The auditions continued, but the next seven or eight candidates were still... off. Each had flaws — some minor, some glaring.
For roles like Ze Chun and Du Liang, it was mostly up to Jing Yu and Liu Neng to make judgment calls. But for characters like Jin Hui and Xiang Wu — who were piano prodigies — the candidates had to demonstrate their musical fundamentals on the spot.
And truthfully? The standard was just average.
The university music professors Liu Neng had invited as guest judges weren't surprised — some of the auditionees were even their students, and they already knew what to expect.
Jing Yu, having exchanged for musical skills via the system, could now judge their proficiency to a decent degree, too. Internally, he had a solid benchmark.
Time flew, and before long, it was noon.
The lunch break was a short 30 minutes. Liu Neng and the others ate delivery food right there in the audition room. Though it was takeout, the spread was generous — this was still a multi-million yuan production, after all. The producer, writer, and guest judges couldn't be eating instant noodles.
But they didn't linger. Once everyone ate, the auditions resumed promptly.
At 2:30 p.m., an actor named Chen Zhongyi walked in to audition for the role of Du Liang.
From the moment he stepped in, both Jing Yu and Liu Neng's eyes lit up.
Du Liang was meant to be your classic "sunny boy" — the warm, effortlessly charming kind of handsome guy you see in every romance drama.
It sounded easy to cast — but it wasn't.
It's rare to find someone who can universally give off a bright, charismatic aura — the kind that makes 9 out of 10 people say, "Wow, this guy's got something."
And with Jing Yu playing the male lead himself…
It complicated things. Even though it wasn't publicly known that Jing Yu had no acting background and was faking it, from a story standpoint, it had to be believable that Kaori wouldn't fall for him, and instead liked Du Liang. If the audience didn't buy that premise, the whole dynamic would collapse.
Jing Yu walked up and stood beside Chen Zhongyi.
"What do you think?" he asked Liu Neng, deliberately adjusting his own demeanor to seem more reserved and scholarly — like the character You Gongsheng.
"Mmm… yeah, this could work," Liu Neng nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Previously, plenty of good-looking guys had auditioned for Du Liang. After all, the casting call explicitly said: must be attractive.
But whenever they were put side by side with Jing Yu, something didn't click. Most of them lacked presence, and audiences are sharp. If the female lead ended up liking someone less charismatic than the male lead, they'd think she was blind.
Reminded Jing Yu of an old show he saw in his previous life — Snow Goddess Dragon. The male lead looked fine with his messy perm, but then they cast Qiao Zhenyu as a side character… The contrast was so strong, audiences couldn't stop asking: Why would the heroine fall for the perm guy when Qiao Zhenyu is right there?
That kind of casting mistake ruins immersion.
"You're a fourth-year acting student at Lancheng University?" Jing Yu asked.
"Yes, Mr. Jing," Chen Zhongyi responded, visibly thrilled.
He could tell — if they weren't interested, they wouldn't be asking so many questions.
"Junior, huh? I'm from Lancheng, too — the screenwriting department. One question: if filming starts in the next two or three days, can you drop your schoolwork and join us?" Jing Yu asked.
"No problem! It's December already, and most fourth-years don't have classes — just thesis revisions. I can manage my time," Chen Zhongyi replied, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.
"Alright. You can head out now. We'll notify you of the results tomorrow."
Chen Zhongyi left, practically walking on air.
And then… back to the grind.
Jing Yu kept marking down names in his notebook, crossing out one after another as auditionees failed to meet expectations.
At 4:00 p.m., Chen Jing came in to audition for Ze Chun.
She didn't even make it through the entire scene before being passed over.
It was the brutal truth — looks mattered. As harsh as it sounded, TV audiences had some of the harshest visual standards. A girl who might be called beautiful in real life might appear "plain" or even "ugly" on camera.
For the main quartet of characters, their looks had to be on par — and with Jing Yu and Yu Youqing already confirmed as the leads, the bar was sky-high.
"I'm doomed… I'm really doomed…" Chen Jing exited the audition room, face full of despair, and immediately threw herself into the arms of her best friend, Xia Yining.
"Ahhh, Xia, you've gotta carry my hopes and grudges into that room!"
"Get off me, you clingy idiot. If you wanna lie down, go use that chair," Xia Yining said, annoyed as she pushed her away.
"Sad people just want to collapse somewhere, you know?"
"Well, you're not collapsing on me," Chen Jing pouted. "You may not be perfect, but I definitely can't rest my head on my chest."
Xia Yining's pupils widened — the rising frustration in her eyes was obvious.
This girl… itching for a beating, isn't she?
Sure, she wasn't the best among all the auditioning girls — but compared to 70–80% of them, she was leagues ahead. But who could compete with someone like you? If anything, Chen Jing should've been born a cow, not a person.
"Candidate #97, Xia Yining!"
The staff called out her number.
"Yes! I'm here!" Xia Yining quickly stood up, temporarily sparing her best friend.
Though she had only come because Chen Jing convinced her, she took the opportunity seriously. She did major in acting, after all.
Her face settled into its usual calm, composed expression as she exuded a cool, confident energy.
She stepped into the audition room with steady steps, immediately noticing the two central figures — a middle-aged man in his 40s, and a striking young man in his 20s.
She recognized them right away.
She'd watched 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' and liked it a lot. Seeing Jing Yu, the show's writer and male lead, in person now… felt a little surreal.
