Bai Lu got scammed, but I became a superstar through e-commerce.

"I've seen it," Fang Zheng said. "It's a healing-themed youth short film, with clean visuals and delicate emotions, and it performed very well in the market. But..."

"But what?"

"But their scripts are too soft. The story serves the visuals, not the other way around. If I were to make it, I would inject stronger character motivations and dramatic tension into the short film. A short film is still a film; you can't just use the word 'film' to describe anything. If you approach a short film with the mindset of making a feature film, the result will definitely be a game-changer."

Qingxiao looked at him without saying a word.

This is exactly the kind of person he wants.

E-commerce needs traffic, but short films need soul.

Fangzheng's diverse styles and self-expression allow Bai Lu's micro-films to go beyond being just viral content, but to become high-quality works.

After Fang Zheng left, Qing Xiao made a note in his notebook: Keep it.

Then he looked up at Bai Lu and said, "This person is not like Chen Yu. He's an amateur. But he can capture a different side of you, not just sweetness, but a powerful beauty."

A week later, Qingxiao met the third candidate.

This candidate is a bit special; the interview was conducted via video call because the interviewer is located in Shanghai.

His name is Shen Zhou, born in 1989, from Shantou, Guangdong. His family runs a clothing stall.

This is something that Qingxiao pays special attention to: a child who grew up in clothing stores has an innate sensitivity to the texture and luster of fabrics.

On the other end of the video call, Shen Zhou was wearing a white shirt and glasses. His voice wasn't loud, but he spoke very quickly when talking about movies.

He graduated from the Broadcasting and Television Directing major at South China Agricultural University, and later studied at the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy for a year under the tutelage of the famous director Tian Zhuangzhuang.

His 2009 DV short film won the Best Short Film Award at the Guangzhou College Student Film Festival, and his 2010 work "Taipei, Recipient Unknown" won the Best Director Award for Narrative Short Film at the Beijing College Student Film Festival.

Among Shen Zhou's works, the fantasy short film "Mary's Natural Curly World" has won nearly 20 awards at domestic and international film festivals, including the Silver Award at the Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival, and was screened at the 66th Cannes International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Best Short Film Award.

Online comments say: "It describes the subtle feelings between dreams and reality, childhood and growing up from a child's perspective."

But the allure of Cannes didn't translate into real job opportunities.

"After the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, I thought opportunities would come," Shen Zhou said. "But all the offers I received were for weddings or corporate promotional videos, the kind that cost tens of thousands of yuan per clip. The art films I wanted to make, nobody would invest in them."

"So, what do you think is the most essential ability of a short film director?" Qingxiao asked.

"Use visuals to tell a story." Shen Zhou blurted out, "The texture of the costumes, the layers of light and shadow, and the expressions of the actors not only need to be beautiful, but also need to convey emotions. There is a very thin line between beauty and being moving. The key to crossing that line is that the picture not only has light, but also a sense of story."

Looking at Shen Zhou on the screen, Qingxiao had already made his judgment.

Chen Yu is a director who is purely extreme; he would work on a single shot seventeen times.

Fang Zheng is an all-rounder who works independently as a director, cinematographer, and editor, and has a creative soul.

Shen Zhou is an academic visual type, with a prestigious background and Cannes experience.

Any one of these three people would be sufficient.

He didn't want one of them, he wanted all three.

That evening, Qingxiao sat alone in his office, looking at three resumes for a long time.

Three people, three approaches.

Any one of them could be used to make a high-quality short film.

Qingxiao took an A4 sheet of paper from the printer and laid it on the table.

He wrote a line at the top of the paper: Bailu Microfilm Proposal.

Then he drew three circles below, and wrote a name in each circle.

Chen Yu. Fang Zheng. Shen Zhou.

He did not stop writing.

Outside the three circles, he drew a large circle and wrote two characters: Bai Lu.

Bai Lu stood behind him without saying a word, simply watching quietly from the side.

She had seen Qingxiao adjust the express train, seen him select products, and seen him hold meetings.

But she had never seen him draw circles on a blank sheet of paper.

Does Qingxiao actually know about the film and television industry?

The image of Qingxiao squatting on the floor of the rented room packing packages, and the image of Qingxiao drawing strategic maps on paper in front of her, overlapped, and she suddenly felt a little unfamiliar with him.

