Huayu: Returned Overseas Chinese

Seeing Li Yang's appearance, the professor's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Go, stand at the back and listen to the lecture."

Upon hearing this, Li Yang lowered his head, glanced hastily at his companion beside him, and could only walk dejectedly to the back of the classroom and stand against the wall.

The classroom disturbance didn't arise out of thin air. University classrooms are generally relaxed, with most professors focused on lecturing, and students' self-discipline entirely dependent on themselves. It was only because Li Yang and his group were talking and laughing in hushed tones, continuously disrupting the class's progress, that the professor issued a minor reprimand.

After the commotion subsided, the classroom returned to silence. Not long after, the bell rang, and Chen Jingming was preparing to return to his dormitory with his roommate when his phone suddenly vibrated. He took out his phone, saw the caller ID, and answered, "Hello, Professor Wu."

"Jingming, come to my office. Wang Shuo has arrived."

"Received, Teacher Wu. I'll be right there."

A hint of joy flashed in Chen Jingming's eyes, and he quickly agreed. After hanging up the phone, he casually said to the people around him, "Old Wu is looking for me; I'll go to the office."

"Go on, go on." Liu Tiejun and the others waved their hands, signaling him to hurry over.

Chen Jingming smiled faintly, turned around and left the classroom.

Within minutes, Chen Jingming pushed open the door to the teachers' office. Inside, besides Wu Bing, sat a middle-aged man with graying temples.

"Jingming is here." Wu Bing stood up and introduced him, "This is Wang Shuo, a graduate of our Management Department. You can call him senior."

"Senior Brother Wang, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm so grateful for your special trip." Chen Jingming extended his hand humbly.

"It's not troublesome at all." Wang Shuo's eyes still showed lingering fatigue. After chatting with Wu Bing, he understood the cause and effect, and all his worries were put aside. His expression relaxed a lot. "On the contrary, I should thank you. Without you, my current predicament would be impossible to solve."

"Senior brother, there's no need to be so polite." Chen Jingming nodded slightly and got to the point. "Send me a bank account number, and I'll arrange for the finance department to make the payment immediately. Let's stabilize your wife's condition first, and we can discuss the remaining details later."

After settling their personal matters, Wang Shuo naturally brought up work-related topics.

"The money isn't urgent." He looked at Chen Jingming and said casually, "Old Wu said your company has actors auditioning this afternoon, so I'll go along and lend a hand."

Chen Jingming was slightly taken aback and turned to look at Wu Bing beside him.

Wu Bing nodded gently: "Let Lao Wang go with him, that's always been his nature."

Chen Jingming pondered for a moment and instantly understood. He had been puzzled when he learned of Wang Shuo's situation this morning. As a senior assistant director in the industry, his income was already quite high, and a predicament of a few hundred thousand yuan was not considered a desperate situation in the industry. It was clear that Wang Shuo had an extremely strong personality, unwilling to easily accept charity, and only wanted to obtain help through his own abilities. This kind of mentality was complex and difficult to describe.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group started talking about lunch.

"Since you're willing to help, that's great. It's getting late, shall we go out for a quick bite and then head to the company together?" Chen Jingming took out cigarettes and handed them out one by one.

"No need to go out, the cafeteria is fine." Wang Shuo readily agreed, then turned to Wu Bing and said half-jokingly, "Old Wu, lunch is on you?"

"Dream on." Wu Bing looked helpless, but her tone was full of familiar jokes. "Why are you eyeing my meal card when there are plenty of rich people to fleece?"

Chen Jingming watched the two quietly, and it was clear that they had known each other for many years and had a very close relationship.

"The cafeteria food is affordable and tasty, there's no need to be extravagant," Wang Shuo said casually.

Wu Bing sighed softly, "Fine, I give up."

After saying that, he bent down and took out his meal card from the drawer. The three of them walked and talked as they headed to the school cafeteria.

The lunch atmosphere was relaxed and simple. After the meal, Chen Jingming said goodbye to Wang Shuo and Wu Bing, and the two walked out of the school gate and took a car to Hongyuan Film and Television Company.

