The cold wind whistled on Xitu Cheng Road, and the dim yellow light from the streetlights cast long shadows of the four people, like an ink painting smudged on the cold ground, stretching into the distance.
The warmth of the mutton hotpot still lingered in their stomachs, turning into wisps of white mist that exhaled from their mouths, dissipating in the cold air.
Liu Yifei tightened her scarf and turned back to wave at Wu Chen: “Junior Brother, remember to notify me on Penguin!”
“Alright, I’ve noted it down!” Wu Chen waved his hand.
Zhou Yang pulled Liu Yifei and ran off quickly, their laughter like silver bells scattering into the night, gradually blurring into distant specks.
Back at the dormitory, Wu Chen pushed the door open, and the hum of the heater filled the room.
Chu Tianshu and Xiang Zhuo were, surprisingly, still studying. Wu Chen found it hard to believe and quickly went to feel Xiang Zhuo’s computer host.
“It’s actually cold, that’s not right.” Wu Chen stroked his chin, looking at Xiang Zhuo with a shocked expression, “Did you get stimulated?”
“We just want to study hard and improve our skills, so we can have dinner with the senior sisters from the Performance Department!” Xiang Zhuo grabbed Wu Chen’s hand, sniffling and teary-eyed.
“Gross, let go!” Wu Chen shook him off in disgust.
“Stop talking, Xiang Zhuo, study hard. Senior sisters are out of the question, but maybe there’s a chance with junior sisters next year.” Chu Tianshu was rolling up “Film Cinematography Technology,” licking his finger to turn a page, his eyes fixed on the book.
“Ahem, Tian Shu, the book is upside down!” Wu Chen pointed, indicating.
“Pfft!” Pu Songri couldn't help but laugh out loud.
“Look at you guys, it’s just one meal, you’re acting like you’ve never seen the world.
But there’s still a chance. As far as I know, every semester, the Performance Department has to find Lao Mu and his team once. If your skills are up to par, the opportunity will come knocking.” Wu Chen patted Xiang Zhuo’s shoulder, encouraging him.
“Work hard, young man!”
“Doesn’t that mean there’s at least one more semester?” Xiang Zhuo calculated, his eyes lighting up.
“Mhm, this period…” Wu Chen hadn't finished speaking when Xiang Zhuo had already quickly opened his computer.
“Booting up, booting up, let’s get started, plenty of time…”
“……”
On the morning of December 18th, the entertainment industry exploded.
Feng Xiaogang’s new film “cell phone,” competing in the Lunar New Year, premiered at midnight. The premiere in the capital two days ago, with its star-studded cast, dominated headlines for a day and a half. This morning, the midnight screening box office reached nearly 860,000, once again topping the entertainment news.
Currently, the average daily box office per screen is less than 2,000 yuan. With only mainstream cinemas in first-tier cities scheduling midnight screenings, this achievement was strikingly dazzling.
In the classroom, half of the people were discussing “cell phone”’s box office, while the other half were guessing who would be the female lead in “The Promise.” Wu Chen, however, was in low spirits, his mind consumed with the negotiation with Zhang Zemin at noon.
As soon as the fourth class ended, Wu Chen vanished from the classroom in a flash.
“Hmm, where’s Chen Ge?” Xiang Zhuo had just turned his head back when he realized Wu Chen was gone.
“Chen Ge said we don’t need to wait for him at noon, let’s go eat.” Pu Songri stood up and said. He knew what Wu Chen was going to do today, so he could only silently support him.
Inside the Director’s office, Wu Chen was speaking eloquently.
“Teacher, I’ll go first. I’ll text you later, and you can arrive a few minutes late.”
Mu Deyuan had a strange expression, “You kid, you certainly have a lot of flashy tricks.”
“Hehe, they’re just small clever tricks, but if used well, they can be quite useful.” Wu Chen chuckled, “I’m thinking if I should add a scene where the Director Department tries to snatch people, for example, when you push the door open…”
“Zhang Zemin has been in business for quite a few years, hasn’t he?” Mu Deyuan didn’t rush to nod, instead asking.
