Chapter 375: Journey to the West: Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage (seeking monthly tickets)

"It's too dangerous, it will cost lives," Wei Ming hugged Sister Lin and said.

"Recently, I always see Su Su and Little Phoenix. When I get home, there is my niece spinning around me. I like children so much," Zhu Lin also knew she was in the wrong, she said, "When I get to Modu, I will apologize to Xiao Xue. If, I mean if I really have it, I won't pester you."

"What, you still want to be a single mother."

Speaking of this, even Zhu Lin, who had always been strong, couldn't help but sour her nose and redden her eyes.

Wei Ming hurriedly hugged and coaxed: "Don't worry, I won't let you be a single mother."

Zhu Lin was just about to be moved, but Wei Ming said again: "Let Sister Xue bring the child with you. Two mothers won't be single mothers, right."

"You, little bastard~" The Queen's little fists hit Wei Ming frantically.

Comfortable!

The next day, Zhu Lin took those photos, packed her things, didn't let Wei Ming send her, and left alone.

As a result, she met Li Chengru who was going to work at the entrance of the alley. This time, there was no way to avoid it.

Zhu Lin said naturally: "Came to see a friend, busy, Little Li."

"Ah, going to CCTV to work, what are you busy with recently." Li Chengru's eyes drifted toward the direction of Wei Ming's house.

"Just finished a movie, and next I have to go to Modu to shoot a play."

Li Chengru envied: "You shoot one after another, so busy that you can't stop."

"These two plays are finished, so I'll stop for a while. Still have to learn," Zhu Lin said, "I still have to catch the train to Modu, go first."

"Eh, see you."

Li Chengru watched Zhu Lin walk away, and then rode his bicycle to CCTV.

After arriving at the unit, he first heard a lot of gossip.

Among them was *The Legendary Fok*, which was introduced by Guangdong TV from Rediffusion last month, two years earlier than the original timeline.

Because of Wei Ming and the charity concert, *The Great Wall Never Falls* became popular in the mainland early. Many places in Guangdong had already watched this play secretly. After Guangdong TV officially introduced it, the ratings in the local area almost reached more than 90%, and other local TV series were compared.

CCTV saw that the effect was so good, the quality was also high, and the theme was very positive. It had been decided to dub it in Mandarin and broadcast it on CCTV next year.

Li Chengru was just about to continue listening, when someone came in to announce that the group leader level was having a meeting. The senior who spread the gossip immediately took a pen and notebook to the meeting. This level of meeting was not yet the turn of Li Chengru.

This meeting was a regular meeting of the literary and art department organized by Deputy Station Master Hong Minsheng.

Deputy Station Master Hong first mentioned the issue of *The Legendary Fok* which had spread in the station.

"Indeed, this play has been confirmed to be introduced, and it needs to be dubbed again. The name also needs to be changed. We don't talk about any chivalry or not, just call it *Fok*. Once this play is broadcast next year, everyone should be able to imagine how prosperous the audience's demand for TV series will be, and how high the audience's requirements for the quality of TV series will be. Comrades, we must strive to catch up."

This year, the biggest achievement in China's TV series field was the mainland's first TV series *Enemy Camp Eighteen Years* directed by Wang Fulin. But even those who hadn't watched *The Legendary Fok* knew the gap here.

And after *Enemy Camp Eighteen Years*, there were no particularly good TV series. Domestic TV programs were still relatively scarce.

"Therefore, the station decided to shoot *Dream of the Red Chamber* and *Journey to the West* in the Four Great Classics into TV series."

After Deputy Station Master Hong announced this news, everyone in the audience discussed excitedly. The Four Great Classics, this was obviously not something that could be done in eight or nine episodes. This must be a huge project!

Deputy Station Master Hong said again: "We must first determine the director candidates. The station decided to let Wang Fulin shoot *Dream of the Red Chamber*. Director Wang, do you have anything you want to say?"

Fifty-year-old Wang Fulin stood up: "I firmly support the station's decision and must shoot *Dream of the Red Chamber* well!"

That's what he said, but *Dream of the Red Chamber* was really not easy to shoot. There were too many things about love in the original work, and many feudal dross were not suitable for broadcast on TV. It definitely couldn't be shot without change. And involving adaptation, there were so many Redologists in the country, and their views were different. At that time, it would be inevitable to set off a bloody storm.

However, Wang Fulin was glad that it wasn't letting him shoot *Journey to the West*. *Journey to the West* was all about gods and ghosts, which he thought was harder to shoot.

Yang Jie, sitting opposite Wang Fulin, sighed lightly. *Dream of the Red Chamber*, she had read *Red Chamber* since she was a child and liked this work very much. I don't know if Director Wang needed an assistant. She didn't mind being an assistant to a young man.

"As for *Journey to the West*," then Deputy Station Master Hong pondered for a moment and said, "Comrade Yang Jie, if you were asked to shoot *Journey to the West*, would you dare to take it?"

This sentence was like a thunderclap over Yang Jie's head. She almost couldn't believe her ears, and she blurted out instinctively: "If there is money, I dare! Why not dare!"

"Good! The station decided, *Journey to the West* will be handed over to you!"

