Chapter 13: Reminder

Through his more than ten years of working life in his previous life, Zhang Yuan had accumulated a wealth of professional experience.

One of those lessons was...

"Sometimes, contradicting your leader is easier for gaining their recognition than blind obedience."

However, the prerequisite for doing this was having genuine skill. After contradicting them, you had to ensure the other party felt you were right; that was how you earned true appreciation.

Of course, there were those who blindly imitated this without the brains to back it up, which resulted in them clashing with their superiors in public and getting fired on the spot.

At the dinner table, Zhang Yuan voiced his opposition to Li Dawei's idea, causing everyone at the table to shift their gaze toward him.

Even Gao Qunshu, who was trying to support Zhang Yuan, felt a tremor in his heart, fearing that the young man might offend someone.

But Director Li Dawei didn't get angry; instead, he looked at him with a warm smile.

"Zhang Yuan, tell me, what did I say wrong? It's alright, speak boldly."

Zhang Yuan's previous analysis of *The Story of a Noble Family* had been very useful to him. Now, beyond mere curiosity, Li Dawei felt a hint of respect for Zhang Yuan—the kind of respect one might hold for a teacher.

As for why he was being so patient with Zhang Yuan, that story had to start from the beginning.

Li Dawei was a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy (BFA). Zhou Xiaowen and Yang Tao, who were also at this table, were BFA alumni. This table was essentially a mini BFA alumni association.

Zhou Xiaowen and Yang Tao were considerably older than Li Dawei, yet they were extremely polite to him. As for the reason... it was because he had a great mother!

Li Dawei's mother was named Liu Guoquan, a prominent figure from the BFA Acting Department's Class of '60. She entered the BFA studio as an actress in '69 and had acted in many films alongside Chen Qiang, the father of Chen Peisi.

Later, she transitioned from acting to directing. The film *Father and Son's Old Car*, starring the Chen father and son, was one of her works.

From connections to ability to seniority, Liu Guoquan was essentially a godmother-level figure in the Chinese film and television industry, with countless disciples and old friends. She was a senior whose mere footsteps could make the entire BFA tremble.

Li Dawei's first film was *Joyous Atmosphere*, directed by his mother. He was credited as the director, but in reality, it was just a way for him to learn.

By his second film, Li Dawei finally took the director's baton and directed most of it, though his mother still controlled the overall situation from behind the scenes.

As a side note, that TV series was titled *The Great Hero Zheng Chenggong*. Due to political reasons, its censorship was stalled, and it took several years to broadcast. The theme song originally intended for it was snatched away by *Kangxi Dynasty*.

Yes, that very song—Han Lei's "Borrowing Another Five Hundred Years from Heaven." A song originally meant to praise Zheng Chenggong was used to praise Kangxi; it was pure dark humor.

Now that Li Dawei's mother saw the timing was right, she had provided her son with his third project: *The Story of a Noble Family*!

This time, to train her son, the old lady let go of the reins early on. Not only did she let Li Dawei prepare on his own, but she even let him handle the task of adapting the script personally.

The old lady was putting in immense effort. Some might ask, "Is it really necessary?"

Well, wasn't Chen Kaige's breakthrough work also arranged by his father, Chen Huaikai? Even for *Farewell My Concubine*, considered the peak of Chen Kaige's career, the old man put in a lot of work behind the scenes. What parent doesn't want their child to become a dragon?

Li Dawei's directing ability had been influenced by his mother's guidance, and with the training from his two previous films, he had basically completed his apprenticeship.

However, when it came to script adaptation, he was still lacking. He had been staying up late every day recently, anxious and frustrated over this matter. He had gathered a group of director friends for drinks today partly to vent, but also to seek advice from friends and seniors.

Since he had come with a learning attitude, and Zhang Yuan's words were substantive, he naturally treated him as an honored guest.

Zhang Yuan was well aware of this, which is why he dared to speak up boldly.

"Director Li, your intention just now was to follow the script strictly and film exactly according to the novel. I don't think that will work."

"There are several reasons why it won't work."

"First, the original novel is over a million words long and contains an immense amount of content. If you truly filmed everything, 100 episodes wouldn't be enough."

In those years, the era of "filler" content in TV dramas had not yet begun. A 40-episode series was considered long-form. It wasn't like later generations, where 80 or 100 episodes were common, even after the SARFT issued "slimming orders" that had little effect.

Li Dawei nodded slightly; he had indeed overlooked this point.

"Furthermore, this novel is a Republican-era work. The values of that time are different from today's, and much of the content won't suit the tastes of modern audiences."

