Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

Chapter 483: Chapter 270: Life is so hard, is God’s hometown also a fellow countryman?_2

“`

“Asshole.”

Xu Qingyan didn’t know that the doll took a punch that could shatter the heavens and the earth for him; he was smug about snagging a Meituan coupon for twelve yuan.

Although he rarely ordered takeout, he always had the habit of treating others to drinks.

In the afternoon, the airport.

Xu Qingyan met the up-and-coming director, Wei Wufeng, whose name exuded dominance. True to his name, the man looked tall, thin, and fair-skinned, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.

Dressed like a scholarly ruffian, he looked professional.

“Hello,” Xu Qingyan stepped forward to shake hands, taking the initiative, “I’m Xu Qingyan, welcome to Xinghai.”

“Mhm, Wei Wufeng.”

Xu Qingyan thought it was a good name; it would definitely suit a protagonist in a horror film. Someone like Zhang Qiling—cool, handsome, a man of few words, but quick to handle affairs.

Before this meeting, he had specifically looked up Wei Wufeng’s background and credentials. Wei Wufeng had grown up on film sets, deeply influenced by his father Wei Darui, following in his footsteps.

After graduating from college, he became a director, shooting serious dramas like “The Aristocrats” and “Edge of Life and Death”, as well as low-budget comedies like “Hutong Neighbors”.

He wasn’t considered a top-notch director, but he was definitely capable enough to handle sitcoms. With similar experience under his belt, he could start working immediately after a little familiarization.

Compared to other high-and-mighty directors, Wei Wufeng was truly more in line with Xu Qingyan’s requirements. Moreover, one of the reasons Xiao Shujun highly recommended Wei Wufeng was…

Responsibility! He was truly responsible, and he would never skimp on his work.

But what if he wasn’t up to the task?

Xu Qingyan clearly remembered that Xiao Shujun couldn’t contain her laughter upon hearing this question. It was as if she’d heard the funniest joke, but Xu Qingyan didn’t find it amusing at the time.

“If he’s not enough…” Xiao Shujun smiled, “then you’re really in luck, because he could get those unreachable people with just a phone call.”

The power of a father’s name, indeed a timeless classic.

He didn’t dare to lead the man to the company, so they sat down in a decent coffee shop instead. Young Mr. Wei looked rather aloof, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

He showed no signs of fatigue after the flight, still looking sharp and energetic.

Seeing this, Xu Qingyan grew even more excited; this director seemed like the perfect person to pull all-nighters on a film set. Directing was also physically demanding, and he would certainly work tirelessly on set.@@novelbin@@

Wei Wufeng was somewhat indifferent, appearing a bit uninterested in Xu Qingyan’s enthusiasm.

“Mr. Xu, let’s take a look at the script first.”

“Oh, oh, I almost forgot.” Xu Qingyan chuckled and pulled the script out of his bag. It was his first time meeting someone who preferred to look at the script before discussing salary. Of course, it could also mean that he was not that into it.

However, Xiao Shujun had assured him: Wei Wufeng owed her a favor. No matter how bad the script was, the other party wouldn’t bail; he would definitely complete the shoot.

Wei Wufeng looked at the script handed to him and frowned slightly.

“The Legend of Martial Arts”?

“What’s wrong?” Xu Qingyan noticed the other’s reluctance and couldn’t help but smirk, “It mainly tells the story of a group of martial arts experts and their lives after retiring from the martial world.”

“Martial arts experts retiring?” Wei Wufeng’s expression darkened as if someone had put a spiral intestine dish in front of him.

Without trying it, he wouldn’t be able to comment, but if he did, he would have fallen into the other’s trap. Moreover, as a director, he couldn’t simply refuse the shoot.

Not to flip through it was out of the question, and once he did, he’d have to hold his nose to judge how diluted the contents were. In an instant, Wei Wufeng felt a bit overwhelmed.

“Don’t jump to conclusions, you’ll see after you read it,” Xu Qingyan said, smiling.

Wei Wufeng felt even more distraught, “Generally speaking, martial arts dramas have little market now. The sitcom market is also shrinking, and the chances of not making a loss are very low.”

“Mhm, I know, but with Director Wei here, I believe we can break even,” Xu Qingyan seemed to have no sensitivity to the words ‘making a loss’ whatsoever.

Wei Wufeng didn’t know whether the other was playing dumb or was genuinely oblivious. The entire film and TV industry of Xia Country was downsizing, and yet here was this fool charging in.

