Chapter 569: Holding an Umbrella for Someone

Sometimes, Wu Chi almost forgets how he entered this industry.

But it certainly wasn't for any bullshit reason like "passion."

Back then, it was just to make a living—

His family was well-off when he was a child, and they already had a computer when he was in elementary school. So, he was exposed to computers quite early. It just so happened that when he was in middle school, the school organized a computer training class, and through that twist of fate, he began learning editing.

By the time he reached university, he had already accumulated a solid foundation in this area. He started taking on freelance jobs with a senior student, and it's fair to say he lived quite comfortably even at a young age. After graduating from university, he naturally entered the industry. He didn't sign with any company; instead, he opened a studio with that senior and took on freelance work. Just like that, he slowly entered the film and television industry.

If there is a distinction between "professionally trained" and "non-professionally trained" in acting, it is even more pronounced in technical departments like editing.

For Wu Chi, this background actually meant that he didn't walk a conventional path. And an unconventional path meant that he was, in fact, incompatible with the mainstream of this industry.

The circle of technical workers is smaller than many people imagine.

Especially since they occupy a disadvantaged position in the film and television industry where they are often unseen, they tend to stick together even more fiercely.

Someone like Wu Chi, a "wild-road" freelancer, was naturally squeezed out.

Consequently, any good opportunity or resource that could have helped his work and career almost never came his way.

Just as his young apprentice Li Chao said, their daily work was just staying in a small, cramped editing room, editing massive amounts of footage.

And as various television stations and video platforms developed their own specialized editing staff, the jobs they could get were basically those of lower quality.

If he were to keep doing this for a lifetime, having a skill in hand would certainly allow him to live well. With his level of seniority, he had built his own network of contacts as a freelancer; he couldn't make big money, but he didn't have to worry about small money.

However, in this life, one surely wants to jump to higher places.

He had tried writing scripts and had tried to become an assistant director, but this kind of thinking is just like a student dreaming of becoming an actor, singer, or writer—their only channel is to submit a work to a public email address that they don't even know if anyone reads, and then wait for a reply with anticipation.

With each passing day, the anticipation decreases, and the sense of disappointment increases.

"Forget it, forget it..." These two words appeared frequently in the things he said to himself.

Why bother struggling?

But life is just like that; even while saying "forget it, forget it," when an opportunity pops up, it's impossible not to struggle a bit. Life is endless, and the struggle never ceases.

"Lu, Mr. Lu."

Wu Chi and Li Chao arrived at the Shi Huo company to meet with Chen Ziyan and Lu Yan He.

Lu Yan He had truly almost never been called "Mr. Lu."

This "Mr. Lu" startled Lu Yan He.

Chen Ziyan also smiled.

"Teacher Wu, please sit."

The last time Wu Chi and Li Chao saw Lu Yan He, it was in the corridor outside their own editing room. At that time, there was more or less a feeling of being on their home turf, and seeing Lu Yan He was mostly a pleasant surprise.

But this time, their identities had completely shifted, and they were in an unfamiliar environment. Especially since they knew very well that this meeting was, in a sense, an "assessment" and an "interview," they were much more nervous than the last time they saw Lu Yan He.

The conversation was mainly between Chen Ziyan and Wu Chi, basically one question and one answer. At first, Wu Chi was visibly restless, but later he slowly relaxed.

Lu Yan He mainly listened.

Chen Ziyan chatted with Wu Chi for about forty minutes about his experience as an editor and also discussed the story of "Oh My Sea."

"We actually quite like this script, but there are indeed some structural issues," Chen Ziyan said with a smile. "Are you open to making revisions to your script?"

The reason this question had to be asked was that many screenwriters (especially those just starting out) really dislike others offering opinions on their scripts, let alone making revisions based on those opinions.

Wu Chi immediately said, "Of course."

"Has the Jump Up Theater contacted you yet?" Chen Ziyan asked.

Wu Chi was stunned, shook his head, and said, "Not yet. Will they contact us?"

Wu Chi turned his head to look at Li Chao.

Li Chao also shook his head, indicating that they hadn't received any calls from anyone.

