Huayu: Returned Overseas Chinese

Wu Bing finished his cigarette, then opened the script, glanced at the synopsis, and skimmed the main characters. When he saw the names Zhao Fu and Li Bing, he immediately looked up at Chen Jingming and said with a wry smile:

"Jingming, are you trying to make things difficult for the teacher?"

"Teacher Wu, what are you saying? How could I dare to make things difficult for you? Please take a look first, and we'll talk after you've finished reading."

Chen Jingming chuckled and said. Looking at Wu Bing's expression, he knew she didn't want to take on this hot potato.

After a moment of silence, Wu Bing stared at Chen Jingming for several seconds before sighing and saying helplessly:

"Having a student like you is truly an honor for me. Instead of bringing me any glory, you're always making things difficult for me."

Chen Jingming smiled upon hearing this, but remained silent without responding. Seeing this, Wu Bing had no choice but to pick up the script again and carefully review it. She read for over an hour, only managing to grasp the general outline.

Closing the script, Wu Bing looked at Chen Jingming and asked:

"The script is good. Tell me, what kind of help do you need?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming immediately sat up straight and said:

"Professor Wu, my senior colleague said that this script has a somewhat sensitive subject matter, so he'd like to ask you to use your connections at the Beijing Film Academy to help submit it. Is that alright?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Bing put down the script in his hand, picked up a cigarette from the table, shook one out and put it in his mouth, then tossed the rest to Chen Jingming, indicating that he could take it himself.

The two lit cigarettes, and Wu Bing already knew the other's intentions. These kinds of scripts were difficult to get approved, and even going through the Beijing Film Academy's channels presented numerous obstacles, not to mention the huge amount of favors involved. It wasn't simply because she was a student at the Beijing Film Academy that others would be willing to help.

After finishing his cigarette, Wu Bing looked worried and asked Chen Jingming seriously:

"Are you really going to make a film about this subject?"

Chen Jingming nodded solemnly.

Seeing this, Wu Bing sighed softly:

"Fine, consider it a debt I owe you. Come on, I'll take you to see someone and see what he says. If he refuses, there's nothing we can do. Don't blame your teacher for not helping; I really couldn't do much in this matter."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming quickly stood up to thank her and followed Wu Bing out of the office.

The two arrived at the Literature Department office. Seeing the door open, Wu Bing peeked inside; it was empty. He turned to Chen Jingming and said:

"Let's wait a bit, Professor Ding Mu probably still has classes to attend."

Chen Jingming nodded in agreement, and the two of them waited at the office door, smoking and chatting about the preparation progress of "Bright Sword" and the relevant matters of Wang Shuo rebuilding the departments of Chen Jingming's company.

Half an hour later, Professor Ding Mu came down the corridor corner carrying his lesson plan. Seeing Wu Bing and the stranger at the door, he greeted them from afar.

"Old Wu, what are you doing here? Looking for someone?"

Wu Bing turned her head and saw that it was Ding Mu, and immediately smiled:

"Old Ding, I came here specifically to find you, but you weren't here, so I waited here for a while."

Ding Mu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, glanced at the two of them, and then smiled:

"Come on, let's go into the office and talk in detail."

After speaking, he nodded to Chen Jingming and walked into the office first. Ding Mu put down his lesson plan, offered cigarettes to everyone, and without any formalities of offering a seat, spoke directly:

"Just say it, what do you want? I have a meeting at the Qingying Film Studio later."

Wu Bing nodded, handed over the script, and said:

"Take a look at this script first, and then we can talk."

Ding Mu took the script and casually said:

"Old Wu, reading the script is fine, but don't ask me for investment funds. You know that Qingying Studio has limited funds, and there's a long line of people waiting for funding."

"Don't worry, they're not asking you for funding. Just keep watching." Wu Bing waved his hand and said. He knew that Ding Mu, as the deputy director of Qingying Film Studio and the director of the TV Drama Art Center, had been in charge of the work of Qingying Film Studio for many years, so it was normal for him to have this concern.

