Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 124 Major Reshuffle

The question, "Is the script for sale?" was quite a blow to Zhang Yibai. He had come to solicit investment, and it was clear that Wu Yuchen was interested in the script but did not trust his ability as a director.

Zhang Yibai gritted his teeth and said, "Director Wu, this script is the culmination of our hard work. We won't sell it; I insist on filming it ourselves!"

Wu Yuchen wasn't surprised; many directors are like that, including himself.

He thought about it and figured that even if he rejected Zhang Yibai today, he would most likely still be able to secure investment in the end.

The drama "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is also somewhat strange.

In its previous life, its investor was a fugitive surnamed Pan who had been on the run for 10 years. Now he had become a big boss and invested in "Eternal Love" to promote his girlfriend. He would be caught in 10 years.

Its director, Zhang Yibai, and actor, Wang Xuebing, were both drug addicts; Li Yapeng was a gigolo; and Xu Cairen was promoted by Wang Shuo to be a "talented woman in Beijing's elite circles." Apart from Liao Fan, none of the well-known members of this production team had a good reputation.

Wu Yuchen pondered for a moment and said:
“This script has something that moves me, and I’m willing to invest 200 million.”

Zhang Yibai and Diao Yinan were delighted to hear this. Although it was only 200 million, at least someone was willing to invest money in the bidding.

But Wu Yuchen's next words made Zhang Yibai's expression change:
"But to be honest, and you might not like what I'm about to say, your directing skills are still lacking. If you're willing, I can offer you the position of assistant director. You can provide the atmosphere, emotions, and state of mind you mentioned; I'll make sure to explain that to the director."

Zhang Yi opened his mouth, feeling reluctant, but the series of blows he had suffered, especially Wu Yuchen's comments to his face, made him wonder if it was too arrogant of him, a music video director, to directly ask to become a TV series director.
Diao Yinan, standing beside him, tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to agree. Having a work to show for it would make the road ahead much easier. Moreover, as Wu Yuchen said, Zhang Yibai still has a lot to learn, and being able to leap from a music video director to a TV drama assistant director is already a good start.

Zhang Yibai couldn't help but ask, "Director Wu, who would you like to direct this film?"

Wu Yuchen chuckled: "Don't worry, she won't be difficult to get along with. She's from the Directing Department of the Central Academy of Drama, Ma Liwen. She's currently working as an assistant director on 'The Passionate Years.' I'll call her back tomorrow, and you fellow students can discuss it with her."

Ma Liwen is actually the original director of "We Two". She just graduated from the Central Academy of Drama last year and has been working as a script supervisor and assistant director for two years. Speaking of which, she had a falling out with the crew and was kicked out of a film crew earlier this year when she was working as an assistant director. She happened to receive an invitation from Miracle Films and came over happily, and went to work as an assistant director on the "Passionate Years" crew to gain experience.

Wu Yuchen had confidence in her, a director who had worked her way up from the bottom since she was in school, and he also saw it as an opportunity for her to become famous.

Zhang Yibai breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. It was good that she was a fellow student; this made communication much easier. Moreover, she was a new director, so she might listen to him on many issues.

"Okay, thank you Director Wu for being willing to invest in 'Love Follows'!" Zhang Yibai agreed.

Seeing this, Wu Yuchen nodded in satisfaction and then said, "Don't you guys think the name 'Love Follows' is too corny?"

"We haven't thought too much about the name yet, we just plan to come up with something to tide us over. Director Wu, do you have any thoughts?"

"Let's change it to 'Love Will Go On'!" Wu Yuchen said with a smile.

Diao Yinan clapped her hands immediately: "This name is great! It has a great feel to it!"

Zhang Yibai also gave a thumbs up and praised, "Brilliant, Director Wu, you're truly brilliant!"

Wu Yuchen knew that the two people in front of him were exaggerating, but he still thought "Love Will Continue" sounded better and was more memorable, while "Love Follows" was too ordinary.

Then he added, "Have you considered any candidates for the roles?"

Zhang Yibai said directly, "We have ideas for the male lead, Yang Zheng. When we were writing, Geng Le was the one in our minds, but he didn't agree."

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this, showing no surprise whatsoever.

Geng Le graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He started acting in a romance movie in 94 and was later chosen by Jiang Wen to play the second male lead in "In the Heat of the Sun". He is currently quite popular in the industry and has a constant stream of film offers. He is no less popular than Xia Yu, who won the Best Actor award.

No one with a normal IQ would accept a script offer that hasn't even secured investment yet, let alone Geng Le, who is currently a film actor. Even if he were to participate in a TV series, he would have to be in a production team that people would consider reliable.

It seems that Geng Le was not invited in the previous life, so Li Yapeng became the male lead. However, Wu Yuchen does not plan to use this gigolo. Since you are focused on doing business, why do we need you?

