You were supposed to have a fake marriage with the diva, so how did you become her father?

Chapter 435 "The Storm"

After looking at the calendar, Lu Ran felt that he could finally rest for a few days.

The Golden Melody Awards are settled, the wedding is still being planned, and the gaming industry has entered a relatively stable period.

He plans to take advantage of these few days to lie down and catch up on the sleep he missed during the Lunar New Year holiday, and also lose some weight around his belly.

As it turns out, plans can't keep up with changes.

That afternoon, Lu Ran was curled up on the sofa scrolling through her phone, while Shen Yuege was in the kitchen working on her new recipe. The doorbell rang.

Lu Ran didn't move. Shen Yuege poked her head out of the kitchen, holding a spatula, and shouted at him, "Open the door, my hands are covered in oil."

Lu Ran had no choice but to get up, slip on his slippers, walk to the door, open it, and be stunned for a moment.

There were two people standing at the door.

The one leading the group was Shen Zhiwei, who was wearing a dark gray polo shirt and had his hair neatly combed. He looked quite energetic.

He was carrying a red plastic bag, which was bulging with something inside.

Lu Ran called out "Dad," then looked past Shen Zhiwei's shoulder and at the person behind him.

The man was about the same age as Shen Zhiwei, in his fifties, with gray hair but in good spirits.

He was wearing a dark blue jacket over a white shirt, without a tie, and one button at the collar was undone.

He was wearing a pair of black leather shoes, polished to a shine.

The person stood there with his back ramrod straight, clearly not an ordinary person.

Seeing Lu Ran sizing up the people behind him, Shen Zhiwei chuckled and said, "What are you standing there for? Aren't you letting us in?"

Lu Ran then realized what was happening and stepped aside to make way for him: "Come in, come in. Dad, why did you suddenly come? You didn't even tell me beforehand."

"I told you in advance you wouldn't be home." Shen Zhiwei changed his shoes and placed the red plastic bag on the cabinet in the entryway. "These are pickled vegetables your mom asked me to bring you. She pickled a whole jar this year, and since we can't finish them all, I'm bringing you some."

Lu Ran glanced at the bag and thought that his mother-in-law's pickling jar was probably bigger than his refrigerator.

Hearing the noise, Shen Yuege came out of the kitchen with a spatula in her hand. When she saw Shen Zhiwei, she first called out "Dad" and then her gaze fell on the person behind him.

"And who is this?" Shen Yuege asked.

Shen Zhiwei took off his leather shoes, put on the slippers Lu Ran handed him, turned around and glanced at the man, smiling, "Let me introduce you. This is Wang Jianguo, Director Wang. An old friend of mine."

Wang Jianguo.

You must be really good at stand-up comedy.

Lu Ran mentally scoffed, then searched his memory for the name and realized he had heard of it before.

I'm not particularly familiar with them, but I do have a vague impression of them.

Wang Jianguo is a veteran in China's television industry. He has directed many serious dramas and won the Feitian Award and Golden Eagle Award several times.

But Shen Zhiwei said he was an "old friend," which Lu Ran felt might not be entirely accurate.

He had met many of Shen Zhiwei's friends, including Zhang Mingyuan, Liu Wenhua, Wang Zhiyuan, Chen Guoqiang, and Li Guoliang. When these people were with Shen Zhiwei, the atmosphere was very relaxed, they talked casually, and they joked with each other without any restraint.

But the Wang Jianguo in front of me is different.

He stood half a step behind Shen Zhiwei, not saying much or interrupting, but his aura was undeniable.

It's not the aura of a celebrity; it's something else entirely.

Lu Ran couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could sense it.

Wang Jianguo extended his hand and shook hands with Lu Ran.

The palms are broad and thick, the knuckles are strong, and the handshake is firm but not excessive.

"Teacher Lu, I've heard so much about you." Wang Jianguo's voice wasn't loud, but it was very steady, as if every word had been carefully considered before he spoke.

"Hello, Director Wang, just call me Xiao Lu," Lu Ran said politely.

Several people sat down in the living room.

Shen Yuege went to the kitchen to turn off the stove, brought out a few cups of tea, and sat down next to Lu Ran.

Shen Zhiwei sat on the single sofa opposite, while Wang Jianguo sat at the other end of the long sofa, a person's distance between him and Lu Ran.

Shen Zhiwei picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then glanced at Wang Jianguo.

Wang Jianguo understood, cleared his throat, and said, "Teacher Lu, I've come today because I need your help with something."

Lu Ran's hand holding the teacup remained still, and his expression did not change.

The moment he saw Wang Jianguo, he knew that this man wasn't just visiting.

Shen Zhiwei brought the pickled vegetables along by chance; bringing Wang Jianguo was the real business.

"Director Wang, please speak."

Wang Jianguo took a USB drive out of the inside pocket of his jacket, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it in front of Lu Ran.

The movement was very gentle, but the USB drive made a crisp sound on the glass coffee table, like a pebble thrown into calm water.

Lu Ran glanced at the USB drive but didn't reach for it.

Wang Jianguo began to speak.

He spoke at a moderate pace, as if he were giving a formal report.

"Professor Lu, as you should know, the higher authorities have been vigorously carrying out anti-corruption campaigns in recent years. From provincial and ministerial levels to county and departmental levels, from Party and government organs to state-owned enterprises, a large number of people have been investigated and punished. This intensity is unprecedented and continuous. But now there is a problem."

He paused, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"What ordinary people see are news reports, numbers, so-and-so being investigated, so-and-so being sentenced. But after seeing these news reports so often, they become numb. Ordinary people know that some people are corrupt, and they see that some people are being arrested, but they don't see the process in between. How did those corrupt officials slide down the ladder step by step? How did those investigators handle the cases? These stories are not in the news."

