Chapter 603 No matter how difficult, we must act swiftly and decisively.

There was a brief moment of silence at the scene.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Lu Yanhe was the first to raise an objection.

Chen Siqi nodded: "I also think it's not good, but it's one of the feasible options from an operational perspective, so I brought it up."

“The key point is that since this person was able to deliver the anonymous letter to my and Director An’s room, it means that this person must also be on set. Using an alias might fool outsiders, but it can’t fool the people on set. If he sees that Director An is still directing on set, who knows what he will think and what he will do?” Xin Pingqing said.

"Now we have a few options. Either we delay the start of filming by three days and find a director to fill in as soon as possible so that he can familiarize himself with the situation and direct the show. Or we suspend filming and wait until Yan He finishes filming 'Chinese Paladin' before we find time to start filming again. Of course, there is another option: let the assistant director of this show take over. In any case, he knows very well what we want the show to look like in the early stages, which can save a lot of time and effort in getting to know each other."

“We only had one week to film this series. Even if you find a new director, there won’t be enough time to work things out.”

The group remained silent for a moment.

Lu Yanhe smiled awkwardly and said, "Why does it sound like I'm the only one who's most suitable to take on this directing role?"

His choice was unique, and the problem lay with him.

He was very familiar with the script and knew the entire production team's design for the series and what kind of effect they wanted to achieve.

"One more thing, let the screenwriter direct, and have the assistant director assist," Hu Siwei suddenly suggested.

Everyone was stunned.

But at the same time, the thought popped into everyone's mind that "this approach might be feasible".

While not every screenwriter is suited to directing, screenwriting and directing are essentially related. In such emergency situations, if someone needs to direct, the screenwriter is the one who understands the script best.

"Yan He, in the end, we may still need you to make the final decision and coordinate everything," Hu Siwei said. "The screenwriter knows the script best, and the assistant director is most familiar with the situation on set. If they can work together without fighting, that's fine. But if they have conflicting opinions, then you'll need to be the anchor."

Chen Siqi immediately shook her head and said, "Then we can't let Yan He play the role of the villain."

Xin Pingqing: "However, under these circumstances, only Yan He can keep the two of them in check."

“You’re the production assistant, representing Linghe, so of course you can keep them in check,” Chen Siqi said. “If Yan He plays a villain on set, and then any complaints get out, what will happen if people online stir things up? They’ll say Yan He’s acting like a big shot on set, ordering other actors around, interfering with other people’s scenes, etc. How many of the people on the ‘Silent Staircase’ crew are good people?”

Everyone fell silent.

This is indeed a problem.

Xin Pingqing: "Mainly because I don't understand the production of TV series."

“Brother Siwei, it’s time for you to take charge personally,” Chen Siqi said. “In this situation, I’ll have to trouble you to come to the set this week to keep an eye on things and help Pingqing manage the crew.”

Hu Siwei: "..."

Although Hu Siwei has never been a director, his experience in project management is so extensive that few in the industry can compare with him.

In terms of familiarity with the film crew and handling interpersonal relationships, Hu Siwei can be considered one of the top people Lu Yanhe knows.

"I'm quite willing to do this, but when it comes to creative direction and aesthetic judgment, am I the one to make the decisions? Directing isn't something that can be accomplished by just a few people putting together an opinion," Hu Siwei said.

Lu Yanhe thought about it seriously and said, "This is terrible. A drama is filmed for seven days. Among the people who can speak, the screenwriter, assistant director, producer, Siwei Ge, and me, it is inevitable that we will have conflicting opinions. Even if we all want the best for the drama, differences of opinion will definitely cause problems between us. In the end, it is very likely that the drama will not be able to continue. If we force it to continue, it will be a mess."

Lu Yanhe's words silenced everyone again.

Chen Siqi: "If that really doesn't work, we should pay the penalty for breach of contract and postpone filming."

Lu Yanhe took a deep breath and asked, "Has a list of alternative directors who can step in and save the day been compiled?"

"not yet."

“Okay, I’ll go talk to Wang Biao first and see when I can leave. I’ll try to get a few more days. Siwei, you and Pingqing should also take stock of the crew’s situation. Whether it’s a delay of three days, five days, or several months before filming starts, we need to coordinate everyone’s schedule. Also, Director An Jian can no longer be our director. We need to have an explanation and everyone needs to stick to the same story.”

Everyone nodded.

“We’ll decide after we’ve figured out all the details. If we can’t find a suitable director, then I’ll direct it myself. It’s like being forced into it. Paying the penalty for breach of contract is secondary. Jumping Theater is doing quite well right now, and ‘The Silent Staircase’ is our most important production to release recently. If there are any problems, it will affect the industry’s perception of Jumping Theater. I’m just afraid of messing things up in the end.” Lu Yanhe shook his head. “We’ll see in the end. If the edited version doesn’t pass my own approval, then we can reshoot it or whatever. It’s all fine.”

