Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 624 An Engagement Surprise for Liu Yifei (Two chapters later, due to the typhoon and severe writer's block, one chapter will be taken as a break)
The mornings in March are still chilly despite the warming weather.

The somewhat solemn gray office building of the Film Bureau woke up earlier than most other parts of Beijing.

The air in the corridor still carried the lingering smell of last night's documents mixed with the disinfectant used by the early shift cleaners after mopping the floor.

In the script review center, several reviewers had already brewed their tea for the day, some in enamel mugs or thermos cups.

The office was quiet, with only the rustling of papers turning and the occasional tapping of keyboards.

"Wu Chen's new notebook has been handed over."

A very soft whisper, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

The speaker was a young man who had just started working. He wore black-rimmed glasses and had a somewhat student-like reserved expression on his face.

At this moment, he was carefully opening a filing document that had just been delivered from the mailroom.

Though his voice was soft, it seemed to possess a certain magic.

For a moment, everyone in the room froze, their eyes fixed on the document in the young man's hand.

"What subject matter?"

A senior reviewer with graying hair adjusted his glasses and asked in a deep voice, a hint of barely perceptible expectation in his tone, "It won't be another case of us copying what's already on the market, will it?"

"How could that be? That's Wu Chen." Someone immediately retorted, their tone certain, "When has he ever followed the crowd?"

No one refuted this.

Within the industry, Wu Chen has never repeated the subject matter of his previous works.

Under the intense gazes of the crowd, the young man turned the cover of the filing materials outwards, revealing the film title printed in standard Song typeface, which clearly caught everyone's eye.

The 30 warmest days of my life.

"Arthouse film?"

"Judging from the name, it sounds like a love story."

"."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, their curiosity thoroughly piqued.

However, when they leaned closer and examined the thin few pages of the filing materials, they all let out a soft sigh in unison.

"Hey, I thought I'd get to see the full script, but it turns out it's just a story synopsis and character biographies."

Disappointment filled the air. But even so, no one could bear to look away.

They continued to read the limited text word by word, greedily trying to glimpse the new world that the young film master was constructing in his mind.

In today's Chinese film industry, although the tradition of seniority still exists, everyone verbally respects their elders;
However, in the minds of many practitioners, Wu Chen is undoubtedly the number one in terms of both business achievements and global influence.

"As expected of Wu Chen, he's playing with time travel." Someone was so engrossed in watching that they couldn't help but exclaim, "He's not going to the future, but going back to the past to correct his regrets."

Judging from the synopsis, it seems to be a very heartwarming and interesting story.

"I told you, Wu Chen is ultimately different from the other directors in the industry."

The young reviewer looked on with great interest and lowered his voice, saying:

"Unlike some people, who flock to create scripts for a popular theme, we've already approved several scripts for 'Guan Yu' recently."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the office laughed, and the atmosphere immediately lightened considerably.

The phenomenon of multiple "Guan Yu" projects clustering together in the mainland film industry is already a well-known industry joke.

Among them, the one with the fastest progress, "Guan Yun Chang" directed by the Mak-Chong duo, has already been scheduled for release in April, with promotional posters everywhere.

Wu Chen also saw that poster.

At that time, he was sitting in his study looking at the posters of the news report on his computer. Donnie Yen's Guan Yu in the posters did not look imposing at all.

However, the most eye-catching one was Jiang Wen's Cao Cao. With his brows furrowed and eyes cold, he did have a certain imposing presence, but that didn't stop Wu Chen from laughing at Jiang Wen on the phone.

"What's wrong, short on cash? Playing Cao Cao."

"What do you mean, 'shortage'!" Jiang Wen's gruff voice rang out from the other end of the phone. "It's a favor I owed him! It's from a few years ago. In this world, you always have to pay back what you owe. I didn't even take a penny from him!"

As Jiang Wen spoke, he started cursing and swearing: "To be honest, these Hong Kong and Taiwan directors really have some problems with their brains when it comes to making historical films!"
Can you believe it? In his book, Guan Yu almost cheated on his sister-in-law!

In the end, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Pfft, hahaha." Wu Chen couldn't hold back any longer and laughed so hard he was doubled over.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Liu Yifei was fully immersed in the preparations for her new film.

