I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 313, it turns out this 'substitute' who replaced Andy Lau is so strong!
At this moment, the creators of "Protégé" are on the other side.

It actually feels quite subtle.
Li Xuan
She holds a very important position in the cast and crew of "Protégé".

Absolutely! No one can forget this status. Li Xuan was an actor, and even served as the 'assistant director' of "Protégé".

As the most skilled at generating buzz in the entire crew, he doesn't seem to be acting; he seems like a real person who has returned from the Golden Triangle.

It looks incredibly flavorful.
I was deeply impressed, especially by Wu Yanzu. After reflecting on it for so long, I have an even stronger feeling—working with Li Xuan was a wonderfully exhilarating experience.

“Actually, I also have a movie that’s being released, called ‘The Four Heavenly Kings’,” said Ah Zu, raising his hand.

Those who excel in speech can guide others.

Many actors eventually end up on this path.

The path of exploring upstream in the chain of interests.

"Haha, that's great. After watching my 'Protégé' this time, I'll go see your two works."

At this point, Er Dongsheng burst into laughter.

He also greatly admired Li Xuan and Wu Yanzu, two "prodigies".

The desire to explore is one.

The ability to explore, courage, and charisma are all indispensable.

The ability to turn dreams into reality.

Ah Zu and Li Xuan are both excellent.

Adopt the attitude of a senior.

What's interesting this time is that...

Both Li Xuan and Wu Yanzu have original works being released this time.

They all seem to have a sense of ignorance and fearlessness.

"Azu seems more like he's just dabbling in it, while Li Xuan seems quite serious, even getting President Xiang to handle the publicity for him."

At this moment, Er Dongsheng touched his chin.

However, even for a serious Li Xuan.

For Er Dongsheng, it was merely a side dish for seasoning.

It doesn't matter what Li Xuan does.

"You certainly have the air of a senior figure."

At this moment, Andy Lau, who was standing next to him, smiled slightly and teased Derek Yee about his current state.

"Li Xuan is a talented guy. His understanding of the script is so thorough that it's like a monster. And most importantly, he can convey that feeling to others. As an assistant director, he has the most genius talent."

Er Dongsheng was extremely generous with his praise.

Even this time.

All of Li Xuan's disciples were appointed as assistant directors.

This is what he deserves.

As a seventh-generation director, countless people dream of appearing in the assistant director section of his works.

Andy Lau also noticed it.

Er Dongsheng cherishes talent.

Same as myself.

They wanted to use psychological tactics to win over this talented person.

All of this demonstrates Li Xuan's potential.

And after recognizing the potential.

Naturally, the thought was to take it down.

As one's right-hand man.

"However, you may have underestimated how much Li Xuan cares about your title as assistant director. This time, he has a film he is in charge of releasing. I have spoken with him, and he is very confident."

I recall the time at the revolving restaurant.

The confidence that Li Xuan exuded.

Maybe.

There's a one in a million chance.

This time, it's a battle of the titans in the schedule.

This seventh-generation director.

His work can truly shine.

"Then I'm looking forward to it."

What they say.
However, how much of Derek Yee's true expectation lies deep down is another matter entirely.
Er Dongsheng will definitely go and help Li Xuan out later—maybe Li Xuan will remember his kindness and bow down to him?
With our combined strength, we're sure to be invincible!
In the promotional materials for "Protégé", Daniel Wu was still in the center position.

This time, it was only then that producer Chen Kexing took notice of "Protégé".

"Your attitude towards your 'second son' is truly appalling."

Finally, I saw Chen Kexing showing concern for "Protégé". I only watched the promotional part, and didn't even watch the final cut.

All their energy and effort were devoted to "The Warlords".

"I'm just trusting you to handle everything, it's not because you think the 'second son' has a bad attitude."

Chen Kexing corrected this point entirely out of trust in him.

It's not that I'm talking nonsense; Derek Yee is a top director in Hong Kong.

The only difference between them and Chen Kexing is that Chen Kexing has a good father.

Chen Kexing's father, Chen Tongming, was one of the behind-the-scenes driving forces of Hong Kong's golden age of cinema, and was the head of Shaw Brothers' publicity department back then.

He is a true "second-generation director," and his resources are quite abundant.

