For some reason, Lin Chaoyang felt that the twinkling light in Li Shifei's eyes was a bit dangerous.

"Okay, it's great to be young, full of inspiration, and extraordinary creative efficiency!" Li Shifei praised Lin Chaoyang happily, and then asked him for the manuscript to have a sneak peek.

After getting the manuscript, Li Shifei quietly sat on the sofa and read the manuscript for a long time. He sat there motionless and didn't even bother to drink water.

It wasn't until Tao Yushu made some noise when he returned home that he woke Li Shifei up.

"It's so late?" Li Shifei looked at his watch, a little embarrassed, "Chaoyang, I'm sorry to bother you."

"It's okay, I'll stay home for dinner tonight."

Lin Chaoyang was preparing dinner in the kitchen, while Li Shifei chatted with Tao Yushu.

First, we talked about Tao Yushu's pregnancy and resignation. She is now four months pregnant and her belly is slightly bulging, but she moves like the wind without any impact.

Then Tao Yushu asked Li Shifei what he thought of Lin Chaoyang's new work. He pondered for a while before speaking.

"Chaoyang's selection of materials for this new work is very bold, and it can be said to be a breakthrough in the past.

However, his bold breakthrough is also right. "Crossing Guandong" is full of gems and has left a profound impression on readers.

If the new work chooses a realistic-themed story, it will certainly be safe, but I am afraid it will be difficult to surpass "Enter Guandong".

Readers will inevitably have to compare these two works. Even if the new work is of good quality, it may not win much reputation.

The theme Chaoyang has chosen now is much more novel and bold, and the writing... is surprisingly good.

His talent is really enviable. He can write whatever he likes. Reading his novel reminded me of George Orwell's "1984".

Although the two are different in form and content, the core is very similar.

In the same suffocating world, in the same imaginary society, the protagonist's life is determined by a dictator.

Human nature and personality are strangled by power, freedom is deprived, and even thoughts are suppressed.

Alas, I understand that Chaoyang still wants to reflect the painful experiences and lessons of those ten years of humming."

Lin Chaoyang, who was busy in the kitchen, was speechless when he heard this. Why do you cultural people have such rich associative abilities?

During the meal, Lin Chaoyang asked Li Shifei: "Old Li, what are your plans for coming back? When will you leave?"

If he was in Yanjing, Lin Chaoyang would definitely have let Li Shifei stay at home. Unfortunately, now that he is in Xiangjiang, the space at home is really cramped and it is difficult to accommodate guests.

Listening to Lin Chaoyang's question, Li Shifei did not answer immediately.

He rushed to Xiangjiang in a hurry this time mainly because of Lin Chaoyang's letter.

"Crossing the Boat" and "Crossing the Guandong" brought Huacheng Publishing House a huge success, and at the same time, they also had very considerable economic benefits. Naturally, they could not just sit back and watch a cash cow like Lin Chaoyang be pried away by Yanjing Publishing House.

Before Li Shifei came this time, he didn't expect that Lin Chaoyang's new work was almost completed. He originally wanted to check it out with Lin Chaoyang and then leave.

Now that he has read the new work, he no longer thinks so.

As the saying goes, those who are near the water get the moon first. When Lin Chaoyang was in Yanjing, Huacheng Publishing House was beyond their reach, and Yanjing Publishing House poached corners and acted unscrupulously.

Well now, Lin Chaoyang has come to Xiangjiang, and his new work will be finished soon.

This was a God-given opportunity, and Li Shifei made up his mind that he must win Lin Chaoyang's novel.

"I came here specifically for your new work!"

What do you mean? You won’t leave even if you can’t get the manuscript?

Li Shifei had no way of knowing Lin Chaoyang's psychological activities. He went on to say, "I will discuss the royalties with the company later and I will definitely give you a satisfactory price."

Lin Chaoyang nodded and did not put any more pressure on Li Shifei.

In the evening, after Li Shifei left, Tao Yushu said, "Chaoyang, my sister-in-law is taking me to the Clear Water Bay studio tomorrow. Do you want to go with me?"

Clear Water Bay Studios is the home base of Shaw Brothers, where hundreds of films have been produced over the decades.

Li Hanxiang has deep connections in Shaw Brothers. To be familiar with the film industry, Tao Yushu naturally has to be familiar with the film shooting process. Shaw Brothers' Clear Water Bay Studio is a very suitable place.

"I'm not going, I have to rush to finish the manuscript."

Lin Chaoyang plans to finish the novel quickly in the next few days, and then start writing the script, aiming to complete it within a month.

Early the next morning, Zhang Cuiying drove specially to pick up Tao Yushu.

Clear Water Bay Studio, as the name suggests, is built in Clear Water Bay, located in the east of Xiangjiang, far away from the city center. If you go there by yourself, it will take at least an hour by bus or subway.

Zhang Cuiying drove Tao Yushu and they arrived in half an hour.

The sign on the side of the road at the intersection reads "Shaw Brothers Studios, Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Pictures Company".

