Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 696 Fan Xiaopang's Infatuation
The next morning, the car stopped in front of the office building, and the doorman came up to greet us and respectfully opened the door.

Just as Zhang Chen got out of the car, the door of the car next to him opened at the same time, and a figure wearing a caramel-colored coat and sunglasses emerged from the car. It was none other than Fan Xiaopang.

"Oh, so they came all this way just for me~"

"Isn't that right~"

Fan Xiaopang took off his sunglasses, his big eyes staring straight at him, his tone full of laughter.

"What's up?"

"I heard you're going to remake Tomb Raider?"

Fan Xiaopang didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the core question, his voice lowered but unable to hide his anticipation.

"So well-informed?"

Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow, knowing exactly what was going on: "I just mentioned it yesterday, and you found out today?"

"You didn't ask for it to be kept secret."

Zhang Chen knew it must be Guo Fan, and Fan Xiaopang also knew that Zhang Chen knew it was Guo Fan. He and Guo Fan had worked together on two films in a row and had a good personal relationship. It would be abnormal for Guo Fan not to tell her about this opportunity.

"Alright, let's talk as we walk."

As he spoke, Zhang Chen entered the office building and waited for the elevator with Fan Xiaopang.

It was past rush hour, and there were only the two of them in the elevator.

Fan Xiaopang took two steps forward, his tone pleading: "Director Zhang, you have to keep the role of Laura for me this time!"

"You?" Zhang Chen feigned surprise: "You still need acting roles?"

"We're short! Of course we're short!"

Fan Xiaopang's face fell, his tone full of grievance: "You don't know, my 'international superstar' title is just that—a title. Hollywood only offers me decorative roles, or bit parts. For real leading roles, they'd rather cast European faces. With my Asian face, I can't get any roles at all..."

Zhang Chen nodded, agreeing with this point; those guys in Hollywood are actually quite xenophobic.

Take the writers from the Writers Guild for example. When they write scripts, they basically set European women as the female protagonists. No one considers Asian women unless they are just decorative characters.

But Fan Xiaopang doesn't accept any "pretty face" roles. He's set her on a leading lady route, because only in this way can she maintain her unique characteristics.

Seeing that his attitude had softened, Fan Xiaopang felt there was a chance and quickly pressed her advantage: "Look, I am now the most famous Chinese actress in the world, and you are now the most famous Chinese director in the world. We are both ambassadors of Chinese cinema. Even from the perspective of promoting Chinese films to the international stage, shouldn't we cooperate more?"

Zhang Chen was amused by her lofty ambition and joked, "Director Fan, so you've been recruited? You're talking to me on behalf of the organization? Is it the Film Bureau or the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television?"

"Go away, don't even try!"

Fan Xiaopang glared at him, her tone tinged with complaint: "Seriously, why do you always think of outsiders when you have good opportunities? Why didn't you give me that villain role that Angelina Jolie played?"

You know I've always wanted to be part of the "Mission: Impossible" universe, and what happened? I wasn't in *Taken*, and I wasn't in *Mission: Impossible* either. Angelina Jolie, on the other hand, got a huge advantage. Even Jing Tian (a famous Chinese actress) is better off than me; she's involved in two series. In terms of seniority and popularity, what do I lack compared to them?"

"Julie's involvement was an accident; we hadn't originally planned for her to participate in the spy universe."

Just as Zhang Chen was about to explain, his phone rang. Seeing it was his mother's number, he helplessly gestured to Fan Xiaopang to "wait a moment" and answered, "Hello, Mom..."

Zhang's mother's urgent voice came from the other end of the phone: "Zhang Chen, when are you coming back for Chinese New Year this year? Your Aunt Wang introduced you to a girl. She's pretty and has a stable job. Why don't you two meet?"

Zhang Chen rubbed his temples and said with a wry smile, "Mom, it's not possible this year. There's too much going on at the company, and I have several projects to coordinate. I probably won't be able to come home for the New Year."

"Not coming back again? You didn't come back last year either. And what about your marriage? How old are you? Aren't you worried about it?"

Zhang's mother started her routine nagging, and Zhang Chen moved his phone further away.

The conversation was still going on, so Zhang Chen could only say, "Mom, she's in a meeting. She'll talk to me later, later..."

After much persuasion, Zhang Chen finally managed to hang up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fan Xiaopang, who was watching closely, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is Auntie pressuring you to get married again?"

“That’s right.” Zhang Chen shrugged helplessly: “That’s what the older generation has been hoping for.”

The elevator stopped at that moment, and the two walked into the company, receiving greetings along the way.

