Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

……

Shortly after the official announcement from the G20 organizing committee, Tang Yan Studio sent its blessings.

Tang Yan already has a huge following, and given her recent rumored relationship with Lu Yunzhou, her immediate blessing has drawn widespread attention across the internet.

"Wait a minute, guys, I just realized, wasn't the name Lu Yunzhou trending a few days ago?"

"Upstairs, you have a good memory. Lu Yunzhou's short film was previously nominated for Best Short Film at the Busan International Film Festival. Back then, Tang Yan and Yang Mi's fans argued in the square all night."

"Oh, I knew I'd seen this episode."

……

——【Lu Yunzhou, G20 Official Promotional Video】

——【Lu Yunzhou, Busan International Film Festival】

— [Lu Yunzhou and Tang Yan's relationship exposed.]

Many related topics have emerged on Weibo, most of which are related to Lu Yunzhou.

At the same time, photos of Lu Yunzhou's daily life, work, and even photos of him participating in piano solo competitions at school were also unearthed by resourceful netizens.

"Wow, he's a musical prodigy?"

"Old Tang has good taste. Anyway, it's much better than someone finding an uncle, right?"

The Weibo forum was instantly buzzing with excitement.

Previously, Tang Yan's fans went to great lengths to dispel rumors about her, believing that Tang Yan and Lu Yunzhou had a purely professional relationship and that there would absolutely be no romantic involvement between them.

However, considering that Tang Yan is already 32 years old, fans say they would be perfectly accepting if a talented and handsome young man came to pursue her.

After all, this handsome young man really has style.

At this moment, fans put themselves in Tang Yan's shoes and felt that this was simply a love bestowed upon her by heaven.

"I've made up my mind, I'm going to buy shares in Lu Yunzhou!"

"Buying stocks" is a slang term in the fan community, meaning that if you think Lu Yunzhou is a promising stock, you should join Lu Yunzhou's fan team early and become a veteran.

From now on, you can speak louder when you speak in the square.

After all, successful stock picking equals accurate judgment, which in turn equals personal success.

People who idolize celebrities aren't following the stars; they're indulging their own vanity.

……

Kiwi Fruit Platform Headquarters.

Ji Rujing once again engaged in business negotiations with kiwifruit.

This time, Ji Rujing discovered that the content department director she had been negotiating with had been replaced by Kiwi's chief content officer and executive producer.

Mr. Ma is currently the second-in-command at Kiwi Fruit.

"President Ji, when can I meet with Director Lu? I'd like to speak with him personally about some aspects of the creation of this drama."

"I heard that Director Lu is not very satisfied with the script. Our content team has excellent script doctors who may be able to help."

If Lu Yunzhou were merely shortlisted for the Busan International Film Festival, it would only demonstrate that he is a rising star. However, he has now become the director of the official promotional video for the G20 Organizing Committee.

The value of winning them over suddenly increased.

As long as Lu Yunzhou's next drama isn't too outrageous, it'll definitely air on Zhejiang TV. The relevant authorities will likely make things easier for him.

"Yunzhou has been busy with interviews from various media outlets these past few days and simply hasn't had the time. I'm sure Mr. Ma is aware that for Yunzhou at his age, achieving what he has is no easy feat."

"The whole nation wants to know, what exactly does this Monkey King, who sprang from a crack in a rock, look like?"

Ji Rujing has also been very busy these past few days.

She wished she had the ability to be in two places at once.

However, her selfless help was rewarded.

Lu Yunzhou signed his director agency contract with Ji Rujing, asking Ji Rujing to arrange some interview projects for him.

We can't let Ji Rujing work for nothing, can we?

"Ding ding ding".

Even during a meeting, Ji Rujing's phone kept vibrating.

Mr. Ma could vaguely see several names popping up, including some top directors.

Ning Hao.

Section Chief Jia.

There was even a name for Chen Kaige.

