Caught in Affairs with Superstar

The previously cold and dismissive President Chen, Chen Bida, shrugged silently.

"As for Linlin, I know you admire Wen Bing. You were the main force behind wanting to film ’Life’ back then. However, what you said isn’t right. You can’t say that because Wen Bing is talented and all his previous films succeeded, every one of his subsequent films will surely succeed. If that were true, everyone would just flock to successful people with money to make movies, and there’d be no need to cultivate newcomers or continually search for fresh talent."

Hu Linlin nodded, acknowledging this earnestly.

Yao Yuanfeng said, "Regarding Wen Bing’s new film, since we’ve decided to shoot it, there’s no need to nitpick its flaws now. The issue in front of us is how much we’re going to invest in this movie. What kind of box office revenue can we expect? And additionally, are overseas companies interested in this movie?"

Everyone was silent.

"I won’t deny it, this is a gamble, and it’s highly likely to lose money—neither selling at the box office nor attracting overseas companies’ interest, so we earn no licensing fees. But then, what does it matter? If it doesn’t work out, we just take the loss. Our company, New Shield, can afford it. We don’t need to self-sabotage by shirking our responsibilities," Yao Yuanfeng said meaningfully, then glanced at Chen Bida before continuing, "In any case, within range, support them. This is something each of you needs to do. I don’t want to see anyone within our company becoming indifferent towards Wen Bing and Zhou Yun. Our collaboration with them isn’t just limited to this project. As long as we maintain a good cooperative relationship with them, losing tens of millions is nothing. They’ll help us film a few more ’Female Assassin’ movies, and we’ll earn back a billion."

...

Zhou Yun and Wen Bing were unaware of all these happenings within New Shield.

While conflicts arose within New Shield, the two were with the other members of the filming team, visiting various scenic spots.

Wen Bing held a big notebook, noting down potential filming locations.

Because they were in natural mountain and wilderness settings, not artificial ones, everyone felt like they were going on a spring outing.

Local villagers mentioned there was also a large reservoir.

The group traveled several kilometers to finally reach the large reservoir.

Sunlight poured down, and the vast reservoir shimmered under the sun.

Zhou Yun delightedly observed the water.

Wen Bing asked, "Do you know how to swim?"

Zhou Yun nodded, "Yes."

"Then how about filming a swimming scene?" Wen Bing asked.

Zhou Yun replied, "Sure."

For some reason, Wen Bing suddenly smiled.

Zhou Yun asked, "What’s up?"

Wen Bing: "I just remembered when I was young, if a girl went swimming at the reservoir, some boys would definitely sneak over to watch."

Zhou Yun: "..."

Wen Bing was lost in memories.

Zhou Yun asked, "You used to sneak a peek too, right?"

Wen Bing immediately denied it seriously, "I didn’t."

Zhou Yun raised an eyebrow, "Really? I feel like you definitely did."

Wen Bing: "I’m telling you I didn’t."

"Whether you admit it or not," Zhou Yun chuckled mischievously.

That evening, Wen Bing came excitedly saying, "I’ve decided, I want to add a few scenes."

"Huh?" Zhou Yun looked at him with surprise.

Wen Bing said, "I want to add a character, a boy living here who’s attracted to you. He sleeps by the reservoir, sees you swimming, and becomes captivated. Then you also notice him, but when he nervously greets you, you don’t respond and leave. He wants to get to know you better, so he follows you to the place you rented."

Zhou Yun asked, "And then?"

Wen Bing: "Nothing happens. You make dinner and see that he hasn’t left, so you invite him to eat. He wants to pursue you, but you flatly reject him."

Zhou Yun thought for a moment and hummed in agreement.

Wen Bing said, "After being rejected by you, he still visits often. You don’t drive him away. He helps you with chores, and you offer him tea and some food. Gradually, you both become familiar."

Zhou Yun: "Will sparks fly between us then?"

Wen Bing shook his head, "No sparks, just that."

Zhou Yun mused, "Just that."

Wen Bing said, "She comes from the city to the countryside to sever ties with her city’s life, seeking inner balance and peace. This boy is the flame that intrudes upon her rural solitude, but the flame eventually cools down to warmth. That’s the feeling I want."

"Wen Bing, the script is still missing something," Zhou Yun said, "We don’t know the reason why she wants to cut off her city life and come here. Without motivation, my character feels aimless, not knowing where to land."

Wen Bing said, "Hmm?"

"Because if she’s just tired of city life, her heart isn’t dead, and the boy’s pursuit shouldn’t be so calm," Zhou Yun said. "Since you’ve introduced a new element to the script, without any change in her character, it’s unreasonable. Unless there’s a compelling reason that makes her immobility normal and acceptable, otherwise..."

"Because her boyfriend passed away," Wen Bing stated bluntly.

"Huh?"

"Her boyfriend’s death led her to the countryside seeking inner peace, and the boy can’t move her because she’s still mourning," Wen Bing replied.

"This suddenly turns into a healing story," Zhou Yun said.

"Life deals with farewells and learning to live with oneself," Wen Bing said. "Throughout one’s life, ultimately, it’s always a journey alone."

This struck Zhou Yun deeply.

She looked at Wen Bing with surprise.

Wen Bing gazed at her warmly and smiled.

An unusual feeling stirred within Zhou Yun’s heart.

Has Wen Bing lost faith in love?

What a person says often reflects their beliefs, especially their unintentional remarks.

While collaborating with Wen Bing on ’Life,’ Zhou Yun clearly felt that Wen Bing was sincere about love.

But that moment just now gave Zhou Yun a very different feeling.

Zhou Yun didn’t know if she was overthinking, being too sensitive, or whether Wen Bing had changed due to experiences over the years.

On reflection, it seems like the theme of loneliness permeates Wen Bing’s works.

From ’Life’ to ’Two Tigers,’ from ’Female Assassin’ to this film, this is always the case.

The protagonists are always alone, solitary travelers in the world, seeming to navigate its edge.

Why does Wen Bing have such a strong sense of loneliness deep in his heart?

-

Today’s third update, working hard to make up for the backlog.

See you tomorrow.