Chapter 67

On the plane, Shen Zhenghui finally had the chance to calm down and carefully reflect on his words and actions over the years. As he reviewed his memories, he felt a sudden shock. Many things, he knew the general trend, thought about how to handle them, and worked towards that direction, but due to coincidences, they developed in a completely different way. As a穿越者 (穿越者 means someone who has traveled through time or space, often used in the context of a person who has been reborn in a different era or world), he knew the general trend of historical development, but the specific process of history was built up by details, and he had not done enough in the details. Without familiarity with these details, even if he knew a lot about the general trend, he could still be crushed by the wheels of history in actual operations.

For example, in the case of obtaining the aircraft parameters, he initially had the fanciful idea of embedding Easter eggs in the animation, but found that it was not so easy to embed such Easter eggs that transcended time and space. Apart from the serial number, he knew nothing about the specific knowledge of the aircraft, and had to go out to gather information, which eventually led to the matter being escalated to official channels. Although he had gained many benefits by chance, the development of events was completely beyond his expectations. If things had gone in a bad direction, he might have been arrested and locked up as a spy.

Shen Zhenghui finally felt that being a reborn穿越者 was not always a good thing. The key was to match his strength and ability with his ambition.

All along, Shen Zhenghui felt that his career had been smooth sailing, without any major setbacks. Although there was the matter with Li Rui, he did not take it to heart, and instead felt that his decisiveness at the time was truly bold, and now he was doing well in Japan. Now, looking back at his experiences from another perspective, he felt increasingly foolish. He remembered the night he encountered the Japanese yakuza, when he was inwardly afraid but outwardly pretended to be brave and fearless. Reflecting on this, he realized that since his rebirth, he had been trying to act like a successful person destined for greatness, but deep down, he still had the mentality of a loser from his previous life, and was still filled with fear.

The matter of the aircraft animation and the conversation with Wang Anping were a significant shock to him. Although he had always looked down on high-ranking officials, when he was really involved with such people, he felt his inner fragility, not the strength he thought he had. He even found reasons for his infatuation with Aizawa Tomoaki—seeing the real weakness in Aizawa Tomoaki, which matched his own mentality. In other words, Aizawa Tomoaki was a mirror, and in him, Shen Zhenghui saw himself without the identity of a穿越者.

Thinking about this, Shen Zhenghui felt his mood plummet. At that moment, he wished he could find a place where no one could see him and curl up to cry. However, he was 30,000 feet in the air, with nowhere to hide. He huddled in his seat, his body curled up, feeling as if he had been stripped of his hard shell, extremely vulnerable and easily hurt.

"Sir, is there something wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" the attentive flight attendant asked.

"Ah, no, just a bit uncomfortable," Shen Zhenghui said, trying to control his emotions. "Could you please give me a blanket?"

"Sir, are you really okay?" the flight attendant was still worried. "Do you need us to find a doctor for you?"

"Really, I'm fine. I probably didn't rest well last night," Shen Zhenghui tried to muster some energy. "I'll feel better after a nap. Could you please give me a blanket?"

The flight attendant, full of concern, brought the blanket to Shen Zhenghui and instructed, "Sir, if you still feel unwell, please let me know."

"Thank you," Shen Zhenghui didn't want to say more, wrapped himself in the blanket, and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep. The flight was long, and he soon fell asleep.

When he woke up, the plane was about to land. After this nap, Shen Zhenghui felt his depressed mood improve. His mood recovered, and he realized he was not entirely useless. The experience and knowledge he had accumulated over the past twenty years were a significant asset. At the same time, he was secretly wary that he was still a person who tended to think in extremes—either overly arrogant or overly self-deprecating. Recognizing himself was truly a difficult task, and he needed to reflect more.

Seeing that Shen Zhenghui had recovered, the flight attendant kissed him and confirmed that he was fine, giving him a bright smile, which made Shen Zhenghui feel an impulse to ask for her phone number, but he quickly suppressed it. He began to think about his normal work. The current priorities were the animation and the TV drama. He couldn't start the TV drama production soon enough.

Dragging his suitcase out of the terminal, he was surprised to see Director Miyamoto waiting at the exit, excitedly greeting him, "Mr. Sasaki, you're back."

If there was anyone more concerned about the TV drama production than Shen Zhenghui, it was Miyamoto. As a young director, it was extremely difficult to achieve success and development in the Japanese entertainment industry. So, even though Miyamoto had to direct adult films under a pseudonym, he was now given the opportunity to direct a legitimate TV drama, albeit as a nominal assistant director but the actual executive director. Miyamoto took this TV drama more seriously than anyone else in the production team.

Upon receiving Shen Zhenghui, Miyamoto began to report enthusiastically about the production team's preparations. The actors had been signed according to the list Shen Zhenghui had provided, and any changes had been approved by Fukuda Hikari. Since most of the lead actors were new talents from Queens, the production costs were significantly reduced. Miyamoto had even drawn up the shot list and was eager to start filming, so he was overjoyed to see Shen Zhenghui return.

