Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Theme song for Chapter 114

Wu Yuchen rubbed his chin, estimating the time. He figured that the creation of "Princess Pearl" should have already begun.

Some young people in later generations who haven't experienced this might look back and think that getting into a hit show like "Princess Pearl" is incredibly difficult, just like thinking someone with no connections wants to invest in Tencent—you're dreaming. However, we live in an era brimming with opportunities; nobody really thought this kind of thing could be that popular, including the creators themselves.

Both being works by Qiong Yao, "Princess Pearl" felt like an unwanted stepchild compared to "Tears in Heaven." The latter boasted a star-studded cast, including Jiao Enjun and Athena Chu, who were well-paid and received excellent treatment. Qiong Yao herself frequently visited the set.

Meanwhile, "My Fair Princess," filmed at the same time, was produced by a completely new crew with little funding and poor treatment. Qiong Yao never even visited the production, controlling everything remotely over the phone. "My Fair Princess" was essentially a casual creation during a trip to relax; how could it compare to "Tears in Heaven," a work three years in the making? It was completely disregarded by Qiong Yao.

In the previous life, Li Tingyi, who was originally cast as Xiao Yanzi in "My Fair Princess", was not from Qiong Yao's company. However, she eventually withdrew due to scheduling conflicts, and Zhao Wei, who was originally cast as Ziwei, replaced her as Xiao Yanzi.

You asked why Qiong Yao was willing to film "Princess Pearl" if she didn't value it. The reason is her cooperation model with Hunan TV. She provided the copyright and fame, Hunan TV provided most of the filming funds, and then the copyright in Taiwan belonged to Qiong Yao's company. It was basically a risk-free deal.

This time, it will be a test of how much Qiong Yao likes Jiang Qinqin and whether she is willing to give the role of "Princess Pearl" to a maid who is unwilling to sign a contract.

It goes without saying how popular "My Fair Princess" was. If Jiang Qinqin could play the female lead, then Wu Yuchen really wouldn't need to worry about anything for her.

Although he himself didn't particularly like filming period dramas, that didn't stop Jiang Qinqin from taking advantage of the situation!
……

"Why won't she agree! Why won't she agree... Sigh!"

Qiong Yao sighed after being rejected by Jiang Qinqin, feeling that all her good intentions were misunderstood. She really liked Jiang Qinqin at first sight and wanted to make her famous!
He Xiuqiong came over to comfort her, saying, "Mom, don't be sad. She's still young and a student. She doesn't understand that it's hard to become famous without someone supporting her, and she doesn't understand your good intentions."

In today's entertainment industry, some people have works but no promotion, and it's hard for them to become popular. Even if they win awards, without hype or promotion, their fame simply won't spread. After all, today's media resources are not like the internet of later years, where fans and casual observers could spontaneously create buzz.

Then He Xiuqiong added, "I looked into the movies her boyfriend made, and they're still banned films that can't be shown in mainland China. Besides, most of the art films made by this kind of director don't do very well at the box office. She should understand in two or three years."

"I feel so sorry for her! How many more two or three years does one have in the prime of life?" Qiong Yao sighed repeatedly.

When He Xiuqiong saw Qiong Yao's expression, she knew that her mother-in-law had fallen into her serious obsession with good looks again, especially when it came to handsome men and beautiful women who caught her eye.

Seeing Qiong Yao's reluctant expression, He Xiuqiong's eyes darted around, and then she smiled at Qiong Yao and said:

"Mom, if you're reluctant, give Qinqin a role first to build rapport and leave room for future development. Didn't she say she likes something light and cheerful? Isn't 'Princess Pearl,' which you're currently writing, just right?"

Yesterday, Ouyang Yang said that if you're willing, they'd like to film "Princess Pearl" together.

Once "Heaven Has Tears" is released next year, she'll understand your good intentions.
"If she graduates next year, and we're lucky, we'll try to sign her then."

Upon hearing this, Qiong Yao thought of "Princess Pearl," which she was currently writing. She found it easy to write, but it was completely different from her previous melodramatic style. She wasn't sure how well it would perform in the market.

If "Heaven Has Tears" was her painstakingly crafted masterpiece, then "Princess Pearl" was just a casual, impromptu work. Perhaps, as her daughter-in-law suggested, she could choose a role for Jiang Qinqin, leaving a chance for them to work together. She genuinely likes this girl.

As for the role, it has to be the female lead, Ziwei. The crazy girl Xiaoyanzi doesn't suit the image of Jiang Qinqin in her mind.

Qiong Yao nodded first, then shook her head and sighed, "But who should Xiao Yufeng turn to?"

“If all else fails, I’ll visit Chen Derong in person again, reason with her and appeal to her emotions. She shouldn’t refuse out of consideration for our past relationship,” He Xiuqiong said.

"That's all."

……

"Princess Pearl, Ziwei, are you sure?" Wu Yuchen asked to confirm.

