Perfect Superstar

Chapter 235 – Zhang Junzhi

When Lu Chen arrived in Jinling again, rain was falling from the sky.

The drizzle was misty and hazy, making this ancient yet modern city look particularly beautiful in the rain. It was gentle, elegant, and lingering, as if it was an elegant lady from the Tang and Song dynasties who was quietly waiting for his arrival.

This feeling is difficult to describe in words.

Lu Chen stayed at the same five-star hotel near the Jinling Film and Television City as last time.

The crew of “Autumn in My Heart” had already gathered in this film and television city several days ago, waiting for the actors to arrive so they could begin filming.

Jinling Film and Television City, as one of the three major film and television cities in China, has excellent facilities and services. Any film crew that comes here doesn’t need to worry about food, accommodation, or transportation. The film and television city takes care of all the logistical concerns.

In the past, filming a TV series with thirty to forty episodes often took a year or even longer. Now, it is considered normal for a weekend drama to film two episodes in a week. If there is no need for special effects in post-production, the filming can be completed in one week, and the episodes can appear on TV screens the following week. The efficiency is very high.

Of course, this is the ideal situation because while filming one often encounters unexpected situations, and the television station also needs to arrange the broadcast schedule in advance.

In the business suite of the hotel, Lu Chen first met Chen Feier, who had arrived a day earlier than him, as well as Sister Li and her precious son, Zhang Junzhi.

“Autumn in My Heart” is the title of this drama. Lu Chen plays the male protagonist, while Zhang Junzhi portrays the male character when he was in his youth. This handsome young boy just turned 15 years old this year and stands at a height of 1.70 meters. He bears a resemblance to his father, for at least seventy percent.

If he grows taller and matures a bit more, undoubtedly, he will become an idol capable of captivating countless young girls!

Sister Li is clearly very proud of her son.

“Ah!”

Zhang Junzhi has an outgoing personality and he showed no trace of shyness. As soon as he saw Lu Chen, he immediately shouted with excitement, as he abandoned the tablet he was playing with to run over.

He greeted Lu Chen with a big smile and a bowed: “Hello, Brother Lu Chen!”

Sister Li scolded him, “Why are you calling him brother? You should call him uncle!”

Lu Chen wryly smiled and said, “Sister Li, I’m not that old. It’s better to call me brother!”

He nodded and smiled at Zhang Junzhi, while saying, “Hello, Zhang Junzhi.”

Zhang Junzhi proudly made a victory gesture towards his mother, and then couldn’t wait to say, “Brother Lu Chen, I want to learn martial arts from you, and I also want to learn guitar from you. You play the guitar so well. Also, I want to know how you managed to win over Sister Feier… Ouch!”

Before he could finish his words, Chen Feier twisted his ear.

The Heavenly Queen sneered, “Little Zhi, you’re acting mischievous again. It seems like your sister’s education wasn’t enough for you?”

Zhang Junzhi grinned with a pained face, “Sister Feier, I know I was wrong…”

Chen Feier has an excellent relationship with Sister Li and treats Zhang Junzhi like he is her younger brother.

However, this younger brother is very naughty, and Sister Li spoils him a lot, so sometimes Chen Feier can’t stand it and has to discipline him.

One thing led to another, so now Zhang Junzhi is fearless of everything except Chen Feier.

Lu Chen nodded, “It’s fine if you want to learn guitar from me, but first, you have to do well in acting.”

Chen Feier released her grip on his ear, and Zhang Junzhi rubbed his reddened ear. He patted his chest and said, “Brother Chen, don’t worry, I’ve done commercials and acted in plays. I promise not to disappoint you!”

Lu Chen smiled, “Then it’s a deal.”

Sister Li said solemnly, “Lu Chen, don’t spoil him like I do. If he deserves punishment, give it to him. If he does something wrong, criticize him without considering my relationship with him.”

Although Sister Li loves Zhang Junzhi, she isn’t the kind of person who indulged him excessively. Zhang Junzhi loves singing and acting, and he is destined to enter the entertainment industry, so Sister Li is actually very serious in disciplining him in this regard.

For a star idol who wants to thrive in the industry networking is crucial. While she can certainly support her own son, in the end, Zhang Junzhi will have to pave his own way.

No one likes a spoiled child, and the world doesn’t revolve around anyone!

So, this time, Sister Li utilized her connections to Chen Feier to get Zhang Junzhi casted into this drama.” This is both to pave the way for him and to temper and train him.

Lu Chen smiled and said, “Okay, but it will still depend on the director.”

Chen Feier then said, “Let’s go meet Director Fang together.”

In the end, Fang Hui, who was recommended by Lu Chen was chosen as the director of “Autumn in My Heart”.

The co-production company, Qian De Brothers Studio, had its eyes on this position. They have several directors under contract, but in the end, they respected Lu Chen’s choice.

In return, most of the other important supporting and minor roles were chosen from the recommendations by the Qian De Brothers Studio and their related stakeholders.