Upon hearing this, Ding Mu set aside his concerns, quickly flipped through a few pages, then skimmed through the script from beginning to end, reading ten lines at a glance. After a moment, he closed the script, looked at Wu Bing, then glanced at Chen Jingming, and asked in a deep voice:

"Old Wu, you're a veteran producer, how could you bring over a script like this? You're clearly asking for trouble."

Wu Bing sighed and pointed to Chen Jingming beside her:

"This is my student. He came to me personally for help. As his teacher, I really couldn't refuse, so I had no choice but to come to you for advice."

Ding Mu was taken aback upon hearing this, and then carefully examined Chen Jingming for a few moments. Although he didn't know the other party, he knew that having a senior teacher introduce him was enough to show that the teacher valued him, just like how many teachers at Beijing Film Academy and Central Academy of Drama would go to great lengths to connect their students with film and television resources—it was the same principle.

After a brief chat, Ding Mu glanced at his watch; the meeting was about to start, so he immediately spoke:

"Let's talk as we walk."

The Qingying Studio office building is located next to the Yifu Building on campus, just a three- to five-minute walk away.

Wu Bing walked side by side with Ding Mu and asked in a low voice:

"Old Ding, from your professional perspective, what's your opinion on the foundation of this script?"

"The script is of excellent quality and the historical figures are very well-reproduced, but the subject matter is sensitive. To be honest, it will be extremely difficult to pass the censorship." Ding Mu spoke frankly, saying that since they knew each other well, there was no need to beat around the bush.

"That's why I came to you specifically, because it's difficult to get approved. You're an expert in this area, so you should be able to tell that most of the sensitive content in the script has been modified to avoid detection. The main reason I'm contacting you is to ask for your help in submitting the application for approval."

Wu Bing frankly stated his purpose. Ding Mu paused slightly, then slowly walked forward and began to speak:

"The script is clearly the work of a professional, but even if we submit it, the chances of it being approved are still slim, and it could easily cause trouble. Let's put this on hold for now."

After hearing this tactful excuse, the atmosphere became somewhat somber. Wu Bing turned to look at Chen Jingming beside her.

Chen Jingming listened quietly to their conversation without interrupting. Noticing Wu Bing's signal, he spoke up at the opportune moment:

"Professor Ding, I am Chen Jingming. This script belongs to my company, and we are very determined to film it. If there is anything Qingying Film Studio needs our cooperation or assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. We will do our best to help with anything within our capabilities, and we will also try our best to coordinate for anything that is difficult. Please help us find a solution, Professor."

Ding Mu stopped in his tracks upon hearing this and looked at the young man in front of him. He hadn't expected the other party to be so blunt, revealing the true nature of the transaction right before his eyes. His expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

Seeing this, Wu Bing quickly tried to smooth things over:

"Old Ding, Jingming is young and straightforward, he doesn't understand the intricacies of the industry, please bear with him. See if you can think of a way to help him."

Ding Mu's expression immediately softened considerably. In this circle, personal connections and resource exchanges were far more important than money. For Wu Bing's sake, he pondered for a moment and relented, saying:

"How about this, I'll send the script to Dean Hou Keming for review later. He's a member of the review committee, so as long as he approves it, there shouldn't be any major problems at the meeting. What do you think?"

Wu Bing's face immediately lit up with joy, and she quickly thanked him:

"Old Ding, thank you for your trouble. We'll discuss the follow-up matters later."

"Okay, that's enough for now. I need to go upstairs for the meeting."

Ding Mu waved his hand, said nothing more, greeted them, and then turned and went upstairs.

The two watched silently as Ding Mu went upstairs and walked away. Only then did Wu Bing turn her gaze away and earnestly instruct Chen Jingming:

"Jingming, when dealing with senior industry professionals in the future, don't be too straightforward, it's easy to offend them."

Chen Jingming seemed to be thinking about it, then nodded seriously in agreement.