Chen Ziyan said, "We are quite interested in the script for 'Oh My Sea,' and today's chat with you went very well. So, I want to first take a look at the film you directed. Someone from Jump Up Theater should contact you later. If the response to your film is good, we at Linghe are willing to invest and help you shoot this movie."

Wu Chi and Li Chao were both stunned, dumbfounded on the spot.

Chen Ziyan's words weren't just one piece of good news; they were two pieces of good news at once.

When they originally signed up for the Jump Up Theater director recruitment, they didn't dare to imagine they would succeed.

There must be many directors interested; this is a real-money shooting opportunity, and it's a theater jointly pushed by the two major platforms, Yuehu TV and Arctic Light Video.

How could editors like them, who had never been directors and had rarely even been on a film set, possibly be chosen?

As a result, now—

Not only do they have the opportunity to be a director for Jump Up Theater, but they can also get investment to shoot the movie script he wrote?

This feeling is truly like being hit by money while walking down the street.

Wu Chi swore that when he walked into the Shi Huo building today, he never imagined that an hour later, he would win a lottery prize in his life.

At this moment, Li Zhibai also felt that he had truly won a grand prize.

The preparation process for the drama version of "Nineteen Years of Crime Records" had already been enough to exhaust him for years. Finally, after waiting for the start of filming, the director got into trouble on the very first day.

At the opening ceremony, the director's wife rushed in front of the media, holding a poster of her husband naked in bed with another woman, accusing and cursing him with tears in her eyes.

The scene was a mess.

Nothing is more melodramatic than real life.

The crew members still tried to pull her to the other side first to prevent the matter from escalating further.

But the director's wife had enough explosive fighting power. When the first person's finger touched her, she acted as if she had been humiliated, screaming loudly, shrill and ear-piercing, cursing the crew for laying hands on her.

This process lasted no more than a few minutes, but Li Zhibai had a feeling of stagnation where time was infinitely extended.

As one of the producers of this drama, also the lead actor, and having invested money—

This was the first time Li Zhibai felt so exhausted in a film and television project. No, that's wrong; it was the first time he felt so exhausted before a film and television project had even started filming. However, at this very moment, looking at a group of media people whose eyes were red with excitement, Li Zhibai felt for the first time that he was truly too young.

You think you've encountered the highest mountain in your life, but in reality, it's just because you've only encountered small hills before. And after climbing over this peak, congratulations, a higher peak is waiting for you.

"..."

A headache, disillusionment, wishing a sudden flood would wash away all this absurdity before his eyes.

This was Li Zhibai's thought.

The opening ceremony was ruined and could not continue.

The first scene that was supposed to be filmed could not be shot because of this.

Jiang Jun saw Li Zhibai's listless feeling of being out of his soul and patted him on the shoulder.

"Tell me if there's anything I need to do."

Li Zhibai nodded and said, "Teacher Jiang, you go back and rest first. It definitely won't be filmed today."

Jiang Jun nodded.

The crew was in chaos, disbanded on the spot, and everyone went their own way.

A more severe situation was yet to come.

This incident made it to the trending searches.

Everyone knew about the director's problem, and there was a chorus of curses.

The drama's investor and producer, Lighthouse Video, was also in a state of panic.

The director himself went to resolve his wife's issue.

Li Zhibai locked himself in his room, staring blankly by himself.

About half an hour later, Lin Suyang arrived.

"Zhibai, it's me." Lin Suyang knocked on the door and said through the door, "I'm coming in."

Li Zhibai did not answer.

Lin Suyang opened the door and went in.

Fortunately, the door was not locked from the inside.

Lin Suyang saw Li Zhibai lying on the sofa, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling of the room, staring blankly, as if he were a walking corpse.

Lin Suyang's first reaction was to laugh uncontrollably.

"You're still gloating?" Li Zhibai said gloomily.

"It's rare to see you as decadent as a frost-bitten eggplant," Lin Suyang said. "Usually, I see you fighting against everything."

Li Zhibai didn't speak.

"The current situation is quite difficult; it's estimated that someone will have to be replaced. The crew can't stop working either; everyone has joined the crew, and money is being spent every day." Lin Suyang patted him on the shoulder. "Get up. The sooner you solve the problem, the sooner you can be at ease." Li Zhibai: "How can this problem be solved?"

