dhibooks Chapter 99 Meteor Garden
Chapter 99 Meteor Garden
"Okay, that's good, as long as you have that confidence." Lu Ran leaned forward, his eyes serious.
"Our department happens to have some free time right now. Filming for 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' is finished, and the rest is just normal promotion and broadcasting. I have a new script on hand, a campus-themed one, with a small investment, which is perfect for practicing with."
Tan Yu's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again: "Brother Lu, this... can I do it?"
"Why not?" Lu Ran laughed. "Your dad's a shareholder of Xingyao, and you're the heir to Xingyao. So what if the bid fails? You can afford to pay for it!"
"Brother Lu!" Tan Yu said, both amused and exasperated. "That's not what I meant. I was worried that you might mess up the script. Why don't you let Director Chen Ke do it?"
"I was just kidding." Lu Ran waved his hand. "Director Chen wouldn't even look at this kind of situation. It's just a small script, you can write it casually. Whether it makes money or not is not important. The main thing is to create an opportunity for you."
Lu Ran paused, then gave a meaningful smile: "I think Xu Manxue is very suitable for the female lead in this drama. You can go and invite her yourself."
Upon hearing Lu Ran mention Xu Manxue, Tan Yu immediately stood up.
"Minister Lu, I guarantee I'll complete the mission." Tan Yu said, and even started to walk out.
"Come back here," Lu Ran said irritably. "It's not even close to being settled yet. You should check yourself out first."
"You're the director and the lead actor in this drama. You have to direct and act at the same time, so the pressure is considerable," Lu Ran said seriously to Tan Yu. "If you can't keep up, it might leave a bad impression on Xu Manxue. You'd better think it through."
"I'm not afraid!" Tan Yu said immediately, as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. "Brother Lu, what drama is it? I'll read the script right now!"
Lu Ran took out a folder from the drawer. It was a document he had written and printed out some time ago when he had nothing else to do.
Lu Ran had originally planned to do this a long time ago, but it was delayed because of filming "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".
The cover of the document prominently displays three large characters:
Meteor Garden.
"This drama tells the story of four rich young masters and an ordinary girl." Lu Ran handed the script to Tan Yu. "The four of you are the F4 in the show."
Liu Jun, Zhao Dapeng, and Sun Tianyu all gathered around.
"F4? That really fits the four of us," Zhao Dapeng said.
"Flower 4, the four-member boy group of Flower Boys," Lu Ran explained. "Four handsome, rich, and arrogant school bullies. You know what, they fit your image quite well."
Liu Jun's eyes lit up: "Brother Lu is awesome! This script looks like it was written specifically for us, it's perfect for us!"
Sun Tianyu flipped through the script, seemingly lost in thought: "Daoming Si, Hua Ze Lei, Xi Men, and Mei Zuo—these four characters all have very distinct personalities."
"Tan Yu will play Dao Ming Si, the male lead, domineering yet innocent," Lu Ran said, pointing to the cast. "Liu Jun will play Hua Ze Lei, a melancholic nobleman. Zhao Dapeng will play Xi Men, a playboy. Sun Tianyu will play Mei Zuo, a sunny and handsome man."
He then looked at Tan Yu: "The female lead, Shan Cai, is a stubborn and kind-hearted ordinary girl. I think Xu Manxue's temperament fits the bill perfectly."
The script is just the tip of the iceberg. If the actual filming achieves even half the quality of the previous one, Lu Ran guarantees that the four of them will quickly become phenomenal idols for all teenagers.
Tan Yu hugged the script tightly, his voice trembling with excitement: "Brother Lu... thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." Lu Ran leaned back in his chair. "Although this drama isn't high-budget, it can't be too bad. So I'll give you half a month to prepare, and filming will start next month. Whether you can win Xu Manxue over with this drama depends on your skills."
"Brother Lu, don't worry, I'll definitely do a good job filming." Tan Yu immediately assured him.
"And the three of you." Lu Ran looked at Liu Jun and the others, "Act well. This is Young Master Tan's life-long event. If you mess it up, you'll be in big trouble."
Zhao Dapeng patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Brother Lu, we'll fight tooth and nail for Young Master Tan's happiness!"
Liu Jun grinned mischievously: "But Young Master Tan, wouldn't you call this abusing your power for personal gain? Using filming as an excuse to pursue a girl?"
Tan Yu blushed: "Get lost! I'm just doing my job!"
The office erupted in laughter.
Seeing the group regain their energy, Lu Ran sighed, "It's so good to be young."
Meteor Garden was a phenomenal hit across Asia in its previous life, and it should create a similar craze in this world as well.
Most importantly, the production cost of this drama was indeed low, and the campus scenes and costumes were not complicated, making it perfect for a novice director like Tan Yu to practice.
Moreover, the F4 concept was practically tailor-made for Star F4.
Lu Ran could almost see the scene after the show aired, where the four young masters would become overnight sensations.
Even if it doesn't work out, Lu Ran has many other scripts for him to film. As long as Tan Yu doesn't give up, fame is just a matter of time.
Of course, this time, filming wasn't the most important thing; the most important thing was to create a beautiful marriage.
After finalizing the filming of "Meteor Garden," the team behind the eight-part series got busy again.
Lu Ran also reported this matter to Li Mo.
Seeing the recent surge in data for "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", Li Mo agreed without much thought.
With "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" as a backup, there's no need to worry about the new drama not being made well.
Moreover, Lu Ran is still the screenwriter for this drama, and Li Mo still recognizes Lu Ran's abilities.
In recent days, Tan Yu has been like a different person. He arrives at the company earliest and leaves latest every day, and he is always looking for director Chen Ke to ask questions about the script.
Although Chen Keren was not one to smile easily, he was quite pleased to see the company's playboy become so ambitious, and he answered almost every question and shared his knowledge without reservation.
Liu Jun and the others were also inspired by his enthusiasm and began to seriously study their roles.
Lu Ran then became a hands-off manager, only overseeing the general direction while leaving all the specific tasks to Tan Yu.
In his words, "Directors aren't taught, they're trained."
A week later, Tan Yu presented a complete shooting plan and budget.
After watching it, Lu Ran was somewhat surprised: "Not bad, it's quite well done. Director Chen Ke's teaching of you was worthwhile."
Tan Yu scratched his head sheepishly: "I consulted Director Chen several times, and he even recommended a few reliable behind-the-scenes teams to me."
"Okay, let's go with this plan." Lu Ran signed off. "Have you contacted the female lead yet?"
Mentioning Xu Manxue, Tan Yu, who had been full of enthusiasm just moments before, suddenly became somewhat hesitant: "No...not yet. I plan to tell Manxue after everything is finalized."
"Hey, you!" Lu Ran was speechless at Tan Yu's words, but maybe this is what liking someone looks like.
"Here's what we'll do. I'll arrange for her to come over. Her song hasn't been released yet, so I can give it a shot." Lu Ran felt he should lend a hand. "As for what happens after that, I'll leave it to you. Make the most of the opportunity."
Tan Yu's eyes lit up.
I knew Brother Lu was the best.
Godfather, please accept my bow!
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