Chapter 175

The production company behind the drama "Little Fish and Flower" is Ciwén Film & Television of Jingcheng.

You might not be familiar with the name alone, but many popular dramas such as "She Diao Yingxiong Zhuan," "Shen Diao Xia Lv," "Seven Swords Descend from Tian Shan," and "Snowy Mountain Fox" all came from this company.

In its early years, the company loved remaking Jin Yong's dramas and novels, and later grew fond of adapting web novels into television series.

Such as:

"Lao Jiu Men," "The Journey of Flower," "Hua Xu Yin," and "Chu Qiao Zhuan."

Their dramas are all Du Ting Hao, and they enjoy a solid reputation within the industry.

The only mishap occurred when the Ciwén heir appeared on a talent show and was harshly criticized by viewers.

Only after deliberate digging by some parties did the public learn his identity, and Ciwén was dragged into the scandal.

Wang Sanri, a major director from Gang Sheng, came to Mainland to shoot a drama, and Ciwén immediately invested over 40 million yuan into the "Little Fish and Flower" production team.

The cast of this drama was also unusually strong: the two male leads were played by Zhang Weijian, a rising star at the peak of his fame in Gang Sheng, as Xiao Yu Er.

At this time, Zhang Weijian was extremely sought-after in the film and television industry.

In his early years, with Zhang Guorong's help, he debuted in the music industry as the champion of the Gang Sheng New Talent Singing Competition.

Later, pressured by financial needs, he entered the film and television world as a background actor, enduring years of hardship before finally landing leading roles.

He starred in TVB's "Journey to the West," winning the TVB Millennium "My Most Memorable Male Lead" award for his portrayal of Sun Wukong.

Later, with "Young Hero Fang Shiyu," Zhang Weijian made a complete turnaround; the drama achieved a 24% viewership rating, breaking ATV's viewership records.

After filming Wang Sanri's historical martial arts drama "Xiao Bao and Kangxi," their relationship grew even closer.

The role of Gu Santong in "The First Under Heaven" was offered to him directly by Wang Sanri.

This time, filming "Little Fish and Flower" was no exception…

The actor playing Hua Wuque is Cheng Chen, a newly crowned Heavenly King whose popularity spans both sides of the Taiwan Strait and holds considerable influence across Asia.

Cheng Chen's recent momentum needs no elaboration; his influence among the younger generation is nearly unmatched.

He is also especially popular in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea.

This point is especially crucial for both actors and singers.

For example, if an actor's influence is strong enough, the overseas copyright of their dramas can be sold more widely and at higher prices.

The female lead roles in this drama were unusually numerous, featuring four actresses.

Tie Xinlan was played by Fan Xiaopang, Su Ying by Yuan Quan, Jiang Yuyan by Yang Xue, and the Little Fairy by Bai Xue.

At this time, Fan Xiaopang had just linked up with Feng Dapao and won the 27th Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress for her role in his film "The Mobile Phone" last year.

This one is a classic case of courting disaster; we'll leave her for now.

As one of the Central Academy of Drama's Seven Golden Flowers, Yuan Quan's looks are still quite impressive.

Cheng Chen was quite curious about the Central Academy of Drama's Seven Golden Flowers; International Zhang had already risen to international fame through "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

The other five had their own paths; overall, International Zhang had developed the best, followed by Mei Ting and Yuan Quan.

As for Hu Jing, Ceng Li, Zhang Tong, and Qin Hailu, their development was not so strong.

Among the Seven Golden Flowers, Cheng Chen was most curious about the great Qingyi, Ceng Li.

Looking ahead from the future, this sister was indeed the least successful among the Seven Golden Flowers.

But she couldn't be beaten for her beauty—her aura was exquisitely elegant, and she was universally recognized as the class beauty.

She was hailed as a beauty born once every two hundred years at the Central Academy of Drama.

If the chance arises, Cheng Chen would very much like to get to know this sister…

After the symposium ended, Cheng Chen was escorted out of the venue by staff to attend the upcoming creative team meet-and-greet.

"Big Brother Cheng, I'll be counting on you a lot on set."

At the creative team meet-and-greet, Cheng Chen walked in first, followed by Fan Xiaopang.

Seeing Cheng Chen already seated, she moved over willingly and greeted him warmly.

Fan Xiaopang, born in 1981, was actually two years older than Cheng Chen.

Yet she called him "Big Brother Cheng" quite naturally.

After all, she looked young.

Cheng Chen nodded politely at her but said little; he had no fondness for this woman who boasted she would build a wealthy, prestigious family.

At first, Cheng Chen had admired her, but after that incident, his goodwill vanished completely.

