Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 549 The Birth of "The Limitless"
After leaving the movie theater, the couple got into their car to go home.

Chen Hong turned to look at Chen Kaige beside her several times, and each time she saw Chen Kaige frowning, as if he was thinking about something.

A few minutes later, she couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"

Chen Kaige turned to look at him and smiled, "I was thinking about whether to collaborate with that guy Zhongyuan Yidianhui and have him write a script for me. What do you think? Do you think the audience would be interested in a combination of Chen Kaige and Zhongyuan Yidianhui?"

Chen Hong's eyes lit up. She had heard countless times about the popularity of Zhongyuan Yidianhui in the Chinese film industry in recent years. As an actress, she had long wanted to act in a movie written by Zhongyuan Yidianhui.

She wanted to nod in agreement immediately, but she was used to praising Chen Kaige in her words.

With a slight shift in her eyes, she said in a concerned tone, "That's good, but you've already filmed so many projects this year, you must be very tired. Why don't you take a good rest for a while?"

Although this year is only halfway over.

But Chen Kaige has indeed been very busy with work this year.

For example, in the historical drama series "Lu Bu and Diao Chan" which he directed, Huang Lei played Lu Bu while wearing a nose ring, and Chen Hong played Diao Chan.

For example, he directed "Together", "Fatal Tenderness", and "Ten Minutes Older".

The last two films were both foreign language films.

This is also the reason for his recent surge in confidence.

He has already directed two foreign-language films, which he considers a mark of an internationally renowned director.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a comment about "Infernal Affairs" when he was in the movie theater.

At this moment, after Chen Hong finished speaking, Chen Kai chuckled, reached out and patted her head, saying relaxedly, "It's alright! I'm still young and full of energy. The key is that I haven't made a decent blockbuster since 'The Emperor and the Assassin.' Now that I think about it, it's time for me to make another blockbuster to raise the film appreciation level of domestic audiences. Otherwise, audiences will increasingly regard films like 'Infernal Affairs' as good films. Hmm, it's decided then. Let's contact that young man from Zhongyuan Yidianhui as soon as possible and reach a cooperation agreement with him."

Chen Hong listened with great excitement.

He quickly asked, "Will you contact them yourself, or should I help you?"

Looking at her stunning beauty, Chen Kaige thought of Zhongyuan Yidianhui's youthful and handsome appearance, as well as the numerous scandals he had been involved in over the years.

Always confident, he smiled and said, "I'll contact him! Men are easier to deal with! With my reputation, I believe he won't be ungrateful."

Chen Hong nodded repeatedly, "Of course, I'll wait for your good news."

Back to the residence.

Chen Hong went to take a shower.

Chen Kai went out onto the balcony, enjoying the night breeze, took out his phone, and called his assistant, asking him to quickly find out Cao Sheng's phone number and send it to him.

"Half an hour! I'm only giving you half an hour!"

Ten minutes later.

The assistant then sent Cao Sheng's phone number.

Chen Kaige calmly dialed Cao Sheng's number.

In the original timeline, before the release of "The Promise," he was indeed one of the top directors in mainland China, with a reputation that was subtly higher than Zhang Yimou's.

Because Zhang Yimou was his photographer when he first started out.

only……

"Sorry! The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

The notification sound from his phone made Chen Kaige frown.

He refused to believe it and dialed Cao Sheng's number twice more.

But no one answered each time.

"What's going on? Why aren't you answering my calls?"

He looked unhappy. After thinking for a moment, he put away his phone, turned around and went back into the house, deciding to call Cao Sheng's number again tomorrow morning.

The next morning around 9 a.m.

After reading the newspaper and having breakfast, Chen Kaige guessed that Cao Sheng should have eaten breakfast by now, so he took out his phone and dialed Cao Sheng's number again.

Three more times in a row, no one answered.

Huizhou.

Cao Sheng sat in front of his computer in his study, having already started writing for the day.

Beijing.

"This kid... he's not that old, but he's got quite the airs!"

Chen Kaige put down his phone in frustration. He hadn't expected that he would call Cao Sheng six times from last night to today, but no one would answer.

After thinking about it, he began to doubt whether the number his assistant had obtained was correct.
He immediately dialed his assistant's number and asked the assistant to check if there was a problem with the number he had given him last night, and whether the assistant could confirm that it was Cao Sheng's number.

About half an hour later.

My assistant called.

"Director Chen! I just checked with several people in the industry, and the number I gave you last night is correct. However, I heard that Zhongyuan Yidianhui is usually busy with work, so it seems difficult to get through to him. If you want to contact him, it's best to contact his assistant first."

