Ethan Brooks pondered for a moment, then spoke: "This project is quite interesting. If we're talking about interest, of course I'm most interested in that young magician—Samuel Clark. But that role is very important, I'm afraid it's not our turn."

This character has growth, plenty of scenes, and even gets the final highlight moment of magic. Although he's not the male lead, in some ways it's even easier to shine than the lead.

In a project with this level of investment, there are bound to be countless eyes on that role.

"You didn't stand a chance before, but now things might be different." Emily Bolton said with a smile. "Actually, I have a good relationship with Harry Young, and he still owes me a favor. Originally, I was thinking of getting you a third male lead with a decent amount of scenes."

"But after I watched your short video last night, and then finished watching the prequel to King of Gambling, I had a bold idea. Since we're already calling in favors for a role, why not aim higher and go straight for the magician Samuel Clark?"

"This..." Ethan Brooks was a bit surprised. "Emily Bolton sis, I'm afraid Mr. Young won't agree to that?"

This is a role that needs to carry the box office of the film. Whether it's his experience or acting skills, he's nowhere near qualified. There's no way to get the part just by calling in favors.

Besides, for Harry Young to make those web movies a hit, he must be a very capable and opinionated person. Unless someone truly powerful puts pressure on him, he wouldn't lower the quality of his film just for a favor.

"First, tell me, how did you do your short video?" Emily Bolton didn't answer directly, but looked at Ethan Brooks's slender fingers. "Was it special effects or your own skill?"

Ethan Brooks thought for a moment, then took a deck of cards from his pocket and casually performed a few simple shuffles and cuts, his movements smooth and dazzling.

He had only intended to show a bit of his card control skills.

But in Emily Bolton's eyes, as he cut the cards, it was as if an invisible spotlight shone on him, casting a soft glow that made his already handsome appearance even more charming.

It was also as if an invisible hand had grabbed Emily Bolton's attention, making her unconsciously focus entirely on Ethan Brooks.

This was the effect of the "Charm Light" trait that came after his card control skill was upgraded to green quality.

"So handsome~"

Emily Bolton was momentarily dazed, her heart pounding wildly, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"Snap!"

After a brief display, Ethan Brooks closed the deck, ending the demonstration, and said, "When I was acting in the prequel to King of Gambling, I found shuffling and cutting cards really interesting, so I practiced hard for a while."

Hearing the crisp sound of the cards closing, Emily Bolton snapped out of her daze as if waking from a dream.

Looking at Ethan Brooks again, he was still very handsome, but that uncontrollable rush of excitement from before was gone.

She couldn't help but feel her cheeks heat up, silently scolding herself.

Emily Bolton, oh Emily Bolton, you must not have any improper thoughts. Ethan is still a kid who hasn't even graduated from college. Amitabha, Amitabha~~

"Emily Bolton sis, are you okay?" Ethan Brooks noticed something was off and quickly asked with concern.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Emily Bolton picked up her cup and took a sip of water.

With the willpower honed from years in the workplace, she quickly steadied herself, cleared her mind, and shook her head in admiration: "A top student is a top student. Geniuses really are beyond the understanding of us ordinary people. Even if a normal person practiced for years, they might not reach your level."

Ethan Brooks wanted to argue that he wasn't really a genius at all, but thought better of it and just said vaguely, "Maybe I just have a special talent for this?"

Emily Bolton didn't dwell on the topic, but instead pondered and summarized: "Your looks are outstanding, and your fingers are very attractive and nimble. That's your advantage."

"And I've talked with Harry Young. The magician Samuel Clark will have a lot of close-up shots of dazzling techniques, so the hands need to look good and the fingers need to be very flexible. Right now, very few people can match you in that regard."

"Ethan, your biggest problem now is still your acting. The magician has a lot of scenes and appears in many key plot points, so the acting requirements are high. With your current skills, it's very hard to compete for this role."

"But if you can improve your acting in a short time, even if it's just enough for Harry Young to see visible progress, our chances of getting the role will increase a lot."

"After all, as long as you can grow, you can be further trained and polished during filming to fit the role even better."

After saying all this.

Emily Bolton looked into Ethan Brooks's eyes, as if trying to see his resolve: "Do you have the confidence to improve your acting in a short time?"

Ethan Brooks thought about it seriously.

His weakness in acting was real.

If it were before, he would have thought this opportunity was dispensable, but now, with the post-filming card draw system, things were different.

He had already experienced the benefits of skill cards.

Character cards were clearly more advanced than skill cards, but they also demanded more from him.