Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 441 Calm and Composed
As night fell, Wenyu River Mansion exuded understated luxury amidst its tranquility.

Along the driveway of the estate, the indicator lights on the infrared fences glowed faintly red in the darkness, and the security system operated silently.

The heavy, ornately carved gate slowly opened after recognizing the license plate, and the head of the dual-income family returned home.

As Boss Lu drove past Afei's residence, he beeped twice to signal his presence, and then the lights in the bedroom on the second floor went out.

Xiao Liu, who was in the study of the villa, also heard the noise and snapped out of his reverie while reading the novel "Under the Hawthorn Tree".

The wide path leads through the six-meter-high living room and straight to the study on the second floor.

The double doors at the end of the corridor were ajar, with a sliver of soft light leaking through the cracks, mingling with the scent of sandalwood bookshelves and a faint aromatherapy fragrance.

"You're back?" Liu Yifei curled up by the sofa armrest, a slender leg peeking out from under her white dress, her fair skin, as white as fresh snow, was bathed in a honey-colored halo from the floor lamp.

"I'm back. I rushed here, I promised you eleven." Lu Kuan took off his suit jacket and casually draped it over the armrest of his chair. "What's all the mystery about? You have to tell me in person?"

"There's no rush. Let me make you a cup of tea first, and then I'll tell you slowly."

Boss Lu stood in front of her and suggested, "How about we take a shower and talk in bed?"

"Get lost, we've never had a proper conversation in the bedroom."

With a playful expression, Xiao Liu lazily lifted her sleepy eyelashes, reached out and used her body language to coax Lu Kuan into picking her up. After getting her wish, she rewarded the man with a kiss, then slapped away the washing machine's restless hand before walking barefoot to the tea table.

The celadon teapot danced between her fingers, the boiling water releasing a rich, aged aroma. Liu Yifei carefully brought back a cup, then snuggled into his arms like a clingy little devil.

In the face of important events, one must remain calm; the young woman chose to begin with a joke.

"Ah Fei will have a romantic encounter today."

"Huh? This kid's finally figured it out?"

"But he was like a silly goose, pinching that girl's wrist until it turned blue."

Boss Lu blew on his tea and said, "Oh, it must be because the woman is too ugly. It's not his fault."

"whispering sound!"

Liu Yifei said coquettishly, "You really are protective of your own. But it's not entirely his fault. That girl also approached him intentionally. She's a minor actress from Huayi."

"what is it call?"

"Zhao Liying, do you remember playing a supporting role in your drama 'Tangshan'?"

"No, what's wrong with her?" Boss Lu looked at his fiancée with curiosity, his clear eyes full of sincerity.

Zhao Liying is from Langfang. She was selected by Yu Feihong, the assistant director of the "Tangshan" crew, to be an extra with a frontal shot. At that time, she was in Chengdu borrowing period props from the movie from Fan Jianchuan.

The reason for not mentioning the washing machine is not because we are afraid to mention Yu Feihong, but because we are afraid to mention Zhao Liying.

Let bygones be bygones.

However, Yu Feihong's "Love Comes Again" has been in production for more than half a year, and he was even invited to see the sample footage in the middle of the process.

Lu Kuan was just too busy with work to pay his respects (a heartless act of mourning).

Yu Feihong served as his assistant director on "Shoplifters" and "Tangshan". At that time, Boss Lu started a war of words with the Beijing circle led by Huayi Brothers. Yu Feihong did a lot of work and said a lot of good things in the middle.

If she can implement the standardized filming process she learned from these two films and control the budget well, even if the film doesn't do well at the box office, she won't suffer such a huge loss as she did in her previous life.

After all, the theme of "love between a human and a ghost" is out of step with the market.

Liu Yifei lowered her gaze slightly and relayed the secret that Zhao Liying had discovered word for word.

"Yang Mi only has 3% of the shares, which is not worth mentioning. I didn't expect that it might have alerted them. Is it alright?"

Lu Kuan waved his hand: "I already asked him for 10% of the shares directly, what is Yang Mi's little bit?"

"However, if we follow Zhao Liying's logic, Wang Dajun will obviously respond."

He frowned and said, "If there is no response in the near future, it's either because Wang Dajun doesn't trust this top female artist of Huayi, or Yang Mi herself has ulterior motives and chooses not to tell you."

"Yang Mi? No way, right?" Liu Yifei didn't have any illusions about this fake best friend; she just didn't think there was any benefit in her being betrayed.

Especially after witnessing firsthand the short-legged little turtle's situation that morning.

If Bingbing might make an irrational choice out of hatred, then Da Mimi has no reason to do so.