"He has an assistant?"

Chen Kaige was very surprised.

Assistant: "Yes! I've already found out his assistant's identity and phone number. Would you like me to send you his assistant's number?"

Chen Kai frowned. "What do you think? You want me to call his assistant myself? What's his assistant's status? Am I?"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Director Chen..."

The assistant quickly apologized.

Chen Kaige: "Alright! Enough with the nonsense. Call his assistant! Tell him I want to work with Zhongyuan Yidianhui on a script, and give him my phone number. Tell him I'll wait for Zhongyuan Yidianhui to call me. Understand?"

Assistant: "Okay, no problem, I'll call his assistant right away."

Chen Kaige put down his phone, looking very unhappy.

He knew that Cao Sheng had become very famous in recent years, and the scripts he wrote had both good box office and critical acclaim, and he had never made a mistake so far.

but……

He is an internationally renowned director.

They considered themselves to be far above even a speck of dust in the Central Plains.

Zhongyuan Yidianhui is, in the end, just a young man who writes novels and screenplays. Moreover, it seems that the screenplays he has written over the years are all commercial film screenplays.

Most of the films he made were art films.

How can commercial films be compared to art films?
……

Huizhou.

At noon, when Cao Sheng went downstairs for lunch, he saw Wang Jing sitting at the dining table.

Cao Sheng was quite surprised, "Why are you back again today?"

Wang Jing hasn't come over for lunch for quite some time.

Wang Jing got up and pulled out a chair for Cao Sheng. After he sat down, she smiled and said, "I have some good news for you. Would you like to hear it?"

Cao Sheng frowned. "Who else wants to visit me?"

Wang Jing nodded, "Hua Zai is in Huizhou again. He arrived this morning and called me to invite you to lunch. I told Qin Xiyue in advance, and as you can see, there are no dishes on the table today."

Cao Sheng looked at the empty dining table, then glanced at the deserted kitchen. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

As he spoke, he got up and went to the door to change his shoes, and Wang Jing quickly followed.

While changing shoes with Cao Sheng, she said, "Actually, there's another good news." Cao Sheng glanced at her.

Wang Jing: "This morning, I received a call from Chen Kaige's assistant. The assistant said that Chen Kaige wanted to work with you on a script and sent me Chen Kaige's phone number, asking you to contact Chen Kaige as soon as possible to discuss cooperation."

Cao Sheng glanced at her again. As he spoke, he had already put on his shoes, straightened up, and chuckled, "Let me call Brother Chen Kai?"

Wang Jing nodded repeatedly, "Yes! Brother Chen Kai! The one who directed 'Farewell My Concubine,' he's a real big director in mainland China! Boss, he even wants to commission you for a script now, you're really amazing."

Should I feel honored?

Cao Sheng wanted to complain, but he held back.

One should be humble.

"Okay. Let's go!"

……

The meeting place with Andy Lau was once again at the Oriental Sunrise Hotel, and this time, it was Wang Jing who suggested the location.

The scene, seemingly repeating itself from yesterday, is playing out again today in front of the Oriental Sunrise Hotel.

As soon as Andy Lau and his entourage got out of the car and tried to enter the hotel, twenty or thirty reporters rushed out of the hotel entrance. Before Andy Lau and his group could react, they quickly surrounded them.

Microphones were extended toward Andy Lau.

The sound of camera shutters clicking filled the air.

The flash of the camera blinded Andy Lau, leaving him in a white haze.

There were also cameras filming him.

One question after another was thrown at Andy Lau, like cannonballs.

"Andy Lau! Andy Lau! Are you also here to see Chung Yuen Yi Dian Hui?"

"Andy Lau!! In 'Infernal Affairs,' who was the leading man, you or Leung Chiu-wai?"

"Andy! Did you rush over here because Leung Chiu-wai met with Chung Yuen Yit Hui yesterday?"

"Andy Lau! May I ask what your relationship is like with Leung Chiu-wai? Are you friends?"

……

Why are there so many paparazzi at this three-star hotel?
Andy Lau tried to get rid of the reporters, but he couldn't break through at all.

All I could do was try to keep smiling, raising my hands and pressing them down repeatedly to signal everyone to be quiet.

He answered everyone's questions one by one after everyone quieted down.

He's not socially anxious, but he doesn't want to answer these questions either.

However, given the current situation, it was clear that if he didn't answer the reporters' questions, he wouldn't be able to get into the hotel.

