Chapter 306

Wu Yuchen tapped the pile of review comments in his hand and said with a smile: “Actually, with so many opinions, people’s eyes might get tired. But you need to understand one principle: stick to our country’s mainstream values.”

Seeing Li Xiaoran still looked confused, Wu Yuchen continued: “In the context of this film, it means the villain cannot be the protagonist, and the bad guy must receive his due punishment.”

Then Wu Yuchen said to Li Xiaoran:

“Look, this script’s been revised several times, but the two thieves’ roles have never changed—they’ve always been villains. You gave them most of the screen time and made them look incredibly cool. Don’t you think that might inspire teenagers to imitate them after the movie releases?”

Li Xiaoran realized he was right—according to the current script, the two thieves were portrayed too well.

Wu Yuchen went on:

“Moreover, from a narrative standpoint, the reason for their transformation isn’t convincing enough. You saw a stranger who looked like your brother, so you’d risk your life for him? Are your thieves really that noble?”

“Even if such noble thieves existed—if they were righteous bandits—we still couldn’t promote them here. It might mislead people onto the wrong path.”

Hearing this, Li Xiaoran asked curiously: “Then how should we change it?”

Wu Yuchen set down the script and smiled: “It’s simple—turn the two thieves into good people!”

“Turn them into good people? If that were possible, Feng Xiaogang would’ve changed it already—he probably doesn’t want to alter the character design,” Li Xiaoran said, puzzled by this suggestion.

Wu Yuchen pulled Li Xiaoran over and sat her on his lap, then rubbed her small belly with one hand: “You don’t need to change the character design. Just add one more person.”

Li Xiaoran was still confused: “Add one more? What do you mean by ‘add one more’?”

Wu Yuchen shook his head with a smile, then pulled out his phone and dialed Feng Xiaogang’s number directly.

Feng Xiaogang was in the middle of the night and was annoyed to be woken up, but seeing Wu Yuchen’s name on the screen, he immediately answered: “Hello, Director Wu~”

“Director Feng, didn’t I disturb your rest?”

Feng Xiaogang quickly replied: “No no no, I’m always up late—I’m a night owl, and I only get inspiration at night! I’m wide awake right now!”

“Heh, good. I’ve read your script for ‘No Thieves in the World,’ and I’ve reviewed all the feedback—it does make sense.”

Hearing this, Feng Xiaogang felt a pang of disappointment, but still said: “Director Wu, you’re right—I didn’t think it through. I just wanted to make a story about a bad person turning good. If it really won’t work, then forget it…”

“Why give up? I’m still waiting to see Sister Xiaoran play the female lead in your film~”

Hearing this, Feng Xiaogang immediately perked up: “Ah, ah, Director Wu, please go on—I’m listening~”

“Actually, it’s very simple—make the female thief pregnant.”

Hearing this over the phone, Feng Xiaogang jolted upright, as if lightning had struck his mind—everything suddenly clicked.

Make the female thief pregnant? Make the female thief pregnant!

Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?

Once the female thief becomes pregnant, the identities of the two leads transform—they gain the role of parents.

A child inherently represents purity and goodness. And as a pregnant woman, she is physically and spiritually one with the child—so the child’s goodness transfers to the female thief.

This not only frees the couple of thieves from being mere villains, but also instantly justifies their good deeds: they’re accumulating virtue for their child! This addition doesn’t just fix the script—it adds rich layers of moral conflict and deeper exploration of human nature.

Then Wu Yuchen added over the phone:

“Add more elements—like visiting temples, for instance—to create a process of spiritual purification for the female lead, layered with the Buddhist concept of cause and effect.”

“Also, deepen the connection between the simple-minded Gen and the female lead—maybe he once helped her or saved her. If you do all this, I think it’ll work.”

Feng Xiaogang exclaimed excitedly: “Brother Chen! That’s brilliant! I’m completely convinced! My mind is wide open—I’m utterly in awe!”

