Chapter 110: The Modu Trip and the MV

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After arriving in Modu, Cheng Chen went straight to Tangren Film and Television.

Nowadays, Tangren is somewhat well-known in the industry.

In 1999, it produced The Legendary Twins starring Lin Zhiying and Su Youpeng.

In 2000, it produced The Legend of the Fish Maiden, The Legend of the Lotus Lantern, and Detective Kulan.

In 2001, it produced Yangmen Nujiang, starring Li Ruo Tong, Ning Jing, and Zhang Zhiyao.

In 2002, it produced Shujian Enchulu and others; this year, Tangren plans to shoot and release four films, including Zui Wudi and Unparalleled Under Heaven.

Among these films, some were hugely profitable, while others lost money, and none had small production budgets.

Fortunately, each film had loyal fans, and Tangren remained constantly active in the public eye—though not wildly popular, it had firmly established itself.

And now, Tangren urgently needs a drama to prove itself and rapidly break out of its niche…

"Hello, General Cai, I'm Cheng Chen."

After being led to Cai Yinong's office by staff, Cheng Chen smiled and said.

"Hello, General Cheng, please sit."

Cai Yinong wore a well-tailored women's suit, with a neat bob haircut, looking efficient and sharp.

Don't be fooled by her delicate appearance and round, non-threatening face.

In reality, she is a highly decisive, clear-thinking, bold, and ambitious woman.

"Not long ago, General Yao Zhuangxian mentioned you—I didn't expect General Cheng to show up so quickly after being talked about."

Cai Yinong poured Cheng Chen a cup of coffee and smiled.

Though they were meeting for the first time, both had their own agendas, and their conversation naturally began with Yao Zhuangxian, whom they both knew.

Cheng Chen drank the coffee and said: "At the last internet conference, General Yao hosted it."

"We chatted a bit—he spoke highly of you, General Cai, praising your courage in adapting games into TV dramas; your vision is far ahead."

Everyone likes to flatter others; whether Yao Zhuangxian had actually said this or not, it was better to offer praise first—Cai Yinong couldn't possibly go verify it with him.

Cai Yinong smiled and said:

"I didn't know General Cheng, besides being a singer and actor, had also invested in the internet—you're truly young and accomplished."

"Not at all, compared to you, General Cai, I'm just dabbling."

Cheng Chen smiled.

"Investing early in the internet, dominating the Chinese music scene as a multi-talented singer, plus being an outstanding actor, and owning Xinghuo Entertainment—using one of your own songs to describe it, this is 'Young and Accomplished'!"

Cai Yinong lavished praise.

As she said, Cheng Chen was no mere minor player in her eyes.

If it were an ordinary visitor, she'd have dismissed them with any excuse—but Cheng Chen was different.

In fact, all the artists under Tangren combined couldn't match the current fame of Cheng Chen.

And her words also conveyed another message: I know all about your background, no need to test me—just state your cooperation proposal directly.

Cheng Chen clearly caught her implication and smiled:

"I heard from General Yao that you acquired the film and TV rights to Immortal Sword I—is it already in preparation?"

Cai Yinong thought, finally here it comes; she nodded and said:

"Correct. What does General Cheng intend?"

For Cheng Chen's visit today, Cai Yinong had two scenarios in mind.

If he came to recommend himself as an actor, everything would be easy—even though Yao Zhuangxian strongly recommended Cheng Chen for the role of Li Xiaoyao.

But given Cai Yinong's current thinking, Cheng Chen's current status in the entertainment industry means his involvement guarantees massive exposure and promotion for Immortal Sword I.

But it also means a high salary; though TV actor fees aren't as insane as movie fees, with Cheng Chen's current stature, it would take several million yuan just to get him on board.

Yet Immortal Sword I, as she envisioned, would be a fantasy drama, with costume, makeup, and special effects costs far exceeding those of a typical wuxia idol drama.

If Cheng Chen took the lead role,

the film's quality would inevitably suffer due to salary pressures—and that was unacceptable to the perfectionist Cai Yinong.

This was also one reason she later overruled opposition and cast Hu Ge, then a complete unknown.

Of course, given Cheng Chen's current stature, since he had come to her door, she couldn't let him leave empty-handed.

The male lead was out of the question, but Jiang Ming and Liu Jinyuan's roles could be offered to him freely.

But if he came as an investor and producer… she certainly wouldn't refuse free money!

That's why she had just pointed out that he owned an entertainment company—to nudge him toward the investor role…

Cheng Chen smiled slightly and said:

"I'm a singer and actor, but as General Cai just said, I'm also the owner of Xinghuo Entertainment. I share your high hopes for Immortal Sword I."

