1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 468 Wang Jiawei: Mentor Tan Jiaming

Unlike previous years when movie stars had to perform for the troops and curry favor with film companies, this year's situation is different.

The artists who came to the Golden Horse Awards ceremony this time came and went in a hurry. Zhai Yuan waved his hand, and half of the Hong Kong actors were surrounded by a crowd before returning to Hong Kong.

Only two external liaison personnel, Shi Nansheng and Zeng Zhiwei, remained at their home.

In contrast, the actors from other film companies, led by Chen Shilong, were still kept by Wang Yu and his ilk to reminisce and were forced to participate in some social interactions.

"oi!"

Outside the airport, Zhai Yuan turned around and waved to Chen Shilong and the others who had come to see him off: "Skinny old men, let's go together!"

"Hey!" Chen Shilong gave the middle finger from afar.

Hong Xinbao's chubby face was filled with envy. Thinking about how he would have to perform somersaults with his 200-pound body tomorrow, he couldn't help but mutter, "Jiuyi's confidence is really something else. He doesn't have to worry about anyone else's feelings. It makes me want to switch jobs."

“Okay~” Chen Shilong put his arm around his shoulder and teased, “Go and talk to Mr. Zou yourself.”

Hong Xinbao's features scrunched up instantly, and he shook his head repeatedly: "Forget it, I'm afraid Jiahe will offer me a hidden offer."

In a parallel universe, Hong Xinbao also switched back and forth between Jiahe and Debao. But now that Debao is gone, and even Jiu Yi and Jiahe can be considered to have a cooperative relationship, with the bosses of both sides having a close personal relationship, it would seem a bit foolish to keep switching back and forth.

Chen Shilong knew that his senior brother was currently losing money on two high-budget blockbusters, "Eastern Condors" and "Dragons Forever," while the box office of his smaller-budget films, "Dragons Forever" and "The Departed Lovers," had also fallen short of ten million. He was being sidelined by his company.

He patted the other person on the shoulder and comforted him, "Don't worry, you stood up for your junior uncle at the awards ceremony this time. Knowing his personality, he'll definitely support you."

"Damn it! Do I need anyone else to support me?" Hung Hsin-pao's face hardened, and he said bluntly, "I didn't even agree when Ah Dan (Yuen Kwai) invited me to film in Hollywood!"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll definitely be more impressive than Bruce Lee if you go to Hollywood." Chen Shilong chuckled and comforted him, then turned to the martial arts instructor beside him with his signature helpless shrug.

Just as Zhai Yuan and his group were queuing to enter the airport.

In the distance, a dark-skinned, lean man in a suit hurried over, occasionally turning back to urge a chubby little girl wearing sunglasses and a mask to keep up.

"Huh?" Huoxing, who was next to Chen Shilong, was the first to notice the man in the suit and greeted him, "Director Zhu, are you catching a flight too?"

Approaching forty, Zhu Yanping was slightly out of breath, his face covered in sweat. He had run so hastily that several buttons on his suit jacket were undone, and a wide tie had draped down to the back of his neck, making him look somewhat comical.

"Mars, Big Mouth, and the two elder brothers." Zhu Yanping swallowed hard as he greeted Chen Shilong and the others, then hurriedly asked, "Where is Mr. Zhai?"

Chen Shilong pointed to the airport gate: "You mean Zhai Yuan? He just went in..."

"Excuse me, excuse me!" Zhu Yanping said anxiously, and before Chen Shilong could finish speaking, he grabbed the sleeve of the girl next to him and rushed inside: "Quick, Wenjun!"

Five minutes later, Zhu Yanping pulled a girl named Wenjun into the VIP waiting area and finally met the group of artists from 91 Entertainment before the plane took off.

Years later, when Zhu Yanping recalled the scene of his first meeting with the big boss, he still couldn't forget his own embarrassment and Mr. Zhai's elegant composure.

In his memoir, he wrote: "Mr. Zhai was leaning against the sofa by the window in the waiting room, engrossed in reading an English financial magazine, occasionally taking notes with his notebook and pen. Other celebrities around him didn't dare to get too close, moving around quietly for fear of disturbing him. I think Mr. Zhai's achievements are absolutely inseparable from hard work..."

