You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my patreon, and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
When Lu Chen returned to Jinling once again, the sky was drizzling with rain.
The light rain veiled the city like mist, making this ancient yet modern city exceptionally beautiful in the rain. It was gentle, graceful, and lingering, like an elegant lady from the Tang or Song dynasty quietly awaiting his arrival.
This feeling was difficult to put into words.
Lu Chen checked into the same five-star hotel near the Jinling Film and Television City as last time.
The crew of "Autumn in My Heart" had already assembled in the film and television city several days ago, waiting only for the actors to arrive to begin shooting.
As one of China's top three film and television cities, Jinling Film and Television City boasted impeccable facilities. Any film crew coming here didn't need to worry about accommodation, food, or transportation; the film and television city took care of everything.
Previously, shooting a TV series with around 40 episodes often took a year or even longer. Now, shooting two episodes of a weekend drama in a week was considered normal speed. If post-production didn't require special effects, shooting completed this week meant appearing on television screens the next week, a highly efficient pace.
Of course, this was under ideal conditions. Unexpected situations often occurred during shooting, and coordinating with the television station required advance scheduling of broadcast times.
In the business suite of the hotel, Lu Chen first met Chen Feier, who had arrived a day earlier, Sister Li, and her precious son, Zhang Junzhi.
In "Autumn in My Heart," Lu Chen played the male protagonist, while Zhang Junzhi portrayed him in his youth. Little Shu Ge, as Zhang Junzhi was affectionately known, had just turned 15 years old, standing at 1.70 meters tall, bearing a striking resemblance to his father.
As he grew taller, he would undoubtedly become an idol who could captivate countless young girls!
Sister Li was visibly proud of her son.
"Oh!"
Zhang Junzhi was outgoing and not the least bit shy. Upon seeing Lu Chen, he immediately exclaimed in surprise, setting aside the tablet he was playing with and running over.
With a cheerful smile, he bowed to Lu Chen, "Brother Chen, hello!"
Sister Li chided, "Why call him brother? You should call him uncle!"
Lu Chen chuckled, "Sister Li, I'm not that old, call me brother!"
He nodded with a smile at Zhang Junzhi, "Hello, Zhang Junzhi."
Proudly, Zhang Junzhi gestured victory to his mother and eagerly said, "Brother Chen, I want to learn martial arts from you, and also guitar. You play guitar so well! Oh, and I want to know how you won Feier Sister over!"
Before he could finish, Chen Feier grabbed his ear.
The Heavenly Queen chuckled coldly later, "Xiao Zhi, you're mischievous again. It seems like Sister hasn't disciplined you enough?"
Zhang Junzhi grinned sheepishly, "Sister Feier, I know I was wrong."
Chen Feier had a great relationship with Sister Li and treated Zhang Junzhi like a little brother. However, this little brother was quite mischievous, and Sister Li spoiled him greatly, so sometimes she had to intervene.
Lu Chen nodded, "No problem learning guitar from me, but first, you need to do well in the filming."
Chen Feier let go of his ear, and Zhang Junzhi rubbed his red ear, promising, "Brother Chen, you can rest assured. I've done commercials and stage plays before; I won't let you down!"
Lu Chen smiled, "Then it's a deal."
Sister Li said seriously, "Lu Chen, don't spoil him like me. If he does something wrong, criticize him without considering my relationship."
Although Sister Li doted on Zhang Junzhi, she wasn't overly indulgent. Zhang Junzhi loved singing and acting, destined to enter the entertainment industry, so she took his education in this aspect very seriously.
For a celebrity idol to thrive in the show business community, networking was crucial. While she could support her son, Zhang Junzhi would ultimately have to walk his own path.
No one likes a spoiled child, and the world doesn't revolve around anyone!
So, this time, Sister Li used Chen Feier's connections to place Zhang Junzhi in the "Autumn in My Heart" film crew, paving the way for him while also toughening him up.
Lu Chen smiled, "Alright, but it depends on the director."
Chen Feier suggested, "Let's go meet Director Fang together."
Ultimately, Lu Chen recommended Director Fang Hui for "Autumn in My Heart."
The collaborating company Qiande Brothers Pictures had originally coveted this position quite a bit. They had several directors under contract, but in the end, they still chose to respect Lu Chen's opinion.
As a return favor, the majority of the key supporting roles and minor parts were filled by actors signed under Qiande Brothers or recommended by their affiliates.
