A widower's entertainment

Mountain City, the filming location for the TV series "Our Millionaire".

Lin Zhaomei and her father, Lin Youcheng, were discussing the film's shooting progress and the handling of some scenes when the assistant director, Jia Kezhang, ran over and said, "Teacher Lin, Zhaomei, Director Jiang Wen is here."

Lin Zhaomei was stunned. It wasn't even time for Jiang Wen's scenes to be filmed yet, so why had he arrived at this time?

The filming crew did not follow the movie plot exactly, especially for a script like "Our Millionaire". It was impossible to film it bit by bit according to the plot. Lin Zhaomei was going to film the things Xu Qingshan experienced in the movie first, and then film the TV program and the police interrogation scenes.

Therefore, no one expected Jiang Wen to arrive at this time.

Lin Youcheng didn't seem to care much, saying, "They probably came to visit the set first."

Lin Youcheng and Lin Zhaomei were talking when Jiang Wen walked in.

Although Lin Zhaomei was the director, Jiang Wen was still considered an elder, so she still greeted him, "Hello, Uncle Jiang."

Jiang Wen nodded. He was quite familiar with Lin Zhaomei, and upon meeting her, he said, "Zhaomei, I envy you so much! Your father has written an amazing proposal for you!"

When Lin Zhaomei heard Jiang Wen's words, she could sense a hint of jealousy. She knew that Jiang Wen also really wanted to film the script for "Our Millionaire," but her father would definitely give her this good script to film. She was very clear about all of this, and it was precisely because she was clear about this that she worked even harder.

Lin Youcheng smiled and waved to Lin Zhaomei, telling her to go and attend to the film crew's affairs.

Upon seeing this, Lin Zhaomei led Section Chief Jia out to prepare for the filming of the next scene.

Seeing Lin Zhaomei leave, Lin Youcheng poured Jiang Wen another cup of tea and asked, "Why are you here so early? Your scenes haven't even started yet!"

Jiang Wen took the water Lin Youcheng brought over, drank it all in one gulp, and said with a bitter feeling, "The more I think about it, the more I envy Zhao Mei. The script for 'Our Millionaire' is amazing. You should give her a script like this to film."

"You promised me before that we would cooperate in the future, but we still haven't done so!"

Upon hearing Jiang Wen's words, Lin Youcheng immediately said, "I gave you the script for 'The Reader' back then, but you gave it to Li Shaohong to film. You can't blame me for that!"

When Jiang Wen heard Lin Youcheng mention "The Reader," he felt quite uneasy. He also really liked the script for "The Reader," especially the scene where the characters were studying in bed. He wanted to film it well, making sure to capture the female lead's beautiful body and her shapely buttocks. However, because he already had "In the Heat of the Sun," he gave "The Reader" to Li Shaohong.

After all, Li Shaohong had approached them several times, wanting to get the script for "The Reader".

"It was you who told her to come to me in the first place, otherwise I would never have given up this notebook!"

Jiang Wen also felt it was a pity. He originally had the opportunity to work with Lin Youcheng, but he gave it up. He said with some regret, "Initially, I wanted to direct 'The Dog,' but you gave it to Director Wu first, which was fine since I also acted in that movie. Then you gave 'Atonement' to Chen Aige, 'The Reader' to Li Shaohong, and now 'Our Millionaire' to your daughter."

"When can I finally collaborate on a script you wrote?"

Lin Youcheng smiled and waved his hand, then sat down opposite Jiang Wen and said, "There will definitely be opportunities later."

Upon hearing Lin Youcheng's words, Jiang Wen wondered when the opportunity would come. He said, "The script for 'Our Millionaire' is truly remarkable. I've talked to Tian Zhuangzhuang, and we genuinely admire you from the bottom of our hearts."

Jiang Wen really wanted to film this script because the story was so exciting. After all, who would have thought that a TV program would lead to such a dramatic and unpredictable life for a young man? His life path was truly incredible.

Leaving aside the strange things in the village ahead and the mine behind, even a bus on the road was described in such a story by Lin Youcheng. The more you think about it, the more terrifying it becomes.

Who would have thought that a bus, just a random bus on the road, would experience such a terrible thing? You could even say that bus number 44 was just a fleeting encounter on Xu Qingshan's life path, but that fleeting encounter almost led to his destruction.

