Chapter 171.2: Behind the Scenes of “New Life”
There was no doubt—after the New Life livestream and now this flashy dinner outing, the production had once again gained another wave of online attention.
When these new trending topics popped up, Xuan Yushu was having tea with Sun Yue and Jiang Jinya.
Unable to hold back, he asked, “Teachers, do either of you actually know what Shen Xiu is filming?”
Jiang Jinya smiled and shook her head. “No idea.”
Sun Yue was less polite. “What’s the rush? With Shen Xiu’s overachieving tendencies, the release date won’t be far off. We’ll know soon enough.”
Looking at how unbothered the two veterans were, Xuan Yushu muttered under his breath, “This is Shen Xiu’s first film, and you’re really not even a little worried?”
He had thought that, as Shen Xiu’s mentors, they would at least know something.
Jiang Jinya calmly took a sip of tea. Only after setting down her cup did she respond: “Not worried. With how Shen Xiu is, I trust him.”
Xuan Yushu sighed. “I know he’s talented, but historically, youth-centered films are notorious for being flops. And from the few details leaked online, the ‘youth and coming-of-age’ theme doesn’t exactly have high market heat right now.”
No matter how well it’s filmed—even if it secures a solid reputation—the box office probably won’t be very high.
A pure commercial film like Storm didn’t have much depth, but the subject matter was thrilling, the casting oozed with hormones, and as long as the execution wasn’t botched, it had immense appeal for general audiences.
But a youth film? Just thinking of that genre and this group of people made it sound dull and lifeless.
Jiang Jinya, however, recalled hearing that after wrapping New Life, Shen Xiu had been looking into top-tier special effects teams in the industry. She spoke up, “It’s probably not going to be that simple.”
Xuan Yushu began to ask, “What do you—”
But Jiang Jinya cut him off. “Enough. Let’s just drink our tea. Trust me—Shen Xiu has never been one to disappoint.”
Xuan Yushu had no choice but to drop the topic.
—
In the blink of an eye, it was the start of Shen Xiu’s senior year.
The first day back was usually uneventful—just a quick check-in with the homeroom teacher to confirm all students had returned to campus.
By 10 a.m., after meeting with the teacher and collecting textbooks for the semester, the short meeting was over.
By the time Shen Xiu got home, it wasn’t even 10:30 yet.
He fed Lucky, changed into a fresh set of clothes, then put on a face mask and a baseball cap before heading out to his studio.
New Life required a significant amount of visual effects. Shen Xiu didn’t want to have to send anything back for revisions—he hoped, like with the filming, everything could be done right the first time.
He felt more at ease personally overseeing the process.
When Shen Xiu arrived at the studio, he saw Jin Can walking straight toward him.
Jin Can, still serving as Shen Xiu’s temporary assistant, looked a little guilty when he spotted Shen Xiu—clearly thinking about the current state of the editing suite. He greeted him cautiously: “Director Shen.”
It was the first day of Shen Xiu’s senior year, and Jin Can hadn’t expected him to show up at the studio today.
‘So intense,’ Jin Can thought. ‘Even on the first day of school, he still made time to check in on the studio.’
Shen Xiu: “Assistant Jin.”
Hearing that cold voice drift out from behind the mask, Jin Can’s body stiffened. In the next second, he saw Shen Xiu lift a hand—his long fingers hooked the white strap of his face mask and gently pulled it aside, revealing his sharp, cold features.
No matter how many times he had seen Shen Xiu, Jin Can realized he still couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the man’s naturally imposing and chilling presence.
Forcing himself to meet Shen Xiu’s gaze, Jin Can managed to speak with difficulty: “Director Shen… the VFX…”
Before Jin Can could finish his sentence, the sound of an argument broke out from one of the rooms behind him.
“This won’t do. It really doesn’t meet the standards Director Shen set—it needs to be revised.”
“What are you talking about? This looks great! What exactly do you think is wrong?”
“It’s not right! It’s completely different from what Director Shen described.”