Zhang Chen arrived at his office, and Fan Xiaopang followed him in.

"So what are your views on love?" Fan Xiaopang suddenly became curious, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry.

Zhang Chen thought for a moment, then said seriously, "I don't believe in love at all."

"Oh? You're against marriage?"

Zhang Chen didn't speak, but said, "I think all love is a chemical reaction."

So-called love at first sight is, to put it bluntly, lust at first sight.

Imagine, in ancient times, if a hero rescued a damsel in distress and the hero was handsome, the girl who was rescued would definitely say, "I have no way to repay you but to offer myself to you."
But if the hero is ugly, then it's a case of 'this humble woman has no way to repay his kindness, except to be reborn as a cow or a horse in the next life,' wouldn't you agree?"

Fan Xiaopang chuckled: "You know what, it's really true."

"So~"

Zhang Chen waved his hand: "What's so wonderful about love?"

"Then why do you still make romance movies?"

"That's why I don't make my own films. If you don't even believe in love yourself, you definitely can't make a good film about it. The reason why Johnnie To's love films do well at the box office is because he believes in it."

Fan Xiaopang was speechless.

Zhang Chen continued, "Moreover, in my hometown, marriage is more like a transaction, and the bride price is shockingly expensive..."

"how many?"

"I spoke with a classmate on the phone last time, and the current going rate is 88,000."

"Eighty-eight thousand?"

Fan Xiaopang's eyes widened: "That's really high. I remember the bride price in Beijing being quite low."

“Beijing is the capital, so people are more concerned with the price. It’s one in ten thousand, which is 10,000 yuan. But it’s different where we are. Places like Shanxi, Fujian, and Jiangxi are known throughout the country for their high bride prices.”

Shanxi is a pretty cyberpunk place, and so is the bride price.

Fan Xiaopang still found it somewhat unbelievable: "So you don't yearn for it at all?"

Zhang Chen complained, "What's there to yearn for? I don't think marriage is any good. Once you're in a relationship, there's a ton of trouble. You've been busy all year, and you finally want to find a girlfriend, but your wife at home doesn't agree. Can you imagine how frustrating that would be?"

puff~
Fan Xiaopang was amused by her and laughed heartily.

Zhang Chen suddenly changed the subject, looking at Fan Xiaopang: "Speaking of which, you've been so focused on your career, haven't you thought about marriage? So many female celebrities have married into wealthy families, aren't you tempted?"

"Wealthy families? There aren't that many people who marry into wealthy families."

Fan Xiaopang curled his lip: "Isn't it just Huang Shengyi? Besides, her husband Yang Zi might not even be as rich as you."

Zhang Chen recalled last year's news and couldn't help but laugh: "Last year, Yang Zi made a high-profile announcement that he would tailor-make 'The Legend of the White Snake' for Huang Shengyi, and said that she had 30% of the shares of Juli Film and Television, was the CEO, and had a six-figure annual salary. At that time, I don't know how many people envied her for marrying into a wealthy family."

"Envious? I'm not envious at all!"

Fan Xiaopang puffed out his chest and said proudly, "I don't need to marry into a wealthy family, I am a wealthy family myself!"

Zhang Chen rolled his eyes: "Come on, that's just a persona. It's just something he says, but don't believe it yourself."

In the entertainment industry, the bigger the star, the more unsuccessful their marriage.

Firstly, his career is too successful. Women admire strength and want to find someone stronger than themselves, but there are only a few men at the top of the pyramid, so they have too many choices.

Secondly, in their eyes, a female celebrity's profession might actually be a disadvantage.

And to be honest, it's really tragic for a woman to be old and still unmarried. Look at Grandma Liu, she's so old, and she was targeted by Li Xiaoran on a TV show.

Just as Fan Xiaopang was about to retort, there was a sudden knock on the office door, followed by Ning Hao's voice: "Chenzi~"

The door was then pushed open: "Binbin's here too, I hope I didn't disturb you~"

"No, we were just chatting."

Zhang Chen nodded, then looked at Ning Hao: "What's up? Did you need something?" "I'm going to the Beijing Film Academy this afternoon for a promotional tour of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light.' Do you want to come along? The students are really looking forward to seeing you."

Zhang Chen's eyes lit up: "Sure, what time is it? Perfect time to go chat with the younger students."

"It's scheduled for 2 PM. I'll come and wake you up before you leave."

After Ning Hao left, Zhang Chen looked at Fan Xiaopang and asked, "We're going to the Beijing Film Academy this afternoon. Do you want to come along?"

