Chapter 845 Changing Directors

If Li Zhibai were to be involved or star in the film, Lu Yanhe would definitely say whatever he wanted to say; he couldn't just stand by and watch Li Zhibai suffer.

But whether it's a sequel or a spin-off on Korean TVN, it has little to do with Lee Ji-baek anymore. So why does Lu Yanhe have to be so annoying, standing up and saying that it's unlikely to succeed before he's even done anything?

Liu Manbo's failure wasn't necessarily due to leaving Li Zhibai.

Lu Yanhe didn't want to be so arrogant.

Although he was indeed very arrogant—

But don't show it, or you'll become annoying.

...

"Yan He." Yu Mengling came over. "Are you free now? I'd like to talk to you about the scene we're filming tonight."

Lu Yanhe put down his phone and nodded: "OK, I'm free."

-

It is impossible for Beijing and Taiwan to publicly apologize to Chen Pinhe.

However, this does not mean they should simply accept the loss.

After much deliberation, Zhang Yuezhen decided to clean up the mess and not let Chen Pinhe's acting career be tainted by such a stain.

After various platforms released the re-edited episode 8, Zhang Yuezhen arranged for online trolls to leak the "truth behind the re-editing of episode 8" through marketing accounts.

It didn't mention the internal affairs of Beijing and Taiwan, only saying that the editing staff was unprofessional, which led to the situation in the previously released 8th episode where Chen Pinhe "overdid it". In reality, Chen Pinhe gave several different performances, and then each segment was taken and combined to form the scene that was "overdid".

As a result, the blame was shifted onto director Wen Zichong by uninformed members of the public.

The audience isn't an industry insider, how would they know about all your intricacies?

According to the most basic understanding, the final product of a TV series is the responsibility of the director.

If there are technical problems with the production, then the director should be held responsible.

Wen Zichong had long been angered by Beijing TV's "shady operation" but had kept quiet because, as the director, he was responsible for the show and didn't want it to be embroiled in an ugly scandal before it even finished airing.

Now, the problems in episode 8 are directly pointing at him.

How could he possibly allow himself to fall into the quagmire of "lack of professionalism"?

He immediately posted a Weibo message: Don't put all the blame on me. Although I am a director, I am a director who does not have the final cut.

This Weibo post caused an uproar.

-

"Here we go again, the same old antics." Lu Qingzhen shook her head speechlessly, holding her phone. "Beijing and Taiwan, they always manage to play like they're out of their minds, even when they have a winning hand."

Chen Ziyan smiled.

"Otherwise, it wouldn't be Beijing and Taiwan, would it?"

Lu Qingzhen said, "The Seventeen Floors is already their only pillar, and they still managed to do something like this."

Chen Ziyan: "Because I am the only pillar of the show, everyone wants a share of the pie and is not willing to just drink some soup and water."

Lu Qingzhen: "I want to see how Beijing and Taiwan will respond to this matter, and what Chen Pinhe and Zhang Yuezhen will do."

"Let them fight like vicious dogs." Chen Ziyan sneered, then suddenly remembered something, "Oh, right, I forgot something."

"What's up?"

“Wen Zichong has now broken up with Beijing TV, so we’ll probably have to find a new director for the second season of ‘Seventeen Floors: Reboot’,” Chen Ziyan said. “We can’t let Beijing TV bring Lian Bei back.”

“Director Lian is preparing his new play, it shouldn’t be that bad, right? He hasn’t taken on any projects from any platform, he’s doing his own thing,” Lu Qingzhen said. “It’s a sixteen-episode short drama adapted from a short play by Jump Up Theater.”

Chen Ziyan: "After finishing this project, there will be a gap period, right? If director Lian Bei returns to 'The Seventeen Floors: Reboot,' he might be able to take this project to the next level, after all, it's his own creation."

"So what do you want to do?"

-

"Chief Jiang, you've arrived."

Jiang Lan has visited this studio many times.

They were very familiar with the process.

Many people already recognize her face, so they are not surprised to see her.

In fact, this is where Lien Pei's studio is located, and people come here in droves to visit Director Lien Pei.

Jiang Lan was not the only television station leader to visit.

However, due to the relationship between the "Seventeen Floors" trilogy and "Jiang Yan", the cooperation between Lianbei and Beijing and Taiwan has become closer in recent years.

However, the people in the studio also know very well that Lian Bei's closer cooperation is not with Beijing and Taiwan, but with Lu Yanhe.