You thought you'd known him for a long time, but then you discovered there were aspects of him you'd never seen before.

Qingxiao did not notice her gaze.

He wrote a line of small print next to Chen Yu's circle: "Ultimate image quality, relentless dedication, capturing girls' radiance."

Next to the square circle, it read: "A self-taught all-rounder, integrating directing, cinematography, and editing, with a creative soul."

Next to Shen Zhou's circle, it reads: "Academic visual master, Cannes gold medalist, the image tells a story."

Then he put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the paper.

"Who do you think we should choose?" Bai Lu asked softly.

Qingxiao did not answer. He picked up his pen and circled Shen Zhou's name.

Shen Zhou. Cannes nominee, mentored by Tian Zhuangzhuang, with an international perspective.

If Bai Lu's first short film can win an award, even just be nominated, it would be a game-changer.

Even if the short film about cats and trees gets a lot of views, it's still just viral content.

However, a short film directed by a Cannes-trained director can be submitted directly to a film festival. If Bai Lu can appear at an international film festival, then her starting point will not be that of an internet celebrity model, but a film actress.

He drew an arrow next to Shen Zhou's name, pointing to the big circle of "Bai Lu".

The arrow had two words written on it: "Win an award".

Qingxiao stared at the arrow for a long time.

Then he picked up a pen and drew an X over the words "win an award".

"wrong."

"What's wrong?"

"Shen Zhou's works are about characters serving the story. In his films, the actors are part of the story, not the core of it. You see, the little girl in 'Mary's Natural Curly World' acted very well, but what do you remember? It's the fantastical worldview, the metaphor about dreams and reality. The actors are tools; the story is the goal."

He moved Shen Zhou's resume to the side.

"Your first short film cannot have the characters serving the story. The story must serve the characters."

Bai Lu paused slightly in her hand holding the water glass, because she... she didn't quite understand what Qing Xiao was saying.

Qingxiao's gaze shifted back and forth between Chen Yu and Fang Zheng, his pen hovering above the paper, hesitant to put it down.

What does Bailu need now?

"What do I need?" Bai Lu was even more confused.

Qingxiao was asking and answering his own question.

"It's not about winning awards. It's about making everyone remember you. Remember her as you are, remember her smile. So the script must be written around you, the shots must be designed around you, and every frame must make her look like she's walking out of the light."

He placed the pen on Chen Yu's name.

"Chen Yu. A director who would visit seventeen times to negotiate a church scene, and who would fight tooth and nail four times for a single morning shot. When he films a girl, he can find beauty in her that she herself hasn't even noticed. Moreover, he has won awards for short films, and making healing films is his forte."

He wrote next to Chen Yu's name, his handwriting forceful.

"He didn't just photograph the girl in the story; the girl herself is the story."

Bai Lu's eyes lit up.

She recalled that during her interview today, Chen Yu said, "When I photograph girls, I can find a side of them that they themselves haven't even noticed."

She felt that this statement made her stand out from others.

But Chen Yu is different.

Qingxiao was still writing, but when he got to the last line, he stopped writing.

"There's one more question."

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

Chen Yu's data kept swirling in his mind.

Yang Mingtian's real-life example is right there: he staked out the location four times for a single shot, visited seventeen times to negotiate the church scene, and poured all his heart and soul into the role of the female lead in "The Life of Music".

"Chen Yu has no screenwriting ability."

Qingxiao put down his pen.

"He's good at directing, but not good at writing. His last short film was written by someone else. If the script isn't tailor-made for him, his camera loses its direction."

Bai Lu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but realized he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Qingxiao stared at the three circles on the paper and picked up his pen again.

He added another line next to Chen Yu's strengths: He needs a screenwriter partner who can write healing coming-of-age stories.

"Fang Zheng and Shen Zhou will also be used. But not now. Chen Yu is responsible for firing the first shot, engraving Bai Lu's face and name into the audience's aesthetic memory. Once this is achieved, Fang Zheng's film aesthetics can be injected into Bai Lu's works, making her more than just beautiful, giving her depth. Shen Zhou will then elevate this foundation, leaving behind a masterpiece that can stand the test of time. We don't just want her to become an overnight sensation, we want her to remain popular."

He put down his pen.

"It's settled. Our first short film will be a collaboration with Chen Yu."