Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 124 TVB Certification
Zhang Yan opened the courtyard gate, and sure enough, there was a man and a woman outside.

Zheng Jun held his guitar without saying a word, while the woman moved closer to Zhang Yan, pleadingly saying, "Junzi is just a bit stubborn, but he's not a bad person—don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him from now on and make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble."

"you are?"

“I am his girlfriend, Sun Feng.”

Zhang Yan glanced at Zheng Jun, then asked Sun Feng, "Didn't he say he was going to study abroad? What happened, his visa wasn't approved?"

"It's been approved, but he hasn't gone to complete the formalities."

Sun Feng explained, "I know he still wants to come to Dream Records, so..."

Zhang Yan looked at Zheng Jun again. This guy was also a bit of a nutcase. Although he looked up and met Zhang Yan's gaze, he wouldn't say a single soft word.

Seeing this, Sun Feng quickly added, "He actually..."

"Don't speak yet."

Zhang Yan raised her hand to stop her from speaking and asked Zheng Jun, "Can you obey orders?"

After a moment, Zheng Jun gritted his teeth and said, "Yes!"

"Okay, you should go apologize to Han Lei first—I'll register you for this competition. If you can make it into the top eight on your own merit, then we can talk about signing a contract."

After saying that, Zhang Yan prepared to return to the villa.

"boss Zhang!"

Sun Feng quickly stopped him, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Could you introduce Junzi to some work? Because he's not going to complete the paperwork, his family has already stopped paying his bills, and we're now..."

Turns out he's still a freeloader.

Zhang Yan subconsciously said, "Then you should tell Fourth Brother Guo... Oh, right, Fourth Brother has already gone abroad—then you should go to the Central Conservatory of Music and find Wu Tong, and tell them that I sent him."

Although the Reincarnation Band was not selected for "China Fire," they made a fortune by touring around the country, thanks to their reputation at the Central Conservatory of Music.

Sun Feng thanked him profusely, but Zheng Jun remained silent.

Zhang Yan thought for a moment and then said, "Go see Liu Weidong tomorrow. He has some business to attend to in Beijing, and he can give you a ride."

Then he closed the gate and went back into the villa.

Chen Hong kept peering out the window. When she saw Zhang Yan return, she asked Zheng Jun what he had come for.

"They're the ones who go back to their exes."

Zhang Yan recounted the conversation downstairs and then asked Chen Hong for her opinion: "Do you think we should sign him or not? I reckon that once this kid becomes famous, we might not be able to control his temper."

"We'll see when the time comes."

Chen Hong disagreed, saying, "We're not starting a record company because we share the same goals, but to make money. As long as he can generate revenue for the company, that's fine. At worst, we can just assign him a submissive manager and keep him out of contact."

“Darling, you see things so clearly. I think the record company can’t do without you.”

Don't flatter me.

Although Chen Hong complained, she really cared about the record company. Not to mention the company's talented singers, the project "Ode to Breasts" alone could probably bring the company profits for several years.

If things go wrong, the two of them might become millionaires through this record company!

Lying back in bed, Zhang Yan wanted to continue sending Morse code messages, but Chen Hong stopped him, saying, "Go to sleep early. We have to go help out when filming wraps up for 'Hair Messed Up' tomorrow."

Distracted, Zhang Yan turned the tables and complained irritably, "That lousy movie should have been finished long ago. I think Guan Hu just hasn't had enough of being a director and won't stop until all the money is gone."

This statement is not unfounded. In fact, the filming of "Hair Messed Up" was completed in early March, but because they had been frugal in the early stages, they still had nearly 3 yuan left.

So this kid started causing trouble, saying one minute that this part needed to be reshot, the next minute that the version needed to be changed, dragging on for another half a month.

Xu Fan ran away more than ten days ago, and Huang Lei also lost his patience. Only then did Guan Hu reluctantly announce the end of filming.

The next morning.

Zhang Yan and Chen Hong picked up Wang Luyao first, and then had breakfast together near the train station, while waiting for Xu Fan and Wu Yujuan to arrive from Beijing.

After sitting down at the restaurant, Wang Luyao remarked with emotion, "I didn't expect that even after Director Guan went through all that trouble, Sister Xu Fan and Sister Yu Juan would still be willing to come to Tianjin for the wrap party."

"They didn't come here because of Guan Hu."

As Chen Hong spoke, she deftly poured tea for Zhang Yan and herself, then handed the teapot to Wang Luyao. Wang Luyao took the teapot and chuckled. She naturally understood the reasoning behind it, but sometimes concealing one's shortcomings was a strategy, especially in front of the proprietress.

