Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

My father and godfather left Beijing overnight, leaving behind only a large bag of cold property deeds.

Zhuang Huai'an did not force the two of them to stay. Since ancient times, local powerful families have always had a certain awe for the emperor's capital.

I just arrived at the company the next day.

Zhuang Huai'an received an unexpected phone call from Shi Hang, the planning editor of "Art Life," who said he was passing by China Film Group and wanted to ask for a cup of tea.

Shi Hang graduated from the Department of Literature at the Central Academy of Drama and was one of the first generation of online content creators. He is now called a moderator and goes by online names such as Parrot Shi Hang and Northern Shadow Warrior. He participated in the screenwriting of the "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan" series.

He was a great talent, but his reputation was ruined in his later years when he was falsely accused of sexual harassment. Although, like his old friend Zhu Jun, the case was eventually reversed, it still caused a great uproar.

His most classic screen role is that of a monk in "My Chief and My Regiment".

Zhuang Huai'an asked Zhang Lu to go downstairs to meet the person. Just as the tea was boiling, Shi Hang walked in with two middle-aged men.

"Director Zhuang, I apologize for the intrusion."

"Brother Shi, you flatter me. Aren't we friends?" Zhuang Huai'an smiled and shook hands with him, then turned to look at the two people behind him.

Shi Hang stepped forward and said with a smile, "Director Zhuang, let me introduce you. This is my classmate, Lan Xiaolong, and this is Director Chen Jian, who is also my good friend."

"Hello Director Zhuang, I am Lan Xiaolong."

"Hello Director Zhuang, I am Chen Jian."

"Welcome, both of you. Let's sit down and talk."

After shaking hands, Zhuang Huai'an invited the three of them to sit down at the tea table, where they chatted and made tea together.

Lan Xiaolong needs no introduction; he is the screenwriter of "Soldiers Sortie" and "My Chief and My Regiment," and a leading writer of military-themed works.

Chen Jian might be unfamiliar to some. He was the co-director of "Bright Sword" and also appeared in the show. In the famous scene where the Iron Triangle refused to wear the new military uniforms and Kong Jie said that Ding Wei's father was still showing his buttocks, he was the captain of the cadet formation.

With Shi Hang, the chatterbox, acting as a lubricant, the group didn't feel awkward at their first meeting, and their conversation went fairly well.

After several rounds of tea, Shi Hang explained his purpose for coming.

"Director Zhuang, to be honest, the three of us just went to China Film Group to try and get investment, but the staff there weren't very optimistic about this subject matter, so they turned us down."

Zhuang Huai'an's heart skipped a beat, and he feigned doubt, asking, "What genre is it? A movie?"

"No, it's a TV series," Chen Jian interjected. "Have you seen the anti-Japanese war series, like 'Bright Sword,' which was all over the air?"

"I've heard a little about him. The main character is called... oh right, Li Yunlong, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's Li Yunlong. I didn't expect you to be interested in this kind of work, Director Zhuang."

Zhuang Huai'an smiled and said, "I believe no Chinese person is uninterested in the subject of fighting the Japanese invaders during the War of Resistance against Japan."

"yes,"

Chen Jian sighed, "Since you are also familiar with this work, you must be familiar with Li Yunlong as well. He is a character who is different from the traditional image of a general, and can even be said to be unconventional. Therefore, China Film Group rejected us on the grounds that he was not heroic and righteous."

She refused, that's good!

Zhuang Huai'an chuckled to himself. If China Film Group didn't refuse, how would I get a bargain?

"Oh, just such a small thing?"

Zhuang Huai'an waved his hand, feigning magnanimity, and said, "It's fate that we're gathered here today. We're all friends. Brother Chen, you name your price, and I'll invest in this drama!"

The three were overjoyed upon hearing this, with Shi Hang being particularly delighted. He had originally intended to bring his friends here to try their luck, but to his surprise, they agreed to invest without hesitation as soon as the conversation began.

Given this attitude, it's no wonder that people in the industry call Zhuang Huai'an a modern-day Meng Chang (a legendary figure known for his ruthlessness and integrity), and a "Baoyi" (a figure of great integrity and righteousness) in Beijing!