Hearing this, Cai Yinong exhaled in relief and said happily:

"Though Xinghuo is new, its owner is General Cheng—you're influence guarantees Immortal Sword I will achieve remarkable success!"

Her words weren't all flattery—she meant: you, Cheng Chen, volunteered to join, so don't let us down.

Otherwise, your reputation in the entertainment industry will be ruined.

Cheng Chen naturally caught her subtext and smiled:

"Besides investing in Immortal Sword I, I'd also like to try out for the role of Li Xiaoyao."

Here it comes—I knew investors who put in money never came for free.

Cai Yinong, a seasoned veteran of the industry, remained calm and said:

"That's no problem. For your investment in Immortal Sword I, how much are you planning to put in?"

As long as the money is sufficient, you can be the male lead—no problem at all!

Cheng Chen looked at her and said slowly:

"Seventeen million, plus Li Xiaoyao's fee, totals twenty million."

Cheng Chen was also gauging Cai Yinong's thoughts—later, Xianjian Qixia Zhuan Yi would receive a total investment of sixty million.

It was a joint production by Tang Ren, Modu Film and Television, and Yunnan Province Television, with Tang Ren holding the majority stake to secure its dominance.

Cheng Chen's own investment of twenty million, including his thirty-million-fee salary, was aimed at becoming the second-largest shareholder after Tang Ren.

Whether Tang Ren partnered with Yunnan Province Television or Modu Film and Television afterward was up to them.

"Thirty million for the salary…?"

Now, Cheng Chen had raised his own fee to thirty million—far exceeding the fee paid to Hu Ge for his lead role back then!

Cai Yinong thought for a moment and said:

"Director Cheng, could you lower your fee a bit? To be honest, it's a bit too high."

Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"What amount do you think is appropriate?"

Zero would be best, of course!

But that was obviously impossible; she said directly:

"Naturally, the less, the better."

Cheng Chen smiled—he wanted to get something for nothing? Was that possible?

So he said:

"Many games have been adapted into films and TV dramas—for example, in 1996, Eidos released the game Tomb Raider."

It broke away from the then-dominant hard-boiled shooter style in adventure games and created the concept of a female adventure hero, sparking intense interest among gamers worldwide.

A game released in 1996 with horror themes like zombies was also adapted into a film last year.

Both achieved solid success, but Director Cai, have you considered how things stand in our domestic market?"

Without exaggeration, Xianjian Qixia Zhuan Yi is the pioneer of domestic game adaptations.

You, Director Cai, believe in Xianjian Qixia Zhuan Yi, and so do I—otherwise, I wouldn't have flown from Jingcheng to Modu.

But investment can't be emotional; you must consider the market. Have you considered that while Xianjian Qixia Zhuan Yi has a huge name and many fans, they're all game fans?

If we announce our adaptation of Xianjian Qixia Zhuan Yi, how will those game fans react?

Excitement? Thrill? Or a wave of condemnation and abuse? Loudly accusing us of destroying their Childhood, ruining their youth—believe me, you don't need me to say this; after your company released Shujian Enchulu last year, Director Cai, you understand this even better…"

Before coming to Modu, Cheng Chen had already done thorough research.

In fact, when Xianjian Qixia Zhuan Yi was first adapted into a TV drama and the character design photos were released, they drew a flood of criticism and even boycotts from original fans.

It was said the incident caused a huge uproar, with multiple media outlets competing to report on it, stirring up a storm across the city.

This is normal—aside from Weiyi Yi Cheng Ren, which succeeded, nearly all domestic game-to-TV adaptations have flopped.

Weiyi Yi Cheng Ren succeeded only because of Shuangzi and Yang Yang.

Why have novel adaptations mostly flopped?

Hmm… perhaps you could ask the miraculous Qi Transformation into Horse.

Compared to novel adaptations, game adaptations are even harder for fans to accept.

After all, players invest more time and emotion, especially when game characters interact with them—this cross-dimensional emotional bond is often more moving.

Hearing Cheng Chen's words, Cai Yinong's heart stirred slightly.

He was right—game adaptations were harder than novel adaptations, not just due to later production and casting, but mainly due to emotional resistance from game fans.

Moreover, Xianjian Qixia Zhuan Yi was indeed the first domestic game ever adapted into a film or TV drama.

How would the market respond? How would the public accept it? There was no precedent to reference.

Everything was trial and error, feeling one's way across the river.

