Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 240 Jiang Wen's Cursing

Night had fallen, and the starlight of the capital city was hidden behind a thin veil of clouds, leaving only the window lights floating quietly in the shadows of the mountains in the villa area.

Around 11 o'clock, Wu Chen naturally had to bring Liu Yifei back.

Liu Yifei gently pushed open the entrance door. The room was quiet, with a floor lamp casting a warm yellow light. On the sofa, Liu Xiaoli was curled up, leaning against the backrest and flipping through a magazine. Hearing the sound, she looked up, her gaze sweeping over Liu Yifei, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"Why so late?"

"The dubbing took a little longer than usual."

Liu Yifei spoke naturally and changed her shoes unhurriedly, without blushing or skipping a beat. Her eyes merely glanced at the curtains, the floor, and the orchid by the lamp, but never looked directly into Liu Xiaoli's eyes.

Liu Xiaoli smiled slightly, shook her head, and didn't press the issue.

Liu Yifei blinked and looked at the shoes on the ground: "Hey, Mom, is Changchang here?"

"Yeah, didn't she tell you?" Liu Xiaoli looked at Liu Yifei in confusion.

The latter guiltily looked away; she had no time to look at her phone. She then smiled, walked around the sofa, and darted up the stairs, her steps even lighter than before.

The upstairs door opened, and Shu Chang was sitting on the edge of the bed, munching on potato chips, a pillow pressing against her legs, looking mournful.
"Sister, what's wrong with you? You came back so late. It's just dubbing, how could it possibly make you pregnant?"

"What nonsense!"

Liu Yifei's cheeks flushed crimson. She raised her hand angrily as if to hit him, but then smiled like a spring breeze rippling the water, displaying a mixture of shyness and delight.

Shu Chang shrank back a little, blinked her eyes with a look of knowing the truth of the world: "Holy crap, could it actually be true?"

"No!" Liu Yifei's face turned even redder, like the sunset had burned her cheeks, even the tips of her ears were pink.

She flopped onto the bed, buried her face in the cushions, and muttered softly, "Really... you're becoming more and more like a gossip paparazzi."

"Then tell the truth!" Shu Chang leaned closer to her and lowered her voice.

The two whispered a bunch of little secrets that only they knew to each other.

The secret between best friends is that every word they say can make them both completely lose face in public.

Shu Chang then opened her mouth slightly, her eyes lighting up: "You mean Wu Chen's villa is over there? No wonder. Do you want to live together?"

"I don't know!" Liu Yifei's eyes drifted elsewhere.

"No, you must know." Shu Chang leaned closer, her eyes filled with a suggestive light. "I don't believe Wu Chen didn't ask you. Isn't he graduating soon?"

The latter shrank back guiltily, but Shu Chang was right; Wu Chen had mentioned this earlier.

Moonlight shines on the eaves, and stars sink into the sky.

The sounds of the two young girls playfully teasing each other were like a string of wind chimes, tinkling in the stillness of the spring night, creating a gentle glimpse of time's most tender light and shadow.

The wind in Huairou still carried a hint of early spring chill, but the interior of the China Film Group post-production base was brightly lit by professional lights.

Wu Chen has been spending almost all his time here these past few days.

Color grading, mixing, audio track refinement, and sound effects design.
The post-production work is nearing completion, and the post-production process for "Black Peony" is finally approaching a crucial stage: rough cut.

Whether a film's plot is solid, its pacing balanced, and its emotions coherent all begin to take shape in this stage.

"Director Wu, we might be able to do a rough cut next week." The staff member replied, and Wu Chen nodded.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated slightly, and Wu Chen instinctively thought it was Thierry Frémaux or someone from Cannes again.

When the call connected, a familiar voice with a slightly smoky tone came through.

"Director Jiang, are you still doing post-production in France?"

"Yeah, they're still doing post-production here. The French are so troublesome. We've finished half of the post-production, and the colorist said he went home to have a baby, and the editor said he's going to Paris to see an exhibition for inspiration. I'm so damn..." "Don't swear so easily." Hearing Jiang Wen's barely suppressed voice, Zhou Yun scolded him from the side.

Wu Chen couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this, but it suited the French style perfectly.

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Wen spoke in his usual straightforward and loud voice: "By the way, Director Wu, the deadline for Cannes submissions is March 20th. Is that enough time? How's your film coming along?"

Wu Chen glanced at the sky outside the window, then looked up at the progress chart: "The film hasn't been roughly edited yet, so it's hard to say. What about you, Director Jiang?"

"Well, how should I put it, I have a bit of a connection with Cannes." Jiang Wen perked up as soon as he mentioned it. "I mentioned it to them, and they were very accommodating. It's okay if I'm a little late."

His film "Devils on the Doorstep" won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes back then, so this little thing is not a big problem.

"Director Wu, if you're running out of time, remember to call Cannes. You've won awards there before; try to buy yourself some more time. At least April should be fine."

"Hmm?" Wu Chen chuckled, his voice lazy. "No need for all that trouble. Cannes has already called us themselves."

".ha?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"Say what you just said again?"

"Well, Director Jiang, Cannes called me a few days ago."

"Beep beep!!!"

"Why did you hang up so quickly?" Wu Chen looked down at his phone, listening to the busy tone of the call being disconnected, and couldn't help but chuckle.

Meanwhile, in France, Jiang Wen was cursing and swearing, "Cannes is trash! They didn't even send an invitation for my film!"

Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Yun was completely bewildered by his sudden change of mood.

After learning the whole story, Zhou Yun was both amused and exasperated.

"Why did you hang up on Director Wu?"

"This guy is showing off in front of me, that won't do. I can tolerate other kinds of rudeness, but I can't stand this!" Jiang Wen said with a smile, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed.

"Actually, Director Wu has won quite a few international awards, including an Oscar recently. And since 'Black Peony' is a thriller, it's quite normal for it to be invited to Cannes."

"You do not understand!"

Jiang Wen shook his head. The three major film festivals each have their own pride. If they take the initiative to invite films, then it's not a problem with the films, but with the directors.

Wu Chen was busy with post-production, but he still received numerous phone calls about anything outside that even remotely related.

Regarding the collaboration between Yinghuang and China Film Group to establish a talent agency, Han Sanping also called to inquire whether Wu Chen had time to attend.

“We’re all behind-the-scenes staff, not in front of the camera. Even the media reporters aren’t here to see me. Jackie Chan and the others are here too,” Wu Chen said with a wry smile, shaking his head.

"Since the CEO of Yinghuang is here, we've spread the word about Xingchen Pictures' foray into the special effects field these past few days. There should be more interest from Hong Kong, since they have more special effects companies there anyway."

However, seeing that Wu Chen had no intention of communicating with Ying Huang, Han Sanping did not force him. Instead, Ning Hao inquired:

"Junior brother, they're casting for 'Crazy Racer.' Do you have any favors you can do for me? I have some roles available."

"Favors?" Wu Chen thought for a moment. He didn't owe anyone any favors. Even if he gave some to some partners, like Enlight Media, what artists could Enlight Media have to get involved in "Crazy Racer"?
"I have no one to turn down, so you should think it over carefully." Wu Chen smiled. "By the way, who are you planning to cast as the lead?"

"I think Huang Bo is good, what do you think?"

"If you think it's good, then it's good. At least the teachers at the school are happy that you used Huang Bo. But why does it feel like your movie is still using your old batch of people?"

"It's easy to use and I've gotten used to it!"

(End of this chapter)