"It's not about how it can be solved, but how it should be solved. You are the producer; this project was raised by you single-handedly. Now that the director has a problem, there are only two choices: keep him or replace him." Lin Suyang said, "With his wife making such a scene, keeping him means this matter will always accompany our drama, causing endless trouble. But replacing him, finding a director on short notice to take over and save the situation—how difficult is that, and what are the choices? This requires weighing the pros and cons. How to do it is the best choice that can be made at the moment."

Li Zhibai sighed.

"Stop sighing, cheer up, you need to show some courage." Lin Suyang said, "Lighthouse Video is the investor. Now that such a thing has happened, they might have a third choice."

"What choice?"

"Withdraw capital and stop losses in time." Lin Suyang said, "So, if we don't get the crew back to normal operation as soon as possible, it's hard to say what Lighthouse Video's attitude will be."

Li Zhibai: "Fine."

"Gather the main people in charge of the crew, and call the producer arranged by Lighthouse Video to have a meeting together." Lin Suyang said, "Sort out the list of directors with open schedules, evaluate the feasibility and risk points of different plans, stabilize the morale, and don't let the crew be in a panic. If everyone runs away, even if you find a director, there will be no one to film for you."

Li Zhibai stood up.

What Lin Suyang said gave him a lot of encouragement.

Li Zhibai didn't expect that one day he would actually be susceptible to such encouragement.

When the incident at the opening ceremony of the drama version of "Nineteen Years of Crime Records" reached Lu Yan He's ears, it left Lu Yan He stunned.

There was a sense of bewilderment and helplessness, as if he had long accepted the absurdity of this world, but was still shocked by its absurdity.

Lu Yan He asked about the situation in the three-person group with Li Zhibai.

Li Zhibai: Now the opinion is unified; the director must be replaced. But who to replace him with is a problem; it's very headache-inducing. We held a meeting and discussed it. We still have to start filming normally in the next few days; we can't stop. The production budget was already tight. The assistant director will fill in for now, and Lighthouse Video will urgently find other directors.

Lu Yan He: This drama is truly ill-fated.

Li Zhibai: I feel like all the bad things have fallen on me.

Lu Yan He: Not necessarily, not necessarily. Don't think like that; the more you think, the harder it is to get out.

Li Zhibai: I'm really convinced.

Lu Yan He: Can the assistant director do it?

Li Zhibai: Even if he can't, he has to. We can only film like this; we can't stop filming. There's no way to pursue quality at this time. Finishing the drama is the first lifeline.

Lu Yan He: Don't give up on yourself either. You spent so much effort in the script polishing stage. If it's filmed sloppily, you will definitely regret it. Try to do it well; I'll come to your place tomorrow.

Li Zhibai: What are you coming for? Aren't you busy recording the show?

Lu Yan He: I will finish recording tonight and leave for Malaysia the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is just free.

Li Zhibai: Don't bother with this trip; get some good rest.

Lu Yan He: I'll come and take a look; I have a producer's name attached to it anyway.

He was worried.

Li Zhibai, if there's any shortcoming in him, in Lu Yan He's eyes, the real shortcoming is that his patience is too poor, and he gets impatient easily.

When he saw this news, Lu Yan He's first reaction was that Li Zhibai must have exploded.

He didn't even need to ask.

Looking at it now, it's not bad; at least Li Zhibai can still rationally explain the situation in the group.

Putting down his phone, Lu Yan He sighed.

Director Chen Lingling, who was resting next to him, heard this sigh and asked, "What's wrong with you? Sighing suddenly."

Lu Yan He explained what happened to the "Nineteen Years" crew.

Chen Lingling immediately showed an expression of disgust—it was towards the director who cheated and was caught by his wife.

"This crew must be in a mess." Chen Lingling said.

Lu Yan He suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked, "Director, do you know any directors who can come to save the situation?"

Chen Lingling: "Your drama has already started filming; who would dare to come and save the situation at this time."

Lu Yan He: "Sigh."

This is also the truth.

Saving the situation is like fighting a fire; if you don't save it well, you'll burn yourself.

