I Am A Prodigy

How long does it take to film a TV series?

There was no set rule. It might take months, or years depending on the speed.

iPartment was a slice-of-life TV series and was not complicated. Moreover, with only 20 episodes planned, filming was almost done in just slightly over two months. That progress was already very fast, but along with Ye Lingchen’s participation, the progress went up another notch!

As the saying goes, a competent soldier works by himself while a competent commander leads a team.

Ye Lingchen was like the super generator of the film crew. Both the efficiency and its effectiveness were greatly boosted. In just three days, the remaining scenes were all completed. The excess time they had was then spent combing through the details from beginning to end, redoing all the parts that failed to meet his standard.

In merely 10 days, he managed to reorganize the TV series from start to finish.

After filming, all that was left was editing. Nevertheless, Ye Lingchen did not plan to relax. He remained on set and started editing in front of the computer.

“All these shots are quite good. It feels like a waste to just cut them out like this,” Ye Lingchen lamented, but his hands never slowed down as he went through each episode.

The editor beside him was watching intently, hoping to point out some flaws in Ye Lingchen’s editing and also make his presence known at the same time. Unfortunately, his plans were all for naught. His eyes were red from looking at the screen, yet he failed to point out any issues.

“Done.” Ye Lingchen stopped. He turned around and asked the editor, “Come have a look and see if there’s anything to add?”

“Erm, sure.” The editor steeled himself and took a seat. He started from the beginning and used everything he knew, but he really could not find anything wrong with it. It was perfect as is.

He felt a sense of dread in his heart, as though he would be fired the very next moment. The feeling of insecurity was strong within him.

To be working with such an amazing boss, it really made him doubt his abilities.

He was not the only one. The cameraman, lighting technician, and other departments felt the same. Ever since Ye Lingchen joined them, they had no chance to display their skill. All they could do was just listen to Ye Lingchen’s instruction. Most importantly, Ye Lingchen’s orders were all perfectly on point.

Even Li Tai felt that his directorship was redundant, making him speechless.

The only thing they could be happy about was that Ye Lingchen could not clone himself. Otherwise, they would really be out of a job.

“Phew…it’s finally done.”

Ye Lingchen smiled. After finishing up, he stood and announced generously, “Tonight, we’ll head to the Grand Capital Restaurant. My treat!”

“Wow, Young Master Ye is the best!” Lu Xiaobu howled immediately, as though on steroids. “Tonight will be a sleepless one!”

“Are we having a party? Ahhh, party! Party!” Chen Meijia was already jumping up and down.

Everyone was excited.

“You’re too wasteful!” Xiao Feifei rolled her eyes at Ye Lingchen. She felt a pain in her heart. “We should celebrate at such a high-class place after the success of our TV series.”

“Hahaha, I’m just celebrating the success in advance.” Ye Lingchen shrugged nonchalantly. Whether the TV series would be successful or not, he knew full well in his heart.

“Young Master Ye, I want to take part in the celebration too!” Zhao Liangying shouted beside Ye Lingchen. Ever since the last time, she would drop by every few days, claiming that her illness has yet to recover.

“You can’t join. You’re not part of our crew.” Ye Lingchen shook his head, then declared mercilessly, “You will bear your own expenses!”

“Tsk, so petty.” Zhao Liangying huffed, then rolled her eyes and asked out of curiosity, “I’ve seen the script. Its style is quite different from other TV series I’ve watched. However, it’s really good. Young Master Ye, what do you think the ratings would be?”

“What do you think?” Ye Lingchen returned the question.

Zhao Liangying gave it some serious thought, then said, “You’re on Banana TV[1]. Because of Singer Y, this station has grown bigger lately. The overall TV ratings are only at 0.4%. I feel that this series could potentially reach 0.8%. Banana TV sure got lucky this time.”

“I don’t think that’s all. I don’t know how the results will be, but my sixth sense tells me that it will be more than that,” Lin Wanyu interjected.

“No need for sixth sense. This is my first TV series. It will surely be a hit!” Chen Chichi declared excitedly. The completion of her first-ever TV series made him feel extremely accomplished. He was at the peak of her excitement.

“That’s right. With my handsomeness and Chen Chichi’s degeneracy, it’ll definitely sweep everything away!”

“Tsk, drop your bullsh*t. It’s mostly because of this beautiful lady here holding the stage for you,” Chen Meijia chimed in.

“Have you forgotten about me, Queen Hu Yifei?”

Just when they were going wild with the debate, Ye Lingchen’s gentle cough immediately calmed them down, and changed their tone instantly, “Young Master Ye is our best guarantee. I bet that the TV ratings will surely go over 1%!”

“I know that listening to Young Master Ye won’t be wrong!”

“In this life, I, Lu Xiaobu’s handsomeness has only lost to one person, and that’s Young Master Ye!”

Soon after, even the crew members were chiming in. They were especially interested in the TV ratings. That was where their efforts would be reflected.

“All in all, I feel that this TV series will surely be a hit. Even I, who dislikes watching TV series, finds it interesting.”

“I think so too. This TV series is awesome. It’s good.”

“That’s right. All will be well!” Li Tai nodded excitedly.

“Our hard work all these days are not wasted! All the longer work hours and sleepless nights are worth it!” Ye Lingchen’s physical condition was scary, giving him excellent endurance. Some of the female crew members could still feel the lingering fear when they recall the days they worked their butts off. Unexpectedly, they managed to survive it.

Finally, it was time to reap the rewards. All their hearts felt deeply moved. All of it was worth it!

Soon after, iPartment’s credits would have their names on it, potentially appearing at the opening or ending of each episode. If it became a hit, they would be kingmakers!

At first, Ye Lingchen planned to listen quietly without saying anything.

However, Xiao Feifei suddenly shifted her gaze toward him. She winked cheekily, then asked with a smile, “Lingchen, would you like to guess what iPartment’s TV ratings would be?”

“I really can’t predict it,” Ye Lingchen answered with a bitter smile.

He had never paid attention to such things. He knew nothing about TV ratings, nor did he know what standards it was measured at or what was considered good or bad. Naturally, that left him unable to make an assessment.

“Tsk, just say a number.”

“That’s right, Young Master Ye, just give us a number.”

…

[1] In raw the author states Durian TV, but following the story so far where Durian TV breached their contract and signed the other TV series (For My Love) on instead, we believe the author meant for this part to be with Banana TV. Furthermore, it was Banana TV that hosted the show Survival on Deserted Island which had Singer Y as a guest.