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Chapter 550 Cao Sheng's amnesia strikes again
Huizhou.

Oriental Sunrise Hotel.

Cao Sheng and Andy Lau were still eating and drinking when their conversation drifted to Cao Sheng's next script.

Andy Lau: "Mr. Cao, I see you've been quite prolific this year! You recently wrote a script for Stephen Chow and then for Jackie Chan. With such great form this year, have you got inspiration for your next script? I wonder what kind of story it would be? Would it be suitable for me to act in? Would you need me to clear my schedule?"

Cao Sheng has been serializing two novels recently, so why would he want to write anything new?
He used the same words he used to deal with Leung Chiu-wai to deal with Andy Lau.

"The new script... should be the second part of Infernal Affairs. Your role in the second part is very important, but the script has not been started yet. It is estimated that it will be completed by the end of the year."

At the end of the year, he plans to finish "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts". At that time, he will only have "Cultivation Chat Group" still being serialized, and he will have both time and energy. He plans to write the script for the second part of "Infernal Affairs" then.

With the first "Infernal Affairs" film currently showing in theaters, it would be necessary to wait a while before filming the sequel in order to ensure a good box office performance.

In this way, the reputation of the first "Infernal Affairs" film can spread more widely, allowing more people to see the film through various channels.

"Oh? Really? There's a sequel to Infernal Affairs? This is wonderful!"

Andy Lau was pleasantly surprised.

His situation is different from Leung Chiu-wai's.

In the first "Infernal Affairs" film, Chan Wing-yan, played by Leung Chiu-wai, died at the end.

Therefore, when Leung Chiu-wai heard that there would be a second part of "Infernal Affairs", he was very worried that he would not have a role in the second part.

Andy Lau's character survived from beginning to end in the first "Infernal Affairs" film, and could easily have survived into the second film. So, when he heard that there would be a sequel to this movie, Andy Lau was very happy.

……

It's around 2 p.m.

Cao Sheng took a car back to his villa.

He drank quite a bit of alcohol at noon, so he won't be able to write anything this afternoon.

In order to have the energy to write at night, he simply went straight to bed, hoping to fall asleep before dinner to shake off his drunken state.

He completely forgot about calling Chen Kai.

This afternoon, Wang Jing came to his place and told him two things.

One thing is that Andy Lau is coming, and I want to have lunch with him.

Another thing was that Chen Kaige's assistant called and said that Chen Kaige wanted to work with him on a script. He also left Chen Kaige's mobile phone number and asked him to contact Chen Kaige as soon as possible.

I had lunch with Andy Lau, but he's already gone.

Should I call Chen Kai?
Cao Sheng wasn't interested at first.

He has never been a fan of Chen Kaige.

In the original timeline, during his university years, he often heard his classmates discussing Chen Kaige's movies. Many classmates would light up with excitement when talking about this topic, and their tone would be exaggerated, saying that Chen Kaige was one of the top directors in mainland China and that his film "Farewell My Concubine" was a classic.

Humans are naturally curious.

Cao Sheng certainly had one too.

He also enjoys watching movies and has watched "Farewell My Concubine" online several times.

I can't keep going for long each time; I just can't keep going.

Reason told him: This movie has a strong sense of the era. Drama is a national treasure of China. It's amazing that the movie can be made so immersive.

but……

He just couldn't stand it.

There are two main reasons.

First, he dislikes Peking Opera. He can't appreciate the singing style of Peking Opera in the movie at all. He feels very uncomfortable when he sees the hairstyles and costumes of the characters in the movie that are full of Manchu style. He is also disgusted by the servile attitude of the little people in the movie.

To put it simply, he has always disliked movies and TV series related to the Qing Dynasty since he was a child, except for martial arts dramas and movies about fighting against the Qing government.

Secondly, the male lead's pretty-boy image and his twisted feelings for his senior brother in this movie were unbearable for him.

Therefore, he never finished watching the movie "Farewell My Concubine".

He has watched several of Chen Kaige's other movies.

Unfortunately, those movies did not make him a fan of this great director.

So, when Chen Kaige's assistant asked him to call Chen Kaige, who wanted to commission a script from him, Cao Sheng wasn't interested.

Originally, he was a little hesitant about whether to make a phone call, just to go through the motions and give Director Chen some face.

but……

He and Andy Lau unknowingly drank too much.