Having already made up his mind about the male lead, Wu Yuchen asked, "What about the female lead? Do you have a target?"

Zhang Yibai shook his head: "There's no specific goal, it's just that it has to give people a pure and lovely feeling, so that people feel like it's their first love at first glance."

Wu Yuchen nodded and looked at Diao Yinan: "You're the screenwriter for 'Spicy Love Soup,' right? Can you get in touch with the female lead?"

Diao Yinan immediately thought of Xu Jinglei from "Spicy Love Soup," thinking to herself that she was indeed Wang Shuo's woman. Even though Wang Shuo had already fled to the United States to avoid the storm due to being blacklisted, he could still get Wu Yuchen to personally help arrange the role of the female lead.

Diao Yinan smiled and said, "No problem, I also think Xu Jinglei is especially suitable for this role!"

“Xu Jinglei? I’m not talking about her.” Wu Yuchen shook his head.

"Huh? Who is that?" Diao Yinan asked in surprise.

"Can we get in touch with the girl who played the high school student?"

Diao Yinan then nodded, as if she had just come to her senses.

……

At this moment, Huang Xiaoming and Chen Kun were looking down at their homeroom teacher, Cui Xinqin, with some dejection.

"Teacher Cui, we've let you down..."

"It's alright. Getting into Director Wu's films isn't that easy these days. You're only freshmen, so what you need to do is build a solid foundation. Also, maintain a good relationship with your teacher, Mr. Wu. Be enthusiastic when you meet him, so he remembers you and will think of you when there are suitable opportunities!"

As Cui Xinqin was comforting and advising her, her phone rang.

"Hey, I was talking to him right now. Another film? Okay, I'll have him over there immediately!"

After hanging up the phone, Cui Xinqin's face lit up with joy: "Chen Kun, see what I told you! Your teacher Wu mentioned a new film opportunity and thought of you. You're the male lead, and he wants you to come over!"

Chen Kun's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this: "Really!"

Huang Xiaoming also craned his neck to look at Teacher Cui, his face full of anticipation, almost as if he wanted to say, "What about me? What about me?"

Cui Xinqin naturally noticed Huang Xiaoming's expression, so she patted him on the shoulder and continued to encourage him:

"Xiaoming, it's okay. This time it's Chen Kun's turn, next time it'll be your turn! Do your best!"

Huang Xiaoming felt a pang of hurt. He and Chen Kun had both auditioned and been rejected, but now Wu Yuchen had immediately offered Chen Kun a lead role in a new film, while he had nothing. This comparison made him feel terrible. It's true what they say, comparisons are odious!
……

Wu Yuchen looked at Chen Kun in front of him and nodded, smiling as he said, "This is the male lead I found for you; he's definitely suitable!"

The male lead of "Eternal Love," Yang Zheng, is undeniably handsome. Coming from a small town, he's both proud and sensitive, supporting himself throughout university. Even when the female lead asks her family to arrange a job for him, he explodes like a hedgehog. Wu Yuchen, reflecting on this character's experiences, realized he was practically a carbon copy of Chen Kun himself. Both his experiences and personality were identical. Who else could they cast such a perfect actor?

Zhang Yibai breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the male lead arranged by Wu Yuchen was a handsome guy. At least his looks met his requirements. He would have to find out more about him later.

Just then, there was another knock on the door, and everyone looked over and their eyes lit up.

A young girl in a white dress stood at the doorway. Her long, black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she had almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks. Seeing everyone looking at her, she spoke with a slight shyness:
"Hello, I'm Gao Yuanyuan~"

Diao Yinan quickly went over and led Gao Yuanyuan in: "Yuanyuan, this is Director Wu Yuchen!"

Looking at the tall and handsome Wu Yuchen in front of her, Gao Yuanyuan blushed slightly, yet excitedly said:

"Director Wu, I'm a big fan of your films. I especially love 'Run Lola Run,' 'We Two,' and 'Coherence.' Could you please sign my autograph?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and reached out to gently shake the girl's soft hand.
"Of course, no problem! Yuanyuan, we asked you to come here because we have a female lead role here that I think is perfect for you. Would you like to play the part?"

Gao Yuanyuan immediately nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "I do!"

Seeing the girl's eyes sparkling as she looked at him, like a little fangirl, Wu Yuchen felt quite pleased.

Looking at Gao Yuanyuan, who had grown up, Wu Yuchen thought, "If we're talking about pure and lovely, and the feeling of first love, then you're the one with the face of first love!"

Four consecutive runner-up titles in the Hupu Goddess Contest. The Hupu Goddesses come and go, but Da Meiyuan remains a constant. It's clear that straight men truly love you!

He wouldn't stoop to supporting Wang Shuo's mistress, Xu Cairen. Isn't the beautiful 18-year-old Da Meiyuan in front of him more appealing?
Wu Yuchen smiled and said to Zhang Yibai, "How about it? Yuanyuan, would you be suitable to play Wen Hui?"

