Chapter 17: Persisting with Effort

"They're like a joke!"

"Yeah, what kind of movie is this? 'Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2'? Oh my god, this... it's hilarious. The poster they made..."

"Haha, that's interesting. Could these people actually be filming a movie? No way..."

"Shen Long? Chen Jianfeng?"

"Haha, I've never heard of them!"

"Wait, I have heard of them. I remember Chen Jianfeng. He's that fool, the one who worked in our crew for half a month..."

"Oh, so it's him. Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter. They must be crazy with desire to make a movie!"

"..."

The morning sunlight shone on this open ground.

In the crew of 'Love Ferris Wheel', everyone's gaze was fixed on that cheap stall and that crew, who looked like a joke, on the open ground not far away.

Laughter from onlookers rose and fell throughout the crew, just like watching giant pandas in a zoo...

But Shen Long and Chen Jianfeng, the two of them, seemed not to hear this laughter at all; they still wore smiles, handing out business cards to every single person one by one.

Some people looked seriously at the business cards for a couple of seconds...

Some people studied them and nodded...

Others simply tossed the business cards aside...

After seeing the business card casually thrown into the trash can...

Although Chen Jianfeng and Shen Long's faces darkened, they did not lose their temper, nor did they get angry; they simply still wore smiles, silently picked up the business cards, carefully stuffed them into their own pockets, and amidst waves of mockery, continued silently introducing themselves to every person they knew or didn't know...

…………………………

In the office.

An Xiaoshi looked into the distance.

When she saw the poster of 'Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2' swaying in the wind, and Zhou Yang sitting on a chair, holding up the stall while facing the reporters' interviews, she felt a touch of indescribable emotion in her heart.

She saw Shen Long and Chen Jianfeng, who were being treated as a joke in the crowd...

She saw a kind of seriousness towards filmmaking.

"They don't really think they can become directors, that they can actually make a movie, do they?"

In the office, Zheng Yichen looked at these two people not far away, sipped a cup of coffee lightly, and looked down on them as if watching a few clowns in an extremely absurd farce.

"And, you actually authorized this cinema, which is about to go bankrupt, to this!"

When he withdrew his gaze and saw the staff member responsible for agreements and contracts in the crew walking over with a crew cooperation agreement, Zheng Yichen frowned.

He put down his coffee cup and looked at An Xiaoshi.

"I just want the movie 'Love Ferris Wheel'..." An Xiaoshi stared at the agreement.

"Remember, our movie is a masterpiece-level film; it has excellent taste, and countless fans will flood into the cinema to watch it..." Zheng Yichen stared at An Xiaoshi, and as he spoke, he tossed the agreement into the trash can: "I just got the data on this Feihe Cinema; its tables and chairs are extremely old, the projection screen is terrible, and it's on the brink of bankruptcy..."

"But..."

"I don't want the cinema chain partners to see the agreement for our movie, and I don't want my fans, with expectations in their hearts, to walk into a moldy cinema to watch a dirty screen and those shabby decorations; this is a desecration of the film! This agreement... is void!" Zheng Yichen looked at An Xiaoshi, who was about to say something more.

An Xiaoshi lowered her head and stared blankly at the agreement.

Just at this moment, a knocking sound came from the doorway.

Soon, Zheng Yichen's assistant walked over and silently handed over a document.

After reading this document, Zheng Yichen couldn't help but shake his head: "Look, what kind of people are your collaborators!"

"One, a high school graduate, a assembly line worker who was just laid off from a factory..."

"One, a failure who graduated and did odd jobs in some second and third-tier crews, eventually huddled in a rental room, who can't even be called a director..."

"One, a marginal figure who worked in our crew half a month ago, begged us to give him a role, but couldn't even pass the first round of interviews..."

"These people pulled together a crew and declared they would make a movie?"

"If their movie can actually be made, this would probably be the biggest joke of this century, or of the entire entertainment industry!"

"..."

Zheng Yichen placed the document on the table.

An Xiaoshi glanced at the simple data on it, then looked again at the distance; although her expression was complex, she didn't say much.

A moment later, her gaze turned to Zheng Yichen.

At this very moment, Zheng Yichen was looking sharply at those few "clowns" not far away.

The assistant beside him couldn't help but laugh out loud.

But for some reason, these sounds, to An Xiaoshi, seemed to become increasingly grating...

She looked at Zheng Yichen: "Senior brother, how do we arrange our 'Love Ferris Wheel' next?"

Zheng Yichen withdrew his gaze, looked at her exquisite face, and said seriously: "You don't need to do anything extra; you just need to sit in front of the camera and watch the professionals film. After filming is done, we will compare the market and fan expectations, edit a collaborative film, and then, during the promotion and distribution, you just need to show up and listen to our arrangements!"

"I... only do these things?"

"Yes, as long as you are serious and follow the path I arrange, the Tianyu Entertainment behind us will push you to the top... take you through the doors of the Golden Horse and Golden Awards... future resources won't be lacking for you!"

"So, besides investment, you never thought I was a qualified director?" When An Xiaoshi heard this sentence, she bit her lip and stared at Zheng Yichen.

"You have always been a qualified director; that point is beyond doubt..."

"But..."

"Isn't your dream to own a movie of your own? Do you know how many people want a movie but have no way to get one?"

"My dream is to make a movie; I want to direct it myself; I want..."

"We didn't come here today to discuss the movie, but to help you integrate the crew!"

Zheng Yichen looked at An Xiaoshi's expression and immediately frowned.

Afterwards, he gave the assistant a meaningful glance.

Hearing this, the assistant nodded, then handed a list to An Xiaoshi.

"Director An, this is the staff we approved after reviewing all factors... The several cinematographers you mentioned, after authoritative consideration, we feel these students are still too inexperienced... not quite suitable. The position of chief cinematographer absolutely cannot be theirs; camera positions three and four are also very important and cannot be given to them either. However, they can serve as production assistants within the crew..."

"They are all excellent at school; they need an opportunity!" An Xiaoshi looked at the names on the list and immediately froze.

"Yes, they are indeed excellent, but everything must proceed step by step. Blindly using newcomers will only make the film very strange... This is your first film; what we must do is achieve perfection..." The assistant explained to An Xiaoshi very patiently.

Seeing An Xiaoshi lower her head and fall silent, she smiled again: "Also, I think a few of these lighting technicians should be cut... It's the same saying: they are not suitable. Besides these..."

An Xiaoshi no longer knew what the assistant was saying.

She only knew that one familiar name after another was being crossed out, being checked off...

One by one, the roles settled half a month ago, though they were supporting roles and not important, were still being replaced one by one.

At this moment...

She felt somewhat dazed, suddenly realizing...

In this film, she seemed to be nothing at all.

And all her efforts these past days seemed to have been in vain.

After an unknown amount of time...

She looked up at Zheng Yichen: "Senior brother, in this film, is this all I can do?"

"This is for your own good!"

"Can't even one of them stay?"

"I said it before: I have already prepared a professional team for you; you do not need to worry about anything."

Zheng Yichen stood by the window, smiling as he looked at her.

When she heard these words, she did not respond; she only looked out the window.

Outside the window, Zhou Yang and the others were still struggling to hold up the movie poster for "Sun Wukong Battles Superman 2," persisting in the sunlight, amidst mockery, like a joke.