Song Wenye stood at the unfamiliar filming location. After hearing voices, he was slightly surprised to see three people walking away, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. Since he had rushed over after finishing work at the company, he was dressed rather formally, which stood in stark contrast to the crew members in their shorts and t-shirts. He did indeed look like an actor in costume.
Not long after, Xia Hong also appeared near the restaurant, explaining casually, "The parking lot here is so chaotic, I drove around in there for quite a while..."
Song Wenye gave him a cold glance, mercilessly exposing him: "You circled the parking lot for an hour?"
"Oh come on, the traffic was terrible! It wasn't an hour, just a bit late..." Xia Hong sheepishly rubbed his head, then added flippantly, "Besides, you're not some young girl - waiting a while isn't dangerous!"
Song Wenye thought of his recent encounter, his eyes flickering as he hesitated before saying: "……You can't be too sure about that."
Xia Hong looked at his reticent friend, completely puzzled: "?" What did that mean? Do boys also need to be careful when out alone?
Xia Hong: "Alright, alright, let's hurry up, I'll take you to meet Chu Xiaxin..."
Song Wenye: "I think I just met her." His ability to remember faces had always been decent, and although he hadn't met her in person, he had seen her photo not long ago.
Xia Hong was quite surprised: "You met already? When? Did she discuss the contract with you? Didn't you think her way of speaking was just like my dad's?"
Thinking back to the catcalls he'd just heard, he found it difficult to describe their encounter, only stating firmly: "Not at all similar."
Xia Hong: "How could they not be similar, just look at her mannerisms..."
Song Wenye declared decisively: "Not even a little. She's kind of rebellious." He felt she was completely different from what Xia Hong had described - Chu Xiaxin bore no resemblance to Uncle Xia, and instead seemed more like a playful, rebellious youth.
Xia Hong: "???"
In Xia Hong's eyes, Chu Xiaxin spoke with wisdom and had a powerful presence, her occasional mannerisms and tone resembling those of an elder. However, Song Wenye insisted on seeing her as a rebellious teenager who had strayed from the path, which explained why she would clash with the director on set and cause minor troubles.
Not knowing how the two had met, Xia Hong heard Song Wenye's perspective and said incredulously, "You're completely off base - if firing a director counts as minor trouble, then I suppose your fight with that young master was also minor? You think your confrontation at the group was just a small matter too?"
Song Wenye replied calmly, "Yes, that's what I think, though he apparently didn't see it that way."
Xia Hong: "..." Of course he doesn't! You practically tried to bash his head in. It would be a miracle if he considered that 'minor trouble'!
Unable to argue with his fierce friend, Xia Hong could only lead Song Wenye to the film crew. Since Song Wenye had never appeared on set before, no one knew his identity. Most people politely greeted Xia Hong but didn't know how to address the unfamiliar Song Wenye.
Song Wenye didn't immediately go to meet Chu Xiaxin. He first followed Xia Hong to understand the situation's background and listened to opinions about both the director and Chu Xiaxin's reputation on set, gathering information from those around.
Upon seeing Xia Hong now, Director Wang immediately put on a different face, saying helplessly, "Mr. Xia, I understand that Ms. Chu and I might have had some minor friction during filming, but I'm just trying to ensure quality and pursue excellence. I certainly can't just shoot carelessly to fool you..."
"I've seen plenty of temperamental actors before, but who starts out by saying they want to be the director? What kind of situation is this? How are we supposed to film like this?" Director Wang was quite pompous on set, but his attitude changed completely upon seeing Xia Hong, performing a face-changing act worthy of Sichuan opera.
Director Wang avoided mentioning his own affairs entirely, instead embellishing his description of Chu Xiaxing, saying she thought herself to be Xu Xiancheng, looked down on this production, and was simply reaching beyond her grasp, acting incredibly arrogant on set.
Chu Xiaxing had indeed said such things, believing the drama to be trash, and with Director Wang's artistic embellishment, her image as an arrogant, rebellious upstart really took hold, as if she were just a small-time actress who had lost perspective due to having powerful backing!
After Director Wang left, Xia Hong felt his head buzzing, like a homeroom teacher listening to students' complaints. He asked helplessly, "Mr. Song, what do you think?"
Though Xia Hong appeared to others as the producer, he knew he wasn't the one making decisions.
Song Wenye sat listening for a long while before thinking and suggesting, "Ask a few more people. There's no point just listening to him - he's all emotional venting with no rational expression."
Just hearing Director Wang disparage Chu Xiaxing while completely avoiding discussion of the project made Song Wenye feel the man wasn't reliable. He didn't seem like a proper leader, appearing more focused on eliminating opposition than addressing key points.
Shortly after, the cinematographer and others were called in for talks. Seeing only Xia Hong and Song Wenye in the room, the cinematographer carefully looked around before whispering, "Well, Mr. Xia, I might as well be honest with you - this director you found really isn't quite up to par..."
"Let me tell you the truth, some people call themselves directors, but they're just old hands who always hang around film sets. Their resumes look impressive and they talk a good game, but they can't produce anything..." the cinematographer said with a smile. "I've seen too many directors like this. The industry is deep, and it's really not easy to tell them apart."
"They take the money and leave after filming, but whether the show is any good is another story. When it falls apart in your hands, they're long gone. By rights, I shouldn't be ruining someone's rice bowl, but I can't just watch you fall into a trap, right?"
The cinematographer's words seemed heartfelt, showing genuine concern for Xia Hong's interests while building rapport, yet ruthlessly selling out Director Wang!
Everyone in the crew was shrewd - they maintained polite facades while harboring their own schemes. Changing directors wouldn't affect the photography department's income, so naturally the cinematographer threw Director Wang under the bus as a show of loyalty, hoping to secure future cooperation with Xia Hong, since producers could decide the main creative team!