"She might not, but she's not in control of her own destiny now. Otherwise, how did she get the role in 'The Forbidden Kingdom'?"

Boss Lu sipped his tea and said, "He who eats another's food is bound to him; he who takes another's money is bound to him. Do you think Chiang Kai-shek didn't want to punish corruption back then? But his foundation was the Jiang-Zhe financial clique led by the Song faction. How could he possibly deal with his own brother-in-law?"

Liu Yifei was taken aback, then immediately recalled the time before she left for the United States last year, when Yang Mi and Xu Duojin asked her to introduce her to her boyfriend. This second-generation coal miner, Xiao Xu, might not be as simple and honest as he appeared on the surface. (Chapter 396)
"Aren't you worried at all? What if Fan Bingbing..." Liu Yifei chose to temporarily ignore Da Mimi, who had a relatively minor impact on the situation, and went straight to the heart of the matter.

“Worrying won’t help.” Lu Kuan sat opposite his girlfriend, his hands clasped together, supporting his chin.

"Fortunately, it's still early. The financial crisis is getting worse, and Huayi's only way out now is to continue to tie itself to Ali and Wendy Deng."

"The percentage of shares we will hold at that time will depend on the outcome of the bet proposed by Fan Bingbing and Zhou Xun last time. Everything is in flux."

"However, with these ten points and Xinlang's shares in hand, the initiative is in our hands."

Boss Lu laughed and said, "Go and look at Huayi's shareholder list now. As long as it's not settled, this matter will never be a done deal. You can't really see what each person is really like."

"With the enemy at the gates, wouldn't Ma Yun cut her losses and try to survive? Would Feng Xiaogang be so loyal as to follow Huayi down with him? Including Fan Bingbing?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Never place your hopes on human nature. Sometimes we can't even control our own thoughts, so how can we expect others to remain consistent?"

"Ultimately, it all comes down to the balance of power between the two sides. As long as Wenjie maintains an overwhelming advantage and cuts off their path to survival, even enemies will become friends, albeit friends who fawn over them."

"In the past, we let them grow and contribute to the domestic film industry. The next two years will be the time to gradually close the net."

Liu Yifei pondered for a moment, trying to digest the subtext of those words:

“I understand. Just like the assertion in ‘On Protracted War’ about the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses and my own, this is the dynamic plasticity of the balance of power.”

Compared to his initial panic followed by composure upon hearing the news, he clearly possessed a more calm and strategic mindset.

At this moment, Xiao Liu couldn't help but think of the same situation before his birthday on August 25, 2005.

A leading actress, facing a potential predicament, chose to take a risk, ultimately almost resulting in a lose-lose situation for all three parties due to a single photograph.

Liu Yifei went to North America, Bingbing was dealt with horribly, and Boss Lu also faced the risk of his plan being exposed. In the end, the problem was only solved by pretending to force her to hand Zhou Jun a knife.

Clearly, after that incident, he became highly vigilant and would not make any decisions or judgments based on fickle human nature.

Liu Yifei's gaze fell on the man's profile as he turned the pages of his book. The warm light from the desk lamp cast a pale gold glaze on his jawline, and the shadow cast by his brow bone made his eyes appear even more profound.

His long, slender fingers moved across the pages, his knuckles occasionally pausing and tapping at certain paragraphs.

The girl knew that it was his habitual gesture when he was thinking, like a chess player weighing the force of placing a piece.

Liu Yifei teased and probed, "Aren't you disappointed? You could have easily gained both wealth and people, but now you have to rack your brains and proceed cautiously."

The washing machine, though seemingly aloof, actually said: "No regrets! I'm a rational person. You think I truly love you? That's a math problem!"

"Getting you would be a win-win situation for me, as you are more financially and personally attractive than Fan Bingbing. Your earning power will only surpass that of Fan Bingbing, and it will only grow stronger over time. Why wouldn't I want to?"

Xiao Liu pouted and looked at her boyfriend with disdain: "You mean this thing about smoking that stuff? Is it legitimate?"

"We'll see if it's legitimate or not once we try, haha!" Lu Kuan downed his tea in one gulp, grabbed his screaming fiancée, kicked open the study door, and headed for the bedroom.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, especially today is May 520th, I must make sure to make my girlfriend squeal with delight!
The next day, after swimming and having breakfast, the working couple chatted in the car on their way to work. Suddenly, Liu Yifei remembered her arrangements for Zhao Liying.

"Do you think this is appropriate? Or, to be on the safe side, should we terminate her contract and let her leave now?"

Boss Lu laughed and said, "Just stay put. She's practically invisible right now, but she might just be able to come in handy later."

