1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 222

Shen Wei brought several lawyers to Thailand. When they saw Wu Yusen who was imprisoned in prison, they told him that they would get him out in three days at most.

As a result, Wu Yusen stayed in there for a full week.

"Brother Wei, throwing the director in jail and letting us go out to have fun on our own, isn't that a bad idea?"

In a nightclub in Chiang Mai, a middle-aged lawyer spoke Thai to a Thai guy in military uniform next to him, then turned to Shen Wei and said, "The Thai guy said we can take Director Wu back to Hong Kong at any time, and he will let the local media publish an announcement to clarify that this is a misunderstanding."

Shen Wei glanced at the Thai officer who was surrounded by people on both sides, and said to the accompanying lawyer, "Don't worry, the boss wants Director Wu to be wronged for two more days, and then take him back after the news heat in Hong Kong has cooled down."

So another three days passed, and Wu Yusen waited day and night in the cell, and finally the cell door was opened and he saw the light of day again.

Wu Yusen, with a haggard face and unshaven beard, squinted his eyes to adapt to the sunlight outside.

She hugged Shen Wei who came to pick her up and cried with joy: "Thank you!"

Shen Wei sighed and said, "It doesn't matter, it's all for art."

A hotel was arranged nearby, and Wu Yusen went in to take a shower, shave, and change clothes. When he came out, he had regained his former radiance.

In the hall outside, Shen Wei, the chief of the local police station, and the municipal government had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Wu Yusen coming down the stairs, a group of people surrounded him, put their arms around his shoulders and behaved very intimately. Reporters raised their cameras and captured this scene on film.

11 month 9 day.

The news that Wu Yusen was about to return to Hong Kong spread like wildfire.

That afternoon, reporters from various newspapers in Hong Kong rushed to the airport to wait.

The plane flew over the walled city and landed. When Wu Yusen, with a slicked-back hair and wearing a windbreaker, walked out of the airport in high spirits, flash lights went on like crazy and microphones from cameras and cannons were pointed at his mouth.

"Director Wu, what do you think of this trip to Thailand?"

"Brother Sen, I've heard that prisoners in Thai prisons have special fetishes. Is this true?"

"Why did they break the law and make counterfeit money? Did they set up a counterfeit money factory under the guise of making a movie? Was the boss of 1024 involved?"

Faced with the sharp questions that were deliberately provocative, Wu Yusen smiled politely. Even though he had already greeted the reporter's entire family in his heart, his expression remained calm.

"It's just a misunderstanding. I believe rumors stop with the wise. I still hope everyone can focus on my new play. Thank you."

Wu Yusen clasped his hands together and, under the protection of his accompanying lawyer, rushed out of the circle of reporters.

At a parking spot not far away, a Porsche had been waiting for a long time.

Zhai Yuan opened the car door and got out, waving at Wu Yusen from a distance.

"It's Jiuyi's boss! Zhai Yuan finally showed up!"

The reporters around became excited upon seeing this.

During this period of time, Zhai Yuan seemed to have disappeared and never responded to any rumors from the outside world. Unexpectedly, he would come to pick up Wu Yusen at the airport today.

Reporters followed Wu Yusen's footsteps, dragging their cameras, and the sound of shutter clicks continued.

Some people wanted to interview Zhai Yuan, but before they could get close, several security guards wearing black suits and sunglasses suddenly appeared and stopped them outside.

"Mr. Zhai! Say something!"

The reporters shouted at Zhai Yuan through the human wall.

Zhai Yuan turned his head to look at them, then waved to the reporters with a smile.

He opened his arms and hugged Wu Yusen who was walking towards him quickly: "Thank you for your hard work, Director Wu."

Wu Yusen recalled his more than a week of imprisonment and sighed: "For art!"

The scene of the two hugging was photographed from multiple angles and was published in major newspapers the next day.