Just as Zhu Yanping entered the waiting room, he heard a cynical voice.

"When it comes to songwriting and composing, Taiwanese girls, I admire your singers from the island. They dare to sing any kind of song."

In the waiting room, next to the sofa chair by the window, Zhai Yuan had Zhang Manyu on his left and Wang Zuxian on his right, with several plates of stir-fried vegetables on the glass coffee table in front of them.

Liu Jialin walked over from the buffet table, placed a cup of coffee in front of him, and asked curiously, "No, I heard that Taiwan has very strict censorship."

“Yeah, don’t listen to his nonsense!” Wang Zuxian pouted, adopting an indignant attitude of speaking out for her hometown: “Is there anything bolder than your song ‘I Love Taiwanese Girls’? Our censorship here has always been strict. Your song goes against the good morals of society and will definitely be banned by the police headquarters! And that song of yours that was very popular in Hong Kong, ‘Night Colors,’ if it were a couple of years ago, if it dared to encourage young people to go to nightclubs, you would definitely have been arrested by the police headquarters!”

"I'm talking nonsense?" Zhai Yuan scoffed and said to Wang Zuxian, "I've heard a song from your side called 'Stealing a Kiss,' and the first line is 'You kissed my cherry lips.' Lyrics like that are incredibly outrageous all over the world! Don't the people of Taiwan consider hygiene issues?"

The surrounding area fell silent. The older artists, such as Josephine Siao, Law Ka-ying, and Law Koon-lan, put their hands to their foreheads, pretending they hadn't heard anything. Andy Lau and Tony Leung, among others, turned away, trying not to disturb their boss's flirting with the pretty girls.

Maggie Cheung and Carina Lau paused for two seconds, then lowered their heads, pursed their lips, and forced a smile, their shoulders trembling slightly.

The youngest member, Wang Zuxian, looked innocent and asked in confusion, "Yao Surong's song? She is indeed the queen of banned songs in Taiwan, but this song 'Stealing a Kiss' doesn't seem to have any problem, right?"

After saying that, she softly hummed two lines in her unique, soulful voice: "You kissed my cherry lips, I tasted a kiss for the first time... Is there a problem?"

When Liu Jialin whispered a few words in Wang Zuxian's ear, the Taiwanese girl's originally confused eyes widened in horror as she looked at Zhai Yuan in disbelief, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.

It was in this atmosphere that Zhu Yanping slowly pulled the girl named Wenjun closer.

“Mr. Zhai, my name is Zhu Yanping. Miss Shi instructed me to come and see you.”

Xiao Wang Jin and Zhu Yanping put on a smile and clasped their hands together: "Sorry for being late, there was a traffic jam on the way, a traffic jam."

"Old Zhu, right? It's alright, please sit wherever you like."

Zhai Yuangang was in a good mood after flirting with the Taiwanese girl, and didn't hold Zhu Yanping's lateness against him. He greeted him familiarly, "Sister Nan said you're helping the scholars with a new film? Anyway, the distribution and scheduling companies will arrange it. This film is our first collaboration with Cai Songlin, so we'll try our best to make it good for outsiders. You can also make any other requests; we're family now, after all~"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yanping repeatedly expressed his gratitude, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and seeing that Mr. Zhai did not seem like an unapproachable boss, he immediately took out the project plan for "Snow Is Burning" from his briefcase and said, "I also know that this film is very important. Mr. Zhai, you are the Midas touch in the industry. Here is the project plan for this film. If you have time, you can take a look and give some suggestions."

Xiao Wang Jin lives up to his reputation; even before the movie is finished filming, he has already included a publicity and distribution plan in the project proposal.

Zhai Yuan casually took the film and glanced at the synopsis. He had never heard of the title "Snow Is Burning," and the plot summary didn't seem particularly original. It was about a young girl from Taiwan who was sold to a decrepit old man as his wife. During her time there, she was raped and abused. Eventually, she fell in love with a death row inmate named Simon Yam. In the end, Simon Yam was betrayed by the old man and shot dead by the police. The girl then killed the old man and was sentenced to prison...

"A story written by Tan Jiaming? The quality has dropped a bit too quickly," Zhai Yuan muttered.

