Chapter 14: Mother and Son

He had certainly drunk quite a lot the previous night; Zhang Yuan discovered that these directors had incredibly impressive alcohol tolerances.

Fortunately, he was still young. Upon waking up, most of the alcohol had worn off. After washing up, he prepared to head out.

"Zhang Yuan, I saw you didn't get back until midnight, and now you're rushing out again this morning. Are you starting a new project?" his roommate, Zhao Jin, asked curiously.

Ever since learning that Zhang Yuan earned thirteen thousand yuan a month, the once listless and inconsistent Zhao Jin had given himself a massive shot of motivation.

*Zhang Yuan is a few years younger than me, yet he's already making a fortune. It seems even extras have their day in the sun. I have a chance too!*

It was a classic "If the top student can do it, so can I" mentality.

"Something like that. Filming hasn't started yet, but the director asked me to discuss the script with him."

"Pfft, stop bragging. Asking *you* to discuss the script..."

Zhang Yuan was telling the truth, but unfortunately, no one believed him!

"What kind of show is it?"

"The Romance of Golden Peonies."

"Never heard of it. A small production?" Zhao Jin thought to himself—what big director or major production would consult a minor actor on a script?

"It's not exactly small," Zhang Yuan thought. *It shouldn't be small; this drama was the CCTV ratings champion back in 2003...*

"Who's the lead?" Zhao Jin, refusing to give up, continued to pry.

"Chen Kun."

"Chen Kun..." Zhao Jin froze for a moment upon hearing the name, then leaped up from his bed. "Chen, Chen, Chen Kun!"

"The one who acted in *Like a Fog, Like Rain, Like the Wind* with Zhou Xun, Luo Haixiong, and Lu Yi!"

Zhao Jin's tongue was practically tied in knots.

"That's the one. I'm heading out now, see you tonight." Zhang Yuan put on his shoes and left.

The motivation Zhao Jin had just built up instantly deflated!

*What a joke!*

The guy was handpicked by a director of that caliber and was going to act alongside Chen Kun.

In Zhao Jin's eyes, Sun Honglei was just someone who did breakdancing, but Chen Kun was different—he was a top-tier handsome man from the prestigious Beijing Film Academy.

Comparing himself to Zhang Yuan, a profound sense of despair welled up in Zhao Jin's heart.

In reality, the life of an extra was usually one of poverty and lack of recognition; it was just that he kept comparing himself to a special case like Zhang Yuan.

***

On the other side, Zhang Yuan arrived at the meeting point arranged with Li Dawei: a hotel room.

Zhang Yuan never expected that after Gao Qunshu had invited him to a hotel for a detailed discussion last time, he would be invited to a hotel again before filming had even begun.

*Fortunately, I'm not an actress.*

For the following period, Zhang Yuan came to the hotel every day to revise the script with Li Dawei.

About three weeks later, the finalized script for the TV series *The Romance of Golden Peonies* was finally completed.

***

At Li Dawei's home.

Wearing reading glasses and working by lamplight, Liu Guoquan carefully reviewed the thick stack of scripts his son had handed him.

As she read, the old lady nodded from time to time, while Li Dawei stood to the side nervously, like an elementary student waiting to have his homework inspected.

An hour later, Liu Guoquan took off her glasses and squinted at her son.

"Very good. It's even better than I imagined!"

Hearing his mother's affirmation, Li Dawei breathed a massive sigh of relief.

Many people struggle and work hard their entire lives, only to find that the fame and fortune they achieve aren't what they truly desired; what they want most is a single word of affirmation from their parents.

Li Dawei was the same.

Receiving his mother's approval made him happier than having high ratings or making a fortune.

"The story is derived from the original work but is not bound by it; it takes the essence and discards the dross."

"The personalities of the main characters are preserved but slightly adjusted to better suit the tastes of today's audience."

"For example, the endings of the protagonists."

"If I were adapting this script, I would do the same." Liu Guoquan realized that the content of this script aligned perfectly with her own thoughts.

"And what's even more interesting is the addition of plotlines and characters not found in the novel."