Jiang Qinqin nodded: "Of course it's true! Aunt Qiong Yao promised herself that her company's doors are always open for me."

Then she took out a very thin script: "Aunt Qiong Yao said she hasn't finished writing it yet, and asked me to take a look first."

After Wu Yuchen took the script, he flipped through it and found that it started with Ziwei searching for her relatives, just like "Princess Pearl".

Wu Yuchen clicked his tongue a few times. It seems that Qiong Yao really likes Jiang Qinqin's looks. Even if she doesn't sign with the company, it's still willing to give her a leading role.

"Should I agree this time?" Jiang Qinqin asked.

Wu Yuchen smiled and nodded: "I agree. I have high hopes for this 'Princess Pearl'. It will definitely be more popular than 'Tears in Heaven'."

Jiang Qinqin flipped through the half-written script: "How come I can't see it?"

"Trust me, but it's okay if you don't want to act. 'The Classic' will definitely make you a star, and a star all over Asia!"

Wu Yuchen is quite confident about "If Love Has a Destiny," but he feels that having "My Fair Princess" as a partner makes it better for Jiang Qinqin to have two legs to walk on.

Seeing Wu Yuchen's response, Jiang Qinqin agreed, "Then I'll agree to Aunt Qiong Yao's request."

Wu Yuchen watched as Jiang Qinqin went to call Qiong Yao.

What? You're asking what to do about Ruby Lin? Let her die!

Let alone Ruby Lin, he wouldn't care even if the core character Xiao Yanzi was replaced. If "My Fair Princess" was bad, so be it. It was just something he did casually anyway. He couldn't be bothered to make Wu Yuchen work so hard as a babysitter for someone else's project.

Lin Xinru has dark skin and isn't particularly outstanding in appearance, so she wasn't initially favored by Qiong Yao. In her previous life, after filming for more than a month, the crew sent the footage to Qiong Yao, who was furious and scolded Lin Xinru for being a blockhead with terrible acting skills, unable to even cry properly. She immediately wanted to replace her and had even bought her a plane ticket back to Taiwan.

At the time, director Sun Shuping mobilized the entire crew to speak well of Qiong Yao, and even asked Zhou Jie, who played Erkang, to find time to take Lin Xinru out for tea and chat to help her get into character. In the end, Qiong Yao let her off the hook.

As we all know, Zhou Jie was manipulated into following the rumors, and director Sun Shuping claimed that only Fan Bingbing had ever called him to greet him during holidays.

Wu Yuchen shook his head, and after Jiang Qinqin finished her call, he continued to discuss the script of "If Love Has a Destiny" with her.

"Qinqin, you will be playing two female protagonists from different eras, namely the mother and the daughter. Although both mother and daughter have the same introverted personality, the audience must be able to distinguish the differences. The expressions, actions, way of speaking and some small habits must be different, which you have to figure out yourself."

The most crucial element of this drama is the female lead. If Jiang Qinqin portrays the female lead well, then at least half the battle will be won. Therefore, Wu Yuchen meticulously analyzed the situation for her, breaking it down step by step. ...

"Director Wu, Director Wu, are you making a new movie?" Zhou Xun greeted Wu Yuchen as she walked in, then followed him around eagerly.

Since winning Best Actress at the Tokyo International Film Festival six months ago for her starring role in "We Two," her acting career has undergone a dramatic change. Before, she had to search for opportunities in various film crews, but now film crews are actively seeking her out, and some of them are offering her the lead role right away.

She has acted in two dramas in the past six months, one as the female lead and the other as the second female lead. Her salary and the treatment she receives from the production crew have greatly improved. She and her boyfriend Dou Peng have now saved enough money for a house, and the two are currently looking at houses.

She was already very grateful to Wu Yuchen, and his recent Best Director award at the Berlin Film Festival has made Zhou Xun even more enamored with him. She hopes to be involved in his next film.

Wu Yuchen nodded, making no attempt to hide anything:
"There is a new movie, filming this summer. However, the female lead for my movie has already been cast, so there's no suitable role for you."

This left Zhou Xun deeply disappointed, but she still lingered around Wu Yuchen, saying, "Director Wu, a supporting role is fine too, I just want to act in your movies~"

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "The second female lead is too insignificant and doesn't deserve you. Don't worry, I'll look for you if there are suitable roles in the future."

Then he saw Dou Peng inside the room and said with a smile, "Brother Peng, I'll have to trouble you with the arrangement this time~"

Dou Peng took the sheet music from Wu Yuchen, looked at it, and said, "I'll give it a try."

If the movie "If Love Has a Destiny" is rated out of 10, then its music should definitely take 3 points. The theme song and the movie complement each other and have created a classic.

He can change the soundtracks and theme songs of other movies to be different from the originals, as long as the soundtrack meets his requirements. But this is not the case for "If Love Has a Destiny". He really can't do without this theme song.

Therefore, Wu Yuchen also made preparations in advance, taking advantage of the free time now, even if it takes a lot of effort, to get the theme song out first.

