Minor Matters and a Set Visit

After returning to China, Wei Jin gave a replica of his Silver Bear trophy to the school for display and politely declined a request to give a speech, saying he was not yet qualified.

After that, Wei Jin became a true student, going back and forth between school and home every day. While continuing to improve himself, he was also keeping a low profile until the storm blew over.

It was worth mentioning that Wei Jin had bought a new apartment, all because of the scandal in Berlin.

After Wei Jin explained himself repeatedly, Sister Li said she would let it go, but he had to move out of 501. A woman's intuition told her that if he kept living there, something would happen sooner or later.

He bought the apartment in a new residential complex near the North Fourth Ring Road. It was relatively new, and Wei Jin had no interest in old houses like courtyard homes. He was more accustomed to the smell of steel and concrete, full of the atmosphere of modern life.

The apartment was 120 square meters, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and was fully renovated. It was less than five kilometers from the school and cost under 800,000 yuan. The previous owner had gone back to his hometown to start a business. Wei Jin wondered whether he would ever earn enough to buy the apartment back and thought the odds looked slim.

Of course, Wei Jin had not given up the lease on 501 either. He did not know why, but deep down, he still felt a little anticipation.

After finding time to move with Sister Li and buying some new furniture they both liked, he officially began a shameless life of cohabitation with her. Zeng Li had lived in Beijing for years, but her income was not high, and she had never bought a home, so Wei Jin simply put the apartment in her name.

Zeng Li accepted it. She felt that Wei Jin was making plans for their future together, and she had even thought of names for their children.

While Wei Jin attended school, work at the studio was moving forward as well. Chen Zhiming recruited an assistant for Wei Jin who had graduated from a communications university.

Since Wei Jin was at school every day, the female assistant, Li Na, started slacking off at the studio after meeting him once.

Wei Jin arranged for a dedicated vocal coach for Huang Bai. The more capable his tool man was, the better, of course.

As for his novel, Wei Jin kept updating it, and the twelfth volume had now been published. He no longer cared much about the sales.

On the television side, Chen Zhiming kept putting out word that they were looking to invest, as Wei Jin had requested, and quite a few productions did come to them. Wei Jin did not get too involved in managing things. Once Chen Zhiming submitted the scripts and key creatives, Wei Jin crossed out every unfamiliar name and did not hesitate to invest in the familiar ones. His whole approach was that of a fool with more money than sense.

And what do you know, it actually made the studio a bit of a name. More and more people in the industry learned that Wei Jin Fengliu Studio was a good avenue for raising investment.

On the film side, after giving it some thought, Wei Jin sold all rights to Buried Alive to China Film Group. They offered three million yuan, and Wei Jin did not negotiate.

The main reason was that he knew thrillers of this kind were not popular in China, and he could not be bothered dealing with publicity and distribution.

China Film Group's Vice President Han even arranged to meet Wei Jin personally to thank him, since the price at which the rights had been acquired had not been kept from China Film Group.

China Film Group also took the opportunity to make a request: the price of the rights should not be revealed for the time being, but brought out during promotion for the film's release to generate more buzz. Wei Jin's side had no objections.

The film was scheduled for release on July 3, with students as its main target audience. China Film Group believed young people were more partial to thrillers of this kind, which were rare in China.

Just like that, Wei Jin's life as a salted fish began, and before he knew it, April had arrived.

One day, Wei Jin received a call from Chen Zhiming, who said Shanghai Tangren had invited him to visit the set of Chinese Paladin. After all, as an investor, he had not shown his face even though the series was nearly finished filming. With nothing else to do, Wei Jin agreed.

He told his little assistant Li Na to prepare for a business trip, and the following afternoon, Wei Jin arrived at the production's filming location, Hengdian World Studios.

Miss Cai of Tangren and the director, Li Guoli, came to welcome him.

"Director Wei, hello. You've finally come!"

The speaker was Miss Cai of Tangren. She had spent more than a decade fighting her way through the industry, so her people skills naturally went without saying. As soon as she spoke, she closed the distance between them.

Addressing him as Director Wei also showed how highly she regarded this young Silver Bear-winning director.

