Confidence in One's Chest

At 9:50 AM, a BMW 740 drove into the restaurant's parking lot. A man wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask got out of the car. Li Xun and the other two immediately went to greet him.

There was a large crowd at the restaurant entrance. After a few pleasantries, they went directly into the private room they had already booked.

After shaking hands with Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng, the newcomer turned to shake Li Xun's hand. He smiled and said, "You look unfamiliar. You must be Li Xun, the screenwriter for Young Bao Qingtian, right? I'm Huang Zhou. Your script is really well-written. The cases are intricate, and the characters are vivid and full. It's clearly a rare gem of a production."

Li Xun smiled and replied, "You flatter me. The script still has many shortcomings. You are all my seniors and have encountered countless excellent scripts. You must have your own unique insights. No one can hold back today. If you have any thoughts or opinions on the script, please share them frankly."

Huang Zhou chuckled heartily, "You're too kind, too kind. Let's talk."

After they were seated, Huang Zhou took off his baseball cap, sunglasses, and mask. The waitstaff in the private room realized that one of their guests today was an incredibly popular superstar. In their excitement, some were even dancing with joy, and a few spoke incoherently.

Huang Zhou was simply too famous. What was remarkable was that he wasn't just famous. Among the younger generation of actors, there weren't entirely no male actors with similar popularity. However, actors with popularity comparable to his and whose acting skills were widely recognized within the industry were truly few and far between in the entire entertainment circle.

With everyone present, the waitstaff began serving the dishes one by one. Since Huang Zhou was from Anhui Province, all the dishes served today were famous Anhui cuisine.

After a brief chat, Tang Jiahe asked Huang Zhou first, "I heard President Dai say that you think highly of the script for Young Bao Qingtian and predicted it would be a huge hit, but you've never agreed to participate. We've collaborated on several projects before and are old acquaintances. What are your concerns? Feel free to share them with me, Director Kong Teng, and screenwriter Li Xun while we're here. If it's not a matter of principle, we'll do our best to resolve it."

Huang Zhou gave a wry smile and said, "To be honest, I came here secretly. I didn't inform my agent or assistant. If my agent knew I was meeting with you, she might scold me for causing trouble."

Kong Teng asked, "What is it? Does your agent not have high hopes for Young Bao Qingtian?"

Huang Zhou shook his head, "No, that's not it. My agent also thinks the script for Young Bao Qingtian is written at an extremely high level. However, to be honest, Director Zhao Guocheng has a new project, and he has officially invited me to play the second male lead. My agent attaches great importance to this matter and has elevated it to the most critical juncture of my entire career. Therefore, she absolutely will not allow anything that might conflict with Director Zhao's project."

Upon hearing this, both Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng fell silent.

The general consensus in the industry was that the status of film actors was higher than that of television actors, let alone acting in a project directed by Zhao Guocheng!

Zhao Guocheng was one of the top directors in the country. The first domestic film to break 100 million yuan at the box office, the first to break 500 million, and the first to break 1 billion all came from his hands.

He was a recipient of domestic awards like the Golden Rooster Award, Hong Kong Film Award, and Huabiao Award, as well as international accolades such as the Golden Lion Award, Golden Bear Award, and Golden Globe Award at the European film festivals, and the Hollywood Award for Best Foreign Language Film. With such honors, Zhao Guocheng's position in Chinese cinema was unquestionable.

To have a role in his film was the lifelong dream of many actors.

Although Huang Zhou was invited to play the second male lead, there was no doubt that the value of a second male lead in a Zhao Guocheng film far surpassed that of a male protagonist in other film and television dramas.

For a moment, Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng were silent. To try and persuade Huang Zhou to play Bao Zheng at this point would seem insensitive and detrimental to his career.

"Come, come, let's eat. If we can't work together this time, we'll have opportunities in the future. Also, congratulations, Huang Zhou. Starring in Director Zhao's film will surely elevate your career to a new level."

After that, the four of them simply ate and chatted. Huang Zhou had driven, so he couldn't drink. Li Xun was allergic to alcohol and didn't touch a drop. With only four people, two of whom weren't drinking, Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng didn't ask the waitstaff to serve alcohol.

Both Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng felt that inviting Huang Zhou further was meaningless. The other party would undoubtedly choose Director Zhao's film without hesitation. Anyone would make that choice; it was a no-brainer.

But Li Xun didn't think so.

If the other party was truly set on Director Zhao's film, why would he come to this banquet today?

Wouldn't that be an unnecessary step?

Did an actor of this caliber really need to attend this meal?

This meant that since he came to the banquet, he must not have made up his mind yet.

There might still be a chance.

However, he had to ask himself, could the male lead of a television series with an uncertain future truly be a comparable option to the second male lead in a film directed by Zhao Guocheng?

Li Xun felt that based on the potential Young Bao Qingtian had shown so far, it was far from enough.

