Huayu: This director specializes in promoting young actresses.

Chapter 29 Reluctant to Part with Liu Haochun

When we arrived at the airport, there was still some time before our flight, so I sat with Liu Haochun on a rest chair next to us.

"Brother Feng, actually, when I first joined the crew, I was really afraid of you." Liu Haochun suddenly spoke up, his voice very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something. "I felt that you were very serious, and no one dared to speak as soon as you shouted 'Action'."

"Am I that fierce?"

"A little." Liu Haochun nodded seriously, then smiled. "But later I realized you're actually very considerate. When I forget my lines, you never scold me; you just let me think about them slowly." She lowered her head and twisted her fingers. "Thank you, Brother Feng."

"No need to thank me, meeting you is my luck."

Liu Haochun's eyes welled up with tears, and she quickly turned her head away: "I always thought that dancing was my whole life, and I never thought I could act. This period of time... feels like a dream."

"It's not a dream. From now on, I can dance whenever I want and act whenever I want. I don't have to limit myself. I can just do what I like."

The announcement came over the loudspeaker that it was time to board Liu Haochun's flight. She slowly stood up, the straps of her backpack digging into her shoulders.

"Brother Feng, I'm leaving."

"Wait a minute." He took out a red envelope from his pocket and handed it over. "Your wrap-up bonus."

Liu Haochun was stunned for a moment. When she took the red envelope, her fingertips accidentally touched his hand, and she flinched as if she had been burned.

"I..." She opened her mouth, then suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugging his waist tightly. "I can't bear to part with you." Her voice was trembling with tears.

He stiffened for a moment, then gently patted her back, like soothing a ruffled animal: "Silly girl, it's not like we'll never see each other again. We're both studying in Beijing, and we can see each other on weekends."

Liu Haochun buried her face in his shirt, wiping away her tears: "Really?"

"Seriously, text me when you get to Beijing. Study hard at school, don't fall behind in your studies, and practice your dance every day, understand?"

"Mmm." Liu Haochun nodded vigorously, sniffed, and slowly released his grip.

"I'm leaving." She waved and turned to walk towards the boarding gate.

He would take two steps, look back, take two more steps, and look back again. He didn't disappear from sight until he reached the corner of the boarding gate.

When they returned to the set, Zhou Ming was holding a clapperboard and discussing the scene with the actors. Seeing them come back, he asked, "Did you see them off?"

"Hmm, which scenes are we filming this afternoon?"

"There are only three scenes left for supporting roles. We can wrap up after that."

The next evening, after the last shot was filmed.

"CUT! Filming wrapped!" he shouted, holding up the clapperboard, his voice filled with excitement.

Cheers erupted instantly, staff members high-fived each other, and someone took out a pre-prepared champagne bottle, popped it open with a "pop," and foam splashed everywhere.

"Congratulations on wrapping up filming!"

Lin Feng was surrounded by everyone, his face smeared with champagne foam. Zhou Ming walked over and punched him: "You kid, you really are a genius."

"Is my senior brother scolding me or praising me?" I wiped the foam off my face.

"Of course I'm praising you." Zhou Ming handed him a bottle of beer. "To be so composed as a first-time director, writing the script yourself, and having such skillful camerawork—who would believe it?"

He tilted his head back and took a sip of wine. "Back when I first joined the crew, there were so many things I didn't understand."

"Isn't it because my senior brother was guiding me? If you hadn't been helping me keep an eye on the lights and recording, how could I have gone so smoothly?"

Zhou Ming laughed: "You're getting better and better at talking."

"Seriously, senior," he said seriously, his joking expression fading, "come work for my company. Fengrui Films is just starting out, but I want to make it a success. You've been an assistant director for years, so you have more experience than anyone else. I need someone who can keep things under control."

Zhou Ming was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Are you forcing me into this?"

"It's not a rush, it's a genuine invitation. I know you have your own pace and aren't in a hurry to reply. But I have a web series project coming up, which starts filming next month, and I need a reliable assistant director."

