Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 486 You Think This Is a Joke? (Revised)
"Good morning, Grandpa."

Good morning, Ah Jun.

"Grandpa, let me help you carry it."

"Okay, thank you, Ah Jun."

"fine."

"You start work this early every day?"

"correct."

Do you have a girlfriend?

"No."

"Such a handsome guy, how could you not have one? Would you like Grandpa to introduce you to one?"

"Thank you, Grandpa, but no need."

"Haha."

This is an old-style public housing estate in Tai Hang West Estate, Sham Shui Po.

Before 6 a.m., the morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the sky was a dark blue color. The streetlights along the street were still on, like stars in a Van Gogh painting, emitting clusters of hazy yellow light in this dim world.

A young man with messy hair and wearing a mask, and an old man with white hair and a hunched back, walked out from the mottled iron gate of the public housing.

The young man was tall and thin. His white shirt looked loose on him, and his jeans were faded from washing and the legs were too short, revealing a small section of his calves above his worn-out sneakers.

His gait had a peculiar rhythm; it wasn't limping or lame, but rather as if some part of his body was missing, with each part twitching slightly from time to time, giving people an indescribable sense of awkwardness.

He carried a plastic bag, walked to the door, and threw the bag into the metal trash can.

"Grandpa, I'm leaving now," the young man said, turning to the old man behind him.

The old man raised his cloudy eyes and said with a smile, "Alright, Ah Jun, come to my house for soup sometime."

"Okay, Grandpa." The young man nodded, agreed, and quickly walked away through the alley.

The old man stared at his retreating figure for a while, then, with his hands behind his back, slowly strolled towards the small park at the other end of the alley.

The young man moved here in early February. His accent didn't sound like that of a native Hong Konger, but he spoke Cantonese fluently. He was hardworking and polite. Except for a few days at the end of February when he left, he basically got up at 5 a.m. every day to work. He was better than many young people in Hong Kong now.

But his physique looked really strange.

Pity.

……

Chen Nuo walked through the alley, the air thick with a damp, musty smell. Plastic clothespins hung by iron windows, rattling in the wind. He kept his head down, avoiding the puddles of filth, and walked step by step toward the street corner.

In this environment, Xie Jiajun would get up at 5:30 every morning, leave his old government housing estate in Sham Shui Po, walk through garbage dumps and corrugated iron gates, wander through the streets and alleys, and step into the sleeping streets of Hong Kong to begin his day of "foot soldier" life.

To better portray the character Xie Jiajun, he wanted to experience life at the bottom of Hong Kong society, so Janice Man took him to Tin Shui Wai and Sham Shui Po. After experiencing both places, he felt that Sham Shui Po was better than Tin Shui Wai and was closer, so he ultimately chose it.

The good thing about Sham Shui Po is that there are stalls.

Street stalls are where citizens set up stalls on the street to sell secondhand items they no longer need. Unlike professional street vendors in mainland China, the stalls in Sham Shui Po are more like mobile flea markets. Clothes, rice cookers, hair dryers, old telephones, DVDs, cassette tapes... you name it, they have it, selling it for a little money to supplement their household income.

The clothes he's wearing now were bought for him by Linghu from a stall on Pei Ho Street in Sham Shui Po. A shirt cost ten dollars, and jeans cost twenty dollars.

is it necessary?

Gulnazar has probably asked this question over 2 times, from the beginning of February until now. I really don't understand why she's torturing herself like this, forcing herself to suffer when there's no suffering to begin with.

Chen Nuo didn't know how to explain it.

He can't say he's gone astray from the beginning and developed to where he is today. If he didn't do things this way, he'd feel uneasy and unsettled while filming. If he had a reliable director, it would be fine, but if it were someone like Nolan or Wong Kar-wai, he could feel more at ease.

But Pang Ho-cheung...

It can only be said that the director himself is the one who suffers.

The company has two directors, one is Ning Tudou from the mainland and the other is Pang Pangzi from Hong Kong. Both of them are capable of writing and directing, and in their early years they were known as geniuses in their respective territories.

But now, thanks to "The Message" and "No Man's Land," Ning Hao is the director of the highest-grossing domestic films and an internationally renowned director, enjoying immense success.

Pang Ho-cheung and Ning Hao joined the company around the same time, but their fame and achievements are vastly different. In recent years, Huanxin has provided virtually no support to him. Both of his films were financed by him himself, which inevitably gives the impression of unfair treatment.

