At 9:50 a.m., a BMW 740 pulled into the restaurant's parking lot. A man wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a face mask got out, and Li Xun and the others hurried over to greet him.
There was a steady stream of people at the restaurant entrance. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they went straight into the private room they had booked in advance.
After shaking hands with Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng, the visitor came over to shake Li Xun's hand as well. Smiling, he said, "You look unfamiliar to me. You must be Li Xun, the screenwriter of Young Bao Qingtian, right? I'm Huang Zhou. Your script is really excellent. The cases are intricately plotted, and the characters are vivid and well-rounded. You can tell at a glance that it's a rare gem."
Li Xun smiled and replied, "You're too kind. The script still has plenty of shortcomings. You're all my seniors, and you've seen countless good scripts, so I'm sure you each have your own unique insights. Nobody should hold back today. If you have any thoughts or opinions about the script, please be frank and offer your guidance."
Huang Zhou laughed heartily. "You're too kind. Of course, of course."
After taking their seats, Huang Zhou removed his baseball cap, sunglasses, and face mask. Only then did the private-room servers realize that one of their guests today was a superstar at the height of his fame. They were so excited that some could barely contain themselves, and a few even stumbled over their words.
Huang Zhou was incredibly famous. What was rare was that he wasn't merely popular. Among the younger generation of actors, there were certainly male actors whose popularity rivaled his, but there were very few in the entire entertainment industry who matched his popularity and whose acting was also widely acclaimed by insiders.
Once everyone had arrived, the servers began bringing out the dishes. Since Huang Zhou was from Anhui Province, every dish served that day was a famous Anhui specialty.
After a little small talk, Tang Jiahe was the first to ask Huang Zhou, "President Dai told me you praised the script of Young Bao Qingtian highly and predicted it would be a huge hit, but you still haven't agreed to join the cast. We've worked together on several shows, so we're old acquaintances. What exactly are your concerns? Since we have this opportunity today, why not tell me, Director Kong Teng, and screenwriter Li Xun? If it isn't a matter of principle and there's a way to resolve it, we'll do everything we can."
Huang Zhou gave a wry smile. "To be honest, I came here in secret. I didn't tell my agent or assistant. If my agent finds out I met with you, she'll probably scold me for creating unnecessary complications again."
Kong Teng asked, "What, does your agent not think highly of Young Bao Qingtian?"
Huang Zhou shook his head. "That's not it. My agent also thinks the script for Young Bao Qingtian is exceptionally well written. But, to be honest, Director Zhao Guocheng has a new film, and he's officially invited me to play the second male lead. My agent takes this extremely seriously. She sees it as the most important turning point in my entire career, so she absolutely won't allow anything that might conflict with Director Zhao's film."
At this, both Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng fell silent.
It was generally accepted in the industry that film actors ranked above television actors, especially when the film was directed by Zhao Guocheng.
Zhao Guocheng was one of the country's top directors. He had made the first domestic film to earn over a hundred million at the box office, the first to earn over 500 million, and the first whose box office earnings surpassed one billion.
He had won the country's Golden Rooster Award, Hong Kong Film Award, and Huabiao Award, as well as the Golden Lion, Golden Bear, and Golden Globe awards at Europe's three major film festivals, along with Hollywood's Best Foreign Language Film award. With all those honors to his name, Zhao Guocheng's standing in Chinese-language cinema was beyond question.
Appearing in one of his films was a lifelong dream for many actors.
Although Huang Zhou had only been invited to play the second male lead, there was no doubt that the role of second male lead in a Zhao Guocheng film was worth far more than the lead role in other movies or television series.
For a while, Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng remained silent. If they urged Huang Zhou to play Bao Zheng now, it would seem inconsiderate, as if they were standing in the way of his career.
"Come on, everyone, let's eat. We may not get the chance to work together this time, but there'll always be another opportunity. And congratulations, Huang Zhou. Appearing in Director Zhao's film will surely take your career to another level."
After that, the four of them simply ate and chatted. Huang Zhou had driven there, so he couldn't drink. Li Xun was allergic to alcohol and didn't touch a drop. Since two of the four weren't drinking, Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng didn't ask the servers to bring any wine.
Both Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng felt there was no point in inviting Huang Zhou again. He would certainly choose Zhao Guocheng's film without hesitation. Anyone would make that choice; it was obvious.
But Li Xun didn't think so.
If Huang Zhou had already decided on Director Zhao's film, why had he come to dinner today?
Wouldn't that have been pointless?
Surely an actor of his stature wasn't short on meals.
In other words, since he had come to dinner, he must not have made up his mind yet.
