Chapter 98 is just a bunch of old houses...
Liu Chan came over and said that she had received many invitations from film crews who wanted to film in Qinghe Ancient Town.
“I rejected some of the unreliable ones outright,” he said, showing the materials to Lu Xiaoqi. “But a few of them look pretty good. They have famous directors, famous actors, and big investments. They should be a hit. Maybe we can get some free publicity.”
Unable to make a decision, he took it and let the boss see it himself.
Lu Xiaoqi took the phone. Indeed, the email address for the self-media department had received many emails from crew members. She skipped over the messy ones, such as those who didn't even plan to pay for the venue and were just making empty promises, saying that their ancient town would become popular as the show became a hit.
Lu Xiaoqi sneered. Her ancient town is already popular enough, okay? This freeloader should stay away from her.
She found the film crews Liu Chan had mentioned and watched them with great interest.
“This production team also approached Sister Zhao, wanting her to play the role of a concubine.” Liu Chan smiled and pointed to her, “Look, this is her. But didn’t you say that we can’t let Sister Zhao be associated with other labels, so I turned her down.”
Lu Xiaoqi nodded: "That's right."
The wave of Chang'e (moon goddesses) during the Spring Festival was enough to give her a headache.
Curious, she took a look at the film crew. It was a period drama, and the director and actors were quite famous, especially the male and female leads, who were both top-tier celebrities. Moreover, the producer who contacted her was quite polite and courteous, saying that they didn't have many scenes to film in the ancient town and were willing to cooperate with the town's opening hours, filming either at night or in the early morning. The price they offered was also very good, and they were even willing to have the actors in the drama promote Qinghe Ancient Town.
A very sincere attitude.
However, after thinking about it, Lu Xiaoqi still felt that opening it up to the production team would cause many inconveniences. She was about to tell Liu Chan to refuse it all, but then she suddenly changed her mind and started studying the drama.
"Do you think this show will be a hit?" she asked Liu Chan, stroking her chin.
Liu Chan: ......
He honestly replied, "It looks good on paper, but the current film and television market is a bit unpredictable."
“That’s true…” Lu Xiaoqi made the decision. “Go ask the producer if the role of the Imperial Concubine has been cast yet. If she’s willing to change the Imperial Concubine to the Empress, I’ll let Sister Zhao play the role, and we can even open the ancient town for them to film. If she’s not willing… then tell her that we can waive their location fee, but they have to cooperate with our operating hours and other requirements.”
Liu Chan opened her mouth wide: "Huh?!"
Lu Xiaoqi asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Did I not explain myself clearly?"
Liu Chan immediately took back her phone: "No, it's very clear. I'm talking to her now."
Lu Xiaoqi nodded in satisfaction: "Tell her that the Empress's role doesn't need to have many scenes, but it needs to be outstanding. If she is satisfied with the script, I would be willing to increase the investment."
Liu Chan gave an OK sign without expression, and only after he closed the door did his face reveal a mixture of shock and disbelief, a look unique to those who are just watching the drama unfold.
Wait, could it really be what he thinks?
His curiosity even led him to dash to the workshop behind Zone 7, where he found Su Jun researching water puppets and looked at him with great sympathy for a long time.
Su Jun was speechless: "What are you standing here for?"
"Brother, I'm just feeling sorry for you!" Liu Chan sighed. "Who would have thought that our boss actually likes women! No wonder you two have been dragging your feet for so long and are still like this."
Su Jun was stunned, his face full of black lines: "...Huh?!"
What nonsense is this kid spouting?!
"If she didn't like her, why would she go to such lengths to promote Sister Zhao?" Liu Chan became more and more agitated as she spoke. "Not only did she set up an MCN company for her, but she also spent money to get her on trending topics and remove them, and now she's going to spend money to promote her acting roles..."
If this isn't love....t.
After listening to his rapid-fire account of what had just happened, Su Jun's lips twitched a few times. Finally, she reminded him, "Did you contact the producer?"
Do you still have time to think nonsense here?
Liu Chan suddenly sprang to his feet: "Go, go! I'm going right now!"
Inside a film and television company in the capital city.
After hanging up the phone, the producer rushed into the director's office in a flurry of activity.
Director Tang was deep in thought, looking at the storyboard. The TV dramas he had directed in recent years had achieved excellent ratings and won numerous awards, making him a rare director in the industry who could balance commercial appeal and artistic merit.
This drama is the culmination of his efforts over the past few years; he put a lot of effort into making it.