Seeing Cai Yinong swayed, Cheng Chen added more fuel:

"Perhaps you think, Director Cai, that although Xianjian Qixia Zhuan Yi has many game fans, I'm not making this for them."

But have you considered—if game fans don't watch, this drama loses its very reason for being an adaptation?

And you don't even plan to use stars, hoping to win purely on plot—this possibility isn't zero, but given such a massive investment, Director Cai, dare you gamble?"

From his future perspective, Cheng Chen knew Xianjian Qixia Zhuan Yi would later become a massive hit, breaking viewership records repeatedly.

Countless merchandise would flood the market, and actors like Hu Ge and Liu Tianxian would be launched to stardom.

But he was playing on information asymmetry—Cai Yinong now, unlike his reborn self, knew none of this.

So Cai Yinong backed down—or rather, she dared not gamble.

"Alright, you've convinced me, Director Cheng, your eloquence is truly impressive. Thirty million it is—seventeen million investment plus your salary, totaling twenty million. I agree."

Cai Yinong sighed helplessly.

So she gave in already?

Actually, Cheng Chen still had one final move up his sleeve.

No thirty-million salary? Then I won't invest!

The points Cheng Chen just made weren't just for her—they were factors any investor must consider.

Cai Yinong might use her connections or Tang Ren's current influence to eventually raise the full sixty million production budget, but the process would be anything but easy!

"Pleasure doing business."

Cheng Chen shook her hand and smiled.

…

After finishing here, Cheng Chen immediately flew from Modu to Jingcheng—the album's progress still needed pushing.

The remaining matters regarding the deal with Tang Ren were handed entirely to Su Qingya to coordinate.

Just back in Jingcheng, Cheng Chen immediately headed to the recording studio.

The album recording went smoothly; now Cheng Chen only needed to record a few songs, leaving the rest of the post-production work to Ouyang Jian and the production team.

This allowed Cheng Chen to free up time to prepare for the MV production.

The MV production team was already familiar with Cheng Chen, but this time Cheng Chen was serving as Screenwriter and director.

The original director now acted as Cheng Chen's assistant, helping him complete the filming.

Cheng Chen had already figured out how to produce the MVs for all ten songs.

The MV for "Wan Jiang" had already been filmed; they could use it directly.

Next was the MV for "Blue and White Porcelain"; the original storyline for "Blue and White Porcelain" was already excellent, so Cheng Chen had no intention of rewriting it—he simply drafted the script:

In ancient times, a graceful woman in flowing blue robes sat beneath the eaves, where the wind passed through pillars, playing a tender, lingering melody on her qin.

Suddenly sensing ill fortune, intruders burst in; the girl pushed aside her qin strings, took down a sword from the rack, and prepared to defend herself.

But outnumbered, she was eventually captured by several armed black-clad thugs.

The girl's husband possessed a peerless treasure: a exquisite piece of blue and white porcelain, its surface painted with intricate floral patterns.

The gang leader planned to use the girl to extort the man's treasure—when the man arrived with the blue and white porcelain to exchange for his beloved.

Though the gang leader initially honored the deal and released her, he immediately grew resentful and murdered the girl.

In the end, the girl, wrapped in her flowing blue robes, died in her lover's arms.

Time flowed on, and soon it was modern day; the blue and white porcelain had become a treasured heirloom, and people bid against each other at an auction.

Among the bidders was a man and woman; the man made several bids, but each was outbid by a buyer seated behind him.

He couldn't help turning around to look—it was a strikingly beautiful woman who also wanted the blue and white porcelain.

He felt an odd sense of familiarity toward her, as if he had known her long ago, so he let her have the blue and white porcelain.

After the auction ended, the organizers held a reception.

The man kept feeling he had seen the woman somewhere before; he took two glasses of wine and went to find her.

They hit it off instantly; passion flared quickly, and the woman took the man's hand, leading him to her room for a tryst.

But the woman had caught the eye of the gang boss, who ordered his thugs to hunt down the lovers.

In the end, in a rain-soaked alley, the man was shot and died in the woman's arms.

Centuries passed, and the blue and white porcelain witnessed once more a tragic, beautiful parting of life and death.

……

Centered on the blue and white porcelain, the MV portrayed a time-traveling cycle of love and death—a concept that might seem unremarkable today, but remember, this was 2003.

After all, the Mainland's pioneering time-travel drama, "Love Across Time," had only just become a massive hit last year.

And for the female lead in this MV, who had to switch between ancient and modern attire, the first person to come to Cheng Chen's mind was…

Gao Yuanyuan.

……