122: Chapter 122 The Script of When the Plums Ripen

You were still somewhat annoyed that Meng Zhu's clever maneuvering had allowed him to obtain two pieces of information.

He was unwilling to be at a disadvantage either, so he spoke again.

"The old rules apply; this time, the film must likewise be designated by the Film Bureau."

He said this firmly. Meng Zhu did not completely refuse, but he did leave some room for maneuver.

"I need to evaluate the script first."

After hesitating for a long while, Li Feng finally nodded and hung up the communication.

What followed became simple.

Meng Zhu quieted down again.

He began to undergo the maintenance and training arranged by his management company.

He still had no intention of paying attention to the clamor on the internet.

It was evident from his follower count that most netizens were not his fans.

They simply viewed Meng Zhu as the one standing at the very front.

But at the same time, the Film Bureau was not at all peaceful.

After about a month of procedural processes, the members of Li Feng's team began their final meeting before the film started shooting.

The meeting opened with everyone receiving a non-disclosure agreement.

"Boss, what is this?"

Li Feng scanned the group.

"I know that our unit is inherently confidential, but this agreement is even more stringent, and you must sign it."

"Everyone, the film we are about to select for Meng Zhu is very special."

"To outsiders and netizens, it must appear to be an extremely simple film—something like a mutual crush, childhood sweethearts, or a sweet romance—but in reality, it is a very difficult film."

"The number of times this film has been remade by actors, as well as its completion rate, must remain completely confidential."

"My requirement is that after Meng Zhu fails, netizens must clearly realize the difficulty of replacing the protagonist."

"Let them know that even for Meng Zhu, such a simple film is very hard or difficult to complete, and falling in love with the female lead is nothing but a dream."

Everyone looked at each other, understanding in their hearts.

They still hadn't given up on dragging Meng Zhu down from his pedestal.

How could someone fall for the same trick twice?

The answer is yes; the lessons of history tell us that humans never learn any lessons from history.

So, several days later, Meng Zhu finally received the script sent by Li Feng.

[Title: When the Plums Ripen]

The female lead and the male lead met in their youth. At that time, the male lead was a young master of the Meng Family, and the female lead's parents were co-founders of the Meng Group, holding 30% of the original shares.

When the female lead was seven, her father had an affair, and her parents were going through a divorce. On the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau, her parents got into an argument, resulting in a car accident where both died. Before dying, her mother pushed the female lead out of the car, and the female lead survived on her own.

The female lead had no other relatives left in the world, so the Meng Family took her in. Facing many members of the Meng Family who coveted her shares, the female lead was terrified at the funeral hall.

That was until the male lead appeared. He was only two years older than the female lead, but he reached out to her and brought her home.

From then on, the female lead lived in the Meng Family, but she was not added to the Meng Family genealogy, nor did she acknowledge the male lead's parents as her own; she simply lived in the Meng Family.

Strictly speaking, the male lead raised her.

However, she was never short of money, as her parents had left her 30% of the Meng Group shares.

Then, the childhood sweethearts, the male and female leads, had never been in a relationship. However, the female lead did not know that the male lead had actually been in love with her all along. The reason he didn't say anything was because he knew the female lead did not yet understand love.

During elementary school, the male lead once told the female lead that he would marry her when they grew up. As a result, the female lead thought of her parents' terrible marriage and seriously said that she would not marry the male lead in the future, that she wanted to be friends with the male lead for a lifetime, or acknowledge him as her older brother. She believed that love was fragile, and only friendship could last forever.

But the male lead considered that if she acknowledged him as her brother, the people of the Meng Group would have a legitimate excuse to start bullying the female lead and coveting the shares in her hands.

So, from then on, the male lead never mentioned that he liked her again, only saying that he would be the female lead's best friend for a lifetime and that they would never be separated.

Next, in the middle to late stages of the plot, the female lead accidentally realizes that the male lead might like her, and her feelings for the male lead slowly change in nature, turning the unrequited love into a mutual crush.

