Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 394 "The Crazy Stone"

Cao Sheng nodded. "I can write the script for you, but this time I want to participate in the investment. Can you agree to this condition?"

He used to be afraid to participate in investments, even if he wrote the script himself, for fear that he would be fooled by false accounting and not get a share of the box office revenue.

But now he dares to do it.

Therefore, he invested in "Infernal Affairs" and is now going to invest in Feng Xiaogang's new film.

There aren't many mainland Chinese directors who can guarantee box office success.

In Cao Sheng's memory, it seems that none of Feng Xiaogang's comedies ever lost money.

As a leading figure in mainland Chinese commercial films, Feng Xiaogang's movies are considered to have a high box office guarantee, which Cao Sheng believes makes them a worthwhile investment.

Feng Xiaogang was a little surprised.

Looking at Cao Sheng with surprise, she couldn't help but ask, "Oh? Brother Cao, I wanted you to participate in the investment before, but you weren't interested. Why this time?"

Fan Jinshuo also looked at Cao Sheng with curiosity.

At this moment, Cao Sheng's importance in her heart increased even more, because she realized that Cao Sheng seemed to be becoming a major financial backer in the film and television industry.

Cao Sheng didn't look at her; his gaze remained on Feng Xiaogang's face. "Just tell me if you can agree or not!"

Feng Xiaogang hesitated for a moment, then nodded and smiled, "Personally, I'm definitely willing. But as you know, Huayi Brothers is currently the main investor in my films, so I need to talk to Lao Wang about this. I reckon he'd be happy to have you invest, no problem! I can give you a definite answer tomorrow, okay?"

Cao Sheng smiled and nodded, "Okay! Let's stop here for today. We can continue our conversation tomorrow when you have definite news."

Feng Xiaogang nodded repeatedly.

Cao Sheng then got up to take his leave.

Feng Xiaogang and Fan Jinshuo subconsciously got up as well.

Cao Sheng: "Please wait, gentlemen! No need to see me off. I can go downstairs myself. My bodyguards are outside the door."

Feng Xiaogang hesitated for a moment, then winked at Fan Jinshuo, "Xiao Fan! Have a seat first! I'll see Brother Cao off and be right back."

Fan Jinshuo: "???"

Although she was puzzled, she obediently sat back down in her chair.

Cao Sheng glanced at Feng Xiaogang, guessing that he wanted to say something, so he didn't say anything more, waved goodbye to Fan Jinshuo, and walked towards the door.

Feng Xiaogang was very perceptive in welcoming and seeing off guests, and he quickly ran over to open the door for Cao Sheng.

The two left the private room one after the other.

Outside the private room, Sun Liang and Lei Zhen saw this and immediately followed behind Cao Sheng. They were the two of them who accompanied Cao Sheng tonight.

Feng Xiaogang waved to them, signaling them not to follow too closely.

Sun Liang and Lei Zhen exchanged a glance and subconsciously slowed their pace.

Feng Xiaogang followed closely beside Cao Sheng and whispered in Cao Sheng's ear, "Brother Cao, we can talk about the script tomorrow, no problem. But Xiao Fan... she admires you a lot. Since she's already here, could you give her a chance to learn and improve?"

Cao Sheng was puzzled. "What opportunities can I give her to learn and improve? You mean to give her a role in the new script? Isn't that something you, as the director, should be thinking about?"

Feng Xiaogang shook his head, "No! No! I wasn't talking about that kind of opportunity, but rather, but rather..."

He frowned and racked his brains for a moment before finally coming up with an excuse. "Well, Brother Cao, this girl, Xiao Fan... don't let her being an actress fool you, she really loves literature. On the plane to Huizhou, she kept telling me that she wanted to learn some cultural knowledge from you while she was here. Seeing her sincerity, I assured her that I would definitely put in a good word for her with you. So, what do you think? How about you give her some extra help tonight? Even if it's just teaching her a few idioms? What do you think?"

As Cao Sheng listened, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

At first, he really thought he had something he could teach Fan Jinshuo.

After talking for a while, Feng Xiaogang actually asked him to teach her idioms.

If you really want to learn idioms, why not just buy an idiom dictionary?
Cao Sheng waved his hand, "Never mind! I don't have time, let's talk about it later!"

Feng Xiaogang wanted to persuade him further, but Cao Sheng stopped, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "You can stop here! See you tomorrow."

Feng Xiaogang had no choice but to nod and say goodbye.

Watching Cao Sheng leave, Feng Xiaogang frowned, feeling puzzled.

He didn't believe Cao Sheng hadn't understood what he was saying.

It's also hard to believe that Cao Sheng doesn't like beautiful women; the media has reported quite a few scandals involving Cao Sheng in the past two years.

Just a few days ago, there were rumors circulating in Hong Kong about him and Joey Wong!

So the question is, why wasn't Cao Sheng interested in Xiao Fan?
Is it because Xiao Fan's fame has diminished? Is the sense of conquest insufficient?

How about we bring a movie queen next time?

The problem is: it's not easy to arrange a Best Actress award!

Feng Xiaogang returned to the private room with a heavy heart. Fan Jinshuo saw him and quickly got up to greet him, "Director Feng, the role you promised me?"

Feng Xiaogang glanced at her, pursed his lips, sighed, waved his hand, and said nothing.

……

at the same time.

