Chapter 57

The auspicious snow welcomed the arrival of spring, with snowflakes falling gently to the ground, pristine and flawless. Stepping on them, they made a crisp, crunching sound, evoking a sense of ethereal beauty.

Getting out of the car, Ye Ming and his companions quickened their steps, heading straight for the Xiang Piaopiao Grand Hotel. At this moment, there were still twenty minutes before the gathering, and arriving on time would be disrespectful to the director and the entire cast and crew. Ye Ming would not make such a low-level mistake.

Sun Shupeng had already arranged for the entire second floor of the hotel to be reserved for the banquet for the entire crew.

At this moment, although everyone was filled with a sense of farewell, Sun Shupeng was particularly unhappy. Cao Guoli had told him some news: originally, Hunan TV was going to invite the cast of "The Story of a Love" for promotion, which seemed to be for a new variety show called "Happy Camp."

However, just a moment ago, the other party called to say that it had been canceled at the last minute.

Why it was canceled, of course, was obvious—it had been snatched away by someone else. The one who took this opportunity was none other than their own company's "Tears of Heaven." Originally, it was confirmed that "The Story of a Love" would be promoted, but because "Tears of Heaven" was produced earlier and needed to be aired soon, it had taken this opportunity.

If it had been another TV drama crew that had taken this opportunity, Sun Shupeng would have been extremely frustrated, and even He Xiujun would not have let it go. However, since it was a production from Zhongjie Company, He Xiujun could not say much.

Upon receiving the news, He Xiujun sighed but said nothing. She could not show favoritism, so she acted as if nothing had happened.

However, Sun Shupeng's mood was far from good. This was clearly a case of bullying. It had already been agreed that the main actors would go to Hunan TV the next day under his lead, but the other party had suddenly said they didn't need to come.

At the first table, of course, were the producer He Xiujun, the director of Hunan TV, Ou Yang, and then the director Sun Shupeng, three important figures.

Among the remaining five people were the four main actors of "The Story of a Love" and Chen Zhipeng. Since Su Youpeng was the biggest star, he was seated closest to the director. Chen Zhipeng, although a supporting actor, was a member of the Little Tigers and a famous first-line singer, so he still had a significant status.

Next was Ye Ming, who, due to his outstanding performance at the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala, had the right to sit there, and no one could say anything about it.

Zhao Wei and Lin Xinru sat in the next positions.

Fan Binbin, being young, could only sit at the second table with Zhang Tielin. She understood that the rules of the entertainment industry were very strict, and since she was not a main actor or a big star, she did not have the right to sit at the first table.

Suddenly, a group of people appeared on the second floor, and Sun Shupeng's face turned very grim.

The person who had come was his arch-rival. In the industry, one might have many good friends, but there would also be arch-rivals. The person walking over was his arch-rival, Cheng Hao.

Cheng Hao was also a director, but because of a competition for a TV drama production years ago, Sun Shupeng had outmaneuvered him and won, which had caused Cheng Hao to bear a grudge.

Since then, Cheng Hao had been constantly opposing Sun Shupeng. When he heard that Sun Shupeng was directing a Qiong Yao drama, he also tried to get a modern urban drama, "Prosperous Times."

Moreover, to oppose Sun Shupeng, he deliberately chose the same day and the same hotel to celebrate the completion of his production.

He had even reserved the third floor, one floor higher than Sun Shupeng.

What made Cheng Hao even more smug was that his TV drama had been picked up by China TV, and it was said to be airing on the first channel.

Therefore, Cheng Hao had specially invited some media friends.

"The Story of a Love" did not plan to invite reporters for the celebration. Sun Shupeng's idea was to keep a low profile, not to attract attention.

He was not very confident about "The Story of a Love." Such a radical adaptation, would the audience accept it? It was really hard to say.

However, Cheng Hao would not let such an opportunity pass. Having found a way to strike at Sun Shupeng, he brought the reporters down to the third floor.

At this moment, Cheng Hao, holding a glass of red wine, laughed and said, "Brother Shupeng, I really didn't expect that your TV drama would also wrap up today. It seems we are really destined to be together. Our 'Prosperous Times' is also wrapping up, and we are having a press conference. Could we borrow your venue to discuss things together?"

