Lin Chudong and Liang Yin followed Fang Wei to a private room in a restaurant.
They pushed open the door and saw Li Zhilin inside, along with many of the main crew members.
The middle-aged man next to Li Zhilin was the producer, Shi Wei.
As soon as Li Zhilin saw Lin Chudong enter, a cold look flashed across his face.
He knew Lin Chudong would come; Fang Wei had already coordinated this beforehand.
The verbal agreement was made when the contract was signed: both crews would take turns using this set. Once the weather outside improved, they could film their own exterior shots.
However, since Li Zhilin's crew had arrived first, they still needed to come over, exchange pleasantries, and politely ask for their opinion.
Actually, Li Zhilin had to agree as well. After all, the arrangement with the co-production company was a verbal agreement. If he insisted on preventing them from filming, it wouldn't look good for the co-production company.
Then, if the cooperation soured, Li Zhilin would end up offending the producer.
The producer had no beef with Lin Chudong. Was Li Zhilin bringing his personal grudges into the crew, causing trouble for everyone?
So, today was just a minor bit of difficulty for Lin Chudong, and the matter would be over.
Shi Wei introduced himself and shook hands with Lin Chudong.
"It's better to resolve conflicts than to create them. We've heard about what happened between you and Zhilin before. You get to know each other through conflict. It's fate that we're all filming at the same filming base this time."
Lin Chudong said, "Director Shi, Manager Fang from the co-production company explained the situation. Our two crews are using the same set. If we coordinate well, there shouldn't be any problems. It's just a bit of trouble for the prop masters. I'll improve the meals for your prop team later on, as a small token of my appreciation."
Lin Chudong's attitude was still pretty good. Although Li Zhilin was present, he was coordinating with the entire crew. And with the co-production company acting as a bridge, this shouldn't be too difficult.
Shi Wei nodded. "Da Fei is directing for the second time, he's very capable. I've watched The Beginning, it's quite good."
After some pleasantries, Shi Wei turned to Li Zhilin, who hadn't spoken.
"Zhilin, what do you think?"
Li Zhilin looked up at Lin Chudong, a sneer playing on his lips.
Enjoy spending fifty million, huh?
Li Zhilin had taken a scolding from the director, and had to pay part of the compensation himself.
He certainly couldn't just let this go. Although the production company was mediating today, he wouldn't let Lin Chudong off the hook so easily.
"Since Director Shi has spoken, I have no objections. I have to give Manager Fang face, too."
"How about this, since we're saying bygones be bygones, I have two bottles of liquor here. Drink them, and we'll let this matter go. You can use the interior sets tomorrow."
After speaking, Li Zhilin pulled out two bottles of Mendao Lv from under the table, both 1L, which is two jin.
Anyone who drinks baijiu has heard of Mendao Lv's reputation, known as the strongest liquor in the country, at sixty-five degrees.
Normal people's tolerance for Mendao Lv needs to be halved, and drinking two liang is already good.
Now Li Zhilin pulled out two bottles at once, and they were still large bottles, a total of four jin of Mendao Lv. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for Da Fei.
Liang Yin clenched her fists, her face looking a little grim, and said.
"I'll drink one bottle with him!"
Li Zhilin shook his head, "No need for you, I just want him to drink."
Li Zhilin slowly rotated the round table, and the two bottles of baijiu landed in front of Lin Chudong.
Fang Wei frowned, "Zhilin, aren't these two big bottles a bit much? How about we let Da Fei drink three cups instead?"
Li Zhilin said, "I'm already giving you face. Don't try to negotiate with me."
Shi Wei stood to the side without saying a word, even though he had no grudge against Lin Chudong, he still had to side with his own artist.
Li Zhilin was determined to vent his anger and see Da Fei make a fool of himself, so be it.
Da Fei was too arrogant before, and he probably didn't expect to run into this situation, did he?
Liang Yin frowned, "Da Fei, let's just forget about it."
Lin Chudong smiled slightly. He had anticipated Li Zhilin would make things difficult for him, but he didn't expect it would be so simple.
If it were about something else, Lin Chudong might have just turned around and left, and he could have just changed the scene and fought it out with him.
Now it was just a matter of two bottles of liquor, which was easy.
"Drinking? Perfect, I'm thirsty."
After saying that, Lin Chudong twisted open a bottle and tilted it up to his mouth, chugging it directly.
Everyone was stunned for a moment. Several people immediately took out their phones to record videos.
In a moment, Da Fei would definitely spit it all out, and they needed to record it and post it online, letting the netizens see Da Fei's embarrassing moment.
