen all sorts of opinions from fans online, and I’ve always hoped to find an actor who can restore the character as faithfully as possible. We’ve referenced both the character’s design and illustrations, and after several rounds of selection within the military academy, we’ve narrowed it down to these candidates. Please take a look.”
Yu Mian listened attentively to Director Marlene’s explanation while being led toward the training room. However, as soon as he stepped through the door, he froze in place.
“…!?”
[!!! O.o]
Even the small system was startled into popping out.
“Why are you standing at the door instead of coming in?”
Inside the training room, the director’s team was conducting the final selection for Lin Mu’s actor.
It was just that their approach was very direct and wild. They had directly pulled a group of military academy students into the training room and made them undergo a full-length drill of one of Lin Mu’s grueling training sessions from the novel to observe their reactions.
As a result, several young candidates in athletic training gear had just finished running three thousand meters and were still panting, drenched in sweat.
The moment Yu Mian stepped in, every single one of them lifted their heads in unison, looking over curiously.
“It’s really Teacher Fish Soup Noodles!?”
“Where? Where!?”
The atmosphere suddenly became more heated. You know, most of the people here were die-hard Fish fans.
Director Marlene generously patted the nearest candidate on the shoulder, wanting to hear Yu Mian’s opinion on who was the best fit.
“I noticed from your book that Lin Mu’s muscle definition isn’t too pronounced, so we ruled out those with overly muscular builds. As for the scars, those can definitely be added with special effects makeup…”
“Ah, uh, well… they all seem pretty suitable…”
Yu Mian suddenly felt that this casting process was strangely unsettling for a fish.
Previously, he had only seen photos or individual candidates arriving in an orderly manner for auditions. But this time, it had turned into a large group audition.
Almost every time Yu Mian glanced in a particular direction, the candidates in that direction looked as if they were about to raise their hands and shout, “Pick me, pick me!” Their gazes were bright and eager, full of the unwavering determination of young cadets.
[The impact is quite amazing. Why do I feel that after rejecting the singing path and choosing novel writing instead, your life seems much more fun. Especially when your works get adapted into films. The one on the far left is really handsome! No, wait, the second one in the middle seems to fit the temperament a bit better…]
After all, how could singing ever lead to a scene like this?
The system had just muttered a few words when Yu Mian immediately silenced it.
With a sense of quiet sorrow, the system drifted back to the background. Things like this weren’t nearly as fun without someone to chat with.
“Can you really see clearly from so far away? You need to come closer to make a proper decision!”
Noticing Yu Mian’s nervousness, Marlene simply laughed it off and pulled him toward the center of the training room.
Yu Mian: Help.
He had thought his social anxiety had improved a lot. Especially after meeting Granny Delanchi, who seemed even more socially anxious than him, he had started to believe he wasn’t that bad after all.
But right now, it seemed like it was about to flare up again.
“Marlene has a great reputation in the industry. If she’s directing this…”
A few minutes later, when the chairman arrived at the training room with Huo Ting and the others, his sentence trailed off in confusion.
“Aren’t you supposed to be selecting actors? Why does this look like a fan meeting?”
Yu Mian was completely surrounded in the center, with a group of young candidates holding out notebooks, lining up.
“This one is signed too. Even if you don’t get selected, don’t be too disappointed, everyone here is already outstanding!”
Yu Mian quickly finished signing the last notebook, and before Director Marlene could react, he slipped to Huo Ting’s side and let out a relieved sigh…only to have his hand immediately taken by Huo Ting.
Director Marlene was about to explain but upon seeing this scene, she blinked a few times in surprise.
“Was selecting actors fun?”
On the way back, Huo Ting’s question nearly made Yu Mian break into a sweat.
“No, I just feel like Director Marlene is truly a woman of action, and her execution is extremely strong.”
She was definitely a textbook extrovert.
And sure enough, after the news that Teacher Fish Soup Noodles had personally participated in the casting of students from Central Star Military Academy spread, it generated another wave of buzz for the adaptation of “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King”.
[What? Why is it only Central Star Military Academy students getting the roles?! Our local star system is being ignored again–screaming, roaring, furious!]
[I’m so tired of being jealous. If I had known this would happen, I would’ve gone with my roommate. Look at me, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles! [Photo] I look exactly like Lin Mu, with eight-pack abs!]
Alongside the envious shouts, there was also a flood of people posting pictures to seriously recommend themselves.
After all, what if Fish Soup Noodles just happened to notice them?
Though…as time went by, some of the photos were getting increasingly bizarre.
[Would you consider cadets from an outer star system, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles? I can send our coordinates directly to the director’s team.]
Even fans from other star systems were joining in on the joke, and the playful comments were highly entertaining.
“This is amazing. Who would’ve thought that casting for “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King” could turn into something like this?”
The editors at Huanyu laughed as they scrolled through Fish Soup Noodles’ comment section, with many of them even saving pictures.
After seeing the hot search, everyone in the Huanyu editorial department couldn’t help but laugh and scroll through the comments section of Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, and many of them even directly saved the pictures.
“It’s really lively this time. I suspect military academy students from all over the galaxy are here.”
“It’s impossible to choose, absolutely impossible. My eyes are already blurry.”
After all, Lin Mu’s background was quite common in the interstellar world.
Unlike Caesar, who was a domineering CEO, or Gu Bai, who played classical piano, or the rare Bart clan…
[A Bowl of Fish Soup Noodles V: Please stop randomly posting photos, everyone TwT. The final casting will still be decided by the director’s team. Also, “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain” will have an important update tomorrow, don’t forget to catch up!]
Yu Mian quickly tapped on his light brain, sending out the latest StarBlog post to change the topic. At the same time, he glanced at Huo Ting, who was still looking down at the comment section on his light brain. Without hesitation, he took Huo Ting’s device away.
“What are you looking at? You’re not even picking a role, don’t stir up trouble.”
“I’m helping you choose.”
“…”
Yu Mian covered his face with one hand. He was sure that if people continued posting indiscriminately in the comment section, the one who would end up suffering would be him.