Compared to Patrick Tam's previous works, "Nomad" and "Final Victory," this film is clearly outdated and drawn out. Its excessive pursuit of the rise of female self-awareness completely overshadows the logic of the story itself.

On the contrary, it was the promotional text that Zhu Yanping wrote in the plan that made Zhai Yuangang's furrowed brows relax again.

'Golden Horse Award-winning director Wong Kar-wai's mentor, Patrick Tam, lends his heartfelt support to the film; with the teacher in charge, the student should give way!'

Everyone says the Chinese entertainment industry loves to ride the coattails of trending topics, and these veteran artists of this era are no exception. Even film critics can only say that Wong Kar-wai was influenced by Patrick Tam, but Chu Yen-ping goes straight to the point, blatantly piggybacking on Wong Kar-wai's recent Golden Horse Award win. "There's no point in creating these gimmicks. The story is so-so, and its only commercial elements are softcore pornography and an extramarital affair. It might have a market in Taiwan, but it would definitely flop in Hong Kong."

Zhai Yuan casually tossed the proposal back to Zhu Yanping. Seeing that the other party still wanted to say something, he was too lazy to listen to his explanation. He waved his hand to shut Zhu Yanping up, leaving him standing there awkwardly.

"Let me think about it first."

Zhai Yuan leaned back on the sofa and pondered for a moment. Cai Songlin, as the second film distributor to come over, should still be given preferential treatment. If a scholar wants to boost his reputation in Taiwan with a film, he can't rely on Zhu Yanping. Although he is known as "Little Wang Jin", he is still far behind Wang Jin. His career peak was only a few episodes of "Shaolin Popeye" with Lin Zhiying. Apart from releasing films quickly, he has no other advantages.

Taking him to Hong Kong was to prepare for my short film.

“How about this?” Zhai Yuan looked at Zhu Yanping again: “You call your boss later and ask him to come up with some production funds. I have a movie that’s currently in production. Let’s give Cai Songlin a chance to have his academic company listed on it.”

Zhu Yanping paused for a few seconds, then tentatively asked, "Mr. Zhai, may I ask what movie it is? That way I can explain it to Mr. Cai."

"Afraid I'll rip you off?" Zhai Yuan rolled his eyes and said, "Adapting Jin Liangyong's 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,' with Xu Ke as director and Brigitte Lin and Jet Li as the main cast, your boss is incredibly lucky!"

Upon hearing this lineup, Zhu Yanping finally breathed a sigh of relief, and pretended not to hear the last sentence.

"director……"

A timid voice sounded from the side. The girl in sunglasses and a mask who had been following Zhu Yanping all along asked cautiously, "So, are we still going to film my movie 'Snow Is Burning'?"

Zhu Yanping frowned, afraid of disturbing Zhai Yuan, and said in a low voice, "Go back and wait for my notification. I will contact you again when there is another opportunity."

Cai Songlin got a role in "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," so there was no need to continue filming "Snow Is Burning," which was rejected by Zhai Yuan. Fortunately, the filming of this movie had only just begun, so interrupting it now only required paying the director and actors for their travel expenses.

Zhu Yanping had seen too many of these kinds of things, but the girl next to him was clearly experiencing it for the first time, and she froze on the spot upon hearing this.

Seeing that the other party did not leave, Zhu Yanping made a shooing gesture again. The girl took a few steps back, then stopped and looked at Zhu Yanping. However, she was wearing sunglasses and a mask that covered her entire face, so her expression could not be seen.

Seeing this, Zhai Yuan laughed and spoke up to defuse the situation: "She's the female lead in 'Snow Is Burning,' isn't she?"

"Yes, Mr. Zhai." Zhu Yanping smiled somewhat awkwardly and explained, "This is Han Nanzi's first time acting, so I specially brought her to see you. I originally thought she would be the female lead, so it's inevitable that she'll be disappointed."

The other actors present all turned their attention to the girl.

Wang Zuxian looked at the girl. She had just glanced at the synopsis of "Snow Is Burning" next to Zhai Yuan and already knew it was a softcore pornographic film. She couldn't help but advise, "Little sister, that's how the acting industry is. You're still young. Why don't you go back and study for a couple more years before considering entering the industry? Even if you make movies in the future, you should choose suitable themes."

