Chapter 602: Even if it

There was a brief silence on the scene.

"Isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Lu Yan He was the first to raise an objection.

Chen Siqi nodded: "I think it's inappropriate too, but it is one of the feasible options at an operational level, which is why I proposed it."

"The key is, since this person was able to deliver the anonymous letter to my room and Director An's room, it means this person is definitely also in the crew. Using a pseudonym might fool outsiders, but it can't fool people within the crew. If he sees Director An still directing on set, who knows what he might think or do," said Xin Pingqing.

"So now there are only a few choices. Either we delay the start of this production by three days and find a director who can come to the rescue as soon as possible, someone who can familiarize themselves with the situation in the shortest time and direct this show. Or, we pause the production, wait for Yan He to finish filming *Sword of the Immortal*, and then find time to reshoot. Of course, there is another option: let the assistant director take over. Regardless of anything else, he knows very well what we wanted this show to look like in the early stages, which can save a lot of effort in getting everyone on the same page."

"Our filming schedule for this show is only one week. Even if you find a new director, there's no time for them to get in sync."

Several people fell silent for a moment.

Lu Yan He gave an awkward smile and said: "How does it sound like I'm the only one who is the most suitable choice to take over as director?"

He was the only choice, but the problem lay with him.

He was very familiar with the script and knew the entire crew's design for this show and what kind of effect they wanted to achieve.

"There is one more point: invite the screenwriter to be the director and have the assistant director cooperate," Hu Siwei suddenly suggested.

Everyone was stunned.

But at the same time, the thought "this approach might actually be feasible" popped into everyone's mind.

Although not every screenwriter is suitable to be a director, writing and directing are essentially one and the same. In such an emergency, if someone is needed to be the director, the screenwriter is the one who understands the script best.

"Yan He, you might still need to be the one to make the final decisions and coordinate," said Hu Siwei. "The screenwriter knows the script best, and the assistant director is most familiar with the situation on set. If they can cooperate well without fighting, that's fine, but if there's a conflict of opinion, we'll need you to be the anchor."

Chen Siqi immediately shook her head and said: "We can't let Yan He play the role of the bad guy."

Xin Pingqing: "But in this situation, only Yan He can keep those two in check."

"You are the production assistant, representing our Linghe; you can certainly keep them in check too," said Chen Siqi. "If Yan He plays the bad guy on set, and then any complaints of dissatisfaction leak out, and the people online start hyping it up, what then? 'Lu Yan He acting like a big shot on set, bossing other actors around, interfering with others' scenes,' and so on. How many people in the *Silent Staircase* crew are actually good-natured?"

Everyone fell silent.

This was indeed a problem that existed.

Xin Pingqing: "The main thing is, I don't understand show production either."

"Siwei-ge, you have to go out there yourself," said Chen Siqi. "In this situation, I have to trouble you to go to the set this week to hold the fort and help Pingqing manage the crew."

Hu Siwei: "..."

Although Hu Siwei had never been a director, his experience in managing projects was so rich that few in the industry could compare.

When it came to familiarity with the crew and handling interpersonal relationships, Hu Siwei could be said to be one of the top people Lu Yan He knew.

"I'm quite willing to do this, but when it comes to creative direction and aesthetic judgment, am I the one to make the call? The job of a director really isn't something where three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang; you can't just add a few people together to get the effect of An Jian," said Hu Siwei.

Lu Yan He thought about it seriously and said: "That would be too terrible. For a show, if there are seven or eight people who have a say—the screenwriter, the assistant director, the producer, Siwei-ge, and me—conflicts of opinion are inevitable. Even if we all want what's best for the show, differences in opinion will definitely lead to problems between us. In the end, it's very likely we won't be able to finish filming, and if we force it, it will just be a mess."

Lu Yan He's words made everyone silent again.

Chen Siqi: "If it really doesn't work, we'll just pay the breach of contract penalties and delay filming."

Lu Yan He took a deep breath and asked: "Has the list of backup directors who can come to the rescue been compiled yet?"

"Not yet."

"Alright, here's the plan. I'll go communicate with Wang Biao first to see when I absolutely have to leave, and try to squeeze out as many days as I can. Siwei-ge, you and Pingqing should first compile the status of the crew members. Whether we delay the start by three days, five days, or several months, we need to coordinate everyone's time. Also, Director An Jian can no longer serve as our director; we need a narrative, and everyone must stick to the same story."

Everyone nodded.

"After we've figured all this out, we'll decide. If we can't find a suitable director, then I'll direct. It's a case of being forced into it. Paying the penalty is secondary. The current situation of the Jump Up Theater is quite good, and *Silent Staircase* is being pushed as one of our most important works recently. If something goes wrong, it will affect the industry's view of the Jump Up Theater. I'm just afraid of messing it up in the end," Lu Yan He shook his head. "We'll see at the end. If the edited footage doesn't pass my own standards, whether we need reshoots or whatever else, that's fine."