In fact, everyone knows that Lu Yanhe taking over as director is the safest option.

Although Lu Yanhe himself believes that he cannot quickly shift to a director's perspective on the drama and produce a good film, from the perspective of others, given Lu Yanhe's many years of acting experience and his previous work directing "Love Letter," having him take over would ensure a swift handover of the directorial role for the entire production team, preventing any disruptions.

-

The next morning, all the main creators of "The Silent Staircase" received a notification that director An Jian had been rushed to the hospital for treatment yesterday due to a sudden illness, and today's filming was temporarily canceled. The crew was asked to stay put and not spread related information to prevent anyone from deliberately hyping it up or fabricating rumors online.

Inside the film crew, everyone was talking about it.

Two hours later, Xin Pingqing called a meeting with everyone in the crew.

The crew will start filming as scheduled this afternoon, with Chen Yu taking over as director and Lu Yanhe serving as art director.

-

"Chen Yu?"

Who is Chen Yu?

"I don't know where it came from."

...

The announcement sparked heated discussions within the production crew.

The main problem is... the name Chen Yu is too unfamiliar.

He was not originally part of the production crew.

Of course, in any well-connected film crew, there will always be well-connected gossips.

Soon, Chen Yu's situation was discovered.

"Director Liu Zhijiang's student?"

"The person who co-directed with Liu Zhijiang before."

"Why were they chosen to replace director An Jian?"

"It is said that Director An Jian's illness came on very suddenly, and he almost had to go to the ICU."

"Holy crap, what's wrong with him? Why is he acting so strangely?"

"However, it's one thing to have Chen Yu direct, but why give Lu Yanhe the title of art director as well?"

"Are you stupid? What is an art director? It means that if Lu Yanhe has any opinions about the filming of this drama, he can use this title to provide guidance on the filming."

"Huh? Then isn't Chen Yu, the director, just a puppet? Why doesn't Lu Yanhe just direct it himself?"

"Who knows? But our production budget is so small. Lu Yanhe is a film director, why would he direct such a small TV series?"

"He's even starring in it, why are you so self-deprecating?"

"He took on the lead role to support the Jumping Theater. Do you think he would have taken the role if it weren't for that reason?"

"But look at the previous dramas that aired, weren't they all quite popular? Huaiqian became an overnight sensation, and they're developing a sequel to 'The Intern'."

Do you think Lu Yanhe lacks these things?

...

These discussions within the film crew were rampant.

Chen Yu arrived at the film crew at 12:30 pm.

He never expected that when he went to audition for the director of Jump Theatre with a try-it-out mentality, he not only received an invitation, but also received a huge opportunity to direct the play "The Silent Staircase"!

Putting out a fire? Saving the day? Under immense pressure?

He doesn't care about any of that.

As a young and energetic director, when he received this call, only two words came to mind: opportunity!

He immediately called his teacher, Liu Zhijiang.

When Liu Zhijiang heard that Chen Yu was going to film "The Silent Staircase" starring Lu Yanhe, he didn't immediately say anything like putting out a fire was not an easy task for a director.

Liu Zhijiang, a veteran director in the industry, is well aware of what kind of opportunity such a drama represents for a young director like Chen Yu.

To draw an analogy, it might be similar to how director Luo Yuzhong's film affected the fledgling Lu Yanhe back then.

"Teacher, am I going to become famous? After I finish filming this drama, will all the projects on various platforms come to me to direct?" Chen Yu laughed like a fool who had been given a windfall.

Liu Zhijiang was speechless for a moment.

Forget it, let this idiot do his thing.

"Don't embarrass me! If you mess this up, I'll be the first to expel you from the school, and you'll never be allowed to say I'm your teacher again."

Chen Yu arrived full of vigor and eagerness.

On the plane that rushed him there, he first read through the script and the afternoon's shooting schedule.

Upon arriving at the location, he met directly with Xin Pingqing, and then met with the assistant director and the filming team.

"I was appointed to this critical mission, and the pressure is immense. I hope you all will take good care of me!" Chen Yu said, cupping his hands in a fist salute.

Xin Pingqing was initially worried that Chen Siqi and the others had chosen Chen Yu, who was young and had grown up under the wing of a famous director. He thought Chen Yu would be arrogant and not easy to deal with. However, it turned out that Chen Yu was not quite what he expected.

When they arrived at the film set, the first thing they did was to greet and get acquainted with the real core members of the production team, instead of going to find Lu Yanhe and the others.

