Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 353 Subduing Jiang Wen? 'Veteran' Sword Saint Yu! Anne Hathaway Seeks Ma Xun?
Why do I feel like this is a road movie?

It's not surprising that Wan Qian had this thought.

The director team of "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" is currently discussing a film that has a strong road movie feel to it.

“As we’ve gone along, one by one we’ve died. I think it would be better if they all died at once.”

"I disagree."

"I'm talking to Director Ma."

"Don't call me director, I'm not one yet."

"Okay, Mr. Ma, give me a reason."

"It's very simple. Whether it's pressure or fear, if it's given in full force all at once, that is, if it goes straight from a mundane plot to a highly dramatic one, it will not only make the audience feel abrupt, but it will also result in a lack of fear."

"Insufficient fear?"

"Yes, it's because there's not enough fear. Think about it, the fear is allowed to accumulate slowly, constantly pressuring the main characters, making them like rats being chased and intercepted, their hope of survival getting smaller and smaller, until finally they despair."

It immediately fills you with fear.

Which of these two is more terrifying?

Ma Xun simply said that it already gave people a chill down their spines.

"So, they're dying one by one?" Jiang Wen still wanted to say something.

Ma Xun immediately replied, "Sometimes it might be two or three."

Goodness, he's ruthless!

Wan Qian was eavesdropping, but it wasn't exactly eavesdropping, since she was eating her lunchbox on the side and no one was chasing her away.

That's how filming is. It's lunchtime now, but the production team is discussing plot details.

In a movie, the script is constantly being revised, especially for big-budget productions, so the screenwriter has to be on hand to assist.

Our screenwriters this time, Jiang Wen and Ma Xun, both wanted the book title, while the one who actually wrote it was Mr. Zhou from Pumpkin Studio.

His wife is with another group, so he should come over here.

Of course, it wasn't just him; there were several other screenwriters from Xi'an Film Studio, but their names probably won't appear in the final cut of the film.

There are, of course, several other directors as well.

It sounds a bit cruel, but that's how big productions are.

Wan Qian really enjoyed listening in on these classes; she felt she could learn a lot from them.

In our crew, Ma Xun and Jiang Wen always seem to be in 'conflict'.

New ideas often come up, and then the two of them start arguing.

Well, they're probably used to it, so it's not really a big deal that they're arguing.

It's just that we 'outsiders' are a little scared.

The good news is that Ma Xun is always good at persuading people with reason.

Jiang Wen is indeed right, and it's hard to argue with him.

However, Teacher Jiang Wen actually won more often.

In this situation, it seems that Mr. Ma Xun has the upper hand.

Actually, the exact circumstances surrounding the deaths of the members of this westward-bound team are quite intriguing.

Wan Qian knew in her heart that they were all destined to die, but this death... could not be so simple.

Jiang Wen was clearly still not convinced. "Just like that, he died. Is that right?"

Ma Xun laughed, "Of course that's not right."

Oh, did they suddenly reach a consensus?
Jiang Wen frowned slightly, "So you've already killed them?"

"No, no." Ma Xun shook his head and laughed, "The person is dead, but the play isn't over."

Huh? Yan Kuan hasn't finished filming yet?
Yan Kuan, whose head had just been severed, had a very strange expression on his face.

Ma Xun didn't even look at him, and instead said to Jiang Wen, "Let him have a change of heart before he dies."

“This…” Jiang Wen understood instantly.

What kind of change?

Actually, he had already written it in the script.

Wang Deshun plays a deserter, and the biggest problem for a deserter is that he cannot return to Chang'an.

He could only wander between the Western Regions and Chang'an like a lost soul.

Yan Kuan's character, the eldest grandson, naturally knows his grandfather's secret and inner conflict.

In other words, Wang Deshun himself certainly couldn't say that he was a deserter, but his grandson knew, and the grandson also knew that his grandfather had always wanted to return to Chang'an.

This was one of Grandpa's dreams.

However, he was indeed a deserter, so naturally he dared not go back.

But now the opportunity has come.

Jiang Wen, the captain, planned to go to Kucha City. He said there was gold and such, but in fact, the grandfather and grandson were not after the gold at all. They hoped to redeem themselves through this mission and gain the opportunity to return to Chang'an!
One night, the eldest grandson, Yan Huan, told his grandfather about this before going to bed.

We can finally go back to Chang'an!

I had only heard my grandfather talk about Chang'an before, but I had never actually seen what Chang'an was like.

Grandpa, we can go home now!

These words... yes, Jiang Wen wrote them; this is the kind of story that makes the characters more well-rounded.

However, it is now clear that Ma Xun intends to take advantage of this play.