A little over ten minutes later, the car entered the underground parking garage. The two had just gotten out when they bumped into Huang Xiaoming and his assistant heading towards the elevator. The sound of their footsteps attracted attention, and Huang Xiaoming turned and, seeing them, smiled and greeted them, "Junior Brother, Senior Brother Wang, what a coincidence!"

"Senior Brother Huang Xiaoming," Chen Jingming replied with a smile.

Wang Shuo simply nodded slightly without saying a word.

"Junior brother, I heard there's an audition at the company today. I hope you'll take good care of me and give me a chance," Huang Xiaoming said in a friendly tone.

"Senior brother is joking," Chen Jingming replied calmly. "I have no say in casting. Today, Director Zhang and Senior Brother Wang are mainly in charge. I'm just here to listen in."

Huang Xiaoming nodded. He knew Zhang Jiandong, but didn't know anything about Wang Shuo's current situation. The group walked into the elevator side-by-side, and he finally couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother Wang, have you changed jobs?"

"Hmm." Wang Shuo responded calmly, his tone steady. "I'm grateful to President Chen for his appreciation and invitation to join the company. Do your best during the audition later."

Huang Xiaoming responded and the elevator car fell silent instantly. Chen Jingming suppressed his doubts and didn't ask any further questions. The elevator announcement sounded, and the group stepped out.

Walking beside Wang Shuo, Chen Jingming clearly sensed the change in the other man. The casual banter and laughter he had displayed in the office just moments before had completely vanished, replaced by a sudden and somber aura. As he passed the group of artists waiting outside the conference room, he exuded a heavy, imposing presence, calm and reserved, radiating an aura of authority without anger.

The two men, exuding confidence, strode into the audition room. Zhang Jiandong, who was already waiting inside, looked surprised upon seeing Wang Shuo: "Old Wang? What brings you here?"

Facing his old friend, Wang Shuo's expression softened, and he revealed a faint smile: "Come and help Director Zhang with the casting work."

"Don't give me that." Zhang Jiandong glanced at Chen Jingming beside him, instantly understanding the reason, and casually chuckled and scolded him. Then he said seriously, "Since you're here, the actor selection will be entirely in your hands. I happen to have some work to discuss with President Chen alone."

Wang Shuo agreed without hesitation. As the assistant director in charge of casting and auditions, he would naturally demonstrate his professional competence in fulfilling his duties once he decided to join Chen Jingming's team.

With everything arranged on-site, Zhang Jiandong looked at Chen Jingming: "Mr. Chen, may I have a word with you in private?"

Chen Jingming looked at Wang Shuo, and after receiving a signal from the other party, he calmly replied, "Okay, Director Zhang, let's talk in my office."

The two left the meeting room, and the audition officially began. Inside the office, Chen Jingming and Zhang Jiandong sat down on the sofa, and the secretary served them tea as needed.

"Director Zhang, please speak freely," Chen Jingming said first.

"I have carefully reviewed the filming plan," Zhang Jiandong said frankly. "I don't quite agree with the crew's decision to film in Jiangsu Province. 'Bright Sword' requires a lot of real-life scenes of desolate villages and loess landscapes. From the perspective of subject matter suitability, Xi'an and Gansu would be better choices."

After listening to the other party's concerns, Chen Jingming did not immediately refute them. Instead, he explained calmly, "Whether it's suitable or not, on-site inspection is the safest approach. I've built my own film studio in Jiangsu Province. If the actual location doesn't meet our filming needs, we can simply change the filming location."

"Build your own film and television city?" Zhang Jiandong repeated in a low voice, his face showing surprise. "Is it Liangxi Three Kingdoms Film and Television City, or Hengdian?"

"None of those," Chen Jingming explained slowly. "Most existing film and television bases are based on ancient-style buildings, but my base is completely different. It is specially designed to create real-life sets for multiple eras, such as the Republic of China, the 1960s and 70s, and the 1980s. It was built in sections and took two years to complete. Most of the areas are now finished and in use."

Zhang Jiandong was utterly shocked. Having worked in the industry for many years, he had never heard of anything like it. After a moment of silence, he sincerely remarked, "President Chen's strategy far exceeds everyone's imagination in the industry. In that case, let's take some time to visit the base in person."