Damn It! The Main Shou Turned Me Gay! (Showbiz) - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Casting Call

Qi Wenyuan first scrolled through the various chat apps on the phone and discovered that this “Qi screenwriter” apparently had a habit of regularly cleaning up his messages. The chat history revealed almost no useful information.

That part was quite similar to himself.

After copying the address into a navigation app to search it up, he found that it was listed as a frequent location.

Time was tight—what if, during his hospitalization, that legendary male lead came straight to his room with the intention of luring him into some kind of casting couch situation?!

Qi Wenyuan’s gaze sharpened. He immediately pressed the call button and, as the nurse entered the room, instantly switched to a pitiful expression and gently asked:

“Excuse me, when can I be discharged?”

Private hospital nurses usually had excellent manners, and the fact that the VIP patient in front of her was so good-looking only added to it…

The young nurse blushed, checked the chart, and proactively replied:

“Mr. Qi, your condition has stabilized. The doctor mentioned earlier that if there are no complications after two more days of observation, you can be discharged and rest at home.”

Qi Wenyuan nodded politely and gave her a warm “thank you.”

The nurse kindly added, “But Mr. Qi, since you’ve just recovered from a serious illness, it would be best to have a family member pick you up when you leave. It’d be bad for your health if you exhaust yourself.”

Recalling the near-empty chat app inbox, Qi Wenyuan’s expression didn’t falter as he nodded and reassured her he understood.

——

Two days passed in a flash.

Qi Wenyuan had expected some hassle dealing with discharge alone, but surprisingly, everything went incredibly smoothly.

He booked a car and input the address from the memo. The vehicle drove up to the gate of a very upscale-looking neighborhood.

The driver turned back apologetically, “Sorry, sir, this is a high-end community. Cars without prior registration aren’t allowed inside. There’s still a bit of a walk from here—you’ll have to go the rest of the way on foot.”

Qi Wenyuan was just about to nod understandingly when the security guard at the gate suddenly looked over—

The next moment, the gate opened automatically to let them in.

The driver was stunned and murmured as he turned the wheel, “That’s weird… I clearly remember this neighborhood never lets unregistered cars through. Not even owners sometimes…”

The driver’s muttering was too quiet to catch, but the guard’s voice was loud and clear.

Through the open window, the security guard called out enthusiastically:

“Mr. Qi!”

His tone was far too eager.

Qi Wenyuan sucked in a breath and quickly nodded and smiled in return before rolling up the window with a bit of surprise.

The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror, noting the air of elegance that seemed to radiate from his passenger.

“Are you living here or visiting someone?”

Qi Wenyuan rubbed his nose guiltily. “I think I live here?”

The driver was confused, but assumed it was a topic the other didn’t want to discuss and stayed quiet.

Huanzhu Garden really lived up to its name as a luxury community—the green space and distance between buildings alone were telling.

Qi Wenyuan paid the fare and stepped out of the car. Facing the standalone villa before him, he and the driver both involuntarily gasped:

“Wow…”

“Wow—”

Qi Wenyuan: …

Driver: ?

The driver paused awkwardly, then carefully asked:

“Didn’t you say you lived here?”

Qi Wenyuan smiled, “It’s been a while since I was back. Just admiring my own sense of interior design taste from back in the day.”

The driver nodded, none the wiser, and drove off.

Looking at the fingerprint keypad at the entrance, Qi Wenyuan marveled again at the convenience of modern tech.

If not for that, he would’ve starved to death on the street by now, unable to unlock his own phone.

But after successfully unlocking the door with his fingerprint and inspecting every corner of the villa—

Qi Wenyuan finally dared to believe it:

This really was his house!

While in the car earlier, he had done a quick online search on himself.

In short this “Qi screenwriter” had recently scored a huge hit with a drama script, making him one of the hottest writers in the entertainment industry.

Qi Wenyuan looked around with satisfaction at the villa.

“Truly standing in the shade of trees planted by those before me…”

To afford a place like this! This Qi screenwriter must’ve made bank!

Feeling excited, Qi Wenyuan tapped open the WeChat wallet on his phone—

The measly three-digit number on the screen stabbed him in the eyes:

3.24.

Qi Wenyuan: ?

“Maybe he doesn’t keep money in WeChat…”

Trying to console himself, he checked Alipay, various bank apps…

A minute later, Qi Wenyuan stared at the pitiful balances, none exceeding single digits, and fell into a deep silence.

He weakly looked up at the elegantly decorated living room that obviously cost a fortune.

Was this really his house? Or was this the villa of some sugar mommy who had “adopted” him?

Either way, if he didn’t live here, he had no choice but to sleep under a bridge.

Having just come from a luxury hospital suite, Qi Wenyuan had no intention of suffering like that.

And so, he continued to live in this house for three days—on edge the whole time.

——

The fourth day after discharge.

Thanks to the fully stocked fridge and the fact that it wasn’t the beginning or end of the month when utility bills are due, Qi Wenyuan survived.

And during these four days, not a single person stepped foot into the villa.

This gave him a slightly inflated sense of worthiness for the house.

