Huayu: I Have a Doraemon

Chapter 100 The Wave of Change (Please continue reading)

Early February in Shanghai is damp and chilly to the bone.

There was no heating on the apartment set, and everyone was shivering in the studio wrapped in thick cotton-padded clothes.

Shen Teng, wrapped in a military overcoat, huddled in the corner of the sofa.

When Deng Chao pushed the door open, he brought in a gust of cold wind, which made Shen Teng shiver.

"Close the door! Close the door! Close the door!"

Shen Teng called out three times, extremely anxious.

Deng Chao leisurely closed the door, glancing at him: "Aren't you from Northeast China? Are you afraid of the cold?"

"It's different."

Shen Teng wrapped his military coat tighter around himself and shrank further into the sofa: "The air conditioning in the south doesn't keep out the cold; it feels colder inside than outside."

Deng Chao ignored him, sat down at the other end of the sofa, took out the script from his bag, opened it, and started reading.

Shen Teng glanced at him sideways and mumbled, "Old Deng, what do you think our General Manager Lin is up to?"

Deng Chao looked up at him, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Shen Teng looked around, moved closer, and whispered, "You know, he finally got a project, but instead of staying on set to curry favor with the director or pulling strings at the TV station, he's just wandering around like this. What is he trying to do?"

There are still some conscientious people in the film and television industry today. In order not to fool the audience and to complete the task with high quality and quantity, the production team basically adopts a closed-off creative mode.

It's rare for a show like "iPartment" to be interrupted during filming, let alone for actors to leave the production midway through.

Deng Chao was hesitant to discuss Lin An's mysterious background, especially as the forest drew near, so he asked, "Director Lin, is Lin An's flight today?"

He pointed around and said, "I think the set is almost ready. Are we about to start filming?"

Shen Teng's heart skipped a beat, and he turned his head away, giving Lin Cong a fawning smile.

Lin Cong ignored him and said to Deng Chao, "Some furniture hasn't been delivered yet, so we'll have to wait a few more days to fully resume operations. As for Lin An, his flight is at 3 o'clock, so he should be arriving at the hotel soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the film set was pushed open, and a figure wrapped in a white down jacket poked half his body in, looked around, and then waved towards the sofa area.

Shen Teng was the first to react, exclaiming in surprise, "Oh! You're back?!"

This shout drew the attention of everyone around.

Qiao Zhenyu, who was rehearsing his lines in the corner, looked up.

Gao Lu and Dong Xuan stood up from the folding chairs in the rest area, their faces full of astonishment.

Gao Yuanyuan walked in with a smile and greeted the people who gathered around her one by one.

She took off her down jacket and draped it over her arm, revealing that she was only wearing a beige turtleneck sweater underneath. She looked much more energetic.

"Director Lin."

She walked up to Lin Cong and bowed slightly.

Lin Cong looked the beautiful girl up and down and smiled, "It's good that you're back."

Shen Teng squeezed in from the side, giving her an exaggerated once-over: "You've lost weight! Did the crew mistreat you? Tell me, and I'll give them a piece of my mind!"

"That's not true."

Gao Yuanyuan was both amused and exasperated. Just as she was about to explain, Deng Chao added in a sinister tone, "Zhang Mo is my junior. I can get Professor Zhang Guoli's phone number."

Shen Teng retorted, his neck stiff, "You want it? You want it? I'll definitely fight you!"

Deng Chao exclaimed, "Oh? Believe me or not, I'll really go and ask for it!"

This was the first time Gao Yuanyuan had ever seen the two of them bicker like this. While she found it amusing, she also tried to dissuade them, saying, "Zhang Mo is injured and probably can't answer your calls. Don't bother him."

After all, that makes you an easy target for a beating... she added silently.

"Zhang Mo is injured?"

Deng Chao looked surprised, and the others gathered around upon hearing this.

"You're injured? How did you get injured?" Lin Cong asked.