"Yang Mi wears her shrewdness on her sleeve, while Zhao Liying, based on your description, wears my eagerness to improve on her sleeve."

"The entertainment industry is full of diverse faces, which is quite interesting. What's the point if everyone in the world is the same?"

"But you're quite right. After Jang Nara and Tang Wei, there aren't many actresses with round faces in mainland China. It's a promising field."

Liu Yifei nodded: "I think she's quite smart, good at assessing situations, doesn't lose her head at crucial moments, and also has a ruthless streak."

Mr. Lu smiled but didn't say anything. He couldn't very well confine his girlfriend to a fixed area of ​​activity; everyone has their own circle of friends and work.

Moreover, given Liu Yifei's current level, even Bingbing is completely suppressed by her invincible benevolence, so what is a little Zhao?

When they were still an intersection away from the Olympic Building, Liu Yifei suddenly rested her chin on his shoulder, her chestnut hair falling onto his dark gray suit.

She blinked her doe-like eyes, a mischievous dimple appearing at the corner of her lips, and looked at her boyfriend expectantly: "You can see what's written on their faces, so what about me? What do I have written on my face?"

Washing Machine cleared its throat, tilted its head and whispered in their ear in a voice only the two of them could hear.

The hot breath he exhaled was both itchy and numb, yet the words he uttered were utterly rebellious—

"Excessive indulgence in sex."

"I'll punch you..."

Lu Kuan was prepared. After speaking, he firmly restrained his savage girlfriend, preventing her from moving. Liu Xiaolv could only grit her teeth and get angry again.

The latter struggled to break free but dared not use too much force, and the struggle between the two caused the entire car to sway back and forth in front of the red light.

Afei frowned repeatedly as he looked at the dog food spilled in his rearview mirror, glancing out the window to avoid the annoyance. But seeing that the traffic police seemed to have noticed the situation, he quickly took out his Olympic Building pass to show it to them. The traffic policeman looked at the license plate, car logo, and pass, saluted, and left.

The cold-faced bodyguard watched the couple, who were always playing around, speechless. In the past, the car was as clean and refreshing as if it had been washed and spun in a washing machine, but now he could smell the sour stench of love more and more.

After much coaxing, Boss Lu finally managed to calm his girlfriend down. Ignoring Afei's presence, she retorted sharply, "You're the one who's going overboard! Look at your dark circles, you're almost as dark as Zhang Yimou!"

"If I overdo it, you'll be scrapped, haha." Washing Machine joked, then quickly changed the subject: "Have you decided when to get the marriage certificate?"

"Hmph! We'll see! If I'm not happy, I won't take it!"

"It's a deal?"

"I'll kick your ass!" Xiao Liu laughed, wrapping his arms around his neck and hanging onto the washing machine. "I need to think of a special day so that you'll be sentenced to a life sentence with a wife from now on!"

"Okay, we'll wait for your verdict." The car stopped in front of the Olympic Building, and Lu Kuan gently pecked her lips:
"Zhang Yimou called me early this morning. I guess he's already read through 'Under the Hawthorn Tree.' I think this deal will work out. It all depends on how he gets Zhang Weiping on board."

Xiao Liu rested her arm on the car window and looked up at him with surprise: "I skimmed through the book last night, so I'll leave work early today and come over to hear your discussion, you two great directors."

Boss Lu patted the car door, signaling Afei to drive: "Okay, let's go."

As we move into the latter half of May, there are less than 80 days left until the opening ceremony.

The journey of a hundred miles is only half complete at ninety. Whether it was Lu Kuan, who was well-prepared for the difficulties of the final sprint, or the other members of the production team who suffered repeated setbacks and spent every day in anxiety, they all experienced a "difficult journey."

To paraphrase Zhang Heping, the head of the working group, in an interview after the opening ceremony of the modern Olympic Games:
The entire 2008 Olympics involved more than 200 days of rehearsals and dozens of dress rehearsals, but not a single one went smoothly without any mistakes.

The only time was on August 8th.

Whether you call it divine intervention or a long-term effort finally paying off, the period from May to August was a period of "worse than death" for all the staff in the creative team.

The people in the conference room remained solemn, even Marvin, who loved to joke around, looked melancholy.

"Let me raise a few questions, which are the most critical issues that Director Zhang and I believe urgently need to be addressed after our repeated rehearsals."

"The first issue is that the 2008 performers in the 'Singing and Dancing' program were not well synchronized with the rhythm and lighting. Our technical team needs to continue to work on solving the problems of insufficient LED brightness and the actors' movements not keeping in sync with the music."

