"Goodbye, Mom, I'm packing my bags and about to set sail on a long journey." Shen Lang hummed a tune as he boarded the old green train from Beijing to Hengdian World Studios.
Don't ask why he didn't fly; he was broke!
He found his seat, sat down, and immediately started typing on his laptop.
As a reborn individual, Shen Lang naturally wouldn't forget to plagiarize. He wasn't copying just anything; he was copying "ghost blows out the light."
Here, he silently thanked Tianxia Bachang in his heart.
An hour passed, and 6,000 words were uploaded to Qidian.
He shook his neck and stretched.
He checked his computer; it still had 30% battery, so he looked for a movie to watch.
In the sleeper car, Shen Lang took out the snacks he'd brought in his pocket and started playing "A World Without Thieves," a pirated copy.
As the train slowly moved, Shen Lang unconsciously closed his eyes.
The next morning, the station announced, "Ningbo has arrived."
Shen Lang quickly put on his backpack, got off the train, hailed a taxi, haggled over the price, and paid 50 yuan to be taken to Hengdian World Studios.
An hour later, Shen Lang arrived at Hengdian.
He pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Shige, I've arrived."
The voice on the other end said, "Alright, wait there. I'll be right over."
Soon, Shen Lang saw a green Mazda stop in front of him. The car door opened, and a sturdy man in his 30s got out, looked at Shen Lang, and asked, "Junior Brother?"
"Shige?"
"Damn, you're so handsome! How did you end up in the directing department?"
"Uh, well, that's my dream."
Liu Shang glanced at Shen Lang, patted his shoulder, and gave him a look that all men understood: "I believe you when you say 'dream,' but I bet your dream isn't so pure. I've heard from our teacher about your track record—juggling three at once, which made it impossible for you to stay at school."
Shen Lang's old face flushed. Why did the teacher blab about everything? "They were all true loves."
"Alright, let's go. I'll take you to meet the director first, and then we'll grab a bite to eat."
"Okay."
Shen Lang got into the car.
"Shige, what's your role in this production?" Shen Lang asked curiously.
"Producer."
Shen Lang gave him a thumbs up: "Awesome!"
Liu Shang waved his hand: "Awesome, my foot. Just trying to make a living. There are four producers for this production alone: one from Ningxia Film Studio, one from Shanghai Film Studio, one from Dinglongda, and one from Century Jiaying. Do you know why?"
"Too much investment, so the investors aren't at ease?"
Liu Shang looked at Shen Lang in surprise: "Hey, you actually guessed right."
Shen Lang took out a cigarette and offered one to Liu Shang: "Shige, does that even need thinking about? After all, it's a 15 million dollar investment. Before this, only 'Hero' and 'The Promise' in China had this level of investment. And the director is an HK director who moved north, so of course, they have to be cautious."
Liu Shang nodded. It seemed this junior brother wasn't a greenhorn, which made things easier: "Alright, you're a smart one, but don't go blabbing this around."
"Shige, don't worry, I definitely won't cause you any trouble."
...The two arrived at the set, and Liu Shang brought Shen Lang to Director Chen's side.
"Director Chen, this is my junior brother. He's from the academy, recommended by my master. He's here to gain experience with our crew."
Director Chen glanced at Shen Lang and nodded.
"Arrange something for him."
Liu Shang then led Shen Lang away.
There was no scene of imagined contempt or arrogance. The two arrived at a hotel. They put their luggage in the room.
Liu Shang then pulled Shen Lang to a restaurant not far downstairs and ordered a few dishes.
First, they drank two bottles of wheat juice to moisten their throats.
"Shige, I saw Director Chen; he looked exhausted."
Liu Shang took a bite of beef and nodded: "Yeah, too many troublesome people. Don't even get me started on the actors. Each of the producers has connections, and they're constantly fighting for power, trying to find ways to make money, causing trouble. How could he not be exhausted? He can't afford to offend any of them."
"Then what about you, Shige?"
Liu Shang chuckled: "I'm not very interested in money; I'm interested in women. That's why it was so easy to arrange for you to come in. Did you think getting a nominal editor position was that simple?"
Shen Lang raised his bottle: "Shige, it's all in my heart."
The two clinked bottles.
Soon, the dishes started arriving, and the two ate and chatted.