Gao Yuanyuan thought for a moment and decided that it wasn't a secret, so she recounted the general events of that day.

Boiling water was poured over her head... She slipped... They bumped into each other... Gao Lu was both scared and wanted to laugh.

Dong Xuan had a similar feeling.

This is like a funny scene from an animated film, only in reality, it comes with a bloody price.

Chen Shu was more concerned about the production team's situation: "So, the production team has already postponed filming?"

"Probably."

Gao Yuanyuan said uncertainly, "But I heard that Huayi has sent people to join the production, so it shouldn't be delayed too much."

Huayi sent people to the set... Chen Shu pondered this news, feeling that things were not so simple.

Lin Cong wasn't interested in any of that; instead, he inquired about Lin An: "Where's that kid?"

Gao Yuanyuan said, "He went to the TV station to see Director Pang."

"Do you know what it is?"

Gao Yuanyuan nodded: "He wants to adjust the shooting order and shoot 'The Night the Comet Came' first."

Lin Cong's lips twitched, thinking that Director Pang probably wouldn't be too happy.

Pang Jingming was more than just unhappy; he almost swore!

Shanghai Television Station, Editor-in-Chief's Office.

"Editor Lin, are you kidding me?"

Pang Jingming sat on the large sofa, looking at the handsome young man in front of him, and said with a wry smile, "You haven't even started filming your drama yet, and you're already asking me to lend you your location to film a movie? Isn't that a bit too much?"

Lin An picked up his teacup and took a sip, but still couldn't tell whether it was good or bad. With a self-deprecating laugh, he explained, "The set isn't fully set up yet. Even if we start filming now, the shooting schedule won't be much faster."

That makes a lot of sense, but some things in this world are unreasonable... Pang Jingming sighed helplessly:

-

-

"You have to give me a plausible reason, right?"

Lin An thought for a moment and said, "We can add 'Shanghai Electric' to the name of the film's production company."

Pang Jingming narrowed his eyes and said, "You're willing to share our box office revenue?"

Lin An shook his head: "I don't want to."

Pang Jingming then asked, "Are you willing to give us roles?"

Lin An continued to shake his head: "Impossible."

Pang Jingming leaned back slightly, slumping onto the sofa: "If that's the case, why should I help you?"

"What's the use of box office revenue? For you guys, awards are the most important thing, aren't they?"

Lin An said calmly, "Isn't the plan to merge the affiliated institutions under the Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Television precisely to consolidate resources and produce results as soon as possible to counter the challenges facing the cultural field after China's accession to the WTO?"

Pang Jingming's mouth gaped slightly, his face filled with astonishment. "Who told you all this?"

He didn't think the teachers at Beijing Film Academy had that political acumen. No, let alone Beijing Film Academy, even those film and television companies might not be aware of these things.

Who told me? My past life's video account! Lin An answered in his mind, but his expression remained calm: "Getting a project for free, even if it's just a nominal role, is still an opportunity for Shanghai TV. If it really yields results, you, as a supporter, will definitely be rewarded. Even if not, encouraging film and television creation is politically correct these days."

Pang Jingming straightened up and looked at the young man in front of him with an unprecedented seriousness.

After a long while, he said in a deep voice, "I think I understand a little now how you managed to win over Ye Daying."

"Can we not talk about this..." Lin An twitched the corner of his mouth, continuing to maintain his inscrutable demeanor.

After thinking for a few seconds, Pang Jingming made a decision: "Okay, but there are two conditions."

"Please speak."

"First, the filming speed must be fast enough to avoid delaying the production of 'iPartment'."

Lin An nodded and said, "No problem, I can finish filming in ten days at most."

Will the movie be watchable? Pang Jingming felt a little regretful, but he still continued, "Secondly, the opening ceremony will be arranged by the TV station, and you will give an exclusive interview afterward."

Lin An was speechless for a moment, thinking that these politicians really knew how to climb the social ladder.

There is indeed no such thing as a free lunch in this world.