Hearing Song Wenye's joke, Chu Xiaxing couldn't help but sigh, “Teaching the disciple to starve the master. It’s true—once a sincere person stops being sincere, people fall for it right away.”
Song Wenye laughed, “I just kept in mind Director Chu’s teachings, and followed the rules of the jianghu for money."
The editing studio was located in a cultural and creative park in the city center. Song Wenye drove Chu Xiaxing there. He parked the car by the roadside at the park entrance, then, remembering Duan Chengyan’s reckless behavior, said, “Chengyan grew up with elders around, so he’s still a bit immature. I’ll warn him seriously when I get back. If he comes to bother you again, just call me directly—I’ll handle it…”
Song Wenye had frequent conflicts with Duan Chengyan in the company, so he had a general grasp of his personality. If someone made him unhappy, he would keep provoking them childishly. Song Wenye, out of consideration for family ties couldn’t be too harsh, but Chu Xiaxing was an outsider—tonight’s incident was really an unprovoked disaster for her.
Chu Xiaxing was naturally bold and not easy to mess with. If it had been an ordinary young woman, she would probably have been frightened when the bodyguards intercepted her. When Song Wenye heard the news, he felt that Duan Chengyan had crossed the line and was really lawless. Sooner or later, he would cause a disaster.
Chu Xiaxing said lazily, "Hey, no need. You just take care of your own business. Isn't it just a meal? What big deal could it be? He probably won't dare to do it again in the future..."
Chu Xiaxing wasn't sure if Duan Chengyan would continue to pester her, but she felt it was troublesome to call Song Wenye every time. It seemed that Zhou Xuelu had found a way to contact him today. In reality, she wasn't the type to call for help when she encountered trouble.
Song Wenye could clearly hear that she didn't want to ask for help. His brow furrowed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "What if he asks you to dinner like today again?"
He thought Chu Xiaxing was really bold. She didn't take today's matter to heart at all, truly giving off the feeling of a rebellious teenager. He felt that if Duan Chengyan truly stirred up trouble, she probably wouldn’t even tell him—instead, she’d go and fight it out with him again.
Sure enough, Chu Xiaxing shrugged nonchalantly, "Then I'll go eat. I'm not paying anyway." She wasn't afraid of Duan Chengyan. If he dared to come once, she would dare to beat him once.
Song Wenye was silent for a moment. His gaze was deep, and he said thoughtfully, "Do you like eating with him that much? I don’t think you’ve ever had a proper meal with me.”
Chu Xiaxing completely didn't understand the jump in his topic. She immediately looked puzzled: "?"
Chu Xiaxing said confidently, "You haven't invited me to dinner! You didn't even come to the wrap party!"
Song Wenye explained, "I really had something to do on the day of the wrap party. Then I'll invite you to dinner another day. Until I do, don’t accept his dinner invites. Let’s keep things a bit fair…”
Chu Xiaxing found it amusing. "You just don't want me to have conflicts with him, right? No need for so many tricks. It's still uncertain whether he'll look for me again. You don’t have to bribe me with a meal.”
Song Wenye insisted, “Whether he contacts you again or not, the fact is he contacted you today. So now you owe me a meal. It’s my turn to treat you to dinner."
Chu Xiaxing: "..." What kind of logic is this?
Chu Xiaxing said perfunctorily, "Alright, alright, anyway, you're paying. Can I stop you from throwing money away?”
Chu Xiaxing thought that Song Wenye was so busy every day that he was hardly ever around. He just wanted to use the dinner invitation to subtly keep her from having conflicts with Duan Chengyan again. As long as she didn't meet with Duan Chengyan, they should be at peace in the future. Anyway, she didn't have a hobby of fighting with kids; it was just a matter of not going to the appointment.
Song Wenye said leisurely, "Okay, then it's a deal. Let's wait until you're done with the crew's affairs."
Chu Xiaxing saw the shallow smile in his eyes. Her brow twitched slightly, but she didn't say much, just waved goodbye to him, got out of the car, and headed straight for the editing studio. Song Wenye didn't leave immediately. He watched Chu Xiaxing reach the door of the building, and only when she waved to signal him to leave quickly did he slowly start the car.