“Your box office performance won’t be bad either. With Wu Yanzu in it, this box office result is definitely guaranteed.” Chen Kexing said from the side at this moment: “It’s just a bit of a pity that Andy Lau didn’t act in it.”

Oh, so that's why.
From a box office perspective, Joe Chen alone is indeed significantly less effective than Joe Chen plus Andy Lau.
"From a box office perspective, there is indeed a difference in appeal, but in terms of the difference in the finished product, it may not be as big as you imagine."

Derek Yee's words seemed to indicate that he was very optimistic about the final product's quality.

Chen Kexing's approach was somewhat perfunctory, while the all-star cast of "The Warlords" deserves more effort.

Er Dongsheng, who was standing nearby, didn't say anything more about it.

"The Warlords" certainly deserves more attention, given the large amount of investment.

At the same time, they were also astonished by Jet Li's "foreign monk" salary of 1 million yuan, which was even a "friendship price".

Seriously speaking, the price of the Kung Fu Emperor should be 1.2 million.

Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro received salaries of 1600 million and 1200 million respectively.

Goodness, the money saved from the friend's price could hire Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro together.

This price is absolutely outrageous.

It's true that Hollywood's prices are outrageous. One person's salary is equivalent to the investment of a large project, and the production and investment managers still think it's worth it.

After all, the word 'international' is incredibly tempting.

A market of one billion people.

And the recognition of a market of nearly 10 billion people.

From China Film Group and Huayi Brothers in mainland China to Universe Entertainment in Hong Kong, they all dream of exporting their products and fighting on the big battlefield.

Derek Yee knew why Chen Kexing was so eager to achieve success; he also wanted to put together a big-budget production.

A film that, without the exaggerated scale of Jet Li's works, is capable of being exported.
Therefore, he urgently needed "The Warlords" to gain recognition.

Everyone has their own pursuits.

Let's see how this bayonet fight goes.

Who will be king?

At this time, Liu Yifei and Gao Yuanyuan both came to the premiere of "Protégé".

While Gao Yuanyuan may not be a particularly well-known figure, Liu Yifei is a household name.

'International Star'

There's a very young international star in mainland China, who's been promoted by Jet Li and Jackie Chan.

Even the media and the production crew showed more enthusiasm for Liu Yifei than for Li Xuan, one of the lead actors in "Protégé".

This made Gao Yuanyuan realize very directly just how big the gap in status is between international and domestic celebrities.
The difference was indeed quite significant.
at this time.

The premiere of "Protégé" was also very crowded.
Reporters from various media outlets and online media were all present.

They are eagerly awaiting the upcoming release.

However, most of them came for Wu Yanzu.

At this point, even Hong Kong entertainment reporters had begun to utilize their deeply ingrained spirit of spreading rumors and started compiling newspapers.
If you don't spread rumors, are you still a Hong Kong newspaper?

That can't be done.

Spreading rumors is naturally an essential part of it.
[Andy Lau dropped out of the show; the plot is a mess]

No wonder, given the motorcycle-themed plot, it's all about a newcomer who got in through connections.

[The two actors deliver a stunning performance, with Daniel Wu dominating the scene!]

"Zhu Pi, send these news articles to the appropriate place."

The movie hasn't even started yet. Negative news has already spread and will likely be in the papers soon.

"Don't say anything carelessly, especially when Hong Kong entertainment reporters come to you. They are very good at misinterpreting what you mean. If they ask you anything, just ignore them."

"Oh, okay, Azu."

Li Xuan was reminded of this.

The integrity of Hong Kong entertainment reporters has always been well-known.

Li Xuan was a little curious—if I don't speak, they won't talk nonsense?

Azu shook his head.

No, they'll still talk nonsense even if you don't say anything.

What's the difference?
There is a difference—at least you won't regret saying too much.

"Well, just pay attention."

Wu Yanzu paused for a moment and then said, "The movie is about to start."

at this time.

Wu Yanzu was also watching the big screen.

Let's see how I compare to Li Xuan on the big screen.

Live performances and on-screen portrayals are two completely different things.

Your outstanding performance on set doesn't guarantee the same level of performance on screen.
Azu understood this point deeply.
Can I win?

We can't win.

But we won't lose.

Wu Yanzu deeply understood this point.

At least his good looks should give him a lot of points.

The movie begins with Wu Yanzu's exquisitely beautiful face.

He's so handsome it makes you wonder why someone with that face would go into drug trafficking? Or become an undercover agent for drug dealers?

