The script that Yu Yan picked for Cao Yuanye was called Feng Chun, which tells the story of a rural man from the coastal area who ventures into business during the early stages of development.

This script was written by two freshly graduated college students. Due to its subject matter, it didn’t receive approval from investors and had been unable to secure any funding.

However, Yu Yan knew that while this project might not become a massive hit, it could still achieve moderate success. More importantly, he hoped that Cao Yuanye could gain recognition through this drama, which would open doors for better advertising deals and endorsements.

Yu Yan had planned a stylish and elegant career path for He Zhiwei, Song Yunqing, and Jian Ran, selecting only high-end luxury endorsements for them.

But for Cao Yuanye, he designed a more down-to-earth approach, aiming to make him relatable and approachable, so he chose endorsements for well-regarded national brands.

On Sunday afternoon, Yu Yan arranged to meet with Feng Chun’s director, Lu Zhuo, and screenwriter, Sun Lei.

They had already exchanged quite a bit of information via WeChat, so the face-to-face meeting went smoothly.

Lu Zhuo, brimming with confidence, said, “Mr. Yu, don’t worry. I’ve done the research. Although the audience for this type of film isn’t large, it’s not completely non-existent. Right now, everyone is making idol dramas and period pieces, and the market is saturated. Audiences are visually fatigued. That’s when Feng Chun will premiere, and we’ll definitely carve a unique path through the sea of idol dramas.”

Yu Yan clinked glasses with him, “I’ve got a good sense of the script. I’ll leave this to you.”

“Mr. Yu, don’t worry. About the investment…” Lu Zhuo said, rubbing his hands nervously.

Before Yu Yan could respond, Sun Lei immediately added, “Mr. Yu, don’t worry. We just graduated from college, and the school provides startup subsidies for students. Also, we can hire actors from our alumni, so we don’t need much investment.”

“Although the entire crew is made up of recent graduates, we have experience. Last year, we won the city’s microfilm competition,” Lu Zhuo added.

The script had been ready for over six months, and they had worked hard to find investors, but had no luck. The only investment of over 800,000 yuan came from their mentor.

Not long ago, they heard that Yang Chao had encountered a second-generation rich kid who, without hesitation, invested over 20 million yuan into Star Source. They managed to get in touch with this person, hoping that even without 20 million, they might be able to secure 2 million.

They had prepared for some difficulty before coming, but to their surprise, the person was very polite.

Yu Yan didn’t know about their little schemes; he only knew that Feng Chun was a rare opportunity for Cao Yuanye.

The male lead in this drama was a tough guy, who made a big fool of himself when he first arrived in the city because he couldn’t adapt to the development of the times, but eventually started from scratch and became a well-known rich man.

The overall tone of the script was humorous and light-hearted, so it wouldn’t feel too heavy.

Yu Yan thought for a long while, then said, “Ten million should be enough, right?”

Feng Chun was set in the 1920s, unlike historical dramas, which require elaborate sets, so he guessed the cost would be lower than Star Source.

This ten million yuan was coming from Yu Yan’s personal funds. He had mentioned the investment to Mr. Li, but Mr. Li had rejected it due to the subject matter being too limited.

Yu Yan didn’t want to push the money-making issue onto others, so he decided to use his own pocket money. Unfortunately, his fixed deposit hadn’t matured, so the interest was gone.

Lu Zhuo and Sun Lei were stunned, unable to say anything for a while.

“Not enough?”

“Enough, enough, enough,” Lu Zhuo nodded rapidly like a chick pecking at grains.

Yu Yan nodded reassuringly, “Just to be clear, I will decide on the lead role.”

Lu Zhuo and Sun Lei exchanged glances, but didn’t speak immediately. They had been seeking investment for over half a year and had rejected some offers from investors who wanted to alter the script or push actors into the cast. They were worried such changes would affect the overall quality of Feng Chun.

After being so pleased earlier, hearing this statement made them both deflate.

“Yu… Mr. Yu, the roles need to be auditioned. If you just put someone in, for this script, it might…” Lu Zhuo said, nervously rubbing his hands.

Sun Lei quickly nodded, “Don’t worry, Yu Yan, the actors we picked are all alumni, their acting skills are guaranteed, and the key is… they’re also affordable.”

Yu Yan paused for a moment. “So, what you’re saying is, you’ve already chosen the actors?”

“Yes, they’re all from our school.”

Since they were alumni of the film academy, their acting skills were assured. Otherwise, Feng Chun wouldn’t have made its way through with a small budget in the original script.

Cao Yuanye’s acting was also good, but he came from being a background actor and had never received formal training, relying on emotional expression for his performance.

Yu Yan didn’t think Cao Yuanye was inferior to properly trained actors, but if the two were side by side, Lu Zhuo would likely prioritize his own alumni.

Yu Yan’s voice grew cold, “I’m investing in this film to support my own artists.”

If Lu Zhuo didn’t let Cao Yuanye play the lead, he would seriously reconsider his investment in the project.

After a long pause, Lu Zhuo finally relented, “Alright, how about this: let him audition first. If his acting is good, he’s the one.”

Seeing him take a step back, Yu Yan didn’t press the issue and agreed.

The male lead role in Feng Chun was practically tailor-made for Cao Yuanye. Unless Lu Zhuo was absolutely determined to cast his alumni, Cao Yuanye had no chance of failing the audition.