Money isn't that easy to make!

For now, that incident hadn't happened yet; they were playing lovers in the drama.

They'd have many more chances to interact later, so it wasn't wise to make things too tense.

Thinking this, Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"Has Director Wang and the others not arrived yet?"

At this moment, the large office held only the two of them.

"Not yet—I guess they're being interviewed; so many reporters came this time, the setup was huge."

But I feel most of the reporters are here for you, Big Brother Cheng."

Hahaha, you didn't see how those reporters looked when they saw you being escorted out by staff.

They wanted to come over and interview you but dared not—so funny, hahaha."

Fan Xiaopang laughed heartily, showing none of the airs expected of a beauty; she seemed approachable.

While girls her age were still worrying about holiday homework and the coming school term,

At fifteen, Fan Bingbing graduated from art school and came alone to Jingcheng, beginning her Northward drift.

Back then, no one knew Fan Bingbing, no one recognized her.

As a child, she arrived in the city with nowhere to turn, relying solely on sheer determination to struggle through the entertainment industry.

Such experiences shaped her cheerful, observant personality.

Seeing Cheng Chen was not particularly warm toward her, she took the initiative to find topics, striving to ease the awkwardness between them.

Although she was already an artist under Wang Jinghua, Wang Jinghua was no ordinary person—she had many big-name artists under her.

The resources allocated to her were extremely limited, so she had to seize every opportunity to rise.

Including the current hot, wildly popular artist standing right before her.

You should know that Cheng Chen is not just an actor and singer; he is also the CEO of an entertainment company.

Without exaggeration, even if Cheng Chen starred in or invested in a terrible film, there would still be countless people willing to buy tickets and support him.

There's nothing to be done—this is reality.

In the language of the future, Cheng Chen is now the ultimate traffic code!

Cheng Chen naturally noticed Fan Xiaopang's intentions, after all, in the future he had also followed this person.

He knew how hard she worked in the entertainment circle; her desire to befriend him now was not without reason.

Cheng Chen did not reject this—he deeply admired those who worked hard to climb upward in their own roles.

Just as the two were chatting intermittently, Yuan Quan walked in.

Fan Xiaopang was the first to call out brightly:

"Yuan Quan sister."

Yuan Quan smiled and greeted the two, then quietly sat down at a nearby seat.

She was still quite introverted around strangers, shy and quiet.

When interacting with unfamiliar people, she might go an entire day without speaking, sitting still and silent, like the classic "girl next door."

Next to enter was Bai Xue, who portrayed the Little Fairy.

Bai Xue had a very sweet appearance: round cheeks, large eyes, and plump apple cheeks.

From certain angles, she bore some resemblance to Ajiao.

The Little Fairy she portrayed was a mischievous, adorable, and changeable girl.

She was charming, lively, and delightful—as if the very embodiment of all that was beautiful, worthy of being the moonlight in the hearts of an entire generation, leaving a deep impression.

Unfortunately, this woman suddenly vanished from the entertainment circle.

Yes, she simply vanished.

In this era when blogs were popular, Bai Xue frequently recorded her daily filming experiences on them, clearly showing her passion for acting.

But after posting her final article, she disappeared without a trace.

She never filmed another drama, never updated her blog again—she vanished as if she had never existed.

Her fans went frantic, searching everywhere for news of her, but found nothing.

Online, rumors of "supernatural events" involving her began to surface.

This incident caused a huge stir online; her fans were nearly driven mad.

Then, He Rundong, known for "Don't Come Near Me!", mentioned on a program that a Mainland female actress on the same set had experienced a terrifying supernatural event.

The timing matched exactly with Bai Xue's disappearance, so netizens assumed the woman in the supernatural event was Bai Xue.

In 2012, a Weibo post titled "Bai Xue Is Right Here" drew public attention.

It turned out the account belonged to Bai Xue herself, finally revealing the truth behind past speculations.

After becoming famous as the Little Fairy, she met the love of her life and moved abroad to marry and have children, becoming a full-time housewife…

This misunderstanding was no small matter.

Today, Bai Xue is an actress under Gang Sheng's M8 Group and is senior to Zhang Weijian—her path is now smooth and bright.

Not long after Bai Xue entered, Wang Sanri, heavily pregnant, walked into the office surrounded by Zhang Weijian, Yang Xue, Xu Jinjiang, and others.

Everyone stood to greet him. Wang Sanri smiled and said:

"Sorry, I was just dealing with reporters outside. To be honest, Mainland reporters are just too difficult… too enthusiastic."

