Huayu: Returned Overseas Chinese

After seeing off the relevant leaders, Chen Jingming and Liu Yifei took a walk in the courtyard of the guesthouse.

Liu Yifei turned her head, looked at Chen Jingming with admiration in her eyes, and praised him:

"Jingming, you were amazing just now!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming paused slightly, a smirk playing on his lips, and said jokingly:

"Oh, what's so great about it?"

"It's like talking to a leader, you have this air of authority and power. Even the city leaders agree with what you said and value your opinion, saying they'll give it serious consideration!" Liu Yifei explained, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes.

Hearing this, Chen Jingming chuckled and said, "Is that all it takes? It's not just about having a mouth, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei knew that Chen Jingming was about to tease her again, so she immediately raised her small hand, clenched her fist, shook it, and said defiantly, "Brother Jingming..."

With a drawn-out "Brother," Chen Jingming raised his hands and immediately surrendered, saying, "I was wrong, I won't do it again."

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Yifei laughed, and the courtyard was filled with their laughter. Liu Yifei whispered, "Brother Jingming, you'll have to teach me more in the future."

"Okay, it's a deal." Chen Jingming happily agreed.

"Then I'll follow you and learn from you from now on." Liu Yifei emphasized the words "follow you" very much. Chen Jingming noticed it and smiled as he raised his hand to rub Liu Yifei's head.

For Liu Yifei at this age, it is the age when she is just beginning to experience romantic feelings, so Chen Jingming naturally wouldn't show any particular thoughts, and everything would proceed naturally.

Over the next few days, Chen Jingming became busy, discussing relevant projects with the village chief and meeting with leaders to finalize the implementation of the projects. Liu Yifei, like a virtuous wife and loving mother, followed Chen Jingming closely, learning quietly. Whenever she had questions at night, she would ask him, and Chen Jingming would patiently explain things to her until she understood.

So, when you're young, never meet someone too stunning, or it might ruin your life. Chen Jingming didn't have any good intentions either; he wanted to fulfill Liu Yifei's requests to the fullest extent. As the saying goes, proximity to the water tower makes it easier to get the moon, and he was constantly trying to deepen his impression on Liu Yifei, preparing for the future.

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A full year had passed since their last meeting, and it was now the summer of 2001.

In Chen Jingming's office at the China World Trade Center, Yang Jie, holding a stack of scripts, reported to Chen Jingming:

"Mr. Chen, the scripts you mentioned, as well as the ones we wrote ourselves, have all been approved for filing by the Film Bureau, but 'Nanjing Photo Studio' was rejected."

"Oh?" Chen Jingming raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and asked, "Did they say what the reason was?"

"The opinion they gave us is that our script is suspected of damaging Sino-Japanese relations," Yang Jie replied, spreading the approved script out on the table for Chen Jingming to review.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming immediately picked up the script for "Nanjing Photo Studio" and flipped through it. The plot was roughly the same as in his previous life—after all, it wasn't a direct copy, and Chen Jingming couldn't possibly rewrite it verbatim. He then put down the script and said:

"I'll handle this; you don't need to worry about it."

Since the approval process has presented this opinion, which is reasonable at this point in time, Chen Jingming has no reason to oppose it directly. However, he has already devised a solution. As an overseas Chinese investor returning to China, he inherently possesses certain advantages.

Looking at the two scripts, "Bright Sword" and "Chinese Paladin," which had already been approved and registered, on the table, Chen Jingming smiled.

"Bright Sword" was a blockbuster for over a decade, remaining popular and frequently rebroadcast by television stations. Given the tight budget of his previous life, Chen Jingming was confident he could do even better this time, with a grander scale.

Needless to say, "Chinese Paladin" is one of Liu Yifei's "representative works" and a very popular TV series, which has now been acquired by Chen Jingming.

Setting down the two scripts, Chen Jingming asked gently, "How much did you pay for these two?"

Yang Jie peeked out and then said with a smile, "Bright Sword was quite cheap. When the author, Du Liang, was looking for a buyer, we snatched it up before a real estate agency in Shanghai could make a move. It cost us about 20 yuan."

The situation with "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" was a bit more complicated. Taiwan didn't recognize mainland companies, so we eventually got the rights through the US. But they also said it would be subject to review, and the plot couldn't be drastically altered. The current version has passed their review.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming nodded and praised, "Well done, your bonus will be doubled this month."