But, unlike the starstruck Chen Jing, Xia Yining was a fan of stories, not idols.
"Hello, I'm candidate #97, Xia Yining. I'm auditioning for the role of Jin Hui," she said, giving a slight bow. She wasn't great at small talk — that was all she could manage.
Her hair fluttered slightly as she straightened. Her eyes were clear and bright.
Jing Yu and Liu Neng exchanged a glance.
Wow. Gorgeous. Easily the most beautiful girl they'd seen all day.
"You have the script, right?" Jing Yu asked.
"Let's run a scene together."
'Your Lie in April' was a youth romance drama, so looks and acting were key. And right now, this girl's cool, composed aura perfectly matched the role of Jin Hui.
"Let's do this segment."
Scene Context:
After a musical performance, Jin Hui, still catching her breath, seeks out You Gongsheng. She grabs him by the collar, clearly trying to express something important — but ultimately, she says nothing.
It's less than 30 seconds of screen time. Only one line, but multiple emotional shifts.
"Oh, this scene?"
Xia Yining looked up at Jing Yu, who stood a full head taller than her.
She reviewed the scene in her mind.
The script didn't fully detail Jin Hui's feelings toward You Gongsheng, but there were emotional cues — enough to piece it together.
The very next second, her expression changed.
From calm and steady, she transformed. Breathing heavily from the emotional strain of performing, she suddenly reached out and grabbed Jing Yu by the collar.
"You... you jerk."
Gone was the serene composure — her entire demeanor shifted. After pouring her soul into that performance, all she wanted was recognition from him.
But… the words didn't come.
Jing Yu looked into her eyes. The brightness faded into calm… then slowly disappeared.
Not bad at all!
Liu Neng's eyes sparkled with surprise and delight.
Jing Yu had her run a few more scenes from different moments in the script.
Eventually, he turned and returned to his judge's seat, silent for a moment.
"Are students these days all this good?" Jing Yu murmured, with a tired half-smile.
Technically, the original owner of his body had studied screenwriting, not acting. He had some raw talent, sure — but compared to top students like Yu Youqing… or the girl in front of him?
He still had a long way to go.
He was the one who needed more training.
Xia Yining blinked, curiously watching Jing Yu and Liu Neng whisper to each other.
"Try playing the piano piece we gave you earlier."
Upon hearing that, Xia Yining's confidence visibly rose.
She might have lingering doubts about her acting, but piano? She wouldn't say she was world-class, but among her peers, no one she'd met could outplay her.
Soon, the room filled with elegant, crisp piano notes.
The two music professors — who had been frowning all day during performances — finally relaxed.
Jing Yu watched the girl sitting gracefully at the piano, playing with poise and ease.
Her aura. The aesthetic.
Even Liu Neng — a total layman in music — got goosebumps. The difference between her and the others was like night and day.
"You're from which department?"
"Why did you even study acting? With this level, you should've gone straight into a piano major!"
The music professors started chatting with her right away.
As the audition room doors opened, Chen Jing rushed over.
"How'd it go, my little princess? Tell me everything!"
"I got the role," Xia Yining replied.
"You got it… Wait, what do you mean? Got it? Aren't they supposed to tell you later?"
"That Jing Yu guy said Jin Hui is officially mine. I'm joining the crew the day after tomorrow. They're not considering anyone else."
"Whaaat?" Chen Jing blinked, stunned.
"So what'd you say?"
"I said yes, obviously. I wouldn't have come if I didn't want the part. Still…" Xia Yining pouted. "A bit annoyed."
"Why?"
"His exact words were: 'Her piano skills aren't that exceptional, but her temperament suits the role perfectly. She looks great on camera while playing," she mimicked.
"Fine, I'm not a professional concert pianist, but does a screenwriting major really get to call me mediocre? If this is a music-heavy drama and he's also acting as the male lead, I'd better see him play something impressive. Let's see if he's any good," she huffed.
"Okay, okay, stop your humblebragging," Chen Jing groaned, flopping into her again. "You're mad about that? What should I feel? And now that you're part of the crew, you'd better stop badmouthing my idol! It's Jing Yu Laoshi, not just 'that guy'!"
"Ugh, you…"
The two girls broke into playful bickering again.
9:00 p.m.
The day's auditions finally ended.
Jing Yu and Liu Neng staggered out of the building, aching all over.
"That's most of it. Tomorrow, there won't be nearly as many people," Liu Neng said, checking his notes, clearly exhausted.
"But Jing Yu Laoshi, don't you think you decided on Xia Yining a little too fast? It wasn't really fair to the other Jin Hui candidates…"
"In the end, none of the others were as good," Jing Yu replied, just as tired.
"That's true. But what if someone better comes along tomorrow?"
"Yeah… I guess I jumped the gun," Jing Yu admitted after a pause.
In truth, his decision had less to do with her acting or piano skills.
It was something else.
Her entire presence reminded him of Touma Kazusa, one of the heroines from White Album 2.
She didn't even need to act like Kazusa — she was Kazusa.
He had already been toying with the idea of adapting White Album 2 someday. Now that he'd found a perfect candidate, he wanted to bring her into the team early and observe her in action.
As for Jin Hui in 'Your Lie in April', he was confident she could pull it off just fine.
"Tomorrow, we'll finish casting the remaining side characters. The day after that, gather everyone for the contract signing. Then the day after that, filming begins," Jing Yu said.
Liu Neng nodded, already planning out the next steps in his head.