Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 325 Name Change, Waiting

Early in the morning, the sky over Beijing was already bright. A thin mist, like a veil, shrouded the streets of Chaoyang District. The wind was chilly, causing the branches of the roadside trees to tremble slightly.

Beside the newsstand, several young people in cotton-padded coats were looking at the newly arrived paper newspapers and magazines, their fingers still cold as they turned the freshly printed pages that smelled of ink.

"It's going to snow soon." Wu Chen got out of the car, rubbed his fingers together lightly in his palm, looked up at the sky, and muttered to himself.

His gaze swept across the newspaper and he saw a prominent headline on a passerby's newspaper, which also had his name on it.

He knew without even guessing that it must have been the same things he said at the premiere.

Wu Chen smiled and walked straight into the nearby office building—Xiantao Digital.

The newly painted glass at the company entrance gleamed with a bluish-green reflection in the morning light, and the receptionist quickly stood up and bowed to greet him as he entered.

He came here for two reasons. First, to check on the progress of the special effects for "Painted Skin". Lu Yang told him that the special effects for "Painted Skin" were almost finished, and there were probably only one or two more to go before completion.

Secondly, it's about the renaming of Xiantao Digital, since the time is almost up.

Inside the meeting room, the receptionist had already served two cups of hot tea.

A wisp of steam rose from the white porcelain cup, filling the air with the aroma of tea, creating a striking contrast with the chill outside.

Sunlight streamed obliquely through the half-open blinds, casting soft and dignified shadows on the edge of the conference table.

Zhu Jiaxin sat opposite Wu Chen. Upon hearing Wu Chen's words, she held the rim of her teacup with a complex expression on her face.

He knew this day would come sooner or later.

"When did Chairman Wu set the date?"

“Before the release of ‘Painted Skin’.” Wu Chen took a sip of tea. Xiantao Digital is ultimately a thing of the past; it can’t stay that name forever.

"I understand. We also have to thank Chairman Wu for the smooth transition this past year; otherwise, the brothers would all be scrambling to find work."

In the end, Wu Chen saved Xiantao Digital.

He knew very well that if things continued to develop like this, there was a high chance that the company would go bankrupt and be completely acquired. Most of the people working for them would have to find new jobs. The current situation was already much better, and he still had a small share of the company.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wu Chen personally went to the special effects studio to check out the latest footage of "Painted Skin".

The screening room was so quiet that you could almost hear the faint hum of the equipment running.

The lighting was dim; the only light was the image on the screen in front of us.

Xiao Wei sat alone in the room. The dark red gauze curtains swayed gently with the breeze seeping through the window cracks. A dim oil lamp lit the room, casting a warm yet unsettling glow.

She turned slowly around with her back to the camera.

Her face remained that of a pure and ethereal young girl, with ethereal eyes and slightly pale lips.

However, as she approached the bronze mirror and gazed at herself in the light, the entire scene began to be shrouded in a repressive and ominous atmosphere.

Then, she raised her hand.

Her fingers, which should have been slender and delicate, had their nails subtly deformed in an instant, curling up like an animal's claw.
"Stab!"

There was no blood, no pain, only a very thin, smooth layer of human skin.
The fine hairs, skin textures, and seams at the base of eyelashes are all rendered with high-precision CG effects, making them incredibly lifelike and seamless.

As the last piece of the "face" fell into the basin, the camera slowly zoomed in.

Wu Chen sat behind the screen, his gaze intense, his fingers lightly tapping his knee: "Not bad."

Compared to the somewhat rough transitions of the original, the current version is more delicate, more oppressive, and more realistic, with a strong sense of texture.

Moreover, the previous "Painted Skin" films always had a somewhat petty feel, while this one is much more substantial. The overall scenes have this feeling.

Lu Yang was very excited.

I didn't expect his first film to be such a big production, and the quality seems amazing. I couldn't wait to ask, "Director Wu, post-production should be completely finished by early March. When do you think would be a suitable time for the release?"

"The timing," Wu Chen thought for a moment. "How about this, to avoid the Olympics, either go for the summer vacation in June or July, or closer to National Day, just not during the Olympics."

Releasing the film during the Olympics would be suicidal. With the entire nation focused on only one thing, even the best film would lose half its appeal.

"understand!"

"Well, you should discuss this with Producer Pang, Xiang Zhuo, and Chen Guowei. Shanghai Film Studio probably also has its own ideas and opinions, so you should communicate with them more. The final decision is up to you."

"Understood. By the way, Director Wu, I just heard that Producer Pang has been promoted. It seems he was promoted just a couple of days ago. He's now the deputy director of Ningbo Film Studio."

"Oh!" Wu Chen's eyes lit up. The promotion might have happened a couple of days ago, but the decision to finalize the promotion couldn't have been made a couple of days ago. He then patted Lu Yang on the shoulder.

"Next time Director Pang comes over, let him treat us to a meal. He didn't even tell us beforehand about something so important."

"Haha, good!"

"."

In the evening, entertainment media, industry insiders, and some movie fans and netizens alike seemed to be looking forward to it, creating a lively atmosphere.

Because many media outlets had been building up the atmosphere for the past two days, and with "Black Peony" making it into the top nine, many people knew that the final Oscar nominations would be announced tonight.

Just like "Hero" five years ago, it has garnered a great deal of attention.

Night quietly descended outside the window; the sky over the capital was a grayish-white, and a hint of snow seemed to float in the air.

The heating in the villa was on full blast, yet the living room was unusually quiet.

The television was off; instead, a laptop sat on the coffee table, its screen lit up, displaying the Oscars website homepage at 22:08 PM.

Liu Yifei nestled in the sofa, wrapped in a thin gray fleece blanket, wearing loose-fitting dark blue cotton loungewear.

She seemed somewhat absent-minded, yet focused. While refreshing the page, she picked up a peeled mandarin orange segment from the glass fruit bowl on the coffee table and put it in her mouth. As she took that bite, the juice spread between her lips and teeth, but she barely noticed the taste, only muttering softly:

"Why hasn't it been released or announced yet?"

Beside him, Wu Chen was leaning back on a single sofa, holding a popular science book in his hands, titled "Black Holes and Time Warps".

The pages were worn and the cover had lost its shine; it was Kip Thorne's bestselling theoretical book.

Rather than being excited or anxious, he seemed almost relaxed.

"Junior brother, how come you're not nervous at all?" Liu Yifei couldn't help but turn to stare at him.

"Will being nervous help you get another nomination?" Wu Chen smiled lightly at her, his eyes never leaving the pages of the book.

"Hmph," she snorted softly, then simply sat cross-legged, clasped her hands together, and made a gesture of prayer towards the air, muttering to herself, "Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Actress, please. Make a wish."

Upon seeing this, Wu Chen couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't laugh!" Liu Yifei's cheeks flushed slightly. She raised her hand and threw a cushion from the sofa at him, which he easily caught.

On the other end of the computer, the webpage finally started to redirect.

(End of this chapter)