Hearing this, Lu Ran roughly knew what Wang Jianguo was going to say.

Wang Jianguo continued, "So what the higher-ups mean is that we need to make a TV series. A TV series with anti-corruption as its theme, but not just about anti-corruption. It needs to have a story, characters, and emotions. It needs to make ordinary people feel not only vindicated but also think. It needs to make those who are on the verge of corruption stop their actions." He glanced at Shen Zhiwei, who nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

"This project is government-led, coming directly from above. It's not just a matter for one department; it's a collaborative effort involving multiple departments. The timeframe is very tight, and the requirements are very high. It needs to be filmed before the summer vacation and broadcast during the summer. From script to filming to post-production to broadcast, it takes less than six months in total."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ran's mind was already racing.

In less than six months, it went from script to broadcast.

This timeline is considered an impossible task in the television drama industry.

A typical TV series takes several months just to polish the script. Add in preparation, filming, post-production, and censorship, and it's considered fast if it can be completed in a year.

Less than six months later, they still have to rush to meet the summer season deadline. This isn't filming a TV series; this is fighting a war.

Wang Jianguo clearly knew how tight the time was, so he didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose.

"Teacher Lu, I've looked at many screenwriters and read many scripts, but none of them are suitable. It's not that they're poorly written, but they're not the right fit. Some scripts are too focused on anti-corruption, and once the case is told, that's it. The characters are flat, and the audience can't remember them. Some scripts do have a story, but their understanding of anti-corruption is too shallow. They portray corrupt officials as inherently evil and the investigators as perfect heroes. No one would watch those kinds of scripts if they were made."

He turned to look at Lu Ran, his eyes filled with seriousness.

"Director Shen recommended you to me. He said you write quickly, write well, and don't fall into clichés. I've read the script for 'Ip Man,' and it has a good pace, solid characters, and it's passionate when it needs to be passionate and restrained when it needs to be restrained. There aren't many screenwriters with this kind of skill."

Lu Ran felt a little embarrassed by his praise.

But he didn't respond, because he knew that the important part was yet to come.

Wang Jianguo did not disappoint his expectations.

"Professor Lu, I would like to ask you to come out of retirement and write the script for this project. The time is tight and the task is heavy, but don't worry about the compensation; it won't be lower than the market rate. Most importantly, if this play can be made, it will affect more than just the audience. It can influence some people and even change some people."

Lu Ran held his teacup without saying a word.

He was thinking about something.

He was thinking about Wang Jianguo's identity.

How can a director have such power to directly take on projects from above and even have multiple departments work together to promote them?

This is not something that just one director can do.

The director is merely the executor; the decision-makers are someone else.

Lu Ran glanced at Wang Jianguo again, this time looking at him very carefully.

Wang Jianguo's posture, his eyes, the way he speaks, and his imposing aura.

These are things that an ordinary director wouldn't have.

"Director Wang, may I ask you a question?" Lu Ran said.

"Please speak."

"Besides being a director, what other positions do you hold?"

The living room was silent for a second.

Shen Zhiwei paused for a moment while holding the teacup, then continued drinking, pretending he hadn't heard anything.

Shen Yuege glanced at Lu Ran, a hint of surprise in her eyes, but said nothing.

Wang Jianguo looked at Lu Ran, remained silent for two seconds, and then smiled, but there was a hint of...admiration for Lu Ran hidden in his smile?

"I hold a deputy position in the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. I can't go into details, but just know that this happened."

Lu Ran held the teacup very steadily.

He had guessed it just now, and now that it was confirmed, the few questions in his mind were suddenly answered.

Why is this project government-led? Why was Wang Jianguo able to receive the task directly from above? Why was he able to mobilize so many resources?

Because this person is from above.

Lu Ran put down his teacup, leaned back on the sofa, and glanced at Shen Zhiwei.

Shen Zhiwei held his teacup, his expression calm, but Lu Ran noticed that his ears were a little redder than usual.

This shows that Shen Zhiwei also knew Wang Jianguo's identity and what it meant to bring such a person to his home.

But Lu Ran didn't panic. He just found the matter increasingly interesting.

"Director Wang, I can write the script. But I have a few conditions."

Wang Jianguo sat up straight, his expression becoming serious: "Please speak."

"First, I decide how the script is written. You can offer suggestions, but you can't force me to change it. I'll listen to reasonable suggestions, but I won't listen to unreasonable ones."

Wang Jianguo nodded: "Okay."

"Secondly, I reserve the right to modify the script during filming. Any major changes on set must be approved by me. Minor adjustments to the dialogue are up to you."

Wang Jianguo nodded again: "Okay."

"Thirdly, I have the right to offer suggestions regarding the selection of actors. It's not that you have to listen to me, but you should consider my opinions."

Wang Jianguo did not nod immediately this time; he glanced at Shen Zhiwei.

Shen Zhiwei put down his teacup and added, "I think this is a good point to consider. Lu Ran has a deeper understanding of the characters than most people, so it won't hurt to listen to his opinion when casting actors."

Wang Jianguo thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay. The actors can be discussed."

After Lu Ran finished stating his three conditions, Wang Jianguo's expression was much more relaxed than when he first entered the room.

It's not the kind of relief that comes from completing a task, but the kind of relief that comes from finding a reliable person.

"Teacher Lu, when can you start working on the script?" Wang Jianguo asked.

Lu Ran thought for a moment, then stood up: "Please wait a moment."

He went to the study, turned on the computer, and browsed through a folder called "To-Have".

This folder contains various scripts he downloaded from the system; some he has already read, and some he hasn't had time to read yet.

He flipped through the files and found the one.

"hurricane".

...