Ning Hao needs no introduction. He launched the "Bad Monkey Project," intending to discover and cultivate new directors using a mentorship system.

After Lu Yunzhou's short film won the award, he immediately contacted Ji Rujing, hoping to sit down and have a chat with Lu Yunzhou.

Director Jia doesn't need to say much. After all, he himself made his way up through the short film category at the Busan International Film Festival, and he most likely wants to share some of his experience with Lu Yunzhou.

To Ma's surprise, even a renowned director like Chen Kaige was interested in Lu Yunzhou.

"Was that a message from Director Chen?"

Mr. Ma was extremely curious and hoped that Ji Rujing could let him see what Chen Kaige wanted to say to Lu Yunzhou.

"Um."

Upon receiving Chen Kaige's message, Ji Rujing was somewhat flattered and said with a smile, "Director Chen seems to really like our Yunzhou. He saw our short film through special channels and found it very inspired, full of classical rigor and order. It greatly moved him. Therefore, he would like to invite Yunzhou to have dinner together."

Putting aside Chen Kaige's own filmmaking skills, his vision and theoretical level are absolutely top-notch in China.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ma slammed his hand on the table.

"good!"

"Director Lu, you are truly a promising young man."

"I've decided to personally serve as the executive producer for the 'Die Is Coming' project, and to rate it as a major release for the platform at the start of next year."

"Director Lu, if you're not available to come in person, you can send me the list of actors you'd like to invite, and I'll negotiate with them personally."

Previously, Mr. Ma always thought that investing 5000 million yuan in a new director was simply a pipe dream. Even after Ji Rujing left, he complained to his subordinates that Tang Yan had gone crazy, gambling his career on an unknown nobody.

But now, let alone 50 million, even if it costs 100 million, he will still hold onto this project.

This is his last chance with kiwifruit.

Mr. Ma's performance in the past two years has not been very good, and he has already heard the rumors. The boss is preparing to invite a top producer from CCTV's production team to replace him.

This was unavoidable.

Around the beginning of next year, he will retire and hand over his position to Wang Xiaohui, a big-name producer from CCTV.

But he was unwilling to leave in such a dejected manner.

Even if it's his last production, he wants to leave behind enough glory for kiwifruit.

……

"Thank you, Director Lu, for accepting our interview."

In three days, Lu Yunzhou gave 15 interviews, which exhausted him.

This is the price of fame.

After the interview, Ji Rujing had already arranged for a car to wait outside for a long time.

As soon as Lu Yunzhou got into the car, Ji Rujing handed him a drink: "Yunzhou, how are you feeling? Are you very tired?"

"It's better than I expected."

The feeling of becoming famous is actually very exhilarating.

These past few days, wherever he went, everyone stared at him and whispered about him, which greatly satisfied his vanity.

But Lu Yunzhou didn't forget his principles: "Sister Ji, do I now have the right to freely choose actors?"

Ji Rujing smiled and nodded: "Besides top movie stars, we can even help you send invitations to TV kings like Hu Ge."

Lu Yunzhou shook his head: "Hu Ge is good, but we don't need him. A suitable role is fine. For big-name actors, Tangtang is enough!"

A director is someone who has complete control.

Otherwise, they are nothing more than puppets of capital.

Lu Yunzhou knew that his treatment was actually very rare in the current online drama industry.

He also benefited from the G20 organizing committee's perks.

He must make good use of this opportunity and fight a brilliant battle to establish himself.

"This is the list of actors I've prepared for auditions. Please invite them for me."

Lu Yunzhou handed Ji Rujing the list of actors he needed. This was a list of actors he had spent a long time selecting, a mix of newcomers and seasoned veterans.

Veteran actors can guarantee a minimum standard for the performances in a TV series.

New actors have talent, and audiences are tired of seeing the same old faces on an assembly line. Fresh faces are more likely to stand out if they perform well.

Of course, most importantly, costs are easier to control.