Not far from the main entrance of the studio is the administrative building. The two English abbreviations "SB" are huge on the roof. If Lin Chaoyang came and saw it, he would definitely feel full of humor.

After parking the car, the two got out of the car. Zhang Cuiying waited at the entrance of the set for a while, and then a baby-faced young man ran out of the set.

"Mrs. Li!"

"Axi!"

The two said hello, and Zhang Cuiying introduced both parties.

The young man's name is Huang Jiaxi. He just has a baby face, but he is actually thirty-six years old. He is now a producer of Shaw Brothers.

When he first joined Shaw Brothers, he worked as an oddball on Li Hanxiang's crew, and step by step he rose from being a scriptwriter to a producer, and Li Hanxiang's support was indispensable.

Huang Jiaxi took the lead, Zhang Cuiying and Tao Yushu were two steps behind, and introduced the situation to them in a low voice.

In May in southern China, the Clearwater Bay studio is full of greenery, with overgrown vines and buildings hidden among large expanses of green.

Walking up the Silver Shadow Road inside the studio, there is the Shaw Dormitory on the left, the Shaw Building on the right, and the Shaw Villa at the end.

While walking, Huang Jiaxi pointed to Tao Yushu and introduced: "That's Dormitory No. 2 over there. People like Zheng Peipei, Di Long, Jiang David, and Lin Dai all lived here before."

The movie stars he introduced were all very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. When he mentioned these names, his face flashed with pride.

"I'll take you to the studio where I'm supervising the production and have a look!"

Huang Jiaxi led the two of them to the studio. There are 10 studios in the Shaw Brothers studio, which can meet different shooting needs. The movie he is supervising is "Modern Cinderella", which was shot in Studio 6.

When Tao Yushu and others entered the studio, filming was taking place.

"Kakaka! Hey, pretty girl, can you have a more lively expression? Don't keep a dull face and cry in mourning?"

A fat man with four eyes sat on the director's chair, looking relaxed and speaking without any anger, but his tone was very heart-wrenching.

The actress whom he called "beautiful girl" stood there as he scolded her, somewhat at a loss.

"The director of our play is Wang Jing, the one sitting on the chair. The male lead, Chen Baixiang, and the female lead, Maggie Cheung, are Miss Hong Kong from the year before last. They are indeed very beautiful!

But...his acting skills are a bit poor."

Huang Jiaxi introduced the situation to Tao Yushu and the others, and couldn't help but complain about the heroine's acting skills.

When a scene went NG, the crew had to prepare again. A group of behind-the-scenes staff members filled the studio with complaints without hesitation.

"What are you doing? It's not a close-up. This is NG!"

"As for the vase, it's enough that it's pretty!"

Tao Yushu looked at the scene in front of her with curiosity. This was the first time she had come to a movie shooting scene in person, and she was full of curiosity about everything.

From a few meters away, she could feel the heroine's embarrassment and shame.

Tao Yushu could understand the reason why these workers complained. If they failed once, they would have to do the work one more time. Of course, everyone was unhappy.

But isn’t this state a little too unscrupulous?

Tao Yushu communicated with Zhang Cuiying in a low voice, and Zhang Cuiying said:

"That's how the crew is. They are red-topped and white-white, and if they are asked to do more work, they will be full of complaints.

This Maggie Cheung has just debuted and is not very famous, so they dare to be so unscrupulous. Let Wang Mingquan come and see if they still dare to be so unscrupulous!"

The two chatted and visited casually. With the producer Huang Jiaxi leading them, they could come and go freely on the set.

Wang Jing noticed the two women following Huang Jiaxi and suddenly stood up.

He greeted Zhang Cuiying enthusiastically: "Aunt Ying, why are you here on the set?"

"I brought my friends over to visit the set." Zhang Cuiying introduced Wang Jing and Tao Yushu to each other with a smile.

"Lin is so great!"

"Hello, Director Wang!"

Even though he had been here for many days, Tao Yushu was still not used to the way people in Xiangjiang addressed married ladies.

"Jingzai has really made his mark, he is now a great director!" Zhang Cuiying praised with a smile.

"Aunt Ying, please stop teasing me. I'm just making a living."

Wang Jing wears glasses, has a fat face, and his eyes disappear when he smiles.

Wang Jing's father is Wang Tianlin. In his early years, he and Li Hanxiang both worked at Yonghua Pictures, the predecessor of D&M. Wang Jing grew up watching Zhang Cuiying.

After meeting acquaintances and chatting for a few more words, Wang Jing continued filming, while Zhang Cuiying and Tao Yushu watched with interest on the set.

"Modern Cinderella" is a typical Wang Jing-style romantic comedy film, so the actors' body and facial reactions are required to be a little exaggerated.

Throughout the morning, the heroine Maggie Cheung kept NGing. The more Wang Jing scolded her, the more the staff complained, the more nervous she became, and the worse her performance became.
To be continued...