Come to think of it, it's all his fault.

Back then, when he poached them, it was mostly out of revenge against Huayi; he didn't really value them much.

But when he calmed down and watched some of Pang Ho-cheung's movies, he realized that Pang is definitely talented. It's hard to say where his ceiling is, but his floor is no less than Ning Tudou's.

His past obscurity was likely largely due to the decline of the Hong Kong film industry itself. A smaller part of the reason might also be that he never broadened his horizons. A simple romantic comedy like "Love in a Puff" should have been a one-part film, but he went and made a trilogy just to make easy money, showing a complete lack of ambition and stagnation. This resulted in the loss of much of his early directorial talent, which is truly a pity.

He walked through the alley to the street, where a black Toyota Alphard was parked.

As soon as he arrived, the car door slid open silently and smoothly to the side.

Gulnazar's smiling face appeared before me, "Good morning, boss."

What? He lives in a public housing unit with his female assistant.

If Chen Nuo heard the rumors circulating privately within the crew, he would definitely feel wronged.

He came to live in the pigeon coop for work, but if he dragged Gulina into the water, that would be considered having ulterior motives.

"Good morning."

Chen Nuo looked back and saw that, as always, there wasn't a soul on the street early in the morning.

Once inside the car, Linghu started driving steadily.

Chen Nuo pulled a well-worn script from the back pocket of the seat in front of him.

The journey from Sham Shui Po to the film studio in San Po Kong takes about 30 minutes, and he plans to use this time to review today's scenes.

After all, the filming in the past few days was just an appetizer; today marks the start of the main course.

……

Amidst the resounding assembly song, Chen Nuo suddenly opened his eyes.

The camera was directly above him, giving a two-second close-up of his deep-set, double-lidded, phoenix-shaped eyes. From a daze to focus, and then to shock, Chen Nuo's expression changed instantly, and the monitor clearly recorded everything.

Then, he sat up abruptly, looked at the military green blanket covering him, and the sports uniform he was wearing, which looked like the one Hong Kong high school students wore in physical education class.

Chen Nuo's eyes widened as he looked around. He was currently in the auxiliary studio of the film set, which the production crew had built at a cost of tens of millions of yuan.

The 500-square-meter space had been transformed into a giant dormitory, with four-tiered iron bunk beds densely packed together. Some people were still fast asleep, while others got out of bed and headed out of the warehouse, following the direction of the singing.

Chen Nuo stood there stunned for a few seconds, then got out of bed and followed the others to the front. When he reached the bed at the far end, he looked at the small door at the entrance of the warehouse, which was gleaming with white light. He watched as the men, women, and children around him, all dressed in the same green tracksuits, walked past the door and disappeared through it.

Chen Nuo stopped in place and started blinking again.

Just then, an elderly voice came from beside me: "50, 52, 54..."

He turned his head and saw Qin Pei, whose hair had been dyed white, wearing the same clothes as him, looking serious, pointing a finger at the door while muttering something under his breath.

Chen Nuo's expression softened, and a hint of reminiscence appeared in his eyes. It was as if there was an elder in his circle, like a "grandfather," who was very kind to him, occasionally made small jokes, and even tried to introduce him to girlfriends, which was why he had this expression.

The introverted man hesitated for a moment, but still took the initiative to speak: "Um... Grandpa."

"Don't talk to me, I'll get confused!" Qin Pei said nervously, "61, 63, 66..."

Chen Nuo's expression softened further, and he asked, "Grandpa, are you counting how many people there are?"

Qin Pei didn't turn his head, continuing to focus on his task, and said in a low voice, "Sir, don't talk to me."

“But…” Chen Nuo spoke again.

"But what? Aren't you annoying?" Qin Pei seemed a little impatient.

Chen Nuo pointed to a monitor on the wall, which clearly displayed: Number of participants: 456.

"But it says there were 456 participants."

Qin Pei peeked out from the bed and saw the monitor. His face stiffened, and he complained, "It's written so high, who can see it?" Then he glanced at Chen Nuo and said, "Silly boy, what does it mean that there's 456 written on your collar?"

Chen Nuo said, "This means I might be the last one to participate in the game. Grandpa, you have 001 written on your collar, so I think you should have been the first to agree to participate."

Qin Pei looked incredulous and said, "Hey, you're talking so seriously, you know all about it? Is it possible that it's just made up?"

