Huayu: Serious director, who's eavesdropping on your thoughts?

"To find the dragon vein and divide the gold, look at the winding mountains. Each winding mountain is a barrier. If there are eight layers of danger at the gate, it will not go beyond the shape of Yin and Yang and the Eight Trigrams."

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Zhao Huaiyuan looked at the chapter he had just finished writing, picked up the goji berry tea beside him, and took a sip.

I don't know why.

He is currently in the body of someone under twenty years old, full of energy, but his daily routine seems to be stuck in his previous life.

I always sleep little and wake up early.

I've been so busy these past few days.

From the auditions and casting to the meetings, assigning tasks to each department, and working late into the night to dissect the script, I was constantly on the go.

Today is the only day with a bit of free time.

Make use of this little bit of time.

He needs to resume reading "Ghost Blows Out the Light," which has been on hiatus for several days.

This position cannot be lost.

After all, this work will become a phenomenal phenomenon spanning the publishing, gaming, and film industries, possessing terrifying dominance!

With this IP in hand, even if I don't claim to own the world, I'll definitely never have to worry about food or drink.

After checking everything and finding no problems, Zhao Huaiyuan clicked "Publish".

Page refreshed.

The post was pushed to the top of the Lianpeng Ghost Stories page.

He took a moment to check his inbox.

The novel *Ghost Blows Out the Light* is incredibly popular. Every time he logs in, hundreds or even thousands of unread private messages accumulate in the background.

I clicked on it and glanced at it casually.

Most of the messages were from readers asking about feng shui, requesting appraisals, and some even kept asking if his ancestors had really been in this line of work. One private message in particular caught his attention.

Sender ID: Northwest Lone Wolf.

The image is of a Mercedes-Benz with a tiger-head design and a stack of banknotes.

The letter contains the following content:

"Mr. Da Lantian! Greetings! I am your loyal disciple! After reading your book, I felt as if I had heard of it before and was enlightened!"

That's when I realized I'd wasted the last twenty years of my life! What was the point of just staying around those few dilapidated coal mines back home?

That's something only commoners do! Only tomb raiding and treasure hunting are the great undertakings that we, the heroes and heroines of the martial world, should be engaged in!

Sir, I can tell you are a reclusive master. You could never have written those Dragon-Seeking Techniques in the book without firsthand experience!

Sir, please accept me as your apprentice!

My family is so poor that all we have left is money. As long as you are willing to teach me the real skills of geomancy and bring me into the industry, you can name your tuition fee!

"Is 500,000 enough? If not, then 1 million! Cash! Pay upfront! Or you can come to Yanjing, I'll arrange a car to pick you up, and we can talk in person, okay?"

"A lone wolf from the Northwest?"

Zhao Huaiyuan chuckled. This guy is probably some second-generation coal miner or nouveau riche.

Having money but not knowing how to spend it, they were blinded by the chivalrous spirit in novels and actually believed that there were tomb raiders in real life.

Ha ha.

Besides, Zhao Huaiyuan was just a plagiarist; he didn't know anything about those things. He shook his head and didn't take it seriously.

He'd seen plenty of these hot-blooded rich kids; if you threw them into a tomb passage, they'd probably faint at the mere sight of their shadows.

I casually closed the webpage, shut down the computer, and got up to do some simple stretching.

He walked out of the office.

Huang Bo is having his makeup done today, and judging by the time, it should be almost time.

Just as I stepped out the door, my older sister, Zhao Xiaoyu, called.

It is said that Peng Xiaohua heard that he was making a movie and insisted on bringing a girlfriend to stay with him.

My sister didn't take leave this time because she wanted to have perfect attendance, but she did mention the girl Xiaohua brought, saying she was quite pitiful and had nowhere else to go.

Let Zhao Huaiyuan handle it. If he has the capacity, he can just give her any odd job on set. If it's too difficult, then forget it.

Zhao Huaiyuan casually agreed, saying it was nothing.

We arrived at the dressing room.

The room was quite lively. Art director Sun Li, director of photography Cao Yu, and assistant director Ning Hao were all there, pointing and gesturing at Huang Bo in the middle.

