Chapter 296

Who's that woman? She looks so familiar.

Of course she's familiar! It's Du Yuan!

Hey, so what's she doing here?

Haven't you heard about the script research? Shanghai Film Factory is also going to film "Wangxiang Gujun." Don't say it—Pan Hong looks stunning as an ancient woman.

Du Yuan was from the Ming Dynasty, nothing like Chu Ying in "Wangxiang Gujun." Chu Ying is a warrior woman who wields swords and rides horses; Du Yuan is—

Old Seven, why are you even caring about that? Is that any of your business?

But I'm part of the Literature Society too! Can't I just show some interest?

Old Seven felt slighted and weak in argument—he knew they'd come for Li Ye, not for him.

A brother beside him patted Old Seven's shoulder and whispered, "Old Seven, you misunderstood. Old Four means you should care that Pan Hong's come to our Literature Society—what about Zhang Yu? What about Gong Zhu?"

「」

"You guys really know how to make sense."

Let's be honest—the star power of 1983 was no weaker than today's.

Just moments ago, Li Ye in full armor had drawn everyone's gaze, but in an instant, Pan Hong stole the spotlight.

Almost everyone in the room now focused on "Du Yuan," leaving Xiao Nie, who had been so excited moments before, deeply disappointed.

【Sigh, when will I ever be the protagonist? Don't minor roles deserve spring too?】

At barely thirty, Pan Hong was at the peak of her beauty. By 1980s standards, calling her peerless was no exaggeration—under her glow, the youthful Xiao Nie had almost no presence.

On the other side, Director Xiong from Chang'an Film Studio and his colleagues gritted their teeth.

【This is so unfair! Playing this trick?】

Today, Director Xiong came in armor because he couldn't meet Pei Wencong—he wanted Li Ye to convey their seriousness about this collaboration.

He never expected Li Ye to be a martial arts enthusiast who lit up at the sight of armor—and then this scene happened.

And now, just minutes later? Already lost?

But Li Ye only greeted Pan Hong, then warmly welcomed Director Xie.

"Hello, Director Xie! I never expected to see you here. I thought we'd be lucky to get a screenwriter to discuss the script—never thought the director himself would come."

Li Ye genuinely hadn't expected Xie to show up; according to his memory timeline, Xie Jin should've been filming or prepping "Hillside Under the Ring."

"Oh, I heard Director Zheng say your group once collaborated with Hong Kong on comics and studied ancient armor and costumes. So I came to learn a bit—for upcoming filming prep."

Director Xie was slightly surprised by Li Ye's special attention, but only mildly so—he wasn't as enthusiastic as Li Ye, remaining calm and composed.

At this point, Xie's status was nothing Pan Hong, a mere "traffic draw," could match—he was a renowned domestic director with multiple international awards and high standing in mainland cinema.

Though everyone now stared at Pan Hong, Director Xie was the real heavyweight here—only back then, without the internet, no one recognized the round-faced middle-aged man.

Li Ye caught Xie's tone—he understood the man didn't take this "kid" seriously. Xie probably came to Beijing for Pei Wencong; a tiny seven-inch blade was barely worth a glance.

"Oh, we did consult some experts and have a few sketches clearly showing features of Tang Dynasty armor. I'll have someone bring them to you, Director Xie."

Li Ye's enthusiasm quickly cooled—he told Sun Xianjin a few words, asking him to fetch the sketches.

But someone nearby burst out laughing: "The armor's right here! Why need sketches?"

Director Xiong from Chang'an pushed forward, pointing at Li Ye's recently removed armor: "There—authentic Tang Mingguang armor, borrowed from the museum's treasure collection. Brothers, you're lucky to see this."

Director Zheng, facing Xiong, gritted his teeth—those two Northwest men behind Xiong, he'd just met not long ago.

If only that woman weren't here, Zheng would've been furious.

But the great director Xie remained calm: "The Mingguang armor's design has always been speculative—no definitive conclusion. The one in Chang'an Museum is just a reconstruction based on historical records—not necessarily the standard."

Xiong raised his thumb: "Director Xie, truly learned. But this Mingguang armor, though a replica, has been endorsed by several historians—especially Professor Yang Hong loves it."

In the 1970s, scholar Yang Hong researched the origins and history of Mingguang armor. Though he never fully proved it, he made major contributions to its study.

Xie smiled faintly: "What does he like matter? We need viewers to like it."

"That's hard to say," Xiong said pointedly. "Some viewers love armor; others love beautiful actors. Hard to please everyone."

Xie rolled his eyes coldly: "If you can't please both, you're mediocre."

「」

"Heh~"

Xiong laughed, masking his irritation.

