Chapter 455 - 454: Catfish

"Do you remember his account? Go take a look."

If Qin Sitong hadn’t mentioned it, Yun Zijin would have just ignored it. But since Qin Sitong had come across him, it meant this person must have some level of fame on TikTok.

To avoid letting anyone slip through the cracks, Yun Zijin felt it was better to check him out.

She had just sent the approved list to Fan Qingmao, but leaders were known to be fickle.

’As long as I’m not the one who’s embarrassed, then someone else can be.’

"I don’t know. I just randomly came across it a while ago."

At the time, Qin Sitong had only watched the dance video to the end; she hadn’t liked or followed him.

She only browsed a bit when she was bored. She wasn’t some superfan who camped out in a streamer’s channel every day, just waiting for them to go live.

In Qin Sitong’s view, the people who watched livestreams daily and showered streamers with gifts just to fight for the top spots on the leaderboard had too much time on their hands.

With the money spent on gifts, she could buy herself so much food, drink, clothes, and bags.

However, that was just her own opinion. She wouldn’t try to persuade those gift-givers to be more rational, or they might just turn around and blame her instead.

"Check your viewing history. If you really can’t find it, then forget it."

If Qin Sitong couldn’t find it, she would just have Mei Lin look into it.

"Let me see. I might not be able to find it."

Qin Sitong took out her phone, opened TikTok, and checked her viewing history.

After a long while, Qin Sitong’s hand, which had been scrolling through her phone, stopped. "Here, I found it!"

Qin Sitong opened the video from her history and handed the phone to Yun Zijin. "Look, this is him. But... he looks a bit different here than in the photo."

’A bit different? This is a massive difference, okay?!’

"This guy... is a total catfish. I wonder what he looks like in person."

Yun Zijin glanced at the role this man was about to play: the second senior brother of the sect, a character described as pure and noble, as gentle as jade.

Yun Zijin felt a wave of despair. It would be fine if the man actually looked like he did in the TikTok video, but if the difference was too great, the role would be ruined.

Yun Zijin quickly sent the man’s name and photo to Mei Lin, asking her to find out what he really looked like.

He didn’t have to be incredibly handsome, but he at least had to be presentable.

"Heh, when I watched it back then, I actually thought he was pretty handsome."

Qin Sitong was starting to get it. Who knew how many layers of beauty filters had been applied?

The final video presented to the audience probably showed a completely different person from the real one.

No wonder people online say that influencers almost always die in the light of day.

"With all the beauty filters online, even a hideous person can be turned into a peerless beauty. It’s fine to look, but don’t let yourself be fooled."

At least fans of celebrities can see them at offline events. Many fans have seen their idols in person, so there won’t be huge discrepancies in their looks.

But influencers... they’re a whole other motley crew.

Not long after Yun Zijin messaged Mei Lin, she received a file.

Qin Sitong was incredibly curious about this person’s true appearance and urged Yun Zijin to open it quickly.

Yun Zijin opened the new file from Mei Lin. The first page was a full-body, unedited, unfiltered photo of the man.

Umm...

You couldn’t say he looked exactly the same as on TikTok. In fact, you could say there was no resemblance whatsoever.

It was to the point where even his own fans wouldn’t recognize him if they ran into him on the street.

Qin Sitong’s face also showed disappointment. "It’s true, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. The internet is so deceptive."

"You’re not his fan. The ones who should be disappointed are the fans who like him for his looks. I need to send this information out immediately. If they sign him and then want to terminate the contract, they’ll have to pay a penalty. It’s not worth it."

After saying that, Yun Zijin quickly found Fan Qingmao’s WeChat, opened it, and sent him the man’s file.

She then made it clear that this person absolutely could not be cast. Even if he had to be used, it definitely couldn’t be for the role of the pure and noble second senior brother.

Yun Zijin didn’t know what Fan Qingmao was busy with, but she didn’t get a reply for a long time.

Worried they might sign the contract if she waited any longer, Yun Zijin found Fan Qingmao’s phone number and called him directly.

This was a company she held shares in, after all. If a show advertised as S-class ended up being a pile of shit, Yun Zijin would be too embarrassed to tell anyone she had a stake in Yuepin Media.

This time, Fan Qingmao finally answered the phone.

"Hello! Look at the WeChat message I sent you. You cannot sign this person. Even if you absolutely have to, you must switch him to a more suitable role.

As for the role that just opened up, find someone else. Above all, you absolutely have to be strict about their looks!"

Not just anyone could pull off a "pure and noble" character.

"My apologies, President Yun. I was just in a meeting and didn’t reply to your message in time."

Fan Qingmao apologized immediately. As a subordinate, failing to reply to a superior’s message in a timely manner was a major workplace taboo.

"It’s fine. Just look at the message I sent you. Once you’ve handled it, just let me know.

Oh, right. For this second senior brother role, after you’ve chosen someone new, you must run it by me.

I’ve read the script. The second senior brother doesn’t have many scenes, but he’s a pivotal character for the female lead’s emotional turning point. The casting absolutely cannot be sloppy.

If you pick another catfish whose photos have nothing to do with what they look like in person for this *God and Demon Record*, then you can just refund me the money for my shares. Don’t even count me in."

’A production team that isn’t even serious about casting—what hope did she have that the final product would be any good?’

"Okay, I understand. I’ll look at it right now."

As soon as the second senior brother was mentioned, Fan Qingmao knew which person Yun Zijin was talking about.

Once she was sure Fan Qingmao would check his messages, Yun Zijin hung up and let him deal with the problem himself.

"When does this *God and Demon Record* start filming? This is the first time I’ve been this close to a production crew. I wonder if there’s a chance to go take a look? Maybe I could even see some celebrities!"

Qin Sitong still had the mindset of a typical young woman, filled with anticipation at the thought of meeting celebrities.

"The real entertainment industry is nothing like what we see on TV.

If you go see it for yourself, aren’t you afraid of having all your illusions shattered?"

In any case, after visiting the set of *Mountain Children*, Yun Zijin had lost all interest in exploring the entertainment industry.

Investing was fine, but Yun Zijin didn’t really want to get involved with the people in it.

Gao Mi was already an outlier in the industry, but even on his production team, some underhanded dealings were still unavoidable.

The backstabbing and scheming were completely different from what Yun Zijin had imagined.

Qin Sitong looked at Yun Zijin. "It... can’t be that bad, can it?"

Qin Sitong shrank back a little. Although everything has its dark side, surely among so many people, there had to be at least one decent person?

"The truth is, it’s much worse than you think. I advise you not to set foot in it unless you want your entire worldview shattered."

"I... I think I’ll pass then. It’s not like I follow any celebrities, so I’d rather not have my illusions shattered."

Sometimes, it was good to live a little more naively.

"Don’t worry. If you ever develop a crush on a celebrity, just tell me. I’ll do a background check so deep it’ll turn him inside out, guaranteeing your idol won’t fall from grace while you’re a fan."