"Director, you've arrived."

Huang Bo saw Zhao Huaiyuan, gave a wry smile, and pointed to himself:

"You need to give me some advice. Teacher Sun insists I wear this. I told her I'm just a struggling tour guide who can't make a living, and if I dress so formally, I'll look like an insurance salesman."

Zhao Huaiyuan glanced at it.

Huang Bo wore a dark gray suit with a white shirt and a tie.

At first glance, it looks quite serious.

But upon closer inspection, it was full of flaws: the suit didn't fit properly, it was a bit baggy, and the fabric was shiny and looked cheap, like something you'd find at a street stall for a few dozen yuan.

But it's quite clean.

"This won't do, will it?"

Ning Hao chimed in, "I can understand the lower price, but isn't it a bit too clean? It's a bit pretentious."

Zhao Huaiyuan smiled but didn't say anything.

Sun Li was squatting on the ground, fiddling with Huang Bo's trouser leg. Without even looking up, he said:

"You don't understand. Our character is supposed to sneak into a museum. Look at this fabric."

He flicked his suit jacket, making a crisp snapping sound.

"It's made of pure synthetic fibers, not breathable, and very stiff. This kind of fabric has a characteristic that it doesn't reflect light well and easily creates a shiny, artificial look."

But what we want is a smug look; one glance on the camera and you know this person is broke, but still has to pretend to be respectable.

Director of Photography Cao Yu nodded. "Yes, and I just measured the light. The gray is quite good. Our film's tone is set to cool blue, and this outfit is good; it won't ruin the image."

The two of them spoke back and forth, using only jargon.

Zhao Huaiyuan nodded in agreement.

"Huang Bo, think about it. You're an unlicensed tour guide. If you dress too dirty or casually..."

Forget about receiving tour groups; museum security would kick you out the moment they see you.

You have to dress presentably so that foreigners won't bother checking you, and tourists will dare to go with you.

Seeing that he was still pondering, Zhao Huaiyuan continued:

"Wearing this suit is out of necessity, to make a living, but when we wash it until it's faded and iron it neatly, it shows the dignity of us Chinese people."

Despite our difficult circumstances and being at the bottom of society, we remain steadfast in our poverty and unwavering in our lofty aspirations.

This is something ingrained in the Chinese people, and it's the spirit that descendants of Yan and Huang should have when they're out there striving for success.

Huang Bo was stunned for a moment, but quickly figured it out.

"Understood."

He was a smart man, quick to understand. He stood in front of the mirror, forcing a professional smile.

"Um...hello everyone, I'm your tour guide, Zhang. This way, please, watch out for the steps..."

In that instant, the feeling of a nobody trying to live a decent life but unable to hide their predicament suddenly came to the fore.

Sun Li, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh: "Hey, that's right, this outfit is practically alive now."

Zhao Huaiyuan laughed too, "Alright, stop posing. Lao Cao, let's start the test run. Huang Bo, walk around a bit and see how the material reflects light when it moves. If there are no problems, then we'll go for it."

"Alright, give it a backlight, let's get started." Cao Yu responded and told his assistant to turn on the camera.

After a while.

The test footage is in, and it looks great. The clothes seem to be a natural part of the character; they fit perfectly.

Zhao Huaiyuan clapped his hands and said, "Alright, now that the makeup is done..."

Let's rest for a while after we finish eating. We'll meet in the conference room promptly at 2:30 PM for the script reading (Version A).

"Inform Director Zhang that all core members of the creative team must be present when the time comes."

..

"To find the dragon's vein and divide the gold, look at the winding mountains; each winding path is a barrier..."

In ancient times, people would study late into the night, reading the classics of sages and seeking to pass the imperial examinations with flying colors.

Today, there's a young man named Chen who spends his lunch break at a KTV, reading about tomb raiding and gold robbing, seeking only to appear cultured.

Yanjing, a private club.

On the leather sofa, Chen Feng, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, was engrossed in reading.

Yes, he is reading.