And so, this dialogue between Yan Kuan and his grandfather... turned into setting a flag!

Jiang Wen naturally understood Ma Xun's intention, but when she thought about this arrangement... hey, you know what, it's really something!
Seeing the change in Jiang Wen's expression, Ma Xun knew that this guy would definitely agree.

So that's how our boss, Mr. Ma, won against him!
That's right, these two are now treating this film set as their battlefield.

However, this battle has only one goal: to make "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" even better and more outstanding!

This movie is definitely an outstanding historical epic!
Actually, on set, arguments or other forms of noise are nothing to worry about.

It's euphemistically called: a clash of ideas.

Yes, when a movie is finished and the creative team is being interviewed, they might use such terms.

However, this clash of ideas could very well evolve into a physical collision.

This is all normal.

But one thing is for sure: don't have any bad intentions. As long as we're all doing this for the good of the movie, that's fine.

Wait a minute, isn't this a little strange?
Ma Xun isn't a director, and neither is Jiang Wen!

What are you two bumping into here for?!

But then I saw how relaxed and carefree Sister Hong looked.

Wan Qian could only smile and listen.

All I can say is that Sister Hong has a good temper.

And the result of this 'collision' is...

"Great idea! And we can incorporate it into the later part of the story..."

Jiang Wen had essentially agreed, but he hadn't even finished speaking yet.

Ma Xun interrupted immediately, saying, "That's certainly possible, but everyone must be different, yet everyone must also be the same."

How do you understand this?

Wan Qian was stunned.

Moreover, she was very confident that Sister Hong would also be confused, and that everyone else would inevitably be confused as well.

but!

Jiang Wen slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Great idea!"

Holy crap?! ...Wan Qian was even more stunned.

How could you understand this?

But then Jiang Wen laughed and said, "Everyone should indeed be different, but everyone also has something in common... Chang'an!"

When the word "Chang'an" came out, Wan Qian suddenly realized what it meant!
Right!

That's definitely how it should be.

Each character may have their own distinct personality, but our film aims to highlight one key point.

Chang'an!

Every character should aspire to this legendary city, which was then the best in the world!

Wan Qian even thought about her own role.

"I probably also want to go to Chang'an. There, I might exchange my swords for a fan, and my tight-fitting armor for a dress and cosmetics."

At this moment, she was like the female bandit in the movie, but she was already fantasizing about her different life in Chang'an.

She is a girl, and girls should love beauty and should like big cities like Chang'an.

only……

"Okay! After we finish filming this outdoor scene, we'll give you an indoor scene where you wear a skirt, and then... oh right, we'll add some things."

Add a little... Ma Xun, what do you mean by this?
"Add what?" Wan Qian couldn't help but ask curiously.

But Ma Xun didn't say anything, and the expressions on the other people's faces... everyone seemed to understand.

Wan Qian understood this herself!

Want some milk foam? ...Otherwise, that ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) definitely won't look good on you.

Oh dear, you guys... Wan Qian had no choice but to remain silent, but her face was flushed as she ate her rice; this was truly the only way to hide her true feelings.

As for Ma Xun... ugh! I don't want to think about him anymore!
No one laughed at this; quite a few people were holding it in. They felt like they were about to suffer internal injuries.

But, in any case, Wan Qian's suggestion was good.

You can add it.

Wait a minute, something seems off about this.

Does this mean a major overhaul of the previous script?

Not at all!
In fact, Jiang Wen had already written many of these things before, and Ma Xun had read them and agreed with them when they were in Sanya.

Just like each person's unique characteristics.

So, we're just making some minor repairs now.

Now it's just a matter of joining 'Chang'an'.

In fact, some characters don't even need to be added, because they already have this aspect.

For example, his eldest grandson who died in battle.

Why didn't Ma Xun bring this up back then?

Of course we can't mention it!

Hongjie actually figured it all out.

"Wow, this film crew is really great! I'm absolutely going to do an even better job on the next shoot!"

What is she saying?
As the director, is he trying to smooth things over?
it's not true.

Hongjie understood; Ma Xun was setting an example for her!
This 'sample' is: how to work with someone like Jiang Wen on set!
Don't underestimate this.

Even as an actor, Jiang Wen is the kind of guy who always likes to steal the director's thunder.

He has had conflicts with several directors, including Chen Kaige.

Otherwise, the director will simply be left without any work, like Lu Chuan.

Just now, Ma Xun gave Hong Jie a demonstration.

Just do it this way, and you'll be able to handle Jiang Wen!
Hongjie naturally understood.

So she finally spoke up.

Jiang Wen understood, but there was nothing she could say.