The latter shook his head: "I'll pass, I didn't participate in any role."

After Ning Hao left, the two chatted for a while longer, and more and more people came to find Zhang Chen.

As a listed company, Xingchen Entertainment, although Zhang Chen doesn't do everything personally like Zong Qinghou, still needs his approval as chairman to proceed with many important matters.

Seeing that Zhang Chen was getting busy, Fan Xiaopang tactfully got up, straightened his coat, and said to Zhang Chen, "Then I'll be going now. You can think about the role of Lara again!"

Before leaving, Zhang Chen suddenly joked, winking, "By the way, speaking of marriage, if you're still single in 10 years and I'm still single, we can just settle down together!"

Fan Xiaopang froze on the spot, then giggled and said, "You wish! A beautiful flower stuck in cow dung!"

……

Beijing Film Academy, Auditorium
As the last glimmer of light faded from the rotating film, the end credits of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" slowly climbed onto the screen.

Amidst thunderous applause, Ning Hao led the core creative team of Starry Sky Entertainment onto the stage.

Liu Ye plays Hu Bayi, Jiang Tao plays Wang Pangzi, Maggic Q plays Shirley Yang, Xia Yu plays Da Jinya, and Yang Xiaomi plays the Queen of Jingjue...

The five bowed in unison, and as Jiang Tao straightened up, he deliberately dragged out his words: "My fellow students at the Beijing Film Academy, I, Hu Hansan—oh no, I mean, Fatty Wang, am back!"

The audience suddenly burst into laughter.

Zhang Chen stepped forward, took the microphone from the host, and pointed to the folding chairs piled up beside the stage: "Don't stand there, the organizers, hurry up and bring some chairs. Today we're not having a formal press conference, let's just treat it as a chat between fellow apprentices behind closed doors, tea party mode activated!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the students below the stage immediately began to whisper excitedly, and several boys in the back row holding cameras moved closer.

Soon, seven or eight chairs were set up on the stage. In addition to the main creators, Lu Yang and Wen Muye, who had just stood up from the audience, also sat down with smiles. The two were "one of us" who graduated from Beijing Film Academy. As soon as they sat down, they put their arms around each other's shoulders and chatted about embarrassing things that happened back in school.

"We're all family here today, so let's chat freely behind closed doors. We can talk about anything, but there's one thing: we mustn't spread what we talk about outside, and definitely not post it on Weibo..."

As soon as Zhang Chen finished speaking, the audience burst into laughter.

In previous years, Zhang Chen had a habit of giving a speech at the Beijing Film Academy every year and chatting with his juniors, but this habit was discontinued last year because he was too busy.

Zhang Chen was already busy this year, but this opportunity came along, and he really cherishes it.

"I come first, I come first!"

A girl with a high ponytail in the first row stood up, her cheeks flushed: "Senior Zhang Chen, my roommate and I are fans of you and Xingchen Entertainment. We want to enter the film and television industry in the future. Can we learn from your entrepreneurial experience?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen waved his hand and said sincerely, "Don't follow my example. My approach is too unconventional and cannot be replicated."

He paused, then pointed to the audience: "Starry Entertainment is different from all other companies in the industry. We made our way through with a few blockbuster hits, but what should a real film and television company be like? It should be like Huayi Brothers, Enlight Media, or Bona Film Group."

In film projects, it's normal to have both profits and losses, and the amount of money involved is also normal.

Going public is about solving funding gaps. Take Huayi Brothers, for example. After going public last year, they had more money than they could spend. They immediately started two blockbuster films, "If You Are the One 2" and "Detective Dee," and also invested 7 million yuan in TV dramas. That's how a legitimate company operates.

"Does Huayi have no weaknesses?" another boy wearing glasses asked.

Zhang Chen smiled and said, "Of course they do. They rely too much on director 'Little Cannon.' DreamWorks has long proven that you can't build an empire with just one director. But Star Entertainment is different; we've built our empire with several directors..."

Zhang Chen's words once again drew laughter.

"Director Zhang, how did you secure the investment for your first film?"

A boy wearing a hoodie raised his hand: "We're all struggling to find funding for our graduation projects."

Zhang Chen chuckled upon hearing this. This boy must be studying directing; only directing students experience this kind of pain.

He leaned back in his chair: "My first film role was with a steel boss from Shanxi. I wasn't famous back then, so I had to rely on my family to get me in. I was lucky; my family had some connections."

However, the current economic climate is good. If you're short of funds, you could try contacting coal mine owners; they have plenty of money on hand these past two years.