However, the book was a thick stack of A4 paper. He had his secretary specially download "Ghost Blows Out the Light" from the Tianxia Forum and print and bind it in the largest font size.

There's nothing we can do; he's a die-hard fan.

He just couldn't get used to the computer screen; it was too tiring for his eyes.

Around 2002, it was indeed a real and not uncommon phenomenon to read online novels printed on A4 paper.

While not a common or mainstream practice, this is very popular among certain groups of people.

Chen Feng was the same way. In addition, he had a headache since he was a child, and he couldn't read a single word of serious books.

Now, he has printed out this exciting novel and is holding it in his hand. Not only does it keep him awake while reading, but it also gives him the feeling that he is reading extensively.

wonderful!

Chen Feng tapped his fingers lightly on the paper, swaying his head as he read, a look of profound understanding on his face:

"Absolutely wonderful! This book is so realistically written. The method of finding the dragon vein and dividing the gold by looking at the winding mountains is exactly the same principle as my grandfather's method of finding coal mines."

Hu Bayi is clearly a representative of our pragmatic people, and Da Lantian is definitely a master!

Just then, the door to the private room was gently pushed open.

Chen Feng snapped out of his reverie, looked up, and saw Li Qingrou. He put down the manuscript in his hand.

"Qingrou, what's wrong?"

Li Qingrou's eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying. She took out a velvet jewelry box from her bag and pushed it in front of Chen Feng.

"Young Master Chen, this diamond necklace is too valuable. Please take it back. I didn't get that role, so I'm ashamed to accept your gift."

Chen Feng was stunned. This was something he had just brought back from Hong Kong last week, worth tens of thousands.

Look! Everyone, take a look!

These days, which woman isn't greedy for money? Only Li Qingrou, despite spending so much money, wouldn't even let anyone touch her hand, and even took the initiative to return the gifts after being wronged.

What a virtuous and chaste woman!

"Nonsense! You can't take back something you've already given away!"

Chen Feng asked suspiciously, "Who pushed you out? With your qualifications, is there anyone in this industry better or more innocent than you?"

"It's not anyone else's fault, it's my own fault for being so immature..."

Li Qingrou bit her lower lip:

"I thought acting only required good acting skills, but that director... he probably prefers obedient actors."

"Young Master Chen, I'm sorry. Although I lost, I don't want to end up like that little girl, staying in the director's room late at night to practice acting..."

This move, a feint of retreat, instantly ignited Chen Feng's anger.

"Director? Which director? Daring to pull this trick on me, Young Master Chen?"

Li Qingrou's audition was actually funded by him, but he didn't tell the other party.

What I want is the feeling of being a behind-the-scenes hero.

Given Li Qingrou's qualifications, he felt that if he could escort her all the way to the final interview,

This eliminates the various unexpected factors that could cause a gem to be overlooked, such as the initial review and subsequent interviews.

So you should have been able to win the role based on your own strength, but now you've been ruined by someone using underhanded methods?

"His name is Zhao Huaiyuan..."

Li Qingrou said timidly, "I heard he's a freshman director. Everyone's saying he kept her here so he could personally teach that girl..."

"Zhao Huaiyuan? Hands-on?"

Chen Feng was stunned, and then became very angry.

Although he didn't know this person, this touched the bottom line of what he considered to be the code of honor among the martial arts world.

"Snapped!"

Chen Feng slammed his hand hard on the manuscript of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" and cursed:

"Damn it! We're both involved in culture, but the difference is so huge! Look at Mr. Lan Tian, ​​with his broad vision of the beautiful landscape, he's a true master. And look at this Zhao Huaiyuan... his mind is full of lewd thoughts! He's a disgrace to our generation of cultural figures!"

He immediately took out his phone and dialed a number:

"Old Zhou, contact a few newspapers and have them expose a director named Zhao Huaiyuan. Write about how he abused his power to psychologically control naive young girls."

No need, don't write the woman's name, she's a victim too. Just target Zhao Huaiyuan, I'll make sure his movie is ruined before it even gets released!

Li Qingrou said, "Young Master Chen, don't be impulsive. What if they're just acting? It's my fault, not anyone else's."