“What description? You guys don’t even understand. This is as good as it can possibly get.”
“Exactly. We’ve done VFX for so many films—why would we lie to you? This is just how it is. No matter who you hire, the result will be the same. This is already the best version possible. Your standards are way too high…”
The entire floor had been taken over by the New Life production team. Jin Can had heard the argument earlier and, overwhelmed by the headache it caused, had stepped out for some air—never expecting to run into Shen Xiu.
Since he’d intended to go back in, Jin Can hadn’t closed the door all the way, and now the heated voices were leaking straight out.
Editors, VFX artists, sound engineers… Every room on this floor was occupied by a different department, each working on their own part of the film.
Hearing the commotion, those on break started poking their heads out, hoping to catch some juicy drama.
But just as they were preparing to enjoy the show, they instinctively turned their heads—and made direct eye contact with Shen Xiu standing not far away.
Caught under Shen Xiu’s cold, piercing gaze, everyone: “……”
Fwoosh! The staff, who’d been seconds away from eavesdropping, were scared stiff. Their brains froze, but their bodies reacted instantly—they spun around and slammed their doors shut in one smooth, coordinated motion.
A moment later, each team sat inside their own room, hearts pounding wildly, awkwardly staring at the closed door in front of them.
“…Weren’t we here to watch the drama? Why’s the door closed now?”
“Quick, open the door! If we wait too long, the gossip won’t even be hot anymore!”
“Cut, cut, cut—ugh, I’m so sick of editing. Just looking at the software makes me want to puke. Seeing the mouse makes me want to toss it down a sewer. Move, I need to get out there and catch a fresh piece of drama to reset my mood!”
Hearing the people behind them, the staff member at the front of the group responded quietly, “Director Shen is outside.”
“……”
The once-chatty group fell instantly silent.
“…Still want that gossip?”
“Why is Director Shen here?”
“Gossip? What gossip? I love editing! Editing is my life!”
“I shall now cling lovingly to my dear mouse and keyboard all the way until New Life hits theaters!”
“Sending silent sympathy tears to the VFX team next door…”
“Do you think… they’ll get fired? Boss Xiu doesn’t exactly look easy to mess with.”
“I don’t know—but damn it, why’d you have to ask that?! Now I can’t stop thinking about it, and my curiosity is going to kill me!”
…
Because of Shen Xiu’s presence, the various team members didn’t dare to watch the gossip openly. Their hands kept busy, but their mouths weren’t idle either.
Still, they only dared to talk — no one actually dared to go out and look.
Outside the door.
Jin Can: “……”
That door shut way too fast!
Shen Xiu: “……”
It’s all his fault for acting like such a serious adult during filming — now everyone treats him like some kind of terrifying monster.
Shen Xiu’s gaze fell on the slightly ajar door, and his brows furrowed slightly.
The arguing from the special effects team room hadn’t stopped. Seeing Shen Xiu’s cold expression and furrowed brows directed at that door, Jin Can silently shed a tear of sympathy for the people inside.
Of all times to argue, they had to pick when Director Shen showed up.
“Ahem…” Jin Can gave an awkward cough and cautiously asked, “Director Shen, do you want to go take a look?”
To be honest, he was curious too!
Shen Xiu: “Mm.”
The argument had already gone on for three minutes without ending. Worried that it would disrupt his schedule, Shen Xiu wasn’t too pleased.
Jin Can walked ahead. When they reached the door with the slight gap, he turned sideways and pushed it fully open.
The door swung wide, and everyone inside instinctively looked toward it.
When they saw Shen Xiu’s tall figure and cold, expressionless face, the special effects team members—who had just been loudly arguing with the assigned project lead—instantly fell silent.
This was Shen Xiu’s first time directing a film. Unlike Xuan Yushu, who had directed countless films and had a familiar team of his own, Shen Xiu didn’t have that luxury.
For New Life, whether it was the editing group or the special effects team, all had been hired through the system. That meant each team had their own leader, in addition to the project managers assigned by the New Life production team.
