Chapter 375

"Too dangerous—it could cost lives," Wei Ming hugged Lin Jie.

"Lately I keep seeing Su Su and the little phoenix, and when I get home, my niece keeps chasing me around—I love kids so much," Zhu Lin knew she was in the wrong, "When we get to Shanghai, I'll apologize to Xiao Xue. If—just if—I really am pregnant, I won't hold you back."

"What, you wanna be a single mom?"

Speaking of it, even the ever-strong Zhu Lin couldn't help but feel a sting in her nose, her eyes turning red.

Wei Ming quickly held her close and comforted her: "Don't worry, I won't let you become a single mom."

Just as Zhu Lin was about to be moved, Wei Ming added: "Let Sister Xue help you raise the kid—two moms aren't single moms, right?"

"You, little brat~" The queen's tiny fists pounded furiously against Wei Ming.

Perfect!

The next day, Zhu Lin packed her photos and belongings, refused Wei Ming's offer to see her off, and left alone.

At the alley entrance, she ran into Li Chengru on his way to work—this time, there was no avoiding him.

Zhu Lin spoke naturally: "Came to visit a friend. Busy, Xiao Li."

"Ah, working at CCTV? What've you been up to lately?" Li Chengru's gaze drifted toward Wei Ming's house.

"Just finished shooting a movie; next I'm heading to Shanghai for another drama."

Li Chengru was envious: "You're shooting one after another—you're too busy to stop!"

"After these two dramas, I'll take a break—I still need to study," Zhu Lin said. "I've got a train to catch in Shanghai. Gotta go."

"Oh, see you later."

Li Chengru watched Zhu Lin disappear down the street before cycling off to CCTV.

At the office, he immediately heard a flood of gossip.

Among it: "The Great Hero Huo Yuanjia"—last month, Guangdong TV had imported this drama from Rediffusion, two years earlier than in the original timeline.

Thanks to Wei Ming and the charity concert, "The Great Wall Never Falls" had already become wildly popular on the mainland; many places in Guangdong had already secretly watched it. After Guangdong TV officially imported it, local viewership soared past 90%, crushing all other local dramas.

CCTV, seeing its success and high quality—and its morally upright theme—had decided to dub it in Mandarin and air it next year.

Just as Li Chengru was about to hear more, someone entered to announce a group-leader meeting. The gossip-spreading senior immediately grabbed his notebook and pen and rushed off—Li Chengru wasn't invited to such a high-level meeting.

This meeting was organized by Deputy Director Hong Minsheng for the Cultural Department's regular session.

Deputy Director Hong first raised the issue of "The Great Hero Huo Yuanjia," already circulating through the station.

"Indeed, this drama has been confirmed for import. We'll need to re-dub it and change the title—we don't talk about 'heroes' here. Just call it 'Huo Yuanjia.' When it airs next year, you can imagine how strong the audience's demand for TV serials will be, and how high their standards for quality will rise. Comrades, we must catch up quickly."

The biggest achievement in China's TV drama field this year was Wang Fulin's "Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp," China's first TV serial. But even those who hadn't seen "The Great Hero Huo Yuanjia" knew the gap.

And after "Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp," there had been no other standout serials—domestic TV programming remained scarce.

"Therefore, the station has decided to adapt two of the Four Great Classical Novels into TV dramas: 'Dream of the Red Chamber' and 'Journey to the West.'"

After Deputy Director Hong announced this, everyone in the room erupted in excited discussion—Four Great Classical Novels? This wasn't an eight- or nine-episode project—it would be a massive undertaking!

Deputy Director Hong continued: "First, we need to confirm the directors. For 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' the station has decided to assign Comrade Wang Fulin. Director Wang, do you have anything to say?"

Fifty-year-old Wang Fulin stood: "I fully support the station's decision—I'll make sure 'Dream of the Red Chamber' is done right!"

He said it, but "Dream of the Red Chamber" was truly hard to film—the original was full of romantic entanglements and feudal dross unsuitable for TV. It couldn't be filmed as-is, and with so many Redologists across the country holding divergent views, any adaptation would inevitably spark fierce controversy.

Still, Wang Fulin was relieved he wasn't assigned "Journey to the West"—all those heavenly and underworld spirits seemed even harder to film.

Sitting across from Wang Fulin, Yang Jie sighed softly. "Dream of the Red Chamber"—she'd read it since childhood, loved it deeply. She wondered if Director Wang needed an assistant; she wouldn't mind helping the younger generation.

"As for 'Journey to the West,'" Deputy Director Hong paused, then said, "Comrade Yang Jie—if we asked you to direct 'Journey to the West,' would you take it?"

The words struck Yang Jie like thunder. She could hardly believe her ears. Instinctively, she blurted out: "If there's money, I'll take it—why not!"

"Good! The station decides: 'Journey to the West' is yours!"

This appointment caused far greater uproar and discussion than Wang Fulin's "Dream of the Red Chamber."

Though Wang Fulin was younger, his TV drama achievements were undeniable—he was already China's most accomplished TV director, so his assignment to "Dream of the Red Chamber" was natural and expected.