Many young directors only learn who they should win over first after being "beaten up" on set.

Xin Pingqing recalled Chen Siqi's evaluation of Chen Yu before the meeting ended early yesterday morning: "He has experienced several major projects and is a truly experienced director who has been trained and practiced by his teacher. What he needs now is an opportunity to direct independently, so that the industry can truly see his personal ability and value. Therefore, if he is to direct this drama, he will work tirelessly, even without sleep, to make it a good production. And based on my contact with him and my understanding of his personality and style, he can integrate into our crew as quickly as possible."

-

“It’s a bit risky.” Chen Siqi was less assertive than she had been in the meeting the night before during the phone call with Lu Yanhe, and directly admitted her unease. “We originally wanted Chen Yu to film another movie.”

Lu Yanhe: "It's alright, Chen Yu is our best option right now."

Chen Siqi: "That's what they say, but it's hard not to worry. Sigh, I'll arrive this afternoon. I hope everything goes smoothly for you on site."

Lu Yanhe: "Why did you come here again? Wasn't the director's matter already resolved?"

“The anonymous letter issue hasn’t been resolved yet,” Chen Siqi said. “I have to find this person. Although you all say that this person is targeting Director An Jian, what if that’s not the case? If this person just wants to cause trouble, disrupt our drama, and ruin it, who knows what else might happen later.”

Lu Yanhe did not expect Chen Siqi to say that.

However, upon further reflection, Chen Siqi's words did not lack merit.

The director's problem is solved, but the person who sent the anonymous letter is most likely still on set.

-

Before filming the first scene in the afternoon, Chen Yu gathered all the actors together for a meeting, where they first introduced themselves.

“In the early stages, Director An Jian led everyone in preparing for this film, but he suddenly had some health problems and was unable to continue directing, so he asked me to come over.”

Chen Yu said, "Everyone here is a very skilled actor. I read your profiles on my way here and I admire you all very much. Of course, although you may think I am very young, I am indeed very young. What I mean is that you may be worried about whether I have the ability to do a good job as a director."

"Let me introduce you all. My teacher is Liu Zhijiang. Over the years, I have been working on his projects as his assistant director. In the last play, I became the co-director. In fact, before I came to your production team, I had already signed a contract with Jump Up Theater to direct another play."

When Chen Yu said this, Zhang Yuan, Peng Yufen, and several other senior actors showed some surprise, as if they hadn't expected it.

Lu Yanhe stood to the side and nodded imperceptibly.

He will definitely express his support for Chen Yu.

"Of course, I still have a lot to learn. I wouldn't dare say I'm a perfect all-rounder," Chen Yu said with a smile. "We've come together to film this drama with a common goal: to make it a great show and make it a representative work for each of us. How well I can make it within my capabilities depends on everyone's cooperation, support, and trust in me. I will give it my all, so I hope we can work together as a team rather than become obstacles to each other."

Lu Yanhe led the applause.

The others, who had initially shown some doubt, joined in applause after seeing Lu Yanhe's reaction.

-

Fortunately, this drama is entirely composed of dialogue.

Moreover, apart from Lu Yanhe, the other actors had already rehearsed beforehand and were very familiar with each other, so there were basically no basic mistakes on set.

After filming a scene, Chen Yu joked with a smile, "All of you actors are so familiar with your characters. I feel like anyone could be the director. You just need to sit here and yell 'Cut!'"

His words made everyone laugh.

Lu Yanhe thought the scene they just performed was indeed quite good. Although it was just a very ordinary interlude, everyone was very familiar with their own performance. Even though they had only gone through the scene once, Lu Yanhe felt a tacit understanding with them as if they had already performed it several times.

Everything he throws out gets a reaction.

No wonder Chen Yu said that.

“Let’s keep one more option,” Chen Yu said. “Teacher Zhang, when you came out just now, let’s try saying a line first, and then coming out of the room, okay? Let’s see which version better highlights your character’s arrogance and swagger.”

As soon as Chen Yu finished speaking, Lu Yanhe's gaze towards Chen Yu changed.

Sometimes, you can tell whether someone understands opera or not just by saying a few words.

Why did Lu Yanhe say before that he was already familiar with watching the show from his character's perspective? The director has a different perspective.

This is a very typical example—

The director's perspective.

Zhang Yuan's expression changed in an instant.

A good actor may not be able to be thorough in preparing for a role, but if he is not quick to react when prompted by others, it at least shows that he is not a very responsive actor.

-

On her way from the train station to the film set, Chen Siqi kept thinking about what to do if Chen Yu couldn't win over the crowd.

Despite her seemingly assertive and decisive manner during the online video last night, especially when recommending Chen Yu, she acted as if she was certain he would succeed.

