Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 382 A Heartless Person

The scenes in Hong Kong were filmed ahead of schedule, but Jackie Chan did not stay in Hong Kong. Instead, he returned to the mainland with the crew.

This has made Jackie Chan's team and family quite anxious. They have already found the best psychological counselor for Jackie Chan in Hong Kong, just in case Jackie Chan really has depression or other problems.

For Cheng Long's family and team, his health is their biggest concern. His health is not just a matter for him alone, but for a large group of people who depend on him for their livelihood.

Even his wife came to persuade him to stay in Hong Kong for a few days.

Cheng Long responded coldly to this.

However, he still explained to his wife, "I'm fine. The Golden Rooster Awards are about to be held, and as an award presenter, I still have to go to the rehearsal."

He then ignored it, but before his wife left, he seemed to remember something and added, "I've already canceled my credit card. If she asks you for money, don't give it to her."

His wife was both angry and worried.

It seems that the problem isn't just with her husband, otherwise he wouldn't have acted this way.

However, there is some consolation in the fact that Jackie Chan was able to take action, which proves that he is still capable of thinking independently.

It's not like what the media said, where someone got so into character that they couldn't distinguish between reality and the movie plot.

I hope everything is alright.
She could only pray silently.

There was nothing she could do; Jackie Chan was used to being domineering at home, and she had no way to influence his decisions. She could only instruct Jackie Chan's assistant to take good care of him and to call him immediately if anything happened.

After arriving in Beijing with the film crew, Jackie Chan did not fly directly to Suzhou, the venue for the Golden Rooster Awards, but instead planned to go with Cao Yang.

His current state is a bit peculiar. You could say he's deeply immersed in his role, but when he's not filming, he can distinguish reality from his surroundings and remains clear-headed.

If you say he's not fully immersed in the role, he's practically a completely different person from the Jackie Chan of the past—quiet, doesn't like to joke, and even doesn't like to talk.

He just sat there quietly, lost in thought, like an outsider.

He was initially unaware of the widespread media coverage in Hong Kong about his "immersion in the role." He no longer goes online or reads newspapers; he simply enjoys sitting and daydreaming, so he was oblivious to the matter.

His assistant told him about it, saying that many media outlets wanted to interview him, and that he should be mentally prepared.

After all, he's going to attend the Golden Rooster Awards the day after tomorrow, which is something many people know. Not only will mainland media be there, but also a lot of paparazzi from Hong Kong.

The assistant could already imagine that there would be a lot of people wanting to interview, secretly take photos, or even start with a single picture and then make up the rest.

After listening, Cheng Long remained silent for a while before saying to his assistant, "Contact the media and find a venue. I'm going to hold a press conference in Suzhou the day after tomorrow."

The assistant hesitated.

Logically speaking, holding a press conference in the next couple of days to explain and quell the matter would be the best option.

If this matter is allowed to escalate, although it may serve as publicity for the film, it is clear that it will not benefit Jackie Chan and may even affect his future commercial value.

Furthermore, it will also have a negative impact on director Cao Yang.

This is a losing proposition.

But is Cheng Long in a good condition to handle a press conference?
The assistant tried to offer some advice, but it wasn't a decision she could make.

So they quickly called Jackie Chan's team, and the final decision was that it was necessary to hold a press conference to explain, but they couldn't let the reporters lead the conversation, and it would be best to make everyone think that Jackie Chan was fine.

They quickly devised an effective plan and handed it over to Cheng Long, instructing him to familiarize himself with it and simply follow the "script" when the time came.

Cheng Long did not reject the proposal, or at least he didn't say anything when he accepted it, which relieved the team.

Well, not a big problem.

"Okay, I'll arrive tomorrow... maybe the day after tomorrow morning, it's not confirmed yet, I'll come find you then."

Cao Yang hung up the phone, feeling a bit of a headache.

This is the third phone call I've received today.

Pang Bing, Dong Xuan, and Li Xiaoran have arrived in Suzhou and, after settling in, they all called him to inform him of their accommodations in addition to the hotel arranged by the authorities.

That's right, all three of them booked rooms in other hotels, just in case it would be inconvenient to stay in the official hotel. This was Cao Yang's biggest headache.

In addition, things in the capital city were keeping him busy.

After Gao Yuanyuan returned to the capital, she wanted Cao Yang to stay with her for the next few days so they could go to Suzhou together.

And Yu Feihong... well, let's not even mention her.

She's like a wronged wife now, crying at the drop of a hat, and she wants Cao Yang to accompany her every day so they can go to Suzhou to attend the Golden Rooster Awards.

Actually, it's nothing.

Most importantly, she actually took what Cao Yang said a while ago to heart, and worked twice as hard, day and night, and whenever she had free time...

She not only took it seriously, but she actually carried it out.

Those with experience know that doing something with a mission is a completely different experience.

He probably understands now that the refractory period is very likely a form of protection for men, so, Sister Fei Hong, we should respect this protective mechanism.

For the first time, Cao Yang felt the unfairness between men and women.

Why don't women have a defined refractory period?