"Director Zhuang, you're so kind!" Shi Hang gave a thumbs up.

Zhuang Huai'an raised an eyebrow and countered, "Am I being righteous?"

"Great righteousness!" Chen Jian quickly chimed in, playing the straight man.

I'm Gao Jin!

"Alright, we'll talk about the height later," Zhuang Huai'an waved his hand, "Let's get this project—I mean, this one—director Chen done today! Did you bring the proposal and script?"

"I brought it, I brought it."

Chen Jianxi was overjoyed and took out a stack of documents from his bag and handed them over, explaining, "Because the later parts of the original work are a bit... well, not easy to handle, we only filmed the part about the War of Resistance against Japan. The script was personally supervised by Teacher Du Liang. Director Zhuang, you are an expert in scripts, so please give us some guidance."

"Hey, let's exchange ideas, let's exchange a bit."

Zhuang Huai'an took the script and glanced at it. It was almost identical to the original plot, except that it only filmed up to the point of awarding ranks. That was quite sensible.

"Okay, have the roles been decided? What's the budget?"

"We'd like to cast Li Youbing as Li Yunlong, and the rest are all very talented actors, so the pay isn't too high. It's just that the war scenes..."

After a moment's consideration, Chen Jian gritted his teeth and said, "We'll shoot 30 episodes in total, and the budget can be kept at 30 per episode, about 900 million in total."

"900 million isn't enough!"

Zhuang Huai'an laughed heartily, "I'll give you a shot... 1200 million, with a 10% margin of error. I'll provide the production, but I'll only handle the finances and not the filming. Any objections?"

"That's wonderful!"

Chen Jian would be more than willing. With a sufficient budget and no interference in filming, he's not just a righteous protector, he's practically a godfather!

"Alright, please wait a moment."

Zhuang Huai'an called Zhong Lifang and asked her to come and take Chen Jian out to sign the contract. This golden goose that lays the eggs should be put into its own shed as soon as possible.

After Chen Jian left, Zhuang Huai'an poured tea for the two of them and offered them a smoke.

"Brother Lan, I heard you're now a screenwriter for the military region's Zhan You Cultural Troupe?"

"Director Zhuang knows about our group too?" Lan Xiaolong asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course, speaking of which, I've also read Brother Lan's works."

Meeting their questioning gazes, Zhuang Huai'an smiled and said, "At the beginning of the year, I saw a clip of the play 'Erna Assault,' which you wrote, on the military arts channel. I thought it was quite interesting, so I asked a friend to find the videotape and watched it. The structure is very tight, and I like it very much."

"If Director Zhuang likes it, then my work is a success."

Lan Xiaolong pushed up his glasses and smiled happily. The world only focuses on Zhuang Huai'an's directing ability, but only insiders can see that his screenwriting ability is also top-notch. It is indeed something to be happy about to receive praise from an international director.

"I think this play would be very suitable for adaptation into a TV series. I wonder if you, Brother Lan, would be interested in selling the adaptation rights?"

Before Lan Xiaolong could hesitate, Zhuang Huai'an continued, "Of course, I'm also a creator, so I understand how much an author cherishes their work. If Brother Lan is interested, you can adapt it yourself, and then we can collaborate on making it into a film."

Lan Xiaolong's worry immediately turned to joy. "To be honest, Director Zhuang, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. If your company is willing to invest, of course I can."

"Alright, let's make a gentleman's agreement over tea instead of wine. As long as your script is ready, Brother Lan, I'll arrange the investment immediately!"

"good!"

Lan Xiaolong was somewhat excited. Since ancient times, scholars have admired the sages. Zhuang Huai'an's bold and magnanimous style touched his heart. How could this not be considered a kindred spirit?

The two raised their teacups, clinked them together, and drank them down in one gulp.

Zhuang Huai'an laughed inwardly. When a person's luck comes, there's no stopping it. He can sit at home and have two golden hens that lay golden eggs fly in.

Tsk, it seems my call yesterday worked. The dead author finally updated the version. How could Daddy be the chosen one?

I am the one!