Chapter 140: Which Official Could Withstand Such a Test?

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Chen Fang had a feeling that it was probably related to what had happened on the Three Lives, Three Worlds set.

He answered the call.

“Uncle Xi.”

Chen Fang had barely finished his greeting when Xi Dong came straight to the point, his tone somewhat stiff and cold.

“Chen Fang, how about coming to play the male lead in my television series?”

Xi Dong’s attitude was terrible.

But Chen Fang knew that his hostility was not directed at him. Xi Dong was simply in a truly awful mood, and whoever he spoke to would receive roughly the same treatment.

Chen Fang was silent for several seconds.

“Uncle Xi, what happened on the set?”

To be honest, Chen Fang was not particularly keen on playing the male lead.

For one thing, he had no interest in the script. Although Three Lives, Three Worlds was more or less the same as the one on Earth and would probably become a huge hit once filmed, Chen Fang simply could not summon any enthusiasm for this kind of fantasy romance. If he were going to make a costume drama, it ought to be something like Chinese Paladin.

For another, Chen Fang did not want to waste his time filming.

At least, not now!

His next plan was to go sightseeing and spend time with Ji Mei.

Besides, he had already promised Ji Mei. He did not want to break his word over this.

After all, Three Lives, Three Worlds was a television series. The shooting script alone covered dozens of episodes. To film the entire series from beginning to end would take Chen Fang several months, perhaps even half a year.

What a terrible bargain!

It simply was not worth the time.

Still, Chen Fang did not reject the offer immediately. Instead, he asked curiously what had happened on the set. You Tianze had only given him a brief account earlier, and Chen Fang still did not know the full story.

Of course, his interest in the situation was mainly because he was concerned about Su Muruo.

After all, Su Muruo was Ji Mei’s best friend. Chen Fang felt he ought to look after her to some extent.

“Heh. Chuangxiang Entertainment thinks I’m some pushover, some soft target. They keep making demands about my script, and that would be bad enough, but now their actors are even trying to act tough with me. Back when I was making waves in the film industry, those two actors were still nothing but fertilized eggs! A bunch of trash.”

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Xi Dong had finally found someone to vent to.

Chen Fang almost laughed when he heard him.

Xi Dong usually had an excellent temper.

Chen Fang had visited the Xi family and chatted with him several times before, so he knew what Xi Dong was normally like.

He had never expected Chuangxiang Entertainment to drive a man with such a good temper into hurling profanities one after another without pause.

Xi Dong was not finished.

Chen Fang mostly listened and rarely interrupted.

After a while, Chen Fang finally learned the whole story.

As it turned out, the conflict on set was partly connected to Su Muruo.

The actress originally cast as the female lead was a genuine member of the capital’s entertainment circle. She had real acting ability and considerable support behind her, so she had arrived on set with a great deal of swagger. After reading the script, she discovered that Su Muruo’s role as the second female lead had nearly as many scenes as hers.

Naturally, she was furious.

A mere second female lead—and one who, according to rumor, had once worked in Shanghai’s entertainment circle and had no connections whatsoever in the capital—had almost as much screen time as she did. To her, this was nothing short of an insult.

And so she began causing trouble on set.

First, she picked fights with Su Muruo and nitpicked everything she did. Then she went to Xi Dong and the screenwriter, demanding that the script be revised and most of Su Muruo’s scenes cut.

Who did she think Xi Dong was?

Did he look like someone who would listen to an actress?

The director and the female lead immediately got into a fierce argument and parted on thoroughly bad terms.

Since Chuangxiang Entertainment was one of the investors—and, in fact, the biggest investor—the assistant director, screenwriter, production staff, action choreographer, and others all urged Xi Dong to tolerate it for the time being.

But Xi Dong was stubborn by nature.

“Then replace me as director if you’ve got the guts!”

Chen Fang understood perfectly well that the amount of screen time Su Muruo had in the script was entirely Xi Dong’s own decision. It was not a favor granted because of Chen Fang. Chen Fang knew he did not have that much influence. Securing Su Muruo an audition had already been the limit of what he could do.

Xi Dong had probably expanded Su Muruo’s role because he was impressed by her acting, and because the plot required the second female lead’s storyline to serve as a bridge between different parts of the narrative.

But to outsiders, it looked as though Xi Dong was deliberately antagonizing the female lead.

The situation had reached an impasse.

Then, unexpectedly, the male lead began causing trouble too.

Both the male and female leads had been forced into the production by Chuangxiang Entertainment. On top of that, their fans were actively shipping them as a couple. So the male lead stepped forward to support the female lead and announced that he too would refuse to continue filming.

At that point—

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Xi Dong was livid.

In all his years in the film and television industry, this was the first time he had ever been so angry.

The current situation was that Xi Dong had no intention of reconciling with the two leads. He had made his position clear to all the investors: either the male and female leads were replaced, or he himself would be replaced as director.

Chuangxiang Entertainment was an investor in the series, but not the only one.

Even if it had been the sole investor, Xi Dong would probably still have taken the same stance.

“What’s the investors’ position now?” Chen Fang asked curiously.

Xi Dong let out a long breath. After rambling on at length, he had finally vented much of his frustration, and his tone became gentler.

“There are three investors in this series. Chuangxiang Entertainment is the principal investor. The other two are Huasheng Brothers Film and Television and the State Film and Television Office.”

“Huasheng Brothers Film and Television and the State Film and Television Office support my decision to replace the male and female leads. Chuangxiang Entertainment is obviously putting its own actors first and hopes I’ll make some minor changes to the script.”

The State Film and Television Office?

Chen Fang was stunned.

Wasn’t that a central government department?

He had not expected the series to have official support from the national authorities.

But in truth, on the surface, the State Film and Television Office was an investor. In reality, it did not need to contribute any money; merely lending its name was enough. After all, the state’s support for the production was already an enormous favor. Asking the state to put up money as well would have been excessive.

Only two parties were actually providing funding: Chuangxiang Entertainment and Huasheng Brothers.

Of course, Chuangxiang Entertainment was covering seventy percent of the production costs, while Huasheng Brothers only needed to provide the remaining thirty percent.

“Chen Fang, come and be my male lead.”

“You have an excellent appearance and presence. As for your acting, as long as you can deliver your lines without reciting them like ‘one, two, three, four, five, six,’ I’ll be satisfied.”

Xi Dong’s tone was sincere.

If the final decision was to replace the director, Xi Dong would have nothing more to say—he would simply leave. But if the decision was to replace the male and female leads, then Chen Fang would undoubtedly be Xi Dong’s first choice for the male lead. After all, it was unlikely that the entire country could produce a younger man more handsome than Chen Fang.

Chen Fang was still hesitating.

Just then, Xi Dong continued.

“The original male lead’s fee was fifty million. If you’re willing to come, that entire fee will be yours. I won’t deduct a single cent!”

Good heavens!

Fifty million!

Was this how you tested a cadre?

What cadre could possibly withstand such a test?

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