"Yunzhou, where did you find this little girl?"

Ji Rujing took the cast list and compared it with the photos and information of the actors. Suddenly, she noticed a new face.

She was captivated at first sight.

This little girl is just too cute.

"Zhang Ruonan was born in 1996. She just graduated from high school?"

Upon seeing the age, Ji Rujing immediately perked up, picked up Zhang Ruonan's information, and quickly looked through it, only to find that Zhang Ruonan's information was completely blank.

Only place of origin and age are required.

Ji Rujing went back to check her place of origin, and it was the same place as Lu Yunzhou's.

She guessed that Lu Yunzhou might have discovered this hidden talent when he returned to his hometown.

"Yunzhou, you have excellent taste!"

"This girl was a perfect choice! Her face naturally exudes innocence and has no aggressiveness. When she plays a tragic character on screen, the audience's empathy will be maximized. She's practically tailor-made for the female lead in the school bullying segment!"

"Moreover, she's a blank slate, without any company constraints, so we can fully develop her according to the needs of the role; her potential is enormous!"

"By the way, has this young lady named Zhang Ruonan signed with a company? Why don't you sign her with our company? I'll definitely train her well."

Hearing Ji Rujing's words, Lu Yunzhou was both amused and exasperated.

He was still hesitating about whether to give Zhang Ruonan a special favor, but he never expected that Ji Rujing was already eager to sign Zhang Ruonan.

It seems he underestimated Zhang Ruonan's adorable appearance.

This seems to be an appearance that appeals to all ages, regardless of gender.

"By the way, Yunzhou, Dilraba's agent is asking again if she can get a chance?"

While thinking about getting Zhang Ruonan signed immediately, Ji Rujing casually brought up Dilraba's situation.

Lu Yunzhou refused without hesitation: "In my eyes, Jiaxing is like a poisonous datura. Anyone who gets involved with it is doomed."

"To put it another way, our drama is a true female-centric production. There is no so-called second female lead."

"If we don't give Dilraba a role when she auditions, Jaywalk Studio will probably release a press release saying we're petty."

"If we were given the role, the story would undoubtedly repeat the one in 'Diamond Lover' later on. I don't want to gamble even if there's only a slight chance."

This project is very important to Lu Yunzhou.

This was his first real step into the film and television industry.

As for the previous short film, it just happened to be released during the G20 summit and benefited from the media attention surrounding Tang Yan, a top-tier celebrity.

In fact, at a different time, nobody cares whether a short film wins an award or not.

Television dramas are different.

At least tens of millions of people will watch it.

He must minimize the risks.

He also disliked the way Jaywalk Studio, the company behind Dilraba, operated!

There are no good dramas, but articles criticizing and belittling other actors are flying everywhere.

There's no acting skill involved, but getting on the trending topics on Weibo is a must.

Ji Rujing instantly understood and was extremely satisfied with Lu Yunzhou. She smiled and nodded, "Okay, I know how to reply."

"By the way, as we agreed before, the public audition is scheduled for next Monday. Remember to make time for it."

"I'll send out all the invitations today. I'll personally handle things with Zhang Ruonan and make sure she understands all the audition details."

She had to give Lu Yunzhou face since he had personally invited her.

……

Wenzhou, Yueqing.

Zhang Ruonan's mother, as her guardian, received a phone call from Ji Rujing, inviting Zhang Ruonan to go to Shanghai next Monday for a role audition.

During dinner, Mom explained what had happened.

Before Zhang Ruonan, the person involved, could even speak, her younger siblings exclaimed, "Big sister, I'm so envious of you! You finally don't have to go to school anymore!"

While her younger siblings were still making a ruckus at the table, Zhang Ruonan could only hear the pounding of her own heart.

—I went to Shanghai for an audition to meet Lu Yunzhou.

For the sake of their love.

And for my own dream!

The first step to becoming a billionaire female billionaire, here I come, Sister Nan!