Ultimately, we're doing this for the good of the movie!
But now, Jiang Wen thought of something else.

"What we just discussed went very well. But there's still one more thing: where is our General Guo Xin?"

What is he saying?

It's very simple: who will play Guo Xin, the general who has been trapped in a lonely city for more than 30 years?

Indeed, so far, no one has come forward to play this crucial role in our film.

But a simple thought reveals that the role of Guo Xin is really not easy to find.

The reason is very simple: this character's role really won't have many scenes, and it also needs to span a certain period of time.

It refers to youth, middle age, and finally old age.

He definitely didn't have many scenes during these three periods.

But it still has to be a great shot!
Guo Xin is a character that absolutely cannot be neglected, yet she doesn't have many scenes.

That's really quite difficult.

Jiang Wen had actually brought up the question of this role when they were in Sanya, but Ma Xun never revealed who it was.

He simply said, "I'm ready."

Who is it? You can kill me and I'll never tell!

And so it has continued until now.

Jiang Wen was really suffering from this wait. Now was the perfect time to stop Ma Xun from continuing to drift along like this.

So he turned his attention to Chen Hong.

As a legitimate director, Chen Hong knew exactly who it was and immediately smiled, asking, "Who is it, then?"

She couldn't help Ma Xun with this anymore.

Although she is indeed Ma Xun's woman, don't go too far.

Ma Xun laughed, "I couldn't do anything about it before when you brought it up, but now, he's here."

They're here? Who is it?

Ma Xun explained, "It's because of the recent lockdown that things were delayed. Otherwise, I would have come much earlier. It's okay, good things come to those who wait. ...Hey, look, he's here now."

They're resting here in a tent, and now everyone is looking outside the tent.

There was an old man with a white beard, wearing a distinctive bowler hat and a rather trendy outdoor windbreaker.

His face, weathered and gaunt, yet radiating a resolute strength.

It's him, Yu Chenghui!
He walked in.

Jiang Wen immediately exclaimed "Great!"

"That's him! Great! He's really great!"

Satisfied, very satisfied.

Jiang Wen was even eager to see what Grandpa Yu would look like in his armor.

His action startled Old Master Yu.

"Teacher Jiang, what's wrong?"

"Don't call me teacher, you are the teacher."

Alright, the two of them started exchanging pleasantries.

So and so...

Everyone is watching Grandpa Yu and chatting with him.

But Sister Hong couldn't help but turn her gaze to Ma Xun.

That's really impressive; no one else can handle Jiang Wen.

You're really amazing!
……

Tong Liya is currently filming, and she still feels like she's dreaming.

But it's still pretty good.

She didn't have many lines; her main role was posing.

This was no challenge for her at all.

The key is the makeup and styling, that is, mainly the clothes.

As a princess from the Western Regions, she was, in essence, a member of the Tibetan Empire.

However, at that time, Tibet had annexed many tribes and small kingdoms in the Western Regions.

Therefore, in terms of clothing, they do not resemble the Tibetans of today, but rather have a very Uyghur or Arab feel.

These clothes were all borrowed from artifacts in the museum.

It is relatively precious.

This is a difficult point, but actually, it's not too difficult.

As for the other one... Tong Liya actually had some rather special thoughts about Ma Xun.

Mr. Ma is a very famous figure in the industry right now; she had heard of him when she was in Beijing.

Moreover, there seemed to be something strange about the way Sister Hong chatted with her.

In short, Tong Liya understood somewhat.

I won't go into the specifics.

Even if we take a step back and assume the worst, we should still get to know Mr. Ma better.

right?
Unfortunately, Mr. Ma has been too busy filming these days and hasn't had any interaction with her at all.

That makes sense, considering I'm just a newcomer to the entertainment industry, and this movie production is so big.

How could such a tiny creature attract his attention?

Tong Liya wanted to go... at least to get to know them.

Having made up her mind, she planned to go to Mr. Ma's RV, but unexpectedly, she encountered a foreigner!

"Hello, I'm looking for someone named Ma Xun. Can you help me?"

This foreigner speaks very broken Chinese, but she actually knows it.

The key point is, she's so beautiful!

Okay, Tong Liya recognized her. Isn't she Anne Hathaway, the actress who played the 'princess'?

"I, my that..."

Tong Liya hesitated for a moment, as if she was about to say that she didn't understand Chinese either.

That's right, she's dressed in a rather exotic style now.

But just then, Ma Xun appeared.

"Miss Hathaway, welcome."

Clearly, they had communicated via air before.

"Hi~" Anne Hathaway greeted Ma Xun.

Seeing this, Tong Liya felt extremely embarrassed...

(End of this chapter)