I went straight to bed when I got back, and I didn't even think about calling Brother Chen Kai.

While he was fast asleep.

Unaware of how angry Director Chen from Beijing was.

While Cao Sheng was drinking with Andy Lau, the famous director Chen from Beijing waited and waited for Cao Sheng's call, but to no avail. In a fit of anger, he contacted Zhang Tan, a well-known screenwriter in Hong Kong.

I finalized the cooperation with Zhang Tan over the phone.

Zhang Tan was commissioned to create the story "Wuji".

but……

After the phone call, as his emotions gradually calmed down and his rationality returned, he began to hesitate about whether to involve Cao Sheng in the creation of the story of "The Promise".

In recent years, Zhongyuan Yidianhui has become a box office guarantee for Chinese films, while Zhang Tan's script, although well-written, has not achieved such amazing results. The main reason is that Zhang Tan's fame is mainly known within the industry, and the general public does not have much of an impression of him.

Moreover, he intended to make "The Promise" into a blockbuster film.

This is his masterpiece to defend his honor as the top director in mainland China, and it is imperative, because Zhang Yimou's "Hero" is a big-budget production, and he heard that "Hero" will be released in the second half of this year.

If "Hero" becomes a box office hit, Chen Kaige will no longer be able to hold onto his position as the top director in mainland China.

It's worth noting that his 1998 film, "The Emperor and the Assassin," had a budget of 70 to 80 million yuan, but only grossed 2 million yuan at the box office in mainland China.

They were bruised and battered.

It's fair to say that his foray into domestic blockbusters was a failure.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yimou's domestic blockbuster "Hero" is about to be released.

If "Hero" is a box office success, how will Director Chen maintain his position as the top director in mainland China?
Therefore, he is eager to make another blockbuster to defend his honor.

"The Promise" is a story he meticulously conceived.

A story about love and freedom.

He believes that a blockbuster film with this theme should be able to break into the international market and land on the big screen in many countries around the world.

Because love and freedom are universal values ​​in the Western world!
but……

Given the precedent of the failure of "The Emperor's Shadow," it will be very difficult for him to raise enough funds to make another blockbuster.

Who wouldn't be afraid that he'd make another "The Emperor and the Assassin" movie?

Therefore, after calming down, he still felt that Cao Sheng should be involved in the creation of the script for "The Promise".

He believed that with the "Zhongyuan Yidian Hui" brand, coupled with his reputation and ability as a director, attracting investment should be much easier when the film was in pre-production.

With me, Zhongyuan Yidianhui, Zhang Tan, and a bunch of big stars, are we afraid of not attracting enough investment? Are we afraid that the audience won't buy into the movie after its release?

How should domestic blockbusters be made?
Both he and Zhang Yimou are trying.

His first attempt failed.

Although Zhang Yimou's "Hero" hasn't been released yet, the production methods have already been seen; Zhang Yimou is also going for an all-star cast. The film stars Jet Li, Tony Leung, Donnie Yen, Maggie Cheung, and many more—a truly luxurious lineup.

He believes the All-Star lineup is the right choice.

If we could add a highly renowned screenwriter like Zhongyuan Yidianhui, that would be even more reliable.

“Let’s give this kid another chance! Let’s wait another afternoon. If he calls me back before dinner tonight, I’ll make him one of the screenwriters for ‘The Promise’…”

Around 2 p.m., Chen Kai muttered to himself.

only……

He waited until dark, his phone rang several times, but he never received a call from Cao Sheng.

Anger grew stronger in his heart.

He had never seen such an ungrateful young man.

……

Huizhou.

Cao Sheng slept until dusk. When he woke up and saw the dim light outside the window, he smiled to himself and thought: I slept long enough.

He got up immediately, his head still groggy from the alcohol, so after getting up, he grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

After leaving the bathroom, his mind finally cleared up.

Seeing four dishes and a soup on the table, I went over to get my rice and eat.

Seeing this, Qin Xiyue, who was watching TV in the living room, quickly got up and asked, "Boss! You're up? The food's all cold, isn't it? Shall I heat it up for you before you eat?"

Cao Sheng, who was already hungry, waved his hand and said, "No need!"

It's summer now, so what does it matter if the food gets cold?
He wasn't that particular.

