Kong Teng smiled. "To be honest, even I had a lot of doubts about this project before today. The script is definitely good, but Li Xun is the only writer on the team, and the production schedule is so tight. I was genuinely worried the script might run into trouble later. But as of today, all those doubts are gone. President Dai, our in-house drama center has really struck gold this time!"
Li Xun hurriedly said, "Brother Kong, you're making me embarrassed with all that praise."
Kong Teng said earnestly, "I'm not praising you. I'm just stating the facts objectively."
He then turned to Tang Jiahe. "Old Tang, you saw everything that happened today. Tell me, am I right?"
Tang Jiahe nodded. "You are. It's the absolute truth. Otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to convince Huang Zhou so thoroughly that he'd even turn down Director Zhao's drama just like that."
Kong Teng said, "It's a shame we didn't record what happened. If we had, we'd have an audio version of the script ready to use! Still, I suspect things might not go smoothly with Huang Zhou. His agent won't let him walk away from Director Zhao's drama so easily."
Tang Jiahe nodded in agreement.
Watching her two trusted colleagues trade remarks, Dai Ying grew curious.
Had the man in front of her stirred up some new trouble?
"Trouble" might not be quite the right word.
Had the man in front of her done something astonishing again?
How many secrets was he still hiding?
Why did it seem like there was no end to discovering them?
In high spirits, Kong Teng began vividly recounting to Dai Ying how Li Xun had dictated the script that morning.
For instance, the Young Bao Qingtian series would be split into two parts, each with forty episodes. The first part would have seven story arcs, and the second would have six.
And then there was that incredible seventh corpse!
As Kong Teng reenacted the events of the morning, Dai Ying found her gaze drifting toward Li Xun more and more often.
Then Dai Ying remembered something that had been bothering her.
Ever since she'd let slip to her mother that she had a boyfriend, her mother had been asking her for a photo of him every single day.
Dai Ying glanced furtively at Li Xun and finally decided to go through with the plan that had been so hard for her to bring herself to try.
She stood up from behind her desk, using a smile to hide her nerves. "The chairman approved a budget of two million per episode for Young Bao Qingtian. Now that Huang Zhou is joining us, we should be able to apply for a little more funding. The project is off to a decent start. All the key members of the production team are in this office right now. Why don't we take a group photo to commemorate it?"
Kong Teng immediately agreed. "Sounds good. President Dai, could you take a picture of the three of us? I have a feeling this drama is going to be a hit. Today really is a day worth commemorating."
With that, Kong Teng pulled Li Xun over, and he and Tang Jiahe lined up beside him. Then Kong Teng smiled at Dai Ying. "We're ready, President Dai. Go ahead and take the picture!"
Well, that was awkward.
Dai Ying had clearly suggested that they all take a photo together, so how had she somehow ended up as the photographer?
Then again, she'd never taken a photo with her employees before. The old hands at the company knew what she was like, so it was understandable that Kong Teng had misunderstood.
But the problem was that Dai Ying's mother wanted a photo of her daughter with her boyfriend. She was afraid Dai Ying would just find some random man's picture and try to fool her.
Li Xun and the other two stood in a row, waiting for Dai Ying to take their picture. They waited and waited, but President Dai made no move. Just as they were starting to wonder what was going on, Dai Ying pressed the intercom on her desk and said, "Qiu Ting, could you come in and take a picture for us?"
A moment later, her assistant, Qiu Ting, arrived. With her palms slick with sweat, Dai Ying did her best to look calm as she joined the three of them, making a point of standing to Li Xun's right.
Kong Teng and Tang Jiahe were a little stunned.
President Dai had never voluntarily posed for a photo with a subordinate. She was acting strangely today!
Holding her phone, Qiu Ting framed the four of them in the viewfinder. Then she suddenly realized that President Dai and the new guy, Li Xun, looked strangely well-matched.
How to put it?
They looked like a perfect couple—talented and beautiful.
The only thing was, they were both standing a little stiffly.
Based on her almost professional photography experience, Qiu Ting was sure the shot would look much better if President Dai tilted her head just slightly toward Li Xun.
But she didn't dare suggest it!
Besides, that would make them look far too much like a couple.
President Dai would kill her!
"Everyone, look at the camera and smile. That's it. Okay, let's say 'one, two, three, cheese!'"
"Click, click!"
Just as Qiu Ting pressed the shutter, the usually aloof President Dai suddenly leaned her head slightly toward Li Xun and let a flower-bright smile slip onto her face.
Qiu Ting looked at the photo on her phone, then at President Dai, who had already returned to her usual cool demeanor. Then she looked at the photo again.
What on earth?!
Had she imagined it?
But photos didn't lie!
That subtle tilt of the head and smile from President Dai, so quick and unexpected.
My goodness!
Who knew President Dai had such a gentle, tender side, like a woman from Jiangnan?
But if you covered up Director Kong and producer Tang Jiahe in the picture, it would look exactly like a couple's photo.
President Dai would go mad when she saw it.
"Very good. Let's take one more. Someone had their eyes closed in the last one."
The four of them got into position again.
"Everyone, look at the camera and smile. That's right. One, two, three, cheese!"
"Click, click!"
Qiu Ting stared in shock at her boss.
Just now, the woman she'd worked for over three years—the boss with the icy demeanor—had tilted her head toward the person beside her again at the very moment Qiu Ting pressed the shutter.
Once might have been unconscious. But twice?
Qiu Ting showed them the photos she'd taken. Kong Teng and Tang Jiahe both said they were pleased, not noticing at all that President Dai and Li Xun seemed a little too close.
Dai Ying looked at the photos on the phone and smiled ever so slightly. No one else noticed, but Qiu Ting, who was always perceptive, caught it.
Qiu Ting scratched her head, puzzled.
After the photos were taken, director Kong Teng and producer Tang Jiahe discussed the details of the drama with Dai Ying.
The filming location had more or less been decided: the Huairou Film and Television Base. As for the rest of the crew—camera operators, lighting technicians, set designers, and so on—directors at Kong Teng's level had their own regular teams. One phone call was all it took to get everyone in place.
For the most part, Tang Jiahe, Kong Teng, and Dai Ying did the talking. Li Xun couldn't get much of a word in.
The final matter was casting.
According to Tang Jiahe, most of the actors had already been cast. Zhang Binghua would play Grand Tutor Pang. He was another veteran actor. He wasn't as famous as Chen Minghao, but he was highly respected in the industry.
Feng Lan would play Madam Bao, child star Wang Xiaotian would play Zhan Zhao, and Jin Jiawei—a rising young actress—would play the female lead, Ling Chuchu. Ren Yi, a popular young idol, would play Gongsun Ce.
The crew and cast were more or less set. Once they filled the last few roles, Young Bao Qingtian would be ready to start filming at any time.
Finally, Dai Ying created a Young Bao Qingtian production group chat, with just four members: Dai Ying, Kong Teng, Tang Jiahe, and Li Xun.
After Li Xun and the others left Dai Ying's office, she closed the door, pulled up the photos they'd just taken on her phone, and cropped them until only she and Li Xun remained. Then she posted the picture to her Moments, setting it to be visible only to her family.
She added a caption: "We stand together in silence, and it's beautiful enough."
She tapped Send.
Dai Ying touched her cheeks. They were burning.
"Maybe Mom and Dad will stop pressuring me to get married now?"
Dai Ying covered her face and thought.
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