"For example, the male lead, Jin Yanxi, is a massive 'scumbag.' The decline of his family is partly due to his own lack of discipline and studies, yet he ends up with a good life."

"Won't the audience feel indignant when they see that?"

In fact, Jin Yanxi didn't just end up well; after abandoning his wife and children and fleeing to Southeast Asia, he actually became a movie star thanks to his excellent looks. Not only that, he even specifically filmed a movie that distorted the truth, claiming his first wife was vain and had abandoned him.

At the end of the novel, this movie becomes a massive hit, and Jin Yanxi gains both fame and fortune, while his wife, Leng Qingqiu, is left feeling resentful after watching the film.

With an ending like that, wouldn't it infuriate the audience? The villain succeeds while the good person suffers.

Li Dawei was stunned. "Zhang Yuan, what does 'scumbag' mean?"

He had forgotten that the term didn't exist yet.

"It means a playboy—someone who starts relationships only to abandon them, who has many affairs but takes no responsibility. He's like trash."

"Interesting. That's quite fitting," Zhou Xiaowen, who was already quite drunk, chuckled.

"Dawei, I think Zhang Yuan has a point. This isn't a problem with the content; it's a problem with the market!" Director Yang Tao, sitting nearby, keenly sensed the issue.

"No matter how good a novel is, it's still a work from 80 years ago. Modern people might not necessarily enjoy it. If you abandon the audience just to stay true to the original work, you are losing sight of the forest for the trees."

"Tao is right. We make films to make the audience enjoy them; otherwise, who are we going to sell them to?"

Li Dawei opened his mouth, looking at Zhang Yuan with extreme surprise.

It was one thing to understand the story, but for someone so young to already be considering the market and audience issues of film and television...

*Even I, as a director, didn't think that far! This kid's ability is even greater than I imagined...* Li Dawei thought to himself, then raised his glass.

"Zhang Yuan, are you free tomorrow? Let's find a place to chat in detail."

"Will there be food? I'm not going if there's no food," Zhang Yuan teased.

"I'll provide three meals a day!"

Gao Qunshu, glancing at Zhang Yuan, caught the subtext in his words and quickly chimed in.

"Three meals a day isn't enough. If you're going to provide, you should provide for an entire production!"

Zhang Yuan gave Director Gao a mental thumbs-up. *This is my man!*

"Oh..." Li Dawei slapped his forehead.

Zhang Yuan had been helping him analyze the script, and he had forgotten that the young man's primary profession was an actor.

"That's easy. I'm the one managing the casting for this production anyway. It's easier to talk with our own people."

With that sentence, Zhang Yuan's trip today was not in vain. A single dinner in exchange for a role—a massive profit!

Li Dawei felt more settled, and his mood gradually relaxed. The rest of the drinking session was very lively.

By the time the gathering was winding down, Li Dawei was already stumbling, his arm draped over Gao Qunshu's shoulder.

"Old Gao, thank you for introducing such a talent to me."

"I'll treat you to drinks next time."

"When your show's ratings soar, we'll celebrate together," Director Gao gave a high-EQ response.

"They will definitely soar. To be honest, I've already thought it through."

"Haven't Korean dramas been popular these last two years?"

"Take that show *Autumn in My Heart* from two years ago—how popular was it?"

"So I've decided: for our project, we'll also find a few Korean actresses to play roles. The young people will definitely love it!"

His muddled, half-drunk words reached Zhang Yuan's ears, making him perk up.

*How did I forget about that!*

In those years, it was indeed popular to hire Korean actresses for mainland Chinese dramas, such as Park Si-yeon, who was called the "most beautiful Holy Mother" for her role in the *Lotus Lantern* starring Jiao Enjun.

But that was a matter of several years later.

Everyone knew that in *The Story of a Noble Family*, there were no Korean actresses!

"Director Li, you just said you wanted to hire Korean actresses."

"Yeah, the roles I'm planning are the second female lead, Bai Xiuzhu, and the maid, Xiao Lian. I've already made contact with the Korean side," Li Dawei said proudly.

Everyone knew that the ultimate role of Bai Xiuzhu belonged to the "Celestial Fairy" Liu, who had just returned to the country that year!

And the ultimate performer for the role of Xiao Lian was Xu Lu, the actress from *Romance in the Rain* who would later become a source of countless memes and GIFs in the future.

"Director Li, our country is relatively conservative regarding foreign artists entering the country. If their visas get stuck, it could very much affect the filming. You should make plans in advance."

"It won't happen," Li Dawei waved it off, clearly not taking it seriously.

Zhang Yuan said no more. After saying his goodbyes to the group of directors, he headed home alone...

(End of Chapter)