Chu Xiaxing didn't expect him to watch her enter the building in the night, and she felt rather speechless. "He's really a worrywart."
Inside the editing room, Han Chuning saw Chu Xiaxing finally appear and couldn't help but mutter, "Auntie, where did you run off to? Jingjing already sent your suitcase back, but you're only showing up now."
Chu Xiaxing had already told Song Wenye and the others about terminating the contract peacefully. After she completely finished producing The Distant You in My Heart she should be leaving her current agency, so she said she would also bring her assistant, Li Jing, with her. Li Jing was very meticulous and hardworking, someone who could endure the harsh routines of production crews.
Chu Xiaxing, "I had dinner with someone."
Han Chuning didn't doubt anything and gave her an update, “I asked the platform’s content reviewers. They said they’ll check the finished episodes, and someone will come here to rate the show…”
Streaming platforms now assign ratings to series, and the level determines the purchase price.
Chu Xiaxing said, “Sure, just let me know ahead of time when they plan to come.”
Han Chuning nodded in agreement. She observed Chu Xiaxing's expression and said in a low voice, “By the way, Auntie—remember that script I wrote called The Immortal Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty? The team’s looking for a director now—can I recommend you?”
Chu Xiaxing was stunned when she heard this. She then smiled and teased, "Sure, Teacher Han is a great screenwriter. To think that you would remember me, this little director. I'm so grateful and honored..."
Han Chuning groaned, “Come on! Don’t make fun of me!”
Chu Xiaxing said slowly, “Who's making fun of you? Your position is indeed higher than mine now. I'll rely on Teacher Han's support in the future. Please consider me for any dramas you have."
Han Chuning: "Then I'm really recommending you. I thought you didn't like filming dramas..."
Chu Xiaxing smiled, "It's not that I don't like filming dramas. It's just that I can't find good scripts. You've seen the scripts I've received. Besides, I wasn't feeling well at the time. But now it's different. It's good enough for a small director to have a drama to film. I definitely won't be picky, especially since it's Teacher Han's script."
Chu Xiaxing didn’t have anything against TV dramas—it was just that truly excellent scripts were hard to come by and the sheer volume of episodes was very large, and she couldn't handle it.
Han Chuning complained unhappily, "...You're starting to praise me to death again."
Han Chuning thought for a moment and cautiously reminded, "Although I can recommend you to the team, the producer will definitely have considerations. It might be troublesome for Auntie then..."
Chu Xiaxing: "I understand. If the producer wants to meet and talk, I’m available anytime. After all, I don’t have many works out right now.”
Chu Xiaxing could previously reject all kinds of producers, but now she was working incognito, operating under a pseudonym, so naturally she had returned to the phase where she needed to be selected by them. In general, most people would be extremely lucky to become a chief director by the age of thirty. She was only in her twenties now, so she didn't seem reliable no matter how you look at it.
Song Wenye and Xia Hong were, after all, amateur producers. Professional producers would hesitate when they see Chu Xiaxing.
Han Chuning relaxed when she saw that Chu Xiaxing wasn’t bothered at all. Although she knew her aunt would surely deliver a solid production, the TV drama producers didn’t know that. Fortunately, Chu Xiaxing had a peaceful attitude.
Not long after, the video platform sent people to the editing room to watch the film and rate The Distant You in My Heart. Because the cost of this drama was extremely low, it was originally a work of trying to achieve big results with a small investment, so Chu Xiaxing could only try her best to play with it and make it the best it could be with the existing resources.
The film-watching team originally didn't have much expectations. They were simply coming for a stroll out of respect for Han Chuning, but they didn't expect the finished product to be surprisingly good.
"I feel like it's filmed really well. The only flaw is that the male lead should be changed. His features don't look like someone who acts in idol dramas. The casting is really a bit of a problem..." Most of the people on the drama-watching team were women. They were attracted by the exquisite images, but when faced with the slightly silly and honest Cao Yangang, they still complained about the slightly goofy-looking Cao Yangang, judging by looks like female viewers.
