Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

……

Hengdian.

The crew of "A Chinese Odyssey Part Three".

"Everyone take a break, Sister Tangtang is treating us to watermelon."

The assistant director on set shouted something, and the entire crew went into a break, lining up to get their watermelons.

It was so hot in Hengdian in August that the film crew didn't dare to push the production crew too hard.

"Thank you, Sister Tangtang."

The crew thanked Tang Yan a few times and then took the watermelon to a shady spot to enjoy it.

It's so hot today, let's eat some watermelon to replenish our fluids and avoid heatstroke.

Inside Tang Yan's RV.

While fanning Tang Yan, Ji Rujing smiled and shared her experiences of the past few days with her.

"Tangtang, I've been to Hangzhou for several meetings these past few days. You have no idea how charming our little brother Xiao Chuan is, it's simply irresistible..."

"The Mr. Li from Paradise Umbrella and the leader of the organizing committee argued fiercely every time they had a meeting about our Little Boat Brother's short film."

"That scene gave me a strange feeling, as if two beautiful women were fighting over a handsome young man, asking him who he truly loved?"

The scene Ji Rujing described was so vivid that Tang Yan couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yunzhou, thank you for your hard work."

Tang Yan turned to look at Lu Yunzhou, and personally took out a small bottle of Gatorade from the RV's mini-fridge and handed it to Lu Yunzhou.

She no longer calls Lu Yunzhou "Junior Brother Yun." How can he be called "Junior Brother Yun" now?

This is simply the ancestor descended to earth!

"Thanks."

Lu Yunzhou took the drink and took a sip: "Sister Tangtang, I observed your filming this morning, and it seems a bit unsatisfactory."

A Chinese Odyssey Part 3 is truly revolutionary.

Because Lu Yunzhou saw Wu Jing, the bald-headed actor, playing Tang Sanzang!

God!

Wu Jing actually acted in this?

Lu Yunzhou's eyes were truly opened.

Shh. Be careful, the walls may be listening.

Actually, Tang Yan knew after filming for a few days that this movie was probably not going to work. But as the female lead, she naturally couldn't say such things casually.

Tang Yan didn't want to discuss this and changed the subject, jokingly asking, "Yunzhou, now that the final payment for the Paradise Umbrella has arrived, is there anything you want to buy?"

Lu Yunzhou shook his head and said casually, "I gave it all to my parents. Their business is just starting out and they need the funds."

These words surprised Tang Yan.

She thought that a young man like Lu Yunzhou, who suddenly became rich, would definitely spend money like crazy and treat himself to a big meal.

Buying luxury cars and dating a few pretty young models—that's what aligns with her preconceived notions.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yunzhou remained so calm.

"You gave all the money to your parents at once. It seems you have a new plan? Can you tell me about it? Maybe I can be your leading lady again."

The fact that Lu Yunzhou transferred all the money to his parents so readily clearly shows that he was absolutely confident he could get a second sum of money immediately.

"Sister Tangtang, you've studied 'The Well-Tempered Clavier,' right?"

Lu Yunzhou asked casually, just as a casual chat.

"Looking down on me? I've passed the exams too!" Tang Yan raised an eyebrow and laughed in an annoyed tone.

Lu Yunzhou wanted someone who "knew a little bit" of this kind of person.

At this moment, he said seriously, "In that case, Sister Tangtang should know that sound is actually a kind of mechanical wave, full of order. However, once sound becomes music, it can unleash infinite possibilities. This is a magical transformation."

Tang Yan nodded thoughtfully.

This sentence sounds very classy.

After spending the past two weeks together, and with Ji Rujing constantly telling her how amazing Lu Yunzhou's short films were, she realized how incredible they were.

Although Tang Yan herself hasn't seen the short film yet, she's already become a half-fan of Lu Yunzhou.

"This sense of order and beauty was greatly perfected and enriched by Bach in the form of his fugues. If this technique were used to make a movie or TV series, would you be interested in watching it, Tangtang?"

Lu Yunzhou raised a question that Tang Yan and Ji Rujing found utterly baffling.

"Is this okay? How do we film this?"

Tang Yan racked her brains, thinking furiously. After a while, she felt her scalp starting to itch.

She studied piano, but that doesn't mean she can compose music.

Ji Rujing does know how to compose music.

At this moment, Tang Yan turned to Ji Rujing, humbly asking for her advice: "Sister, have you ever watched this kind of TV series?"

"I've seen it."

Ji Rujing nodded seriously, her eyes brightening and her breathing quickening: "Quentin Tarantino's *Pulp Fiction* uses several independent yet interwoven stories, like the contrapuntal voices in a fugue, all ultimately returning to the core theme of violence and redemption—it's exactly the same idea Yunzhou is trying to come up with!"

"This is an extremely difficult film technique!"

"Yunzhou, do you perhaps want to make this kind of movie?"

It must be said that Lu Yunzhou's idea greatly surprised Ji Rujing.

Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" won the Palme d'Or.