Ugh!
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Cao Yang invited Cheng Long, Lao Tian, ​​Lao Gu, Xiao Gangpao, Yu Feihong, Gao Yuanyuan, Jiang Wenli, Xu Fan, and others to Suzhou.

Then on the plane, he encountered Wang Quan'an, Jia Zhangke and his girlfriend... no, Jia Zhangke is not divorced from Zhu Jiong yet, so Zhao Tao, who was with Jia Zhangke, can only be considered his movie heroine.

This made things even more lively.

Cao Yang, Yu Feihong, and Gao Yuanyuan were on the plane.

Lao Tian had an unforgettable and passionate time with Xu Fan when they made a movie together.

Wang Quan'an and Jiang Wenli were once a couple and lived together for about five years.

There are also Jia Zhangke and Zhao Tao.

So, for a moment, it was surprisingly quiet when so many "acquaintances" met on the plane, and everyone began to close their eyes and rest.

This was exactly what Cao Yang meant; he was genuinely afraid that Yu Feihong and Gao Yuanyuan would clash.

Wang Quan'an's film "Tuya's Marriage" was nominated for the Golden Rooster Award, and Jia Zhangke's film "Still Life" was also nominated for the Golden Rooster Award.

In his previous life, "Tuya's Marriage," which won the Golden Bear Award, and "Still Life," which won the Golden Lion Award, were both eliminated during the preliminary selection for the Golden Rooster Award.

You heard right, these two films didn't even make it into the preliminary rounds of the Golden Rooster Awards in the previous life.

This incident caused a huge controversy back then.

The vice chairman of the organizer, the China Film Association, once engaged in a heated debate at the press conference, which can be summarized as follows:

The Golden Rooster Awards are already very mature. Both their academic attitude and judging process have been consistent. The judging perspectives of domestic and foreign film festivals are different.

Many internationally acclaimed films have won awards at the Golden Rooster Awards in the past. As a domestic expert award, the Golden Rooster Awards judges have a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of the films.

Film is a comprehensive art form. Some works may focus on social realities, but they may lack in overall aspects such as production quality and acting. Judges look at the average score across all aspects...

Simply put, the evaluation systems are different.

Okay, even if the evaluation systems are different, if the Golden Rooster Awards select only classic and good films, then everyone can just consider it a difference in evaluation systems.

However, many of the films you selected were never released in theaters, or even ones that audiences had never heard of, which is somewhat unacceptable. Therefore, for this year's Golden Rooster Awards, Cao Yang asked the judges to strike a balance in terms of artistic merit, resulting in both "Tuya's Marriage" and "Still Life" receiving numerous nominations.

To be honest, a film like "Tuya's Marriage," if the director weren't too profit-driven, and if it were shown at a film festival in China, would have been quite good in terms of its metaphors and artistry.

"Still Life" is quite interesting.

I'm not talking about the movie, I'm talking about the people.

As far as Cao Yang knows, the producer of "Still Life" is Zhu Jiong, that's right, the same Zhu Jiong who is still Jia Zhangke's wife.

As for the relationship between the lead actor Zhao Tao and Jia Zhangke, it's an open secret that everyone knows, and Zhu Jiong certainly knows it too.

As the producer, Zhu Jiong must have spent a lot of time on set.

So it's interesting, isn't it?
It's so boring!
Cao Yang couldn't help but feel remorseful. He shouldn't have looked at others with such a mocking attitude; now he was getting his comeuppance.

They took a flight from Beijing to Shanghai. After disembarking in Shanghai, a car sent by another organizer of the Golden Rooster Awards, Suzhou, was waiting for them.

This is a Coaster minibus, with single and double rows of seats.

As soon as Cao Yang walked in, Gao Yuanyuan pulled him aside and made him sit next to her—she had sat directly on the double seat side after coming up.

Cao Yang knew he was in trouble, but by the time he realized what was happening, Gao Yuanyuan had already pulled him down to sit.

"Director Cao, I have something I'd like to ask you."

Gao Yuanyuan deliberately said something, thinking she was being very sensible.

Cao Yang slowly closed his eyes.

Girl, it would have been better if you hadn't said anything, maybe Yu Feihong hadn't even noticed us yet, but now that you've spoken... sigh.

Sure enough, Yu Feihong, who had already sat down not far away, stood up and walked directly to the row of seats where Cao Yang and Gao Yuanyuan were sitting.

Ignoring other people's thoughts and strange looks, she stared straight at Cao Yang.

When Cao Yang looked up, he saw Yu Fei's red tears streaming down her face, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Cao Yang immediately felt a chill run down her spine, and wished she could slap herself hard across the face—why did they give her an extra role-playing experience beforehand? Why did they give her an extra role-playing experience?

Now look what's happened; there's no way to clear my name now, even if I jumped into the Yellow River.

Sister, please don't do this. People will think I started this relationship and then abandoned it. Let everyone judge for themselves, am I that kind of person?

Not only was Cao Yang taken aback, but Gao Yuanyuan next to him also stared wide-eyed with her mouth slightly agape, looking utterly astonished.

