1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

Cheng Xuemin went to the lake to report to his old leader on the progress of filming Tai Chi. The action scenes were almost finished, and the next step was to go to the location shooting location to film some dialogue scenes.

The former leader highly praised them and encouraged them to finish filming as soon as possible so that they could see it for themselves.

Next, the organizational issue of Cheng Xuemin was resolved. He solemnly took an oath, which also relieved Cheng Xuemin of his biggest worry recently.

The old leader initially waved his hand, saying that these royalties were nothing and that Cheng Xuemin could keep them himself.

But what can be said when Cheng Xuemin persists in his stubbornness?

All I can say is that this young comrade Cheng Xuemin has a truly high level of awareness.

Another point was mentioned: the literary and art congress, which has been suspended for more than ten years, will be reorganized and resumed at the bottom of the month next month. It is hoped that Cheng Xuemin, this pioneering young man, can attend the meeting.

The National Congress of Literary and Art Workers was about to begin, and invitations had already started to be distributed. Cheng Xuemin knew this, but he hadn't received one yet.

Now that his former leader had personally invited him, Cheng Xuemin was flattered and said that they would arrange the filming schedule reasonably and would definitely finish before the start of the literary and art congress.

"Old Cheng, you're living the high life! Always getting around in a car, that's impressive!"

He had just returned from the lake and the car had just come to a stop when Ge You, with his full head of thick hair, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, patted the hood of the car, and greeted him.

"Huh? Lao Ge, when did you guys get back?" Cheng Xuemin was genuinely surprised. Wasn't this kid supposed to have gone to the Northeast for a performance tour?

He was gone for almost a month and there was no contact during that time. I didn't expect him to suddenly come back.

"I just got back a few days ago. We're on holiday today and my dad told me that you've already joined our factory, Lao Cheng?"

"And he's also in charge of a major project at the factory?"

Ge You's parents were both long-time employees of Yan Film Studio. His mother, Shi Xinwen, was the head of the literature group. She shared an office with Liang Xiaosheng and they often interacted with each other.
The father is Ge Cunzhuang, a veteran actor and artist from Yan Film Studio. Originally, Cheng Xuemin planned to invite Uncle Ge to make a cameo appearance in the Tai Chi script, but unfortunately he was away on location and there was a conflict in the scenes, so it was abandoned.

Now that Ge You has said this, it seems he has already returned.

"What's the big or small project? It's the old factory director who has great vision. I'm just being forced into this for the first time, and I'm really afraid of making a bad film, wasting the factory's resources, and ruining the old factory director's reputation in his later years!" Cheng Xuemin said modestly.

Then he added, "Would you like to come sit in my office, or visit my film set?"

"Of course I'm going to check out the film set! What could be interesting in your office?" Ge You laughed heartily, already eager to join the crew.

"Stop looking around, Gong Xue isn't here!" Seeing Cheng Xuemin's eyes darting around, clearly looking for someone, Lao Tie's Ge You knew exactly what was going on and immediately retorted, "Gong Xue didn't come with us. She came back right after the activities temporarily ended in the middle of the month!"

"What, she came back but didn't come to see you?"

Ge You had his doubts, but the couple's situation was really complicated, and he could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

It can only be said that we were destined to meet but not to be together, and it's a pity we didn't meet sooner
"He's back by mid-month?" Cheng Xuemin was genuinely surprised to hear this. He hadn't expected Gong Xue to be back so early; it was almost the end of October.

"Director Xie must have been eager for her to join the crew, so she went directly to Lushan!" That was all Cheng Xuemin could say.

“That’s possible!” Ge You agreed, knowing that Gong Xue’s early departure was to go south to Lushan to be the leading lady for Cheng Xuemin.

Thinking that Cheng Xuemin was overseeing the filming of one movie at Yan Film Studio and another one was being filmed in Lushan, south of Yanshan, and that he was so good at writing movie scripts, Ge You's mind started working, and she rubbed her hands together as if she wanted to say something.

"I know what you're thinking, Lao Ge."

"hold on!"

"Right now, I'm just a guest here at Yan Film Studio, temporarily assigned here. I'll wait until I achieve success and have more say in things!"

"Putting everything else aside, I'll write a script specifically for you, Lao Ge, and ask you to be the male lead. What do you say?"

"Isn't that nice?"

Cheng Xuemin has three films in the works, and "The Herdsman" has already been released and has caused quite a stir. Ge You, his classmate and good friend, sees this and keeps it in mind. He also wants to improve and wants to make movies with Cheng Xuemin.

