19: Visiting Yang Mi on set in Hengdian.

At the dining table, Chen Le found Wang Baoqiang's excited state a bit amusing.

The current Wang Baoqiang was different from Chen Le's previous life; having wasted so many years as an extra, the chance to play a male lead now left him so excited he was speechless.

"Yes, I'm not lying to you. From the first moment I saw you, I was certain you were the male lead for my new film."

"Director Chen, thank you, thank you for your trust! I won't let you down." Wang Baoqiang was incredibly moved, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.

"It's fine, just focus on acting well. If you do a good job, there will be plenty of lead roles for you in the future," Chen Le said with a smile.

"Mhm, Director Chen, I will definitely act my best and do this character justice," Wang Baoqiang said, his expression filled with emotion.

Chen Le nodded and then told Wang Baoqiang and Gang Zi to eat.

After the meal, Wang Baoqiang was the first to leave.

Gang Zi looked at Chen Le with a strange expression. "Old Chen, are you really planning to have that silly kid as the lead for the new movie?"

"Yeah, he's the most suitable candidate. Once I show you the script, you'll understand."

"Are you sure?" Gang Zi couldn't find any way to associate Wang Baoqiang's image with that of a leading man.

"Mhm, don't judge a book by its cover. He might not be a handsome guy or anything, but his look is perfect for the role."

Seeing this, Gang Zi nodded... Soon, time flew by, and the theatrical run for nightclub came to an end.

Chen Le checked the total box office for nightclub: 15.1 million.

Seeing this number, Chen Le felt a small surge of excitement.

With this money, he had the startup capital for his next film.

That previous feeling of being strapped for cash had been truly miserable.

Meanwhile, on the set of Beauty's Rival in Palace, Yang Mi had already been with the Film Crew for many days.

She was playing the third female lead in Beauty's Rival in Palace.

Although the massive success of chinese paladin 3 had boosted her popularity, her status in the entertainment industry was still relatively low, so she could only land third-lead roles.

At this time, Yang Mi had also just finished checking the total box office for nightclub.

Even while filming, she had been keeping a close eye on nightclub's total earnings these past few days.

When she saw the total of over fifteen million, she was extremely excited and immediately called Chen Le.

"Old Chen, our movie's total box office is out—it's fifteen million!"

As soon as Chen Le picked up, he heard Yang Mi's happy and excited voice.

"Haha, I saw it. It's as expected." Hearing Yang Mi so happy made Chen Le's mood significantly better as well.

"Old Chen, with such a high box office, we should get a good share, right?" Yang Mi said excitedly.

"Roughly. Doubling our investment shouldn't be a problem," Chen Le nodded.

"Mhm, that's great."

"By the way, Mi Mi, how is it going with the Beauty's Rival in Palace Film Crew? Is the filming going smoothly?" Chen Le asked with concern.

Hearing Chen Le's words, Yang Mi suddenly remembered something.

"Old Chen, you have no idea, I can only play the third female lead in this crew."

Chen Le had known this for a long time, so he could only offer comfort: "It's okay, Mi Mi. A third lead can be played well too. If you perform well, the audience will remember you just the same. Playing the lead isn't always the only way to be the best."

"Mhm, I know. My experience is still a bit lacking, and there are too many big shots here," Yang Mi said with a nod.

She was just venting to Chen Le; after all, she didn't know anyone in this crew, and any grievances she had could only be bottled up inside.

"Mi Mi, just focus on your acting. I'll come to the film studio location to visit you in a few days."

"Really?" Hearing that Chen Le was coming to see her, Yang Mi was delighted.

"Really, I'll come see you in a few days," Chen Le confirmed with a smile.

"Okay, I'll wait for you!"

Soon, a week later.

Chen Le boarded a plane to the film studio location to find Yang Mi.

Arriving at the film studio location, Chen Le saw Yang Mi as soon as he got off the plane.

"Mi Mi. Why did you come to pick me up yourself?" Chen Le looked at Yang Mi in surprise.

"Old Chen, I missed you so much." Yang Mi gave Chen Le a big hug. During her days in the film studio location, she hadn't had anyone to talk to, and it was driving her crazy.

Chen Le hadn't brought much with him, just a few changes of clothes.

They found the hotel and dropped off the luggage.

Yang Mi then brought Chen Le to the Beauty's Rival in Palace set.

"Mi Mi, who is this?"

As Yang Mi led Chen Le into the set, a man wearing silver-rimmed glasses saw them and asked.

Chen Le looked at the man and recognized him instantly—the man before him was Director Yu.

"Director Yu, this is my friend, Chen Le. He's the one who filmed nightclub." Yang Mi introduced Chen Le to Director Yu.

"You're the Director of nightclub? So young?" Director Yu looked at the very young Chen Le in surprise.

nightclub could be considered a small dark horse of this summer season. Using a two-million-yuan investment to rake in over fifteen million at the box office, such a high-return work was truly rare.

What surprised Director Yu even more was that the Director of nightclub was actually this young-looking guy in front of him.

"Hello, Director Yu. It's an honor to meet you. I've heard of your great reputation since before I graduated, and I've always wanted to meet you to ask for some advice," Chen Le greeted Director Yu with a smile.

Seeing this, Director Yu also responded with a smile, "Hello, Director Chen. I didn't expect the Director of nightclub to be so young."

With that, Chen Le began to converse with Director Yu.

The reason Chen Le showed such enthusiasm was ultimately to build a connection with Director Yu.

Although Director Yu was criticized by many in his previous life for things like plagiarism, the fact remained that the shows he filmed were hits.

As they talked, Chen Le would occasionally toss out filming techniques, camera angles, and ideas from future palace period dramas, which gave Director Yu the feeling of having met a kindred spirit.

Director Yu and Chen Le grew more enthusiastic as they talked, completely ignoring Yang Mi beside them.

Yang Mi, watching them discuss various professional terms and jargon, was completely dazed.

She didn't understand a word, but she could tell that Chen Le was very impressive, as if he knew everything.

They didn't stop until evening.

Yang Mi took Chen Le to a restaurant near the set for dinner.

"Old Chen, you were talking so excitedly with Director Yu this afternoon. I didn't understand a single thing. How are you so amazing? You seem to know everything." Yang Mi looked at Chen Le, her eyes sparkling.

"Just read more books and you'll get there," Chen Le teased with a smile.

Hearing Chen Le's teasing, Yang Mi's face turned red.

Just as she was about to say something, Chen Le spoke again.

"Mi Mi, I already have ideas for my next film. Once the box office dividends come in, we can start filming the new movie immediately."

"That fast?" Yang Mi was a bit surprised.

"I started planning the new film before nightclub even hit theaters. I'm just waiting for the dividends to come in; once there's money, we can shoot," Chen Le nodded.

"In that case, you don't have to give me my share of the dividends. Use it to film the new movie. I support you!" Yang Mi said after a moment's thought.