In a TV drama, there are usually dozens, sometimes even hundreds, of characters. Countless people vie for even just a background role with a few lines, so the stakes are high. Especially in big productions led by renowned directors, getting involved is like laying hands on Tang Monk's flesh (i.e., unimaginably valuable).
Originally, if Lu Chen had been financing and directing the project all by himself, not many people might have shown interest. But once it was announced that Chen Fei'er would star as the female lead, and the topic began trending on blogs, calls started flooding into Lu Chen's studio from entertainment agencies and actors, more than they could handle.
But they were bound to be disappointed, because this time, almost none of the opportunities would be given to outsiders.
The group left the hotel and headed to the "Group Arts Village" inside the Film & TV City.
The Group Arts Village was essentially an apartment-style hotel complex for film crews.
Though it couldn't compare to a five-star hotel in terms of luxury, it was fully equipped and budget-friendly.
Qiande Brothers Pictures was no stranger to shooting in Jinling's Film & TV City.
They were very familiar with the place and had already completed all the preparations.
They had booked out two floors of the building to serve as the crew's headquarters, ready to get to work at any time.
In the "headquarters" meeting room, Lu Chen met Director Fang Hui, as well as the supporting actors playing the teenage Yin Enxi, Han Taixi, Cui Xin'ai, Shen Youmei, and others.
Fang Hui was visibly delighted to see Lu Chen.
When she first received Lu Chen's call inviting her to direct Autumn in My Heart, she could hardly believe it.
Fang Hui and Lu Chen weren't close and had no deep friendship, they had merely collaborated on an MV before.
Although they had said back then that they hoped to work together again in the future, everyone knew that was just a polite formality.
So, when she learned that the heroine of the drama would be Chen Fei'er, she really felt like a meat pie had fallen from the sky right into her lap.
As a director, Fang Hui had a bit of a name in the industry, but she wasn't in the top tier by any means. She was on the same level as a second- or third-tier celebrity, somewhat in demand, but no one would pay big money to court her.
With Chen Fei'er's level of fame, she could easily attract a top-tier director.
So when Fang Hui realized Lu Chen wasn't joking, she agreed without hesitation, not even negotiating her director's fee, because this kind of opportunity was just too rare.
Especially after reading the script of Autumn in My Heart, she felt even luckier.
Fang Hui really liked the story.
In addition to Fang Hui and the actors, there were also other key personnel present:
Qiande Pictures' head producer, talent agency manager, assistant directors, camera crew, including Lu Yi, who had worked with Lu Chen before.
For this drama, Qiande Pictures had gone all in, even pausing another TV drama project to focus entirely on shooting Autumn in My Heart.
Lu Yi enthusiastically introduced the other actors to Lu Chen.
The actress playing the teenage Yin Enxi was Ye Mingmei, just 14 years old.
She was graceful and delicate in appearance and still a third-year junior high school student. Her father had a close relationship with the CEO of Qiande Pictures, which is how she was recommended for the role.
In contrast to the lively and mischievous Zhang Junzhi, Ye Mingmei was a true model student, soft-spoken and shy. She blushed as she greeted Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er, looking especially adorable.
Chen Fei'er took a liking to her immediately, holding her hand and chatting warmly.
The first male supporting role, Han Taixi, was played by Hu Yang, a newly debuted artist under Qiande Pictures. He was two years younger than Lu Chen and dressed with the polished flair of a wealthy heir, perfectly fitting his role in the drama as a trendy young idol.
However, in front of Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er, he showed no arrogance, just polite respect.
Because he understood very clearly who truly held the reins in this production.
The actresses for Cui Xin'ai and Shen Youmei were also handpicked by Qiande Pictures. Though they weren't well-known in the entertainment world, they had solid acting experience.
There were also a few minor actors, some recommended by Sister Li, others placed due to Qiande's internal connections.
With Lu Chen's arrival, the crew was now fully assembled, and they held a brief meeting.
The meeting covered the opening ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, the shooting schedule, and also broadcast arrangements.
Thanks to the buzz generated online, multiple networks had approached Lu Chen's workshop, Chen Fei'er's team, and Qiande Pictures. These included big stations like Capital City TV, Haijin TV, and Zhedong TV, along with four or five mid-sized ones.
Qiande's recommendation was to select two strong and sincere networks for the initial broadcast. They were fine with a lower price, as long as the show would air during prime time, placing profit emphasis on reruns and syndication.
The meeting lasted a little over an hour.
Afterwards, Lu Chen, Chen Fei'er, and Sister Li returned to the hotel, but Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er quietly snuck out again.
(End of Chapter)