At this moment, next to the cashier in the hotel lobby, Wang Jing, dressed in a white women's suit, watched this scene with a smile, elegantly raising her hand to smooth a strand of hair behind her ear.

He muttered to himself, "My boss won't let me use his name for advertising, so I'll just piggyback on the fame of you superstars! And I won't even pay you for advertising..."

As she said this, she recalled a rumor she had heard before: There was a very poor old bachelor in the village, so poor that his clothes were patched all over. One day, he suddenly got a dog. He was lazy and rarely took a bath, but he often bathed the dog and made it very beautiful. From then on, the old bachelor often ate dog meat. Strangely enough, the dog he raised lived a good life and ate other dogs that were attracted by the dog.

This story inspired Wang Jing.

She had come to regard Cao Sheng as that little dog.

Of course, she dared not tell anyone this.

But she was very satisfied with the results.

She's already wondering who's next.

A moment later, she hurriedly led a group of security guards out and "rescued" Andy Lau and the others into the hotel.

Cao Sheng was already waiting in a private room in the upstairs restaurant.

They were unaware that Andy Lau had just been surrounded by a group of reporters downstairs.

This was not the first time he had met Andy Lau.

Therefore, we are quite familiar with each other today.

As more and more food and drinks were served, the atmosphere in the private room became increasingly relaxed.

They drank and chatted casually.

Andy Lau first introduced Cao Sheng to the recent box office and word-of-mouth of "Infernal Affairs", and then chatted about some interesting things during the filming of the movie.

He is very eloquent.

When they talked about the trends in the production crew, it was like telling a story, so captivating that you couldn't help but listen.

at the same time.

Beijing.

Chen Kaige, who stayed home all noon today and didn't go out, was waiting for Cao Sheng's call.

He started out calm and composed, but gradually his brows furrowed, and he kept glancing at his watch. When the clock struck midnight, he became furious.

He slammed his hand on the sofa armrest and roared, "Young people these days are too arrogant! It's outrageous!"

With a face full of anger, he got up and paced back and forth in the living room a few times. Suddenly, he stopped, took out his phone, and found the number of screenwriter Zhang Tan in his contacts.

As a screenwriter, Zhang Tan actually has a great reputation in the industry.

Audiences tend to focus on the director and lead actors, but rarely pay attention to the screenwriter.

Zhang Tan co-wrote the screenplays for many well-known films, including "The Swordsman," "Once Upon a Time in China II," "Once Upon a Time in China III," "Swordsman II," and "New Dragon Gate Inn."

The reason Chen Kaige was able to think of Zhang Tan at this time was because...

The main reason is that the short film he shot this year, "10 Minutes of Growing Older: In the Depths of a Hundred Flowers," was written by Zhang Tan.

Simply put, they had only recently collaborated.

He had great faith in Zhang Tan's screenwriting abilities.

If I hadn't watched "Infernal Affairs" last night and thought Cao Sheng's script was excellent, I would have already planned to collaborate with Zhang Tan on his next film.

Now?

Since he couldn't get in touch with Cao Sheng, Chen Kai gave his phone number to Cao Sheng's assistant. Cao Sheng still hadn't called back. Furious, Chen Kai decided to give up on the idea of ​​working with Cao Sheng and instead work with Zhang Tan on a movie as he had planned a few days ago.

He had great trust in Zhang Tan's screenwriting abilities.

I just feel that Zhang Tan's fame is far less than Cao Sheng's, and many viewers don't even know who Zhang Tan is.

So, after watching "Infernal Affairs" last night, he suddenly decided to collaborate with Cao Sheng, since he wants to make a blockbuster for his next film.

For a blockbuster to guarantee box office success, it needs to attract some celebrities; the more celebrities, the better, and the more famous they are, the better.

Unfortunately, Cao Sheng is ungrateful and has kept him waiting until now without taking the initiative to contact him.

When has Chen Kai ever been treated like this?

Zhang Tan is from Hong Kong.

Chen Kai called, and the call was answered very quickly.

Chen Kaige: "Screenwriter Zhang! Long time no see! How have you been? When are you coming to Beijing? I'll treat you to drinks!"

Zhang Tan: "Director Chen, you're too kind. I'm fine. How about you? Are you feeling alright too?"

Chen Kaige: "Yeah, I'm in great health. By the way, do you remember that story I told you about last time called 'The Promise'? Are you interested in helping me write it? How about we collaborate again? Let's go big this time, how about it?"

(End of this chapter)