In fact, everyone knew that Lu Yan He taking over as director was the most stable choice.

Although Lu Yan He himself felt that he couldn't shift into a director's perspective to view this show in such a short time and couldn't direct a good film, from the perspective of others, given Lu Yan He's many years of acting experience and the fact that he had once directed *Love Letter*, if he took over, the entire crew would complete the director transition at the fastest speed without chaos.

The next morning, all the key creative staff of *Silent Staircase* received a notice: Director An Jian had been rushed to the hospital for treatment due to a sudden illness yesterday. Today's filming was temporarily canceled, and the crew was to stand by on-site. Everyone was asked not to spread the news to prevent people online from deliberately hyping it up or fabricating rumors.

Within the crew, people were discussing it in hushed tones.

Two hours later, Xin Pingqing gathered the entire crew for a meeting.

Filming would resume as usual in the afternoon, with Chen Yu taking over as director and Lu Yan He serving as artistic director.

"Chen Yu?"

"Who is Chen Yu?"

"I don't know where he came from."

Once the news was announced, it sparked intense discussion within the crew.

Mainly because... the name Chen Yu was too unfamiliar.

He was not part of the original crew.

Of course, in a crew with omnipotent gossipers, there would always be omnipotent gossipers.

Soon, Chen Yu's background was dug up.

"A student of Director Liu Zhijiang?"

"The one who co-directed with Liu Zhijiang before."

"Why bring him in to replace Director An Jian?"

"It's said that Director An Jian's illness came on very suddenly; he almost had to be admitted to the ICU."

◆co

"Damn, what happened to him? Why is it so exaggerated?"

"But bringing Chen Yu in to direct is one thing, why give Lu Yan He the title of artistic director?"

"Are you stupid? What is an artistic director? It means if Lu Yan He has any opinions on the filming of this show, he can use this title to provide guidance on the filming."

"Ah? Then isn't Chen Yu just a puppet director? Why doesn't Lu Yan He just direct it himself?"

"Who knows, but how much investment does our show have? Lu Yan He is a film director; why would he come to direct such a small TV series?"

"He even came to star in it. Why are you being so self-deprecating?"

"He came to star in it to support the Jump Up Theater. Do you really think he would have taken this show if not for that reason?"

"But look at the few shows broadcast before; weren't they quite popular? Huai Qian became an overnight sensation, and *Interns* is going to develop a sequel."

"Do you think Lu Yan He is lacking these things?"

These discussions within the crew were rampant.

Chen Yu arrived at the set at 12:30 PM.

He hadn't expected that he would try his luck at an interview for a Jump Up Theater director, and not only would he receive an invitation, but a massive opportunity would fall from the sky—he actually had the chance to take over as director of the show *Silent Staircase*!

Firefighting? Rescuing the set? Immense pressure?

He didn't care about any of that.

As a young, energetic director, when he received that call, only two words floated in his mind: Opportunity!

He immediately called his teacher, Liu Zhijiang.

When Liu Zhijiang heard that Chen Yu was going to film *Silent Staircase*, starring Lu Yan He, he didn't say anything about how firefighting wasn't easy for a director.

Liu Zhijiang himself was a veteran director in the industry and knew very well what kind of opportunity such a show meant for a young director like Chen Yu.

By analogy, it was perhaps like the degree of importance Director Luo Yuzhong's show had for the fledgling Lu Yan He back then.

"Teacher, am I going to be famous? After I finish this show, will projects from all platforms come looking for me to be their director?" Chen Yu was like a fool who had just received a great blessing, giggling on the other end of the phone.

Liu Zhijiang was speechless for a moment.

Forget it, this idiot, let him go and toss himself around.

"Don't you dare embarrass me! If you mess this up, I'll be the first to expel you from my tutelage. Don't ever say outside that I'm your teacher."

Chen Yu arrived in high spirits, ready to roll up his sleeves.

On the flight over, he first went through the script and the afternoon's filming schedule.

After arriving at the scene, he met Xin Pingqing directly, and then had a meeting with the assistant director and the filming team.

"Entrusted with a task in a moment of crisis, the pressure is immense. I'll need all you veterans to look after me!" Chen Yu said, cupping his hands in a salute.

Xin Pingqing had been worried that Chen Yu, chosen by Chen Siqi and the others, would be young and arrogant, having grown up under the wings of a big director, and would be difficult to deal with. He hadn't expected the person to be different from what he imagined.

After arriving at the crew, the first thing the person did was to greet the true backbone of the set, to get familiar with them, rather than going to find Lu Yan He and the others—

Many young directors have to go through the "beating" of the set before they know who they really need to win over first.

