Chapter 5

Wang Shang did not pay much attention to the public opinion outside and instead buried himself at home, writing a script.

Seven days later, a meticulously crafted script for *Old Boy* was completed, more refined than the one from Earth's China. The original had a crude setting, poor makeup, and subpar acting in some parts, with many plots hastily concluded and a somewhat chaotic mix of elements.

This time, standing on the shoulders of others, Wang Shang naturally would not make such mistakes. He was determined to strive for excellence and produce a touching masterpiece.

After completing the copyright certification, Wang Shang eagerly began the preparations for filming.

First, he needed to find actors. The micro-film involved few actors, with only five main roles: Wang Xiaoshuai, Xiao Dabao, the school beauty, Bao Xiaobai, and the chubby girl. There were over a dozen other roles, but they only had a few scenes and could be filled by extras.

Wang Shang took the script and headed straight to Tang Dynasty International. With the recent popularity of *Empresses in the Palace*, Wang Shang had also caught the attention of several high-level executives at Tang Dynasty. Moreover, the director of *Empresses in the Palace*, Zheng Long, had invited Wang Shang, the screenwriter, to join the production team as an assistant director.

Wang Shang happily accepted the invitation. Although he was an experienced director in his previous life, he had never directed in this world. Now, he could finally get hands-on experience, which he was eager for.

Of course, in Director Zheng Long's eyes, Wang Shang was just a rookie with no practical experience. He was only there to assist and would not be given too much responsibility. This suited Wang Shang just fine, as his focus was on the preparations for *Old Boy*.

As soon as Wang Shang entered the Tang Dynasty International building, he met Director Zheng Long and several crew members who followed him. They looked as if they were afraid to breathe, probably due to Zheng Long's imposing presence.

"Xiao Wang, you're here. We're about to go out to choose a filming location. Would you like to come along?" Director Zheng Long, in his fifties, spoke in a gentle but loud voice. Wang Shang knew that directors generally needed a loud voice to command the set.

Hearing the nickname, Wang Shang couldn't help but think, "Xiao Wang? Good thing my name isn't Wang Ming, or I'd be the busiest Xiao Ming in history."

However, he quickly recovered and responded without hesitation, "Sure, I'll come along." Wang Shang never refused when others offered to help.

What Wang Shang didn't know was that several people noticed he was not at all intimidated by Zheng Long, which was quite unusual, as anyone standing before such a renowned director would feel nervous.

Perhaps it was the courage of a young bull, but that was the only explanation.

Zheng Long also noticed Wang Shang's bright and unafraid eyes, which made him look at Wang Shang more favorably.

However, they didn't know that in his previous life, Wang Shang was already a mid-level director, and a film director at that, who had seen many big scenes and wouldn't be intimidated by such a small setting.

Wang Shang, unaware of the impression he had made, followed Zheng Long into a Mercedes-Benz.

The car sped towards the film base a hundred miles away.

Wang Shang, of course, wouldn't waste this great opportunity by sitting silently. He took out the *Old Boy* script from his briefcase, "Director Zheng, I've written a new script these past few days. Could you take a look and give me some pointers?"

Zheng Long's eyes lit up with interest, "Sure, let me see it."

He had always been very fond of the *Empresses in the Palace* script, so he had a high opinion of Wang Shang's screenwriting skills. As he read the script, his initially relaxed expression turned serious by the second page.

The car was silent, with only the sound of Zheng Long flipping pages and his deep, steady breathing. Wang Shang could clearly feel Zheng Long's breath pause at the exciting parts, and he would only start breathing heavily after finishing a section.

Wang Shang smiled inwardly, knowing that *Old Boy* had deeply moved the old man. In the other timeline, *Old Boy* had a chaotic mix of elements and a messy structure, but Wang Shang had refined it this time.

When Zheng Long finished the last page, he let out a long breath, "Good! Too good! This script is excellent!"

He said three "good" in a row, showing how much he liked it. He turned to Wang Shang, his eyes filled with appreciation for a younger colleague.

"Your script is excellent. It's one of the few masterpieces I've seen in recent years. Unfortunately, I've already decided not to direct films anymore, or I would have been tempted to make it."

Wang Shang, sweating, thought, "Good thing you're not directing, or I wouldn't know whether to let you make it. This is a film I want to direct myself."

After Zheng Long's sigh, he noticed a problem, "Right, this script seems quite short. It probably can't be made into a full-length film."