But Yang Jie had previously directed only opera films, mainly making Xiang opera portraits of great leaders. Only last year had she directed her first TV drama, "The Laoshan Taoist." To entrust such a monumental project to her was shocking, exhilarating—and afterward, deeply nerve-wracking.

Deputy Director Hong had taken great risk assigning it to her, but he thought her "Laoshan Taoist" was excellent—and "Journey to the West," like "Laoshan Taoist," drew from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."

After the meeting, the news spread quickly through CCTV. Two major classics, two huge projects—if one could be lucky enough to join, it would be a valuable credential.

Li Chengru's small mind immediately whirred. He headed to Director Wang Fulin's office—he thought his rosy lips and white teeth, his aristocratic background, made him perfect for Jia Baoyu.

But he found Wang's office completely blocked—crowded with people, impossible to enter.

Damn, everyone wants into Grand View Garden, surrounded by a crowd of girls, huh?

Li Chengru sighed, then turned to warm up Yang Jie's cold stove—he could accept playing Tang Sanzang. Shaved head? At least it'd be cool.

At that moment, Yang Jie was telling her husband, the station's cinematographer Wang Zhongqiu, about the assignment.

As director, her husband would naturally be cinematographer. Next came screenwriting—she had no candidate yet.

Only after the screenwriting was done would casting begin.

But now one person had already come forward to audition: Li Chengru, who'd attended a film academy acting training class alongside the famous Bei Zhu Lin, and now worked at CCTV's Cultural Department as a jack-of-all-trades.

"Xiao Li, you're just in time. Forget what role for now—I'm assembling a crew and need people. Will you join my team?"

Li Chengru thought: if I work hard during prep, how could the director not cast me as Tang Sanzang? He agreed readily.

"Good! Now we have three people!" Yang Jie was energized. "Next, we need to lock in the screenwriter."

Li Chengru said: "Director Yang, I think someone's perfect."

"Who?"

"Wei Ming!"

"Wei Ming? That Wei Ming?"

"Yes!"

Yang Jie shook her head: "He's a famous writer—why would he write a script for us?"

"He's written before."

"Movie scripts and TV scripts aren't the same," Yang Jie said. "Besides, I hear he makes foreign exchange—millions at a time. He probably won't want this."

And Yang Jie didn't want to work with someone too big—having a globally renowned writer as screenwriter meant wondering: whose vision would win—his or mine?

Yang Jie was decisive. She immediately contacted Zou Yiqing, whom she'd worked with before.

Since this was a fantasy-magic story, special effects and makeup were crucial—Sun Wukong needed to look like a monkey, Zhu Bajie like a pig.

Yang Jie thought of Wang Xizhong, the famed makeup master at Beijing Film Studio, and took Xiao Li there.

At Beijing Film Studio, before finding Wang Xizhong, they ran into the famous director Ling Zifeng.

He knew Yang Jie and smiled, asking what she was doing. Then, both were stunned—they'd collided!

After finishing "Rickshaw Boy," Ling Zifeng was preparing to make a film version of "Journey to the West."

Director Ling smiled slightly: "Who are you looking for as makeup artist? These character designs aren't simple."

Yang Jie countered: "And you? Who are you hiring?"

Ling Zifeng boasted: "We've hired American makeup artists—their skills are world-class."

Hearing this, Yang Jie felt slightly relieved—at least she wouldn't be competing with him for Wang Xizhong.

Later, Ling said his studio would buy an underwater camera to shoot the Dragon Palace scenes. Yang Jie was stunned—she still didn't know how much funding the station would give her.

It wouldn't be much—the station's budget was tight. Compared to the film version, the difference was enormous. With the film version looming, Yang Jie felt even more pressure.

After meeting Wang Xizhong and reaching an agreement, Yang Jie told her assistant Li Chengru: "You said you know Wei Ming?"

"Know him? We're neighbors—I helped him arrange that courtyard!"

Yang Jie said: "Then take me to visit him. We can find multiple screenwriters."

"Sure thing!"

The two rode their bikes to Beichi. But the Sihe Academy gate was locked—only a fat black-and-white spotted cat could be seen clinging to the wall, and dog barks echoed inside.

"No one's home," Li Chengru said. "Teacher Wei has another house elsewhere. Maybe—"

"Never mind. It's late. Let's go back," Yang Jie waved. She glanced again at the plump cat. "Black Cat Detective, huh?"

She had a daughter too. Though she was over fifty, her husband was only in his thirties, and their daughter was eleven—she was a devoted reader of Wei's works, never missing an episode of "Black Cat Detective" or "Hulu Brothers."

Wei Ming hadn't expected the "Journey to the West" crew to come knocking—he'd just mailed off several essays, following the principle of even distribution, submitting to every major magazine and newspaper—travelogues and short prose.

Meanwhile, Zhu Lin had been in Shanghai for two or three days. At first, she stayed in the drama troupe's guesthouse, but today she finally went to Gong Ying's old Western-style house.