Cen Shu smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Shen, I've long admired your name."
Before Pei Ran could speak, Cen Shu continued, "I already know why you two have come, and I'm very grateful for your appreciation. But I'm sorry, I also have my principles. I admire you both, and perhaps we can talk about other things and become friends."
Cen Shu already knew that Shen Huai was looking for a cinematographer for his film. Although he didn't want to offend him, which was why he came here, he wouldn't break his principles, so he cut off all possibilities as soon as he opened his mouth.
Shen Huai and Pei Ran exchanged a glance. Cen Shu was indeed more difficult to deal with than the rumors suggested. Moreover, his words revealed his domineering nature. If Shen Huai and Pei Ran tried to persuade him, he would probably just turn his back and leave.
Pei Ran hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Hello Mr. Cen, my name is Pei Ran, and I am the assistant cinematographer for the film 'Red Actress'."
When Cen Shu heard Pei Ran's name, he was stunned for a moment. When he heard his position, he was stunned again. After all, with Pei Ran's face, he originally thought he would be an actor in the new movie. He didn't expect him to be a photographer.
But then his face darkened: "Mr. Pei, I don't want to talk about movies."
Given his temperament, he should have left immediately, but the photographer always had an extraordinary tolerance for beauty, so he only gave him a warning.
Shen Huai was inwardly sweating, but Pei Ran remained calm and composed. He smiled and said sincerely, "Mr. Cen, I simply admire your photography skills and would like to discuss them with you. In case you feel I am being disrespectful, I am introducing myself beforehand."
In fact, Cen Shu didn't want to talk about photography techniques with people. In fact, he didn't want to talk about anything related to film, lest they take the opportunity to trick him.
Unexpectedly, Pei Ran accurately grasped his thoughts and brought up a topic that greatly interested him. Pei Ran's views also aroused his desire to discuss. The two completely ignored Shen Huai standing to the side and started chatting enthusiastically.
Shen Huai didn't feel offended at all; on the contrary, he breathed a sigh of relief. The most difficult step in this matter was to keep Cen Shu here and get him talking. Pei Ran had done this, so things would be easier to continue.
Pei Ran and Cen Shu chatted for almost half an hour. At first, Pei Ran tried to guide Cen Shu with her words, but later, Cen Shu got into the conversation and started talking non-stop. Pei Ran stopped talking and just listened quietly as he continued.
Cen Shu's mouth was dry from talking, so he picked up the lemonade next to him and drank it down in one gulp. Only then did he come back to his senses and said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's rare to meet a friend with whom I can have a good chat. I accidentally talked too much and neglected Mr. Shen. I'm sorry."
Shen Huai chuckled and said, "It's alright, I've learned a lot from listening to your conversation."
After saying so much, Cen Shu was no longer as wary as before. He unbuttoned one button on his suit jacket and said frankly, "At first, I thought President Shen was being a bit rude because he wanted me to be a cinematographer. Please forgive me. But now we're all friends. If Xiao Pei wants to discuss cinematography, he can come to me anytime. If he's interested in documentaries and can work hard, he can also join my film crew."
His words seemed to bring them closer, but in reality, they blocked what Shen Huai was about to say, which made Shen Huai feel uneasy.
Pei Ran replied, "Since Teacher Cen says so, I must also confess. I am the director of this film. I was worried that you would be angry, so I concealed my identity. I apologize."
Cen Shu's eyes widened as he looked Pei Ran up and down: "Director?!"
He initially thought Pei Ran was an actor, but later Pei Ran said he was a photography assistant. Although he looked a bit young and didn't seem very strong, Cen Shu knew that if someone had connections, it was quite common for younger people to get into the film crew to learn and gain experience as assistants.
Later, Pei Ran demonstrated his understanding of photography techniques, and he gradually accepted his identity.
But the director?!
Cen Shu couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me, how old are you this year?"
Pei Ran calmly began to spout nonsense: "I'm already 25, but my face looks a little younger."
Shen Huai: "..."
25 isn't too young, although it's still too young for a director, but Cen Shu still breathed a sigh of relief: "Heroes really do emerge from among the young."
Pei Ran smiled and said, "It's rare for you to say that. Many people thought that President Shen had lost his mind to put such a big responsibility on an inexperienced kid like me."
Cen Shu said disdainfully, "Ordinary people always use their experience to stop geniuses, but they don't know that geniuses are born to break the laws."
By saying this, he had already brought Pei Ran and himself to the same side.
Pei Ran's smile deepened: "You're right. Why care about the opinions of ordinary people? Geniuses are born to break all the rules. As long as we understand what we're doing, that's enough."
Cen Shu was about to nod when he suddenly realized, "Ha, so this was a trick on me!"
The atmosphere suddenly became tense again.
Pei Ran, however, was completely unaware: "When I was chatting with you just now, I noticed that you are still paying attention to film cinematography techniques, lighting treatment and shooting parameters when shooting against a green screen. These are things that are completely unnecessary for documentaries, right?"
Cen Shu's smile vanished completely, and he remained silent.
Pei Ran leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Professor Cen, the best way to get revenge on someone is to defeat them in their field of expertise, don't you think?"
Cen Shu's body trembled slightly. He had to admit that he had indeed been swayed by Pei Ran's words, but he quickly came to his senses, stood up and said stiffly, "It's a pleasure to meet you both today. It's getting late, so please allow me to take my leave."
After he finished speaking, he grabbed his coat and hurriedly left without waiting for Shen Huai and Pei Ran to react.
Shen Huai watched his retreating figure with concern, never expecting that he would still mess things up in the end.
Pei Ran replied casually, "Don't worry, we haven't lost yet."
Shen Huai suddenly realized: "You had me spread the word that An Yunhai was the cinematographer for Fu Cheng's new film, all for this moment. You knew it all along?"
But he quickly shook his head again, "But this is fake news. Cen Shu will find out as long as he investigates."
Pei Ran smiled confidently: "He won't investigate."
Shen Huai frowned slightly: "You mean, releasing this news is just to give Cen Shu a pretext to re-enter this circle?"
Pei Ran nodded: "I wasn't sure before, but after talking to him, I'm certain that a person who truly loves movies can never let go of this world of light and shadow."
An Yunhai was the reason Cen Shu left film cinematography. He was a senior cinematographer in the industry, and Cen Shu initially worked as An Yunhai's photography assistant after graduation. The two had a dispute on set over shooting methods. Originally, the director appreciated Cen Shu's cinematic language, but in the end, in order to keep An Yunhai, he fired Cen Shu. Cen Shu was young and impetuous at the time, and in his disappointment, he said he would never make movies again.
Over the years, as Cen Shu rose to fame, An Yunhai gradually shifted his focus to photography instruction and rarely participated in film production himself anymore. Many people have tried to hire Cen Shu for photography over the years, but he has refused them all. As a result, people have come to know his personality and have stopped trying to embarrass him.
Over the years, Cen Shu's initial resentment has gradually faded, and he has begun to reminisce about the feeling of filming movies. Unfortunately, although he is eager to try his hand at acting, he is too proud and has a strong sense of self-respect to lower himself to seek help from others.
Pei Ran had read Cen Shu's works and some of his materials from the past few years before deciding to use this method.
Pei Ran was certain that Cen Shu wouldn't care whether the news was true or false. As long as Pei Ran gave him a way out, he would definitely take it.
Shen Huai understood Pei Ran's thoughts at this moment and couldn't help but sigh. This method was probably only conceived by Pei Ran, and only Cen Shu, who was so obsessed with movies, would willingly fall for it even though he knew he was being deceived.