Moreover, even if he only drank half a bottle of this liquor, it would guarantee his stomach would be burning like hell.
Offending him, Li Zhilin, was just a small punishment.
However, at first, everyone's faces still wore a hint of amusement. But when Lin Chudong was about to finish the first bottle, the expressions on everyone's faces had become much more reserved.
One bottle almost gone?
In one go?
I watched Da Fei's beer drinking video before, and I thought it was fake. After all, that kind of video is easy to edit.
A lot of people can do the beer drinking trick, but drinking twelve bottles in one go seems like a load of bull.
But seeing it today, I suddenly feel like this thing might not be fake?
Bang.
Lin Chudong finished a bottle, put it on the table, wiped his mouth, and his expression didn't change at all.
"This beer is alright, has some flavor."
After saying that, he opened the second bottle and started chugging again.
Everyone was dumbfounded by this display, and several people stood up to examine him closely.
This guy was a magician; he might have some trick to make the liquor disappear.
Of course, this thought was unrealistic. They had watched Da Fei drink directly from the bottle; there was no way to fake it.
After finishing the second bottle, Lin Chudong put down the bottle and looked at Shi Wei.
"Director Shi, are you satisfied?"
Shi Wei was still in a daze, his mouth half-open, not yet recovered from the shock.
"Yes… yes, I suppose."
"Alright then, enjoy yourselves. I'll be taking my leave."
After speaking, Lin Chudong pulled Liang Yin and walked out.
A few minutes later, Fang Wei hurried over.
"Da Fei, you're amazing, are you okay?"
Lin Chudong said, "I'm fine, it was like drinking water, just a little full."
Fang Wei was dumbfounded, a god of alcohol!
Da Fei has this talent too? That's awesome.
Liang Yin said, "Li Zhilin didn't go back on his word, did he?"
Fang Wei said, "That's not the case, but..."
Lin Chudong said, "I've already drunk the alcohol. The rest is your co-production company's problem. We've paid a lot, so you can't say you can't handle this, right?"
Fang Wei patted his chest, "Don't worry, I'll definitely handle it." Da Fei had done all he could. They asked him to drink, and he downed two bottles straight. If they made any more demands, it would be clear they didn't want things to go well. The producer wasn't here to vent Li Zhilin's anger, and wouldn't further escalate the conflict.
Lin Chudong said in a low voice to Liang Yin, "You saw those two bottles, right? Buy two more online and have them delivered."
Liang Yin was taken aback, "Why? Didn't you drink enough?"
Lin Chudong said, "Li Zhilin was trying to intimidate me today. Luckily, I have a good capacity for alcohol, or I wouldn't have been able to handle it."
"I handled it, but that doesn't mean this is over. Buy two bottles for him and keep them ready. He'll come to me for help sooner or later."
Although he didn't lose face today, not letting this out wasn't Da Fei's style.
...
After Liang Yin and Lin Chudong checked in, the others arrived one after another.
Seeing the hotel they booked, the several film and television departments that were hired were very satisfied.
"Director Liang, this is a big production! We've never stayed in a luxury hotel when we're on business trips!"
Previously, they had all stayed in budget hotels like Super 8. This time, the hotel was obviously of a much higher standard.
The weather outside was very cold, but it was quite comfortable in the hotel.
Liang Yin smiled, "We don't have any sponsors, so the company is paying out of pocket this time. If you all feel comfortable, then work harder."
"Don't worry, Director Liang, we'll follow all instructions."
Lin Chudong saw that most people had arrived and called them to the conference room to assign tasks.
"The photography and sound recording teams don't need to unload. Someone is using the interior set tomorrow, so you need to be there early."
"The props team, go tidy up tomorrow morning. I'm worried they'll mess up the set."
"This is Director Liang, the head of our planning team. All departments should report their progress to Director Liang at any time."
"This is Wang Zhi, the on-site producer. Wang Zhi, you must sort out the power supply issues today. Make sure each camera position has smooth wiring, and also confirm the location of the toilets. Don't let people be unable to find a toilet later."
Wang Zhi took a deep breath, "Understood, Da Fei!"
Wang Zhi had been working hard recently. He had gained a lot of experience on the previous shoot for The Beginning. The crew was small then, and Da Fei basically directed the whole thing himself, working from morning till night.
This time there were more people, and he couldn't handle it alone. It was also Wang Zhi's first time as an on-site producer. He was a little pleased but also a little nervous.
Look, we've got multiple identities now. Besides being a bassist, I'm also a small-time leader on set.
"This is our production manager, Chen Jianguo. Everyone just call him Lao Chen. If you have any needs regarding food, drink, or anything else, just go to Lao Chen."
