1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

Xie Jin took the script and saw the words "Mom, Love Me Again" on the cover. His brows furrowed instantly. He tapped the cover with his finger and said with a hint of disappointment, "It's really not an action movie?"

He continued, "Xuemin, you know how popular martial arts movies are right now. Your 'Tai Chi' is a huge hit all over the country. I'm thinking if we can ride this wave, the copies will definitely sell well."

Cheng Xuemin smiled and handed over a cup of tea, saying, "Old Xie, don't be disappointed yet, take a look at the contents first."

Although this script isn't an action film, I think it's more moving than any action film.

Xie Jin sighed and opened the script again!
The story begins with the female protagonist, Huang Qiuxia, becoming pregnant out of wedlock, being kicked out of her family home, and raising her son alone.

His initially indifferent gaze gradually became focused, his fingers crumpling as he gripped the paper. When he saw Huang Qiuxia enduring humiliation and even suffering a mental breakdown for the sake of her son, his breathing softened, and his eyes reddened slightly.

The office was quiet except for the rustling sound of pages turning.

Cheng Xuemin sat to the side, observing Xie Jin's expression, and understood what was going on.

Xie Jin will definitely accept this proposal.

After all, when this book was officially released a few years later, it garnered countless tears from mothers and students.

Cheng Xuemin also remembers that when he was in elementary school, his school organized all the teachers and students to go to the county cinema to watch it!

The scene was so moving that tears and sobs filled the air.

Therefore, Cheng Xuemin's impact on this script is still fresh in his memory.

If Xie Jin accepts this script, then next year's newly established Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards will definitely belong to their "Mom, Love Me Again"!

Nearly an hour later, Xie Jin closed the script, let out a long sigh, picked up his teacup and took a big gulp, not even noticing that some tea had spilled on his clothes.

Then Xie Jin looked at Cheng Xuemin and said in amazement, "Xuemin, your skills are just too incredible!"
This story…this character…I've made films for so many years, and I've never seen a script this poignant! The character of Huang Qiuxia, so suffering yet resilient, and embodying the greatness of maternal love, is simply brought to life!

He slammed his hand on the table, his voice trembling slightly, and said, "I'm definitely making this film! Whether it's an action movie or not, I'll regret missing out on such a great script for the rest of my life!"

Cheng Xuemin smiled and nodded, saying, "I knew you would like it, Lao Xie."

"The core of this script is maternal love. Whether in mainland China, Hong Kong, or even overseas, maternal love is universal. As long as it is filmed well, it will definitely resonate with audiences."

“Resonance? It’s more than just resonance!” Xie Jin stood up excitedly and paced around the office, saying excitedly, “When I was watching it just now, I almost cried several times.”

Especially the scene where Qiu Xia is separated from her son; if it's filmed well, it will definitely make the audience cry as they leave the theater!

He suddenly stopped, his eyes lit up, and said, "That's it! I've thought of a suitable candidate for the female lead, Huang Qiuxia!"

Gong Xue!

I worked with her on "Romance on Lushan Mountain" before. Her character Zhou Yun was both pure and resilient, and her temperament was so similar to Huang Qiuxia's!

If she were to play the role, she could definitely bring it to life!

Cheng Xuemin chuckled inwardly!
In fact, he had long guessed that Xie Jin would think of Gong Xue, after all, Gong Xue's acting skills and image were indeed the only choice for this role.

Moreover, this script was originally intended for Gong Xue to take to the Shanghai Film Studio as her pledge of loyalty when she first arrived.

Unexpectedly, Gong Xue did not go to the Shanghai Film Studio, but Xie Jin came to Yanying Studio instead.

The script was simply given to Xie Jin; as long as the female lead was Gong Xue, there wouldn't be any problem.

However, Cheng Xuemin still pretended to be surprised and asked, "Gong Xue? Isn't that perfect? ​​I heard before the New Year that your Shanghai Film Studio wanted to poach her, but it didn't work out?"

Mentioning this, Xie Jin's excitement faded a bit, and he sighed, saying, "That's right!"

"At the end of last year, I accompanied Director Xu from the Shanghai factory to the General Political Department to see her. We offered her very high terms, including housing, professional titles, and the choice of scripts, but she still didn't agree!"

He frowned again and said, "But that makes sense. She's a first-class actress in the General Political Department's Art Troupe, with good treatment and a high status. There's no need for her to come to the film studio and start from scratch."

Although our Yanying Film Studio is a big studio, it probably won't be easy for them to poach her.

Cheng Xuemin picked up his teacup, took a sip, and jokingly said, "Old Xie, that's not fair of you!"