Chen Nuo blinked.

At this moment, the camera gave him a very close-up of his face.

His eyes widened, seemingly glowing under the lighting technician's illumination. His entire face radiated a completely different expression from his previous dullness, as if he were a different person, making him exceptionally eye-catching.

He said, "It's possible, but the book says that a successful system usually follows certain rules for arranging numbers. With such a big setup, it's impossible for everyone's numbers to be randomly assigned. Grandpa, your bed is at the front, and mine is at the back, which corresponds to our numbers. Also, I only agreed to participate last night."

"So I think that using numbers to identify the time each person agreed to participate in the game is much more likely than writing numbers randomly."

Qin Pei exclaimed, "Wow, you've said so much just because I asked you one question? Silly boy, are you a college student?"

At this moment, Chen Nuo's face returned to its previous expression, and he grinned foolishly, "No, Grandpa, I'll finish elementary school."

Qin Pei looked him up and down and asked, "Really?"

Chen Nuo said, "Really, Grandpa?"

"Silly boy, tell me, should we go out and take a look?"

"This sound is telling us to go out and play games. But..."

Qin Pei truly portrayed a grumpy old man to the fullest. He is indeed a veteran actor who can play both righteous and villainous roles. He rolled his eyes and said, "But what? You're so young and you're already being so fussy. Just say what you have to say!"

Chen Nuo touched his head sheepishly, "I'm a little scared."

Qin Pei was stunned for a moment, looking at Chen Nuo's appearance, his lips twitched, and suddenly he shouted loudly and fiercely, "What are you afraid of? How can a man be afraid? Silly boy, help me up!"

"Oh, okay, Grandpa... Grandpa, what's that tattoo on your hand?"

"You little punk, you don't even recognize Guan Yu? When your grandpa was young... Ouch, be gentle, my leg! Stop, just a minute, carry me out!"

……

When God closes a door, He often opens a window. This is undoubtedly the fundamental rule by which the world operates.

If someone feels their life is hopeless, there's a 99% chance it's an illusion. Similarly, if someone feels they are omnipotent, that's also a 99% chance it's an illusion.

Just as Caesar returned to Rome after conquering the world, a slave once told him, "Glory will always fade."

Conversely, can someone who once had cerebral palsy really become a genius in a certain field?
After reviewing seventeen medical documents, You Naihai told Chen Nuo that this was not impossible.

Five percent of people with cerebral palsy worldwide possess extraordinary talents in specific areas, such as music, mathematics, art, and even calculation abilities. They often achieve perception and creativity beyond that of ordinary people.

Xie Jiajun was deceived by women, friends, and the chef he worked with. He had a physical disability; his fingers would twitch unconsciously, and his blinking often seemed strange. But he was actually a genius with exceptionally high intelligence, strong perception, and a talent for logical reasoning.

This is Xie Jiajun's third attribute in the script, besides being kind and silly.

Just as Forrest Gump could run tirelessly, Xie Jiajun could also observe details that others easily overlook and make rigorous inferences.

This is precisely the creative direction that Yau Nai-hoi, one of the three screenwriters, excels at.

As a recognized maverick in Hong Kong's screenwriting industry, this younger brother of Milkyway Image has loved writing about intellectual battles since his debut. He has written very well for Hong Kong films such as "The Mission", "Cold War", "Running Out of Time 1" and "Running Out of Time 2", and even won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Screenplay for "Running Out of Time".

Therefore, it's not surprising at all to those who know him that he created this kind of protagonist.

This setting also makes the differences between "The Eagle Catches the Chickens" and the original version increasingly significant.

The protagonist of the original "Squid Game," Sung Ki-hoon, was a complete idiot. His ability to survive to the end was entirely due to luck and the help of others. For example, the elderly player No. 001 was his strategist in the original version.

Such a protagonist hardly possesses any charm. Despite the original drama's global popularity, Lee Jung-jae, who played Sung Ki-hoon, only won a 2022 Emmy Award for Best Actor and didn't generate much buzz in the West. Meanwhile, Jung Ho-yeon, who played the female lead, a thief girl, saw her Instagram followers skyrocket to 1800 million overnight after the Squid Game became a hit, while Lee Jung-jae's follower growth was a mere fraction of that.

There's a reason for this.

He's such a useless, cunning old fox, it's really hard to like him. If he weren't the protagonist, he would have died long ago, given his abilities.

