Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 187 You need to act quickly. An ordinary evening.
As night falls, the summer breeze blows through the window, carrying a slightly sweet scent of grass, trees, and dust.

The moonlight quietly streamed into the room, casting a layer of silvery white light on the floor, shimmering slightly, like a watercolor painting that refused to remain completely still.

With a "bang," Shu Chang collapsed onto Liu Yifei's bed without any regard for her image, like a salted fish that had just been pulled out of the water.

"I'm so tired, I'm about to collapse."

She buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled.

"What's the big deal? It's just filming a TV series."

Liu Yifei laughed out loud, walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, gently pinching Shu Chang's waist, "Are you serious?"

The girl was slender, wearing a casual white cotton short-sleeved shirt with the neckline loose. Her hair was tied in a loose bun, and her cheeks were slightly flushed under the light, as if she had just taken a shower. A few strands of hair on her forehead were still damp.

When she smiles, her eyes crinkle at the corners, revealing an undeniable brightness.

"What do you know!" Shu Chang rolled over, staring at the ceiling with a worried look. "The scenes in this show are changing too frequently. It feels like we've filmed almost the entire capital city."

"And my lines are so silly, I'm really worried the audience won't be able to watch them."

"Magic Phone, the name itself sounds intriguing!" Liu Yifei said, resting her chin on her hand and smiling as she watched Shu Chang sing.
"Besides, isn't your name just 'Silly Girl'? Hahaha, anyway, I'll watch it, ratings +1 person."

"Ahhh"

Shu Chang hugged her pillow and shook her head frantically, then suddenly looked up at the calendar on the table. "Huh? What's the date today? -- Oh dear, it's the 24th already?"

Then he looked at Liu Yifei and said, "Your birthday is on the 25th. If you don't want to celebrate, then fine, but can't we at least have a meal together?"
"How about I film faster that day, finish early, and we go out to treat ourselves?"

"Don't bother yourself."

Liu Yifei lowered her head and said softly, "Just focus on filming, we'll talk about it next year."

Her eyes gleamed slightly under the light, and her tone was nonchalant, yet she avoided Shu Chang's gaze.

"Ok?"

Shu Chang tilted her head and stared at Liu Yifei suspiciously. "Did you...make plans to have dinner with your 'junior brother'?"

"No, no, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Liu Yifei immediately waved her hand, raising her voice slightly.

But for some reason, Wu Chen's words from that day inexplicably surfaced in her mind: "If it's not your birthday, we can just have a simple meal."

"Oh!"

Shu Chang saw through it but didn't say anything, then smiled and reached out to hook her arm around Liu Yifei's shoulder, "So when do you plan to win over your junior brother?"

"Changchang, what are you saying!"

Liu Yifei pushed hard, but she panicked first, and even her ears turned a little red.

"You think you can hide your little schemes from me?"

Shu Chang chuckled, "Let me tell you, you'd better make your move sooner rather than later. If your junior brother gets snatched up by some pretty senior or well-behaved junior, you won't even have time to cry!"

Wu Chen must be very popular at school.

"Humph!"

Liu Yifei puffed out her cheeks, her eyes slightly angry, looking like she was saying, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll bite you."

"Don't look at me, I meant 'possibility'."

"I won't listen! I won't listen! Shut up!"

Liu Yifei clutched her pillow and covered her ears tightly, but she couldn't suppress the emotions quietly rising within her.

The night was still quiet, and the wind was still blowing.

The moonlight, as clear as if it had been washed, fell into her eyes, revealing a layer of tenderness and a layer of shyness.

The following morning, domestic media outlets began reporting on the upcoming release of another major domestic work.

Yesterday, the signing ceremony for Wu Yusen's long-awaited historical war epic "Red Cliff" was held at China Film Group Corporation, officially transferring the project from Poly Huayi to China Film Group Corporation.

"I will use a simple and easy-to-understand approach to delve into the characters' personalities and the plot to portray that story. It will not be a rigid and formulaic approach, but rather a lively style that will make it acceptable to the audience and create a more humanized version of the Three Kingdoms."

I've discovered that human nature is universal, regardless of gender or age.

When I was filming "Face/Off" in Hollywood, I drastically changed 80% of the script, transforming it from a sci-fi film into a heartwarming story, and it was a great success. I believe "Red Cliff" will be just as successful.”

At the event, Wu Yusen spoke extensively about "Red Cliff," discussing his successful experience in Hollywood and his plans to replicate that success to help the film reach international audiences.