As it was their first meeting, Wei Jin was also taking a good look at the famous Miss Cai of Tangren.

Miss Cai was only thirty-three, in the most beautiful years of a woman's life. Dressed in a business suit, she radiated the presence of a formidable career woman. No wonder so many fellow travelers fantasized about adding her to their harems.

"You're too kind, President Cai. With Tangren handling the production, I can rest easy. Besides, my studies have been rather demanding, and I really haven't had the time. Please forgive me."

Wei Jin gave a brief explanation. After exchanging pleasantries, they headed toward the set, his little assistant following close at his side.

Filming had stopped because the director had left, and several of the key cast and crew were whispering among themselves, guessing what important person had arrived.

By this point in the shoot, everyone still with the production was an essential member of the core cast and crew. Those with smaller parts had wrapped long ago.

"Does anyone know what's going on?"

The speaker was An Yixuan, an actress from Taiwan. She played Lin Yueru, a woman who dared to love and hate, and who was also the white moonlight in many people's hearts.

"No idea. It looks like an investor has come over. That's pretty much what happened the last few times filming was paused..."

Hu Ge, who played Li Xiaoyao, ventured a guess.

"They're here, they're here. Stop talking..."

"Director Wei, this way. Let me introduce you to the main cast and crew of our show."

Miss Cai called the lead actors over and introduced them one by one.

Wei Jin responded to each of them with a smile. Looking at the fresh-faced leads before him, he grew nostalgic for his lost youth.

When she reached the female lead, Wei Jin interrupted Miss Cai.

"President Cai, there's no need to introduce this one. I know her. Miss Wang, right? She's a celebrity at our school."

Looking at the slightly shy Liu Yifei before him, Wei Jin felt a little dazed. This was the white moonlight in countless people's hearts. Ah, he was reminded of his lost youth again.

Zhang Jizhong's version of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils had already become a hit at the end of 2003. Wang Yuyan, with her refined bearing and innocent yet deep affections, had been widely praised, and Liu Yifei was the actress who played her. So it was only natural for Wei Jin to call her "Miss Wang."

"Oh, right, right. I'd forgotten you're also in Beijing Film Academy's class of 2002, Director Wei, the same year as Yifei. You won the Silver Bear Award at such a young age that people always forget you're still a student, haha..."

Miss Cai gave Wei Jin a subtle compliment while also letting the leads know who their visitor was.

Sure enough, the leads were startled when they heard that. A Silver Bear-winning director so young was bound to have a limitless future. If they could build a connection with him, wouldn't they have a chance to break into the film industry?

Liu Yifei, the target of Wei Jin's teasing, was a little embarrassed. Her little face flushed bright red, and she was somewhat at a loss for words. The woman standing beside her stepped in to smooth things over.

"You're too kind, Director Wei. I'm Yifei's mother. Our Yifei was just lucky enough to catch Director Zhang's eye. She doesn't deserve to be called a school celebrity."

Wei Jin looked at her when he heard this. This had to be Liu Yifei's mother. Come to think of it, she really was good-looking. Standing beside Miss Cai, she looked even younger, but she was already well into her forties.

She had also trained in dance and had a very alluring figure. No wonder so many fellow travelers wanted to eat rice with toppings. Tsk, tsk.

"Sorry, I was joking around because I saw a schoolmate, but I gave you the wrong impression, Ms. Liu."

Wei Jin also realized that what he had said sounded more mocking than playful. It was not the sort of thing one should say when meeting someone for the first time; he had been a little rash.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Wei Jin, one of the investors in this production. Thank you all for your hard work during this time. Dinner tonight is on me."

Liu Yifei's mother knew when to stop, though her first impression of Wei Jin was not very good.

Liu Yifei had recovered by then. Looking at the tall, handsome schoolmate before her, her head was full of question marks.

After getting acquainted with everyone, Wei Jin did not disturb the filming. He sat down beside Li Guoli to observe and sent his assistant off to arrange dinner.

Li Guoli was not surprised. After all, filming methods and techniques differed somewhat between movies and television, so it was only natural that Wei Jin, as a directing student, would be curious.

Soon, several scenes had been completed, and it was nearly mealtime. Wei Jin invited the entire production crew to dinner.