When he heard the producer excitedly say that he wanted to change the role of the imperial concubine in the script to that of the empress, his brows immediately furrowed and he almost slammed his fist on the table: "Isn't this ridiculous? The script is already finished and we're about to start filming. And now you're telling me to change it? Besides, although this role doesn't have many scenes, it's very important."
The producer said with a sheepish grin, "Isn't this just changing the Imperial Concubine to the Empress? It's not a big deal."
Director Tang rolled his eyes: "This is a huge deal! Do you think the Imperial Concubine and the Empress would handle things the same way? Their motivations are completely different! If your identity is changed, I'll have to change several plot points later on, otherwise it will make no sense!"
"Director Tang, Director Tang, please don't rush!" The producer quickly pressed him down, lowered his voice, and put on a big smile. "Please let me finish! Changing the empress isn't the point. The point is—Qinghe Ancient Town is willing to add an extra investment to our drama!"
The director's anger came to an abrupt halt, as if it had been paused.
The producer smiled at him, but his eyes were actually blazing: "You know our show's budget went over budget, right? You know very well why, don't you?"
Director Tang's face immediately turned guilty.
Of course, it's because he insisted that the show be filmed on location, and that the set design and character styling couldn't be skimped on...
His attitude softened immediately, and he coughed lightly: "Really?"
"Really!" the producer pressed on. "They said they'll accept any changes to the character as long as they're satisfied. Don't worry, it's not about adding more scenes, it's just about making the Empress's character more exciting. Besides, haven't you been wanting to film in Qinghe Ancient Town? They're willing to open the location, but the filming time has to avoid their business hours."
The director fell silent.
He was indeed very optimistic about Qinghe Ancient Town. After seeing the video online, he immediately went to visit the town and spent seven or eight days there.
When he saw the morning mist enveloping the ancient town, he had already conceived which scenes could be filmed there; that was the place where the story he had imagined would take place!
Although the script is the most important part of a film or television drama, the visuals are also very important!
Director Tang scratched his head in frustration and paced back and forth in his office. On one hand, he was annoyed that his meticulously crafted script structure had been disrupted; on the other hand, he had access to a free, high-quality venue that could greatly enhance the final presentation of the series, as well as funding.
Artistic pursuits are certainly important, but even a skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients...
He let out a long, utterly helpless sigh: "...Let's revise it, let's get the scriptwriting team moving. The Empress... the Empress it is! By the way, that Zhao Yizhu, is she any good at acting?"
"What problems could there be? She's the lead actress in the dance drama, and your role isn't that big. You should be secretly happy to have someone willing to bring their own investment and not steal the lead role!" The producer instructed, "You must write out my role clearly. She can't just be a pretty face; she has to have some highlights, otherwise they won't accept it."
Director Tang waved his hand at him irritably: "Get out of here!"
I get annoyed just looking at him!
"No problem, get out there right away! But I'll personally oversee the script revisions." The producer beamed and immediately pulled out his phone. "I'll call them back right now."
Watching the producer run off happily, Director Tang finally felt a bit annoyed. He snorted and slammed the script on the table. After a while, he stared at the script and finally resignedly picked it up again.
He flipped to the passage about the Imperial Concubine, picked up a red pen, and heavily circled it, muttering, "Empress... you want something extravagant, huh? Then I'll write you dead at the end..."
Tragedy? That would be too spectacular! Driven by money, the scriptwriting team quickly revised the script. The new script was then sent to Lu Xiaoqi and Zhao Feiyan.
Lu Xiaoqi video-chatted with her and asked, "How do you feel?"
“I think it’s good,” Zhao Feiyan said confidently.
Whether the drama is good or not is another matter, but the character of the Empress is crazy and tragic, which is enough to leave a deep impression.
Lu Xiaoqi agreed with her and decisively decided, "Then let's vote!"
If the show does well, she might even make some money. Not to mention, Director Tang and the cinematographer he hired have excellent aesthetic skills; they'll definitely be able to film Qinghe Ancient Town beautifully.
Zhao Feiyan's gaze softened: "Xiao Lu, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
She felt that of all the summoned people, she was the most troublesome.
Lu Xiaoqi, however, didn't seem to care at all: "What's the big deal? We're practically family. Besides, you're the kind of person who can help by spending a little money. I wanted to help Dr. Zhang, but I didn't even know I could. And compared to what you've earned for the company, this amount of money is just a small sum. You've already sold yourself to me for the next few years."
The company she mentioned is her own MCN agency, and Zhao Feiyan has signed a five-year contract with it. If she weren't worried about being accused of selling herself into servitude, Zhao Feiyan would have preferred to sign a lifetime contract.