This time, in "The Eagle Catches the Chickens," the Xie Jiajun written by several Hong Kong screenwriters is the exact opposite of the Sung Ki-hoon written by the Korean screenwriters.

Each time Xie Jiajun succeeded in a game, he relied on his own intelligence and reasoning. He was like a diamond buried in the sand, shining brighter and brighter with each game.

Qin Pei plays the elderly player No. 001. In this process, he is not a strategist, but rather assists Xie Jiajun, a fool with low emotional intelligence, in doing some dirty work and resisting the open and covert attacks of other players.

Under these circumstances, it is not surprising that Yau Nai-hoi was extremely excited watching the monitor.

"I told you, I can't speak for others, but Nuozi would definitely be fine in this role. Xiangzi, you said it would be weird back then, but look at it now! Do you still think it's weird? A mad genius, this kind of protagonist is just incredibly cool! Boss, what about you? Don't you think so? Also, Miss Eisner, did you see that? The character Chen portrayed is extremely cool, isn't it?"

Johnnie To nodded and said, "Yes."

Rory Eisner's eyes remained fixed on the monitor screen; she did not speak.

In the field of vision through her pupils, there, Chen Nuo was carrying Qin Pei on his back, walking towards a door that appeared to be covered in white light.

Yu Naihai didn't take it seriously and called out, "Watch it again, Xiangzai."

As the first scene shot in the newly built studio, screenwriters Yau Nai-hoi and Wai Ka-fai, along with producer Laurie Eisner, spent the entire day on set. After a grueling 10 hours, they finally achieved a satisfactory result. Not only Yau Nai-hoi, but also director Pang Ho-cheung secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

When Yau Nai-hoi mentioned it, he played through the scenes they had filmed that day again.

After reading it, Lorrae Eisner looked at Yau Nai-hoi and said in English, "Yau, I now understand the charm of Xie's character. He is kind and simple, but he has extraordinary abilities. It feels great, and I'm already looking forward to the rest of the story. And I believe I won't be the only one who feels this way. Well done."

Yu Nai-hai smiled and said, "Thank you. Actually, anyone can write a script. Whether a character is charismatic or not largely depends on who plays the role. To be honest, I'm also looking forward to seeing how it will turn out."

Wei Jiahui said, "I feel that Chen Sheng's acting has reached a superb level. It's not just that he can play any role convincingly, but more importantly, as long as he appears on camera, it's hard for people to take their eyes off him. It's hard for Xie Jiajun not to be popular with such a person."

Upon hearing his words, Yau Nai-hoi was taken aback, while Pang Ho-cheung began to examine this famous Hong Kong screenwriter with a completely new perspective.

Old ginger is spicier; this extremely nauseatingly sycophantic English flattery, even though the person making the compliment wasn't present, still had an extraordinary effect on "his good friend" in front of him.

Upon hearing this, the woman's lips curled into a beautiful smile, and she said, "I hope so."

The woman then turned to Pang Ho-cheung and said, "Today was too chaotic, Pang. I hope to see a more orderly scene soon. Okay, I'm leaving. Thank you all for your hard work. Goodbye."

Goodbye, Miss Eisner.

"Goodbye."

With Rory Eisner gone, Pang Ho-cheung's already not-so-pleasant expression became even worse.

Yau Nai-hoi comforted him, "It's no problem, Cheung-jai. With so many extras, anyone could cause trouble if they were in charge of directing them. It's not like we're filming 'Young and Dangerous.' Just have them carry a prop knife and follow behind."

Wai Ka-fai chimed in, “Yeah, Xiang-zai, we have hundreds of extras. Even the ‘Young and Dangerous’ series didn’t hire this many. When TVB filmed ‘The Duke of Mount Deer,’ the fight between Kangxi and Wu Sangui involved two armies, but the total number of people was no more than 100. Look at the 400 we hired this time, it’s a record for Hong Kong. You’re not Zhang Yimou, so it’s normal that you can’t handle this.”

Pang Ho-cheung forced a smile and said, "I know."

That's what he said, but for someone who always had a high opinion of himself, this was the first time he felt inadequate in his abilities while filming. The blow to his self-esteem was unprecedented.

The first scene was manageable, since it only required about 100 extras to put on a good show. It took a whole day of bumps and bruises to get it filmed.

However, the situation became much more complicated the next day when they filmed the first game, "Statues".