“How much did this drama cost to make? This male lead shouldn't be expensive, right? I don't think I've seen him in anything before." Everyone's job was to watch and collect films, so they naturally read a lot of content on the film and television market. They were all unfamiliar with Cao Yangang.
Chu Xiaxing reached out and gestured with the budget numbers, frankly saying, "The cost is this much. All the actors are newcomers."
Everyone was a little disappointed at first and couldn't help but complain about the male lead. When they learned about the production cost, they immediately exclaimed, "Oh my god, then that's really good! To film this kind of drama with this little money, what more can anyone ask for!"
"I think the male lead is okay. I was really too harsh just now. For a newcomer, he’s totally acceptable!”
After the team learned about the budget of The Distant You in My Heart they immediately felt that it was great value for the money. Since the cost of the drama wasn't high, the money they spent on purchasing the film wouldn't be much either. It was a perfect deal.
Everyone had mistakenly thought it was a mid-budget production when they saw the visuals, so they naturally had to find fault in every possible way. After all, the comparison standards were different, but if the cost was very low, some flaws could be understood. You can only do so much with limited resources. It's hard for a clever woman to cook without rice.
Someone looked at Chu Xiaxing with admiration after watching the trailer and said with emotion, "You're really amazing. Why don't you come to the platform to film dramas? You're really good at saving money..."
"Isn't Teacher Han's drama good? Yanping, why don't you hurry up and add the director on WeChat?" Others looked at Chen Yanping, who was sitting in the corner of the editing room, and began to tease her.
Chen Yanping was the producer of The Immortal Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty. She came with the film-watching team today because she also wanted to see Chu Xiaxing's level. She was stunned when she heard this, and then showed a friendly smile, going along with the flow, "Yes, I really should add her."
Han Chuning's eyes immediately lit up. She was hoping that Chen Yanping would quickly decide on the director, so she specially invited her to watch the film.
After the team left, Han Chuning breathed a long sigh of relief and said excitedly, "Auntie, this time it should be stable."
Chu Xiaxing thought about the platform people's reaction and shook her head, "The distribution should be stable, but your drama isn't very stable."
Han Chuning asked in confusion, "How could that be? Sister Yanping seemed to have a good impression of you!"
Chu Xiaxing couldn't help but joke, "That's because she has high emotional intelligence and knows how to talk. She didn’t want to embarrass you in front of everyone in the editing room. She knows you have a good relationship with me."
Chu Xiaxing could tell at a glance that Chen Yanping wasn't satisfied with her. The other party made a decision as soon as she met her, obviously having a conclusion in her heart. Although others in the editing room praised The Distant You in My Heart, those people were from the film-watching and purchasing departments, not the actual production department. The two groups naturally had different ideas.
Chen Yanping probably thought Chu Xiaxing was too young and didn't trust her to be a director from the bottom of her heart.
Sure enough, The Distant You in My Heart was still being contacted after the initial film reviewing, but The Immortal Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty had no follow-up. Han Chuning secretly urged her several times, but Chen Yanping always brushed it off, unwilling to make any promise.
Han Chuning had been dealing with the producer for a long time, and she was also dissatisfied with Chen Yanping's ambiguous attitude. She couldn't help but complain to Chu Xiaxing, "She just thinks I'm too young, she should choose an experienced director. But she can't find a suitable person either, so she's been dragging me along here, and she even said you're too young to be a director!"
"How are you too young to be a director? The sum of our ages is several times hers! She's just talking nonsense! I would be convinced if she said other reasons, but she has to bring up age. It's just outrageous! "
Han Chuning didn't mean to force Chen Yanping to choose her aunt, but she was just angry about the other party's reason. The producer could think that the director's resume wasn't rich enough or that her past works weren't good enough, but how could she bring up age as an excuse? This wasn't an industry that counts length of service; it should obviously be based on the director's level!
Han Chuning said angrily, "I would have believed it if she said anything else, but she actually thinks you're not old enough! Does she want to find a centenarian to film a drama with!?"
Chu Xiaxing: "..." How can you talk like that, kid?