Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 193 Supporting Character, Ning Ying

The setting sun cast a magnificent golden-red glow.

It was a brilliance that was about to be taken away by the autumn wind, which shone on Liu Yifei's eyebrows and eyes, giving her a soft glow.

She couldn't suppress the smile on her lips, looking exceptionally happy.

She then clamored for Wu Chen to invite Xiang Zhuo and the others, saying she would treat them to a meal.

After saying that, he took out his phone and made a call to Shu Chang.

"Changchang, are you free tonight? I'd like to treat you to dinner!"

On the other side, Shu Chang was sitting next to the lighting rig on set, resting her chin on her hand, looking at the set design.

"Grandma, I don't have time! We still have night scenes to film later!"

"Oh, okay, I was just about to tell you I landed the lead role."

"Alright, congratulations. Enjoy your happiness now. Sigh, my miserable life."

"Hahaha!" Liu Yifei laughed like the tinkling of bells when the wind blows through the falling leaves.

After hanging up the phone, she looked at Wu Chen again and said seriously, "Junior brother, are you sure you didn't give me the role because of you?"

"I'm sure," Wu Chen said earnestly. "Don't worry, Teacher Liu and Teacher Zhang have high hopes for you. I hope you won't let them down."

"That sounds so old-fashioned," Liu Yifei pouted, but her eyes crinkled into a smile. "Is this our first time working together?"

"Ah."

"Hehe, what do you guys want to eat later? Don't be shy!"

Wu Chen smiled and said, "Don't worry, there's no need to be polite. They said they were starving, and I was too."

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Liu Yifei casually asked, "So, who are you planning to cast as my mom?"

"Well," Wu Chen smiled inwardly, having already come up with a plan, and then said, "What if we asked Aunt Liu to act? Would that help you get into character faster?"

"Huh?" Liu Yifei was stunned, wondering if she had misheard.

“I’m serious. She doesn’t need to play complicated roles. She only has a few shots. In the play, she only needs to do one thing: play a serious and traditional mother who is strict with you.”

I think it's fine, and it might even help you get into character quickly in the earlier parts of the story.
Moreover, Mr. Liu will continue to serve as the acting coach for the production team, so there will be no problem with further refinement; on the contrary, it will allow him to play a role naturally.

Wu Chen's suggestion both appealed to Liu Yifei and made her somewhat worried.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to convince her."

"Try it first. If it doesn't work, I have other options."

In fact, Liu Yifei's worries were not a concern for Wu Chen at all, because he knew that Liu Xiaoli would definitely agree, as long as Liu Yifei asked.

As expected, when Liu Yifei asked her that evening, Liu Xiaoli didn't ask too many questions and agreed after thinking for a moment.

"Mom, you're so great!" Liu Yifei said happily, hugging Liu Xiaoli's arm and acting coquettishly.

This skill was so powerful that even Liu Xiaoli couldn't handle it.

"You're such a grown-up, why are you still acting like a child?"

Looking at Liu Yifei's happy eyes and thinking about her hard work over the past year and a half, Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

Liu Yifei's stubbornness is so much like her own back then, except that her stubbornness didn't bring good results. But this time, she hopes her daughter can go further and not be blocked by the walls of reality.

With filming for "Black Peony" drawing ever closer, Han Sanping couldn't help but suggest:
"Should China Film Group hold a press conference to promote the film in advance?"

In his view, with Wu Chen as a renowned director, Liu Yifei as one of the "Four Little Actresses," and the fact that it had been a year and a half of preparation and filming would have taken nearly two years, this was definitely an excellent publicity opportunity.

Even art films can cause a stir in the industry.

Wu Chen thought for a moment and shook his head: "Let's not. I'm afraid it will put too much pressure on the actors, which would be bad. We can promote it properly after filming is finished. Let's not put too much pressure on them beforehand." Han Sanping was stunned when he heard this, but what Wu Chen said made sense.

After all, Wu Chen's movies are currently at the top level in terms of attention within the industry. If they are to be promoted extensively, it will result in a large amount of exposure.

The exposure brought with it immense pressure.

Just like every "Zhang Yimou Girl" chosen by Zhang Yimou, the industry's expectations are exceptionally high. If she doesn't perform well, she will be labeled as the worst "Zhang Yimou Girl" in history, and the pressure is unimaginable.

Meanwhile, the autumn winds from Beijing's East Fourth Ring Road are blowing into the Asian Games Village business district.

The afternoon sun shines through the glass curtain wall of the Huixin Building, casting bright reflections on the ground.

The office area of ​​Starry Night Pictures on the eleventh floor looks particularly new. The reception area still has a faint smell of wood. Several unframed promotional posters lean against the wall, giving off a sense of "new life".

As soon as the door opened, two middle-aged men walked in.

The man in the lead had dark skin and a resolute gaze, and his every move exuded the caution and dedication of an old-school artist.

"Hello, we are from Ningxia Film Studio. This is our business card. Is your company representative here?"

Pang Hong smiled slightly and handed over his business card.

The receptionist quickly took it, glanced at it, and said, "Hello, Mr. Wu is not in his office today."

"Oh, no problem. Could you please pass on our message that we're here to discuss a project? If Mr. Wu is interested, please be sure to contact me."

Pang Hong nodded, his smile polite and his tone resolute.

He and his colleague Yan Zhihua then turned and left.

In the elevator, Yan Zhihua couldn't help but frown and whisper, "President Pang, is that Wu Chen's Xingchen Pictures? The company doesn't seem to have many people. Do you think he would even consider our script?"

They were rejected by Xiaoma Benteng, and after visiting many film and television companies, they were turned away by all of them.

Would a big director like Wu Chen pay attention to a small studio like Ningying Studio?
Yan Zhihua felt that the hope was slim.

Before he could finish speaking, Pang Hong patted him on the shoulder with a smile:

"Zhihua, anything is possible with human effort. We've weathered the toughest times. Have you forgotten how we lived in a tiny 15-square-meter room back in 02?"

"Let's move on to the next one," Pang Hong patted Yan Zhihua on the shoulder.

Looking back, when he was sent to Beijing by factory director Yang Hongtao to set up an office, he was truly penniless.

The entire Ningbo Film Studio was on the verge of bankruptcy. Not only was it broke, but it also owed more than 500 million yuan. It was a small, marginal studio that almost had its filming license revoked by the State Film Administration. Among the 37 state-owned film studios, it was probably second to last, if not the worst.

Now that the debt has finally been paid off, there is finally hope for a turnaround.

He was convinced that the script in his hands was the hope for the Ningbo Film Studio's revival, and that it had to be made into a film.

Around 4 p.m., Wu Chen's phone rang.

It was a call from the receptionist at Star Cinema.

"Mr. Wu, two guests came this afternoon. They claimed to be from Ningxia Film Studio and said they wanted to discuss a project collaboration. They left their business cards, which are already on your table."

"Ningxia Film Studio?" Wu Chen uttered these words softly, his tone tinged with surprise.

As if he had thought of something, Wu Chen hesitated for two seconds, "What did they say about the project?"

"I didn't go into details, but I hope we can schedule a time to talk in person."

Wu Chen nodded: "How about this, you guys contact them first and arrange to meet the day after tomorrow, or even later is fine."

Tomorrow's meeting with China Film Group and Enlight Media regarding "Black Peony" will have to be postponed by one day.

However, if he remembered correctly, this matter was not in a hurry, because no one in the industry would invest in it, since it was related to ghosts.
(End of this chapter)