Seeing this, Zhai Yuan glanced at her with amusement, thinking, "You're an art school dropout, yet you're lecturing others."

Liu Jialin rolled her eyes and said in a low voice, "These young girls nowadays, they haven't even started filming yet, but they're already putting on airs. They're wearing sunglasses and masks. If you didn't know better, you'd think we were their bodyguards and servants."

"Miss Liu has misunderstood. Wenjun was injured while filming."

Zhu Yanping's smile grew increasingly awkward as he winked at the girl.

The girl named Wenjun hesitated for a moment, then gently took off her sunglasses. Everyone, including Zhai Yuan, suppressed their smiles.

Under her sunglasses, the girl's right eye was bruised and swollen, and as she took off her mask, one cheek was also swollen, with blood scabs still remaining on her lips.

Then the girl bowed deeply and said softly with apology, "I'm sorry everyone, I didn't mean to act like a diva."

All eyes turned to Liu Jialin.

Liu Jialin blushed and said: I deserve to die!

“Mr. Zhai, the production cost of ‘Snow Is Burning’ is not high, so all the actors used are newcomers.”

Chu Yen-ping chuckled and said, "The first scene had to depict her being beaten. Neither the actor playing the old man nor Wen-jun had any acting experience. Tan Chia-ming wanted it to be realistic, so it was all real beatings, and we had to do dozens of takes..."

Wang Zuxian, also a newly debuted Taiwanese actress, had tears welling up in her eyes when she saw the girl's pitiful state.

Other Hong Kong celebrities weren't particularly affected. Putting aside their extensive experience, the girl in front of them looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, and she was already playing the leading role right from her debut. This starting point already surpassed 99% of actors. It was hard to say who would feel sorry for whom.

"You take acting quite seriously." Zhai Yuan paused for a moment, then smiled again: "You want to be an actor?"

Wenjun pursed her lips and nodded vigorously.

Zhai Yuan looked the girl up and down. She was a little chubby, which made her figure look pretty good, and her face still looked youthful.

Although her face was injured, her delicate features were still visible, but Zhai Yuan did not recall anyone by that name.

He laughed and said, "You're going to take your clothes off, pretty girl? You look like you're underage, how come you're filming this kind of movie?"

Wenjun did not answer directly, but emphasized, "This... Mr. Zhai, I am already seventeen years old."

Upon hearing this, Zhai Yuan shrugged and then beckoned Zhu Yanping to bring over the script of "Snow Is Burning," which he glanced at.

He then looked up and smiled at the other person, saying, "Well, I'm flying to Hong Kong soon. Overall, I've had a good time in Taiwan, so I'll do you a good deed and fulfill your wish. Old Zhu, let Tam Ka-ming continue filming this movie. With the distribution channels like Kuaibo, it won't be a loss. Let this pretty girl continue dreaming of making movies!"

After his initial surprise, Zhu Yanping quickly said to Wenjun, "You should thank Mr. Zhai."

Zhai Yuan waved his hand, and seeing that it was almost time to board the plane back to Hong Kong, he stood up, stretched, and casually asked, "Your name is Wenjun? I hope to see you again in the film industry in the future."

“Mr. Zhai, her surname is Zhao, and her name is Zhao Wenjun.” Zhu Yanping smiled and followed closely behind Zhai Yuan, explaining, “However, Tan Jiaming made Ye Tong famous and also changed her surname to Ye. Her current stage name is Ye Quanzhen.”

Zhai Yuan suddenly stopped and turned around to take a closer look at the girl standing there.

Amidst the astonished gazes of Ye Quanzhen and his colleagues, Zhai Yuan picked up the script for "Snow Is Burning" for the third time and tore it to shreds.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Zhai Yuan casually stuffed the torn manuscript paper into Zhu Yanping's arms and said seriously, "I still think it's inappropriate for her to be making this kind of erotic film at her age. As a filmmaker, you should have professional ethics. How can you scholars choose this kind of film? You should reflect on yourself!"

Just as Ye Quanzhen's heart was about to sink to the bottom, she saw Zhai Yuan wave to her, smiling broadly, and say, "Let's go back to Hong Kong together. It's just that you want to be a star, you don't need to make Category III films, I have plenty of opportunities over there, pretty girl..."

(End of this chapter)