Chapter 22: Could He Really Be a Genius?

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“Xie Wanting, Zhang Yaqi, Chen Mengyao, Liu Xinyi, Xu Xinyuan, Li Yangyang, Liu Tianhua, Zhao Yu…” Cheng Cheng scanned through the email inbox and realized quite a few actors had sent in their resumes.

Of course, not a single one was from the top three tiers; most had no acting experience at all, and even students from the three major film academies were scarce.

But even so, Cheng Cheng was satisfied. After all, he was a complete novice with nothing to his name, no directing experience, and a questionable reputation. Unless they were desperate or truly needed the opportunity, no one would bother sending him a resume.

It was a mutual pursuit, in a way.

Moreover, “All In” didn’t demand high-level acting skills; the acting focus was all on the pyramid scheme leader, Lu Bingkun.

As long as the actor playing Lu Bingkun performed well, the rest of the roles wouldn’t be a problem.

Cheng Cheng planned to play Lu Bingkun himself. Before filming, he intended to practice extensively and elevate his acting skills to above 85—it shouldn’t be difficult.

He spent the entire afternoon reviewing emails at high speed, mainly looking at appearance, age, height, acting experience, and whether they had formal training, with the latter being less important.

By evening, after five or six hours, Cheng Cheng had finished reviewing all over a thousand resumes and sent interview invitations to more than three hundred candidates.

Among these three hundred were actors from online films, extras, some who hadn’t even been extras but just wanted to try, students still in school, stage actors, comedy performers, stand-up comedians, and third-rate rappers.

As long as Cheng Cheng liked someone, no matter their background, he would reply and invite them to audition.

If they didn’t mind him, he didn’t mind them.

The interviews were scheduled for five days later.

Tomorrow he would meet the crew; until now, he hadn’t even met them.

The day after tomorrow, he would take the crew to Yuanxing Province.

On one hand, to negotiate cooperation with the local anti-fraud publicity department, hoping to secure some support.

On the other hand, to prepare for the shoot by quickly finalizing locations, props, and costumes. These tasks could run concurrently: the crew would scout locations in Yuanxing while Cheng Cheng returned to the capital to cast actors.

—

Early the next morning, Cheng Cheng ate breakfast and headed out to meet the crew.

On the way by taxi, he posted more than a dozen Weibo messages, sending casting invitations to the country’s top male and female stars: Chu Qing, Chen Long, Zhu Haisheng, Qi Li…

“Senior Chu Qing, hello! @ChuQing I’m director Cheng Cheng. I have always admired you greatly! I grew up watching your films and deeply respect your contributions to cinema. I’m currently preparing a new film, ‘All In,’ and sincerely invite you to come for the audition. Looking forward to working together to create an unforgettable masterpiece! #FilmAuditionInvitation #NewProject”

…

Cheng Cheng, of course, knew none of these stars would actually come to audition. It would be unbelievable if they did.

But it wouldn’t hurt to get their names out there and rack up some attention.

“Ha! Sending Chu Qing an audition invite, what was Cheng Cheng thinking?”

“When it comes to making people go ‘what the heck,’ Cheng Cheng never fails.”

“Seeing that long list of big names, my mind’s just dirty.”

“LOL, do you think anyone will even reply?”

“Cheng Cheng’s Weibo has become my daily must-check, hahaha. Looks like another good day!”

“He even added hashtags #FilmAuditionInvitation and #NewProject. Such a clumsy attempt to ride the hype! Too bad!”

“Cheng Cheng may not be the most professional director, but he’s definitely the most showy.”

“Brother Chen Long must feel offended.”

“I’m director Cheng Cheng, hahaha, that phrase cracked me up so bad, what a show!”

“Comedian Cheng Cheng.”

As expected, Cheng Cheng’s antics stirred up Weibo again.

The celebrities themselves were dumbfounded.

It was like an unknown small-time director with no past works, no backing, and no investment suddenly sending casting invitations to Chow Yun-fat, Joey Wong, and Andy Lau.

Who wouldn’t call that insane?

Most stars ignored Cheng Cheng without replying.

