Over the phone, Zhou Yi told Lu Chen that Honghua's Jiang Chenghua had invited an old industry veteran to act as a mediator. Through this senior, Jiang Chenghua had admitted defeat and conveyed that he was willing to host a banquet at Yunding Grand Restaurant tomorrow night to personally apologize.
This senior had a highly respected reputation in the entertainment circle. Even Zhou Yi was technically his junior. For Jiang Chenghua to bring someone of this status forward, he had most likely paid a very high price, showing he was genuinely sincere about making peace.
After a brief pause, Lu Chen said, "Alright. I'll give the senior some respect. I'll be there tomorrow night."
"That's great!" Zhou Yi laughed. "Jiang Chenghua is practically ready to kneel and kowtow. There's no need for us to completely crush him. Harmony brings wealth. By the way, when are we restarting filming?"
Zhou Yi had always been a proud person, but his pride was deeply hidden and rarely shown on the surface. There were very few people in Hong Kong's entertainment circle who could truly earn his respect.
Yet toward Lu Chen, a young man more than ten years his junior, he was now genuinely convinced. All of his previous calculations and reservations had disappeared; he sincerely wanted to continue their cooperation.
Lu Chen replied, "We're resuming filming today."
Time was precious, and they couldn't afford to waste any more. Honghua had delayed them for an entire week.
The financial losses were secondary; the real problem was that the entire shooting schedule had been disrupted, which had seriously annoyed Lu Chen. Now that Jiang Chenghua had admitted defeat and the matter was settled, restarting filming today was only natural.
Zhou Yi asked with concern, "Have you found an actress to play the Tree Demon Grandmother yet?"
Lu Chen couldn't help feeling a little surprised. Although Zhou Yi had acquired Jiayang Film Industry and become the boss of this old-established film company, he didn't actually understand filmmaking.
The specific work was naturally handled by professional staff under him, and he rarely concerned himself with details. Lu Chen had interacted with him several times and knew him fairly well, so he found the question strange.
"Not yet, but it won't affect today's filming. Is there a problem?"
Zhou Yi sounded a little helpless. "It's nothing serious. It's just that Liu Zhaohui contacted me and said he wants to return to the film crew. He even said he's willing to serve tea and apologize to you. He happens to be an old friend of one of my relatives. He cried and begged me..."
Liu Zhaohui was the actor originally recommended by Jiayang Film Industry to play the Tree Demon Grandmother. Like Ma Rongzhen, he was an experienced veteran actor, but having experience didn't necessarily mean having integrity.
When Honghua and the Jiang family pressured them, he was the first one to back down and leave the film crew. Now that he wanted to come back, it was obviously because he had heard how things had turned out.
Without hesitation, Lu Chen replied, "I can't afford to hire that person. Please reject him for me."
Are you kidding? If someone like that was allowed to return, what would the people who stayed behind and endured everything think? Lu Chen wasn't some blindly forgiving saint.
Zhou Yi wasn't surprised at all by Lu Chen's refusal. He laughed. "Alright, I'll turn him down. Actually, he isn't desperately trying to come back. He's just scared."
Lu Chen thought about it for a moment and immediately understood. Liu Zhaohui had abandoned the film crew because he feared Honghua and the Jiang family.
Now that Lu Chen's side had clearly won, he was afraid Lu Chen would settle accounts with him later, so he swallowed his pride and begged Zhou Yi for help. Returning to the film crew wasn't the real goal; begging for forgiveness was.
After understanding the situation, Lu Chen felt even more disgusted by Liu Zhaohui. "Let's not talk about him anymore. He's not worth mentioning."
Zhou Yi understood. "Alright. See you tomorrow night at Yunding Grand Restaurant."
After hanging up, Lu Chen looked at Chen Fei'er, who had already finished washing up and getting dressed. "Ready to go?"
Chen Fei'er was sitting in front of the vanity mirror. Tilting her head slightly, she carefully put in her final earring. Curious, she asked, "Is your film crew still missing an actor?"
Lu Chen nodded. "The Tree Demon Grandmother role originally had someone chosen, but that person later quit." He didn't explain the details. There was no need. Liu Zhaohui had already been added to his list of people he would never work with again.
"Tree Demon Grandmother?" Chen Fei'er had read the script for 'A Chinese Ghost Story', so she quickly remembered. "The villain boss?"
Lu Chen smiled. "That's right. The role has quite a lot of screen time, so we need to find someone reliable." He had already asked Chen Wenqiang to handle the new casting and believed there would be news soon.
Chen Fei'er blinked. Then she suddenly said, "I'll play the Tree Demon Grandmother. What do you think?"
"Huh?" Lu Chen was completely caught off guard by her sudden suggestion. "What did you say?"
Chen Fei'er smiled. "I said I'll play the Tree Demon Grandmother. I have half a month off. If we work quickly, we should be able to finish shooting all of my scenes within that time, right?"
Time itself really wasn't a problem. Although 'A Chinese Ghost Story' had a strong storyline, its background setting was relatively abstract and the number of locations involved was limited.
The actual filming wasn't complicated, and everything could be completed at Lion Rock Film Studio. The only troublesome part would be the post-production special effects. Half a month was more than enough if all of it was dedicated to Chen Fei'er's scenes.
But Lu Chen didn't even need to think about it. "How could that work? That would ruin your image! Absolutely not!"
He had originally considered having Chen Fei'er play Nie Xiaoqian. However, due to scheduling conflicts and the possibility that audiences might experience visual fatigue from seeing her in similar roles, she hadn't come to Hong Kong for the film.
Now, asking her to play the Tree Demon Grandmother... the change was simply too drastic. Lu Chen was worried it would negatively affect her image.
But Chen Fei'er was completely serious.
"I think it's fine. A true actor can't be trapped forever in the same type of role. If someone can play righteous characters, they should also be able to bring villains to life. I want to accept this kind of challenge."
As she spoke, she gracefully stood up and leaned against Lu Chen's chest. "You've put so much effort into this movie. I also want to help you."
To prepare for 'A Chinese Ghost Story', Lu Chen had started deliberately losing weight more than a month ago. By now, he had already lost over ten jin. He had never been the muscular type to begin with, so after losing weight, he looked even more refined and slightly delicate, which actually suited the character he was playing.
He had come alone to Hong Kong to build his career. He had worked hard to integrate into the Hong Kong entertainment circle, built Lu Chen Workshop from nothing, found partners, and prepared this film.
Then, on top of all that, he encountered provocation from underground forces. The road had never been easy. Even Li Mubai, as Lu Chen's friend, had mobilized the Li family's influence on the mainland to pressure the Jiang family and help him deal with his enemies.
So as the person closest to Lu Chen, the woman he loved most, how could Chen Fei'er simply stand by and watch? Ruining her image? Not necessarily. A well-played villain could actually elevate an actor's reputation.
No more words were needed. Lu Chen understood Chen Fei'er's feelings. Holding the woman in his arms, he felt an indescribable sense of happiness and peace. At that moment, he only wished that time could stay frozen forever.
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'(End of Chapter)'
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