"This audition script… It's all crying scenes."
"Yeah, all emotional stuff. Kinda tough to pull off."
"Seriously."
"Even big-name stars like Wang Yanding and Ge Yun couldn't pass this audition!"
"Oh, and senior Liu Zhe from our department—she was reportedly among the 21 candidates considered for the role of Artoria. But looks like she didn't make it either."
"Even Liu Zhe didn't get in? Damn... What chance do we have?"
"No idea. From the casting notes, they're looking for someone with a strong, heroic aura. Preferably someone with martial arts experience—or at least a background in dance. Whatever, filming a short video doesn't take long. Odds are slim, but if you don't try, the chance is zero."
"Exactly. Look at Yu Youqing and Xia Yining—sure, they're both undeniably gorgeous, top-tier even among first-line actresses in the Great Zhou. But where did they graduate from? Two art schools in Lan Province, nowhere near as prestigious as ours. Yet just because they have a good relationship with Director Jing Yu, in two years, they've exploded in popularity. And 'Fate/Zero'? C'mon, who in the Great Zhou hasn't heard of it? Anyone who lands a lead role in this series is guaranteed to become a star."
Tang Rui looked up from her bed, stretching her sore limbs, and curiously asked:
"What are you all talking about?"
She'd heard them repeatedly mention the name Jing Yu—and that immediately caught her attention. She was a hardcore fan of all his dramas. She hadn't missed a single one. Every night, she'd log into her Qingyun Blog account to check if he'd posted any updates.
There were three students majoring in performing arts in this dorm room. Tang Rui was different.
She was an athletic special admit, majoring in martial arts performance.
After graduation, she'd probably end up doing stunt choreography in stage plays. She didn't know real martial arts, but her stylized routines were flashy and impressive. Although her major technically fell under "performance," it was clearly a world apart from acting for film or television.
So, while the acting department got the casting call for 'Fate/Zero', Tang Rui's class hadn't been informed at all.
Still, one of her roommates looked at her and kindly explained:
"It's the casting call for the female lead of 'Fate/Zero'."
At that, Tang Rui lost interest.
"Hey, Xiao Rui—why don't you give it a shot?" roommate Xi Ke asked, glancing over at Tang Rui stretching on her bed.
Her movements were graceful, her body extremely flexible.
Anyone brave enough to study performance, in any form, was usually a visual standout. Even if they didn't pursue a matching career after graduation, they'd still be hired as backup dancers—because without looks, no pop star would want you.
Among the six roommates, Tang Rui's appearance was obviously the best.
Fair-skinned, beautiful, and with a curvaceous figure, plus the perfect height. Even instructors from the acting department had once commented that she'd picked the wrong major—had she chosen acting instead of martial arts performance, she would've been a much better fit.
"Let's see here… the audition notes say they want someone with good looks, strong presence, and some martial arts skills."
"Right?"
"Xiao Rui, you're perfect for this."
Everyone in the room turned to Tang Rui, tossing out their thoughts one by one.
"Nah, I'm not even a formal acting major… martial arts performance is just not the same," Tang Rui replied, shaking her head.
"What are you afraid of? The casting notes literally said majors don't matter—as long as you've got what it takes. Honestly, you're just as good-looking as the two actresses Jing Yu promotes. Plus, your vibe totally fits."
Xi Ke grinned.
"We're just doing it for fun. The equipment's all set up. If you want, we can record your audition too and hand it in with ours. The department will forward it to the 'Fate/Zero' team."
"If I really match the role like you say, aren't you worried I'll steal your chance?" Tang Rui rolled her eyes at them.
"Hah! That'd actually be great! Honestly, I don't have much hope myself. Even with a solid submission, chances are slim. But if you get picked by Director Jing Yu, then we'll all be clinging to your coattails!"
"So? Wanna try?" Xi Ke asked again.
"I think I'll pass…" Tang Rui hesitated, shrinking back a little. Mostly out of shyness.
"Wait—aren't you a die-hard fan of Director Jing Yu's dramas? You never even get to see him in person, and now you're gonna waste the one chance you might be seen by him through a video? Tsk tsk, scared he'll roast your performance?"
"Who's scared?!" Tang Rui snapped, suddenly fired up.
"Mhm, there it is," Xi Ke said, satisfied with her reaction.
Indeed—elegant and valiant. Beautiful and dependable.
Of course, Xi Ke had a small selfish reason for pushing Tang Rui to audition. If she got rejected, that'd sting. But if even Tang Rui—the unanimously acknowledged beauty of the dorm—got rejected too, well… that would make things easier to swallow.
Modo City Film Base.
Starting June 6, Jing Yu's team began receiving audition videos from art academies all across the Great Zhou.
Naturally, Jing Yu didn't have the time or energy to go through them all himself.
Especially since filming for Season 2 of both 'Kaiji' and 'Clannad' was underway.
