Chapter 223 Meeting

The group soon arrived at the "Datang Light and Shadow Culture Company" and was greeted by Xie Wenyuan in person.

Xie Wenyuan was once a famous director, but he has not directed movies and TV shows in person for a long time. He has turned to behind-the-scenes operations and has become a well-known producer and producer in China. The company has multiple investors behind it. It is not only one of the best in China, but also has deep connections with Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia. It is said that it has cross-holdings with foreign entertainment groups.

Even Old Zhu doesn’t know much about the details. He only knows that Xie Wenyuan is roughly just a spokesperson.

But most of the matters can already be decided, especially those concerning normal shooting projects. There is no problem in saying that it can be decided on one word.

The so-called long time without any projects does not mean that the company has not been filming anything. The company and its various subsidiaries and studios are working in full swing on various film, television and animation projects, covering both large and small screens and online movies and dramas.

The "no project" specifically refers to Xie Wenyuan's own planning direction. They did look for a large-scale ancient costume fantasy production for a year or two, but they were never particularly satisfied with any. In fact, they had purchased some related IPs and asked their own screenwriters to write original scripts, but in the end they all failed to pass the review.

Chu Ge's book was not approved at first, until Lao Zhu intervened with capital, and then there seemed to be a sense of opportunity.

So why do we need so much deliberation, inspection and research? Many things only require key people to think about it...

It was obvious that Xie Wenyuan and Lao Zhu were very familiar with each other, so there was no need to exchange pleasantries and everyone went straight to Xie Wenyuan's office for tea.

Everyone sat down as host and guest. Xie Wenyuan made tea himself and said leisurely, "Tell me the truth. You haven't been involved in this business for so many years. Why are you suddenly putting so much effort into it? What is your relationship with Mr. Chu?"

Old Zhu smiled and said, "Friends of different ages."

Xie Wenyuan was slightly stunned.

He originally really thought that he was an illegitimate child or something like that, thinking that Old Zhu wanted to praise his nephew, but it was strange that he got the answer "friends regardless of age difference". It was really impossible to introduce nephews with such a word.

He looked at Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji with some regret, and sighed, "Is it really not that Mr. Chu and Miss Qiu want to debut?"

Old Zhu laughed: "I said no."

"What a pity." Xie Wenyuan said seriously, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not rejecting you by asking these questions. On the contrary, I'm looking forward to you two performing on your own."

"Huh?" Chugochi said, "We never learned acting."

"That's not important." Xie Wenyuan waved his hand: "How many of today's young actors do you think can act? Innocence is all that matters. When the time comes, the performance will rely on facial paralysis, the lines will be one, two, three, four, the fighting will have a stunt double, and everything else will be in post-production."

Chu Ge: “…”

Qiu Wuji: “…”

Chu Ge said: "My age is not compatible with Chu Tiange, he is a teenager..."

Xie Wenyuan continued to wave his hands: "People in their twenties or thirties can play children. The worst that can happen is that the ages in the original novel can be changed."

Chu Ge: “…”

"Oh, yes. Mr. Chu must not want to change it this way." Xie Wenyuan gave Qiu Wuji a cup of tea. "What about Miss Qiu? Mr. Chu's age may not be suitable, but Miss Qiu is perfect. Her image and temperament are almost like Qiu Wuji running out of a book, even her name is the same."

Chugo coughed dryly: "It was originally written based on her."

This is the result of something else.

But everyone thinks that's the case.

Qiu Wuji was not as cute and innocent in front of outsiders as she was in private with Chu Ge. She sat quietly beside Chu Ge since she entered the door, without saying a word, with a cold expression, and looked around with a somewhat indifferent gaze. That was a natural alertness and vigilance when being in "someone else's territory", which could not be changed after thousands of years of cultivation.

That image and temperament are really similar to Zhongqiu Wuji in the book. As for majesty and momentum, things like that often only require a change of clothes to create them.

She met Xie Wenyuan's gaze and said coldly: "No."

Just two words, that’s all.

Xie Wenyuan twitched his cheeks. Those who know you would say that you are Chu Ge’s assistant and girlfriend, while those who don’t would think that you are my boss.

Isn’t this really the autumn without end?

You don't even have to act, just go ahead and do it...

Chu Ge sighed: "Boss Xie, what we want is a drama that strives for perfection, not the kind that cuts out pictures and reports numbers, right? Besides, we have only just started, why are you talking about this..."