Could this guy be a coal baron? If he hadn’t looked up Xu Qingyan’s identity beforehand, Wei Wufeng would have thought he was just a rich, naive second-generation coal tycoon.

He had never met one, but he’d heard from his father. Coal barons were the most carefree when it came to producing movies and TV dramas. As long as they could get with an actress, they were willing to pay enough.

“`

What’s crucial is that the actress was stuffed in by a coal tycoon, simply to wrap a whole meal of dumplings just for a dish of vinegar. The promise was an investment of tens of millions, and he really delivered ten million.

Not only was he quick to pay the money, but he also didn’t inquire about anything.

Wei Wufeng had countless times heard his old man reminisce about that wildly growing era, when coal tycoons were irreplaceable white moonlight at the core of his own father’s heart.

He acknowledged that he had no way to travel back in time to be born before his own dad. Just thinking about such filial piety was enough to get excommunicated from the family tree.

Luckily, to be born into this world is to be graced with trials and tribulations—there were no coal tycoons, but there was the Nine Turns Intestine.

Wei Wufeng couldn’t remember how many cringe-worthy scripts he had seen since he entered the film industry; things like chasing one’s wife to a crematorium and going back to laugh while washing underwear was child’s play.

For example, plots where the heroine was pregnant with the child of both the hero and the villain, or where the heroine had only three minutes left in her college entrance exam and hadn’t finished, but the hero managed to extend the exam time.

Unable to stand it, he eventually went back to his old man to make serious dramas, but even those had been lukewarm in the past two years. After some thought, he realized that he could only come out to shoot commercial dramas.

Life isn’t just about scrabbling for existence in the present, there’s also making do in the future.

“Not necessarily, my skills are limited,” Wei Wuji didn’t say anything nice, opened the first page of the script, and found it wasn’t too outrageous at a glance.

So he continued to read on, and reading it was a big mistake—he was solidly gripped by it.

The first scene was “The Male and Female Villains Descend, the Seven Heroes Arrive to Defend The Town,” setting the tone with the terror of the male and female villains. The arrest officer fled, leaving everyone in danger.

At night, Tong Xiangyu, the Shopkeeper of the Tongfu Inn, and the staff sat around in the hall, where she cautioned everyone to be careful. Bai Zhantang was dismissive and began to boast.

“Back when I was roaming the Jianghu…”

With a bang, there was a noise on the roof.

The group scattered like birds and beasts in an instant, except for Tong Xiangyu, who remained seated at the table, looking up and assessing the situation, with each person delivering an average of two lines of dialogue.

In just a moment, the waiter, the cook, the Shopkeeper’s young maiden, the widow Tong Xiangyu, and the calculating Scholar’s characters were vividly sketched out.

Professionals reveal their expertise with a single action.

Wei Wufeng was inwardly shocked, it took only a few seconds for him to close the script. He lifted his gaze to Xu Qingyan, furrowing his brow troubledly, and after a moment of indecision, he asked.

“Sister Jun said… this script was written by Mr. Xu?”

“Mhm.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Wufeng took a deep breath and said.

“I’ll take this job.”

“Ah?” Xu Qingyan thought to himself whether this guy could still back out but still politely said, “But Director Wei, you haven’t even read the script for a few minutes.”

“No need to read further, I take back what I said earlier,” Wei Wufeng said earnestly, “Although the market for situational comedies is indeed shrinking, this script by Mr. Xu definitely won’t lose money.”

“Not bad, a small investment,” Xu Qingyan said, “But the situation is a bit awkward at the moment, we have a script and a director, but what we lack are some actors.”

“How many are missing?” Wei Wufeng asked.

“About four or five. We’ve confirmed one so far, would you like to take a look?” Xu Qingyan took out Li Liangxing’s information and handed it over for Wei Wufeng to review.

“Let’s meet another day, but I’m used to using my own familiar directorial team,” Wei Wufeng said, “As for cinematographers and the like, Mr. Xu can decide.”

“No problem, all that can be discussed,” Xu Qingyan was exceedingly cooperative.

Suddenly Wei Wuji interjected, “I can help you find actors, regarding the salary…”

After talking for an entire afternoon, they were stuck on actors.

It was mainly because Xu Qingyan’s budget was not high, and Wei Wufeng said he needed to go back and think it over. Thus, the conversation was suspended, and Xu Qingyan could only send Wei Wufeng to the hotel to rest.

The next day, Zhou Mian arrived.

Straight from the airport, the first words he said upon getting in the car made it hard for Xu Qingyan to keep a straight face.

“Brother Xu, life is so bitter, is the Good Lord’s hometown listed on the household registry?”

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