That is the general gist of the script.

But this script is not simple.

Ordinary people only know that the male and female leads have actually liked each other since they were young, but the female lead loves without realizing it.

Strictly speaking, this should be a sweet romance story about a mutual crush with no misunderstandings and no drama.

But what kind of person is Meng Zhu?

He is a ruthless person who has read countless novels and short dramas on Tomato in his past life.

There are too many traps in this film.

The core problem is that from the very beginning, the male and female leads have had feelings that transcend those of relatives and friends.

But this is not a good thing.

This emotion is too pure and beautiful, but it is not love.

And it is very difficult for it to turn into love.

After reading the entire script, Meng Zhu couldn't help but smile.

He wants to act in this script.

Meanwhile, the trailer for the new film is also in production.

The childhood sweetheart cannot defeat the heaven-sent.

This time, the childhood sweetheart finally won.

But there are also true fans who vaguely feel that Meng Zhu has been targeted all along, and this film seems a bit off.

However, since Meng Zhu has already agreed, this matter is set in stone.

Next, Chen Fei and Li Qing filled Meng Zhu's schedule to the brim.

The morning is for strict physical maintenance and skin care.

The afternoon is for in-depth logical deconstruction and character empathy simulation based on the script.

Then comes psychological suggestion training.

Finally, at night, there is hypnotic meditation training.

It seems as if everyone is more concerned about this film with the replaced protagonist than Meng Zhu himself.

Meanwhile, the entire internet world of the Light and Shadow Federation has completely exploded due to the Film Bureau's announcement and the film trailer.

[After careful evaluation by the Bureau Committee, three-star actor Meng Zhu will participate in "When the Plums Ripen" and serve as the male lead. This performance will serve as the first public pilot for the "Protagonist Replacement" project; we invite the general audience to look forward to it.]

One stone stirs up a thousand waves!

"Protagonist Replacement"!

A term that has been sealed for a long time, existing only in history books and the memories of older generation actors, is now actually going to be restarted.

And the one starting it is the highly anticipated Meng Zhu.

For a time, the popularity was unprecedented.

One comment's likes reached 9999+.

[The old me disdained Meng Zhu's films; the current me studies Meng Zhu's films frame by frame!]

The waves of fanaticism swept through every corner of the internet, and almost all netizens were immersed in a carnival of witnessing history.

There were also some sober voices.

For instance, the Tea Society.

They also discovered that something was wrong with the film.

And they pointed out the unreasonable nature of the Film Bureau's selection of the film.

Like a basin of cold water, it instantly woke up quite a few fanatic fans.

Compared to "When the Plums Ripen," there are far, far too many purely sweet romance films.

The Film Bureau clearly has bad intentions and is still targeting Meng Zhu.

But unfortunately, while many people watch films, very few people are fans.

Meng Zhu's fans are of low status and little influence; in the end, they could not calm the current craze on the internet.

Finally, one day, Meng Zhu confidently sat into the virtual cabin.

When the plums ripen, suddenly knowing spring is gone, only then realizing love is deep.

The film begins shooting.

[PS: Hello everyone, I am the author. The number of people following the updates has been increasing recently, but the comments are getting fewer and fewer. Whether it's paragraph comments, chapter comments, or book reviews, they are all quite few. This makes me very anxious, and I don't know if there are any problems with what I'm writing, or if I might be just enjoying myself.]

[So, I'm telling everyone again: if you have any opinions, please write a comment. Even if I don't reply, I definitely read every single one.]

[Next is the new film trailer. The upcoming film will not be in the current short drama style; it might be more plain and heartwarming, more like a romance novel from the old days. If you find it bad halfway through, please say so, and I can consider adjusting or drastically changing the plot.]

[Finally, I'm shamelessly asking for five-star book reviews. I want to raise the rating a bit more. Thank you, everyone!]