Xin Pingqing remembered Chen Siqi's evaluation of Chen Yu before the meeting ended in the early hours of yesterday: "He has experienced several big projects and is an experienced director who has been truly trained and practiced by his teacher. Now he needs an opportunity to direct independently, to let the industry truly see his personal ability and value. So, if he directs this show, he will work himself to the bone to make it good, even if he doesn't sleep. And based on my contact and understanding of him, his personality and style can integrate into our crew at the fastest speed."

"It's a bit risky." In a phone call with Lu Yan He, Chen Siqi wasn't as forceful as she had been in the meeting last night, directly admitting her unease. "Actually, we were originally looking for Chen Yu to film another show."

Lu Yan He: "It's fine, Chen Yu is our best choice right now."

Chen Siqi: "That's what I say, but it's hard not to worry. Sigh, I'll be there this afternoon. I hope everything goes smoothly on your end."

Lu Yan He: "Why are you coming over? Hasn't the director issue already been resolved?"

"The anonymous letter issue hasn't been resolved yet," said Chen Siqi. "I have to dig this person out. Although you all say this person is targeting Director An Jian, what if they aren't? If this person just wants to stir up trouble and make our show restless and mess it up, who knows what else might happen later."

Lu Yan He hadn't expected Chen Siqi to say that.

But, upon reflection, what Chen Siqi said wasn't unreasonable.

The director issue was resolved, but the person who sent the anonymous letter was likely still in the crew.

Before filming the first scene in the afternoon, Chen Yu gathered all the actors on set for a meeting to introduce himself.

"Director An Jian was leading everyone in preparing for this show in the early stages, but because he suddenly had some health issues, he couldn't continue directing, so they brought me in."

Chen Yu said: "You are all very skilled teachers. On my way here, I already looked through the information on all of you, and I admire you. Of course, although you might look at me and think I'm very young—not just look, I am indeed very young—I mean, you might be worried about whether I have the ability to be a good director."

"Let me introduce myself: my teacher is Liu Zhijiang. Over the past few years, I have been following my teacher's projects, serving as his assistant director, and by the last show, I became a co-director. Moreover, actually, before coming to our crew, I had already signed with Jump Up Theater to direct another show."

When Chen Yu said this, Zhang Yuan, Peng Yufen, and the other actors with more seniority showed some surprise, as if they hadn't expected it.

Lu Yan He stood on the side, nodding calmly.

He definitely had to express his support for Chen Yu.

"Of course, I do have many areas where I need to learn. I wouldn't dare say I'm a perfect, all-around warrior," Chen Yu said with a smile. "We are all here to film this show with a common goal: to make this show good and make it a representative work for each of us. As for how well I can direct this show within my capabilities, it depends on how much everyone cooperates with me, supports me, and trusts me. Because I will give it my all, I hope we can form a joint force instead of becoming obstacles to each other."

Lu Yan He took the lead in applauding.

Others, who had some doubts, saw Lu Yan He do this and followed suit.

Fortunately, this show was entirely dialogue-driven.

Moreover, except for Lu Yan He, the other actors had already rehearsed in the early stages and were very familiar with each other, so there were basically no low-level mistakes on set.

After Chen Yu finished filming a shot, he joked with a smile: "You teachers are so familiar with your characters that I feel like anyone could be the director; you just need to sit here and shout 'Cut'."

His words made everyone laugh.

The scene just now was indeed performed well, and Lu Yan He felt the same. Although it was just a very ordinary transitional scene, everyone was very familiar with their performance content. Even though they had only walked through the scene once, Lu Yan He actually had a sense of tacit understanding as if they had performed it several times.

Everything he threw out received a reaction.

No wonder Chen Yu said that.

"Let's do one more for safety," said Chen Yu. "Teacher Zhang, when you make your entrance just now, let's try this: say one line first, then come out of the room, okay? Let's see which of the two versions can better highlight the arrogance and wildness of your character."

As Chen Yu's words fell, the look in Lu Yan He's eyes toward Chen Yu changed.

Sometimes, you can tell if someone understands acting with just one sentence.

Why did Lu Yan He say before that he was already familiar with viewing this show from his character's perspective? A director has another perspective.

This was a very typical—

Director's perspective.

And Zhang Yuan's expression changed in an instant.

A good actor might not be able to cover everything when preparing a character, but if they don't react when prompted by someone else, it at least shows that they are not a very sharp actor.

On the way from the train station to the set, Chen Siqi kept pondering in her mind: what if Chen Yu couldn't win over the crew?

Don't look at how forceful she seemed on the video call last night, or how she was categorical and seemed certain that he would definitely succeed when recommending Chen Yu.