"It's just because I thought the image was so suitable. From the perspective of a director, I couldn't help it." Xie Wenyuan came back to his senses and smiled, "It's not that we are so talented. We will make rapid progress... In fact, many projects are tied to the confirmation of roles. Mr. Chu may not understand it very well. But when it comes to striving for excellence... it's true. Let's put this aside for later discussion."

Old Zhu watched their argument with a smile, and then he interrupted: "It seems that you take it very seriously? Are you even willing to take the photo yourself?"

"It's true that I'm a bit itchy." Xie Wenyuan said with a smile: "To be honest, this involves some internal disputes. Some management think that we shouldn't make any big productions in this year. Urban light comedies and workplace dramas have low costs and quick results. As for costume dramas, ancient love stories are more suitable."

Old Zhu groaned: "What they said is not wrong..."

Xie Wenyuan took a sip of tea and said calmly, "They do have their reasons for making money, and I don't want to argue about that. But I always wonder, don't people have to consider something else besides making money? For example... everyone here can understand Western fantasy stories, so when will our ancient martial arts heroes be able to be understood by them?"

Chu Ge stood up in awe and raised his glass, saying, "Thank you, Mr. President."

Even Qiu Wuji's expression softened a lot, and he felt that he liked the old man more.

Of course our immortal heroes are the best. Believe it or not, I will show them my flying sword!

Xie Wenyuan was not polite and accepted the respect.

After they finished their tea, Xie Wenyuan continued to fill Chu Ge's cup: "I have exchanged opinions with the Korean company on this matter... The boss there is a Chinese, and he has always been very interested in these things. He said that if I do well, he will try to increase the promotion in Japan and South Korea."

Chu Geqi asked, "Is it popular? I heard that some online novels have been translated into Japan and Korea. An author I know has also adapted a Korean comic... but he said the market is average."

"It's normal, it's because of the different climates... But compared to the West, Japan and South Korea are still closer to us, so it's not difficult to understand Xianxia and fantasy. As long as you are willing to put in the effort, you will be able to understand it sooner or later. If you are not willing to put in the effort, you will never be able to understand it."

Old Zhu gave a thumbs up: "Tsk, you sounded so noble. Why didn't I see that you had such great ideals before?"

"Haha... In the past, people had their own ideals. When they achieved their ideals, they had to have new ideals. That's all. In fact, filmmakers in the past have always thought this way, and they have never stopped."

"Well said." Old Zhu touched his chin, wondering what he was thinking about.

Xie Wenyuan said: "Since this project has such an attribute, it also triggered my desire to take charge of it. Others may not be able to express what I want. Because of this, communication with the author himself is very important."

Chu Ge felt more at ease: "Mr. Xie is thoughtful. What do you need me to cooperate with?"

"First of all, our initial plan is to release the comic adaptation first, and then translate it into Japanese and Korean to test the waters. To be honest, the results of the test will determine the direction of the film and television, including the investment and promotion efforts, and even the type of actors will produce different positioning." Xie Wenyuan's expression became serious: "I heard that you plan to draw it yourself? This is not a joke. If you can't afford it, you should find a well-known studio to complete it."

Chu Ge glanced at Qiu Wuji.

Qiu Wuji smiled slightly, then suddenly dipped his hand in tea and quickly drew a portrait on the coffee table.

It was actually painted upside down, so that Xie Wenyuan on the opposite side could see the portrait straight on.

This move alone made Xie Wenyuan exclaim "Huh".

As the portrait was completed, Xie Wenyuan couldn't even utter an "exclamation" and his expression was extremely solemn.

The simple painting of tea with just a few strokes allowed him to clearly see a determined young man, whose features resembled Chu Ge's, but younger and simpler, with a sharp look in his eyes that seemed to pierce through the table.

"Chu Tiange!" Xie Wenyuan whispered to himself. There was no need to ask. Anyone who had read the original work would immediately think of this name.

The painting skills themselves were very impressive, and they were in a completely different dimension from those of ordinary painters. More importantly, this strange combination of form and spirit was as if she had seen Chu Tiange before and was painting the portrait based on the real person.

Even if she had seen it, it was still amazing. Others hadn't seen it! Why did she think of it at first sight, that this was Chu Tiange?

————

PS: I’ve been having a bit of a writer’s block recently, so I’ll update more to get the hang of it!

(End of this chapter)