Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 642 Who is right and who is wrong? I no longer care to distinguish between the two. Further increase in equity?

In mid-May, the sea breeze on Gulangyu Island carries a warm, salty scent, caressing every corner of the island.

Sunlight filters through the dense foliage of the banyan tree, casting dappled patterns of light on the red brick walls of the old villa.

In the distance, the azure sea stretches out, with white waves tirelessly lapping against the shore, creating a series of melodious crashes.

The entire crew of "The Warmest Thirty Days of My Life" was immersed in this leisurely and romantic atmosphere, which was completely different from that of Shanghai.

Liu Yifei's recent mood is just like the weather by the sea, full of bright anticipation.

Because Wu Chen has already gathered several core departments, including art direction, cinematography, and special effects, for a meeting to prepare for one of the most romantic and crucial scenes in the entire film—the wedding of Shen Shi'an and Lin Zhiyao.

According to the script, this perfect wedding, which should have been held on the lawn by the sea, would be interrupted by a sudden storm.

All the guests were disheveled and miserable in the rain, but the male and female protagonists, oblivious to the chaos, laughed happily, creating an extremely romantic atmosphere of "the world is a mess, but having each other is enough".

During a break, Shu Chang took a glass of lemonade, sat down next to Liu Yifei who was reading a script, and nudged her gently with her elbow with a mischievous smile.

"What's wrong? You've been grinning from ear to ear these past few days, can't wait any longer?"

"nonsense!"

Liu Yifei's cheeks flushed slightly, and she immediately denied it, but her bright eyes were clearly filled with anticipation.

She lowered her head, pretending to be looking at the script intently.

"Come on, who are you trying to fool?" Shu Chang chuckled and stopped teasing her.

Meanwhile, not far away, Wu Chen and several department heads reached a conclusion in their discussion.

"The weather forecast says there might be rain next week," Wu Chen said to Park Song-il, looking at the weather data in his hand. "Let's prepare for both possibilities."

Let's wait for the heavy rain next week and see if we can film this scene with real footage. The natural rain scene, the light and atmosphere, are something that artificial rain simply can't match.

If the rain isn't heavy enough, or the timing doesn't match, we'll use artificial rainmaking equipment and blowers.

Perhaps influenced by his previous work on "Interstellar," Wu Chen seems to have developed a greater passion for location shooting.

He was captivated by the unrepeatable, freehand quality bestowed by nature, believing that this was the true charm of film.

However, when Wu Chen finished making his decision and sat back down in the rest area, he saw Liu Yifei pouting and looking at him expectantly, with a hint of barely perceptible grievance in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Wu Chen asked, somewhat amused.

"It's going to be delayed for several more days!" Liu Yifei complained softly, her voice slightly nasal.

His expression was like that of a child who had been looking forward to a toy for a long time, only to be told that he would have to wait a few days to get it.

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

Just then, Wu Chen's phone rang.

He picked it up and saw that the caller ID showed "Zhang Liangying".

He glanced at Liu Yifei beside him without making a sound, then casually answered the phone, saying "hello" as he slowly walked to the pillar next to him.

Liu Yifei was incredibly perceptive; she immediately sensed something unusual in his subtle movement, and a small suspicion quietly rose in her heart.

Because she clearly saw that when Wu Chen stood up, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Director Wu, we haven't been discovered, have we?" Zhang Liangying's voice on the other end of the phone carried a hint of excitement and nervousness.

Upon hearing this, Wu Chen felt dizzy.

No wonder he can get along so well with Liu Yifei; he's got a pretty thick skin.

"The song is recorded!"

Zhang Liangying is still in the recording studio in Beijing, listening to the master tape that has just been completed, and she is still feeling a little unsatisfied. "The song you wrote is really so beautiful. When I sang it, I was almost moved to tears."

"Thanks for your hard work." Wu Chen smiled. "I heard your new album is coming out next month? I'll buy you a whole stack of them then."

"Haha, no need for that." After Wu Chen hung up the phone and sat back down next to Liu Yifei, the latter was pretending to be engrossed in the script, and casually mentioned:

"Who?"

Wu Chen had expected this and answered without hesitation, "Oh, it's the movie's theme song. It was just recorded, and they said the effect is good."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei's slight suspicion vanished instantly.

The filming process is progressing very smoothly.

Dramatic films with a focus on dialogue are generally much faster to shoot than big-budget special effects films, especially when all the actors are in top form, making the process much more efficient.

……

Meanwhile, Shanda Literature's IPO in the US, after its initial fanfare, has gradually faded into silence.

Wu Chen was unaware of the specific progress, but a few days later, Wu Wenhui called first.

"Chairman Wu, Shanda Literature's IPO... may fail." On the other end of the phone, Wu Wenhui's voice carried an undisguised heaviness.

Although I had expected it, when this step actually came, it also meant that a new landscape was about to emerge.

He knew he should fight for it and give it a shot.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, Wu Wenhui looked at the dazzling night view below. He felt a little confused, but more than that, he felt an unprecedented determination.

Now, he can no longer distinguish who is right and who is wrong, nor does he care to do so.

He just wanted to get what he and his team deserved.

"What does Chairman Chen think?" Wu Chen sighed softly on the other end of the phone.

"Chairman Chen... he plans to try again."

Two days later, Chen Tianqiao finally called to inform Wu Chen of the approximate result.

In stark contrast to his previous high spirits, his voice now conveyed an unmistakable weariness, hoarseness, and frustration.

Chen Tianqiao described the outcome of his trip to the United States in extremely concise language.

The recent crisis of confidence in Chinese concept stocks in the US stock market is likely due to the fact that Wall Street investors have been unable to understand Shanda Literature's "paid reading" business model, believing that this model lacks room for imagination and the possibility of explosive growth.

"So, there's no hope of success?" Wu Chen asked.

"It's pretty much over this time." Chen Tianqiao's voice was filled with resentment. "Meilin Bank is already planning to withdraw. It'll be next month."

Goldman Sachs is still in business, but I plan to bring in CICC as an underwriter, postpone the IPO, and try again later.

He paused for a moment, as if he had made up his mind: "By the way, Mr. Wu, I plan to conduct another round of financing in preparation for the next IPO."

I hope... Starry Night Pictures can continue to follow up and increase its stake.

Chen Tianqiao's idea was simple: since Wall Street didn't believe in the "paid reading" story, he would use "IP film and television adaptation"—the only bait that interested them.
Starry Night Pictures is naturally the best choice.

He clearly understood the attitude of those investment banking elites from Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch last time. What they wanted to see was an "Eastern Disney," a story that could transform intellectual property from text into a complete ecosystem of movies, TV series, games, and derivative products.

"Sure." Wu Chen answered almost without hesitation. "30%?"

This number made Chen Tianqiao hesitate for a moment on the other end of the phone.

“Mr. Wu… 30% is too high.” He pondered for a moment and said, “Besides Xingchen, I may need to bring in another strategic capital.”

Okay, I can only offer a maximum of 25%.

A feeling of unexpected joy welled up in Wu Chen's heart, but his tone remained calm: "Okay. We can talk about it later."

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Tianqiao stood for a long time in front of the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city that represented the heart of capital, and exhaled a deep breath.
(End of this chapter)