Abstract Art Award Winner

Zhou Le had never met Zhao Wenzhuo in real life before, except for watching some of his movies when he was a child and his relationship with Mei Yanfang.

After that, Zhao Wenzhuo's resources in the industry plummeted, and he even developed a rift with Zhen Zidan.

According to the information Zhou Le has so far, it was Zhen Zidan who acted like a diva and changed the script on set, but Zhen Zidan later shifted the blame to Zhao Wenzhuo.

At the time, Zhou Le was still in school and didn't know, but he later made a point of learning about it after meeting Yang Mi.

In 2010, Zhao Wenzhuo and Zhen Zidan had a conflict. Yang Mi was the first to stand up for Zhao Wenzhuo. However, because Zhen Zidan was involved in the Hong Kong entertainment circle and had a high status and wide network of connections there, Yang Mi was blacklisted by the Hong Kong entertainment circle after that.

Zhou Le's impression of Zhao Wenzhuo was limited to some information he could get on the internet. He didn't know much about him, only that he had dated Mei Yanfang and that Leslie Cheung had always been a mentor to him in the industry.

He didn't know Zhao Wenzhuo, but he knew Yang Mi very well.

Yang Mi is a career-driven and tactful person who can navigate various situations with ease. The fact that she would risk being blacklisted by the Hong Kong entertainment circle to publicly take sides, especially with Zhao Wenzhuo who doesn't have many resources, speaks volumes.

"Back then, Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui both said that Zhao Wenzhuo was too upright, which made him vulnerable in the entertainment industry. If either of them were still alive, Zhao Wenzhuo wouldn't have been bullied like this."

That evening, Su Yingxia was worried that Zhou Le would be bored at home alone, so she made a special trip over and brought some late-night snacks with her.

The two ate and chatted at the same time.

"Yes, it's a real pity. There aren't many action stars in China to begin with, and Wu Jing has already changed careers. Although he still makes action movies, he seems to have found his niche since Wolf Warrior."

He mostly films dramas with a strong sense of national and familial sentiment, but if Zhao Wenzhuo had continued his success, his status would probably be quite high.

"Yes, 10 years ago was the golden age of Hong Kong entertainment, but even though it was already the end, Yang Mi's decision to leave the mainland market and go to the Hong Kong circle speaks volumes."

Back then, what right did mainland artists have to act like divas in Hong Kong?

"It doesn't matter. Although I haven't met Zhao Wenzhuo and Zhen Zidan, I know Wu Jing. Wu Jing's personality is somewhat similar to Zhao Wenzhuo's. I don't think two people who both dislike each other can be any better."

"That's true, but I think it's just that you became famous relatively late. If you had debuted at the same time as them, you would probably still be close to the two of them. And in those days, you might have had to learn kung fu too."

If you were to run into a fight between the two of them, your voice would probably be louder than anyone else's, and Zhen Zidan would probably yell at you until she finished off you.

Listening to Su Yingxia's analysis, Zhou Le stroked his chin and thought for a moment: "It seems that, given my personality, I would indeed do that."

After chatting for a while and finishing his meal, Zhou Le took a shower and went to bed. Although Su Yingxia came today, Zhou Le didn't dare to do anything reckless. After all, he was going to film a video with Wu Jing and Zhao Wenzhuo tomorrow. Both of them were incredibly stubborn, and who knew what standards they would hold him to?

Don't let yourself become a spineless coward, that wouldn't look good.

After a good night's sleep, Zhou Le got up early the next morning feeling refreshed and drove to Wu Jing's place.

Wu Jing found a martial arts school near his home and rented it for a day.

It's so that everyone can learn from each other and chat sometime.

When Zhou Le first met Zhao Wenzhuo, he thought the man looked very upright.

"Hello Brother Zhuo, it's an honor to meet you. You were my idol when I was a kid. I loved watching your kung fu movies back then, and I still do now. Maybe for others, becoming an actor was inspired by movies like 'Flipped', 'The Shawshank Redemption', or 'Forrest Gump'."

My introduction to acting was through your roles as Nie Feng in "Wind and Cloud" and later as Su Qier.

Wu Jing stood to the side, speechless at Zhou Le's words. He had heard them at least twenty times in person.

It has basically become Zhou Le's catchphrase.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Wu Jing always mentions you to me. Actually, I've always wanted to meet you." Zhao Wenzhuo was indeed very polite. Although he was a senior, Zhou Le's status in the industry was not to be underestimated.