Zhang Yibai said with heartfelt admiration, "Director Wu, your judgment is absolutely spot on!"

Wu Yuchen then added, "For the second female lead role, you can find Li Bingbing from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and for the second male lead, you can find Liao Fan from the same school. They're both very suitable. As for the others, you can decide for yourselves."

Although he made a major cast change for "Eternal Love" this time, he believes that the casting was still very fitting for the roles.

Zhang Yibai breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Thankfully, the renowned director stopped talking and left some supporting roles for them to choose from. Although Wu Yuchen's picks for the male and female leads were both excellent, he also wanted to exercise some initiative!

……

In the countryside, Wu Yuchen has already brought his crew here to start filming.

"Crack!"

He shouted at Liu Ye, who was standing by the river:
"You're grinning like an idiot, you're innocent but not really stupid! This is the first time in your life you've seen such a beautiful girl, your grin is tinged with shyness! Think back to how you felt the first time you liked a girl!"

Liu Ye scratched his head and replied, "Director, it used to be girls who confessed to me..."

Wu Yuchen wanted to kick this idiot, who was still subtly showing off in front of him!

"Stop talking nonsense, I'll give you 10 minutes to get into the swing of things!"

"Director Wu, the haunted house over there is all set up. Would you like to go take a look?"

Wu Yuchen checked the time: "I'll go see it this afternoon."

There's a scene in the countryside where the male and female leads go on an adventure to a haunted house to deepen their relationship. It's called a haunted house, but it's actually just an abandoned old house in the village.

Jiang Qinqin started preparing a long time ago, so she got into character very quickly. Liu Ye, on the other hand, only recently received the script. Therefore, Wu Yuchen is currently focusing his efforts on getting Liu Ye into character so that filming will be easier later on.

Ten days passed quickly.

Wu Yuchen kept looking up at the overcast sky above and asked, "Are you sure it's going to rain today?"

The assistant director next to him replied, "Director, the weather forecast says it's going to rain, and the locals here say it's going to rain too. I think there are more dark clouds than before, so it should rain."

"We can only film during the day; it's useless if it's filmed at night!"

The crew is currently waiting to film a rain scene. They're in the countryside, and they can't get a fire truck to bring rain, so they'll have to wait for the heavens to grant them a chance to film a rain scene.

About 20 minutes later, a clap of thunder was heard in the sky. Wu Yuchen quickly waved his hand and said, "Get everyone ready!"

Five minutes later, a sudden summer downpour arrived. Wu Yuchen, seeing Liu Ye and Jiang Qinqin already soaked in the rain, pointed the camera at them. With a gesture, the script supervisor ran into the rain to set off the clapperboard.
"Action!"

In the rain, Liu Ye pulled Jiang Qinqin along, jogging through the woods to find shelter, but Jiang Qinqin suddenly fell. Liu Ye knelt down to check her ankle, then knelt down to lift her onto his back, and carried her step by step.

After the two stopped at a thatched hut, Wu Yuchen came over and looked at Liu Ye, who was slightly out of breath: "Are you alright?"

"no problem!"

"Then do it again."

So Liu Ye carried Jiang Qinqin on his back, and the two walked repeatedly in the rain for more than an hour. Liu Ye rested four times during the journey, but even with his strong physique, he couldn't keep going until his legs were weak.

Actually, Wu Yuchen just wanted to capture a scene that evoked a certain feeling, a shot that captured the romantic feeling of a boy carrying a girl in the rain. Fortunately, Liu Ye's hour-long effort paid off, and Wu Yuchen finally achieved something.

After filming, we naturally had to quickly dry them off and take them back to change their clothes. If they got sick, it would be difficult to handle and would delay the filming schedule.

……

That evening, Wu Yuchen looked around at the staff and then said:
"Wait a minute, follow my instructions. Release all the fireflies you caught around where they are standing now."

A moment later, at Wu Yuchen's command, everyone released the fireflies from the bag and ran away.

"Action!"

In the shot, Jiang Qinqin sits on a plank, smiling as she watches Liu Ye awkwardly wading through the water below, trying to catch fireflies. As the camera gradually zooms out, it reveals a romantic scene of fireflies fluttering around them.

Even without capturing them, there would still be moments, but if there are too few of these moments around the male and female leads, it wouldn't be as romantic. Pure love movies need to include more of these beautiful and moving scenes.

After filming this scene, Wu Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief. Two weeks had passed, and the rural scenes were finally finished. Next, they would move on to filming at the school. He had filmed the scenes entirely according to the timeline of how the two characters met, which was beneficial for the actors' emotional development.

Then he realized that it was already July and he wondered how "My Brothers and Sisters" was doing in terms of its release.

(End of this chapter)