As Wai Ka-fai said, it was the first time in Hong Kong that more than 400 extras and actors had filmed together.

It's not that no one has offered suggestions; some have said that using about 100 extras and adding some special effects in post-production would be sufficient.

However, the executive producer, who held multiple positions, was probably influenced by his previous film, directed by a well-known British director who highly praised practical effects. He insisted on shooting on location and using more than 400 real people to play the children's game of "321, freeze" together in this several-thousand-square-meter studio. No one could do anything about it.

With so many people, the production team simply couldn't find enough experienced extras, so they had to find some purely amateur actors, many of whom were acting for the first time.

In this situation, it is easy to imagine how difficult it would be to convey a sense of collective madness, along with the effect of exploding blood and gore, in a panoramic shot.

Pang Ho-cheung, a director who had previously only made small-scale, lighthearted films about love and romance, has encountered unprecedented difficulties.

It took a whole day to film just a few shots, and this group scene wasn't even finished.

It's important to know that extras are paid on a daily basis. For every extra day, the labor cost for more than 400 extras can reach hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars, which is not a small amount that any film crew can take for granted.

……

After filming wrapped, when Pang Ho-cheung came to find Chen Nuo, Chen Nuo was standing under the legs of a giant doll, talking to Shu Chang.

This giant doll is the "Yingxi Doll" from the original version. However, here it's called Xiao Lan, taken from a children's book by a Hong Kong author, "Princess Ma Xiao Lan, the Wise One".

Of course, like the Yingxi doll, Xiaolan here can not only move and talk after the special effects are added in post-production, but also use the camera in her eyes to lock onto those who break the rules.

Shu Chang stood in front of Chen Nuo, feeling extremely nervous. She had just spoken at length, but now she felt completely incoherent, like a fool.

Fortunately, although she acted like a fan meeting a celebrity, her best friend's boyfriend didn't seem to mind. He smiled gently and said, "You're welcome. It's all thanks to yourself. If your acting skills aren't up to par, then no one's advice will help."

Shu Chang isn't stupid; no one would believe such a thing.

The huge uproar caused by this casting in the mainland and Hong Kong actor circles is still fresh in everyone's mind. Countless unknown actors fought tooth and nail for a single role with lines.

Especially the two female roles, which many talented actresses were vying for, and she was able to successfully get the role of "Li Hongying" (No. 240), the second female lead. Although she didn't have many scenes, she was incredibly lucky. How could it be because of her acting skills?

Of course, she knew perfectly well where her incense was burning.

Although she is currently in a passionate relationship and a little reluctant to part with her boyfriend, Shu Chang still came to Hong Kong early to join the crew and become one of the more than 400 extras, just to get familiar with the atmosphere of the crew in advance and not embarrass her best friend.

"No matter what, thank you." Shu Chang said earnestly, "I know there's nothing I can do to help you. But in the future, if you and Qianqian ever need anything from me, just tell me, and I will definitely do my best."

Chen Nuo initially wanted to laugh it off, but looking at Shu Chang's expression and carefully considering her words, he didn't say anything to decline and nodded, saying, "Okay."

"Um... could you give me your phone number?" Shu Chang asked cautiously.

"OK, I don't have my phone on me. I'll tell you the number, please write it down..."

Shu Chang quickly took out her phone and wrote down the number.

After finishing writing, Shu Chang suppressed her excitement and said, "I... I won't bother you unless something happens. But if anything happens to Qianqian, I can let you know."

"Haha, okay. Thank you."

At this moment, Shu Chang saw Pang Ho-cheung coming over and said, "Director Pang is here, so I won't disturb your conversation."

Chen Nuo nodded and said, "Okay, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Shu Chang turned around, greeted Pang Ho-cheung with "Hello, Director!", and then hurriedly left. She looked as if she had just committed a thief, running away very quickly.

Pang Ho-cheung walked over to Chan Nuo and said, "She's very dedicated. Her solo scenes aren't until the fourth episode, so she's just playing a minor role now, without any screen time... Boss, do you think we should add one or two more shots of her?"

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "You're the director, so you call the shots."

As he spoke, he sat down on the big feet of the little Lan doll next to him. "Something wrong? Let's sit down and talk."

Pang Ho-cheung immediately sat down as well.

He looked up and said, "Such a big one, only a few hundred thousand dollars. In Hong Kong, you probably couldn't even make one leg."