Hearing Lu Xiaoqi say that, she smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll work hard to make money for you from now on."
The script has been approved, but the film crew won't be able to start shooting until April.
In March, the Jiangnan region is shrouded in mist and all things are just beginning to awaken.
In the early morning, the thin veil of mist had not yet completely dissipated, gently entwining the outlines of the black tiles and white walls of Qinghe Ancient Town, rendering the upturned eaves and carved window frames in a dreamlike hue. The sunlight pierced through the mist, no longer the pale white of winter, but carrying a warm glow, slanting across the river and reflecting shimmering gold light onto the clear water.
People have begun to shed their heavy winter clothes and put on light spring outfits, preparing to go out for various spring outings.
A bus that had come from Shanghai stopped in the parking lot, and a group of chattering children, probably around ten years old, got off the bus. Accompanying them were six teachers, including a foreign teacher.
They are elementary school students from an international school in Shanghai.
"Attention everyone, we're about to enter Qinghe Ancient Town!" The teacher leading the group clapped her hands and waved her small flag. "Please remember: First, stay close to the group and don't leave! There are many alleys in the ancient town, and it's easy to get lost. Second, be careful! The stone paths are slippery, so be especially careful near the water! Third, be a good student; don't litter, don't make loud noise..."
All the children were wearing the same windbreakers and hats, looking up as they listened to the teacher speak, and answering in unison:
"Okay!"
The elementary school students were all very happy, except for a little boy with blond curly hair at the end of the line. He looked somewhat gloomy and out of place. He kept his head down and kicked at the pebbles on the ground with his toes, clearly not interested in the spring outing at all.
Foreign teacher Maggie quickly noticed his unusual behavior and kindly asked him in English, "Aiden, what are you thinking about? You seem a little quiet today. Aren't you interested in the old town?"
Aiden raised his eyelids to look at Maggie, then quickly lowered them again: "What's so fun about this place? It's just a bunch of old houses. I should have stayed in Shanghai and played football with my friends."
Maggie smiled and asked him, "This isn't an old house; it's a traditional ancient town in China, a water town in Jiangnan. It's very beautiful."
Aiden pursed his lips tightly, a hint of fear on his face: "But I've heard that places like this in the countryside are very dirty and dilapidated, and the toilets are terrible! I never want to go to a toilet like that in my life!"
Maggie frowned, somewhat amused and exasperated: "Where did you hear such a description?"
Aiden: "From the internet, of course."
Maggie was speechless. She thought of some of the widely circulated comments about China on the internet, such as that China is a very poor and backward country with poor public security, and that you have no freedom because the police are watching you every day. She was embarrassed to admit that she had been influenced by such a barrage of prejudiced and even completely defamatory comments before coming to China, and that made her very uneasy.
Aiden was just a child and had no ability to discern the truth.
She squatted down and looked at him seriously: "You've lived in Shanghai for a while now, do you think Shanghai is as you describe it?"
“Of course not!” Aiden shook his head. He liked Shanghai very much; it was bustling, convenient, and had lots of fun things to do. But he glanced at the street scene near the parking lot. There weren't many tall buildings in the area, which made him hesitate. “But this is just a very underdeveloped small county town…”
Maggie laughed and changed the subject: "I heard you lost when it came to nominating destinations?"
Aiden turned his head away in dissatisfaction: "That's because they're all bored! That's why they chose such a boring place!"
Maggie stood up and ruffled his curly hair. "Aiden, you have to experience this world for yourself, little by little. You have to use your eyes and your heart to judge whether it's really boring or not. Okay, they've all moved on. Aren't you going to keep up?"
Aiden then quickly followed.
Maggie shrugged. "That Aiden kid, he's just saying one thing and meaning another."
Aiden is of mixed race; his mother is of Chinese descent, and his father is British. However, he grew up in the United States and has now come to China with his father's work. He belongs to the typical elite group and is a global citizen.
Aiden joined their class at the end of last year. He didn't get along very well with his classmates, but Maggie felt that deep down he actually longed to play with his friends, otherwise he wouldn't have come along this time.
Aiden was spoiled growing up, which made him somewhat arrogant and he wasn't good at making friends. He also tended to offend people easily when he spoke.
Just like the destination we agreed on for this spring outing.
The story begins about two weeks ago.
The teacher stood on the podium: "For the spring outing at the end of this month, everyone can brainstorm and nominate your ideal destinations. We'll officially decide on them during the class meeting on Friday. But I must remind you, we only have three days, so don't even think about going abroad."