The best way to deal with crazies is not to take them seriously—you can never predict what they’ll do next!

Facing the flood of online ridicule, Cheng Cheng didn’t care at all; he was used to it. None of it earned him any real points.

At nine in the morning, Cheng Cheng arrived at the designated hotel, where a crew member was waiting to greet him at the entrance.

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Seeing Cheng Cheng, the crew member hurried forward respectfully, greeted him formally, and led him to the meeting room.

Once inside, Cheng Cheng took off his cap and mask.

The moment he did, the entire room seemed to brighten, and everyone sat there stunned.

They had only seen Cheng Cheng on television before, and back then, they thought he was handsome, but nothing remarkable.

But now, seeing him in person, they were utterly shocked.

Eyes wide.

Frozen in disbelief.

Damn, he’s way too handsome!

Cheng Cheng’s looks were on another level, as if he wasn’t the same species as ordinary people. Everyone else seemed like clay roughly thrown together by a god, while he was a finely carved collectible figure—flawless from head to toe.

That straight nose bridge, those sharply defined eyes, thick eyelashes, smooth skin!

Everything about him was unbeatable.

Some women silently exclaimed: So handsome!

So handsome, even as a crazy person!

Even some men swallowed hard: Bro, you smell good~

“Hello everyone, I’m Cheng Cheng,” he greeted first, then got straight to work.

Besides the well-known cameraman, lighting technician, prop master, and costume designer, there were a few crucial team members.

First, the production manager, the “accountant,” responsible for the crew’s logistics and finances—very important.

Second, the assistant director—managing actors, contacting those needed for scenes, and if capable, instructing actors on performance and blocking.

Third, the location coordinator—finding suitable locations based on the director’s description and taking the director to inspect them.

These three were Cheng Cheng’s most relied-upon people: the production manager was the chief overseer; the assistant director his deputy; and the location coordinator his tool.

Cheng Cheng found their titles awkward, so he gave them nicknames in his mind based on their features:

The one wearing a beret was “Beret.”

The one with a protruding belly whose surname was Du became “Little Belly.”

The bald one was “Bald Spot.”

After introductions, the first meeting began.

On the big screen, Cheng Cheng displayed prepared character sketches and scene illustrations.

Everyone had a script and a confidentiality agreement.

After signing, they flipped through the script quietly; the meeting room was filled only with the sound of pages turning.

Half an hour later, most had finished reading, and a few couldn’t hide their surprise.

Then Cheng Cheng stood at the podium and said calmly:

“Everyone, I don’t know what Wan Si Entertainment told you before you came—whether they sent you here as a formality or assigned you a task—but it doesn’t matter. No matter what, your names will appear in the end credits of the film. Compared to the final product being a bad movie, I believe you’d much rather it be a great one.”

After his speech, everyone was silent.

Though the script was a pleasant surprise and Cheng Cheng seemed normal—at least not crazy in front of them—a great film isn’t made just by talking.

Cheng Cheng knew the crew didn’t trust him yet.

Understandable; he couldn’t charm people with a few fiery speeches like an anime protagonist. This was the real world.

So he stopped wasting words and got to the point.

He first looked at Beret.

“Director Dao, you and I will handle auditions, casting, and tryouts. The tentative date is five days from now. Tomorrow, the whole crew will head to Yuanxing Province to negotiate cooperation with the local anti-fraud publicity team. If all goes well, we’ll be back in a day or two.”

Beret nodded slightly.

Next, Cheng Cheng looked at Bald Spot.

“Director Liu, I’ve given specific requirements for shooting locations, both indoor and outdoor. I’ll send the PPT to the group later; just find locations according to my instructions. You’ll probably stay in Yuanxing City for the next month. Just a heads-up, it’ll be tough. If there are any issues with shooting permits or rentals, call me directly.”

Bald Spot agreed.

Cheng Cheng then turned to Little Belly.

Little Belly sat up straight, pulling his protruding belly in a bit.

Cheng Cheng said, “Director Du, please finish the production budget as soon as possible. Also, we don’t have sponsorship yet. Regardless of what others think, please work hard to find some.”

