226: Chapter 226 Vigor and Decline

...

He closed the script and gathered his thoughts.

The car soon drove into a business park near the Third Ring Road.

The park wasn't large, but it was well-designed with a touch of Chinese-style landscaping. The greenery and ecology were well-maintained. After getting out of the car, Lin Chuyan even spotted two cats in a standoff...

A blue-and-white British Shorthair and a pure white cat.

The blue-and-white one clearly belonged to one of the companies in the park; its fur was puffed up as if it were defending its territory. The white cat was dirty, looking like a stray that had wandered in, but it didn't seem intimidated at all.

Finding it amusing, Lin Chuyan stopped to take several photos. Worried they might fight, he was just about to break them up when he saw others coming over to watch, so he quickly slipped away.

He sent the photos to Ruan Xingyu. On the way, he suddenly remembered when they first met, back when the two of them had discussed the topic of raising a cat.

They had said that if they ever got a cat, he would let her be its godmother.

Who could have imagined that in less than a year, the godmother would become the mother.

Tee-hee.

Wu Yue hadn't been to this park either, but fortunately, when the director heard they had arrived, he sent someone down to pick them up.

The company was on the second floor, and the space wasn't large. Everyone in the office knew he was coming, and despite it being work hours, his entrance still caused a small stir, with many people calling out his name.

The boss saw it but didn't care. It was a very flat management style.

Lin Chuyan smiled and waved at them before knocking on the door and entering the room.

A middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses with a refined demeanor stood up from the chair behind the desk.

Director Chu Dong was one of the idols for many in the post-80s generation. He was 42 this year, but he looked much younger than other directors in their 40s that Lin Chuyan knew, such as Director Zhang Qian or Director Yang Yang.

From a famous writer to a famous director, after pegasus was released, more and more people gradually came to know him as a famous racing driver.

His talent—tsk, tsk—it wouldn't make a difference even without Brother System.

Director Chu Dong was also looking at Lin Chuyan. As a director, his sole purpose in arranging a meeting was, naturally, to find a suitable actor to play the role.

What was the commonality between pegasus and pegasus 2?

It was simple: the core theme revolved around the pursuit of dreams and a love for racing. Whether it was Zhang Chi's comeback in the first film or his challenge to Bayanbulak again in the second, they were all telling the same story—no matter your age, you can still be passionate for your dreams.

To continue the success of the first film and ensure the continuity of the story, the main cast was basically the original crew, appearing in the same roles.

What remained unchanged was the racing and the pursuit of dreams. It was for the Spring Festival Movie Season, after all; there would be laughter and tears, exciting moments and passion... all of which could guarantee box office success.

So, what was changing between these two movies?

He was confident that he could make the plot pacing, flow, narrative logic, and character development better than in the first film.

In his view, the biggest change was actually one point. And this point could be further divided into two aspects.

To put it simply in four words: Zhang Chi has aged.

Because he had aged, the emotional depth of the second film was significantly enhanced.

He had become more down-and-out and frustrated; he was even riddled with injuries, and everyone believed he could no longer race.

The director wanted to achieve one thing: until the very end, the audience wouldn't even know how Zhang Chi would manage to win.

In this way, the character's arc would be more significant.

In the second film, you could see him working tirelessly for success... no, not even for success, but just to step onto the racetrack.

You could see this process of effort more clearly.

He flipped his car, and then sobbed in the vehicle over his own incompetence.

He obtained the lead seal and finally regained his lost dignity and innocence, crying again.

He got onto the racetrack and gradually regained his confidence; the audience began to tense up for him, cheer for him, and applaud for him...

This was pegasus!

And the second point that needed to be introduced because he had aged was that Zhang Chi needed a helper—a master among masters with extraordinary talent in racing, the kind who could carry him to victory.

Without this helper, the story couldn't be told.

The reason was simple: Director Chu Dong didn't want Zhang Chi to beat anyone else in the second film.

He only wanted Zhang Chi to beat himself.

He only needed Zhang Chi to surpass his past self from the first film when he reached the finish line; everything else could be left to this helper.

This way, the whole story would appear more realistic and be more moving—

Winning against oneself is always the coolest thing.

So, would Lin Chuyan be that helper?