He shook his head again and said, "Hong Kong's manufacturing industry used to be very developed, but it's not anymore. Unlike the mainland, where the manufacturing industry is developing day by day."

Chen Nuo laughed heartily.

nonsense.

Do you think the future world's leading manufacturing power is playing games with you?

Where is this?

It's just a broken doll.

Ten years later, Nima will have three aircraft carriers.

The giant 15-meter-tall puppet standing in front of the green screen was borrowed from an amusement park near Seoul by the Korean production team in the original "Squid Game." It took a lot of effort to move it into the studio. The final result was excellent. Chen Nuo was particularly impressed when watching the series. He specifically requested that You Naihai and the others include it in the script.

However, when it came time to actually make the arrangements, no amusement park in Hong Kong had such dolls, so there was nowhere to borrow them.

What should we do then?

At the time, the prop masters from Hong Kong felt extremely troubled and at a loss.

This only means that in 2012, the future world's leading industrial manufacturing country was still in a phase of keeping a low profile, and few people outside knew its true strength.

Just like the special clothes and masks worn by the NPCs in the show, the prices in Yiwu are a quarter of those in Hong Kong, and shipping is included.

After Chen Nuo found out, he had Linghu go on Alibaba, search for some information, and make a few phone calls. In less than half a day, seven or eight quotes came in.

For a price of less than 200,000, I chose a high-end product that guarantees quality, quantity, and delivery time, and whose limbs can move and mouth can open and close. If you really want something cheaper, there are products for 50,000.

This series of actions completely won over the Hong Kong prop masters in the crew.

At this point, Chen Nuo didn't want to beat around the bush with Peng Haoxiang anymore. He had deliberately stayed in the first place, so he said, "You came to me just to talk about this? Then I'm leaving." He made a move to get up.

Pang Ho-cheung then said, "No, I meant to say... hey, boss, are you disappointed in me?"

"No."

"Sigh. You don't need to lie to me anymore, I know, I'm just a good-for-nothing..."

Seeing Pang Ho-cheung sighing and looking deeply dejected, Chen Nuo couldn't help but laugh: "Is it really that bad?"

Pang Ho-cheung, head down, said, "I used to think I was a genius, but now I realize I'm just a good-for-nothing. I can't do anything right. If it weren't for Inspector To helping me today, I wouldn't have been able to film a single scene."

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "No one is born knowing this."

"Oh, Director Ning Hao..."

"Wrong, he didn't either. When filming 'The Message,' if it weren't for Wong Kar-wai being his mentor, do you really think he and Gao Qunshu could have made it to its current state?"

"Huh? Really?" Pang Ho-cheung looked up abruptly, surprised. "Wang Jiawei? Isn't he just a figurehead?"

"Who told you? I invited Director Wang to stay in Hengdian for two months back then... Hey, don't say the company didn't treat everyone equally and didn't give you a chance. This time, I also specially found you a teacher, who will arrive tomorrow morning. You should learn from him. I'm counting on you to film some homeless scenes for me in the future... Okay, I'm leaving."

What is wandering?
Chen Nuo got up and left before he finished speaking, without Pang Ho-cheung knowing.

But now he felt like a stray dog ​​who had gone through all sorts of hardships to finally meet an owner who didn't eat dog meat and cared for him deeply. A surge of warmth welled up in his heart, and his little eyes even turned a little red.

He shouted loudly at Chen Nuo's retreating figure, "Boss, thank you."

Chen Nuo didn't turn around, but waved his hand.

"Who's the teacher you found for me, boss?"

But Chen Nuo had already walked far away, seemingly not hearing or answering.

Therefore, Pang Ho-cheung did not entirely expect this so-called teacher to save him.

That night, after much painful reflection, he summarized the lessons learned from the day's filming, writing and drawing in his director's notebook until after 3 a.m. before finally going to sleep.

And the next day, he arrived at the film set early in the morning and began making various arrangements.

Just as filming was about to begin, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the director's room.

A man with a rough, hoarse voice was speaking Mandarin, saying "hello, hello" all the way. The voice was coming from his direction and getting closer and closer.

The veteran Hong Kong film crew members all seemed to know him, and everyone was greeting him with even greater respect and courtesy than they would show to Johnnie To, calling him "Director Zhang" or "Director Zhang".

Ps:

8000 words, which caused a slight delay.

(End of this chapter)