In the break room, assistant Li Jing peered down the corridor before returning with worried news: "They're all going in for talks one by one. What if they're deliberately smearing you..."
Li Jing knew the company people didn't like Chu Xiaxing, and Director Wang often hung around with company staff. They would surely band together to distort the truth - who knew what rumors they might spread.
Chu Xiaxing remained quite calm: "What's there to smear about?"
Li Jing: "No! I need to go find out what's happening and report back to you!"
Chu Xiaxing teased: "Going to play spy?"
Li Jing: "What if they're spreading lies? I should at least go look..."
Chu Xiaxing felt Li Jing carried little weight and probably couldn't contribute much to the conversation, but not wanting to discourage the youngster's good intentions, she didn't stop her from darting out. Sitting alone in the break room, she planned to call Han Chuning about the contract, but unexpectedly, the door opened quietly.
"Back from spying so soon?" Chu Xiaxing raised her head lazily but was surprised to see a familiar face. She paused for a moment before reminding him, "You've got the wrong break room - this isn't your crew."
The person who opened the door was the young actor she'd encountered at the restaurant entrance. Since multiple crews were stationed in the same office building, just on different floors, crew members often went to the wrong place.
Song Wenye was silent for a few seconds before simply walking into the room and saying methodically, "Are you Chu Xiaxing? I'm from the company. Xia Hong... Mr. Xia is still next door. I wanted to find you first to understand the situation regarding yesterday's incident with Director Wang."
Chu Xiaxing was startled by this and raised an eyebrow in amusement: "You're from the company?"
Song Wenye nodded calmly. There was an oversized table in the break room, and he simply sat down across from Chu Xiaxing, earnestly taking out paper and pen to record: "Why did you and Director Wang have a conflict on set yesterday?"
Chu Xiaxing replied directly: "Because his directing was terrible, so I had him replaced."
Song Wenye: "Terrible in what way specifically?"
Chu Xiaxing was sending messages to Han Chuning, answering concisely: "Terrible scheduling, terrible direction, terrible character."
Song Wenye showed a thoughtful expression. Seeing Chu Xiaxing looking down at her phone, he patiently continued: "Do you have a director in mind who would be suitable for this project?"
Chu Xiaxing: "No."
Song Wenye hesitated slightly: "Why not? Since you feel Director Wang isn't suitable, surely there must be other options?"
Chu Xiaxing continued looking at her phone, responding without looking up: "This show is fundamentally flawed. It's not just the director - to save it would require other things..."
Song Wenye asked earnestly: "What other things?"
Chu Xiaxing replied knowingly: "The budget needs at least 300 million more, otherwise there's no saving it. Rewriting the script needs 100 million, filming and post-production needs 200 million."
Chu Xiaxing had assessed The Distant You in My Heart when she first joined the crew, which was why she had initially planned to just coast through it. Film crew work is inherently collaborative - even a genius chef can't cook without ingredients. With insufficient production funding, even a god descending from heaven would be useless. She couldn't possibly handle everything from pre- to post-production, and the schedule wouldn't allow for it either.
Song Wenye thought for a moment before saying steadily: "If the budget were increased by 300 million, do you think this show could be done well?"
Chu Xiaxing continued responding to messages, answering casually: "If I'm the director it would work, I don't know about others."
Song Wenye noticed she had been on her phone the entire time, never once looking up at him. His gaze sank slightly as he pressed his lips together, speaking politely but seriously: "Could you put down your phone for a moment so we can have a proper discussion?"
Song Wenye had never encountered someone like this in group meetings. He had guessed Chu Xiaxing might be somewhat rebellious due to her experiences, but basic courtesy should still be maintained. Being particular about such details, he naturally disapproved of her current behavior.
Song Wenye said earnestly: "I believe making eye contact leads to better communication."
Rather than angrily criticizing her, he maintained a composed, educational tone, speaking like a teacher.
Hearing this, Chu Xiaxing finally jerked her head up, looking at him with a mixture of irritation and amusement before saying mockingly: "Kid, do you find it fun to pretend? You're clearly not from the film company or the crew - you don't have that vibe at all. I don't know what you're trying to do."
Chu Xiaxing was actually amused by Song Wenye. She had known he was lying from the moment he opened his mouth - he wasn't from the company or the crew at all, he didn't have that vibe about him!
Having met so many people while filming, Chu Xiaxing could usually tell if someone was in the industry just by hearing them speak. Knowing Song Wenye was making things up from the start, she naturally hadn't taken him seriously and had just been responding perfunctorily.
Hearing her address him this way, Song Wenye frowned hesitantly and asked: "...Kid?"
In all his years, no one had ever called him that - he was momentarily stunned by her words!
Chu Xiaxing couldn't be bothered to argue further with him and said frankly: "But I'm more lenient with good-looking people, so you should hurry along now. Let's end our chat here, okay?"
She felt her temper had really improved with age - in her younger days, she would have simply bashed a liar's head in.
Song Wenye said calmly: "I'm not just chatting. Since you seem to have ideas, I think you could try directing this show."
Chu Xiaxing let out a derisive laugh, feeling he was really getting carried away, and replied perfunctorily: "Sure, sure, sure. You put up 300 million right now, and I'll direct immediately..."
Chu Xiaxing: Isn't this just bragging? I'm quite good at talking nonsense!
Song Wenye said methodically: "If you can make this show well, I think there might be opportunities to discuss 300-million projects in the future."
Chu Xiaxing: "?" Do young people all talk like this now? Just making grand claims out of nowhere?
Song Wenye's gaze was steady as he looked seriously at Chu Xiaxing and said solemnly: "Hello, let me properly introduce myself. My name is Song Wenye, and while I'm not exactly from this company, I do have some connection to it. I'm not a fraud."