"Before the New Year, you wanted to recruit her to the Shanghai Film Studio. Now that you've come to Yanying Film Studio, you want her to act in your plays. If she had actually gone to the Shanghai Film Studio back then, you would have had to borrow someone from another studio, which would have been so troublesome."

Xie Jin was amused by him and waved his hand, saying, "I didn't know I would be coming to Yan Film Studio back then! Besides, who wouldn't want a good actor?"
Gong Xue's acting skills are absolutely top-notch among young actors. I would feel at ease if I could work with her again.

Cheng Xuemin nodded and said, "I've talked to Gong Xue quite a bit before. She loves acting in movies. Lao Xie, if you ask her to play the female lead, she'll definitely agree!"

Xie Jin nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, okay! I'll go to the General Political Department to find her tomorrow! Such a good script, such a good role, it would be such a pity to miss it!"

He picked up the script again, turned to the section where Huang Qiuxia is separated from her son, pointed to the lines and said, "Look at this part, 'Mom can't be with you anymore, you must eat well and study hard.'"
If Gong Xue were to recite this line, he could definitely capture the feeling of reluctance yet the necessity of letting go, far surpassing other actors!

Cheng Xuemin laughed and said, "Then you'd better hurry. If you can poach Gong Xue from Yanying Studio, you'll have a guarantee of leading ladies when you make movies in the future, right?"
Who knows, we might even become her go-to partners!

Xie Jin sighed and said, "It's not that easy. If the General Political Department's Cultural Troupe won't release them, there's nothing we can do."

"Let's get this project done first. If it goes well, there might be other opportunities in the future."

Then he remembered something and looked at Cheng Xuemin: "By the way, the copyright of this script belongs to you personally, right? We need to sign a cooperation agreement. I guarantee that we will film it to the highest standards and live up to this good script!"

“The agreement is easy to discuss; just have Accountant Liu handle it for you,” Cheng Xuemin waved his hand and said. “Your focus now is to talk to Gong Xue and finalize the female lead.”

We're aiming to start filming at the end of March, to avoid conflict with the filming schedule of "Shaolin Temple" and prevent scheduling conflicts with the actors.

Xie Jin nodded, carefully placing the script into his bag as if it were a precious treasure: "I understand! I'll go to the General Political Department to see Gong Xue first thing tomorrow morning and try to finalize this matter within a week!"

After seeing Xie Jin off, Cheng Xuemin leaned back in his chair, pondering. Xie Jin had accepted the role in "Mom, Love Me Again," and if Gong Xue really did act in it, he might be able to use this opportunity to recruit her to the Eastern Depot.

At that time, the Eastern Depot will have both martial arts stars like Li Lianjie and powerful actresses like Gong Xue, plus Zhu Lin and Liu Xiaoli, making the cast complete.

Just then, Zhu Lin knocked on the door and came in, holding the script of "Shaolin Temple": "Xuemin, I've finished reading the script. I'd like to add a fight scene for the character Bai Wuxia, the one where she saves Jueyuan with her sword when they first meet. Could you make it more exciting?"

Cheng Xuemin took the script and turned to that section: "Sure, how would you like to change it? We can discuss it with the Yuan brothers and add a 'sword and fist duel' scene."

It highlights Bai Wuxia's chivalrous spirit while showcasing Jueyuan's Shaolin Kung Fu, achieving two goals at once.

"That's great!" Zhu Lin's eyes lit up, she said excitedly, "I knew you would agree! By the way, when is Xiaoli coming? When can the others join the crew?"

"She said she'd come after the Lantern Festival, probably in three or four days," Cheng Xuemin said with a smile.

"As for the others, we still need to wait for feedback from Hong Kong. When that happens, I will gather everyone at the factory to hold a script discussion meeting, finalize the action sequences and scene direction, and strive to start filming in early March."

Zhu Lin nodded, then remembered something and said, "Oh right, I ran into Director Xie downstairs just now. He was holding a script and couldn't stop smiling. Did you give it to him? What a great script it is?"

"Mom, Love Me Again, it's a realistic drama about maternal love." Cheng Xuemin nodded and said directly to Zhu Lin, "Director Xie wants Gong Xue to play the female lead. Go to the General Political Department tomorrow to talk to her."

"Gong Xue?" Zhu Lin was taken aback. "Didn't she reject the Shanghai Film Studio? It would be wonderful if she could come to our Yanying Film Studio!"

"Yes, it all depends on whether Director Xie can persuade her." Cheng Xuemin wasn't really sure if Xie Jin could get Gong Xue to come and film "Mom" for him!
After all, Gong Xue was invited to join the cast of "Romance on Lushan Mountain" by Cheng Xuemin!