If he weren't a transmigrator, he too would have chosen Zhao Guocheng's film without hesitation.

But why was Huang Zhou hesitating?

The problem likely had nothing to do with Young Bao Qingtian. The problem might lie with Director Zhao Guocheng's new project.

So, Li Xun tentatively asked, "Brother Huang, is there something wrong with Director Zhao's project? Are the co-stars or the script not to your liking?"

Li Xun's words were somewhat abrupt, and the three in the room were stunned. Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng first looked at Li Xun, then looked at Huang Zhou with a bewildered expression.

Huang Zhou looked at Li Xun, then at his old friend Tang Jiahe and Director Kong Teng, who were looking at him in confusion, and suddenly smiled.

"Knowing Li Xun's quick wit from reading the Young Bao Qingtian script, I see that it's true today."

Producer Tang Jiahe looked astonished and asked, "Huang Zhou, is there really a problem with Director Zhao's project?"

Huang Zhou shook his head, "I don't know if there's a problem or not, but based on the script I've seen so far, to be honest, I can't even understand the plot logic."

Hearing Huang Zhou's words, Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng felt a glimmer of hope again. They exchanged glances and were about to formally invite Huang Zhou to join the Young Bao Qingtian crew when Li Xun spoke first.

"Although Director Zhao's script might have some issues, Director Zhao's projects have never failed over the years, so Brother Huang is hesitant to trust his instincts. At the same time, although Brother Huang thinks highly of Young Bao Qingtian, it's being filmed and aired concurrently. Also, only the first six episodes of the first unit are complete. While these six episodes are good, no one can guarantee that the subsequent scripts will maintain the same standard. Therefore, Brother Huang is unsure. Is it because of Director Zhao's past achievements that you choose to trust him, or because of the quality of the first six episodes of Young Bao Qingtian that you believe the later scripts will maintain this level? Brother Huang, is this where your indecision lies?"

Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng both looked at Huang Zhou, who nodded silently.

Li Xun was silent for a moment and said, "Young Bao Qingtian is a series. I initially plan to make it into two parts, with 40 episodes each, for a total of 80 episodes."

"The first part will have seven units. Besides the first unit, Famous Throughout the World, which you've already seen, there are six other short stories: Blood Altar, Mystery of the Secluded Village, Displaying Might Before the Palace, Five Rats Disturb Xiangguo Temple, Magical Illusion, and Dragon's Calamity."

"The second part is tentatively planned with six short units: True Colors of a Hero, Righteousness Reaching the Heavens, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Stealing the Sky and Changing the Sun, Earth-Shattering, and Heavenly Net, Earthly Net."

"Among them, the second unit of the first part, Blood Altar, tells the story of Zhan Jun, a proud scholar from Tianhong Academy, who often gets into arguments with his classmates. One day, after a verbal dispute with his classmate Gongsun Ce, they agree to settle it after school. Unexpectedly, the next morning, Zhan Jun is found dead in his room. After examining the body, Madam Bao determines he was struck to death by a heavy hammer..."

"The third unit, Mystery of the Secluded Village, tells the story of Bao Zheng, Ling Chuchu, and Zhan Zhao heading to Bianjing to prepare for the imperial examination in two months. They pass through Chuchu's hometown, Secluded Village. A few months ago, Ling's sworn brother, Zhuo Qi, was murdered and his right arm was severed, and Ling's father suddenly disappeared. Chuchu hopes Bao Zheng can help her find her father and investigate the cause of Uncle Zhuo Qi's death..."

Li Xun spoke for more than two hours. At a crucial point, Li Xun asked the waiter to find a piece of cardboard and scissors. He cut out six small figures from the cardboard and then looked at the stunned producer, director, superstar Huang Zhou, and the waiter who brought the scissors, and said with a smile, "Alright, I will now use these six paper figures to demonstrate the secret of this seventh desiccated corpse!"

"The fourth unit is Displaying Might Before the Palace, which tells the story of—"

"Alright, alright!" Huang Zhou called out, stopping the still-talking Li Xun. "Screenwriter Li, you don't need to say any more. I, Huang Zhou, am convinced today! Convinced from the bottom of my heart, I bow down in utter admiration! I think I already have my answer, but... I still need to convince my agent and the company I'm with. So, please don't announce our collaboration yet. Once I've sorted things out with my agent, the company, and Director Zhao, we can announce the news together."

As he spoke, Huang Zhou looked at Li Xun and gave a hearty laugh before pushing his chair back and standing up. Seeing this, Li Xun also stood, and the two walked towards each other, shaking hands once more.

"To a happy collaboration!"

"To a happy collaboration!"

Director Kong Teng looked at producer Tang Jiahe. They exchanged glances, their current feelings utterly indescribable.

A question inevitably arose in both their minds: "Where on earth did President Dai find this monster?!"