'Clannad' Season 2, in particular, was packed with the core content of the story, and Jing Yu had invested far more effort and budget into it than the first season.
So for these audition videos, he mobilized several professional staff members to do the initial screenings.
The rules were simple:
Evaluate based on acting ability and appearance. These were the hard requirements. Even if someone perfectly embodied the essence of Artoria, if they lacked these two essentials, it was a no-go.
After all, "presence" only shines after beauty and skill are already in place.
Still, even with this filter, the number of qualifying videos was absurdly high.
Late at night, in Jing Yu's office—
"Still no good candidates?" Cheng Lie asked, clearly worried.
They had already locked in June 20 as the official start of production. With less than two weeks left, the female lead was still unconfirmed.
"Yeah…" Jing Yu let out a long sigh.
"To be honest, there were a few people who gave me a decent first impression. They kind of resembled Artoria. But their acting had flaws, or their movement work wasn't convincing."
"So what now…"
"I've said it before—June 20 is our start date, no matter what. There's no such thing as the 'perfect fit' for a role. If we can't find someone ideal by then, we'll just pick the best available."
Jing Yu rubbed his temples.
He wasn't the type to spend years crafting a single masterpiece. That kind of director could afford to take forever on one project—but for Jing Yu, that was a loss.
He had a lifetime's worth of scripts waiting to be made. Even Fate wasn't irreplaceable. Spending a whole year on it would mean losing the chance to shoot one or two other major works.
"Still… I hope we find the right one."
Jing Yu looked at the hundreds of folders on his screen—all of them already filtered by staff as potential matches. And more were coming in every day.
It was the first time, since arriving in this world, that he truly understood how agonizing it was to search for the right actor.
Artoria… hurry up and appear. The one born to play you.
Over the next few days, Jing Yu devoted all his time—outside of filming—to combing through audition videos.
Hopeful at first, then disappointed, then numb. By June 12, he felt nothing at all.
Until that afternoon.
Jing Yu opened a batch of submissions from an arts academy in the Capital. After filtering, there were still 26 folders remaining, which said a lot about the quality of students at that school.
But Jing Yu had no real expectations left.
After thousands of rejections, he was basically numb—just going through the motions as he clicked through the files.
First video: After ten seconds—
"Nope. Hairline's too high."
Second video:
"This crying is so fake… too forced. Ugh. Well, they are students. I shouldn't expect too much."
Third. Fourth… On and on. Until the 17th video.
Xi Ke.
Jing Yu glanced at it. Meh. Appearance: slightly above average.
At least by his standards. Among regular folks, she'd be considered a stunner.
She'd clearly tried to be clever—using the short script to guess at Artoria's character and even dressing up in Western-style armor.
At a glance? She sort of pulled it off.
But looks and costumes didn't matter much. It was about essence—the actor's core qualities.
"It's all because of me…"
"Because of me… One day, I will claim the Holy Grail."
After a mediocre performance, Jing Yu sighed and was about to close the file.
But the video didn't end—it lagged a bit, and then cut to another audition.
And the moment that person appeared on screen, Jing Yu froze.
Short hair. Stunning features. Porcelain skin. Anyone who saw her would instinctively agree: she was a true beauty.
But Jing Yu had seen enough beauties over the years to be immune.
What stirred his heart—
Was her aura.
There are some people, no matter how beautiful, who are labeled "vixens." And some, just as beautiful, are called "goddesses."
In anime adaptations, it's hard to find someone who perfectly matches a character's look. Most iconic castings come from cases where the original author modeled characters after real people. Like how Wind and Cloud's "Conqueror" was drawn based on Sonny Chiba, or how One Piece's Enel was likely inspired by Eminem.
But the girl in this video?
Her name: Tang Rui, age 19, sophomore.
To Jing Yu, she resembled Artoria by 60–70%, just on looks alone.
But when she started performing—
Jing Yu was hooked.
What the hell…
He scratched his head, playing the video again.
Her acting was rough—clearly under-rehearsed. The crying was forced, the tears barely there.
But maybe… that's what made it feel real?
Jing Yu rewatched the clip multiple times.
Because there was no obvious "performance," he could read so much more from her subtle expressions and voice.
No one in the Great Zhou had read 'Fate's source material, so they had no idea what Artoria was truly like.
But Jing Yu did.
And watching this girl, he felt as though 2D queen Artoria had stepped into the 3D world, wearing modern clothes and appearing on his screen.
Of course, that was just his opinion. Another Fate fan from his previous life might have a different take.
But for Jing Yu, his opinion was enough. He didn't need anyone else's judgment. No one else could guide him.
After a moment of silence, he picked up the phone and called Cheng Lie.
Pointing to the girl on screen, he asked:
"Cheng Lie. Can you arrange for her to meet me in Modo city?"
Sure, judging a role based on a one-minute video was reckless.
But from first impression alone, he would rate her at least an 85—maybe even above 90.