The team leaders were all previously assistant directors during the filming of New Life. Having followed the entire shooting process, they naturally understood Shen Xiu’s personality. So when the hired teams failed to follow instructions, they stood their ground and argued based on reason.
“Director Shen.”
The former assistant director—now the head of the special effects team—spotted Shen Xiu and rushed over like he’d found backup. Standing behind Shen Xiu, he lifted his chin proudly and stared at the special effects team.
Special effects team: “……”
Why did the look in this team lead’s eyes feel so… smug?
But…
Meeting Shen Xiu’s cold gaze, they had to admit: the guy really had gotten cocky. This Director Shen—
Though they hadn’t met him before, even though Shen Xiu’s expression was calm, they could feel a sharp edge in those indifferent eyes.
It was clearly one man standing against their entire team, and yet his overpowering presence hit them like a thousand-strong army, leaving them afraid to even breathe too loudly.
As the team leader, Yu Shaoyuan stepped forward, extending his hand to Shen Xiu with a not-so-sincere smile on his face.
“Director Shen, I’ve heard so much about you.”
Standing outside earlier, Shen Xiu had already gathered most of the story from their argument.
New Life had only been in post-production for less than a week, and they were already running into issues like this. Without seeing the actual footage, Shen Xiu couldn’t easily judge who was right or wrong.
Hearing Yu Shaoyuan’s words, Shen Xiu’s gaze fell on the outstretched hand.
Even now, Shen Xiu still got nervous when shaking hands with strangers.
After hesitating for two seconds, he finally reached out, gave Yu Shaoyuan a quick handshake, then let go—parroting the other man’s greeting in return:
“Mr. Yu, I’ve heard so much about you.”
To Yu Shaoyuan, this scene looked like this — Shen Xiu, upon hearing his voice, lowered his gaze slightly and looked at Yu’s outstretched hand with an indifferent expression. Only then did he reluctantly shake it, and even his words carried a passive-aggressive tone.
Yu Shaoyuan: “……”
Was Shen Xiu deliberately giving him a hard time after hearing the argument outside?
Yu Shaoyuan raised his hand to massage his throat, trying to soothe the dryness before speaking:
“Director Shen, it’s not that we’re being unreasonable, it’s just that—”
Shen Xiu had already heard all of their excuses outside. Operating under the principle that listening to them again would only be a waste of time, he cut Yu Shaoyuan off and got straight to the point:
“Where’s the subpar footage?”
Yu Shaoyuan: “…Over here.”
He had originally thought the rumors about Shen Xiu being cold and domineering were just fan fantasies, filtered through 180 layers of idol worship.
After all, no matter how cool or intense he seemed, at the end of the day, he was still just a college student.
A bright-eyed, naive college student—how could someone like that possibly outplay seasoned veterans like them who had been navigating the professional world for years?
But now, in just two short sentences, Shen Xiu had spoken with such a commanding tone that left no room for argument, Yu Shaoyuan found himself speechless.
The moment Shen Xiu spoke, his mouth moved faster than his brain.
By the time he processed what was happening, he had already led Shen Xiu over to a few of the computers they worked on.
He didn’t even wait for Shen Xiu to say anything—his hands moved on their own and hit the play button.
Special effects team members: “……”
Why did the boss surrender so fast?
Yu Shaoyuan stood to the side. When he realized he had instinctively taken a step away from Shen Xiu, his head buzzed with even more confusion. He glanced nervously at Shen Xiu’s cold, sharp profile.
‘Pathetic!’ he scolded himself in his heart.
But when he saw that everyone else had also subconsciously taken a step back from Shen Xiu, his mind felt a bit more at ease.
Five minutes later, Shen Xiu finished watching. But since he didn’t understand what he was looking at, his brows furrowed in confusion. He asked:
“What is this supposed to be?”
**TN
YYDS – literally ‘eternal god,’ a popular slang meaning someone is the GOAT.