He first contacted Sun Chuan, who had composed the music for him when he hummed the tune last time. The two spent a whole day composing the music, but Sun Chuan said that he was not very good at this kind of Western classical music and that it would be best to find someone else to arrange it.

Therefore, Wu Yuchen approached Dou Peng. Although he plays rock music now, he is a graduate of the conducting department of the Central Conservatory of Music. He started learning music at the age of 4 and is proficient in various instruments such as piano, violin, and cello. He also attended the affiliated high school of the conservatory of music and is very good at this type of Western classical music.

"Yes, the opening features cello, violin, and xiao, and the whole soundtrack has a symphonic feel, melancholic and sorrowful..." Wu Yuchen hummed as he made various requests to Dou Peng.

Watching Wu Yuchen discuss the music with her boyfriend, Zhou Xun couldn't help but feel a little sad. She wondered when she would get a suitable role for Wu Yuchen.

……

"Hey, isn't this Director Wu? Another new script?"

Inside the optoelectronics office building, a staff member who had met Wu Yuchen a few times before asked with a smile.

"Haha, the new script is still being finalized. I'm here today to see someone," Wu Yuchen replied politely.

"As expected of Director Wu, you already have a new script so quickly. Who are you looking for? I'll take you there."

"An intern, a network engineer, from the Department of Electronic Engineering at Tsinghua University."

The staff were surprised to hear this. They thought Wu Yuchen had come to discuss the script, but he had come to find a technical intern. However, they didn't ask any more questions and led him to the back.

Li Jian sat bored in his office, picking up his thermos for what felt like the hundredth time. He had been interning at the optoelectronics company for a month, but every day was incredibly boring, as if he could see the next few decades of his life laid out before him.

Li Jian was a prominent figure at Tsinghua University. He won first place nationwide at the university's winter camp with his song "Let Me Tell You My Heartfelt Words" during high school; first place in the first Tsinghua University Campus Song Competition; first prize in the Capital University Student Solo Singing Competition; and was recognized as Tsinghua's top guitarist, playing guitar for nine bands simultaneously. In 95, he performed in Hong Kong with the Tsinghua Art Troupe, and in 96, he won the gold medal in the CCTV University Student Song Competition…

His glorious achievements at Tsinghua University over the past few years are too numerous to count. Is he going to give up music in the future and spend the rest of his life backstage at the optoelectronics department, always carrying a thermos, newspaper, and magazine?
Just as Li Jian was lost in confusion, staring blankly into the depths of his mind, pondering the meaning of life:
"Li Jian, someone is looking for you!"

"Hey, here we come!"

Li Jian quickly put down his thermos and got up to go out.

"Director Wu, this is Li Jian. You two chat."

Wu Yuchen looked at the boy with a middle parting and delicate features who came out of the office and couldn't help but extend his hand with a smile, saying:
"Hello, Li Jian, my name is Wu Yuchen. I went to your school to look for you before, and I heard that you were doing an internship in optoelectronics, so I came directly to find you."

Wu Yuchen never expected that Li Jian, who later became a singer, would be interning in optoelectronics at this time.

Li Jian was taken aback for a moment, then immediately exclaimed with delight, "You must be Director Wu Yuchen! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Although he worked in the backstage of the optoelectronics department, he was still constantly reading film newspapers and magazines, and was quite familiar with Wu Yuchen, the industry heavyweight who recently won the Best Director award at Berlin. However, he wondered why a director like Wu Yuchen would hire an intern technician like him.

"I heard you sing once last year and I was deeply impressed by your voice. It was melodious and pure. I'm going to be filming a new romance movie and I'd like you to sing the theme song. I wonder if you'd be interested?"

"You want me to sing? Of course, of course I'd love to!" Li Jian felt a surge of excitement welling up inside him. Although he didn't know what to sing, the thought of being able to work with music made him involuntarily happy.

Then Wu Yuchen took out a copy of the lyrics and music and handed it to Li Jian:

"No rush. I value this song highly. You have six months to prepare. If you can sing it well, you can release an album and become a singer. It's also a way out if you don't want to work here anymore."

After Wu Yuchen finished speaking, he smiled and patted Li Jian on the shoulder, telling him that he could go and talk to Dou Peng more when he had free time on weekends.

Li Jian watched Wu Yuchen's departing figure, his heart filled with doubt. How did he know that he didn't want to work here anymore?

Immediately putting that thought aside, Li Jian went back to his room, sat down, and picked up the lyrics and music of "If Love Has a Destiny" to read. He was so engrossed in it that the lyrics and music intertwined and danced in his mind, and a mournful song was already playing.

In an instant, Li Jian felt a surge of sorrow in his chest. The lyrics and music of this song were so good that he couldn't help but want to shed tears!

Li Jian immediately got up and asked his boss for leave, then rushed out the door. He was so excited that he couldn't help but sing the song right away!

(End of this chapter)