"The rest of you are at my disposal. We'll distribute the non-disclosure agreements shortly; please sign them. Be careful not to leak any secrets. You all know I'm the spokesperson for Zhang San the Outlaw, so don't get sued by me for being too loose-lipped, alright?"
Lin Chudong's words made everyone laugh.
Even Li Zhilin was taken down by Lin Chudong. Who would dare to provoke him? The story of him sending the opposing lawyer to jail was always a hot topic.
No one dared to leak anything about this film crew.
Jia Lu Feifei and Guo Xiaoliang were also very excited. Although they weren't assigned as leaders, they all had their own roles, with plenty of coordination and on-site work waiting for them.
Currently, there were very few female actors in the crew, just Bai Guixiang. Li Xiaomai plays the female lead, Tian Yu, but her scenes will be filmed later, so she wasn't here yet.
Their crew's internal preparations were almost complete, with the remaining tasks delegated to the co-production company.
"Manager Fang, have you arranged the extras?"
Fang Wei looked at his phone, frowning. "The group heads here haven't gotten back to me yet, Da Fei. Handle other things first, they'll definitely be in place tomorrow."
In the evening, Chen Jianguo organized a launch banquet. The dishes were plentiful and featured local specialties.
The staff were all very satisfied; Liangyin Media was really generous. They were doing well even without any sponsors.
Liang Yin said, "Da Fei, are you sure you don't want a sponsor? I think you might be able to get some money from Director Wu."
Lin Chudong shook his head. "No. This time, we're aiming for CCTV. Even if we had product placement, it might get rejected during the review. We don't really need the money."
Liang Yin nodded. That was true. If they took on a sponsor offering millions, the product placement would be everywhere, which would also affect the effect.
Lin Chudong sat beside Li Hongbin. They weren't drinking this time, just chatting.
"Li-ge, it all depends on you this time. You're the soul of this show."
Li Hongbin smiled. "Don't worry, this script fits me like a glove. Absolutely no problem."
The next day, everyone got up early.
Lin Chudong took Wang Zhi and some of the departments to the set, while Jia Lu and the others arranged for the actors' makeup at the hotel.
When they arrived on set, Lin Chudong frowned.
The scene was indeed a mess. A lot of the set pieces were scattered everywhere, and they weren't even tidying up after filming.
Li Zhilin and his crew are such dogs; they don't even have basic manners.
"Props team, I'm sorry to trouble you all. I'll double your wages for these few days."
"Thank you, Da Fei!"
The props team had been somewhat resentful, but as soon as they heard about the double wages, they perked up and started working.
The set was ready, the slide was laid, and the lighting and photography equipment were all in place. The actors were also all present.
Lin Chudong directed, "Come on, everyone, let's take a photo for the opening ceremony."
The Swordsman crew's opening ceremony is a success!
"Episode 3 of Swordsman, scene one, action!"
Li Hongbin, wearing a worn-out military uniform, had a self-rolled cigarette in his mouth as he angrily said.
"Zhao Gang! Stop glaring at me! When I was fighting in the Eyuwan area, you were still a nobody!"
"I'm telling you, I did it, so what! Go ahead and report me to the division commander or the brigade commander! If they want to kill me or punish me, I, Li Yunlong, will take the blame!"
"..."
"It's fine for me to get weapons, but you can't put a curse on me!"
"You want me to get weapons, and you want me to be a good boy? You're being unreasonable! You can't let the brigade commander take all the good things!"
The first two episodes of the whole drama are outdoor scenes. It's snowing right now, and the weather isn't suitable, so they're shooting indoor scenes first.
This scene was about Li Yunlong taking unauthorized action to wipe out a cavalry battalion.
In just a few lines of dialogue, Li Yunlong's image immediately came to life, captivating everyone.
Li Hongbin's acting was superb. Coupled with his own straightforward personality, he'd already thoroughly studied the script during the New Year, and understood the character of Li Yunlong extremely well.
With Da Fei's guidance, his performance was outstanding and captivating.
Several staff members were intrigued.
"This male lead is really interesting. It's the first time I've seen a protagonist with this kind of personality."
"Exactly! The male leads in those previous anti-Japanese dramas were all cold, aloof gods, but this Li Yunlong is so down-to-earth. And this personality... it's inspiring to watch. Our drama might actually be a hit!"
"The success of The Beginning definitely wasn't accidental. Fei-ge is really talented. It's a pity we're just contracted employees."
"What's this, you want to join Liangyin Media too?"
"I do have that thought, actually. I wonder if Da Fei wants me."
-----------------------
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