"Jiang Yan" was directed by Lian Bei because of Lu Yanhe's connections.

The drama "Office Woman," which is currently being produced by Lianbei, is also adapted from a short story in "Jump Up." It has already been adapted into two short dramas and broadcast on the Jump Up Theater.

In the recent series "Seventeen Floors: Reboot," although Lian Bei was one of the producers, he was gradually marginalized by Beijing TV during the actual production process.

Being on the margins means that when he speaks or gives advice, no one listens.

Under these circumstances, how could Lian Bei possibly continue speaking?

It's a waste of your time and energy.

Jiang Lan had come here once before because of this matter.

There's not much to say about the preparations.

At the time, he said, "Indeed, it was I who refused to direct 'The Seventeen Floors: Reboot,' so whether you listen to my opinion or not is your business. But if you don't value my opinion, there's no need for me to be your consultant."

Jiang Lan managed to persuade her through various means, and that's how she managed to avoid making things too awkward.

Now, Jiang Lan has come looking for me again.

With Wen Zichong's actions, it's certain that Beijing and Taiwan will no longer employ him.

Then Jiang Lan had to find Lian Bei again to direct the second season of "The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot".

If Lien-Bai can return to directing, then given the current situation, everyone will be happy.

However, Jiang Lan did not expect that Lian Bei would directly refuse her as soon as she explained her purpose.

Jiang Lan was taken aback, thinking that Lian Bei was still angry about what happened before. She was about to bring up her prepared explanation, including the powers they could give Lian Bei in the sequel, when Lian Bei waved his hand and said directly, "Director Jiang, I have already promised Ling He that I will direct three spin-off movies of 'The Seventeen Floors' for them."

Jiang Lan: "..."

Lian Bei: "They contacted me earlier, and I had already promised them. If you had come to me earlier, I would have agreed to come here."

Jiang Lan: "They...they're really quick."

“Yes.” Lian Bei laughed. “I was wondering why they came to me before I even had a script. It turns out they wanted me to write the script as well. I have no choice but to devote myself to these three movies for the next few years.”

Jiang Lan was completely at a loss for words.

-

"You moved way too fast." On the way back, Jiang Lan couldn't help but call Chen Ziyan, her voice tinged with complaint, "And you didn't even tell me."

“There’s no such thing as announcing it to the whole world before you actually try to snatch someone,” Chen Ziyan laughed. “If I told you beforehand, who knows if you would have come to snatch them from me? If you had, I might not have been able to win.”

Chen Ziyan subtly flattered Jiang Lan in her words.

Jiang Lan's dissatisfaction did indeed lessen a bit.

"Among so many film directors in Linghe, I never imagined you would use a series of equipment to make a spin-off film."

“He wrote this story, he’s the most suitable,” Chen Ziyan said. “What’s the point of talking about film directors or TV directors? Director Luo Yuzhong is still directing the movie ‘The Boat’ right now.” Chen Ziyan said, “Nothing is more important than suitability. Movies are just a different genre from TV dramas.”

"The barriers to entry in the industry are quite deep."

“Let them work their way up. When the box office results come out and they win awards, they’ll dismantle their barriers themselves,” Chen Ziyan said calmly. “As long as you succeed, the barriers will move a little closer to you and pull you into their territory.”

Jiang Lan: "..."

Chen Ziyan added, "With the success of 'The Seventeen Floors: Reboot,' I believe many directors would be willing to take it on, as long as the news gets out."

Just like Friends back then.

Hopefully, the development of "The Seventeen Floors: Reboot" will be similar to that of "Friends" back then.

At this moment, Jiang Lan couldn't see the mocking smile that had already appeared on Chen Ziyan's lips.

After all these years, the large and powerful Beijing and Taiwan regions still don't understand the importance of respecting creators.

The show "The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot" hasn't even finished airing yet, and they're already looking for the next chef.

How difficult is it to find a director who can make a good drama?

Over the years, Chen Ziyan has communicated and interacted with people from various platforms and heard countless stories.

What about those who outwardly comply but inwardly embezzle production funds, those who wash their hands of the project and leave everything to their apprentices, those who have too many ideas and make the ending of the series unbearable...

Chen Ziyan didn't know what Wen Zichong's situation was, but at least judging from the results, the production of "The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot" was satisfactory. Before episode 8, there were no large-scale negative reviews, which is enough to show that Wen Zichong is a qualified director.