Don't you think it's too conspicuous?
This sense of incongruity is real and tangible.

The source of this sense of incongruity comes from Wu Yanzu's overly handsome appearance, which makes most people wonder why he would sell cosmetics. Even if he were wearing the most unfashionable casual shirt, he could still be spotted in a crowd at a glance.

At the beginning.

He was "shipping" drugs, which also revealed his identity. He wasn't a real drug addict, but an undercover police officer working for a major drug lord named "Lin Kun".

I've been following this for many years.

A story of black and white fighting, and an undercover operation that lasts for three years and then another three.

Even serious media outlets have begun to offer their assessments.

The lead actors are handsome, but the plot is old-fashioned and corny, featuring both a battle between the police and criminals and a combination of undercover agents and cops.

The current focus is on whether the director can create something different, and whether the actors can deliver a different performance.

That's the point that "Protégé" should focus on.
but.

When Li Xuan appeared.

It still made people feel it.
accident.

This time, the promotional poster used Li Xuan's original pre-makeup promotional photo, which also highlighted his handsome appearance.

This can be considered one of Derek Yee's 'unscrupulous' acts.

In a free market, a little fraud isn't too much to ask, is it?

At this moment, Li Xuan—also known as Lin Kun—appeared with a sallow complexion, pale lips, white hair, and a face full of wrinkles, looking like a middle-aged man plagued by illness.

In terms of actual age, he looks like he's a generation older than Ah Zu.

Although still handsome, it's definitely the result of being distorted or made ugly.

Or rather.

They abandoned one of their most powerful weapons.

Image.

Among the younger generation of actors, there aren't many who dare to do this.

Abandon your own advantages.

Focus on fitting the character's image.

And that weakness and illness.

It doesn't look like acting at all.

It doesn't look like one at all.

Drug lord.

In the public eye, drug lords are either cold-blooded and ruthless or smiling tigers with a dangerous look. The big shots in the industry have perfectly portrayed these images.

I've never seen this one before.

An ordinary electronics store owner, suffering from diabetes and needing a kidney transplant, complains about long waiting times at public hospitals despite constantly talking about his hundreds of millions of dollars in American immigration.

I've been waiting for this kidney for three years and then another three years.

How ironic.

The drug lord has no kidneys.

The reason is quite simple.

Dare not use it.

Despite being ostensibly the owner of an old electronics store, he only dares to drive an old Mercedes from the 90s.

It's 2006 now.

Your car is almost bigger than me.

The rebellious daughter made sarcastic remarks.

He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Extremely rebellious.

Lin Kun, the father, angrily slapped the cigarette away.

"What's so great about cigarettes? They smell so bad, what's so appealing about them?!"

Lin Kun looked like he was about to have a heart attack from anger.

Then Ah Zu, who was standing next to him, chimed in.

What about the white powder?

The camera freezes on this moment.

The screen freezes for about three seconds at a time.

Those three seconds felt like an eternity.

Li Xuan and Azu exchanged glances.

"What about drug use? Why do people use drugs?"

Facing Lin Kun's direct gaze.

Ah Zu lowered his head, but was still asking questions.

Why do people use drugs?
At this moment, Li Xuan in the shot turned his head away.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know. Business is about supply and demand; if there are buyers, there are sellers."

At this point, the drug lord became increasingly agitated.

"Smoking causes cancer, and so many people still smoke. I didn't advertise it, I didn't lie to them, and I didn't force them. They chose to smoke, so what does it have to do with me? It has absolutely nothing to do with me."

"Let me tell you, you must never get involved with them. When their addiction kicks in, they can't say anything or do anything, acting as if we've done something wrong. It's all their own fault, it's entirely their own fault!"

Why are you so angry?

"Who's angry? Who's angry? You're crazy."

Regarding long shots.

The image freezes on Lin Kun holding his forehead, whether from illness or because he was overwhelmed by Azu's outburst.

Very magical feeling.

As a drug lord, he actually accepted questioning from his underlings.

This means he knew it himself.

I was wrong.

I know that selling heroin is a wrong thing to do.

This character development brought the character of Lin Kun to life.

It turns out that even wicked people, knowing they are doing evil, can feel remorse.

original.

This is the person who replaced Liu Dehua.

His acting skills are amazing.

(End of this chapter)