The students in the audience wailed:
"Three days is hardly a fun time anywhere, is it?"
"Exactly, I'd rather stay home and play games!"
"The teacher has requested two more days, so let's go somewhere a bit further away."
"Yes, I want to go to Europe!"
"We can't manage in four or five days in Europe, let's go to Japan instead!"
The teacher tapped on the desk, a half-smile on his face: "Why don't you all just say we should take a two-week break and go to Antarctica?"
Someone shouted from below, "My parents took me there!"
Teacher: ...Damn it! She's going to fight these rich kids to the death!
She put on a stern face: "Alright, let's not talk about these unreliable places anymore. You have three days. Is there a problem finding a place within two hours by high-speed rail?"
The students' enthusiasm was dampened, and they answered sparsely, "No problem!"
After the teacher left, they started discussing where to go.
"Let's go to Beijing, I want to go to Universal Studios."
“Disney, we can spend three days at Disney, I don’t mind.”
"I want to go to Hong Kong; it's only a three-hour flight there."
"Let's go to Japan. It's not far to fly there. I want to go to Tokyo Disneyland."
These elementary school students all come from wealthy and privileged families; even on a small spring outing, the places they mention are anything but ordinary. Until one child raises his hand:
"How about we go to Qinghe Ancient Town? It's not far from the high-speed rail station."
Everyone paused for a moment, seemingly considering this place for the first time, but someone quickly retorted, "Never heard of this place before, what kind of rural area is this?"
It was Aiden who spoke.
A girl explained to him in a soft voice, "Aiden, you went back to England for the Chinese New Year, so you didn't see the videos and trending topics here. Qinghe Ancient Town is a new scenic spot, and it's very beautiful."
“Yes, yes!” the chubby boy who had made the suggestion earlier chimed in. “I went there with my parents during the Chinese New Year, and it was really fun.”
He started telling his friends about the beautiful scenery, the amazing performances and fireworks he saw, how he released sky lanterns, and the exciting and fun VR games. He'd actually told these stories many times since returning to school after the Spring Festival...
Aiden couldn't help but retort, "You've said that so many times already."
He wasn't this excited even when he went back to America for Chinese New Year! And so-and-so wasn't this excited even when they went to Antarctica!
The chubby boy smiled sheepishly: "That really is a lot of fun! And let me tell you, the VR experience center there is definitely the best in the world!"
The chubby boy was very excited.
Aiden couldn't stand his exaggerated description. He crossed his arms and smirked, "Number one in the world? Don't be ridiculous."
The chubby boy was interrupted and a little unhappy: "Why not? Have you ever played it?"
"Of course I haven't played what you're talking about," Aiden said proudly, with a condescending tone. "But this time when I went back to America, my dad took me to The Void, which is a truly top-notch VR experience, an immersive experience!"
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he became even more proud and launched into a long speech: "Do you know what redirected walking is? It's walking in a very small space, but it feels like you're running a marathon."
"We'll be wearing special vests, so when a monster hits you, your back will really hurt! And there are environmental effects, cold wind, fog... that's what you call realistic! I guess what you're talking about is at best a... um... a slightly more upscale arcade compared to that."
His Chinese wasn't good, so he ended up using the English word for "game room," which made it sound even more contemptuous.
The chubby boy's face turned bright red.
His proudest experience was belittled to nothing, especially in front of so many classmates!
He retorted, his neck stiff with arrogance: "You're bragging! You've never even been here! How do you know it's not as good as yours? The ones I've been to don't even need to wear vests, there's no cold wind, no fog, and there are floods too, and, and..." He spoke quickly, then suddenly stopped, "Anyway, it's definitely much better than what you've seen!"
Aiden, as if his tail had been stepped on, raised his voice, "Even my dad praised it, that's real skill! What you guys have here is definitely just imitation!"
"You don't understand!" The chubby boy was completely enraged, his little fists clenched. "Our VR center is the best! You, you, you're just a little foreigner! You think the moon is brighter in foreign countries than in China!"
When children get angry, they often say things without thinking.
"I didn't!" Aiden immediately denied, but his voice was a little weak. He did subconsciously feel that things from abroad were more advanced. "I'm just stating the facts! The best VR experience centers aren't even here!"
"The truth is you're talking nonsense! Ours is the best! If you're not convinced, go try it yourself later! I'd like to see if you're scared to tears!" the chubby boy shouted.
"Let's give it a try! Who's afraid of who!" Aiden was also provoked, his neck stiff. "If it's not as good as you say, then you're just a braggart!"