He abruptly changed the subject, his expression turning serious: "But there's a condition: no lying. You need funding, he wants to promote someone—a mutually beneficial partnership. If he takes the money and doesn't deliver, the consequences will be far more serious than you imagine."

Zhang Chen was also worried that these students might not be careful, so he emphasized it specifically.

Coal mine owners are often perceived as foolish and rich, but in reality, they are not foolish at all, and they all have a gang of people under their command.

The students in the audience were astonished.

"Then I'd like to ask a question about the subject matter!"

A girl stood up, clutching a promotional leaflet for the film slate recently released by Star Entertainment: "The subject matter of 'Lost and Found' seems rather niche. Aren't you worried about it not being profitable?"

"Of course I'm worried, how could I not be worried?"

Zhang Chen frankly stated, "That's why we assembled an all-star cast, with Liang Jiahui in the lead role, and Wen Muye has a 'good older brother'."

He pointed to Lu Yang beside him: "Lu Yang made a pledge to me for the sake of his junior brother Wen Muye. He said that the box office of 'Hurricane 3' will definitely exceed 6 million. Even if 'Lost and Found' loses money, it will be made up for by 'Hurricane 3'."

Lu Yang smiled and nodded: "That's right, I do have that much sense of responsibility."

Zhang Chen then turned to the audience: "But I have to remind you, if you don't have a good older brother like Lu Yang, it's best not to touch this kind of subject matter."

For your debut film, I recommend trying something like *The Shallows* or *Crawl*—the kind of films that are more exotic and have a built-in box office appeal, making them more appealing to investors. Only after you've made money for your investors will they trust you, and only then will you have the opportunity to make the things you truly love.

"Director Guo Fan!"

At this moment, a boy posed a question to Guo Fan, who was sitting in the corner: "What do you think is the most important thing for success in the film and television industry?"

Guo Fan remained silent for a few seconds, then pondered: "When I was a child, I read 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' and focused on the brotherhood between Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei; now that I'm older, I focus on the factions."

When I was a child, I watched "Journey to the West" for its grandeur; now that I'm an adult, I watch it for its social standing.

Having gone through eighty-one tribulations, do you think anyone is qualified?
That was the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, a second-generation Buddha. You are not a second-generation Buddha; you are just an ordinary person. I'm sorry, you don't even qualify to experience the eighty-one tribulations.

I envy you all. Being on such an excellent platform as the Beijing Film Academy, you have outstanding senior students to impart their successful experiences to you, and directors' connections to help you enter the industry. This already puts you ahead of 99% of people.

Therefore, my advice is to always maintain good relationships with your network—in other words, it's important to align yourself with the right influential person.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Guo Fan suddenly pointed at Lu Yang and shouted with a smile, "This is my older brother!"

Wen Muye immediately chimed in, pointing at Lu Yang: "That's right, this is my older brother!"

Lu Yang chuckled, then turned and pointed at Zhang Chen: "My older brother is right here!"

Ning Hao also pointed at Zhang Chen: "This is also my older brother!"

Jiang Tao and Yang Xiaomi exchanged a glance, then pointed at Zhang Chen in unison: "This is our eldest brother!"

The audience burst into laughter. Zhang Chen waved his hand helplessly, "No, no, no, this is the Beijing Film Academy, not Liangshan Marsh!"

He cleared his throat and said seriously, "However, Guo Fan is right. The platform is too important. I am from Beijing Film Academy, so of course I am willing to give priority to my own people. This is the case in the Beijing circle and the Hong Kong circle. It is difficult to succeed with only real skills, and you can't go far with only connections, but if you have both skills and connections, the road will be much easier."

The applause rang out again, this time even more enthusiastic than before.

Taking the opportunity, Jiang Tao picked up the microphone and shouted to the audience: "So, junior brothers and sisters, study hard at school. When Xingchen recruits in the future, we will give priority to those from Beijing Film Academy!"

The cheers from the audience instantly lifted the roof off the auditorium.

……

That night, Fan Xiaopang was thinking in her room, not about the movie character, but about what Zhang Chen had said to her during the day.

Zhang Chen: "While you're young and still believe in love, hurry up and find someone who loves you to marry."

Fan Xiaopang: "How do I know who loves me the most?"

Zhang Chen: "It's very simple. Think carefully about who you are most like a child with, who you feel most relaxed with, who you dare to make the most demands, who you are least afraid of losing, who you dare to be yourself with, and who you are least afraid of anyone knowing your flaws. That person is most likely the one who loves you the most..."

Fan Xiaopang thought for a moment, and besides his parents, it seemed to be Zhang Chen.

(End of this chapter)