Volume Two: Shadows of the Past Chapter Forty-Five: I’m Done Pretending—I’m Coming Clean!

That morning, having already made up his mind, Chen Jing went straight to Lin Xi’s office.

Upon seeing him enter, both Lin Xi and Lin Zitan looked at him with curiosity. Lin Xi paused, her pen hovering, and asked, "Jing, what’s wrong? Is something the matter?"

Chen Jing didn't mince words. "Sister Xi, I want to prepare to make a movie."

Lin Zitan, standing to the side, was stunned and hadn't quite processed the request, but Lin Xi had already furrowed her brows and refused flatly: "No!"

This was likely the first time Lin Xi had rejected Chen Jing so decisively.

Lin Zitan finally reacted, asking anxiously, "Jing, didn't you say before that you just wanted to start by acting in films? Why do you suddenly want to make one yourself?"

Facing Lin Xi’s refusal, Chen Jing was not discouraged. He knew exactly why she had been so firm.

He patiently explained to them, "Because I want to show everyone something of my own. If I just take on other people's roles, I can't express my own vision, so I want to be the director myself. Besides, when I said I wanted to act before, it was just to learn some on-set experience from other crews."

Lin Xi’s brows remained tightly locked. She looked at Chen Jing and said, "Making a movie isn't that simple. Not to mention anything else, first and foremost, you need a good script."

Chen Jing replied decisively, "I have a script. I’m not short on good stories."

Lin Zitan asked in surprise, "You have a script? Where did you get a script from?"

Lin Xi caught on quickly and retorted, "Did you write the script yourself?"

Chen Jing nodded, feeling it was time to come clean. "Do you know that very popular author in the literary world—the one called 'The Transporter Between Two Worlds'?"

"The one who wrote *The Return of the Condor Heroes* and *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*?" Lin Xi naturally had an impression of this author. Her company had once sent someone to contact this sensation, hoping to purchase his screen rights, but they never saw him, and the reply was simply that he wasn't selling. Although Lin Xi wasn't the one in charge of the matter, she was the one who had proposed the acquisition to the company, so she remembered him vividly.

"Yes, that 'Transporter Between Two Worlds'—that’s my pen name." Chen Jing smiled slightly, indulging in a brief moment of self-aggrandizement.

He had expected to see looks of disbelief, but he was startled by a sudden shriek from Lin Zitan.

"Ah! You’re saying you’re 'The Transporter Between Two Worlds'!?" Lin Zitan shrieked, staring at him in disbelief.

"Ye... yes, I am."

"Ahhh!" Lin Zitan ran over to Chen Jing, grabbing his clothes and scolding him, "Why do you always write tragedies? Especially in *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, Little Dragon Maiden actually got... got... Hmph, you bad person!" She even gave him a couple of light smacks.

Chen Jing gave a bitter laugh. He knew she was referring to the plot point where Little Dragon Maiden loses her virtue; it was indeed a scene that made readers want to mail razor blades, and he had felt the same way when he first watched the television adaptation. Unfortunately, as the author, he was destined not to change it; he had to respect the original work.

"Are you really 'The Transporter Between Two Worlds'?" Lin Xi asked, still looking skeptical.

Chen Jing silently logged into his author dashboard and let them look at his current works.

After reading through them, Lin Xi murmured, "It really is..." She was truly stunned this time. She had never denied that Chen Jing was a musical genius, but she never imagined that this genius had achieved even greater success in literature than in music.

Indeed, the number one author in the literary world today was undoubtedly "The Transporter Between Two Worlds." Even though he had only emerged a few months ago, his output was incredibly high, and every work was immensely popular. His genres were diverse, and each one could be considered a genre-defining masterpiece. If it weren't for the backing of the Huaxia Publishing House, people would have suspected that the ID was shared by several authors.

After reviewing the list of Chen Jing’s works, Lin Xi let out a breath, calming her shock, and asked him again, "Are you really going to make a movie?"

Chen Jing nodded earnestly. "Yes, I am."

Lin Xi shook her head helplessly. "Fine. Finalize the script and let me see it, then calculate the budget, and we’ll start assembling the crew." She felt persuaded. She knew that no matter what, she couldn't stop him. Once a person achieved remarkable success in every aspect, they would no longer be restricted in what they chose to do next, even if it meant stepping into unknown territory. A forceful obstruction would only lead to a falling out; such was human nature.