“You still love him?! I’m the one who stayed with you for three years!”

Qi Wenyuan let out a loud “hah,” eyes glued to the absurd soap opera on TV as he ate.

Just as he was completely absorbed, his phone rang suddenly—

“Qi screenwriter!”

Qi Wenyuan winced at the loud voice on the other end and held the phone away from his ear before replying:

“Director Li.”

Li An boomed, “How have you been resting? Today’s the casting call we talked about! You said you were really looking forward to it before. The assistant director happens to be nearby—want us to come pick you up?”

Qi Wenyuan’s first instinct was to refuse. What Qi screenwriter had agreed to had nothing to do with him, the imposter!

He deliberately made his voice raspy: “Cough cough, I caught the flu again right after discharge—probably due to low immunity. I’m still not feeling well, so the casting call might…”

Li An panicked: “You okay?! Make sure you go to the hospital if it gets worse! But in that case… the script royalty payment might get delayed a few days. After all, the contract says you need to attend the casting call…”

Qi Wenyuan froze mid-cough, almost choking for real on his own spit.

Clutching the phone, he suddenly shot up: “No—”

Li An, confused: “Huh? What is it, Qi screenwriter?”

Qi Wenyuan forced a fake smile:

“No, I just suddenly felt a wave of strength from within. I’m totally, absolutely ready to attend the casting call right now!”

Li An believed him without hesitation: “Fantastic! We’ll come get you now!”

To stay in character, Qi Wenyuan even put on a mask.

The half-hour ride passed uneventfully, and the three of them soon arrived at the casting venue.

The door to the prep room wasn’t fully closed. Qi Wenyuan followed behind Li An and curiously peeked inside.

Even though Qi screenwriter’s last drama had gone viral, he was still new, and established actors rarely lower themselves to attend open auditions.

Li An noticed his baby screenwriter looking around and proactively explained:

“Hey, Qi screenwriter, see that guy in the shirt? That’s Wu Tianyi from Baihua Entertainment. He played the third male lead in that popular xianxia drama last month. What do you think of him?”

Qi Wenyuan’s eyes slid past to a quiet young man with lowered eyes, then back again, unimpressed:

“Not great.”

He reeked of desperation—greasy and sleazy from head to toe.

Peak oily mediocrity.

Li An scratched his head. Despite his gruff appearance, he sounded helpless:

“The investors pushed for him. They specifically asked me to give him special attention during the audition… But with those looks? He can play a side character at best. You can’t have zero charisma and expect to get the lead.”

Once Qi Wenyuan was seated behind the nameplate labeled “Screenwriter,” the others filed in, and the auditions officially began.

The focus today was on casting the male lead. If they found suitable actors for side roles too, even better.

If the open auditions didn’t yield anyone decent, they’d have to start passing scripts to top-tier stars through connections.

Although Qi Wenyuan couldn’t remember what he’d done before getting isekai’d into this book, he was sure he had no background in showbiz. That made his first live casting experience very exciting.

But after three auditions in fifteen minutes, his polite smile was gone.

What on earth was this lineup?!

One couldn’t remember their lines. Another was so awkward even he couldn’t bear to watch. And one even burst into laughter mid-scene?!

Qi Wenyuan glanced at the sample script on the table:

 Feng Xiao twirls his jade flute and raises a hand to block the playboy’s attempt to grope the courtesan.

Feng Xiao (with a raised brow and a faint smile): “You sure you want to cause trouble on my turf?”

What a perfect image of a carefree and elegant gentleman!

So why did every actor make him look like a perverted creep?!

Li An facepalmed and waved a hand. The casting director immediately turned to the current actor and said:

“That’s enough. We’ll notify you within three days—next!”

That guy in the shirt, Wu Tianyi, had since changed into a flashy modern-traditional outfit, clearly putting effort into this. His face radiated ambition as he confidently stepped into the room, locking eyes with Qi Wenyuan:

“Screenwriter Qi, I won’t let you down!”

Qi Wenyuan blinked in confusion: “Huh?”

The casting director wasn’t sure what their relationship was. Seeing Wu Tianyi take initiative, he assumed they were close and gave him more attention:

“Mr. Wu, have you gone over the script excerpt? If so, you can start your performance.”

Wu Tianyi nodded smugly, took a deep breath, dramatically closed his eyes, then suddenly pulled out an over-the-top gold fan from who-knows-where and strolled to the center of the room—

He snapped his eyes open, took a big step forward, and stared passionately at the “judge”:

“On my turf… huh!”

“Judge” Qi Wenyuan’s eyelid twitched. He felt like an innocent bystander hit by a stray bullet.

But Wu Tianyi wasn’t done yet.

He burst out laughing, turning to Qi Wenyuan with theatrical flair:

“Hahaha! If you want to cause trouble, I hope you’ve thought it through!”

Silence filled the room!

To be fair, compared to the previous actors, Wu Tianyi was at least trying to act.

But…

Qi Wenyuan took a deep breath, held up the script to Li An, and said expressionlessly:

“Director Li, am I holding the wrong script?”