'Wu Yusen returned to Hong Kong, and Zhai Yuan rarely appeared at the airport. He did not say a word the whole time and looked haggard. Relevant experts said that this [counterfeit banknote case] may face charges from the Hong Kong government authorities.'

The 1024 audience members were beaten back step by step by the public opinion.

Ye Yuqing and her fans fought back stubbornly.

"My idol, the criticism outside is too harsh. Everyone is boycotting your new movie. When will you come out and clarify a few words?"

There was no Internet in this era, and all the verbal battles were real offline. The most famous ones were the fans of Alan Tam and Nick Cheung, who slashed each other with knives and booed at the opponent's concerts.

The 1024 Theater is such a large and immovable target that it is easier to be criticized. People who advocate justice directly put up banners outside the theater to boycott entry.

Zhai Yuan glanced at Ye Yuqing, whose face was red with anger, and smiled and comforted her.

Boycott? Not happening.

It is estimated that the number of people who participated in the verbal fight was less than 1% of Hong Kong's population of more than 1024 million. Most passers-by were still immersed in the news of the gate crash and oil shower on October last month, and occasionally heard about the counterfeit banknote case. They became more curious about this cinema and their impression of it continued to deepen. There was always an opportunity that would make them walk into the cinema unconsciously.

The financial statements of the five cinemas in the past half month have been released. The attendance rate of 1024, which was at the center of public opinion, has increased instead of decreased. The box office of the copies that other film companies brought to the cinemas for screening has increased by an average of % during the same period, and the cinemas have also gained a lot of new members.

Being scolded is not scary, what is scary is that no one scolds you.

Zhai Yuan patted Ye Yuqing's little head and said, "Don't be angry, don't be angry, if you get sick, no one will replace you~"

11 month 12 day.

Zhai Yuan felt that he could almost clear himself.

So, first the Overseas Chinese Evening News reprinted a local news in Thailand, with a photo of Wu Yusen and the local chief.

The news report was very official: Hong Kong director Wu Yusen led the crew of the sequel of "A Better Tomorrow" to Thailand to film, and was deeply welcomed by local citizens. When he was about to leave, he was personally sent to the plane by the local chief. It was hoped that Jiuyi Entertainment could deepen entertainment and cultural exchanges with Thailand.

A piece of local news instantly dispelled a lot of rumors from the outside world. Then "Tonight Without Defense" invited Wu Yusen to participate in the program.

During the show, Huang Zhan took the initiative to bring up the topic of the counterfeit banknote case.

Wu Yusen smiled and said, "These are all rumors from the outside world. Mr. Zhai told me not to pay attention to them and to concentrate on the post-production of the film. Those who are innocent will be innocent!"

Cai Lan nodded and said, "That's right. The innocent will be innocent. Director Wu's participation in our program is also the first time he has directly responded to some rumors from the outside world."

Wu Yusen smiled and said yes.

Sister Wang then asked, "But we saw photos sent back by a special correspondent from Thailand, and they did capture you being arrested by the police there. Is this considered a false rumor?"

Wu Yusen laughed twice: "Then we have to mention the theme of this new movie! Compared with the previous "A Better Tomorrow", this sequel has put a lot of effort into making counterfeit money. I remember when we were filming a counterfeit money transaction scene, maybe it was a local citizen who was brave enough to do something righteous, a group of police officers suddenly broke into the filming site for a random inspection. When they saw the boxes of counterfeit money on the table, they were shocked. The atmosphere was tense at the time. The worst thing was that we also had a gunfight scene. We made some gun props in advance, and the police officers were also scared. They thought we were an international criminal group. As a director, of course I had to take the initiative to cooperate with the investigation, so there was the photo of me being arrested that appeared in the newspaper now."

As a director, he has a strong foundation in narrative, and he made up a story that is a mixture of truth and falsehood, coupled with an exaggerated tone, full of visual effects.

The three hosts were very sensible and laughed their heads off in front of the camera.

