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

Chapter 408, the movie begins, each person's burdens and ideals—

At this moment, I'm sitting in the movie theater.
"Have you finished watching my film 'Let the Bullets Fly'? What's your opinion?"

Lu Chuan pondered for a moment, then talked at length about things like his desire to express himself and the depth of his thoughts.

Li Xuan only said two words.

"nice."

Looking at the two people's evaluations of him.

Jiang Wen watched the beginning of "Dying to Survive" on the big screen.

Through visual dynamic art.

To explain all the principles.

Ideas and morality are presented under the guise of happiness.

Jiang Wen really enjoys expressing himself.

Expressing himself made him happy.
"Many people think that my directing career started with that conflict in 'Hibiscus Town'," Jiang Wen joked with a smile. "But actually, I had that idea when I was reading 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' as a child."

Lu Chuan and Li Xuan listened quietly to Jiang Wen speak.

In fact, neither Lu Chuan, his apprentice, nor Li Xuan, his friend, knew much about his past.
"Back then, when you were in 'Hibiscus Town,' Director Xie directly scolded you and told you, 'If you're so good, then you do it,' and you actually did it." Lu Chuan still knew about this incident.

"Hahaha, that's the most well-known story, but the reason I clashed with him is actually because I was too eager to 'express' myself, which led to this whole situation."

Jiang Wen smiled faintly.

"Then, when I worked with Zhang Yimou on 'Red Sorghum,' I realized something—this old guy isn't necessarily any better than me. If he can do it, why can't I?"

In other words.

He can be 'number one'.

Why can't I?

If I can do it, why can't I—take his place?

Ambition, dominance, madness
This is the attitude that Jiang Wen "pursues".

He was aiming to replace someone.

They went for the title of 'number one'.

"Let the Bullets Fly" is a work that brings together all these things: ideals, ambition, aspirations, and the desire to express them.
Ambition, madness, and domineering spirit intertwine and combine to form the ultimate work.
This represents the peak of his desire to express himself.
Jiang Wen believed that no one who watched the work would question its quality or its potential achievements.
Let the bullet fly for a while.

Therefore, whether it's "The Last Supper" or any other work, Jiang Wen has only boundless confidence and domineering spirit towards this work that took ten years to complete.

Trust in your own work and the achievements you can make
The one who felt it the most was Lu Chuan, who seemed somewhat dejected. There was a time when he thought he could surpass his master. Even though he had achieved the highest level of awareness and understanding during the filming of "The Last Supper," he still had a certain feeling after watching "Let the Bullets Fly."

I had underestimated my master's talent before.

It can be seen clearly.

I am still far from being a top-tier director.

Completely wash away arrogance.

But he also knew.

Jiang Wen himself needs to work hard to catch up.

After all, he was his master, the teacher who had the best chance of replacing Zhang Mouzi.

What I need to focus on is the present.

Li Xuan.

“I come from a film family; three generations of my family have been in the film industry. I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.”

Lu Chuan's voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

But in the quiet screening room, waiting for the film to begin, the sound clearly reached Li Xuan and Jiang Wen's ears.

Jiang Wen didn't speak, but a faint smile played on his lips as he looked at the big screen.

Li Xuan listened quietly.

"The resources that others dream of are readily available to me. Directors that others would fight tooth and nail to meet are frequent visitors to my home."

There was no boastfulness in Lu Chuan's tone.

There was only a deep, bone-deep peace.

Or rather, it's exhaustion.

“From the moment I picked up the camera, everyone told me what kind of person I should be and what kind of movies I had to make.”

"I have to be the future of the Beijing entertainment circle."

"I have to carry on the banner of the seventh generation of directors."

"I have to win."

“When I was working on ‘Looking for a Gun,’ people said I had your shadow in me.” Lu Chuan glanced at Jiang Wen: “Because that was indeed my debut work, which you polished for me, but it was also the work that paved the way for me. In fact, back then everyone called me ‘Little Jiang Wen.’”

"That's a movie I directed, of course I know."

Jiang Wen made no attempt to hide the fact that this was a photo taken under his pseudonym.

Everyone knows.

Lu Chuan's statement was neither convincing nor unconfirmed.

"That's why I made 'Kekexili'."

"I want to prove that I am not anyone's shadow, I am who I am."

