Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 609 The Warmest Thirty Days of My Life
As night deepened, the study in the Shunyi villa was brightly lit.

On the huge desk lay a brand-new notebook, and Wu Chen sat at the desk, his pen scratching across the paper.

He didn't type it directly on the computer; for a film like this that required pouring in personal emotions, he preferred to write it in the most raw, unfiltered way.
Liu Yifei was wearing a pink bunny pajama set, hugging a Totoro pillow, curled up next to it.

Because the script required a lot of everyday life details, she would offer her suggestions from time to time.

Wu Chen sometimes adopted his suggestions, and sometimes he didn't.

When her suggestion was rejected, Liu Yifei's little mouth immediately puffed up, like an adorable pufferfish.

She didn't say anything, but picked up a potato chip and stuffed it into Wu Chen's mouth without saying a word, as if expressing her "dissatisfaction" in this way.

Wu Chen opened his mouth to catch it, both amused and exasperated, and the crunchy texture spread in his mouth.

Looking at her puffed-up yet adorable expression, he couldn't help but chuckle.

Although it uses the script of "Time Traveler", there are still many aspects that need to be localized.

After a long while, Wu Chen finally put down his pen, let out a long sigh of relief, and decided to take a break.

He turned his head and saw Liu Yifei looking at him with bright eyes, a few potato chip crumbs still stuck to the corner of her mouth.

"Let's look at the overall picture."

He smiled and waved.

The basic framework of the story has been completed in the notebook, and the character biographies of the male and female protagonists have been detailed.

Liu Yifei leaned closer and looked at it very intently.

The male lead's name has been decided as: Shen Shi'an.

Punctual and stable
It perfectly matches the male lead's personality and is also related to time.

The female lead's name is Lin Zhiyao.

The fragrance of angelica blossoms, a glimpse into the future.
"Junior brother, I've discovered you're really good at naming things," Liu Yifei murmured, feeling a sense of amazement.

Wu Chen smiled and gestured for her to continue reading.

The character of the female lead, "Lin Zhiyao," was almost tailor-made for Liu Yifei.

The biography states:

"She is like a wind blowing from a small southern town, carrying salty and humid air, warm and healing."

She possesses an unadorned purity, her eyes shine with light, and her smile is sweet.

She's not perfect; she gets lost, she can be a little absent-minded, and she shows genuine satisfaction when she eats delicious food.

But she is the embodiment of all that is beautiful, the light that the male protagonist is willing to reverse time and time again to protect.

As Liu Yifei read this text, her cheeks flushed slightly, but her heart felt as sweet as if it were filled with honey.

She knew that this was less about writing a character and more about writing about how he saw her.

"The female lead is a good fit for you; you can just play yourself," Wu Chen said with a smile.

The female lead in "Time Traveler" is the "light" of the entire film; she is beautiful, kind, warm, and healing.
"What about the male lead?"

Liu Yifei murmured as she looked at the biographical sketch of "Shen Shi'an".

It reads: "A gentle, kind, and even somewhat socially awkward ordinary man, not good with words and often unable to express himself clearly. He is used to using silence to conceal his inner turmoil, and his deep affection is hidden in the details."

Liu Yifei couldn't help but burst out laughing as she read the description.

She stretched out her slender finger and gently poked Wu Chen's cheek, then smiled and "lecturing" him:

"This is so different from who you are. Can you even act like that?"

Wu Chen immediately became unconvinced and very confident:
"Hmm? Every good director is also the best actor."

Because we need to mentally rehearse every single character's role.

"That's what they say, but whether it can be put into practice is another matter."

I remember when we were filming "Black Peony," you were giving me acting instructions, but when you demonstrated it yourself, your eyes widened like saucers, which made Qinqin and me laugh.

In their private world, Liu Yifei didn't hold back and exposed Wu Chen's true colors.

Wu Chen wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear:
"That's because you're the only female lead in my scenes. How can I act a breakdown when I see you?"

These unexpected sweet words made Liu Yifei's ears turn red instantly.

She gently pushed him away, but her gaze returned to the notebook.

At the very top of the title page, Wu Chen wrote a title in beautiful handwriting.

The 30 warmest days of my life!
"The movie title?"

"Ok!"

Wu Chen nodded.

In his view, the translated titles such as "About Time," "Back to the Day I Loved Most," and "True Love Every Day" failed to fully capture the core essence of the film, which is about "cherishing."

He didn't explain why he chose that name, and Liu Yifei didn't press him for an answer.

She believes that once she finishes filming this movie, she will naturally understand all the meanings hidden in the name.

This tacit understanding needs no words.

While Wu Chen was still writing a new script, the box office of "Love is Not Blind" was still soaring.