She held a preliminary guest appearance list that Wu Chen had drafted last night and was making phone calls to each of the names.

As Wu Chen hung up Jiang Wen's call and walked out with his water glass, he heard Liu Yifei speaking softly and with a smile into the phone in the living room:
"Yes, Qinqin, there's a role that's perfect for you!"

Clearly, the call was directed to Li Qin.

At this moment, in Rong Xinda's office, Li Qin was holding her phone, looking somewhat dazed.

Her agent, Li Xiaowan, stood to the side, watching the incredulous yet ecstatic expression on her artist's face, her heart churning with mixed emotions.

“Okay, okay.”

Li Qin covered the microphone, and Li Xiaowan was overjoyed after hanging up the phone.

"Director Wu's film?"

"Um, I guess I didn't ask Sister Yifei, right?" Li Qin realized at this moment that she had just been nodding and hadn't asked a single question.

"None of that matters. Even if it's not, it's still a good resource. But if it's Director Wu, then..."

Do you still need to hesitate?

If it were a movie by Wu Chen! Let alone a cameo, even a small role would be an opportunity that countless actors would fight tooth and nail for!

Although Li Qin is somewhat famous now, Rong Xinda doesn't have any film resources like that, so they can only rely on Li Shaohong, but the gap between them and Xingchen is huge.

"Sister Wan, this matter must not be revealed to anyone before it is officially announced!"

Li Qin was also aware of the importance of the matter, and then relayed Liu Yifei's instructions.

Li Xiaowan was taken aback, but then she immediately realized what was happening, and her expression was quickly replaced by a knowing seriousness.

She nodded vigorously.

"Qinqin, you'd better cherish this relationship."

At this point, Li Xiaowan shared all her life experiences with Li Qin.

Li Qin isn't stupid either. After entering this industry, she realized what kind of luck she had to be able to film Wu Chen's "Black Peony" back then.

Comparing Rongxinda's film and television resources, the gap is vast.

Meanwhile, seeing Liu Yifei still enthusiastically making her next call, Wu Chen smiled, knowing she probably wouldn't be finished anytime soon. He turned and went back to his study, picked up his personal phone, scrolled through his contacts, paused for a moment on a name, and then dialed.

At this time, Jane Zhang had just finished the nationwide promotional period for her new album "Change" and was taking a rare few days to rest in her apartment in Beijing.

She was lying on the sofa listening to music while wearing a face mask when her phone rang.

When she saw the words "Wu Chen" on the screen, she was slightly stunned and could hardly believe her eyes.

She and Liu Yifei are best friends and have a very good relationship, but she doesn't have much interaction with Wu Chen.

Although they had each other's phone numbers, Wu Chen never took the initiative to contact her.

She answered the phone with a puzzled look, and tentatively asked, "...Sissi?"

"No, it's me, Wu Chen." Wu Chen's calm voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Director Wu!" Zhang Liangying sat up abruptly from the sofa, her face mask almost slipping off.

She quickly ripped off the face mask, her curiosity piqued.

"I heard from Xixi that you just finished your promotional activities and returned to Beijing." Wu Chen's tone sounded relaxed. "There's something I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"Is it convenient for us to meet sometime? Oh, and don't tell Sisi yet."

"Don't tell Sisi?"

This special instruction instantly piqued Zhang Liangying's curiosity to its peak.

She thought for a moment and immediately said, "That's convenient! Director Wu, how about this, I have something to do at the 'Lejiaxuan' recording studio on the East Fourth Ring Road tomorrow afternoon, is that time and place okay for you?"

“Okay,” Wu Chen readily agreed.

The following afternoon, Wu Chen greeted Liu Yifei, saying he was going out to take care of some business, and then drove alone to the "Lejiaxuan" recording studio.

Liu Yifei asked casually without delving into it, since it was perfectly normal for Wu Chen to be so busy every day.

Inside the recording studio, Jane Zhang had clearly been waiting for quite some time.

As soon as Wu Chen entered the room, his eyes were drawn to the row of complex mixing consoles and various professional recording equipment in the control room.

He looked at it with great interest, and said with a smile:

"Haha, as expected, the equipment used for post-production processing of singers is quite different from the equipment we use for film sound effects. We don't seem to see these models in our post-production server room."