“I succeeded. That year, I won many awards. Everyone said that I proved myself.”

Lu Chuan chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"But only I know that I have simply jumped from one cage into an even bigger one."

"That cage is called 'The Glory of Beijing's Circle'."

"When I made 'City of Life and Death,' I wanted to capture the complexity of history and the distortion of humanity under extreme circumstances. I think I made it very well, so I sent it to Tokyo."

"Then……"

Lu Chuan paused.

Then, Li Xuan's "Nanjing Photo Studio" appeared.

It was like a sudden, heavy punch that slammed into his face.

Using the simplest, most basic, and even the most "low-level" perspective, it stirred the entire market and won everyone's tears and resonance.

His film, *Nanjing! Nanjing!*, has become embroiled in endless controversy.

Born at the wrong time.

"At that moment, I realized that everything I had—my family background, resources, connections—was worthless in the face of an absolute masterpiece."

"You are like a mirror."

Lu Chuan's gaze finally shifted from Jiang Wen to Li Xuan's face.

"It revealed my weakness, my arrogance, my... ridiculousness."

“I have always believed that I am fighting for art and for ideals.”

"Until your speech at Peking University."

"I just realized that I've been fighting for the circle, for fame, for those ephemeral things."

"I am not a creator."

"I am merely a symbol pushed to the forefront to maintain the face of an old era."

Lu Chuan took a deep breath.

At that moment, his entire demeanor seemed to undergo some kind of transformation.

He was no longer tense or reserved.

It was an unprecedented ease and sharpness, as if all burdens had been lifted.

"After watching 'Let the Bullets Fly,' I know that my mentor is still the same mentor, and he is the goal I will always strive to reach."

He nodded slightly to Jiang Wen.

Jiang Wen raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Then, Lu Chuan's gaze once again locked onto Li Xuan.

The previous complexity and confusion were gone from those eyes.

Only one thing remains.

Pure, without any impurities...

win.

"Teacher Wang Shuo recognized me, and Teacher Tian Zhuang affirmed me, because of 'The King's Feast'."

"But I wanted to make 'The Last Supper' just because of you, Li Xuan."

"I have never known what I want so clearly before."

"I don't want to prove anything to anyone anymore."

"I only want to beat you."

"It's that simple."

"I will use my own work to win against you fair and square."

Jiang Wen also began to look at this young apprentice with new respect.

He could sense that Lu Chuan had truly changed.

The person in front of me is no longer the heir who carried the pressure of the entire Beijing entertainment circle.

Li Xuan.

Li Xuan looked at Lu Chuan, at the raging flames burning in his eyes.

He suddenly laughed.

"Okay."

He only said two words.

But these two words are more powerful than any grand pronouncements.

Jiang Wen, who was standing to the side, finally smiled too.

He looked at the two young men in front of him with great interest.

interesting.

So interesting.

This is the scene he wanted to see.

Instead of a group of people getting together, everyone getting along well and creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Movies should fucking be full of tension!

Everyone has ideals, burdens, reasons, and desires that they cannot afford to lose.
"Finished?"

Jiang Wen spoke lazily.

"Let's watch a movie after we've finished talking."

He had barely finished speaking when… *Whoosh—*

"Dying to Survive".

The movie has officially begun.

There was no rousing background music, nor any grand scenes.

The first shot shows a messy, even somewhat dirty shop.

A shop selling Indian herbal oil.

The signboard looked cheap, and the lighting was dim.

The camera zooms in, and the whole store is greasy.

There was an Indian deity statue hanging on the wall, its expression ambiguous, looking rather sinister.

Cheng Yong, played by Li Xuan, is dozing off on the counter.

He looked disheveled, his hair was a mess, and his shirt collar was yellow.

It reveals only two words from beginning to end.

It has a sense of failure about it.

Luther,

"Not bad, this image is very down-to-earth, it feels like looking in a mirror." Jiang Wen said jokingly at this moment, with that unique loser's tone.

“You’re not a failure at all,” Wei Ming said, looking at Jiang Wen.

Jiang Wen just laughed and didn't say anything more.

But at least.

He felt that this image gave him an unparalleled sense of identification, a very strong sense of identification.

A phone call came in; the nursing home was urging him to pay.

Cheng Yong responded impatiently, and with just a few words, he perfectly portrayed the embarrassment and shamelessness of a middle-aged man.