As the best-received film during its release period, it far surpassed the Hollywood film "The Green Hornet" starring Jay Chou. The latter performed poorly at the box office, and is estimated to hover around 100 million yuan.

Shu Chang has indeed become famous; she calls every few days, wanting to invite the two of them to dinner.

However, neither Wu Chen nor Liu Yifei paid any attention to her; the script was the priority.

Just then, Chen Tianqiao called with news about Che Guevara.

"Liu Yong wants to talk to you," Chen Tianqiao said directly.

"How about tomorrow? I'll go to Shanghai?"

Wu Chen didn't intend to drag things out.

This move by Gewara is crucial to Star Cinema's future ticketing platform strategy, and the sooner it's finalized, the better.

The two quickly finalized the agreement.

However, Chen Tianqiao later replied that he would not be present tomorrow because Liu Yong wanted to talk to Wu Chen alone.

"interesting."

Wu Chen smiled and didn't pay much attention.

A person with passion and ideals is actually the easiest to move, because passion and ideals are both their armor and their weakness.

The next day, Wu Chen flew to Shanghai early in the morning.

In the afternoon, he met Liu Yong, the founder of Guevara, at an independent café in an old villa converted from a traditional house near Dongchuan Road in the MH district.

Liu Yong was even more of a "product manager" than he had imagined.

Wearing a slightly faded plaid shirt, black-rimmed glasses, and a backpack, he exuded the meticulousness and stubbornness characteristic of a technologist.

They seem to harbor a natural wariness towards capital.

Wu Chen could understand this vigilance.

If Xingchen ever needs to raise funds, he will use the same scrutinizing eye to select like-minded partners.

"Mr. Liu, Xingchen Pictures, Wu Chen."

Wu Chen smiled and extended his hand, "What would you like to drink? I haven't ordered anything, since I don't know what Mr. Liu's tastes are."

"Mr. Wu, you've arrived earlier than I expected."

Liu Yong was a little surprised. He had arrived half an hour early, but the other person was even earlier than him.

"I had nothing else to do, so I came to take a look first," Wu Chen said after a pause, in a more relaxed tone.

"By the way, Mr. Liu, I have a habit of preferring to be called 'Director,' you know, that's how we are in the film and television industry."

"Director Wu, I understand, I understand!" Liu Yong immediately smiled, feeling much closer to him. "Many directors like to be called that, they don't like being called something like 'General Manager' or 'Chairman'."

Although he runs a ticketing platform, and others always thought he was just a ticket seller, he always believed that he was in the film and television industry.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Liu Yong got down to business:
"Director Wu, I know Xingchen Pictures' standing in the industry. But I'd like to know, why did you choose our platform?"

It can't be a purely financial investment, can it?

Wu Chen didn't rush to answer, but instead started talking about another platform.

"Mr. Liu, do you know that in the United States, there is a website called 'Rotten Tomatoes'? It doesn't sell tickets, it only does film reviews. But its ratings can directly affect a movie's box office performance."

Why? Because behind it lies a core group of users who truly understand and love movies. Their word-of-mouth is a market indicator.

Wu Chen looked at Liu Yong and continued:
"I see the potential in Che Guevara to become the 'Chinese Rotten Tomatoes,' of course, Che Guevara sells movie tickets."

But your interface is very clean, you insist on being a high-quality film review community, and you care about the user experience.

These things that many investors consider 'unprofitable' are, in my view, a very unique asset.”

Although his words carried a hint of negotiation skills, Wu Chen's respect for this sentiment was genuine.

A hint of emotion flickered in Liu Yong's eyes.

He felt that this top director, who was even younger than himself, understood his "sentiments" so profoundly.

"Therefore, I am not here today as a financial investor."

Wu Chen presented his cooperation proposal: "I'm here as a 'strategic partner.' Xingchen can bring three things to Guevara, and I plan to lead this round of investment."

"First, the most core content."

For all future films produced by Starry Night Pictures, Gewara can serve as the exclusive online pre-sale platform and a core fan interaction platform.

This means that the highest quality and most core movie-watching users will flow to you first.
Second, the most accurate data.
Third, cooperation with cinema chains. I know this is a breakthrough point that Guevara has been searching for, but Xingchen will help you open that door.”

Wu Chen's three sharp moves hit Liu Yong right where it hurt.

What he wanted, Wu Chen could not only give, but also give more and understand him better.

This is no longer just an investment plan; it's practically a ladder to help Guevara take off.

Liu Yong looked at Wu Chen, his eyes filled with shock and excitement.

He adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and remained silent for a long time.

He knew that no transaction was without reason; the other party must have offered equivalent terms.

"Director Wu, what are your conditions?"

(End of this chapter)