Besides, he's not an arrogant person; he's down-to-earth. If someone is capable, they'll naturally earn his respect. If someone isn't capable, he might not have come at all today.

"Brother Zhuo, you flatter me. Back when I was in school, all my classmates liked you. Today, my dream has finally come true. Can I take a picture with you later?"

"No problem, no problem."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while in the martial arts hall, and then both changed into their training clothes.

Zhao Wenzhuo is 176 cm tall, while Zhou Le is 186 cm tall, a difference of 10 cm. Moreover, Zhou Le is more muscular.

But when you roll up your arms, just looking at the muscle texture on your forearms, it's obvious that Zhao Wenzhuo's is much firmer.

Wu Jing's eyes darted around, and suddenly he thought of something.

"By the way, senior brother, Zhou Le also practices martial arts. We sparred before, and I couldn't beat him back then. But you are my senior brother, so your strength is definitely stronger than mine. Anyway, the main purpose of today is for everyone to get together and chat, and the second is to help Zhou Le promote his new drama."

"Why don't you two have a friendly spar? I'd like to see a clash between your two schools of thought."

Zhao Wenzhuo was indeed quite interested. Although Zhou Le was in a higher weight class, he was very confident in his own kung fu skills. He thought that no matter how long Zhou Le practiced, it wouldn't last, since he hadn't started learning martial arts from a young age.

Upon hearing that Zhou Le had previously defeated his junior brother, Zhao Wenzhuo felt even more excited.

Zhou Le's face immediately fell: "Brother Jing, you might as well kill me. You know my moves. It's fine if I bully someone like you who's not very mobile, but against Brother Zhuo, it's just one-sided beating."

"You can't say that. I was a national martial arts champion back then, you know? When people talked about Wu Jing back then, everyone said he was a good fighter."
"If you can beat me, it proves you have the skill. Let's spar. You wanted to improve today, didn't you? My senior brother is not only a national martial arts champion but also a national-level martial arts athlete and a martial arts coach at Beijing Sport University. A few pointers from him would be more useful than me talking to you all day."

Seeing that Wu Jingdu had said so, Zhou Le had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

"Brother Zhuo, why don't we put on our protective gear?"

Zhou Le was a little scared. Before coming, he had checked online and found that Zhao Wenzhuo was known for his seriousness and would really go all out when filming.

But Wu Jing chimed in, "Le'er, you're so much taller than my senior brother, and you still need to wear protective gear. Besides, aren't you underestimating him? Can a martial arts instructor hurt you? My senior brother knows how to control his strength, unlike that other guy."

"It's okay, I'll hold back a bit when I fight you, it's just to exchange blows."

Wu Jing, who was taking pictures with a camera, nodded vigorously.

"Alright, then Brother Zhuo, you have to go easy on me."

Zhao Wenzhuo naturally said no problem: "But you've practiced before, right?"

"I've practiced a little bit, but it's nothing real kung fu. At most, it's just some low-level street fighting techniques."

"Haha, you're too kind. I'll fight you with Tongbei Fist in a bit."

Zhou Le didn't know much about kung fu. Although he had always wanted to try making action movies, he hadn't had many opportunities. Although there were many action scenes in "Joy of Life," they were mainly for performance. Soon, the two got into fighting stances. Zhao Wenzhuo suggested that Zhou Le go first, and Zhou Le naturally didn't hesitate, throwing a punch straight at the face.

Zhao Wenzhuo dared not be careless in the face of this punch, after all, Zhou Le's height and weight were obvious, and this punch was aimed directly at a vital spot.

At first, he didn't think Zhou Le could be that good, but he also didn't think that Zhou Le only knew some street fighting moves. If that were the case, Wu Jing wouldn't have praised him so much.

But now it seems that what Zhou Le said was right.

Isn't that what street fights are like? They do whatever they can, without any rules or strategy.

After a simple parry, Zhou Le immediately followed up with a groin kick, but Zhao Wenzhuo responded with ease, first dodging the kick by sidestepping it, and then sweeping out a whip kick in return.

Zhou Le's eyes saw the move clearly, but his body didn't know how to react for a moment. He subconsciously reached out to block, but before he could stop the opponent's leg, he was hit on the thigh by this whip kick.

"what!"

In an instant, Zhou Le felt as if he had lost all feeling in his leg and collapsed to the ground.

"Brother Zhuo!"

Zhou Le shouted.