Sun Shupeng did not believe that there was no space on the third floor for a press conference. Seeing Cheng Hao's smug expression, he knew what Cheng Hao was up to.

Although Sun Shupeng was not very confident about "The Story of a Love," it was still a Qiong Yao drama, and with such a prestigious brand, it could still attract media attention.

Sun Shupeng's teeth were almost grinding to pieces. This guy was too devious. He had kept the production of his TV drama a secret for so long, with no prior publicity.

Moreover, he had quietly secured the broadcasting rights from China TV and brought a group of media, which was clearly a way to disrupt the event.

This was a deliberate attempt to embarrass him.

However, the reporters did not care about such grudges; they needed news.

Without waiting for Sun Shupeng's response, a reporter asked, "Director Sun, I am from 'Film and Television Weekly.' I want to ask you, do you have confidence in the TV drama you directed? Or what are your expectations for it? I heard that this is a transformation work by Teacher Qiong Yao."

The implication was that he should not ruin Qiong Yao's prestigious brand.

A transformation work could have two outcomes: one, a successful transformation, and the other, a complete failure.

The reporter was saying that this was a Qiong Yao drama, and if it was not well-made, it would be the director's fault.

At this moment, Sun Shupeng's face turned red and then white, but he finally said, "Rest assured, I am quite confident about 'The Story of a Love.' The style of this drama is very fresh and festive, and it will surely be liked by more people. I believe it will have high ratings."

To save face for the crew and himself, Sun Shupeng had to grit his teeth and hold on.

At this moment, Ye Ming saw a familiar face in the "Prosperous Times" crew: Xu Zheng and Li Binbin, a future star who would become very successful in the entertainment industry.

It turned out that they were the main actors in this drama.

However, since the two crews were clearly rivals, Ye Ming merely nodded and said nothing, not wanting to get involved in the conflict between the two directors and offend anyone.

At this moment, the reporter from "Film and Television Weekly" suddenly asked, "Director Cheng, I want to ask you, what are your expectations for your TV drama? Director Sun seems very confident."

This was clearly someone stirring up trouble, a plant, or the reporter would not have asked such a question.

Cheng Hao laughed and said, "I am very confident about our TV drama. Being able to get the green light from China TV itself is a testament to the quality of our drama and the excellence of our actors. Out of all the TV dramas produced in the country each year, how many get to air on China TV? We can't compare to big productions like 'Water Margin,' but compared to other mediocre dramas, I think we are far superior. I am very confident that our TV drama will be a huge success."

This was a blatant slap in the face, with no attempt to save face, almost directly calling "The Story of a Love" a mediocre drama.

In fact, during the production of "The Story of a Love," some media outlets like "Southern Weekend" had already called it the most mediocre TV drama.

Now, Cheng Hao's comments were clearly aimed at "The Story of a Love," which was no different from a direct criticism.

However, "Prosperous Times" did have the qualifications to make such claims, as it was to be aired on China TV, which required both quality and connections.

Why did the reporters come to support the event? Wasn't it because of China TV's reputation?

He Xiujun and Sun Shupeng were veterans in the industry. Although Cheng Hao was almost naming "The Story of a Love" as a mediocre drama, he did not say it outright.

However, since Cheng Hao did not name it, they had to hold back their anger, or it would become a scandal if the reporters captured it on camera.

Unfortunately, while the two of them could hold back, Fan Binbin could not. She knew that some media had called "The Story of a Love" a mediocre drama.

This was her heart's work, the result of over four months of effort, and she would not allow anyone to defame it.

At this moment, Fan Binbin, like a protective mother wolf, her eyes flashing with a fierce light, stood up and said, "Your TV drama is the mediocre one. Who do you think you are, to speak so arrogantly? Our 'The Story of a Love' will definitely outshine your 'Prosperous Times.'"

At this moment, Zhao Wei and Lin Xinru felt a headache. Although they also felt frustrated, they had experienced some industry affairs and knew that Cheng Hao was waiting for someone from the "The Story of a Love" crew to respond.

Unfortunately, Fan Binbin jumped out at the right moment, perfectly playing into Cheng Hao's hands.