Back then, Jingtai couldn't see Bai Jingnian's value; now, they can't see Wen Zichong's value either.

Of course, Chen Ziyan wouldn't say that directly to Jiang Lan.

Why say such things?

-

"How about you take over the project I have?" Lian Bei called Wen Zichong after Jiang Lan left.

Wen Zichong was taken aback.

Lian Bei said, "Jiang Lan just came to see me and asked if I had time to take over the second season of 'The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot'."

Wen Zichong remained silent.

“That’s just how things are between Beijing and Taiwan. Once you post that Weibo post satirizing them, they’ll never use you again,” Lian Bei said. “Back then, Li Zhibai posted that Weibo post, and after that, you see how many times Beijing and Taiwan suppressed him. Lu Yanhe broke up with them, and a lot of stories happened in between.”

Wen Zichong: "This is really speechless. It's clearly their problem."

“That’s not important. What’s important is that we can’t go head-to-head with the behemoth that is Beijing and Taiwan unless you reach the level of Lu Yanhe,” Lian Bei said. “However, you directed ‘Seventeen Floors: Reboot,’ and the show is not unsuccessful now. For you, it’s a very impressive achievement on your resume.”

Wen Zichong asked, "What do you mean by me doing your project?"

“I need to focus my energy on other projects,” Lian Bei said. “But I have several projects in preparation with several platforms, so if you’d like, you can come and take a look and pick one to continue working on.”

Wen Zichong: "Okay, I'll come find you in a couple of days."

"Um."

-

Back then, Wen Zichong was recommended by Lian Bei to go to Beijing and Taiwan.

That's why Wen Zichong didn't even retain the final editing rights.

He was a director with limited influence.

However, Wen Zichong received such treatment in Beijing and Taiwan, including being directly eliminated because of this incident, which naturally angered Lian Bei as well.

Jiang Lan came to him and asked him to return to directing, but she didn't mention Wen Zichong at all.

Lian Bei sneered.

Despite this attitude, Jiang Lan did not feel that there was anything wrong with it.

Yes, those directors are too humble.

Especially directors who want to go it alone.

Even if Wen Zichong is just a "temporary worker", it doesn't mean he can just fire him.

It's chilling.

-

“We’re replacing Wen Zichong with Jingtai; he won’t be directing the second season,” Zhang Yuezhen told Chen Pinhe.

Chen Pinhe: "Replace Wen Zichong?"

He frowned.

Zhang Yuezhen asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen Pinhe: "The people inside the Beijing-Taiwan TV station edited episode 8 haphazardly, and ended up replacing Wen Zichong?"

“It was because of the Weibo post by Wen Zichong that caused a lot of controversy and led many people to criticize Beijing TV,” Zhang Yuezhen said. “His actions did indeed ignite public opinion, and now many people online are laughing at the show because of this.”

Chen Pinhe: "If they're going to replace Wen Zichong in the sequel, who are they planning to hire to direct?"

"I heard they wanted to find Lian Bei."

Upon hearing the name Lian Bei, Chen Pinhe's slightly furrowed brows relaxed.

"If it's him, then it's alright."

Zhang Yuezhen nodded.

“Lian Bei is indeed talented. Besides, he was the one who originally came up with the story of ‘The Seventeenth Floor’,” Zhang Yuezhen said. “Although Feng Qiyue is still the screenwriter for ‘The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot’, it does lack a bit of flavor compared to the previous three parts.”

Chen Pinhe: "Whether Lien Pei can return to directing depends on his own wishes."

Zhang Yuezhen said, "I'm going to find him and have a talk with him."

She suddenly smiled.

"I initially thought you wanted to protect Wen Zichong."

“We did have that idea, he is a very capable director,” Chen Pinhe said. “However, since it is possible to have Lian Bei come back to direct, Lian Bei is definitely better.”

Zhang Yuezhen: "Indeed, the director is not assertive enough. If something like episode 8 happens again, it will be a troublesome matter."

Chen Pinhe: "Now many people online know the truth about this, right?"

“Hmm.” Zhang Yuezhen nodded. “The people in Beijing and Taiwan probably thought that Wen Zichong had spread those rumors. I didn’t focus on clarifying your acting skills, but instead used Wen Zichong’s voice to explain why such an unprofessional thing happened. After the topic had been brewing for a day, I started to bring up the topic of ‘you were innocently implicated’.”

(End of this chapter)