The weather in Shenzhen City is much more comfortable than in Capital City; it already feels like spring in March.
As the car turned off the airport expressway, the cluster of buildings in Nanshan Science and Technology Park could be seen in the distance.
The tallest and most conspicuous building consists of two towers standing side by side, with three horizontal connecting structures in the middle that link the two buildings together like a belt. The glass curtain wall gleams with a grayish-blue light under the sun.
Cheng Che glanced out the car window.
Qin Lie said from the side:
" Tengda Binhai Building has 50 floors in the south tower and 41 floors in the north tower. The three connecting corridors in the middle are for culture, health, and knowledge, respectively. Tengda Video's headquarters are in the north tower."
As the car turned into the park entrance, the gate at the underground parking entrance automatically opened, indicating that the license plate had been registered in advance.
The basement was quiet, with cool white lighting and dark gray walls, quite different from the ostentatious "tech giant" atmosphere outside.
Once inside the elevator, Qin Lie pressed the button for the North Tower floor. There were only the three of them in the elevator: Cheng Che, Qin Lie, and Chen Wei.
"Today is mainly for signing contracts; the legal department has already approved them," Qin Lie said in a low voice. "After signing, they want to talk to you about casting."
Cheng Che turned his head to look at him.
"You've been cast as the lead in Tengda's S-level project, but the supporting roles haven't been decided yet," Qin Lie said. "Their point is that since you're the core of this project, you should also oversee the selection of the supporting actors. It doesn't have to be your final decision, but they value your opinion."
Cheng Che nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
Stepping out of the elevator, the corridor was spacious, with a light gray carpet on the floor and several abstract paintings hanging on the walls.
A middle-aged woman in a dark suit was already waiting at the elevator entrance, accompanied by a young assistant.
" Teacher Cheng." The middle-aged woman greeted her, extending her hand. "I'm Fang, the vice president of Tengda Video. Welcome to Shenzhen City."
Her hand was steady, but she gripped it a little tighter than usual in social situations.
Cheng Che shook hands with her.
He used to think the title " Teacher Cheng " was too much.
But now that I think about it, he's more than qualified to be a math teacher. An undergraduate who proved a sixty-year conjecture, being called a teacher seems quite worthy.
Upon entering the conference room, President Fang led him to a seat. Qin Lie sat next to him, while Chen Wei sat behind him against the wall.
Bottled water, tea, and several plates of fruit were laid out on the long table. The projector was lit, and the logo of " The Realm and Old Friends " was displayed on the screen.
President Fang sat down next to the head of the table, and let Cheng Che sit to her right. Qin Lie sat next to Cheng Che, and Chen Wei sat down in a chair against the wall behind them.
" Teacher Cheng, I won't beat around the bush," President Fang said, his tone direct but his smile sincere. "The ' The Realm and Old Friends ' project is something Tengda attaches great importance to from top to bottom. It's an S-level project, so I don't need to elaborate on the investment scale. As for the male lead, we've only considered you from the beginning. Now that the contract is signed, this matter is officially settled."
She pushed a document in front of Cheng Che; it was a contract that had already been stamped.
Cheng Che turned to the last page and signed his name.
President Fang took the contract, glanced at the signature, and his smile deepened.
"Mr. Qin, your Teacher Cheng's handwriting is also very good."
Qin Lie smiled and waved his hand, " President Fang kind. He's practiced his handwriting; he's improved it by signing so many contracts."
President Fang laughed out loud, "Mr. Qin is too modest. How much can an artist of Teacher Cheng's caliber sign a contract for? It's us at Tengda who begged him to sign."
Qin Lie chimed in, " President Fang, you're absolutely right. With Tengda's S-level project coming our way, Cheng Che is more than happy to accept it. It's a win-win situation."
Cheng Che listened to the two of them exchanging compliments without interrupting, and took a sip of his tea.
"Okay. Now let's talk about the second thing."
She nodded to her assistant, who pressed a button on the remote control, and the projector switched to a PowerPoint slide that displayed the names of several characters and brief summaries of their biographies.
"We're still casting for the supporting roles. The consensus within Tengda is that since Teacher Cheng is the core of this project, you should also participate in the casting of the supporting roles," said President Fang. "We have an audition in three days. There are quite a few people coming, some recommended by agencies, and some who submitted their own applications. Take a look and give your opinion on who you think is suitable."
Cheng Che glanced at the character names on the PPT slide. There were the male protagonist's rivals, old ministers in the imperial court, companions in the martial arts world, and several female characters.
Each name is followed by a line of smaller text describing its role.
"Okay," he said, "I'll come and take a look."
President Fang's expression visibly relaxed.
She was afraid that Cheng Che wouldn't be willing to get involved in this kind of thing. After all, with his current status, it was perfectly reasonable for him to just focus on acting and not on casting.
But he agreed, which shows that he cares about this project.
After the signing was completed, President Fang took them on a tour of Tengda's industrial park.
From the cultural connection level of the North Tower to the health connection level of the South Tower, you pass through a suspended corridor with transparent glass under your feet, offering views of the park roads and green belts below.
Cheng Che walked steadily on it, but Chen Wei noticeably slowed down beside him, holding onto the railing.
"Isn't Teacher Cheng afraid of heights?" President Fang asked.
"I'm not afraid," Cheng Che said. "I play tennis; I've seen all kinds of heights."
President Fang smiled.