Then Feng Xiaogang suddenly cried out: “Hey, guess what I just noticed as I looked up?”

Wu Yuchen chuckled: “What, did you see the Big Dipper?”

Feng Xiaogang’s eyes darted and he waved his hand: “Nah, the Big Dipper can’t compare to you! You’re the full moon in the sky! No—better yet, you’re like the blazing sun, illuminating not just me, but all of Chinese cinema!”

Wu Yuchen burst into laughter—Feng Xiaogang was truly Feng Xiaogang; who else could deliver such a compliment?

Wu Yuchen shook his head: “Enough, Director Feng—it’s just a small thing. Don’t flatter me. The script’s still good. Just make a great film for China and its audience—that’s better than anything.”

Feng Xiaogang grinned: “Got it! With your word, I won’t let you down!”

After hanging up, Wu Yuchen smiled. That Feng Pants!

But then he noticed Li Xiaoran, sitting on his lap, gazing at him with pure admiration.

Li Xiaoran wrapped her arms around Wu Yuchen’s neck, her eyes filled with reverence, repeating:

“How did you come up with that?”

“How are you so brilliant?”

Wu Yuchen opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Li Xiaoran leaned in, hugged his head, and kissed him firmly, silencing him.

…

That night’s moon was white, large, and perfectly round, spilling through the window and softening the night.

Though exhausted, Li Xiaoran clung tightly to Wu Yuchen, clearly deeply attached to him, utterly enchanted.

Wu Yuchen stroked her alluring body and said: “Sister Ran, get ready well for this role—the script’s still good.”

Li Xiaoran softly hummed, then said: “I wonder who they’ll cast as the male lead.”

Wu Yuchen smiled faintly but said nothing—he’d already secured the female lead and had no intention of meddling in other roles. Still, he guessed the Wang brothers would still want Liu Dehua, given his box-office pull.

Then Li Xiaoran turned to Feng Xiaogang: “Feng Dao’s flattery is just too… sweet! I could never say something like that…”

Though Feng Xiaogang had now made it in society and was considered a notable figure, his decades-old way of dealing with people had become his deeply ingrained survival strategy—hard to change. When asking for favors, especially from those above him, he automatically slipped into this flattery routine.

Wu Yuchen had heard before how last year, at a dinner with a high-ranking official, Feng Xiaogang said: “What kind of person are you? Just stand on the city gate, and I’d think the whole capital’s lights are too bright—wasting electricity! If you say one word, half the capital’s lights would go out for you!”

Now, Feng Xiaogang hadn’t yet become arrogant. In his past life, after the success of ‘No Thieves in the World’ and ‘Assembly,’ he finally put on the airs of a great director and successful man, venting the resentment he’d swallowed from bowing to superiors by bullying those beneath him. Everyone needs an outlet—otherwise, they might go mad.

For a man like him, just stay above him forever.

Wu Yuchen gently patted her firm buttocks: “If you had his background, he wouldn’t have to talk like that. One thing at a time—Director Feng still has real talent.”

Li Xiaoran rubbed her cheek against Wu Yuchen’s chin: “Still not as good as you~”

Wu Yuchen chuckled and kissed her cheek: “Yes yes yes—but no matter how brilliant I am, I still listen to Sister Ran. Good girl, sleep now!”

Li Xiaoran happily wrapped her arms around Wu Yuchen’s arm and closed her eyes.

…

Ukraine.

“Cut!”

At Zhang Yimou’s voice, the entire crew stopped and turned to him, waiting for his next instruction.

Zhang Yimou stood up, waved his hand, and shouted: “No more shooting!”

Everyone froze. Jin Chengwu and Liu Dehua exchanged glances, then hurried over anxiously: “Director Zhang, what’s wrong? Did we mess up our performances?”

Old Zhang shook his head: “It’s not you—it’s me. The location’s wrong. We need to find a new one.”