He paused mid-sentence, sensing something inappropriate, glanced around the office, and finally fixed his gaze on Cheng Chen, smiling wryly:

"Most of those people outside are here for you—you're sitting here enjoying the air conditioning, while I, over two hundred jin of flesh, suffer."

Hearing Wang Sanri's words, everyone burst into laughter.

Cheng Chen also laughed and said:

"We in the Mainland have a saying: those who can do more should bear more. Director Wang, you've worked hard."

"Ah, I'm just born to worry and toil. Everyone, please sit down. Let me say a few brief words.

It seems everyone is already familiar with each other, so I won't repeat myself—this was already covered in the earlier meeting.

First, filming will begin on August 30 at Wenyang Film and Television Base; everyone must attend. That's point one.

Second, on August 23, we'll hold a one-week script reading here.

Everyone must attend, especially those playing major roles."

Cheng Chen nodded. It was mid-August now; he still had several promotional appearances for his new album.

He could finish them all before August 23—there would be no conflict with the script reading…

After leaving Wenyang Film and Television Base, Cheng Chen headed to Xinghuo Entertainment.

"How's the editing going? Cough, cough, cough!"

"General Cheng!"

"General Cheng, good day!"

"Almost done—we'll finish everything this month."

Ning Hao stood up, looking exhausted, his hair a messy nest, his eyes ringed with dark circles.

The entire office reeked of smoke; the ashtrays on the desks were packed full of cigarette butts.

"Damn, you guys are treating the office like your home."

"Luckily, I specifically found an office for you to use as a studio."

"If you'd put it in the front office, those guys would've fought you!"

Cheng Chen covered his nose as he opened the window to ventilate.

This was the film studio Cheng Chen had specially built with Ning Hao; right now, they were editing "Crazy Stone."

After the "Crazy Stone" crew wrapped, Cheng Chen summoned Ning Hao and the others to Jingcheng and locked them in a small black room to edit.

"Hehe, Boss Cheng, wouldn't you like to watch the film first?"

Ning Hao scratched his head awkwardly; Cheng Chen not only provided their workspace but also covered their food and lodging.

He felt a bit embarrassed that the studio had turned into such a mess.

"Fine, I'll watch it first."

Cheng Chen said enthusiastically...

The nearly two-hour film left Cheng Chen not the slightest bit tired—he was exhilarated.

"Yes, this is exactly the feel—no changes needed for plot or pacing, it's just..."

Hearing Cheng Chen's comment, Ning Hao's smile froze on his face as he asked:

"What's wrong?"

"Hmm... the music has issues—look here... and here... and even here—they all lack the right feeling."

Ning Hao listened intently; as Cheng Chen pointed out each spot, he replayed them, pondered for a long while, then nodded and said:

"Yeah, it does feel off—I'll have the sound team focus on this part and find other solutions."

"No need—I'll handle it. Give me a copy of this video version; I'll do it myself."

Ning Hao had almost forgotten Cheng Chen was also a singer; he nodded and said:

"Boss Cheng, having you handle it personally puts my mind at ease—I doubt anyone else could match the effect. You're a professional."

"Don't flatter me—I can tell you've been hanging around Bo Ge too long; you've picked up his flattery habits."

Cheng Chen rolled his eyes and scolded him with a laugh.

"Hehe, Boss Cheng, aren't we really going to ride the New Year's wave?"

Cheng Chen waved his hand and said:

"I know what you're thinking, but New Year's really is a good timing."

"But this year's Spring Festival films are tricky—let's not even mention it, the Mainland has Director Feng's 'A World Without Thieves.'"

"Hong Kong and Taiwan have 'Kung Fu'; the rest like 'A Full Moon Night' and '2046' are heavyweight films."

"We don't need to join this crowd—let's release after the New Year; we'll still reap another wave."

Ning Hao nodded; Cheng Chen was the investor, so when he said to release, that's when they'd release.

Still, he couldn't help feeling a tinge of disappointment—he truly wanted to go head-to-head with those big films.

In his heart, his meticulously crafted movie wasn't inferior to any of them!

As if sensing his thoughts, Cheng Chen patted his shoulder and said:

"Relax, there'll be chances to fight them later—I won't let you be buried. We've got time."

"Alright!"

Ning Hao nodded firmly.

After attending several promotional events for his new album and participating in a table read for "Little Fish and Flower,"

at the end of August, the film officially began shooting at the Wenyang Film Base.

About half a month after shooting started, Cheng Chen learned from Yuan Quan that her good friend Ceng Li was coming to visit the set.

Hearing this, Cheng Chen's eyes lit up—Big Blue Dress was coming?

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