Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 736 A Love as Beautiful as a Bouquet

The first workday after the holiday happened to be the Cold Dew solar term, and the chill in the air was palpable. The entire film and media sector was so cold that it felt like the industry had collapsed.

Industry leaders such as Qiutian, Wanda, and Guangxian all saw their stock prices plummet at the opening, and even Huace, which produces TV dramas, followed suit.

Within half an hour of the market opening, some estimated that the film and television sector had lost over 300 billion yuan.

The worst off was Huayi Brothers. After struggling for months, its market value finally climbed back to 200 billion yuan, only to suffer a severe blow on the first day after the National Day holiday.

It fell 5% in half an hour, the biggest drop among film and media stocks, and it's still falling.

During the holiday, numerous investors on the platform questioned Huayi, demanding that Huayi respond to the impact of Feng Xiaogang's arrest on the company and the company's subsequent response measures.

However, after the market opened, Huayi's board secretary refused to respond to investors' inquiries.

Other companies were implicated, but they weren't panicked because they knew it had nothing to do with them and that the fluctuations were only temporary.

But now the entire industry is being investigated for tax evasion and is paying back taxes, which is really damaging the industry's image.

Few people will offer help in times of need, and it is not the act of a gentleman to kick someone when they are down or add fuel to the fire. But there are plenty of people willing to stand on the dry bank and make sarcastic remarks.

At this time, many film company executives stepped forward in an attempt to salvage their own and the industry's image.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, General Manager Lü criticized the industry's chaotic state, saying that one or two bad apples should not spoil the whole bunch.

It sounds a bit like he's bragging, but he himself is indeed a good example. He said that in 12 he led a team deep into Somalia and risked his life to enter the "Black Hawk Down" area to film the documentary "The Truth About Somalia".

"There are many hardworking people in the industry. We can't judge the entire film and television industry just because of the influence of one or two negative figures."

The glamorous Li Xiaoping also expressed her opinion that afternoon: "The impact is only temporary, and the work itself is the strongest evidence."

Autumn's response... Autumn did not respond to this, but instead directly released the release date announcement and poster for "Marriage Story", announcing that it would be released on December 14.

The release date announcement trailer included the cryptic phrase "let the work speak for itself."

Firstly, it's a response to the recent controversies within the industry; secondly, it aligns with Liu Yifei's performance as a Best Actress winner, which has consistently been a source of doubt regarding her acting skills.

When the trailer for "Marriage Story" was released, Liu Yinghou was talking to Su Lun in a coffee shop.

Su Lun brought her a new script and wanted her to act in it; it was called "Love Like a Bouquet."

The script isn't finished yet, but the basic framework has been established, which won't prevent the production team from casting actors.

“I got this inspiration after watching ‘Marriage Story’,” Su Lun told Liu Yifei, sharing her story. “‘Marriage Story’ focuses on the married life of middle-aged couples, and I wanted to try filming the process of young people from dating to marriage.”

"You can think of this story as a youth version of 'Marriage Story'."

Su Lun and Liu Yifei haven't had much interaction, so Su Lun might not know Liu Yifei's taste in choosing films.

It would have been better if she hadn't said that, because once she did, Liu Yifei lost interest in "Love Like a Bouquet".

She was very satisfied with "Marriage Story" and didn't want to act in a so-called "youth version".

She didn't want to repeat herself.

Moreover, judging from the script Su Lun has given her so far, the film's structure is too neat, to the point of being somewhat contrived. Positioned as a youth version of "Marriage Story," it aims to lean towards realism, but Su Lun lacks the courage and writing skills to expose reality. "Love Like a Bouquet" lacks the chaos and randomness that real life should have.

Furthermore, the male and female protagonists are portrayed as "another version of myself in the world," with highly overlapping interests. This is an idealized dramatic construct; the two characters are purely created for the film's theme, purely theatrical figures rather than flesh-and-blood individuals. Liu Yifei likes this kind of story, but not this kind of character.

But Liu Yifei wouldn't say these things in front of Su Lun. She just laughed and said, "I'm already 31 years old, I can't play a little girl anymore."

Su Lun laughed and said, "Look at you now, people would believe you're 21."

Before Su Lun approached Liu Yifei, he was worried that Liu Yifei would refuse.

She's a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress winner and a top-tier actress in the Chinese entertainment industry; she's not easy to get invited.

But getting Liu Yifei on board meant the project could proceed more smoothly and attract more funding, so Su Lun shamelessly came.

With "How Long Will I Love U" grossing 9 million, Su Lun is planning to make another romance film. She won't lack investment; both her company and external investors will definitely be willing to invest in her.

But who wouldn't want to be a Cannes Best Actress winner?

There are only two in the Chinese-language film industry. One of them has already retired from acting, and the one in front of us is only 31 years old. Isn't he the darling of directors who are scrambling to get him?

But even after receiving Su Lun's flattery, Liu Yifei still had her own concerns.

“I’m 31, which is fine, but I’m already married. If I were to play a schoolgirl on camera again, I’m worried that the audience would be distracted.” This is not an excuse; it’s Liu Yifei’s genuine concern after getting married.

Su Lun felt that such worries were unnecessary: ​​"What's the big deal? I know an actor, Tan Songyun, you know? He's 28 years old and still playing high school students, and nobody says he's out of character."

Liu Yifei knew Tan Songyun and laughed, "That's her advantage in appearance, she's naturally youthful-looking, but I'm not youthful. I'm a mature woman." She then laughed herself.

A cup of coffee wasn't enough to convince Liu Yifei to accept the role. She said she would take the script back and review it carefully.

Su Lun said, "We can't let your director see the script."

"What?"

"After reading it, he'll definitely say I'm just copying what others have said."

Liu Yifei laughed when she heard this: "No way, his core story has been filmed by countless directors. Your structure is completely different from his, so go ahead and film it."

Su Lun also inquired about Liu Yifei's schedule: "After you won the award, you must have received a lot of scripts."

"Yes." There's no point in denying that. Liu Yifei had plenty of scripts offered to her before winning the award. "I turned them all down. I'm not a filming machine. I need to rest for a few months."

Liu Yifei recounted, "The awards ceremony was on the 19th, and from then until the end of June, in less than a month and a half, the team received more than fifty scripts." If the timeline had been pushed back further, the number would have been even more staggering.

"That's outrageous." Su Lun was shocked by the number. "No wonder they say that the best female lead scripts in the entertainment industry are all shown to you first, and only if you don't want to act in them will they be given to other actors."

“It’s not that exaggerated,” Liu Yifei laughed. “But I did get a lot more offers during that period. My agent brought me this thick stack of scripts to look at.” Liu Yifei gestured.

"But how can I possibly finish reading them all? I'm still filming at the same time. I can only read one or two scripts a week at most. I haven't finished reading those scripts yet. Since they haven't given me a reply for so long, they've probably found someone else."

As Su Lun listened to Liu Yifei speak slowly, she sensed Liu Yifei's sincerity as an actress. Although she wasn't familiar with Liu Yifei, Liu Yifei was still willing to tell her these things.

They had two more cups of coffee, finished their conversation, and then parted ways.

Su Lun decided to contact other actors, and Liu Yifei's chances seemed slim.

(End of this chapter)