Jin Chengwu and Liu Dehua breathed a sigh of relief, but others groaned—they’d just wasted another round of effort.

Since filming began, the ‘House of Flying Daggers’ crew had faced constant setbacks.

The shoot was scheduled to start on September 11, but a week before, on September 5, Mei Yanfang publicly announced she had cervical cancer, casting a shadow over the entire crew.

Casting Mei Yanfang as the ‘Big Sister’ of the Flying Dagger Gang had been universally praised—she had star power, commercial appeal, and Old Zhang admired her commanding, chivalrous aura. Costumes and makeup were already prepared.

But her cancer diagnosis shattered Old Zhang’s plans. Though Mei Yanfang insisted she’d come to Sichuan after treatment, this was cancer.

Still, the honorable Old Zhang refused to replace her. He told her to focus on recovery—he’d hold the role open for her, no one else would get it.

Then, when the crew arrived in Ukraine, they faced a second blow before filming even began.

Anyone familiar with Old Zhang knew his films prioritized visual aesthetics. For ‘House of Flying Daggers,’ he wanted to build the entire film through imagery and color. He dreamed of filming a romantic, stylized fight scene amid a sea of flowers, capturing the beauty of nature and the human form.

A year earlier, he’d chosen Ukraine’s famed sunflowers to create a golden, ocean-like visual effect. The crew spent two thousand dollars on premium seeds and hired over eighty local farmers to plant golden sunflowers.

Gardeners hired, money paid—Old Zhang waited eagerly. But six months later, SARS hit, preventing the crew from arriving in Ukraine to supervise planting. When they finally arrived in September, the entire hillside was sparsely bloomed—nowhere near filming quality.

This once again disrupted Old Zhang’s shooting plan.

But the crew had already flown to Ukraine, equipment shipped in—could they really just turn back?

Forced to improvise, they reluctantly chose a patch of white wildflowers in the area to shoot Jin Chengwu and Zhang Ziyi’s scenes.

Now, again in this same flower field, they were about to film the climactic battle—when Old Zhang stopped Liu Dehua and Jin Chengwu. The bloom season was over—he’d just noticed some flowers were already wilting; shooting now would fail his visual standards.

“Director Zhang, what now? It’s already late autumn. Local weather reports say snow’s started falling in some places—finding another flower field is impossible!”

Old Zhang fell silent for a moment, then asked his longtime producer Zhang Weiping: “Can we relocate? Doesn’t have to be Ukraine—look in China too.”

Zhang Weiping shook his head immediately: “Maozi, I’m not refusing you—I need to consider the budget and Liu Dehua’s schedule. He only cleared this window for us. If we don’t shoot now, he’ll vanish after returning—how will we shoot then?”

Old Zhang sighed deeply. He’d planned for the three leads to battle in the flower field, each against a different colored backdrop, symbolizing fate.

But now, heaven simply refused to cooperate.

Since arriving in Ukraine, everything had gone wrong: Jin Chengwu fell from his horse and got injured; action director Cheng Xiaodong nearly lost an eye to an arrow.

Old Zhang shook his head. If heaven wouldn’t cooperate, he’d have to follow its will.

He turned to the crew: “They said it’s already snowing? Find a snowy location—we’ll turn this scene into a snow battle.”

“Yes, Director Zhang! We’ll scout right away!” The crew, relieved by the decision, immediately dispersed to act.

When most had left, Old Zhang called out to his brother: “Weiping, wait—I need to tell you something.”

Zhang Weiping stopped, turned back, and gave Old Zhang his usual warm, earnest smile—he knew Old Zhang rarely spoke up unless it was important.

He shut the door and sat beside him: “Maozi, say what you need to. We’re brothers—what’s there to be awkward about?”

Old Zhang nodded, thought for a moment, then said: “Weiping, yesterday Chen Ting called me and said…”

Zhang Weiping, seeing him pause, pressed: “What did she say?”

“She’s pregnant.”