Wang Shang quickly explained, "This is a micro-film, or a short film in foreign terms. When I wrote the script, I thought making it a full-length film would be too drawn out, so I made it a micro-film. I came today to select some roles and prepare for filming."

"You're going to direct it?" Zheng Long was surprised, his eyes fixed on Wang Shang. "You're a rookie. I'm afraid you won't capture the essence of the story."

Wang Shang felt a bit frustrated, thinking, "I'm not a rookie. In my previous life, I was an experienced director."

Zheng Long, unaware of Wang Shang's thoughts, said, "Since you want to direct, to avoid wasting the script, you can stay in the production team for a while. You'll be responsible for directing some scenes, and I'll guide you to gain experience."

Looking at the young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, Zheng Long suddenly had the urge to mentor him.

Wang Shang was deeply moved and thanked him repeatedly.

In the following week, Zheng Long indeed gave Wang Shang the opportunity to direct *Empresses in the Palace*, which made the entire crew envious, especially the assistant directors, who were jealous.

However, they soon stopped being jealous because Wang Shang's performance amazed them. Although he was a bit awkward in the first two days, from the third day on, he entered a "god-like" state, showing great familiarity with the production and directing with experience.

"NG, cut!!"

"Empress Hua, your performance is wrong. You need to show pride, not the arrogance of a nouveau riche. That would make Empress Hua seem shallow."

Such NGs kept appearing, showing Wang Shang's mastery of directing, which both infuriated and shocked the hardworking actors. Since he had written the script, no one knew the characters better than he did.

Zheng Long, of course, fully supported Wang Shang, as his directing philosophy was to strive for excellence and produce high-quality TV series.

Not only that, but during the filming, Wang Shang proposed new shooting techniques, which raised the production level even higher. Even Director Zheng Long praised these new techniques and personally sought advice from Wang Shang.

"Is this a rookie? His directing skills are so polished. Although he was a bit awkward at first, his current level is on par with a senior director!"

"He's a genius!!"

Everyone was unanimously shocked!!

At this point, Zheng Long no longer doubted Wang Shang's ability to direct *Old Boy* and admired his talent even more.

In the following days, Tang Dynasty International, to promote *Empresses in the Palace*, announced that Wang Shang had taken over from Director Zheng Long and was partially directing the series. They also praised Wang Shang's directing skills.

This news caused a stir in the media.

"A genius rookie director has emerged, and Director Zheng Long highly praises him!"

"Wang Shang is not only an excellent screenwriter but also an excellent director."

"*Empresses in the Palace* is being directed by a rookie. I won't watch it!"

"Wang Shang? That scoundrel is directing *Empresses in the Palace*?"

"*Empresses in the Palace* is being directed by a rookie, and the quality is worrying!"

Tang Dynasty International strongly supported Wang Shang, while the media in the city heavily criticized him. The two sides engaged in a heated debate, and the media took advantage of the situation, exaggerating and sensationalizing the news.

As a result, *Empresses in the Palace* gained more attention, and its ranking on the Baidu search list kept rising.

Tang Dynasty International and Wang Shang were secretly pleased behind the scenes.

On December 15, 2000, when *Empresses in the Palace* was halfway through filming, Wang Shang left the crew to select actors for *Old Boy*.

During this time, Wang Shang and Tang Dynasty International had cooperated well in the publicity campaign, and they were in a honeymoon period. Therefore, Tang Dynasty International was very cooperative with Wang Shang's actor selection, as they weren't selecting big-name actors.

Wang Shang quickly selected the four main roles: Wang Xiaoshuai, Xiao Dabao, Bao Xiaobai, and the chubby girl Zhang Mo. However, the role of the school beauty was taking longer to cast.

In his previous life, Wang Shang felt that the actress who played the school beauty in *Old Boy* wasn't very suitable for the role.

Among all the school beauty roles in films, Wang Shang believed that Shen Jiayi from *Those Years, We Chased Together* was the best choice.

When *Those Years, We Chased Together* was released, Shen Jiayi's image became popular across the country. Although she wasn't extremely beautiful, she had an incredible charm that evoked deep, unforgettable memories in many people.

As the film spread, a phrase became deeply ingrained: In our youth, everyone had a Shen Jiayi in their heart.

This showed that Shen Jiayi's school beauty image was undoubtedly the most successful.

Wang Shang was determined to find the Shen Jiayi of this world.