But Cheng Xuemin still felt that Lao Ge had only just joined the art troupe. Not to mention the secure job, it was still a crucial period for him to hone his acting skills. He couldn't force Ge You to join him prematurely just because of brotherhood.

Anyway, as I always say, there's plenty of time in the future.

Cheng Xuemin plans to build his own 'Beijing Circle', which will definitely require his own core team. Moreover, Cheng Xuemin never thought that he would continue to develop in the entertainment industry; he would only consider it as part of his Beijing Circle.

Since it's just a part of the business, it definitely needs a core team to handle the complexities, welcoming and seeing off customers to maintain operations.

As a native of Beijing, Ge You, whose parents are both long-time employees of the Beijing Film Studio, is definitely a core member. It's not impossible that in the future, the entertainment industry could be handed over to Ge You to manage the daily operations.

Therefore, when Cheng Xuemin truly establishes his own faction, how could Ge You's role be missing?
"Sure, sure, that's great! Old Cheng, it's settled then. You have to write one for me, so I can experience being the male lead!"

When Ge You heard that Cheng Xuemin would personally write a script for him and even cast him as the male lead, he was overjoyed and kept nodding in delight.

"That is required!"

Cheng Xuemin patted Ge You's shoulder repeatedly and declared, "I'll get Squad Leader Han to be your leading lady, how about that? Pretty generous, right?"

"That's very kind of you, but don't make her the female lead. That would be too lenient for her. Just write her as my maid!"

"When the show airs, I'll torment her however I want, so she'll know that I, Old Ge, am not some skinny, weak monkey!"

Hearing that he could actually get that woman Han Qiaoyue to be the female lead for him, Ge You was secretly thrilled and looking forward to it, but he was gritting his teeth and his hands were clawing so hard that he wished he could really crush her into a ball.

Looks like they're a pair of bickering lovers!

It has to be said that the experience of the last trip to the south to perform for the troops and on the front lines in the south was quite an ordeal for Gong Xue's squad leader Han Qiaoyue and Lao Ge. After returning, they became a pair of bickering lovers who couldn't stand each other and would argue whenever they met.

Cheng Xuemin was just joking, but he didn't expect Lao Ge to hold such a grudge. He didn't know if it was a real grudge or just a case of two rivals who were like oil and water.

Anyway, it has to be said that Cheng Xuemin is optimistic about this couple, but it's hard to say whether this matchmaking is the right thing to do.

After all, Ge You was originally supposed to meet his other half in Tianjin six or seven years later, and they married in 1987. They lived a life of mutual support and respect for each other for decades without a single scandal, so it was originally a perfect marriage. Who knows what the outcome would have been if they had been paired with Han Qiaoyue?

After all, it seems that Squad Leader Han is the stronger party right now, and it's not really certain whether Ge You, this skinny guy, can keep the other side in check.

Of course, on the other hand, we should just let things take their course and let them unfold naturally.

In his previous life, Cheng Xuemin didn't really know whether Ge You and Han Qiaoyue had much contact.

After all, the reason they've become a bickering couple is entirely due to Cheng Xuemin's relationship with Gong Xue, which turned their ordinary colleague relationship into what it is now.

"Alright, alright, Lao Ge, you're in charge!"

"I'll just write the script and you can change it however you want. I promise I won't interfere!"

Cheng Xuemin smiled and simply handed the script to Lao Ge, telling him to do whatever he wanted.

"Really?" Ge You listened with great anticipation, her face becoming even more excited.

"It couldn't be more real, as long as you dare to change!"

"But let me put it another way, when Sergeant Han asks, I won't cover for you. You'll have to say outright that you changed the script!"

"Then what are you even saying!" When Ge You heard that Lao Cheng wouldn't back him up and would even sell him directly to that woman Han Qiaoyue, he immediately shrank back, not daring to do it.

The two brothers then entered the film studio, laughing heartily, while Huang Jianzhong was already organizing the subsequent filming.

"Why is Ge the monkey here?"

"And they were arm in arm with Cheng Xuemin, looking like they knew each other very well?"

In the afternoon, filming continued in the capital city, specifically the scene where Yang Yuqian and his group had just entered the city and encountered Prince Duan's lackeys, who were bullying men and women and committing other outrageous acts on the streets.

So, for the scene where Zhang Tielin, the actor who plays the Emperor in the Beijing Film Academy, is a beautiful womanizer who harasses a woman in the street, they were called back to the set to officially start filming.

Seeing Ge You and Cheng Xuemin come in together really surprised Li Shaohong, Tian Zhuangzhuang and the others who came to watch the excitement. Chen Kaizi's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. When did Ge You, the backward element of Yanying Factory, get involved with that Cheng Xuemin?