At this point, Chen Jingming paused for a moment, looked at the script for "Emperor Wu of Han," and asked, "Why didn't we get this one? Was the copyright holder unwilling?"

"No." Yang Jie shook her head immediately when Chen Jingming asked about "Emperor Wu of Han," and then explained:

"By the time we approached them, the copyright had already been locked up by CCTV, China Film Group, and Hualu Baina. They simply wouldn't play with us. I tried offering to pay 20% above market price for 10% of the copyright, but they just ignored me."

Upon hearing this, not only Yang Jie, but even Chen Jingming could only manage a wry smile. They didn't even consider who those three companies were; their copyrights were locked by them, yet they still wanted a share of the pie. They were already lucky they hadn't been kicked out.

He gently shook his head, pulling his thoughts back, and casually asked, "What about Mr. Jin Yong? Surely he can't have rejected us too?"

"We refused," Yang Jie said decisively, then shook her head with a wry smile, "Don't even think about it. Mr. Jin Yong considers CCTV to be the legitimate authority, and he was very generous to them, offering only 1 yuan for the copyright authorization fee."

But they are much more demanding when it comes to private companies like ours. Not only do they have to participate in casting, but they also have to show us the script outline first, and only after we approve it can we continue with the adaptation.

"Then let's focus on preparing for 'Bright Sword' for now. Have the casting department compile a suitable cast list and submit it as soon as possible," Chen Jingming whispered, then waved his hand.

Upon seeing this, Yang Jie immediately nodded in agreement, then gathered the scattered documents on the table and left.

Chen Jingming is the head of production management at Hongyuan Film and Television Company. His position is chief producer, so he decides everything from the initiation of TV series and movies, script review, and shooting schedule, including the selection of directors and actors.

Looking at the time, it was almost six o'clock, so Chen Jingming decided to stay at the company for dinner and prepare to make a transoceanic call at eight o'clock.

After having lunch and exercising for a while in the company gym, Chen Jingming stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office and dialed a number.

"Hello, who is this?"

A hoarse yet gentle voice came from behind, and Chen Jingming immediately bent his back more hunched over, speaking respectfully:

"Hello, Grandma Yang, this is Chen Jingming. I apologize for calling you so early in the morning."

"Chen Jingming?" Yang Xuelan thought for a moment and immediately remembered who was on the other end of the phone, so she said:

"Jingming, Yue Shan's grandson, I remember you. Didn't you go back to China? How come you suddenly have time to call me?"

Hearing that Yang Xuelan remembered him, Chen Jingming's smile deepened, and he explained:

"Grandma Yang, it's like this, 2007 was the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. I came back to China this time to study film and television, and I prepared a script and submitted it, but the review department thought it was suspected of damaging Sino-Japanese relations and rejected it. That's why I came to ask you for help."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xuelan's eyes reddened slightly. Her father was a diplomat who fought against the Japanese, and her stepfather's family, the Gu family, was also a family of martyrs in the war. Hearing this topic instantly brought back memories of the past. But she didn't immediately agree to Chen Jingming's request; instead, she cautiously asked:

"Jingming, do you know what the 70th anniversary means to us Chinese?"

"I know." The words had barely left his mouth when Chen Jingming answered firmly.

"History cannot be trivialized, and suffering cannot be exploited. We must be worthy of our ancestors who perished, and we must not distort or falsify the facts."

At this point, Chen Jingming paused, and Yang Xuelan on the other end of the phone also fell into deep thought. She had initially thought Chen Jingming wanted to exploit historical suffering, but she hadn't expected him to say something that resonated with her. So she began:

"Here's what you'll do: fax the script to my office in New York, and I'll review it first. If it's suitable, I'll call you personally to discuss it and then notify you to resubmit it."

She paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Remember what you said. Don't forget that they are still trying their best to deny this history, but we, as Chinese, must always remember history."

"Thank you, Grandma Yang. I'll fax the script over right away. Thank you for your help." Chen Jingming breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Yang Xuelan agree. This big shot wasn't so easy to invite. As the founder of the Hundred People's Association, Chen Yueshan was just an ordinary director back then. He probably only agreed to this because of his grandfather's influence.