At the entrance of the audition room, staff were handing out freshly printed copies of the script.
After all, 'Your Lie in April' was a fairly long drama, and Jing Yu hadn't finished writing the full script yet. For now, they only had the first two episodes, which Liu Neng had gotten his hands on, and Chu You had received and read them the previous night. He was quite satisfied with what he'd seen.
Although 'Your Lie in April' was the kind of show that got progressively more compelling as it unfolded, even the early episodes had a strong appeal.
The series featured a significant number of scenes involving piano and violin performances. Whether the show would be engaging on screen depended heavily on the quality of its music segments.
That's precisely why a drama like this involved so many departments and specialists. Jing Yu wouldn't have known where to start when it came to sourcing professional-level violinists and pianists for a last-minute audition. Thankfully, Liu Neng had been on top of things, working all day and staying up all night to prepare. Besides Jing Yu and Liu Neng, today's panel of judges included several well-known musicians from Lan Province's Lancheng University music department.
Today, they were here to serve as audition judges — but they might later participate in the show's post-production soundtrack as well.
Neither Jing Yu nor Liu Neng expected the aspiring actors to perform at the actual level described in the script. The bar was just too high.
Take piano and violin prodigies, for example. Many are famous in their early teens. Lang Lang debuted at fifteen and performed at the Great Hall of the People's centennial celebration by nineteen.
And Li Yundi — controversial personal life aside — won the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition at eighteen. That contest alone receives tens of thousands of submissions each cycle, with hefty entrance fees at every stage — city, province, national, and international levels. Most people get eliminated in the first round. It's not just about talent — it requires financial backing too.
In short, being called a piano prodigy in a country like Da Zhou means reaching an elite level before you're even an adult.
So even though Jing Yu was adapting the script from an original work, the changes weren't random — the backstories had to be grounded in Da Zhou's reality.
The male lead, You Gongsheng (originally Arima Kousei), was described as a nationally recognized piano prodigy in high school. Jing Yu couldn't just write him off as a regular student. The identity needed to reflect an equivalent level of excellence within Da Zhou.
And that meant 'Your Lie in April' was going to be expensive when it came to music production.
Every auditionee waiting outside was given not only a portion of the second episode's script, but also a piano or violin score.
"Damn... this piece is tough. I'm average at best!"
"Is all this really necessary?"
"Didn't the school say this audition was supposed to be simple? I just saw Professor Chen from our piano department in that room — what the hell!"
"I'm from the acting department, okay? I can play a little, but are we auditioning for actors or music prodigies here?"
The hallway buzzed with nervous complaints and chatter.
Xia Yining put on her headphones to block out the noise.
"These people... juniors and seniors already, still so immature? Complaining before the audition even starts?"
She leaned back against the wall, expression cold and indifferent. Tall, with striking features, she stood out even in silence. Many of the other auditionees couldn't help but glance her way repeatedly.
"Xia, how are you so calm?" Her dormmate and close friend Chen Jing tugged her headphones off with a playful smile.
Chen Jing was cute in her own right, but next to Xia Yining, the difference was obvious.
"What's the point of being nervous? It's not like we're choosing them — they're choosing us," Xia Yining replied coolly.
"Well, at least pretend to smile a bit! First impressions count, you know? Besides, the screenwriter of this show is that actor from 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday'! I totally stan him!"
"You change your idol every month. Whoever's trending becomes your 'ultimate bias,'" Xia Yining rolled her eyes.
Still, even while chatting, she was skimming the script and the music sheet handed out earlier.
"Sigh... I know I got cold feet and dragged you along to this audition, but with this many people, I feel like I'm doomed. Xia, you have to go all out! You're the class belle of our Acting Class 2 — don't let the other schools outshine us!" Chen Jing said, glancing nervously at the crowd.
"You've got the looks, your acting is great, and your dad's a piano professor at our school. You've been learning piano since you were a kid! This drama feels tailor-made for you. Honestly, I never understood why someone with your musical talent chose to study acting instead. Isn't that wasting your gifts?"
"Piano's boring. I'm just not passionate about it," Xia Yining replied casually.
She'd trained for over a decade already — wasn't that enough? She finally got into college, and they expected her to keep practicing under her dad's nose in class? No thanks.
The Auditions Begin.
The male and female leads — You Gongsheng and Miyazono Kaori — had already been confirmed.
Although Yu Youqing didn't play the violin in real life, she had the star power of her role in 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', which made up for it. Compared to that, a lack of musical background wasn't a big issue.
Today's auditions were primarily to cast:
The female supporting role, Ze Chun
The male supporting role, Du Liang
The male lead's piano rivals, Xiang Wu (originally Aiza Takeshi) and Jin Hui (originally Igawa Emi)
The first two needed to be good-looking and strong in acting.
The latter two? They needed that plus strong piano fundamentals.
They were also casting for side characters — musicians who appear in concert scenes, as well as other minor roles with minimal screen time.
A lot of people weren't here to chase leading roles. Most were realistic — they knew those parts were out of reach. But even getting a speaking line or some screen time as a supporting character could add valuable credit to their résumés.
"Hello, judges. I'm auditioning for the role of Ze Chun. I'm candidate number eleven."
A cute girl walked into the room, speaking clearly and confidently.
But Liu Neng frowned.
Her appearance aside, her height was already a problem now that the leads were confirmed.
Jing Yu stood at 1.80 meters, and Yu Youqing was 1.69. This girl? Maybe 1.55, at most.
Not only that — her visuals didn't match the level of either lead. If she played Ze Chun, she'd be completely overshadowed on screen.
Still, Jing Yu picked up the script and read with her.
Audition Scene:
"Gongsheng, what about you? Don't you have someone you like?"
"Once you fall for someone, the world starts to look a little more vibrant."
"No one's ever going to like me," Jing Yu said, turning to look at her.
"That's way too depressing!" the girl suddenly raised her voice, gestures exaggerated.
Jing Yu frowned.
A bubbly, energetic girl like Ze Chun worked fine in anime. But in a live-action drama, that kind of performance could come off as fake or overly saccharine.
Similarly, actors playing cold, aloof characters often just looked like they were stiff or putting on airs.
"Thank you for coming today," Jing Yu said with a polite smile. "If you're selected, we'll notify you within a day."
The girl left nervously, clearly uncertain about how she did.
Jing Yu let out a sigh.
"This is hard. We've seen over ten people, and not one feels right."
"That's normal. Jing Yu, you've got to be patient," Liu Neng said with an encouraging smile.
"Let's hope someone shows up who truly stands out," Jing Yu murmured, glancing at the audition schedule with a sigh.