Jiang Wen also thought the story of bus number 44 was quite absurd. After all, who would have thought that Xu Qingshan, who had just escaped a disaster and was on his way back to his hometown from the mine, would board a bus number 44 on a remote road? On the bus, he encountered two robbers who not only robbed him of all his fare but also forced the female driver to do *that* in the roadside weeds. However, all the passengers on the bus remained indifferent, except for the kind-hearted Xu Qingshan, who rushed off the bus to ask the robbers to let the female driver go, but was stabbed instead.

After being released by the bandits, the female driver continued driving, but she kicked Xu Liqingshan, who had stepped forward, off the bus. Frustrated and confused, Xu Liqingshan was forced off the bus, but no one could have imagined that the No. 44 bus behind them would drive into a ravine, killing the female driver and all the passengers.

It's really quite terrifying.

Jiang Wen couldn't help but think that after experiencing such a dark event, Xu Qingshan was still so kind. If he weren't kind, he wouldn't have survived. He was really too shrewd.

Yes, Lin Youcheng's story is fascinating, but upon closer examination, the earlier parts are truly terrifying.

Or rather, what's terrifying isn't the story, but human nature.

Whether it's Bai Xuemei, who was sold into slavery, the lives lost in the dark mine, the death of the No. 44 bus, or the host's deliberate wrong answers in the quiz show, they all seem to be about human nature and are all about the dark side of humanity.

The host led Xu Qingshan astray by using answer B while he was in the restroom, which is to say, the horror and darkness of human nature.

Clearly, the host had no idea what darkness the kind-hearted Li Qingshan had experienced and what terrifying aspects of human nature he had witnessed before.

In fact, it wasn't just Jiang Wen who thought this way; Li Xuejian, Lü Xiaohe, and Zhang Guorong all shared the same idea.

Aside from the events in Xu Qingshan's life, the most crucial element is the design of this quiz show.

Jiang Wen looked at Lin Youcheng and asked, "I think the quiz show you wrote in your movie is brilliant. You could discuss it with the people at CCTV and see if you can create a show about it."

When Lin Youcheng heard Jiang Wen's words, he just smiled and said, "Maybe CCTV already has it now."

In fact, Lin Youcheng knew very well that the program "Lucky 52" was launched in 1997. With the rise of local TV stations, CCTV launched an interactive quiz show to compete for ratings. Contestants could win prizes and gifts by answering questions, with prizes worth thousands of yuan being given out frequently each episode.

Jiang Wen raised an eyebrow, also unsure of Lin Youcheng's meaning, and said, "CCTV has it? How come I didn't know?"

"Even if there were, I don't think it could be as exciting as the show you wrote, with a million-dollar prize."

Lin Youcheng smiled and said, "This isn't scripted. If the program featured people with 10,000 or 100,000 yuan, would they be considered millionaires or have changed their destiny?" Jiang Wen also shook his head. With the reform and opening up and rapid economic development, people with 10,000 or 100,000 yuan are nothing. Only millionaires can truly be considered wealthy in this commercial society.

After all, you should know that the current housing price in Beijing is more than 2,000 yuan per square meter, which means a room would cost around 300,000 yuan, and that's not even in a prime location.

Jiang Wen was just casually mentioning it to Lin Youcheng. He thought the quiz show designed in Lin Youcheng's script was also very exciting. In addition to the program format, the dark side of the program host was also quite interesting.

Jiang Wen thought of the TV host and couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you think of casting me as a TV host? Why did you cast me as a policeman?"

"Don't get any other ideas. Zhang Guoli is great as a TV host, and you're perfect for playing a policeman."

Jiang Wen said somewhat unhappily, "There's too little room for the character of a policeman to develop. You might as well have cast me as Xu Qingshan's father in the first place."

"Or maybe those two guys in the mine!"

Lin Youcheng shook his head and said, "Don't even think about it. Leslie Cheung has already finished his cameo role and left. As for the two roles in the mine, one is played by Li Xuejian and the other by Lü Xiaohe. Do you think you're suitable? Can you give birth to a child as big as Xu Qingshan?"

One of the people in the mine, Song Jinming, felt pity for Xu Qingshan because he thought of Xu Qingshan as his own child, and because he had previously caused the death of Xu Qingshan's father.

Obviously, Jiang Wen's age is inappropriate.