Before meeting him, Director Chu Dong might not have been certain, but at this moment, as he stood right in front of him, Director Chu Dong felt that the character of Li Xiaohai had suddenly become concrete.

It might sound a bit ridiculous, but that was the fact.

First, Lin Chuyan was very handsome.

Not just ordinary handsome, but the kind of dazzling handsome that made you spot him at a glance in a crowd. This handsomeness wasn't just about his face, but also his upright posture and his spirit... Standing there, you could feel a sense of vitality.

Director Chu Dong was momentarily dazed.

He suddenly thought of something.

The "oldness" Zhang Chi had at the beginning of the film wasn't about how old he looked physically, but a kind of "decadence."

The kind of "decadence" where you give up on yourself before even starting a task.

He hadn't originally thought of using this word to describe Zhang Chi, but seeing the vibrant vitality in Lin Chuyan at this moment, the contrast was immediately apparent.

Director Chu Dong understood: this was exactly the kind of Li Xiaohai he needed. A Li Xiaohai who, just by standing there without even saying a word, could immediately make Zhang Chi think of his younger self.

Zhang Chi was a five-time champion back in the day and had once been like the rising sun.

Secondly, this film had the foundation of the previous work, and the reputation was decent. With the original cast, the lineup was undeniably luxurious. Furthermore, the actor playing the male lead, Zhang Chi—Dong Peng—was in himself the greatest guarantee for the box office.

This was a film with 100% "Dong Peng content."

So, in this situation, how should he choose this male lead who had appeared out of nowhere? Who would be a good choice?

Director Chu Dong had thought it through clearly: it had to be a popular actor whose acting skills wouldn't drag the film down, and whose popularity and audience base wouldn't overlap with Dong Peng's.

And Lin Chuyan—he had been in the Spring Festival Movie Season, failed, and was now returning to the Spring Festival Movie Season—wouldn't that topic be easy to market? Plus, his popularity was indeed high; he was truly the only choice.

Third, Lin Chuyan could drive. He heard from his agent that he was actually pretty good at it? Hmm, that point urgently needed confirmation. But even if he couldn't drive, it didn't matter; he, Director Chu Dong, was a professional racing driver, wasn't he? He could step in as a stunt double if needed.

Finally, the chemistry of the team was also very important. Director Chu Dong had seen the things Lin Chuyan said online, railing against everything and everyone. To be honest, some of it was quite funny. Not bad, not bad at all; it fit the comedic vibe of their team very well.

So the question was: time was running out; how could he coax Lin Chuyan into joining? He wasn't just some minor actor; he might not necessarily care to play the second male lead...

"Hello, Director Chu Dong, I am Xiao Yan. It's a pleasure to meet you; I look forward to your guidance."

Director Chu Dong shook his hand: "You are truly handsome."

Regardless of anything else, compliment him first.

"Ah..." Lin Chuyan wanted to be modest, but he was afraid the other party would think he was being hypocritical, so he smoothly began the commercial mutual flattery, "Likewise, Director, we are a 50-50 split."

"That works, that works." Director Chu Dong was amused by him, "Let's not do 50-50, let's do 40-60. I'm 4, you're 6; I admit that much. Sit, and Teacher Wu Yue, let's sit down and chat."

After a few pleasantries, Director Chu Dong began to get to the point. He thought for a moment and decided to ask a question the other party should be very confident about: "I know about the two-wheeled ones. How are you with four-wheeled vehicles?"

"I definitely can't compare to you, Director, but I'm much better than the average person."

In life, don't be modest when you shouldn't be.

He was indeed better than the average person. Disagree? If they disagreed, he would just add 200 points!

Brother System was his solid backing...

However, there is always someone better; the middle-aged man with glasses sitting opposite him seemed even less modest than him.

"Very good, I really like you, your confidence. My movie is also aiming for the number one box office spot in the Spring Festival Movie Season." Director Chu Dong adjusted the nose pads of his glasses, "So, do you want to come and participate?"

"Huh?"

Director Chu Dong stood up, found the script on his desk, and handed it to Lin Chuyan: "Take a look. You'll understand once you've finished reading it."

The sunlight from outside the window shone in, and a glint of light flashed across the lenses of Director Chu Dong's glasses.

"It's a sure thing!"