What's going on here? Why is Yu Feihong so heartbroken?
Gao Yuanyuan instantly conjured up a hundred melodramatic scenarios in her mind, and without a doubt, the scumbag who started the relationship and then abandoned it must be named Cao Yang.

Not only Gao Yuanyuan, but everyone in the car was as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline, fantasizing about a melodramatic soap opera unfolding.

Uh, except for Jackie Chan.

Cheng Long sat in a single seat, staring blankly out the window. He merely glanced at the melodramatic scene that was "about to" unfold before turning his head away, seemingly uninterested.

While suppressing his laughter, Lao Tian was still thinking about how to get out of the predicament, but he couldn't come up with a good idea for the time being. All he could do was think that if Yu Feihong was about to slap Cao Yang, he would pull her back.

But when he thought about how fiercely Yu Feihong slapped Wu Qihua when they were filming "Empty Room", he hesitated a bit - if she slapped Cao Yang, she probably wouldn't slap me too, right?

Little Cannon almost burst out laughing.

You son of a bitch Cao Yang, you've finally met your match! Karma's got you! Which angelic lady just happened to pass by and gave Cao this punishment? Thank you, thank you!

Of course, he had no ill intentions towards Cao Yang; he just didn't know why, but he wanted to see Cao Yang make a fool of himself.

Schadenfreude best describes his mood at this moment.

Old Gu was still a loyal friend. He whispered to Jiang Wenli, "If they start arguing later, you should go and calm that woman down first, and pull her to the back row."

He knew Yu Feihong, but the fact that he referred to her as "that woman" at this moment shows that he was still very dissatisfied with her.

Old Gu wasn't worried about today's events getting out, since most of the people present, except for a very few, were from the Beijing Film Academy, and he believed that no one would dare to spread Cao Yang's embarrassing incident.

He was somewhat reproachful that Yu Feihong was being inconsiderate. Why couldn't they discuss things together? Why did they have to do it in public like this?
You were promoted by Cao Yang to become the Venice Film Festival Best Actress. Even if Cao Yang did something to wrong you, you shouldn't act like this.

"Director Cao, how was my acting? I've managed to do what you had me practice. Didn't I look very sad and helpless? Did I fit the movie character perfectly? Can we start filming my scenes in a few days?"

Yu Feihong didn't explain these words with a smile; she said them with a hint of resentment, looking like someone who hadn't yet recovered from extreme grief.

"call."

"call."

"call."

……

Cao Yang seemed to hear a lot of heavy breathing sounds, and he almost couldn't help but let out a long breath himself.

"Sister Fei Hong, you're really into your role."

Cao Yang said something that sounded like a complaint, and then deliberately glanced at Cheng Long.

Those who were initially skeptical, including Gao Yuanyuan, also glanced at Cheng Long, and their doubts were quickly dispelled.

In an instant, no one in the car doubted Yu Feihong and Cao Yang's statements anymore.

I'm getting into character!
Another one's gotten into character!

If someone else had explained it this way, everyone present would have scoffed—"Are you trying to make a fool of me?"

But this is Cao Yang, one of the best actors in China and even the world at coaching actors. It's not surprising that he can get actors into character.

Didn't you see there's a living example over there?
Many people couldn't help but look at Jackie Chan, who seemed completely detached and uninterested in anything.

At this moment, Little Cannon was almost about to burst into a tirade of curses.

I thought I was going to see Cao Yang make a fool of himself, but I didn't expect to see the actor so deeply immersed in the role!
Damn it, if I could get actors to get into character to this level, would I still have to worry about awards?

Immediately, Xiao Gangpao secretly made up his mind to get along well with Cao Yang, that brother, and see if he could learn his skills in training actors.

As for whether there will be any side effects after actors get deeply immersed in their roles.
Little Cannon just wanted to slap the person who said that across the face with a cold laugh.

Gao Yuanyuan probably thought of her own experience filming "Secret Sunshine," as she understood all too well the heartbreaking emotions she felt when she was immersed in the role.

So, she couldn't help but feel pity, and at the same time, she had some objections to Cao Yang's "heartlessness." She secretly pinched Cao Yang and then gently pushed him.

"Get up and sit in the seat next to me. I want to comfort Sister Fei Hong and have a private chat with her."

Just as Cao Yang was thinking about it, Yu Feihong spoke up.

“Yuanyuan, thank you, but I want to sit with Director Cao and ask him for advice on how to better portray this character. You know, he keeps complaining that I can't get into character, so he keeps delaying filming my scenes. I…”

As she spoke, Yu Feihong's tears streamed down her face again.

Gao Yuanyuan couldn't help but recall when she was filming "Secret Sunshine," she couldn't get into character for a long time, and it was this heartless person next to her who tormented her all day long, making her angry just thinking about it.

She secretly pinched Cao Yang again, then stood up and said to Yu Feihong, "Sister Feihong, please sit here. It's really not easy for us to play our roles well."

After saying that, he gave Cao Yang a fierce glare.

What a heartless person!

(End of this chapter)