The sensation and heated discussion caused by this appointment at the meeting were much greater than Wang Fulin's *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

Although Wang Fulin was younger, his achievements in the TV series field were there, and he was already the most presentable TV series director in the country, so he was calm and natural when taking over *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

And Yang Jie was a director specializing in opera before, mainly shooting Hunan opera for great men. It was only last year that she really shot a TV series *Lao Shan Taoist*. Giving such a major theme to her, she was surprised, excited, and then uneasy and pressured.

Deputy Station Master Hong also bore great pressure when handing this appointment to her, but he felt that the *Lao Shan Taoist* shot by Yang Jie was very good, and *Journey to the West* and *Lao Shan Taoist* from *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* could be considered the same type.

After the meeting, this news quickly spread in the CCTV station. Two major classics, two major projects, if one could have the honor to participate in them, it would be a very good qualification in the future.

After Li Chengru knew, his little head turned immediately, and then he walked toward the office of Director Wang Fulin. He felt that he was red-lipped and white-toothed, and he was from a wealthy background, so he was quite suitable for playing Jia Baoyu.

Then he saw that Director Wang's office was blocked, and there were people everywhere. He couldn't get in at all.

Good guy, everyone wanted to enter the Grand View Garden, right, with a group of sisters around.

Li Chengru sighed, and then turned to burn the cold stove of Director Yang Jie. Actually, he could accept playing Tang Seng. Shaving his head was cool.

At this time, Yang Jie was talking about this matter with her husband, the station's photographer Wang Zhongqiu.

She was the director, her husband was definitely the photographer. What she had to do next was the screenwriting work. She didn't have a candidate for the time being.

After the screenwriting work was completed, it was the matter of casting.

However, there was already someone who popped up to recommend himself to be an actor, Li Chengru, who had participated in an acting training class at the Film Academy, was in the same class as the famous North Zhu Lin, and was now a brick in the CCTV literary group, where it was needed, he was moved there.

"Little Li, you came just right. Put aside what to play first. I want to form a crew, and it is exactly the time when people are needed. Are you willing to join my team?"

Li Chengru thought that he would be busy with the early preparations, and the director couldn't not let him play Tang Seng, so he agreed readily.

"That's good, we have three people now!" Yang Jie was quite excited, "Next is to determine the screenwriter."

Li Chengru said: "Director Yang, I think someone is very suitable."

"Who?"

"Wei Ming!"

"Wei Ming? That Wei Ming?"

"Right!"

Yang Jie shook her head: "He is a famous great writer, how could he write a script for us."

"He hasn't written it before."

"Can a movie script be the same as a TV series script," Yang Jie said, "And I heard that he earns foreign exchange, earning millions or hundreds of millions. I guess he is not willing to take it."

And Yang Jie didn't want to cooperate with people who were too big. A writer who was famous all over the world as a screenwriter, should she listen to him or me?

Yang Jie had a very firm idea and immediately contacted Zou Yiqing, who had cooperated with her.

Since it was shooting this kind of magic theme story, special effects makeup was also very important. Sun Wukong had to have a monkey look, and Zhu Bajie also had to have a pig look.

Yang Jie thought of the famous makeup master Wang Xizhong of the Beijing Er Yingchang, so she took Little Li to the Beijing Er Yingchang again.

Arriving at the Beijing Er Yingchang, before finding Wang Xizhong, she met the famous director Ling Zifeng.

He also knew Yang Jie and asked her with a smile what she was doing. As a result, the two were shocked. They crashed!

After finishing *Rickshaw Boy*, Ling Zifeng was preparing to shoot the movie version of *Journey to the West*.

Director Ling Zifeng smiled slightly: "Which makeup artist are you looking for? These character shapes are not simple."

Yang Jie asked back: "What about you? Who are you looking for?"

Ling Zifeng said proudly: "We are looking for American stylists. Their technology is world-class."

Hearing this, Yang Jie was slightly relieved. At least she didn't have to fight with herself for Wang Xizhong.

Later, Ling Zifeng also said that the factory was going to buy an underwater camera for him to use for the underwater scenes in the Dragon Palace. Yang Jie was stunned. She didn't know how much money the station could give her yet.

It was estimated that it wouldn't be too much. The station's funds were too tight. Compared with the movie version, it was really too different. With the movie version comparing, Yang Jie was even more pressured.

After meeting Wang Xizhong and reaching a consensus on cooperation with him, Yang Jie said to her little follower Li Chengru: "You said you know Wei Ming, right?"

"Too familiar, we are neighbors, and his courtyard was arranged by me!"

Yang Jie said: "Then take me to visit."

"Alright!"

Immediately, the two rode bicycles to Beichizi. However, the gate of the courtyard was locked. They could see a black and white fat cat lying on the wall, and there was dog barking in the courtyard.

"No one at home," Li Chengru said, "Teacher Wei actually has a home elsewhere. Or..."

"Forget it, it's getting late, let's go back first," Yang Jie

She also has a daughter; don't look at the fact that she is over fifty, her husband is only in his thirties, and her daughter is only 11 years old—she is a loyal reader of Wei Shenme, and she never misses an issue of "Black Cat Detective" and "Hulu Brothers."

Wei Ming didn't expect the "Journey to the West" crew to find him so soon. He had just submitted a few manuscripts, and following the principle of spreading his efforts evenly, he had sent them to various major publications and newspapers; they were all just short travel essays.

By this time, Zhu Lin had already been in the Magic City for two or three days. At first, she stayed in the guesthouse arranged by the crew, but today she finally went over to Gong Xue's old Western-style house.