"You're the one who's a foreign worshipper!" The chubby boy forgot that he was originally a foreigner.
"You're the one who's ignorant!"
The two children were like two fighting cocks, talking back and forth, their voices getting louder and louder, their faces turning red.
The surrounding classmates gathered around, some to watch the commotion, others to support the chubby boy, since they had known each other for a long time, while Aiden was just a transfer student who had only arrived last year. Moreover, they had all watched many videos about Qinghe Ancient Town and already had a good impression of it.
"Exactly, Aiden, you haven't even been there, so what makes you think it's bad?"
"Li Mingxuan went there during the Chinese New Year, so what he said must be true!"
"Aiden, you're too arrogant!"
Aiden saw that almost all of his classmates were siding with Li Mingxuan, criticizing him all at once, and a surge of resentment welled up inside him. He felt that he had only spoken the truth, so why was everyone targeting him?
He clearly saw something better! Why doesn't anyone believe him?
He was overwhelmed by a strong feeling of being misunderstood and isolated.
His blond hair fell down, partially obscuring his eyes, and his eyes quickly reddened, but he stubbornly bit his lower lip, trying hard not to let the tears fall. He stomped his foot and roared at Li Mingxuan and the people around him, "You...you all don't understand! A bunch of ignorant bumpkins!"
After yelling, he couldn't hold back any longer. He pushed aside the classmate blocking his way and rushed out of the classroom without looking back.
The chubby Li Mingxuan stumbled after being pushed, and watching Aiden run away, he was also panting heavily with anger: "Hmph! Can't take a loss, so you run away! Coward!"
The outcome was unsurprising: everyone chose Qinghe Ancient Town as their spring outing destination.
Aiden didn't want to come, but his parents insisted that he come, arguing that since he and his classmates had different opinions on the matter, he should at least go and see for himself whether his opinion was correct.
Aiden agreed.
At that moment, watching his classmates walking ahead, Aiden sniffed but remained silent. He kept his head down, silently following Maggie back to the group, only this time kicking the pebbles with more force, a surge of resentment welling up inside him.
"Hmph! I'll definitely find out all the flaws in that VR arcade later and prove to everyone that I'm right!"
A group of children, once inside the ancient town, were like wild horses running free. On a spring outing with their friends, everything seemed beautiful and fun:
"Wow, look at the fish in the water, they're so beautiful! I want to feed them!"
"Teacher, teacher, shall we go on a boat trip?"
"Wow, they're selling flowers on this boat! The flower seller is so pretty, I want to take a picture with her."
They surrounded the peddler selling various trinkets, wanting this and that, each buying at least three or four items, displaying considerable wealth. If the teacher hadn't stopped them, their backpacks would probably have been stuffed full within five minutes of them entering.
Maggie followed Aiden, smiling, and asked him, "What do you think? Aren't these old houses beautiful?"
Aiden turned his face away and didn't say anything, but Maggie noticed that his ears were a little red. She found it amusing, but let it go and started taking pictures with her phone, preparing to post them on Instagram later.
China is truly beautiful.
Thanks to her constant promotion, her former friends are now planning to travel to China.
Aiden looked at the surrounding river and the buildings on both sides, and had to admit, well... it was quite beautiful.
The water was very clear, like the transparent blue-green jelly he had eaten, and you could even see the aquatic plants and koi below.
Along the riverbanks, the willow branches have long since broken free from winter's constraints, with tender green buds dotting the soft branches like stars; a few early-blooming peach trees are already a pink blush, while the cherry and plum trees appear much more reserved, their branches adorned with swollen buds, just waiting for a warm breeze or a light rain to burst into full bloom.
And there were also many women wearing beautiful long dresses taking pictures.
Aiden suddenly felt that this scene was very similar to the springtime oil paintings that his parents had taken him to see at the art museum.
It wasn't at all the dirty, old place I had imagined.
Since arriving in China, Aiden, who has been living in the central area of Shanghai, has never seen such a scene of pure Eastern aesthetics, and he was simply dazzled.
However, his pride led him to remain silent.
Children are unpredictable; they play here and look at there, and before they even reached the VR arcade, they were at the dining area. The teachers simply led them to Zone 5. They had done their research beforehand and knew that Zone 5 had a casual dining area where multiple people could sit down and eat together.
The food was simple, but it tasted pretty good, and the elementary school students ate happily. After finishing their meal, they all raised their hands to indicate that they needed to use the restroom.
Aiden started to get nervous.
But he was a smart kid. Since everything he had heard before was different from what he had heard, did that mean the toilet was different too?
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