As a former top Hollywood director, Wu Yusen still enjoys considerable influence in the industry, and his statement drew a lot of praise from professional critics. Wu Chen's success story further boosted confidence, with many believing that internationalizing "Red Cliff" would not be difficult.

At least in Southeast Asia, it's not difficult.

Because many middle schools in Japan and South Korea include courses on the Three Kingdoms period.

Han Sanping called specifically, cheerfully saying, "Have you seen the report? China Film Group has completely taken over 'Red Cliff.' A huge investment of five or six hundred million yuan, are you really not interested?"
If you're not interested, I'll call someone else.

Wu Chen knew that Han Sanping was returning the favor.

After all, he essentially brought China Film Group on board with "Now You See Me".

He just wasn't really interested in "Red Cliff." Although the Japanese rights sold well and it did well throughout Southeast Asia, ultimately it didn't lose money. But the movie was truly an eyesore and had a lot of trivial issues.

Seeing that Wu Yusen mentioned a successful case, he changed "Face/Off" from a science fiction film to a heartwarming film, which was a great success, and he plans to do the same this time.
He finally understood why a great war drama like "Red Cliff" could deviate so drastically from its original direction.

It turns out the director was off-track from the very beginning.

"Mr. Han is a little short of money lately, never mind."

"I bought a floor in Huixin Building, and I plan to use it as a new office area," Wu Chen said casually.

"That's quite a generous gesture from you."

Han Sanping sighed upon hearing this, but didn't say anything. After all, an office space is a necessity, and it's a fixed asset that holds its value, so once it's bought, it's bought.

"Let me know when you're moving, and I'll come and support you."

“Okay!” Wu Chen smiled. After hanging up the phone, Han Sanping was thinking about who to recruit.

As dusk fell, the afterglow disappeared into the horizon of the capital city.

The sky was not yet completely dark, and the entire palace was enveloped in a layer of golden afterglow. The ancient branches cast layers of shadows, floating between the bluestone slabs and the eaves, like a freshly washed ink painting, so quiet that one could hardly bear to make a sound.

In the training room, Wu Chen, Liu Tianchi, and Zhang Jiqing sat together, drinking water and exchanging opinions on the scheduling issue.

"Training is going very smoothly so far."

Liu Tianchi closed his laptop and looked at Wu Chen, "Director Wu, has the official start date for filming been set?"

“Mid-November.” Wu Chen nodded calmly. “The production team will send out the official dates in a few days. We’ll try to wrap up filming in February.”

The three continued to refine and communicate the rehearsal arrangements until the sky gradually darkened and the shadows of the trees outside the practice room slowly lost their golden hue.

As I stepped outside, the last rays of the setting sun had finally disappeared, but the surroundings remained brightly lit.

Summer nights come slowly, with a few lingering streaks of blue still visible on the horizon.

Liu Yifei wore a beige short-sleeved shirt and light denim jeans, with her hair tied in a ponytail. The overall look was simple, yet it accentuated her slender and upright figure.

Her face was bare of makeup, and her skin had a slight redness from practicing martial arts.

"What would you like to eat?" Wu Chen smiled slightly. "You decide tonight?"

"Let's go to the food street near the school."

Liu Yifei's eyes lit up, and her tone became much lighter. "I haven't eaten for two months since graduation."

As she spoke, she gestured with a smile: "Before, Zhou Yang, Wang Jia, and I would go downstairs to grab a bite when we got hungry."

The streets around the school have become lively again as the start of the new school year approaches.

The streetlights weren't fully on, but the food stalls were already bustling with people, smoke rising, and fragrant aromas filling the air.

Like a schoolgirl after school, Liu Yifei happily browsed through the various stalls, taking home everything from ice jelly and barbecue to stir-fried rice cakes, as if she wanted to eat all the flavors of the street.

By the time I returned to the training room, night had already fallen.

Liu Yifei slumped onto the cushion and touched her stomach: "Just right, there's still room to eat cake."

After saying that, she opened the cake box, carefully cut it into two pieces, dividing them extremely evenly: "Here, half for you, half for me."

Wu Chen had to admit that he was really full now, and leaned back to the side, rubbing his stomach. "Let's rest for a bit before we talk."

"Ah."

Liu Yifei sat down next to him, hugging her knees, and rested her chin on her knees with a smile.

The room was small, and the lighting was soft.

The leaves outside the window rustled gently in the night breeze, as if the world had just been put on "pause".

(End of this chapter)