This is simply a lesson she has learned since she started working.

The principle is that no matter how confident you are in a decision, when you say it out loud, you must be 100% certain.

Once you hold your breath, everyone else will follow suit and collapse.

To be honest, I have no idea what she's thinking.

Chen Siqi had prepared for the worst, but when she arrived at the filming location, she found that the situation was not as bad as she had imagined. In fact, it was quite orderly and harmonious.

"Chen Yu will become a very great director," Lu Yanhe told her.

This surprised Chen Siqi.

Why is Lu Yanhe praising Chen Yu so highly on the very first day?

This made Chen Siqi put aside her main purpose for coming to the film crew and couldn't help but observe Chen Yu with curiosity.

“When he came to our interview, he was liked by many of us,” Chen Siqi said. “Actually, a student of a great director like him didn’t need to come to our Jumping Theater. His teacher would definitely pave the way for him in the future. That’s what we asked him. He didn’t say anything fancy. He generously admitted that he had received a lot of guidance and opportunities from his teacher. But he also wanted to see what he could achieve on his own without his teacher.”

Lu Yanhe: "After he came to the crew, he wasn't as humble as you said. In front of everyone, he gave a speech that he was fully capable of leading everyone to make this film well, and he also mentioned without any concealment that he was a student of director Liu Zhijiang... Of course, what he did had an immediate effect, and many people in the crew put away their contempt for him."

"When you're out in the world, you define your own identity," Chen Siqi said with a smile. "Judging from the atmosphere on set, he seems to be doing a pretty good job as a director?"

“He’s more than just good,” Lu Yanhe said. “He understands acting very well. Every time he gives guidance, it’s convincing. The actors in this show are all pretty tough. He can pinpoint their problems and still get them to listen to him. He’s amazing.”

Chen Siqi: "Really? You're not just trying to reassure me, are you?"

“Really,” Lu Yanhe said, “You have a great eye for choosing directors.”

Chen Siqi: "That's good."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm really worried about what will happen if Chen Yu can't handle the production crew."

"You gave me the title of art director, wasn't it to prevent this from happening? At least I'll be there to cover for you?" Lu Yanhe laughed.

Chen Siqi: "Yes, thankfully you were here."

-

Chen Siqi's appearance sparked another round of discussion among the crew.

The main topic of discussion was the purpose of her sudden visit.

So much happened on set today. Surprisingly, despite all these changes, filming still started normally and proceeded smoothly.

However, after everyone finished work and came to their senses, they all realized that something was amiss.

Director An Jian was perfectly fine yesterday, showing no signs of anything amiss. How did he suddenly fall ill?

In such a short time, a director was found to save the day.

In addition, Chen Siqi suddenly appeared on set this afternoon—

Even though many people say that Chen Siqi actually came to visit Lu Yanhe on set.

Are they really here to visit the set?

On the first day of filming, which officially started in the afternoon, Chen Siqi rushed to the set and came directly to the location...

Actually, there's nothing strange about this.

But Chen Siqi is not only Lu Yanhe's girlfriend, but also the chief planner and initiator of the Jumping Theater. Coupled with the changes that happened in the production team today, these things together have made people think more about it.

Ultimately, the most crucial point, in all speculation, is still the change of director.

Is director An Kin really sick?

That evening, several members of the film crew came to Xin Pingqing to ask which hospital Director An Jian was in, as they wanted to visit him.

Xin Pingqing could only give them a perfunctory reply: Director An Jian had already gone to a hospital in Shanghai or Hangzhou, not in this area. He would visit them on behalf of the entire crew after the filming of this drama wrapped up.

This explanation only deepened people's doubts.

Suspicion and rumors flew around among them.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi had dinner together and took a walk outside, finally having time to seriously discuss An Jian's matter.

Whether An Jian's story is true or false, I didn't actually have time to investigate it thoroughly yesterday.

Everyone could only assume that this matter would have an impact and discuss solutions based on the premise that he would withdraw from the project. Time was of the essence, and no one had time to care about the truth of An Jian's matter.

“But we can’t just stop working with Director An because of this incident,” Chen Siqi said. “Actually, his actions in this matter made me look at him in a different light. He didn’t hide anything and took the initiative to withdraw from the crew immediately to avoid affecting the filming and future broadcast. Just based on this behavior, I am very willing to work with such a responsible director.”

“Yes, me too,” Lu Yanhe said. “But if the anonymous letter issue isn’t resolved, it’s a ticking time bomb. Just like you said, we have to find out who sent the anonymous letter.”

-

I recommend the older book "I Became the Scandalous Woman Overnight" and the new book "The Demon-Slaying Sword".

(End of this chapter)