A TV drama can have dozens or even hundreds of roles, and many people want even a small role with just a few lines. There are a lot of significant interests at stake.

Especially for those TV dramas directed by renowned directors and big studios, it’s just like a piece of juicy meat.

If Lu Chen had only self-funded and self-produced this drama, perhaps not many people would have been interested. However, since the announcement of Chen Feier as one of the lead roles on the blog, the entertainment agencies and actors calling Lu Chen’s studio increased significantly.

However, they were destined to be disappointed as this time the benefits would not flow into outsiders’ hands.

The group left the hotel and arrived at the Qunyi Village, owned by the film and television city.

The Qunyi Village in Jinling Film and Television City is actually a hotel in the form of apartments, providing accommodation for the visiting film crews. Although its conditions are definitely not comparable to five-star hotels, the advantage of it lies in the variety of facilities that are very well-equipped, and also the prices are affordable.

Qian De Brothers Studio is not filming in Jinling Film City for the first time, so they are familiar with all aspects and have already completed all the preparations. They have rented two floors as the headquarters for the film crew and can start working at any time.

In the conference room of the headquarters, Lu Chen saw director Fang Hui, as well as the actors who play important supporting roles such as the young girl Yin Enxi, Han Taixi, Cui Xinai, and Shen Youmei.

Fang Hui was also very happy to see Lu Chen.

She couldn’t believe it when she received Lu Chen’s call for the first time, inviting her to direct “Autumn in My Heart”. Fang Hui and Lu Chen were not very close and didn’t have a deep relationship; they had only collaborated on a one music video.

Although they had mentioned the possibility of working together again after filming the music video, everyone knew it was just a polite remark.

Therefore, she was truly surprised, especially when she heard that Chen Feier was the female lead in this TV drama. She felt like she had been hit by a pie falling from the sky.

As a director, Fang Hui had some reputation in the film industry, but she couldn’t be compared to the real A-list directors. Her status was equivalent to that of a second or third-tier celebrity. People would invite her, but they wouldn’t spend a lot of money or effort to do so.

With Chen Feier’s popularity, it would be effortless for her to find a director of the same level!

So, when she found out that Lu Chen was not joking, she readily agreed without hesitation, without even discussing the director’s salary—such an opportunity was really too rare to miss on it!

Especially after reading the script for “Autumn in My Heart”, this feeling of being lucky became even stronger.

Fang Hui really liked this story.

In addition to Fang Hui and the actors, there were also the production director, manager of the talent agency department, assistant director, cinematographer, and other people from Qian De Brothers Studio present, including Lu Yi, who had dealt with Lu Chen before.

For this drama, Qian De Brothers Studio had gathered all their elite staff, even pausing another TV drama that was being prepared, and devoting themselves wholeheartedly to shooting “Autumn in My Heart”.

Lu Yi enthusiastically introduced the other actors to Lu Chen.

The actress who plays the role of the young girl Yin Enxi is called Ye Mingmei. She is only 14 years old this year and has a graceful and beautiful appearance. She is also a third-year middle school student. Her father has a good relationship with the CEO of Qian De Brothers Studio, so she was recommended by him to join the cast.

Compared to Zhang Junzhi’s lively and active personality, Ye Mingmei is undoubtedly a well-behaved girl. She speaks softly and gently, she was also blushing when she greeted Lu Chen and Chen Feier, which made her look quite adorable.

Chen Feier liked her quite a bit and held her little hand to chat with her for a while.

As for the actor who is going to act as Han Taixi, the first supporting male role, is a new artist who had just made his debut under the banner of Qian De Brothers Studio named Hu Yang. He is two years younger than Lu Chen and is dressed in a style that exudes the air of a rich second generation. He perfectly fits the character in the drama and belongs to the popular group of young idols.

However, in front of Lu Chen and Chen Feier, Hu Yang showed no trace of arrogance and was very polite and respectful.

Because he was well aware of who the real decision-maker in this crew was.

As for the actors who play the roles of Cui Xinai and Shen Youmei – they were also carefully selected by Qian De Brothers Studio. They don’t have much fame in the industry, but they have rich acting experience.

There are also several unimportant actors here, some were recommended by Sister Li and others have connections to the Qian De Brothers Studio.

With Lu Chen’s arrival, the crew was finally complete, and they held a small meeting.

The main topics of the meeting were tomorrow’s opening ceremony and filming work, as well as discussions about the premiere.

Relying on the hype generated on the internet, Lu Chen’s and Chen Feier’s studio, along with Qian De Brothers Studio, approached not only Beijing TV Station, Haijin TV Station, and Zhedong TV Station, but also four or five medium-sized TV stations.

Qian De Brothers Studio suggested selecting two strong and sincere TV stations for the premiere, even if the price was lower. However, it was crucial to ensure a prime-time slot for broadcasting and focus on the profits from reruns.

The crew meeting lasted for over an hour and then it concluded.

Lu Chen, Chen Feier, and Sister Li returned to the hotel; however, Lu Chen secretly went out with Chen Feier again.