"Next month?" Zhou Ming was taken aback. "Are you working non-stop? You just finished one film and you're already starting a new one?"

"Do as much as you can while you're young. The script is all ready."

Looking at the energy in his eyes, Zhou Ming suddenly remembered that he was just like that when he first entered the industry, full of inexhaustible energy. He was silent for a moment, then took a sip of his drink: "Okay, I'll think about it. As for the web series... reserve a spot for me, I'll make time for it."

"real?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Zhou Ming laughed. "I'd like to see what kind of 'genius' you can come up with next."

The celebration banquet was held at a nearby restaurant and didn't end until midnight. Lin Feng drank quite a bit, but he was still conscious. Zhou Ming, who had been plied with alcohol by several crew members, put his arm around Lin Feng's shoulder and said, "Next month... the web series... I'll definitely be there..."

The next morning, holding a stack of script outlines in his hand, he tapped his fingertips on the "campus youth" page, but ultimately shook his head.

"School-themed movies are too conventional," he muttered to himself. "They're not exciting enough to generate buzz for a film."

There were seven or eight scripts piled on the corner of the table, including fantasy, urban, and campus stories that he had previously been quite fond of. But after pondering them over and over again all night, he felt that something was missing, until he saw two words written in pencil on the cover: "Beginning".

He pulled his finger out abruptly, his fingertips tracing the keywords "loop," "bus," and "explosion," and his eyes lit up.

"That's it."

The production cost of "The Beginning" was not high, and its length of around twenty episodes was just right for the pace of a web series. Most importantly, the plot was captivating, with the endless loop on the bus and the story hidden behind each passenger, ensuring that the show would generate a lot of discussion.

What's even more ingenious is that by cleverly incorporating elements of "Take My Brother Away" into the show, such as displaying movie posters on buses or during casual conversations...

"From filming to broadcast, it will take about four months." He calculated in his mind, "Releasing it online before the movie's release will give me a good advantage in terms of timing. It's difficult to promote a movie starring completely newcomers in the early stages, so using a popular web series to boost it will be much more effective."

He opened his laptop. The plot of "The Beginning" was as clear in his mind as if he had just watched it. After all, it was a show he had watched in his previous life, and with his enhanced memory, he progressed at an astonishing speed, from character biographies to storyboards.

"The character of Li Shiqing requires portraying the fear and resilience of an ordinary person..."

"Xiao Heyun, the programmer has a great balance of being reserved and ruthless..."

"The supporting characters on the bus are key; each one needs a story, even if they only have a few lines..."

As he wrote, he marked the places that needed adjustment. The first draft was almost complete, and the framework and key plot points were established.

But when he was saving the document, he suddenly stopped. The cursor on the screen was blinking. He touched his chin. The script had deliberately left a few "minor problems": one loop logic was a bit convoluted, one supporting character's motivation was not solid enough, and two descriptions involving social issues were very subtle, just on the edge of passing censorship.

"That's better." He chuckled softly. "It's too perfect. Why would the teacher intervene?"

The next day, after saying goodbye to his parents, he carried two large bags of local specialties—homemade cured meat and sausages—and headed straight for the Beijing Film Academy. The teacher's office was on the third floor of the teaching building; the door was ajar, and the rustling sound of pages turning could be heard from inside.

"Report."

"Oh, a rare guest." Jiang Wei looked up, adjusted his glasses, and smiled broadly. "Our great director is back? I heard the movie's finished filming? How did it go? Did he embarrass the school?"

Next to the local specialty: "Thanks to the support of the teachers and the school, it went relatively smoothly. Now that the filming and editing are finished, I'd like to ask you to take a look and give me your feedback."

"Sure." Jiang Wei got up and poured him a glass of water, his gaze falling on the bag of cured meat. "Hey kid, why are you carrying so much stuff? Trying to bribe me?"

"Oh, not at all. I just got back from my hometown and brought you some local specialties. The cured pork and sausages were all made by my mom herself, and they're cleaner than the ones you buy outside."

Jiang Wei pointed at him and laughed, "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Tell me, besides making me watch a movie, there must be something else."