“Probably about ten years, even earlier than my dad. He’s risen very quickly in the past year or two, and his business is quite substantial now.” Wu Chen summarized based on the information provided by Wu Yangming.
“Too many tricks can be counterproductive. Don’t underestimate someone who has been through the wringer in the business world for many years. Remember this even after you graduate!”
With Mu Deyuan’s guidance, Wu Chen suddenly understood.
Although he had been reborn, he was back in his youth. A few years had passed, and now he was somewhat characterized by youthful abandon and arrogance, lacking a bit of caution.
“Go!” Mu Deyuan nodded in satisfaction, seeing that Wu Chen understood.
Having small cleverness is a good thing, but small cleverness cannot be put on a grand stage and must not be misguided by it, otherwise, it will ultimately be mediocre.
“Go ahead and do it boldly. You haven’t graduated yet, the school is your backing, and even if the school’s funding runs into trouble, you still have me, your teacher!”
Just as Wu Chen got up to leave, preparing to close the door, Mu Deyuan said faintly.
Wu Chen stopped, turned around, and bowed slightly: “Thank you, Teacher!”
A direct disciple, a sect prodigy, the patriarch must protect him!
Now, he also enjoyed this treatment.
......
Inside the “Movie Story Cafe,” the wooden table in the private room was greasy, old movie posters adorned the walls, and the smells of coffee and fried chicken mingled.
Wu Chen chose a side seat, set out the script, and poured three cups of hot tea, quietly waiting for Zhang Zemin.
At exactly 12 o’clock, a knock sounded on the private room door.
Wu Chen sent the edited text message and got up to open the door.
“Are you Lao Wu’s son?”
Zhang Zemin entered smoothly, wrapped in a black overcoat. He was short but had a strong presence, and his light brown crocodile leather shoes clacked loudly on the floor.
“Boss Zhang, I’m Wu Chen!” Wu Chen smiled and extended his hand.
“They say a son takes after his father, and this saying is true. Like your father, you have a knack for business.” Zhang Zemin smiled and shook Wu Chen’s hand.
“Not at all, Boss Zhang, please have a seat, have some tea first.” Wu Chen smiled and gestured for him to sit down.
Zhang Zemin’s gaze swept across the room. He saw no one else besides Wu Chen, but there were clearly three cups of hot tea on the table, with steam still rising.
“Is there someone else?”
“My teacher has a school leadership meeting this morning, which should be ending soon. Boss Zhang, please wait a moment.”
“Hey, don’t call me Boss Zhang, just call me Uncle Zhang. Calling me boss too much makes it feel distant.” Zhang Zemin heard this and waved his hand to correct him.
Wu Chen’s eyes flickered slightly. He had already called him “Boss Zhang” three times since they met. The meaning behind this could only be understood upon careful reflection.
As expected, it’s good to bask in the shade of a big tree!
“Is this the script you wrote?” After Zhang Zemin sat down, the script for “the dark side” was placed before him, and he said with interest.
“Uncle Zhang…” Wu Chen had just stood up to introduce it when a knock came from outside the door. Mu Deyuan twisted the doorknob and entered, “I’m sorry, Boss Zhang, I’m late. The meeting dragged on a bit.”
Seeing this, Zhang Zemin quickly went to greet him, “Director Mu, hello, hello!”
As soon as Wu Chen heard this address, he knew that Zhang Zemin must have done a lot of homework. But it was normal, after all, if he was really going to invest, it meant throwing down real money.
“Where were we?” Mu Deyuan smiled and asked his student.
“I was just about to introduce the script to Boss Zhang and where the female shoe investment would specifically be placed…”
“Alright, then you continue!” Mu Deyuan nodded.
Zhang Zemin’s gaze narrowed slightly. He had thought that Mu Deyuan would give the full introduction, but he didn’t expect it to be Wu Chen, who had only been a freshman for a few months…