Chapter 67

After settling everything in Jingcheng, Cheng Chen headed to Modu.

The production team for Lai Shuiqing's recommended drama, "The Great Dyeing Workshop," had just begun filming at Modu Film and Television Park.

However, filming had not yet started, and Cheng Chen's arrival was scheduled after coordination with the production side.

Cheng Chen had watched "The Great Dyeing Workshop" several times in his past life.

The general plot follows:

In the late Qing and early Republican era, a beggar boy named Chen Shouting from Zhou Cun in Lu Sheng harbored great ambitions.

After being adopted as an adopted son by Zhou, the owner of Tonghe Dyeing Workshop in Zhou Cun, he diligently learned the craft of dyeing fabric.

After ten years of hard work, he co-founded Dahua Dyeing Factory and embarked on the path of industrial dyeing.

Eventually, Dahua Dyeing Factory grew into the second-largest dyeing factory in Daoshi, and Dahua Dyeing Factory was merely a microcosm of its era.

It symbolized the gradual rise of China's indigenous enterprises…

This drama was a classic historical business warfare series, with scenes that left viewers thoroughly engrossed.

The production company behind this drama was the Shandong Film and Television Production Center; the name might sound unfamiliar to many.

But most people would recognize "Shandong Pictures," since the slogan "Shandong Pictures, Guaranteed Quality" had been echoed for years.

The Shandong Film and Television Production Center was the predecessor of Shandong Pictures; renowned dramas like:

"Crossing the Passes," "No War in Beiping," and "Nirvana in Fire" were all produced by it.

At the end of 2014, Hou Hongliang, formerly the second-in-command of Shandong Pictures, lost the bid for leadership and left with his entire team from Kong Sheng Studio and the Beijing branch to establish his own company.

Zhengwu Yang Guang began independent operations, ushering in its glorious era, while Shandong Pictures declined.

That's all later history.

"The Great Dyeing Workshop" was a male-led drama that successfully opened the curtain on the rise of Shandong dramas in the new century.

The lead actor was Master Hou Yong, who portrayed "Zhao Dehan, who spent not a single cent."

Master Hou Yong was thirty-five at the time, not yet wrinkled as he would become in the future; in his prime, his career took off after this drama.

As for his love life…

Hou Yong was a constant; his wives changed like flowing water: first married a woman born in the 70s, second a woman born in the 80s, third a woman born in the 90s.

Marrying a wife more than twenty years his junior was routine for him.

Upon arriving in Modu, Cheng Chen first checked into a hotel and settled his luggage.

He had arranged to meet Director Wang Wenjie at 3 p. m. tomorrow, giving him time to explore Modu in the meantime.

Though Modu in this era was far less prosperous than in the future, it already radiated an aura of dominance.

If Jingcheng was the political center, then Modu was unquestionably the economic center.

Especially after joining the WTO, Modu surged as a global gateway.

According to statistics from the Modu Municipal Commission of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade, by the end of 2005, Modu's overseas investment projects had surged to 909, with a total investment of $2.24 billion.

In 2005 alone, the city's total overseas investment reached $700 million, a 113% increase over 2004.

These figures were merely the beginning, as China's economy was about to fully integrate with the world.

Modu, China's "window," was becoming the world's "window."

Cheng Chen had visited Modu in his past life, but only for filming—he had never truly observed the city.

Upon arriving in Modu, his first stop had to be the Huangpu Riverbank, to feel the breeze and gaze upon the landmark Oriental Pearl Tower.

Of course, Modu had far more than just this one attraction; if you carefully observed it over an afternoon, you'd discover…

You'd have wasted an entire afternoon!

After all, Cheng Chen was a solitary man, didn't spend money on entertainment, and was just sightseeing casually—there was little to enjoy.

Feeling deeply bored, Cheng Chen returned to the hotel and chatted on the phone with Gao Yuanyuan.

…

The next afternoon, Cheng Chen tidied himself up neatly and arrived at the location on time.

Wang Wenjie was already sitting in his office waiting for Cheng Chen.

"Director Wang, hello. I'm Cheng Chen."

Wang Wenjie appeared to be around fifty, slightly overweight, and looked amiable.

He was also a low-key man, but his talent was undeniable.

In 2001, he was named one of the "Top Ten Directors Nationwide" for the years 1992 to 1999 by the Film Association and other organizations.

He received the title of Advanced Worker in the National Radio and Television System, was awarded Second-Class Merit once, and was recognized as a top talent by the Shandong Radio and Television Bureau.

Many people from Lu Sheng still remember the drama "Gan Shijiume," which Wang Wenjie directed in 1996, along with a series of well-known works like "The White Eyebrow Hero."

"You're Cheng Chen… You're even more handsome in person than in your photos, and you sing well too."

Wang Wenjie said with a smile.

"You're too kind."

Wang Wenjie stood up and poured Cheng Chen a cup of tea; Cheng Chen quickly rose to receive it. Then Wang offered him a cigarette and lit one himself, puffing away:

"Director Lai Dao should have given you the script already—what's your understanding of this drama?"

Not even assigning a role first, but asking for his understanding of the entire drama?

Cheng Chen was taken aback—Director Wang's question was too abstract!

Director Lai, whom he knew well, preferred chatting with actors, gauging their suitability for a role through their speech.

Of course, given Director Lai's Mandarin, he could only listen.

Director Wang Rui of "The Story of the Criminal Police" preferred having actors perform scenes—this was the method most directors favored.

Each director had a different style, so their methods of evaluating actors naturally varied.

Some even liked to invite female actors to their rooms at night to discuss the script.

"That, well… Cheng Chen hasn't encountered it yet in his current life."

"Alright."

Since he was on someone else's turf, he'd do as they said. -

Fortunately, he had watched *The Great Dyeing Workshop* many times in his previous life, so although Director Wang's prompt was very broad and grand, this wasn't a problem for Cheng Chen, who was familiar with the original drama.

The question was how to answer brilliantly, how to move this long-established great director.

Cheng Chen lowered his head and thought for a while, then organized his words and began to speak:

"Let me start by discussing the timeline of *The Great Dyeing Workshop*. It's not hard to see from the script that the era background of this drama is set in the late Qing Dynasty, and the endpoint is 1937.

This timeline is actually very interesting — the events after 1937 come to an abrupt halt in the script. May I boldly make a prediction that *The Great Dyeing Workshop* actually has a second part…"

Hearing this, Wang Wenjie's originally casual expression suddenly turned serious.

Actually, when casting actors, he would always ask some of the main roles in the film about their understanding of the drama.

But setting aside the plot and analyzing from the timeline — this was the first time he had seen that.

As for Cheng Chen's prediction, it was very interesting…

To be honest, when he first saw the script of *The Great Dyeing Workshop*, he didn't really understand why the ending was set at that sensitive year of 1937.

If filming continued past 1937, then both the elements and the plot would be much richer, and the brilliance of the business warfare would certainly be no less than now.

But thinking about it later, it might be due to budget constraints…

Actually, Cheng Chen had played a timing trick here.

In his previous life's later era, *The Great Dyeing Workshop* did indeed have a second part, but the production team was almost entirely replaced — apart from Hou Yong, that core character who was retained, everything else was gone; even the director, Wang Wenjie, was replaced.

Due to various reasons, the second part of *The Great Dyeing Workshop* flopped with its reputation in ruins…

……