There might still be a chance to turn things around.
But, honestly, could the lead role in a television series with an uncertain future really be considered alongside the second male lead in a Zhao Guocheng film?
Li Xun felt that the potential Young Bao Qingtian had shown so far wasn't nearly enough.
If he weren't a transmigrator, he would have chosen Zhao Guocheng's film without hesitation too.
So why was Huang Zhou still hesitating?
The problem probably had nothing to do with Young Bao Qingtian. Perhaps the issue lay with Zhao Guocheng's new film.
So Li Xun cautiously asked, "Brother Huang, is there something wrong with Director Zhao's film? Is it the co-stars or the script? Does it not suit your taste?"
Li Xun's question came out of nowhere. The three others in the private room were taken aback. Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng first looked at Li Xun, then turned to Huang Zhou with puzzled expressions.
Huang Zhou looked at Li Xun, then at his old friend Tang Jiahe, who seemed completely baffled, and at Director Kong Teng. Suddenly, he laughed.
"The script for Young Bao Qingtian already showed me how quick-witted Screenwriter Li is. Having met you today, I see I was right."
Producer Tang Jiahe looked astonished. "Huang Zhou, is there really a problem with Director Zhao's film?"
Huang Zhou shook his head. "I don't know whether there's a problem or not, but judging from the script I've seen so far, to be honest, I can't even make sense of the plot's logic."
Hearing this, Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng felt a flicker of hope. They exchanged a glance and were about to formally invite Huang Zhou to join the cast of Young Bao Qingtian when Li Xun spoke first.
"Even if there are some problems with Director Zhao's script, his films have never failed over the years, so you don't quite trust your own instincts. At the same time, although you think highly of Young Bao Qingtian, it's being filmed while it airs, and only the first six-episode arc of the script is complete. Those six episodes are good, but no one can guarantee the later scripts will maintain that standard. So you can't quite make up your mind. Should you trust Director Zhao because of his past success, or trust that the rest of Young Bao Qingtian will maintain the quality of its first six episodes? That's what you're struggling with, isn't it, Brother Huang?"
Tang Jiahe and Kong Teng both looked at Huang Zhou. He silently nodded.
Li Xun was quiet for a moment, then said, "Young Bao Qingtian is a series. My initial plan is to make it in two parts, each forty episodes long, for a total of eighty episodes."
"The first part will have seven arcs. Besides the first arc, Famous Throughout the World, which you've already seen, there will be six more 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 to have six shorter arcs: 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."
"The second arc of the first part, Blood Altar, tells the story of Zhan Jun, a talented student at Tianhong Academy who is arrogant by nature and often quarrels with his classmates. One day, after arguing with his classmate Gongsun Ce, the two agreed to settle things after school. But the next morning, Zhan Jun was found dead in his room. After examining the body, Bao's mother concluded that he had been killed by a heavy blow from a hammer..."
"The third arc, Mystery of the Secluded Village, tells how Bao Zheng and Ling Chuchu, along with Zhan Zhao, head to Bianjing to sit the examination two months later. On the way, they pass through Chuchu's hometown, Hidden Village. A few months earlier, Ling Chuchu's father's sworn brother, Zhuo Qi, was murdered and his right arm cut off. Her father also suddenly disappeared. Chuchu hopes Bao Zheng can help her find her father and discover why Uncle Zhuo Qi was killed..."
Li Xun spoke for over two hours. When he reached a crucial part, he asked a server to bring him a piece of stiff cardboard and a pair of scissors. He cut six little figures out of the cardboard, then looked at the stunned producer, director, superstar Huang Zhou, and the server who had brought the scissors. Smiling, he said, "All right, I'll use these six paper figures in my hands to demonstrate the secret behind the seventh dried corpse!"
"The fourth arc is Displaying Might Before the Palace. It's about—"
"All right, all right!" Huang Zhou interrupted Li Xun, who was still talking up a storm. "You don't have to go on, Screenwriter Li. I, Huang Zhou, am convinced! Completely convinced, utterly impressed! I think I've made up my mind. But... I still have to persuade my agent and the company I work for, so please don't announce that we're working together just yet. Once I've sorted things out with my agent, my company, and Director Zhao, we can announce it together."
As he spoke, Huang Zhou gave Li Xun a hearty smile and pushed back his chair to stand. Li Xun stood as well, and the two walked over to shake hands again.
"I hope we have a great partnership!"
"I hope we have a great partnership!"
Director Kong Teng looked at producer Tang Jiahe. The two stared at each other, unable to describe how they felt at that moment.
They both couldn't help wondering, Where on earth did President Dai find this monster?!
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