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Little Belly replied confidently, “Don’t worry, Director Cheng, I’m good at this.”

Cheng Cheng then shifted his gaze to a middle-aged woman.

His eyes paused briefly.

The woman quietly asked, “Director, is something wrong?”

“Nothing,” Cheng Cheng shook his head. He was just mentally assigning her a codename.

Her surname was Li, and she wore floral prints, so he dubbed her “Perm.”

Cheng Cheng said, “Li Jie, for costume design, makeup, and props, I also have detailed concept images in the PPT. I have no special requests except one: I want you to focus on ‘authenticity.’”

Perm nodded without committing.

Cheng Cheng continued, “As for the schedule, since we haven’t cast actors yet, it can be pushed back a bit…”

Time passed until noon. The hotel provided lunch, which they ate before continuing the meeting.

At five in the evening, after a full day of meetings, it finally ended. Since netizens were preparing lawsuits, Cheng Cheng didn’t join them for dinner. He reminded everyone of the next day’s gathering time and place, then returned to the Chaoyang residential complex.

After Cheng Cheng left, the group began whispering among themselves.

Unlike the morning when they first arrived, after a day of meetings, they felt a spark of hope—an unexpected glimmer of anticipation.

“Director Dao, you’re very experienced. Tell us, this meeting was unbelievably efficient—almost unreal. The pre-production work is all arranged in one day, orderly and smooth.”

Beret’s eyes held some suspicion. He said, “I’ve been in the industry a long time. This is the first time I’ve seen this. There’s only one explanation—unless he—”

He paused, then denied it himself, “But that’s impossible!”

“What’s impossible?”

“Yeah, Director Dao, don’t keep us in suspense!”

Everyone was anxious.

Director Dao didn’t want to say it because it seemed unrealistic, but pressed by their questions and lacking alternatives, he had to speak:

“It means he already has a complete movie in his mind.”

Everyone: “Huh?”

Isn’t that normal for directors? How else would they shoot?

Director Dao was annoyed by their reaction.

“You don’t get it! If every director was like that, why have so many divisions? Why bother with screenwriters, art directors, prop masters, stunt coordinators? I’ve worked with many big-name directors—Gong Ming, Lin Hang, Guo Wen—none of them are like this. Many directors don’t even know what they want before shooting; they just keep trying until they get the right effect. Some crews spend months on pre-shoot coordination meetings, everyone expressing opinions, endless debates, and the meetings become a mess.”

Seeing them start to understand, Director Dao said, “You’re mostly newcomers and haven’t been on many sets, so you don’t realize. Cheng Cheng is basically handling the entire movie himself—script, character design, costumes, storyboards, locations. Do you know how genius that is?”

At this point, Director Dao wasn’t even sure himself:

Could Cheng Cheng really be a genius?

Why hadn’t he heard of him before?

And didn’t old friends say he was illiterate?

Bald Spot spoke up to support Director Dao: “This is definitely the most efficient coordination meeting I’ve attended. Before coming, I thought we’d just get to know each other and talk about how to shoot. I didn’t expect Cheng Cheng to bring the finished product right away.”

Perm Li also said, “To finalize each character’s costume, style, even accessories before shooting—that’s rare.”

She suggested, “Maybe Cheng Cheng had already hired another art director in advance?”

“No way!” Director Dao rejected that immediately. Seeing Perm look at him, he retorted, “If he had hired an art director, would he still need us? Would that make sense?”

Perm realized her mistake. “You’re right, Director Dao. That was silly of me.”

Bald Spot added, “Maybe he polished this script for years, always wanted to direct, and only got the chance after failing elsewhere.”

Director Dao interrupted, “Let’s not debate this. Whatever the case, you all saw the script. It’s not perfect, but it far exceeded our expectations, right? Since Director Cheng isn’t here now, I’ll say this: I hope we can all work together and make this film great!”

Everyone cheered.

Just as Cheng Cheng said, they’d much rather make a good film than a bad one.

P.S.: Today’s update is 7,000 words—the absolute limit for a new book period. Please, dear readers, keep following and voting. This book will definitely be completed—rest assured, a true man never leaves a story unfinished or abandoned.