She changed the subject, asking with a mixture of regret and envy, "Mr. Zhang, Ms. Chen, are you really not going to accept TVB's invitation?"

After its success in Hong Kong, "Tianjin Wei" quickly gained traction in Singapore and Malaysia, and is now in talks with Thailand and Vietnam for collaboration.

As the first urban drama from mainland China to break into the mainstream, many overseas Chinese are curious about how mainland China has developed.

Although Taiwan has been unwilling to import it, pirated videotapes are already circulating privately.

Believe it or not, there are actually some overseas Chinese and Hong Kong businessmen who came to Tianjin to investigate the investment environment because of the TV series.

Seeing the show's popularity, TVB contacted Tianjin TV through Silver Screen, wanting to bring in the original cast to film a sequel and reap the benefits.

The Hong Kong film and television industry is currently at its peak, and only a handful of mainland stars, such as Gong Li and Li Lianjie, are still able to make a living.

Many people consider it a great blessing that the "Tianjin Wei" production team was chosen by TVB.

But Zhang Yan refused without even thinking about it—what good would it do to become a top screenwriter? Not to mention going to Hong Kong to live under someone else's roof.

He refused, and Chen Hong naturally followed suit. Since the female lead was not happy, the original cast could not be brought up.

This incident caused quite a stir in Beijing's social circles. Some said that Zhang Yan and Chen Hong were ungrateful, while others praised them for being tough and not losing face.

Whether it's praise or criticism, Zhang Yan has once again made a splash in the industry.

Xu Fan and Wu Yujuan agreed to attend the wrap party, most likely because they had heard about this and wanted to find out the truth in person, and also to build a relationship with Zhang Yan.

These days, the people who yearn for Hong Kong the most are actresses like them—now that Zhang Yan can promote them to Hong Kong, they naturally want to pay even more attention to them.

However, when Zhang Yan and the other two finished their meal and went to the waiting hall to pick up their passengers, they found that not only Xu Fan and Wu Yujuan had come, but Feng Xiaogang had also come along.

Are these two no longer hiding their identities from others?
Zhang Yan thought to himself, but said aloud, "Brother Feng, you didn't even give me a heads-up—tell me, do you want to sit on the roof or under the car? There's definitely not enough room for you inside."

"Fine, I won't go."

Feng Xiaogang laughed and said, "Can you recommend a place? After you're done, we'll have a good chat, brother."

"Chat? Chat about what?"

"The script, of course!"

Feng Xiaogang took a book out of his bag and handed it to Zhang Yan, saying, "Give this book your opinion and see if it's suitable for adaptation into a TV series."

It turned out he had something important to discuss with him.

"A Native of Beijing in New York?"

After looking at the book cover, Zhang Yan couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is this a sequel to 'Da Sa Ba', or is it a completely new story?"

"Of course, we should start from scratch."

Feng Xiaogang explained, "This was written by an old immigrant who made a fortune. I think adapting it into a TV series could also capitalize on the popularity of the immigration wave."

After a pause, he added triumphantly, "This time I'm not just a screenwriter anymore. The higher-ups have promised that if there's a good script, I can write and direct it myself!"

"Da Sa Ba" far exceeded box office expectations, while "The Story of the Editorial Department" was slightly inferior to "Tianjin Wei", but it still achieved remarkable results.

With these two films and television dramas, it would be unreasonable for the production center not to give Feng Xiaogang another chance.

"I told you you'd have a bright future this year."

Zhang Yan offered a compliment, then deliberately teased, "Why didn't you ask Wang Shuo for help?"

"If we really hire Master Shuo, will this job still be able to showcase my abilities? Stop talking nonsense, take some time to read some novels and give us some advice, don't tarnish the reputation of our idea company."

To put it bluntly, the reason Feng Xiaogang sought Zhang Yan's advice was because Zhang Yan was a member of Tianjin TV, and even if he got involved, he wouldn't overshadow the main figure.

But Wang Shuo is different. In addition to being a famous screenwriter, Wang Shuo is also the boss of a film and television company.

Therefore, Feng Xiaogang did not choose Wang Shuo for this new project, but instead approached Zhang Yan – after all, Zhang Yan is now a well-known screenwriter certified by TVB, and his reputation is not much worse than Wang Shuo's.

Zhang Yan understood what he meant, of course. He was busy with "I Am a Singer" and didn't have time to work on any film or television projects. It wouldn't be a big deal to lend a hand to Feng Xiaogang.

So he put the book away and said, "Alright, I'll flip through it during the day when I have some free time, and we'll talk when we meet tonight."

(End of this chapter)