Although Jiang Wen was dissatisfied, he only said it casually. He knew that the role had already been decided, so how could it be changed? Moreover, he had already promised Lin Youcheng that he would play the role of the policeman, so he would not go back on his word. He just mentioned it casually to Lin Youcheng in private.

Lin Youcheng actually knew what Jiang Wen was thinking, so he asked instead, "What scripts are you planning to film next?"

"It's not decided yet; I'm currently writing a book."

Jiang Wen smiled and said, "It's a memoir called 'The Birth of a Film,' which records the filming details and script of 'In the Heat of the Sun.'"

Lin Youcheng laughed when he heard Jiang Wen's words and said, "You can't just write books."

"Zhao Baogang wants me to be the producer of a drama, and I'm still considering it."

Jiang Wen added, "Actually, I've been reading other novels and stories, planning to make a film about them, but I haven't come across anything particularly good yet, except for your 'Our Millionaire'."

Lin Youcheng knew that Jiang Wen's next film was "Devils on the Doorstep," and that he would also serve as the screenwriter and lead actor. The film was adapted from You Fengwei's novel "Survival." Although it premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival and won the Jury Prize, the film was controversial.

Lin Youcheng knew that Jiang Wen was a person with his own opinions, so he didn't say much, especially since Jiang Wen hadn't planned to film that story yet. He simply said, "Choose carefully. There's no rush. Maybe you'll make the next 'In the Heat of the Sun'."

Jiang Wen smiled and said, "Then I should also surpass 'In the Heat of the Sun'."

Lin Youcheng didn't say anything. He now hopes that his daughter Lin Zhaomei's first feature film will also be a great success.

Time passed by unnoticed. Lin Youcheng, as the father, was very supportive and stayed with Lin Zhaomei on set. Apart from occasionally returning to Beijing to visit his younger daughter Lin Zhaoyuan, he spent most of his time on set helping Lin Zhaomei.

After all, it's like Lin Zhaomei calling Jiang Wen "Uncle Jiang." If he weren't around, Jiang Wen would really have to give Lin Zhaomei more guidance, which would put Lin Zhaomei in a difficult position.

Jiang Wen came to the film crew, and soon Zhang Guoli also joined the crew.

Zhang Guoli is undoubtedly a very good actor, and he doesn't joke around with Lin Youcheng like Jiang Wen does. After all, he is not familiar with Lin Youcheng, but he admires and respects Lin Youcheng very much. Otherwise, he would not have agreed to act in Lin Youcheng's script.

Zhang Guoli, in particular, was also moved by this script.

Lin Zhaomei was very satisfied with Zhang Guoli's performance and nodded, indicating, "That's a wrap, that's a wrap, let's move on to the next scene."

The next scene to be filmed is Xu Qingshan's participation in a TV quiz show. At this point, he has answered the first seven questions. During the commercial break, he has no clue about one question and has eliminated two wrong answers, leaving him with a choice between two options.

It was at this moment that the program host, played by Zhang Guoli, wrote the answer "B" on the bathroom mirror with water to hint to Xu Qingshan. However, Xu Qingshan ultimately avoided the answer and chose another option. He was subsequently taken to the police station for questioning on suspicion of "cheating".

After all departments were ready, the surveillance cameras began recording. In the restroom, Duan Long squatted in a corner and heard Zhang Guoli's voice outside the door. Duan Long muttered to himself, "I can't possibly become a millionaire. I really don't know the answer."

“You said the same thing before.” Zhang Guoli’s tone was calm, but his delivery of lines was excellent, and his delivery was spot on.

"I really don't know this time."

Duan Long said, "Now we can't take the money and leave."

"You're about to make history, son."

Zhang Guoli's voice came through the crack in the door, "Fate has already made its arrangements. My intuition tells me you will win. Trust me, Xu Qingshan."

In fact, fate had already made arrangements; this line is quite profound.

Duan Long took a deep breath, got up and walked to the sink. As he dried his hands, he saw the letter "B" in the lower right corner of the mirror. For a moment, his expression was complicated, his gaze shifting between the letter and the direction the host had left...

……

"Okay! This one is approved!"

Lin Zhaomei was quite satisfied with Duan Long and Zhang Guoli's performance and excitedly shouted "Cut!"

Filming is progressing quickly and is nearing completion. Lin Youcheng, the father, is starting to see his hopes fulfilled. (End of Chapter)