Mu Deyuan leaned back comfortably in his office chair, a Yuxi cigarette dangling from his lips, smoke curling upwards, a ceramic teacup placed beside him—truly at ease.
“Teacher, are you there?”
Wu Chen’s voice came from outside the door.
“Come in,” Mu Deyuan said, straightening up slightly, “I was just looking for you today.”
“Are you looking for me for something? You go first…”
Seeing Wu Chen hesitate, Mu Deyuan waved his hand and said, “You speak first.”
“Hehe, Teacher, it’s like this.” Wu Chen cleared his throat and recounted Zhang Zemin’s impending visit.
Mu Deyuan listened indifferently at first, but a peculiar smile spread across his face at the end.
“Finished?”
“Finished, Teacher!” Wu Chen nodded sincerely.
“So, your project hasn’t even taken shape yet, and you’re already trying to get something for nothing?”
“Don’t make it sound so bad, Teacher,” Wu Chen retorted righteously, “This is called ‘preparing provisions before troops move’.”
Mu Deyuan chuckled upon hearing this, “Should I praise your capability, or your quick thinking? ‘Preparing provisions before troops move’ indeed…”
Mu Deyuan flicked the ash from his cigarette and continued, “Theoretically, these are all GG fees, and they should be accounted for as shared expenses. But, you’re quite good at pitching projects.
Yesterday, I went to see Zhang Xiao, and you were lucky—Teacher Zhou Chuanji happened to be there too. After discussing it, Zhang Xiao didn’t hesitate; your project has been approved.”
Even as someone who had lived two lives, Wu Chen couldn’t help but show a hint of joy upon hearing this news.
After two lifetimes, he had finally accumulated his first film.
“I was originally going to talk to you about the shares today, but since you’ve pulled this off, let’s discuss it after this matter is settled.
This saves a lot of trouble. If we relied entirely on school funding, there would inevitably be people gossiping behind our backs.”
“That’s not right, Teacher, is our school that poor?” Wu Chen pouted, “I estimate this project, using the school’s resources, equipment, and venues, and finding a few unknown students, would cost at most four hundred thousand.”
“You make it sound easy, four hundred thousand, do you think that’s nothing!”
Mu Deyuan immediately snapped when he heard Wu Chen’s words:
“How many people are there in the school? One of your projects costs over a hundred thousand, another one costs several hundred thousand. How much is the annual budget?
There are undergraduates about to graduate who need practical experience, and a batch of graduate students too, all waiting to apply. Only a few spots are available in the end. You’re cutting in line temporarily; if you don’t achieve something, haha…”
“Don’t worry, Teacher, haven’t you, Zhang Xiao, and Old Zhou all seen it!” Wu Chen chuckled.
“We also have times when we misjudge, but ultimately, it’s up to you, the director, to control it!” Mu Deyuan earnestly advised, “Your path has been smooth, but don’t become arrogant and complacent. Not to mention others, there are still those in our department who have had it smoother than you!”
“Huh?” Wu Chen was stunned for a moment.
“Not to mention those far away, just look at your senior, Zhang Yimou. Although he enrolled late, after graduation, he won three Best Actor awards as an actor. His first work as a cinematographer won the Chinese Film Outstanding Cinematographer Award, and his first directorial work won China’s first Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival!”
“…” Wu Chen thought about it; it really seemed to be the case.
Zhang Yimou’s resume, even if written into a novel, would be criticized as being too unbelievable, too fantastical.
Mu Deyuan also wanted to give Wu Chen a wake-up call at this time, as it’s easy to get lost when one achieves success at a young age.
“Alright, regarding your matter, let me know when you have news.”
“Thank you, Teacher!” Wu Chen said softly. He understood Mu Deyuan’s intentions and was genuinely grateful. In his previous life, if he had such a teacher to help him, he wouldn’t have had to struggle for decades to become an assistant director.
Watching Wu Chen gently close the door, Mu Deyuan picked up the still-lit cigarette, took a puff, then slowly exhaled a smoke ring, muttering to himself:
“This kid, he’s smart, capable enough, and his emotional intelligence isn’t bad. I’ve found a treasure.”
“…”
...
In the afternoon, the winter sun slanted, dyeing the wooden floor a warm amber.
On the third floor of the Performance Department building, in the small theater, Wu Chen and Pu Songri continued to do the heavy lifting.
However, unlike the morning, this time, whenever they took a break, a lively and somewhat clumsy girl would pop out, constantly calling out “Junior Brother.”
After all, she was youth incarnate. Her fresh, pear blossom-like face swayed in the sunlight, and the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes rippled outwards, brightening the dusty little theater by several degrees.
But Pu Songri had a long face, looking depressed.
“Junior Brother, what’s wrong with Songri?” Liu Yifei curiously poked Wu Chen and asked in a low voice.
“Nothing, he probably feels like he didn’t shoot well just now, and he’s feeling down,” Wu Chen said with a smile, making up an excuse.
“And this isn’t shooting well!” Liu Yifei exclaimed, “Alright, it seems we really have too low standards for ourselves!”
“Yangyang, did you hear that? We need to hold ourselves to high standards!”
“Mhm, mhm!” Zhou Yang also nodded vigorously.
“Alright, everyone gather up, I’m going to talk about the issues from just now!” Wang Jinsong suddenly clapped his hands, calling the Performance Department students together.
“Chen Ge, thank you for not saying anything,” Pu Songri looked at Wu Chen gratefully.
“Do you understand now?”
“I understand. Her peach blossom eyes look at me with the same deep affection as they look at a dog!”
Pu Songri watched Jiang Yiyan and the Performance Department students gather around Wang Jinsong, her peach blossom eyes blinking, and immediately said, looking deflated.
He had observed for a long time this afternoon, and it was exactly as Wu Chen had said: she looked at everyone with such flowing, deeply affectionate eyes.
How did this kid do reading comprehension?
Was that what he meant?
Wu Chen felt speechless. He patted Pu Songri’s shoulder, about to comfort him, when Pu Songri looked at the sky with a melancholic expression.
“Chen Ge, I’m heartbroken.”
“Phew!” Wu Chen took a deep breath and directly kicked him.
“When did you even fall in love to be heartbroken? You just want her body, bah, despicable!”
“Chen Ge, why are you kicking me?” Pu Songri patted his butt, wiggling left and right, immediately attracting the attention of the Performance Department students.
“What kind of act are these two Photography Department troublemakers putting on now?”
Wang Jinsong looked at Wu Chen and Pu Songri not far away, a helpless expression on his face, only able to mutter to himself.
“Hahahaha…”
Liu Yifei and Zhou Yang, who were more familiar with Wu Chen, covered their mouths, stifling giggles.
Just as Wu Chen was about to kick him a couple more times, his cell phone suddenly vibrated.
He pulled it out and saw it was an unfamiliar number. After connecting, a low male voice came from the other end: “Is this Wu Chen? I’m Zhang Zemin. Your dad should have talked to you about it…”
Wu Chen’s eyes lit up, and he quickly walked to a corner.
“Hello, Boss Zhang…”
...