That non-linear narrative may seem chaotic at first glance, but upon closer inspection, you can feel that all the stories are answering the theme.

Very peculiar!

The top figures in this school, besides Quentin Tarantino, are none other than Christopher Nolan, the most sought-after new director in the world today!

This kind of skill is not something that just anyone can master.

"The film market is not currently suitable for a new director like me." Lu Yunzhou shook his head and decisively chose to give up.

The film market in 2015 was extremely unfriendly to new directors.

New directors can't get any screenings at all.

Even though he could persuade Tang Yan to play the female lead... Tang Yan had never proven herself in the film market.

In fact, viewers might be turned off by the mere sight of Tang Yan starring.

Seeing that Ji Rujing seemed puzzled, Lu Yunzhou began to chat casually: "I recently graduated from the music academy and have been pondering a question: what is the meaning of life?"

"The more I think about it, the more I feel that life is meaningless."

"For the next few days, I had the same dream every day, yet each dream was different."

"In my dream, I suddenly became a rich second-generation, a romantic musical prodigy, and a painter."

"My life suddenly seems to have become much more colorful."

"However, every dream ends the same way: I die inexplicably and then suddenly wake up."

"I wrote these dreams down on paper, and gradually, I had an idea."

Lu Yunzhou started talking about topics completely unrelated to the movie.

It's probably because, during his energetic youth, he would have all sorts of bizarre and wonderful dreams every night.

Tang Yan and Ji Rujing had both been through similar experiences; when they were young, they had all had similar dreams.

"What are your thoughts? Tell us about them. Don't worry, neither Sister Ji nor I will laugh at you. After all, you're still young and fickle. It's perfectly normal to fall in love with someone in your dreams."

Tang Yan had just said she wouldn't laugh, but she couldn't help but chuckle.

At this moment, Tang Yan and Ji Rujing exchanged a glance and felt that Lu Yunzhou had reached puberty and they should indeed introduce him to a beautiful girlfriend!

Otherwise, what if having these nonsensical dreams affects a genius's brain?

"Tangtang, don't laugh yet."

Ji Rujing sensed something, almost holding her breath, and stared intently at Lu Yunzhou: "Yunzhou, do you have some filming ideas? And, are you trying to borrow the characteristics of Bach's fugue order from these ideas?"

"That's right."

Lu Yunzhou nodded, then took out a piece of paper and drew several boxes on it: "Let's assume that all dreams represent an independent unit story."

"To connect these 12 units, making them echo and mirror each other, we need a main theme... I've tentatively set this theme as 'Searching for the Meaning of Life'!"

"As for the meaning of life, we cannot give an answer... So, as a symmetrical structure, this TV series can show the audience the [heaviness of death].

"Next, in each episode, every time the protagonist dies, we'll return to the main theme, which is Section A!"

"We will use the ABACAD... repetitive cyclical structure to form fixed, staggered answers... until the end, we will connect all 12 cycles into a single line, elevating the theme of Part A!"

"This elevated theme...will answer: The meaning of life lies in radiating brilliant light!"

This is Lu Yunzhou's second project, which draws inspiration from the plot structure of the Korean drama "The Day Is Coming".

This Korean drama is adapted from a comic, which began serialization around 2020.

At this point, it simply doesn't exist on the market.

Lu Yunzhou had long forgotten the specific plot of the drama, but he remembered that when he watched it, its cyclical structure and the contrapuntal logic of Bach's fugues were highly consistent, which gave him great inspiration.

However, Korean dramas are somewhat exaggerated in some aspects.

For this drama to truly be successful, it needs to develop a storyline that is relevant to the Chinese context.

If he could adapt "The Day Is Coming" for the Chinese market, and cast Tang Yan as the lead actress... he could not only gain both fame and fortune, but also completely reverse Tang Yan's reputation for acting skills!

"Brother, you're my own brother! Please, you have to help your little sister!"

At this moment, Tang Yan's eyes were almost red with tears, and she gripped Lu Yunzhou's sleeve tightly: "Brother, don't worry about the funding, I'll invest."

"As for the filming crew, I'll help you recruit them."

After hearing Lu Yunzhou's description, Tang Yan completely disregarded her image and stopped calling Lu Yunzhou her younger brother. Instead, she treated him as her half-brother.

Only an older brother would pull you up like that.

Tell yourself this genius-level idea casually.

Just hearing the concept almost made Tang Yan faint with excitement... The rigorous order of Bach's fugues, the misaligned answers of 12 cycles of life!

This show is perfect for me!

Tang Yan has never filmed this type of drama before; it sounds crazy enough.

The story features 12 consecutive deaths, each a separate episode, which may seem disjointed. However, Lu Yunzhou uses a peculiar classical music technique called "misaligned answering" to connect the themes of each episode.

After realizing this, Tang Yan felt breathless and her heart was about to stop beating.

"My God!"

"What kind of monster did I encounter?"

"When I go back this time, I definitely need to find some time to visit Mount Putuo and pay my respects!"

"Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your protection."