And just as Tian Zhuangzhuang said, they were arm in arm, looking very familiar, like buddies.
"Hey, monkey, what brings you here too?" Tian Zhuangzhuang called out from afar.

"Uh, Zhuangzhuang, Shaohong, Kaizi, you guys are here too?" Ge You wasn't too surprised to see his childhood friends from the same courtyard, after all, these three were always the "other people's children" that his parents talked about.

Now they are even more promising, having been admitted to the Beijing Film Academy, which their parents had high hopes for, and becoming shining stars in the ivory tower.

Compared to them, Ge You was still raising pigs in the suburbs, which embarrassed his parents quite a bit, so he could never fit into their trio's circle.

Unexpectedly, Tian Zhuangzhuang took the initiative to greet him. Ge You was immediately overjoyed and was about to scurry over to him.

But seeing that the other three had already come to meet him, he simply stood still.

"We're here to visit and learn from Teacher Cheng!" Li Shaohong said politely as she approached, then greeted Cheng Xuemin, "Teacher Cheng, I heard our crew specially hired a martial arts instructor from Hong Kong? Is that true?"

In fact, the Tai Chi production team spent a lot of money to invite a martial arts instructor from Hong Kong to Beijing to provide guidance. Everyone in the Yan Film Studio knows this.
Li Shaohong's parents are both veterans in the factory, and he doesn't live on campus and goes home almost every day, so how could he not have heard about it?

But she still found it unbelievable and wanted to confirm it with Cheng Xuemin. Of course, she also wanted to use this as a way to start a conversation and hopefully get some information out of him.

After all, even though it is the first martial arts film in China, there is no need to go to great lengths and spend a lot of money to hire a professional martial arts director from Hong Kong.

However, as a newcomer to Yanying Film Studio, and this was his first time independently leading such a large project, the old director was under immense pressure and poured all the resources of the entire factory into supporting him.

Clearly, they have grand ambitions.

Unfortunately, so far, despite all the rumors and speculation, it's still unclear what makes this project so special.

It's just a martial arts movie, what's the point?

To sell more copies to prove that Cheng Xuemin not only writes good scripts, but also directs excellent films?
But isn't the old factory director's full support a bit too much of a favoritism and indulgence?
He's not even his biological grandson!
"You specially invited someone from Hong Kong to provide guidance? Old Cheng, are you really that generous?"

Ge You, who was standing next to him, was also just finding out. Her face was full of surprise, and she couldn't help but exclaim and ask.

"Indeed, we invited renowned martial arts choreographers from Hong Kong to provide guidance. Look, those two are right there!" Cheng Xuemin nodded, pointing to Yuan Heping, who was exchanging ideas with Huang Jianzhong, and then said to Li Shaohong and the others, "Actually, you should have come a couple of days earlier. The martial arts routines designed by Master Yuan and his team are truly exceptional!"

"If you had come earlier, you would have learned a lot, which would have been very useful when you graduated and started working on your own!"

"Uh... Teacher Cheng, we were busy studying for exams a while ago, so we didn't come over!" Li Shaohong and Tian Zhuangzhuang looked embarrassed after Cheng Xuemin said that.

Actually, at the beginning, Cheng Xuemin had told these three boys that they could come and visit when they had time, and learn something from them.

After all, it's hard to say about Chen Kaizi, but if Tian Zhuangzhuang and Li Shaohong are obedient, they can actually be trained. This can be considered as leaving some foundation for the old factory director and his Yanying Factory.

But they didn't even bother to come, so there's nothing more to say. It's like nobody cares if they come or not.

"It's alright, it's alright. Schoolwork is the most important thing. There will be plenty of opportunities to learn later!" Cheng Xuemin nodded noncommittally, offering a few perfunctory words.

Chen Kaizi, who was standing next to him, hadn't said much. He watched Ge You and Cheng Xuemin with their arms around each other's shoulders, calling each other "Old Ge" and "Old Cheng" like old buddies, and thought he shouldn't be too jealous.

Especially when Chen Kaizi heard Ge You boasting that Cheng Xuemin wanted to promote him, write a script specifically for him, and make him the male lead, his jealousy was so intense that it almost burst out!

Why is it that Ge Houzi can get to know this kid, but I can't?
"Shaohong, what's wrong with Kai Zi?" Ge You, who was standing next to Chen Kai Zi, asked Li Shaohong with concern, noticing that Chen Kai Zi's face was not looking good.

"Do not ask!"

"The answer is that Kai got another severe beating from his father!"

……

PS: Requesting monthly votes and additional subscriptions! Thank you so much, fellow godfathers and little dads! (End of Chapter)