If Xie weren't here, he'd have ripped into Zheng—what's this unfair competition? If you've got guts, settle it like men—see who's a coward.

But Xie, nearly fifty, had influence and status Zheng could never match.

Today, Zheng brought Xie here to avoid bad optics—and by chance, balanced the standoff.

Then Sun Xianjin brought a sketchbook—a collection of illustrations for "Wangxiang Gujun," all in color, with many character design portraits.

But after handing it over, Sun hesitated: "Brother, the sketches are here—who should I give them to first?"

Chang'an's team arrived first; the snacks were already gone. This kind-hearted kid felt awkward.

Li Ye took the sketchbook, tore it cleanly in half with both hands—"rip"—then handed one half to Director Xie and one to Director Xiong, and turned to help the two Chang'an workers pack up the armor.

Director Xie's status was high, but not high enough for Li Ye to grovel.

Besides—wasn't Li Ye the hidden client behind Pei Wencong?

Mindset must be right.

"Old Lou, take a look—see how it differs from our armor."

Xiong took his half of the sketchbook, passed it to a colleague, then stepped beside Li Ye: "Li Ye, if you really like this armor, I'll give it to you."

Li Ye froze: "No no—I just wanted to take a few photos for our Literature Society's backdrop. This is museum-borrowed cultural property—you can't just gift it."

"Cultural property? Come on," Xiong said. "Didn't he say it's all replica? They've got several sets there! What's one less?"

"Then I'll buy it!"

Li Ye stared at the full-metal armor—he truly loved it, so he decided to buy it.

"Ah, buying for three or two hundred? That'd make us look stingy. I decide—I gift it to you."

Xiong patted his chest, acting magnanimous—clearly someone who could make decisions.

"Three or two hundred? So cheap?"

Li Ye examined each armor piece—the fine plates, the silk threads—it felt less like protective gear, more like art.

Could a museum replica possibly equal a workshop's homemade copy?

Xiong, sharp-minded, instantly realized—he hurriedly said: "This was meant to be sold in dollars, but didn't I tell you not to talk money? Don't be so picky, okay?"

The armor's cost was listed in the budget—say too little now, and if Li Ye told Pei Wencong, negotiations later would be messy.

But Li Ye wouldn't take this small advantage.

He pulled Li Huai, Sun Xianjin, and others aside, whispered a while, then brought over a bundle of cash.

"Director Xiong, friendship is friendship, but state property isn't a joke. Here's three hundred dollars—take it back, settle your accounts."

Xiong stared at the dollars in Li Ye's hand, his mind racing.

Three hundred dollars? Not that it was a fortune—but who could casually produce three hundred dollars back then?

Who had dollars didn't hoard them tightly?

Xiong hesitated: "You all have dollars?"

Li Ye smiled: "Not often. When our comics sell well overseas, we get a bit of royalty—school gives us a share. Everyone saves it. Today, it's all mine."

"Impressive, impressive," Xiong said. "At your age, I was just goofing off! You're already earning dollars."

"We've only earned a little," Li Ye laughed. "Once your movie becomes famous, and similar historical films find overseas markets, you'll earn dollars nonstop."

"Later?"

Before Xiong reacted, Zheng from Shanghai asked: "Li Ye, do you have plans to film your 'Shu Feng Feiyang'?"

Li Ye shook his head: "I don't know. But didn't I hear Mr. Pei plans to build an ancient-style film city with you? If you build it, you won't just shoot one movie and abandon it, right?"

「」

Zheng finally understood why the original bid was five million dollars—and called it a "preliminary budget."

It wasn't a one-off deal—it was to build a film city, to shoot countless historical dramas for years to come!

Such a massive plan—and no one saw it?

Xiong understood completely.

He immediately snatched a few bills from Li Ye's hand, counted them, then returned one.

"This armor—fifteen dollars is enough."

Zheng nearly cursed—he knew Xiong wasn't charging for the armor; he was indirectly quoting Pei Wencong.

【How do you even haggle? He offered three hundred—you cut it in half? Why not 250?】

But before Zheng could speak, Director Xie said: "Li Ye, many illustrations in this sketchbook match your spear technique—did you create them based on yourself?"

Li Ye replied: "Pretty much. My grandfather learned great spear in his youth—those moves originated from infantry tactics against cavalry in the cold-weapon era. Now they've become mere show. I didn't learn much."

"You've done well already."

Director Xie closed the sketchbook, looked at Li Ye seriously: "I think your image fits the first male supporting role in 'Wangxiang Gujun.' Interested in acting?"

Xiong nearly choked—he'd never seen anyone so brazen: you give armor one minute, and offer a role the next?