"Great, thanks, Sister Xi. Hehe." Hearing her consent, Chen Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief. In truth, Lin Xi had misjudged one thing: if she had insisted on refusing, Chen Jing would have listened to her. In his heart, Lin Xi’s opinion was the most important.

Over the next two days, Chen Jing finished recording the singles "Midnight Serenade" and "Love Is Inevitable," and the final song for Ling Ruohan’s album, "Later," was also successfully recorded. He took some time to perform a final check of Ling Ruohan’s album.

"How is it? Is the album good?" Ling Ruohan asked with a smile as she saw Chen Jing take off his headphones.

Chen Jing gave her a thumbs up and laughed. "Perfect!"

"Ha! With that said, I can rest easy." Ling Ruohan asked excitedly, "Do you think my album’s performance this time can break the record of your album?"

Chen Jing replied decisively, "For sure. If this album doesn't break the record, then I’ll consider it my loss."

"You're that confident?" Ling Ruohan beamed. In the current music scene, the record for highest album sales was held by Chen Jing’s first album. If her album could achieve that kind of success, she could rightfully claim the title of the most popular female singer in Huaxia without feeling any imposter syndrome.

"When have I ever not been this confident?" Chen Jing smiled slightly. He was certain that Ling Ruohan’s album would break his record, mainly because her current popularity was far greater than his, and she would have many more fans willing to support her.

"The album is being released tomorrow, right?"

Ling Ruohan nodded. "Yes."

"Then we need to promote it well. I’ll help you promote it on Weibo too."

Ling Ruohan rolled her eyes at him. "We’ve been promoting it for ages. You’re just the only one who didn't know."

Chen Jing felt a bit awkward. He had been so busy writing the script and organizing the crew that he was completely overwhelmed.

Ling Ruohan knew what he had been busy with. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Are you really planning to hire people to make a movie? Can’t you wait a bit longer? At least until you release another album?"

Chen Jing knew exactly what she was worried about. She feared he was moving too fast and would stumble, leading to a situation where everyone would kick him while he was down. He knew that in the music industry, no one dared to slander or offend him because, so far, he had never failed. But if he were to cross over into the film industry before he had established a firm footing and then fell flat, he would never escape the labels of being "unfocused" and "arrogant."

"I can't wait. Time is tight," Chen Jing said with a sigh. Before she could press him, he added, "Alright, since the album is fine, I’m heading out. I have a meeting this afternoon."

Ling Ruohan sighed, wanting to persuade him to give up, but she knew he was the type who wouldn't change his mind once it was set. *Forget it, let him have his fun,* she thought, watching his retreating figure. *If he fails, just treat it as a lesson learned. And besides, what if he accidentally succeeds?*

When Chen Jing returned to his office, Lin Xi happened to be there.

He asked directly, "How is it, Sister Xi? Did you find a decent crew?" He had spent an exhausting two days convincing her to let him make the film, so as soon as she agreed, he had started preparation immediately.

Lin Xi looked at him and shook her head helplessly. "I’ve contacted all the top directors who have an opening in their schedule over the last two days. They don't object to filming according to our script, but as soon as they hear they’d be working as your assistant director, they refuse outright."

Chen Jing frowned. He knew why. As famous directors, why would they ever agree to be an assistant to an unknown kid like him?

"Why don't we just put the film under their name as director?" Lin Xi suggested.

Chen Jing gave a bitter smile. "Sister Xi, you don't understand. If we put their names on it, the set would have to answer to them. They would have the final say on how everything is filmed, and I wouldn't be able to get the results I want." That was precisely why he insisted on being the director—he needed to ensure the movie was made exactly as he envisioned.

Lin Xi was silent. She knew the rules of the set, but there was no helping it; to have an experienced director watching over the production, one had to make concessions.

Chen Jing thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and said firmly, "Sister Xi, I’ll handle the crew. You just help me post the casting call."

Lin Xi asked in surprise, "How do you plan to solve the crew issue?"

"Since I can't invite a big-name director, I won't. I plan to bring Sister Shumin over to help me."

"Shumin!?" Lin Xi hesitated before being honest. "She has only ever filmed web dramas and short videos; she has no experience in feature films."

"If I can't hire an experienced director, I’ll hire someone I’m familiar with. Besides, Sister Shumin’s technical skills are solid—I’ve tested that out while working with her on MVs. Most importantly..."

Chen Jing grinned at Lin Xi. "She’s always wanted to direct a movie. Asking her is the perfect choice."