Chapter 90

As Zhang Tan stepped into the meeting room, he heard a hearty laugh and looked in the direction of the sound, seeing Wang Yifan.

Wang Yifan was chatting with someone, his face beaming with a smile.

Zhang Tan's arrival drew the attention of everyone present; some greeted him, some nodded, and others remained expressionless.

This was the early morning meeting for the film and television department, where all project leaders of ongoing projects were required to attend.

Soon, Gao Xiaolan also arrived, sitting next to Zhang Tan and chatting with him in a low voice. Wang Yifan, sitting at the head of the table, suddenly turned his head and asked, "Is Director Zhang not coming today?"

Gao Xiaolan's expression remained unchanged as she smiled and said, "The entire crew relies on him, so he can't come."

Wang Yifan's face showed no attempt to hide his satisfaction as he said, "What a pity."

He then turned back to continue chatting with the person on the other side.

Zhang Tan and Gao Xiaolan exchanged a glance, hoping that after the meeting, he wouldn't go to the set to find Director Zhang, and that he would get a beating from the strong Director Zhang and be refused any special treatment, as he didn't deserve it.

Soon, the department head Zhu Ruopu and the head of the scriptwriting department, He Miao, entered one after another.

He Miao nodded at Zhang Tan.

Zhu Ruopu looked around, and when he saw Zhang Tan, his gaze paused for a moment.

This was Zhang Tan's first time attending the morning meeting; previously, it was only Gao Xiaolan who attended.

Since "Little Actors" had already aired, the leaders needed Zhang Tan to grasp and execute any requirements discussed in the morning meetings.

As a screenwriter, he was clearly more suitable than the producer.

"Is everyone here? Let's start then," said Zhu Ruopu.

This was a weekly meeting with a fixed agenda, starting with each project leader reporting on the current progress.

When it was "Little Actors"’s turn, Gao Xiaolan, sitting at the head of the table, calmly spoke for less than five minutes.

That was it.

After a round of reports, the second part of the meeting began. Zhu Ruopu took out his phone, tapped a few times, and said, "The data for the ongoing projects is out."

He looked at Wang Yifan, then at Zhang Tan and Gao Xiaolan, and said, "This week, two new projects have been added: 'Chief Jin' and 'Little Actors.' 'Chief Jin' is already in its third season, and everyone is familiar with it. 'Little Actors' is our new project, with a novel format, the first of its kind nationwide. I assume some of you have already seen it and have an idea of it."

It was hard to discern his emotions from his words.

"Since these are new projects, let's discuss them first. 'Chief Jin' is airing on three platforms online. On our own video website, the views have just exceeded 1 million, ranking third in daily views on the site."

The atmosphere in the meeting room became lively, with some clapping, and the applause grew louder, even Zhang Tan and Gao Xiaolan had to join in.

Wang Yifan's expression became even more exuberant, trying to hold back but almost failing.

Zhu Ruopu was also clapping, a smile on his face.

"Chief Jin" was the department's flagship project, and he was most worried about it failing. Now, he could breathe a sigh of relief.

He then introduced the views on the other two platforms, which added up to over 3.5 million, a very good result, ranking ninth in daily views among all TV series online, stepping into the top ten, with a heat score of 66.18.

"This is a very good result, but we need to keep up the effort. The first episode of the second season had over 4 million views, so we need to catch up with our past performance," Zhu Ruopu encouraged.

Wang Yifan confidently assured, "Minister, rest assured, the plot will get better and better. In the second episode, Yu Cong will make a guest appearance, and we are confident that the views will reach another level..."

"Good, confidence is key."

After discussing "Chief Jin," Zhu Ruopu began to introduce "Little Actors."

"Little Actors" is only airing on our video website, with a view count of... let's round it to 150,000, ranking 10th in the company."

Whispers broke out in the meeting room.

He Miao coughed and said, "This result is acceptable for 'Little Actors,' at least it's passing. Keep up the good work."

Zhu Ruopu said something similar.

However, this result was just passing.

After the meeting, Zhang Tan and Gao Xiaolan left together, and He Miao called out to him, "Do you have time? Come to my office for a chat."

"I was just about to talk to you."

Zhang Tan bid farewell to Gao Xiaolan and went with He Miao. Back in the office, He Miao poured him a cup of tea and said, "Don't feel too much pressure. You're new, and this result is acceptable."