The screening room was very quiet.

Jiang Wen, on the other hand, found the character setup and atmosphere at the beginning quite interesting.

He thought that Li Xuan would have to put on airs and make his films too heavy when making realistic films.

As a result, in the first few minutes...

The camerawork is very lifelike, even with a touch of self-deprecating dry humor.

Humor serves as the underlying tone of the film.

The last person to successfully create a realistic story using humor as a foundation was Stephen Chow.

At least they get along well with each other.

This style and subject matter.
Lu Chuan's breathing was very light.

He looked at it more carefully.

He discovered that in this chaotic shop, there was a reason why everything was placed in a particular spot.

The idol, the greasy counter, the chair with peeling paint...

When these things come together, they create an aura.

The aura of a loser that belongs to the character Cheng Yong.

Without needing a single line of dialogue, the audience understands at a glance.

This is what Li Xuan said at Peking University: tell stories with images, not words.

He paid more attention to Li Xuan's technological breakthroughs.

Soon, the first conflict scene arrived.

Cheng Yong's ex-wife, along with her new husband who is a lawyer, came to fight for custody of their son.

Cheng Yong panicked and rushed forward, intending to attack.

As a result, the seemingly refined lawyer shoved him to the ground with a single backhand motion.

They had no strength left to fight back.

He looked utterly pathetic.

"puff."

In the screening room, someone couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Jiang Wen's lips curled up slightly.

This is such a terrible shot.

A grown man's pride was so easily shattered and trampled on.

No emotional appeals, no complaining.

It's for you to see.

Look how useless and ridiculous he is.

advanced.

Jiang Wen mentally gave it a two-word evaluation.

He started to take it a little seriously.

Li Xuan is indeed quite capable.

He's not imitating anyone.

He has his own rhythm.

A rhythm that looks loose but is actually frighteningly accurate.

Got here.

The protagonist's motivation and the story's logic are then established.

She had a custody battle with her son, her father was in a nursing home demanding money, she was living a failed life, and was even diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia.
All of this was pushing him to ask for money.

He needs money.

Very necessary.

The shop door was pushed open.

A man wearing three thick masks walked in.

The man was very thin, hunched over, and looked sickly.

He walked cautiously, even somewhat timidly, to the counter.

"boss……"

When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, as if he was about to run out of breath.

"Is there a business opportunity you'd like to take?"

The camera was focused on the man's face.

When he took off his mask.

A collective gasp filled the screening room.

Lu Chuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Jiang Wen's usually nonchalant smile froze instantly.

It's him.

Chen Kun.

but……

That's not Chen Kun.

Jiang Wen squinted at this moment.

He had only finished filming "Let the Bullets Fly" not long ago.

He knew Chen Kun's face very well.

In his film, Chen Kun plays Hu Wan.

A handsome man who is insidious, cunning, and has a touch of evil.

He was the center of attention just by standing there.

But the person on the screen...

who is it?

That face was sallow and withered, with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes like two black holes.

That kind of haggard look can't be created with makeup.

That lifeless aura only comes when a person is completely drained from the inside out by illness.

The way he looks at people...

No, that wasn't a gaze.

That was the feeling of struggling in the darkness for too long, and then suddenly seeing a glimmer of light—a mixture of longing, fear, and humility… a desperate plea.

Jiang Wen unconsciously sat up straight.

He felt a chill down his back.

He recalled visiting the set of "Dying to Survive" and seeing Chen Kun, who was so thin he looked unrecognizable.

At the time, he just thought the kid was really going all out.

Now, as he sits in front of the big screen watching this scene.

Only then did he truly understand what Chen Kun had done.

He wasn't "acting" as a patient.

He transformed himself into that patient.

"Fuck me..."

Jiang Wen was slightly surprised.
He recalled a scene in "Let the Bullets Fly" where he asked Chen Kun to portray the madness of someone who had been wrongly accused.

Chen Kun acted very well.

Their skills and explosiveness are impeccable.

But Jiang Wen knew that beneath that madness, Chen Kun was still clear-headed at heart.

He's still the same star, Chen Kun.

But now.

The person on screen has no skill.

There wasn't even a trace of him "acting".

He simply stood there, humbly, and with all his might, asked:
"Is the boss interested in this way to make money?"

(End of this chapter)