"Of course, everyone has their own expertise." Zhang Liangying smiled and stood up to greet him. "Director Wu, please have a seat. This place may be a bit simple."

"It's nothing." Wu Chen waved his hand dismissively and sat down on the sofa where guests were being entertained.

He didn't exchange many pleasantries, but instead took out a neatly folded A4 sheet of paper and handed it over.

"Director Wu, this is..." Zhang Liangying asked curiously as she took it.

“Sisi and I are getting engaged this year.” A smile appeared on Wu Chen’s face. “I plan to prepare a little surprise for her.”

These are lyrics I wrote a while ago when I was feeling inspired. I'd like to ask you for your help to see if you can set them to music.

He paused and added:
"If it works well, we might use it in our upcoming movie. Of course, even if we don't need it, we'll still need your help on our engagement day."

"Engaged?!" Zhang Liangying's eyes lit up instantly, her joy overflowing. "That's wonderful! Of course I have time, I absolutely have to have time!"

She was genuinely happy for her best friend, but at the same time, a deep sense of envy welled up inside her.

When will my partner have this kind of awareness?
There's no need for anything as romantic as writing a song; just a simple suggestion is enough to make her happy.

Suppressing her thoughts, Zhang Liangying turned her gaze to the piece of paper in her hand.

The paper began with two lines of headings, one in English and one in Chinese:
How long will I love you?

How long will I love you?

The name alone stirred something within Zhang Liangying.

She read on intently, because the imagery created by the lyrics was simply too beautiful.

The simple yet deeply affectionate words are practically tailor-made for weddings and vows.

How long will my love for you last? As long as the seasons continue to change; how long will we stay together? As long as the sea continues to wash the beach.

"Director Wu, you truly deserve to be called a top-notch screenwriter!" Zhang Liangying praised sincerely. "Simple words, strung together to create an absolutely wonderful atmosphere!"

She looked up, her eyes sparkling with professionalism, and asked Wu Chen curiously, "Director Wu, do you have the sheet music?"

"Ahem," Wu Chen coughed lightly, looking slightly embarrassed, "I'm not very good at this. But... I tried humming a tune myself, and it felt pretty good."

He wasn't formally trained in music and didn't understand music theory, so naturally he couldn't write musical scores.

But he knew this classic melody; it was the soul of the song.

As he spoke, he began to hum softly.

There are no fancy techniques, no precise pitch, just the most simple humming.

However, when the soothing, melodious tune with a strong folk flavor flowed from Wu Chen's lips, Zhang Liangying's expression gradually changed.

Almost instinctively, she grabbed the pencil beside her and quickly wrote down the vibrant notes in simplified musical notation on the blank space of the lyrics sheet.

It is simple, yet not simplistic; it is affectionate, yet not sentimental.

This song is better than all the title tracks on her new album "Change" that she has already recorded!
"Director Wu, Xixi also said that your singing talent is only so-so. Next time, I must criticize her for you and help you prove her right."

After Wu Chen finished humming, Zhang Liangying was immediately filled with righteous indignation. This was so wrong! What was wrong with it? Although his timbre was far from that of a professional singer like herself, his talent was amazing.

"Then I'll leave this to you." Wu Chen said with a smile, seeing her excited expression.

"No problem! I'll take care of it!" Zhang Liangying patted her chest and took full responsibility for the matter.

"Don't worry, I promise to give Sisi a huge surprise!"

The promotional period for my album is almost over, and I have plenty of time lately, so I'm definitely going to give it my all!
Consider this an early engagement gift from me, your friend!

Having achieved his goal, Wu Chen chatted for a few more minutes before getting up to take his leave.

After he left, the recording studio fell silent again.

Zhang Liangying sat alone on the sofa, looking at the paper filled with musical notes and lyrics over and over again, unable to calm down for a long time.

This song is imbued with a strong folk flavor and is filled with deep love.
It's perfect for couples who are in love and getting married.

"Engagement, marriage?"

She murmured the two words softly, a hint of daze and longing in her eyes.

Without realizing it, she took out her phone, unlocked the screen, and swiped her finger across the contacts, finally stopping at the name "Feng Ke".

Looking at that familiar name, the smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by a long, complex silence.

(End of this chapter)