"Like this illegitimate son of Master Jin. This segment clearly has the feel of *Thunderstorm*. Moreover, the emotional entanglement between the illegitimate son and the female lead deepens the complexity of the protagonists' relationships and enhances the appeal."

In this TV version, the female lead has feelings for her teacher, and this teacher happens to be the illegitimate son of the male lead's father. To make it even more complex, the illegitimate son's mother is Master Jin's cousin...

Liu Guoquan was not stingy with her praise, but her tone suddenly shifted.

"However, I think there is one problem!"

"Mom, what problem? Tell me, I'll change it." In front of his mother, Director Li was always a child.

"The problem is..." The old lady's expression gradually turned serious. "I'm afraid this script wasn't completed by you alone!"

Li Dawei nodded nervously and sheepishly. "I found a helper. He's very capable."

"He's been helping me organize my thoughts from beginning to end. Many of the creative ideas came from him."

He decided to come clean.

The old lady wasn't angry; her expression remained kind.

Originally, she had asked her son to organize the script himself to train his personal abilities.

Now that he could find a helper, wasn't networking also a form of ability?

She was getting older and simply wanted to pave the way for her son.

"This person you found—is he a protégé of some famous screenwriter?" the old lady asked.

"As far as I know, he doesn't seem to have a mentor."

"Is he a prodigy from Peking University?"

"He doesn't have such high academic credentials." Reflecting on it now, Li Dawei also found it miraculous. "He's a young man, introduced to me by a director friend."

"According to him, he was just an extra two months ago."

"An extra!" The old lady blurted out in surprise. She had to take off her glasses, otherwise, she might have dropped them in shock.

"Yes. Even now, he has only played a small role, but I didn't expect him to possess such great talent."

Liu Guoquan fell silent to think for a moment, then spoke again with earnestness.

"Son, I've lived most of my life. Although I am a professional, I know that masters exist among the common people and talented individuals often live in seclusion."

"Academic credentials and background do not determine the height of a person's achievements. You must remember this."

"Mom, I understand. If it's talent, we grab it. We shouldn't act superior because of our professional status and look down on people."

"Exactly!"

"Since he comes from an acting background and has helped you so much, you must arrange a good role for him."

"To give a peach is to be repaid with jade. I understand," Li Dawei replied with a smile. "And he is quite proactive; he has already mentioned the role he wants to me."

"Which one?"

"Liu Chunjiang."

The old lady pondered for a moment.

The protagonists of the series are Jin Yanxi and the Jin family behind him, while the Liu family, to which Liu Chunjiang belongs, is merely one of many supporting families.

However, the character of Liu Chunjiang is the most important among the supporting cast!

In the original novel, the romance between the prince and the Cinderella-like protagonist is the most tragic. Yet, in a similar union of prince and Cinderella, the eldest young master Liu Chunjiang and the Jin family girl, Xiaolian, receive a happy ending.

Similar stories, similar backgrounds, but diametrically opposed endings—it creates a powerful contrast with the protagonists!

Sensing something, the old lady put her reading glasses back on and flipped through the script.

"Liu Chunjiang's character has been changed to a tragic ending!"

"And his screen time is much heavier and more brilliant!"

"Hah, this young man probably planned this from the very beginning."

For the first time, the old lady felt interested in a young man she had never met.

"Fine, let's do it that way. Start filming as soon as possible."

As she spoke, the old lady suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, son, you previously arranged for Old Huang to help with the handover of those two Korean actresses. There's a small problem now; their visas are stuck with the authorities."

"Ah, he was right again!" Li Dawei was dumbfounded.

"What was right?" the old lady asked, puzzled.

"The person helping me with the script—when we first met, he told me that the Korean actresses' visas might not go through and told me to make preparations early. I didn't take it seriously."

That day, Li Dawei had been too drunk and had treated Zhang Yuan's words as mere wind passing his ears.

Now that his mother had brought it up again, the scene from that day appeared before his eyes with piercing clarity.

The old lady had only been interested a moment ago; now, she felt a strong urge to meet him in person.

"What is this young man's name?"

"His name is Zhang Yuan!"