Two days later, Minghua officially released a statement about the violation concerning construction waste disposal and unpaid worker compensation. They attributed the issue to subordinates who had acted in bad faith, leading to the violations.

Minghua faced administrative penalties and fired a significant number of responsible parties, including not only those overseeing the project but also some company executives.

From the time the incident occurred to its resolution, it was dealt with within a week, which was considered a fast resolution.

After seeing the news, Yu Yan immediately called Shen Yuchen.

During this time, he and Shen Yuchen had been chatting occasionally, but Yu Yan usually sent the messages, and Shen Yuchen would reply after a few hours.

The call was quickly answered, and Yu Yan’s tone became lighter, “Brother Chen, is everything settled?”

“Yes, it’s resolved.”

It wasn’t just the issue of violating the construction waste disposal and withholding compensation; it also involved addressing the longstanding problems within Minghua.

“Congratulations,” Yu Yan laughed lightly, “By the way, how about that camping trip we talked about? Want to join?”

“When?”

“How about this weekend? My brother is coming too. Don’t worry, you don’t need to prepare anything. Just come and enjoy, I’ll handle everything,” Yu Yan quickly took all the responsibility before Shen Yuchen could refuse.

Shen Yuming agreed, “Alright.”

“Alright, see you on Friday,” Yu Yan hummed happily.

After Shen Yuchen agreed, Yu Yan belatedly remembered to call Yu Chen.

“Brother, we’re going camping this weekend.”

“Why suddenly decided to go camping?”

Yu Chen seemed to be busy, tapping away on his keyboard nonstop.

Yu Yan chuckled, “Well, I thought you’ve been working so hard. You can invite Xi Jie and Fang Ge and the others to come along.”

Out of all Yu Chen’s friends, he was only close with Fang Chi. He could recognize the names of the others, but not much else.

“Alright, I’ll ask Yuanyuan, she’s been busy with her studio lately, so she might not have time.”

Xi Yuanyuan studied art and opened a studio after returning to the country. Recently, she even held an art exhibition.

To support his future sister-in-law, Yu Yan spent a lot of money buying a painting at the exhibition.

“We’re just going for two days. No matter how busy, it’s not urgent. Brother Chen will go too, and so will He Zhiyu.”

“Wait, what? Who’s going?” Yu Chen’s voice suddenly raised.

Yu Yan was slightly taken aback, “Brother Chen and He Zhiyu are also coming, so I told you to invite Xi Jie and Fang Ge to join. The more the merrier, what’s wrong?”

There was a cold scoff from Yu Chen on the other end of the phone, “So, you’ve asked everyone else, and I’m the last one you’re calling?”

“Huh?” Yu Yan was at a loss for words, not expecting his brother to care about this. “No… no…”

“No what? Am I not the last one you called?” Yu Chen’s tone grew harsher.

Yu Yan’s brain worked quickly, “Actually, it was He Zhiyu who suggested it. I just asked Brother Chen on the side, because I knew you cared about me, so I was sure you wouldn’t say no.”

“Fine,” Yu Chen finally agreed.

Yu Yan sighed in relief. Luckily, his quick thinking saved him from another round of his brother’s displeasure.

They had already agreed before leaving: everyone would go individually, and Yu Yan would take care of all the preparations.

That being said, when it came time to pack, it was mostly Jiang Mo running around making sure everything was in order.

Seeing Yu Yan pack several packs of wet wipes into the suitcase, Jiang Mo asked, “Baby, isn’t one pack enough?”

“Mom, Brother Chen is a clean freak, and the campsite is on a mountain. His shoes will get dirty after walking a few steps, and he’ll need to wipe them,” Yu Yan thought it wasn’t enough and added two more packs.

Jiang Mo hesitated, “You’ve got sleeping bags and moisture-proof mats, so do you still need to bring an inflatable mattress?”

“The moisture-proof mat is too hard, Brother Chen might not be able to sleep on it. This one doesn’t take up much space, it’s more convenient to bring,” Yu Yan explained.

Yu Yan had already noticed when staying at Shen Yuchen’s house that he liked soft mattresses. The beds and sofas there were especially soft, and once you lay down, you would sink right into them.

Although the inflatable mattress wasn’t as soft, it was still better than the moisture-proof mat, and it could be used as a compromise for camping.

Jiang Mo paused, seeing Yu Yan add more things to the suitcase. “It’s just the beginning of spring. Do we really need to bring mosquito repellent?”

“Bring it, just in case,” Yu Yan stuffed it in. “Mom, where’s the first aid kit?”

Jiang Mo handed over the first aid kit, “Be careful and stay safe.”

“Mom, don’t worry, Brother Chen and my brother will be there, nothing will happen,” Yu Yan chuckled.

Just then, Yu Chen came downstairs.

He was relaxed, only bringing a set of clothes to change into.

Jiang Mo carefully reminded Yu Chen to take good care of his brother, but still felt a little uneasy, “Maybe we should go with you guys?”

“A bunch of young people hanging out. If we went, would they feel comfortable? Don’t worry about it,” Yu Lin persuaded.

Jiang Mo thought for a moment and agreed, “I’m just worried about the two of them.”

Yu Yan pondered for a while, then said, “Mom, we can turn on family location sharing, it’s a feature on the phone. This way, you’ll always know where I am.”

Jiang Mo relaxed as her frown smoothed out, “Alright.”

In the end, they turned on the location sharing, but it was for the whole family to track each other.