Moreover, to shoot a work, how much preparation is needed in the early stages, from nothing to something, experiencing discussions, disputes, and compromises, and finally reaching a consensus.

Taking over halfway is like forcing a duck onto a perch. As a creator, you don't even have the time and space to do "creation"; you can only take these ready-made materials and build a model in a very short time.

In short, you have turned from an architect into an engineer.

Basically, no good director, especially a director who has already made a name for themselves, would take over in this situation.

Chen Lingling said: "In this situation, unless it's a director who urgently needs an opportunity, no one will take it."

She thought of something, "Speaking of which, isn't there a young man named Liu Manbo among the directors who shoot short films for our show? He was responsible for the filming of the group with Chen Bige and Cheng Hai. I think it was filmed quite well. He filmed quite steadily."

Reminded by Chen Lingling, Lu Yan He also remembered this director named Liu Manbo.

He is only twenty-eight years old, very young, has been a photographer, and has also been an assistant director. He was signed by the "Birth of an Actor" show crew and is responsible for directing the PK short films for mentors and advancing actors.

He is a director who doesn't seem to have a style at first glance, but the footage filmed is very comfortable.

At that time, Chen Lingling specifically pointed it out.

"You are a director who understands composition and light processing very well. Your photography foundation should be very good."

Liu Manbo smiled and said, "Your eyes are very sharp; I studied photography in university."

However, because the protagonists of this show are actors.

The director who shot the short film went on stage to introduce himself, chatted briefly, and then went down.

Lu Yan He immediately asked Wang Biao to find Liu Manbo's information, as well as some short film works he had shot before, and went to inquire about his schedule arrangement later.

In fact, for a young director like Liu Manbo, a very important reason why he came to "Birth of an Actor" to serve as a short film director was to let the industry see him, so as to get the opportunity to direct feature films.

Like him, even if the quality of the short films he brings out is very high, because he has no experience in directing feature films, in the eyes of investors and platforms, he is not even as good as a feature film director who has shot three bad films in one go—

Talent is far from enough to support the filming of a huge crew and a large-scale drama.

At eleven o'clock in the evening, Lu Yan He finished recording "Birth of an Actor" and returned to the lounge. Wang Biao told him that Liu Manbo was here.

"What does 'here' mean?" Lu Yan He asked suspiciously.

Wang Biao said: "He heard from the show crew that you asked them for his information and also asked for the short films he had shot before, so he rushed over, saying that if you have anything you want to ask, he can answer in person."

Lu Yan He was stunned.

He had been recording the show for a day and was a bit sleepy.

But at this moment, he was awakened again.

Just because he mentioned wanting to see his information, Liu Manbo rushed over, in case Lu Yan He had any questions.

Lu Yan He's subconscious reaction was: It's too exaggerated; there's no need for this.

However, after he came to his senses, he was also very moved.

To what extent can a person go for a potential opportunity?

Lu Yan He said: "Help me ask him if he wants to have a late-night snack later?"

Wang Biao immediately responded and said okay.

Lu Yan He himself is a very hardworking person.

Even now, he could completely stop being so hardworking and not be so tired, but he really hasn't relaxed much.

Therefore, he has always appreciated hardworking people.

You can achieve success by relying on talent.

However, if you have limited talent but are very hardworking and diligent, even if you don't do as well, Lu Yan He's attitude towards this person will definitely be very tolerant.

Why was Wang Biao able to become the first assistant by his side at such a young age, and now become his executive agent?

Wang Biao being smart and eager to learn is one point, but more importantly, he takes this job very seriously, cares about this job, and almost works day and night to do it well.

So, even if Wang Biao couldn't speak well at first, offended people, was a thorn, or was like a hedgehog when facing Wan Qingqing and Song Jiang, full of defenses and thorns, Lu Yan He never had the thought that "Wang Biao is too young and vigorous and needs more training."

Lu Yan He is a person who practices what he preaches. He believes that everyone has shortcomings and deficiencies, and that no one is perfect, so he really uses this standard to treat everyone.

This time, when he met Liu Manbo, it was the same mood.

A person who works so hard to seize an opportunity, Lu Yan He met him, and wanted to use his own strength to give the person an opportunity. ===== CHAPTER 570 =====