Huang Zhan asked: "Is everything actually just a misunderstanding?"

Wu Yusen nodded: "It's all a misunderstanding!"

Huang Zhan asked: "How long did you stay in there?"

Wu Yusen pretended to think: "Within 24 hours, Mr. Zhai sent several lawyers to bail me out. It was totally unnecessary. When the lawyers arrived, I had already explained myself clearly and was released."

Cai Lan smiled and said, "So the story of the prison sewer being cleared by the prisoners is also a rumor?"

There was another burst of laughter at the scene.

Wu Yusen used a joking approach to downplay the negative reports from outside.

The second half of the program focused on the process of making counterfeit money in the movie and promoted "Wushuang" again.

Sister Wang said, "The protagonist you are talking about is so magical that he can draw US dollars with his hands?"

Wu Yusen smiled at the camera and said, "There are actually many details, but I can't go into detail. Everyone is welcome to buy tickets and go to the theater to watch the movie..."

With the broadcast of this episode of "Unguarded Tonight".

Public opinion has reversed polarization.

After spending 1024 yuan on publicity and promotion, the writer who had previously been righteous and stern suddenly changed his tone.

Press releases for "A Better Tomorrow" are flying everywhere.

A photo of Wu Yusen and the local Thai chief hangs on the outer wall of the 1024 Theater.

Ye Yuqing led the Zhai army in a full-scale counterattack with great momentum.

"Boycott the 1024 bad director, making counterfeit money is a heinous crime!"

"Boycott your mother! Do you know that it's a reversal?"

"When you have time, read the news. Read more and don't just follow the crowd!"

"It's obvious that this is a barking dog sent by Jiahe or Princess Yin. How much dog food does your boss give you every month?"

"Just a passerby, when will "Wushuang" be released?"

When Zhai's army launched a counterattack with loud gongs and drums and firecrackers.

More people are expecting Zhai Yuan to step forward and hold an unconventional press conference, just like he did during the last scandal over the third-level films.

Zhai Yuan still did not show up.

However, on the second day after the incident, he accepted a long interview with Oriental Daily.

The title is: [Since leaving the housing estate, the negative comments and venting attacks on me have never stopped, and it seems that these voices will never disappear]

In this exclusive interview, Zhai Yuan had a series of questions and answers with the reporter, and his words revealed the helplessness of seeing through everything and accepting misunderstandings.

Reporter: "Mr. Zhai, why didn't you choose to speak in front of the camera this time?"

Zhai Yuan: "I feel very tired. After going through a lot of things, I gradually lost my desire to express myself freely and became reluctant to talk. In fact, I am an introvert. I write scripts and songs in my spare time and rarely get involved in other disputes. Unfortunately, the tree wants to be quiet but the wind does not stop."

Reporter: "I heard that Mr. Zhai has been receiving psychological counseling these days?"

Zhai Yuan: "Maybe I am too inexperienced and can't handle the pressure. I was recently diagnosed with mild depression and I don't want to talk anymore."

Reporter: "But we, as the audience, will always support you."

Zhai Yuan: "Thank you very much, thank you very much."

After this long interview was published, there were constant interpretations, and a number of psychological experts came forward to explain the dangers of depression and verbal violence, which touched many readers.

Zhai Yuan’s fans, especially the female ones, couldn’t help but cry.

My brother is so miserable! We are all he has!
Fan abuse: refers to attracting and cultivating fans' interest in oneself, gradually revealing one's own tragic experiences to the other party, arousing fans' sympathy, and thus improving cohesion and consumption ability.

Nine One Entertainment.

The delicate Zhai Yuan hummed a little tune.

After inspecting various positions, he planned to find Zhou Huimin to exchange experiences in fluid infusion.

Wang Jin and Chen Lan came over and said in surprise: "Boss, the Formosa Golden Horse Awards sent us an invitation letter!"

(End of this chapter)