On the riverside road in Huizhou, Fang Changqing and Ouyang Yiyi from Beijing Pillow Book Publishing House were strolling and talking in hushed tones.

Ouyang Yiyi: "Manager Fang, how about we go to Huizhou Teachers College to find him tomorrow? We know he's studying there, what do you think?"

Fang Changqing pondered for a moment, then did not speak immediately.

They arrived in Huizhou today intending to meet Cao Sheng for dinner and discuss cooperation.

Unexpectedly, even though he said on the phone that they had arrived in Huizhou, Cao Sheng's assistant, Cui Xinyu, still said that Cao Sheng was very busy lately and didn't have time to have dinner with them, hoping that he could understand.

This surprised him.

He originally thought that since they represented the Pillow Book Publishing House in the capital and had come all the way to Huizhou to see Cao Sheng, such sincerity would at least get Cao Sheng to come out and meet them.

They never expected that the other party wouldn't even give them a chance to meet. If they came to Huizhou this time and couldn't even see Cao Sheng, how would he explain it to his superiors?
After pondering for a long time, he sighed and said helplessly, "I'll call his assistant again tomorrow morning and try to arrange a meeting! If we still can't get an appointment, we'll do as you suggested and go directly to his school to find him."

Ouyang Yiyi smiled.

She wasn't particularly upset.

She felt that the reason Cao Sheng wasn't interested in seeing them was mainly because he hadn't seen her, Ouyang Yiyi. She didn't believe that he would be so indifferent or uninterested in having dinner with her once he saw her.

……

On the bus back to school.

Cao Sheng closed his eyes to rest, but in his mind he was already thinking about what kind of script to write for Feng Xiaogang.

When Feng Xiaogang called him last time asking for the script, he thought about getting the script for "Goodbye Mr. Loser" out and giving it to Feng Xiaogang to film.

But now that I think about it, that script doesn't seem quite right.

It's a bit too ahead of its time.

Many of the references in the movie, such as Xia Luo copying Xu Wei's "Once Upon a Time," are not relevant to the fact that Xu Wei has not yet written the song. If the audience hears the song in the movie theater, they will feel less of a connection with it.

The song "People in Our Village" by Uncle Benshan, which was copied in the movie, has not yet been released.

Similar situations are everywhere.

Of course, he could replace the songs in the original movie with other songs.

but……

Cao Sheng also thought of another question: In today's film market, can a movie like "Goodbye Mr. Loser" become a hit?
He thought of the example of "A Chinese Odyssey".

When "A Chinese Odyssey" was released, it flopped both at the box office and with critics.

It wasn't until many years later that it became popular among college students.

Because college students can fully understand the concepts of different times and spaces in the movie when they watch it, they can grasp the essence of the film.

Similarly, if a rebirth-themed movie like "Goodbye Mr. Loser" were made now, many viewers might not be able to appreciate it, feeling that the concept of rebirth is pure nonsense.

and so……

What kind of script should we change to?

Cao Sheng searched his memory.

……

Crazy Stone.

Back in his rented teacher's dormitory, Cao Sheng, feeling the effects of the alcohol, knew he wouldn't be able to write his novel tonight, but he didn't want to go to bed so early either.

I turned on my computer, created a new document, and, in a semi-drunk state, typed the name of the movie into it.

He felt that this film should be able to ignore market tastes.

Because it's funny enough.

There is no issue with the subject matter being too ahead of its time.

Of course, it also has some problems.

For example, "Original Time and Space" is a well-known low-budget film. Feng Xiaogang might not be interested in such low-budget films now.

However, Cao Sheng felt that this was not a big problem.

The same script can be filmed on a low budget, and it's also possible to turn it into a big-budget production.

For example, by hiring more big-name stars, the film's budget can be multiplied by their salaries.

For example, if the production quality is better, the original "Crazy Stone" had very poor picture quality, but it was a box office hit, relying entirely on its plot.

Another question is: the comedic style of this film is completely different from Feng Xiaogang's previous comedic styles. I wonder if Feng Xiaogang can accept this style of comedy?

In his semi-drunken state, Cao Sheng thought of these problems, but he was too lazy to think about them further.

In his semi-drunken state, he was very self-centered.

Thinking to myself: He asked me to commission a script, not because he wanted a particular script, but because he wanted one of my scripts.

If Feng Xiaogang can't accept this script, then find someone else! With his current status in the screenwriting world, it's not hard to find a three-legged toad, but surely he can find a two-legged director?

If all else fails, find the original director of the original film to direct it.

Anyway, he thought of this movie tonight and wanted to write the script first.

A script like this, once written, is bound to make money.

However, to be fair, if he hadn't wanted to participate in the investment this time, he might not have been willing to write such a script for Feng Xiaogang.

……

the other side.

Feng Xiaogang had just finished a phone call with Wang Zhongjun, the CEO of Huayi Brothers.

During the phone call, he said that through his efforts, he finally persuaded Cao Sheng to help write another script, but this time Cao Sheng made a condition: Cao Sheng had to participate in the investment.

Ask Wang Zhongjun if he can agree to this condition.

At this stage, Huayi was still a long way from going public.

With limited funds and influence, Wang Zhongjun lacked any domineering presence and couldn't bring himself to refuse Cao Sheng's conditions.

For him, any condition is negotiable as long as he can get Cao Sheng's script!
So, after a slight hesitation, he readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)