After finishing his meal, he brewed a pot of Longjing tea, carried it to his study on the third floor, turned on his computer, and pulled up the drafts, outline, and detailed outline of "Cultivation Chat Group." As he looked at these things, he began to recall the plot of the previous chapter, while also mentally planning how to write the new chapter.

I hadn't even thought about calling Chen Kai.

When he remembered this, it was already past midnight, and he was getting ready to go to bed.

This is the memory of a male writer who prefers to stay at home.

It's not that their memories are really that bad.

Instead, most of the time they are thinking about the plot and characters in the novel. When they are not thinking about these things, they are basically either eating, washing up, or resting, or preparing to eat, wash up, or rest.

When I'm eating or washing up, I don't want to think about anything.

When I'm resting, I don't want to think about anything.

Because when I'm writing, I'm already overworking my brain by thinking about the plot, so when I'm not writing, I don't want to use my brain and I just want to clear my mind.

Therefore, these otaku writers often give the impression of being aimless and having a messy lifestyle.

Cao Sheng, on the other hand, was not slovenly.

But when he's not writing, he doesn't like to use his brain.

This is probably one of the reasons why he always encountered setbacks in his relationships and was always broken up with before his rebirth.

At that time, he devoted almost all his time and energy to writing.

When I'm with my girlfriend, I don't want to use my brain at all.

However, women generally prefer men to guess what they are thinking and what they want, and rarely say it outright. They all hope that men can guess what they are thinking.

But he's too lazy to use his brain.

When he was with them, he would either take them out to eat or go to the park, or he would take them to his place and have sex with them.

The question is: with this kind of relationship, how much genuine affection can he develop with them?
Even though he is very good at sex.

He's quite handsome too.

But these things can only make women infatuated. Once they clear their minds and return to reason, they will feel that being with him is meaningless.

When his income was decent, they could get along with him harmoniously and thought he was alright.

If one of his books flops and his income shrinks drastically, they will find it difficult to find a reason to continue being with him.

"Forget it! I'll call him tomorrow!"

Cao Sheng chuckled self-deprecatingly, turned off the light, and lay down to rest.

Even though he wasn't sleepy at this hour, he figured Director Chen should already be resting. Even if he wasn't, it would be impolite to call so late.

So, let's play it tomorrow!

result?

He forgot again the next day.

It was only when I was about to go to bed that I suddenly remembered this.

"Looks like we'll have to play again tomorrow..."

Cao Sheng once again mocked himself.

Day three...

He didn't think about it all day, not even when he went to bed.

When he thought of it again, it was already the afternoon of seven days later.

Ten days passed in total.

Thinking that he had delayed for so many days, and that Director Chen must be very unhappy, Cao Sheng simply gave up the idea of ​​calling Director Chen.

Anyway, I never thought about working with Director Chen. Since it's been so long and I'm only now remembering this, why bother making a call?
Should I call and apologize? And then politely decline to write a script for Director Chen?

Doesn't this completely offend Director Chen?
If we don't make this call, Director Chen might have already forgotten about it.

With this in mind, Cao Sheng simply ignored the matter.

……

Beijing.

Director Chen gets very angry every time he thinks about this lately.

I feel like such a big director as myself has been completely ignored by Cao Sheng.

I made six calls myself, but the guy didn't answer. I then had my assistant give my phone number to the guy's assistant. So many days have passed, and the guy hasn't called even once.

The idea of ​​banning Cao Sheng kept swirling in his mind.

However, they never dared to put it into action.

Because Cao Sheng himself is not in the film and television industry, his screenwriting has always been a cross-industry endeavor.

The key is that every script that kid has written in the past few years has been a success, with box office and critical acclaim that are evident to all. Not only do directors and film companies in mainland China want to work with him, but even people in Hong Kong and Hollywood are eager to work with his scripts.

In this situation, how can he blacklist that kid?
Who would give him that kind of face?

"Darling, how about we take some time soon and go to Huizhou to host a banquet for Cao Sheng?"

That evening, when Chen Kaige and Chen Hong were having dinner together, Chen Hong suddenly asked this question with a smile.

Chen Kai frowned at her. "I invited him? Does he deserve it?"

Chen Hong frowned, looking puzzled. "Huh? The box office for 'Infernal Affairs' is still so strong. I heard that Andy Lau and Tony Leung even went to Huizhou to invite him to dinner. We're going to work with him, shouldn't we try to build a relationship with him?"

(End of this chapter)