Shen Zhenghui carefully read through Miyamoto's executive script, which was the result of his greatest efforts. The driver drove, and Miyamoto's eyes were fixed on Shen Zhenghui's face, afraid that he would be dissatisfied with the script.

After a while, Shen Zhenghui put down the script. "Not bad," he said.

Miyamoto breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, there are too many psychological monologues and facial expressions. You don't need to overdo it," Shen Zhenghui said.

Miyamoto's heart sank again. "Then, do you have any suggestions?"

"Can these children really have such advanced acting skills? For the scenes with children, let them perform based on their own understanding. The script doesn't need to be so detailed," Shen Zhenghui said casually. "The psychological descriptions of the characters when they grow up are good, but there are too many. This is not good; it should be about digging into the acting."

"You're absolutely right," Miyamoto immediately praised. "I'll revise it tonight."

"Is it that urgent?" Shen Zhenghui asked, a bit awkwardly.

"Fukuda-san has already instructed that filming starts tomorrow."

"Damn!" Shen Zhenghui felt a headache. "Okay, let's work on it tonight."

"Sure!" Miyamoto laughed from the bottom of his heart.

...

"First scene, eighth shot, start!" With this call, Shen Zhenghui sat behind the monitor, carefully watching Yamashita Tomohisa's performance on the screen.

Miyamoto was indeed a skilled director, proficient in lighting, set design, and props. Shen Zhenghui only needed to sit behind the monitor and rely on his aesthetic judgment to review the shots. He was so bored that he wanted to yawn. Since they were shooting in sequence, his own scenes were not yet up, and the main characters were mostly children.

Yamashita Tomohisa was a talented actor, especially since the character he was playing was very close to his age. He only needed to portray the rebelliousness and attraction to girls typical of his age. Since he was essentially playing himself, and the TV drama's acting requirements were not as high as those of a film, the shooting went smoothly.

The performances of Aoi Sola, Erika Sawajiri, and Kitagawa Keiko were also commendable, but Erika Sawajiri's performance stood out the most. The character she played, a female classmate who liked the male lead, was more striking in both appearance and personality compared to the male lead's sister, played by Aoi Sola. Of course, this was not to say that Aoi Sola performed poorly; it was just that Erika Sawajiri's appearance and personality were too striking.

This made Miyamoto a bit worried, as it might affect the balance of the entire drama.

"You're overthinking it. There was no specific setting that the sister character had to be more beautiful than the female classmate," Shen Zhenghui said, stroking his chin. "What's the problem if a supporting character is more popular than the lead? As long as it doesn't affect the ratings, it might even be a selling point. Many movies have the most outstanding villain, right?"

"If you think that way..."

"Besides, the sister and the classmate are not the same type of person, so there's no issue of a supporting character overshadowing the lead. The key is to showcase their unique characteristics. Childhood is just one aspect; the real acting challenge comes when they grow up."

"But, the scenes where they grow up are not many, right?" Miyamoto asked, puzzled. To fit the schedule, the script had been adjusted, and the entire drama had become a documentary of teenage growth and early romance.

"Because there are few scenes, there's a possibility of a second season!" Shen Zhenghui spread his hands.

"A second season?"

"If the ratings are good and the audience demands it, a third season is also possible!" Shen Zhenghui stared at Miyamoto. "Mr. Miyamoto, you are a very good assistant director."

"Yes, yes! I will do my best to make three seasons!" Miyamoto burst with energy.

"Then, prepare for the next scene."

"Yes, the next scene!" The crew sprang into action.

...

"You are really dedicated to your work, coming straight to the studio after returning. I heard you stayed with Miyamoto last night?" Fukuda Hikari appeared behind Shen Zhenghui.

"Yes, we worked on the script all night."

"Oh, I thought your taste had changed!" Fukuda Hikari covered her mouth. "Liu Xin and your team are still waiting for you to go to Gonzo to guide the animation production!"

"Huh? Didn't I already give them the materials?" Shen Zhenghui was puzzled. "Why are they still looking for me? By the way," he looked at Fukuda Hikari, "what brings you here?"

Fukuda Hikari was a bit frustrated. "I came to see you after you returned from China."

"Didn't you say the shooting was supposed to start today?"

"I thought... you would delegate the shooting to Miyamoto, but I didn't expect you to be so hands-on." Fukuda Hikari was surprised. "You plan to focus all your energy on this."

Shen Zhenghui pursed his lips. "I should really accumulate some experience and knowledge in this area."

"Do you really want to be a director?" Fukuda Hikari asked curiously. "I thought a nominal position would be enough!"

"Shouldn't I master a skill?" Shen Zhenghui said.

"Isn't your talent in other areas a skill? It's much more impressive than being a director!" Fukuda Hikari widened her eyes.

Shen Zhenghui, of course, knew his other skills. "I just suddenly... like being a director."

Fukuda Hikari was speechless. "It seems your trip to China has changed you a lot!"