The lunch was arranged at a private restaurant near the park. A table was occupied in the private room, with President Fang and several senior executives from Tengda, as well as the producer and screenwriter of " The Realm and Old Friends ".
There was no alcohol on the table, only tea and juice.
President Fang said, " Teacher Cheng has other matters to attend to this afternoon, so let's not urge him to drink any more." Several senior executives nodded in agreement.
The conversation went from the project to tennis, and from tennis to mathematics.
President Fang graduate of Tsinghua University, and the vice president next to him is a graduate of the Peking University School of Mathematical Sciences, more than ten years ahead of Cheng Che.
He held his teacup, looking at Cheng Che with a complicated expression.
"Junior Brother Cheng," he called out, then chuckled and corrected himself, " Professor Liu taught us back in the Mathematical Sciences department. I read your paper; to be honest, I didn't quite understand it. But I know the significance of that conjecture."
Cheng Che raised his teacup to him. "You're too kind, senior."
The vice president shook his head and didn't say anything more, but the smile on his face never faded.
After the meal, President Fang arranged for a car to take Cheng Che to a hotel owned by Tengda Group.
The hotel is located on the Shenzhen City Bay, and the rooms are on high floors with floor-to-ceiling windows offering sea views.
Cheng Che entered the room, put his suitcase in the corner, and sat on the sofa for a while.
My phone lit up; it was a message from Pei Jingshu.
What have you been up to lately?
A slightly aggrieved expression followed.
Cheng Che replied, "In Shenzhen City. I just signed a contract."
Pei Jingshu replied instantly:
"You said you'd come to South Korea last month when you had time, but you didn't. This month you said you'd play in a clay court tournament, but you didn't go either. What have you been up to?"
Cheng Che looked at the message and thought for a moment.
He is indeed busy.
After returning from Paris, he didn't attend either of the two clay-court Master tournaments. Qin Lie helped him decline, explaining that "the schedule is too tight, and we need to give ourselves time to adapt to clay courts."
His variety show appearance was moved to April, but he still had to go to collect the Mathematical Society award at the end of the month. Only after receiving the award would he have completed the final step of the Intelligence Trial.
He replied somewhat apologetically, "I've been busy with work. I have a bonus to collect at the end of the month."
Pei Jingshu: "What award?"
Cheng Che: "It's from the Mathematical Society, the Special Award for Youth Mathematics Breakthrough."
There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a string of exclamation marks.
"You're receiving another award? How come you're so good at everything?"
Cheng Che smiled and replied, "It's alright."
Pei Jingshu sent another message, this time in a softer tone. "Then take care of yourself. Don't overwork yourself."
Cheng Che leaned back on the sofa, thought for a moment, and decided that he couldn't let Pei Jingshu down.
So I took out my phone and took a selfie.
I had just taken a shower, my hair was still a little wet, and I was only wearing a bath towel. The lines of my shoulders and collarbone were clearly visible under the warm lighting of the hotel.
He sent the photos over.
There was a full ten seconds of silence on Pei Jingshu's end.
Then he replied, typing incredibly fast: "You you you you you--"
Cheng Che smiled and typed, "Let me know if you want to see it anytime."
Pei Jingshu replied with a string of Korean, which Cheng Che understood; the gist of it was "You bad person."
Then she added a message in Chinese: "I'm at my workstation, surrounded by people, you've made me afraid to look at my phone."
Cheng Che smiled and put his phone down.
Meanwhile, another issue is brewing online.
Tengda Video's official Weibo account posted an update at 3 PM sharp.
"The ' The Realm and Old Friends ' project has officially launched. Adapted from the super IP of the same name, it's Tengda S-level self-produced drama. Starring: Cheng Che. Supporting role casting begins today, with auditions in three days. All actors are welcome to submit their materials."
The accompanying image is a concept poster: against a backdrop of landscape in the style of ink wash painting, a young boy stands on the edge of a cliff, his robes billowing in the wind, holding a scroll in his hand.
Cheng Che's name is in the bottom right corner of the poster; the font is very faint, like a seal.
The number of comments exceeded 50,000 within ten minutes.
[ Cheng Che!!! It's Cheng Che again!!!]
[ Tengda S-level, super IP, starring Cheng Che. With these three words together, I know this drama is a sure thing even without watching the plot.]
[My Che Baby is going to act in another TV series!!! And it's a period drama!!!]
[I've been without a drama for a long time since " The Youth Here," and finally I have a new show to watch!]
[Supporting role casting? Audition in three days? Is it too late for me to start acting lessons now?]
You're too late, but I can go watch the fun.
[This poster has such an amazing feel to it, with its ink-wash style, a young man holding a bamboo slip, I can already picture the scene.]
The atmosphere is completely different in the studios of those celebrities.
The agent of a second-tier male actor sent a message in the group:
"The casting call for ' The Realm and Old Friends ' has been released. Auditions are in three days. Does anyone have the original novel? I'll read it tonight and send you a character biography tomorrow."
Another agent posted on their WeChat Moments:
"An S-level project, starring Cheng Che, with auditions for supporting roles. All the actors I have are in preparation tonight. Whoever lands a role in this drama will be set for next year."
Someone else posted in the group:
"Forget about it. How fierce is the competition for supporting roles in a drama starring Cheng Che? I heard from Tengda that Cheng Che Himself will be involved in the casting process. It only counts if he agrees."
"Then we definitely have to go. Performing well in front of him is more effective than performing well in front of the director."