Chapter 314 309: Disguiser Opening Ceremony

"First, allow me to introduce today's guests."

The host's voice came through: "Let me start by introducing the main cast members of our production."

"On the far right is Mr. Yue Yang from XXX Company! He has previously starred in... In this drama, Mr. Yue Yang will play the director of the Wang Puppet Government's operations department!"

Following the seating order from right to left, he then introduced Liu Yijun, who plays Wang Tianfeng, and Wang Ou, who plays Wang Manchun.

"Next is Qi Fei from Modu Phoenix Entertainment! Miss Qi!"

The host continued his introduction: "Miss Qi Fei is a superb actress. After a rigorous screening by both the director and producer, she has been cast in the role of Yu Manli in *Disguiser*."

Because Qi Fei didn't have any notable works to her name, the host gave a tactfully brief introduction.

The reporters, playing along, took some photos. They weren't a bunch of clueless Xiaobais.

After all, Modu Phoenix Entertainment was one of the investors in *Disguiser*. So, looking at Qi Fei's appearance, even if she was just a pretty face who knew nothing, she could get famous with the right financial backing.

Not to mention, Qi Fei was also a student in the performance major at the Modu Drama Academy.

Afterwards, the host continued introducing the subsequent main actors in seating order, including Hu Ge and Jin Dong.

The host skipped over Wu Yun and started introducing from the left side: "Starting from the left, we have our..."

After introducing Li Xue, the host's voice became excited as he gave a grand introduction: "And finally! Allow me to solemnly introduce the investor of this production, the chairman of Modu Phoenix Entertainment, President Wu! I'm sure President Wu is no stranger to any of you. He recently received the officially recognized 'Young Entrepreneur' award!"

The host then went on a long-winded speech about Wu Yun's "great achievements"! He basically hyped him up as much as possible, to the point that even Wu Yun felt a little embarrassed.

But after hearing the introduction, everyone in the audience, whether they knew of him or not, gave a round of enthusiastic applause.

In Asia, the opening ceremonies for film and TV productions are often rather long and tedious.

After the introductions were finished, it was time for the speeches.

"Let's have the production's screenwriter, Mr. Zhang Yong, give us a summary of the drama! Let's give him a warm welcome!"

Zhang Yong took the microphone, blew into it twice to test the sound, and then said with a wide smile, "*Disguiser* is adapted from my novel, so I guess you could say I know the plot pretty well."

"So I'll give you all a little spoiler!"

Zhang Yong joked before continuing, "The story is set during the Second Sino-Japanese War, around the time the Wang Puppet Government was established. A young, wealthy master, Ming Tai, is on his way to study at Hong Kong University when he's spotted by a high-ranking Military Intelligence officer, Wang Tianfeng. He's then kidnapped and taken to a Military Intelligence training camp. After grueling special training, he becomes an outstanding special agent.

"Afterward, Ming Tai and his life-or-death partner, Yu Manli, travel to Modu to carry out a series of secret activities. During 'Operation Pulverize,' Ming Tai and a member of the underground party, Cheng Jinyun... In order to secure a final victory on the front lines, Ming Tai and his enigmatic older brother, Ming Lou, work together as one. They launch 'Operation Death Knell,' successfully deceiving the Japanese army with false intelligence and creating a turning point for the final victory in the war."

Then, Zhang Yong added a few words of thanks for everyone's support before handing the microphone back to the host.

After that came the rather formulaic speeches from Director Li Xue and the lead actor representative, Hu Ge. Finally, it was Wu Yun's turn as the closing act.

"And finally! We invite Mr. Wu Yun to say a few words and kick off the opening ceremony on behalf of the cast and crew!"

Having been through so much, Wu Yun wasn't stage-shy. He took the microphone with a smile and said, "Coming here today was a spur-of-the-moment decision. After all, I've never actually seen a film or TV show's opening ceremony in person before, so I was very curious!"

"But Director Li was just too enthusiastic! He insisted that I attend the ceremony! So today, I've gone from being a spectator to a participant!"

Knowing laughter rippled through the audience.

Wu Yun continued, "In this industry, I can only be considered a novice, so I can't offer any guiding opinions. I'll keep it simple: I wish the TV series *Disguiser* a smooth production and great ratings!"

Just as Wu Yun finished and was about to hand the microphone back to the host, a sudden thought popped into his head. Under everyone's gaze, he continued, "Uh! I just had an idea! I'd like to be an extra and experience what it's like to film a TV show! I wonder if Director Li could give me that opportunity!"

Hearing Wu Yun's words, Li Xue laughed and readily agreed, "If President Wu wants to join, we'd welcome you with open arms! But forget about being an extra! We can create a special cameo for you! It has to be fitting for your status!"

Zhang Yong also chimed in, promising to write a role for Wu Yun that wouldn't affect the plot.

"Alright! Let's welcome President Wu to our cast! Next up is the reporter Q&A session!"

The questions during the subsequent Q&A session were all rather conventional. There were no pointed questions, since everyone knew not to bite the hand that feeds them, and they were all looking forward to the banquet later.

After the pre-prepared questions were mostly asked, the host was about to announce the final ceremony of paying respects to the patron saints of the industry.

A reporter raised their hand and asked, "Excuse me! Could we ask President Wu a few questions!?"

The host looked a bit troubled and turned his gaze to Wu Yun. Seeing Wu Yun nod at him, he then said, "No problem! But I ask our friends from the press to be mindful of the schedule!"

Instantly, a forest of reporters' hands shot up from the audience.

Wu Yun casually picked a female reporter who looked pleasant. Of course, he would never admit he picked her because she was pretty.

The chosen reporter stood up excitedly and asked with a smile, "President Wu! The public is speculating about whether you have a girlfriend! I was wondering if you could shed some light on that!"

As soon as this gossip-column question was asked, everyone present looked at Wu Yun with excitement.

Qi Fei's expression, however, was calm. She and Wu Yun had discussed it before and agreed not to reveal their relationship for the time being. Qi Fei was afraid it would be detrimental to her studies and career growth.

Wu Yun had agreed at the time, telling Qi Fei to just focus on her acting without any worries.

Wu Yun chuckled and joked, "Look at me. I'm tall and handsome. How could I not have a girlfriend!"

Someone in the crowd thought, 'Even if you were short and ugly, you wouldn't have trouble finding a girlfriend!'

The female reporter wanted to ask a follow-up, but Wu Yun pointed to a male reporter: "The gentleman to the right of the lovely lady who just asked, your turn! Let's try to keep the questions related to the show! After all, I'm a member of the cast now, too!"

The male reporter asked, "President Wu, what made your company decide to invest in *Disguiser*?"

Wu Yun smiled and replied, "First of all, I've read Teacher Zhang Yong's original novel, so you could say I'm a fan. Plus, Phoenix Entertainment was recently established and in urgent need of good scripts to invest in. The *Disguiser* script was exactly the kind of quality script I had in mind! President Wei and I decided to invest after a comprehensive evaluation."

"Of course, it was also a chance to develop a very promising actress from our company, Qi Fei! This is a case of killing several birds with one stone!"

The moment he finished speaking, some people turned to look at Qi Fei, their faces breaking into inscrutable smiles.

"Next! The person in the second row, on the far left!"

...