Wu Jing, who was standing to the side, was already laughing uncontrollably.

"No way, you only took one hit? Your ability to withstand blows isn't that good either. Weren't you pretty arrogant when you fought me before? I still remember the first time we met when you came to my place for an internship more than two years ago."

I suggested we have a friendly spar, but you told me to be quick-witted.

Zhou Le sat on the ground hugging his legs, unable to stand up at all; he felt that his entire leg was numb.

“Brother Jing, how can that be the same? You are disabled, but Brother Zhuo is in his prime.”

"Don't give me that, my senior brother is several years older than me."

"That's not the same. If you had these skills back then, would I have been so arrogant in front of you?"

It took Zhou Le quite a while to stand up.

"Want to continue? Brother Zhuo hasn't even shown the real Tongbei Fist yet."

"Come!"

Zhou Le thought that since he had already been beaten either way, he might as well see what real kung fu was like.

After Zhou Le's instruction, Zhao Wenzhuo also demonstrated the true Tongbei Fist, and with a swing of his arm, one could even hear the wind.

What seemed like a light, casual flick landed on my arm, but it was excruciatingly painful.

Zhou Le couldn't take it anymore after practicing for only five or six minutes.

"I can't take it anymore, I need to catch my breath. Brother Zhuo, tell me the truth, how much of your strength did you use just now?"

Zhao Wenzhuo was indeed straightforward; when he heard Zhou Le ask this question, he even thought about it seriously.

"If I had to give a figure, it would be about 30%."

Zhou Le: "."

"Brother Zhuo, we were just having a sparring match, but could you teach me a few real kung fu moves? I really need to learn that."

"Sure, what do you want to learn? I'm best at swordsmanship, spear fighting, and boxing. I know about three hundred different styles of boxing."

Zhou Le felt dizzy just hearing the number. He would be fine when it came to solving problems, but these 300-plus sets of boxing techniques sounded incredibly difficult.

After all, the only martial art Zhou Le had ever learned that could truly be considered boxing was the military boxing he learned in middle school physical education class.

"That Tongbei Quan from earlier was really impressive, and it was very powerful and expansive. I really liked it."

"This is quite difficult, but I felt that your basic skills were good. Although they are not particularly professional, you have the physical fitness. I can teach you some moves."

But you must remember that these skills cannot be used on ordinary people, because ordinary people cannot withstand them. Modern martial arts mainly focus on strengthening the body and training one's will.

"Brother Zhuo, I understand. I dislike conflict with people the most."

Wu Jing rolled his eyes as he listened.

"Brother Jing, what do you mean? You don't believe me? Let's practice together after I finish learning."

"Come on, I'm not sparring with you. I'm still injured and have to go to the hospital for injections from time to time. How can you bully a disabled person like me?"

"I'm sorry, and Brother Jing, I just remembered, didn't you do something like this before? I remember you arranged for two martial arts masters to spar, one was good at the upper body and the other was good at the lower body. Because you were relaying the message between them, they didn't wear protective gear and ended up rubbing their arms and legs."

"Hahaha, that's not true. Who told you that? It's pure slander."

"There's absolutely no way I could be wrong; I remember this very clearly."

At this time, Zhao Wenzhuo also testified.

However, despite all that, Zhou Le still learned some classic moves of Tongbei Quan from Zhao Wenzhuo.

Moreover, Zhao Wenzhuo discovered that Zhou Le learned very quickly. He could understand how to exert force after being told the basic techniques once, and he could learn the slightly more complex ones after being told and demonstrated two or three times.

"Zhou Le, you have amazing talent. If you were in our time, with a good teacher, you could have made a name for yourself in the martial arts world."

Zhao Wenzhuo squatted down as he spoke: "Besides, you have a good personality, so you'll definitely be more popular than me."

"Hey, I'm just shameless, but I've found that sometimes the more shameless I am, the more I'm willing to befriend people like Brother Jing and Brother Zhuo."

Zhou Le said this and thought about it, but he didn't think Zhao Wenzhuo was living a bad life. His past fame had already allowed him to accumulate enough wealth, and he now owned at least a dozen properties.

Although Zhou Le sometimes felt that Zhao Wenzhuo's resources in the industry were being suppressed, their relationship wasn't that close yet, so Zhou Le only admired the character and skills Zhao Wenzhuo had shown so far.

As for truly deep friendships, none can compare to Wu Jing. (End of Chapter)