This time, Cheng Xuemin will not focus his attention on "Mom, Love Me Again" either. Instead, he will focus his main energy on Shaolin Temple, just like he did on Tai Chi before.

So, after Zhu Lin left, Cheng Xuemin thought for a moment, then dialed the General Political Department's Cultural Troupe and asked for Gong Xue.

The operator on the other end told him to wait while she went to call someone.
About five or six minutes later, a weak, panting voice came from the other end of the phone, and soon Gong Xue's voice came through: "Hello, this is Gong Xue, who is this?"

"Gong Xue, this is Cheng Xuemin." Cheng Xuemin smiled and said into the phone, "You were supposed to come to my house to wish me a Happy New Year on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Sorry, I've gone back to my hometown in northern Shaanxi. I just saw your note."

Gong Xue paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, her voice tinged with surprise: "Xuemin, you're back? I thought you'd be back in a few more days."

"I've been busy ever since I got back. The script for 'Shaolin Temple' was just finalized, and I've also written another script for Director Xie." Cheng Xuemin deliberately mentioned Xie Jin and said, "Director Xie might go to the General Political Department to see you tomorrow to discuss a script for a female lead role, which I think is perfect for you."

"Director Xie?" Gong Xue was taken aback. "Is he Xie Jin, the director of 'Romance on Lushan Mountain'? He wants to talk to me about the script?"

“Yes, that’s him. He’s been transferred to Yanying Film Studio and is now in charge of the fifth directing team.” Cheng Xuemin said with a smile, “The script is called ‘Mom, Love Me Again,’ it’s about maternal love, and the role is very challenging. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Gong Xue was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, then said, "Okay, I'll wait for him tomorrow. Actually... I called you to talk about work. I'll call you back after I finish talking to Director Xie, okay?"

"Of course," Cheng Xuemin said with a smile. "Keep in touch anytime."

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Xuemin felt more at ease.

Gong Xue must have been thinking about changing jobs, otherwise she wouldn't have taken the initiative to contact him.

Xie Jin took the excellent script "Mom, Love Me Again" to the film studio, and with the support of Yan Film Studio, it might actually be a success.

The next morning, Xie Jin, dressed in a smart Zhongshan suit and carrying the script of "Mom, Love Me Again," went to the General Political Department's Art Troupe.

He waited in the reception room for more than half an hour before Gong Xue arrived, dressed in military uniform and looking exceptionally smart.

"Director Xie, Happy New Year! I'm sending you my belated New Year greetings." Gong Xue smiled and saluted, then continued, "I heard you were transferred to Yan Film Studio? Congratulations!"

"Thank you, and Happy New Year to you too! Actually, I owe my situation to Cheng Xuemin." Xie Jin nodded with a smile, then pulled out a script and said, "I came here today to discuss a script with you, 'Mom, Love Me Again.' Xuemin just finished writing it. The female lead is a mother named Huang Qiuxia, and I think you're perfect for the role."

Gong Xue took the script, turned to the first page, and her eyes gradually became focused.

Like Xie Jin, she became more and more engrossed in the story, and her eyes reddened when she saw Huang Qiuxia give up everything for her son.

More than an hour later, Gong Xue closed the script, looked up, and said with tears in her eyes, "Director Xie, this script... is so touching. I'll play the role of Huang Qiuxia!"

Xie Jin felt relieved and smiled, "Great! I knew you'd like it!"

After Gong Xue agreed, Xie Jin had to contact the head of their General Political Department's Cultural Troupe to start borrowing people!
There's no time to lose!

Xie Jin then followed Gong Xue to their cultural troupe to find their leader.

At the office door, Gong Xue knocked and said, "Commander, Director Xie from Yan Film Studio is looking for you!"

"From Yanying Film Studio? They're looking for you to make a movie again, Gong Xue? Please come in, please come in!"

The regimental commander's expression was initially quite warm, but when he looked up and saw that it was Xie Jin, his smile instantly vanished.

His brows furrowed, and his tone was somewhat impolite as he said, "It's you, Director Xie. What's wrong, is the Shanghai Film Studio short-staffed again?"

Xie Jin's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the matter of poaching people last time was still fresh in his mind.

He quickly put on a smile and said, "Commander Wang, Happy New Year! I'm not here on behalf of the Shanghai factory this time. I've been transferred to Yanying Film Studio and I'd like to discuss something with you."

"We're borrowing Comrade Gong Xue to film a movie for a few months; he'll be sent back after filming."

Commander Wang stepped aside to let them in, closed the office door behind him, sat down in a chair, tapped his fingers on the table, and before Xie Jin could take out the script, he began to speak:
"Director Xie, you can forget about it. Gong Xue can't be lent out."

…………

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