Zhang Tan felt a warm feeling inside and said, "Thank you. I'm not disappointed. A new format always needs an adjustment period, and 'Little Actors' had no promotion at all."

He Miao smiled and said, "I knew you'd say that. Don't worry, the department has already applied and is working on a promotion plan for you."

After leaving He Miao's office, Zhang Tan was stopped by Jiang Rong and Xu Jian, who asked about the situation.

After chatting with them for a while, Zhang Tan found Luo Ming and then drove to the set.

At the Pujiang Film City, on the set of "Dian Jiang Chun."

"Cut! Great, this scene is done. Prepare for the next one. Su Lan, you can take a break; you're not in the next scene."

At the director's command, the set immediately bustled with activity, but in an organized manner, with everyone knowing their roles.

Su Lan tucked her hair behind her ear, and her assistant, Yang Zhu, ran over to help lift the hem of her long dress to keep it from getting dirty.

The two entered the rest tent set up by the production team.

"Are you tired, Su Su?" Yang Zhu asked, handing her a bottle of water.

Su Lan took a couple of sips and sighed, "This dress is so tight."

Yang Zhu looked at her waist, admiring how slim it was.

"Even with such a slim waist, you still feel tight. If I wore it, I wouldn't, I can't even fit into it."

Su Lan smiled, "Give me my phone."

"Here, here. You've got three calls today, two of them are..."

After listening, Su Lan returned one of the calls and then started browsing on her phone, curious about the neighboring set, "Little Actors," which Zhang Tan was involved in.

"Hey? 'Little Actors' has already aired?"

Yang Zhu proudly said, "Su Su, it aired on Friday, just one episode. I watched it, it's really funny."

Su Lan didn't quite believe her, as her laugh point was really low, and anyone could make her laugh with a joke, making her seem naive and sweet.

"I don't have an account on the website. Do you, Zhu Zhu?"

"I do, I do. Let me log in for you, sis."

Yang Zhu fiddled with the phone for a bit, set it up, and handed it back to Su Lan.

Su Lan relaxed on the sofa, staring at the phone.

"Little Actors: Grandma Liu Visits the Grand View Garden" started, with no opening credits, directly entering the plot.

On a large river, a passenger boat sailed downstream, and a faint, melancholic flute sound played. Through the white curtains, a beautiful and delicate girl could be seen sitting by the window, her right hand supporting her cheek.

"Miss, don't be sad anymore."

A maid appeared beside the young lady, gently consoling her.

The camera passed through the curtains, giving a close-up of the young lady's face.

Wow~ Su Lan was surprised. What a young and beautiful girl, with a delicate and tearful appearance, silently crying over something.

This must be Lin Daiyu, she thought, with a touch of grace. The young actress performed very well.

Barrage comments flew across the screen, and she glanced at them:

"Second watch, the young actors' performances are really good."

"Beautiful."

"Little Daiyu is so into it."

"Very gentle."

...

Her interest grew.

This scene quickly ended, and then the credits appeared:

"Adapted from the novel 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' paying tribute to the 1987 TV series 'Dream of the Red Chamber.'"

The producer, director, and screenwriter were quickly flashed.

Su Lan saw the name "Zhang Tan" listed as the screenwriter.

The 25 minutes passed quickly, and Su Lan finished watching. She looked up and saw herself in the makeup mirror, her face still wearing a lingering smile.

Her gaze caught Yang Zhu, who quickly lowered her head and fiddled with her phone.

I didn't see anything.

Hmph~ (￣～￣;)

Su Lan was still engrossed, finding it much better than she had imagined.

The costumes, makeup, and set design alone were enough to make many so-called serious dramas blush.

"Sis, I told you it was good. I really like these kids. The Wang Zihan we met that day is playing Shi Xiangyun in it. I never expected it."

Su Lan noticed that the view count for this episode wasn't very high, only 150,000.

"Speaking of that girl, we said we would visit the set, but we never did."

"Sis, should I contact them?"

"Discuss it with Li Jie and find a good time. I'll go too."

"Ah? Sis, you don't need to come. I and Li Jie can go."

"There's no problem. We scared them so much, and I feel very guilty about it."

"…Okay."

Su Lan thought for a moment and decided to help them. She logged into Weibo, forwarded "Little Actors: Grandma Liu Visits the Grand View Garden," and wrote: "Such talented and adorable young actors, everyone come and support them."