This was just a principle she had learned since she started working.

This principle is: no matter how much certainty you have about a decision, when it comes out of your mouth, it must be one hundred percent certainty.

Once you hold back a breath, others will lose their confidence.

If you really want to know what she was thinking, she actually had no bottom line.

Chen Siqi had already prepared for the worst, yet when she arrived at the filming site, she found that the situation on set was not as bad as she had imagined; in fact, it was quite orderly and harmonious?

"Chen Yu will become a very remarkable director," Lu Yan He said to her.

This surprised Chen Siqi.

How could Lu Yan He praise Chen Yu so highly on the very first day?

This made Chen Siqi put aside the main purpose of her rushing to the set and couldn't help but curiously observe Chen Yu.

"When he came to interview with us, he was liked by many of us," said Chen Siqi. "Actually, a student of a big director like him doesn't need to come to our Jump Up Theater. His teacher would definitely pave the way for him in the future. We asked him that too, and he didn't say anything hollow or pretentious; he admitted very generously that he had received too much guidance and opportunities from his teacher, but he also wanted to see what he could achieve on his own without his teacher."

Lu Yan He: "Well, after he arrived at the crew, he wasn't as humble as you said. In front of everyone, he gave a speech about how he was fully capable of leading everyone to film this show well, and he didn't hide the fact that he was a student of Director Liu Zhijiang... Of course, doing so had an immediate effect; many people in the crew put away their contempt for him."

"When you're out and about, you give yourself your own status," Chen Siqi said with a smile. "Looking at the atmosphere on set, it seems he's doing a pretty good job as a director?"

"More than pretty good," said Lu Yan He. "He understands acting very well. Every piece of guidance he gives makes people convinced. The actors in this show are quite tough, but he can point out their problems with pinpoint accuracy and make them willing to listen to him. He's very impressive."

Chen Siqi: "Really? You aren't just comforting me to make me feel at ease, are you?"

"Really," said Lu Yan He. "You have a great eye for directors."

Chen Siqi: "That's good."

She let out a sigh of relief.

"I was really worried about what would happen if Chen Yu couldn't handle the crew."

"You gave me the title of artistic director, wasn't that to prevent such a situation from happening, so that at least I could be the safety net?" Lu Yan He laughed.

Chen Siqi: "Yes, fortunately you're here."

Chen Siqi's appearance caused the crew members to discuss it again.

Mainly discussing the reason for her sudden arrival.

Throughout the day, too many things had happened to the crew. But miraculously, amidst such changes, the show still started filming normally and proceeded smoothly.

However, when everyone finished work and looked back, they still tasted something a bit off.

Director An Jian was fine yesterday, showing no signs of anything unusual; how could he suddenly get sick?

And in such a short time, they found a director to rescue the set.

Plus, Chen Siqi suddenly appeared on set this afternoon—

Even though many people said Chen Siqi was actually there to visit Lu Yan He.

Was she really there to visit?

On the first day of filming, which only officially started in the afternoon, Chen Siqi rushed to the set at this time and came directly to the scene...

Actually, there's nothing strange about this.

But Chen Siqi is not only Lu Yan He's girlfriend, but also the chief planner and initiator of the Jump Up Theater. Adding the changes that happened to the crew today, these things combined made people think too much.

Speculating to the end, the most critical core point was actually the change of director.

Was Director An Jian really sick?

That evening, several crew members came to ask Xin Pingqing which hospital Director An Jian was in, wanting to go visit him.

Xin Pingqing could only fob them off, saying Director An Jian had already gone to a hospital in Shanghai/Hangzhou and wasn't nearby, and that he would represent the whole crew to visit after the show wrapped.

This kind of rhetoric only deepened everyone's doubts.

All kinds of suspicions and rumors were flying around among them.

Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi had dinner together and went for a walk outside, finally having time to seriously discuss An Jian's matter.

Whether An Jian's matter was true or false, no one had time to investigate it yesterday.

Everyone could only assume it would have an impact and discuss solutions based on the premise of him withdrawing from the project. Time was tight, and no one had time to care about the authenticity of An Jian's matter.

"But we can't just stop cooperating with Director An in the future because of this," said Chen Siqi. "Actually, in this matter, his approach made me look at him differently. He didn't hide anything and immediately took the initiative to withdraw from the crew to avoid affecting the filming and future broadcast. Just from this behavior, I am very willing to cooperate with such a responsible director."

"Yes, me too," said Lu Yan He. "But if the anonymous letter issue isn't resolved, it's a ticking time bomb. As you said, we must find out who sent the anonymous letter."

Recommend the old book *I Became a Scandal Heroine Overnight* and the new book *Sword of the Demon Hunter*. ===== CHAPTER 603 =====