"From what we've seen so far, it's feasible to work with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation to address the brightness issue by customizing an anti-interference high-intensity light module to improve the light source."

Lu Kuan looked at Chen Qigang: "Director Chen, what are your thoughts on the music and training rhythm?"

The latter frowned: "Director Lu, Director Zhang, actually this rhythm and music timing is like a teleprompter on a live show. We can't do it in front of so many audience members right now, so we have to find another way."

"What I'm thinking of is using lighting to guide the rhythm, what do you think?"

Boss Lu said helplessly, "2008 actors are all warriors. They can't even keep up with the drumbeats of the music while wearing headphones. How can you expect them to understand the lighting? Do you think that's realistic?"

He was somewhat dissatisfied with Chen Qigang. When it came to music, he could have easily found a way to re-arrange the rhythmic and clear drum beats from the headphone prompts. Why did he think of throwing the problem away?

Zhang Yimou bluntly criticized, "Old Chen, this won't do. Although there have been major events in China recently that have affected everyone's mood, your progress is just too slow!"

Boss Lu then tapped the table lightly and launched into a series of pronouncements, and the two-person skit began again: "Work discipline is work discipline, and no one is exempt!"

"When a problem is raised, the person directly in charge and the program director should have a basic response plan within three days, provide a practical solution within five days, and ensure that the next rehearsal and training reflects the improvement within a week."

"Director Chen, can you calculate what day it is now?"

Chen Qigang was sweating profusely from the words, and his already disheveled hair made him look even more dejected, yet he couldn't muster any rebuttal.

First, I was in the wrong; second, the two people opposite me were too authoritative.

He might argue that he can't solve the problem, but the two directors could come up with a new idea and slap him in the face.

If even he, Lao Chen, can't be a specialist in his field, then what's the point of him occupying the position of music director and just filling a vacancy?

The production team won't give him the chance to rest on his laurels after the Olympics.

However, what Director Chen didn't expect was that the chief director actually had other ideas.

He wanted to work with Zhang Yimou to reject "Me and You," which had been favored and approved by several leaders, and instead choose "Friends Forever."

The latter was a collaboration between Italian composer Giorgio Morodel and Chinese musician Kong Xiangdong. Morodel was the composer of "Hand in Hand" at the Seoul Olympics.

The theme song for the previous Olympics was finalized in early May. This time, it has been delayed until now due to the unexpected absence of the chief director, Lu Kuan. The final draft will be completed in the next two or three days.

There are different ways of doing things in different countries, and just because an individual dislikes or doesn't like them doesn't mean they don't exist.

For example, the selection of the theme song began in August 2007, and like the opening and closing ceremony proposals, it was divided into two categories: those from the public and those from designated organizations.

Chen Qigang himself is not problematic as the designated recruitment unit, but he is also a judge. Although the final selection is anonymous, who can be kept in the dark?
The problem is that during the time Boss Lu was away, the higher-ups expressed their approval.

The choice is now in the hands of the production team. What should we do?
How can we objectively choose another work that both Lu Xun and Zhang Yimou approve of, while ensuring that the leaders are satisfied, Chen Qigang himself has nothing to say, the authority of the directing team is guaranteed, and the team atmosphere is not disrupted?
It's very simple: break down the music director's aura of authority and objectively point out some of his attitude problems in his work.

Every discussion in the creative team must be documented. Gu Yun will also continue to follow up and film the documentary in a few days. Director Chen's oversights on many musical issues, including the drumming and singing program, cannot be hidden from others.

In fact, he was also Tan Dun's temporary replacement last year, and his process of joining the director's team was somewhat complicated.

Under China's unique social system and institutional rules, handling such sensitive decisions requires following the approach of "using procedural justice to mask substantive intentions." Now that the production team has pointed out Director Chen's inaction on certain issues, the leadership will be hesitant to support his "Me and You" project and will naturally back down.

The people in the conference room had no idea of ​​this; they still thought it was just a routine questioning from the young director.

"Director Chen?" Lu Kuan prompted him again to provide a solution.

"It was my oversight. I will definitely resolve the issue completely within three days!"

"Three days? Tonight is the first full dress rehearsal, and you're telling me it will take three days to resolve this? Do you even think that's reasonable?"

Chen Qigang stammered, unable to speak, and no one dared to speak up for him.

In just two years, Lu Kuan, who was not yet thirty, had become an absolute authority.

Boss Lu said in a deep voice, "I have a suggestion. From now until tonight's dress rehearsal in Daxing, there are still fourteen or fifteen hours. Please have Director Chen implement it immediately."

Chen Qigang wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and hurriedly opened his notebook: "Director Lu, please give instructions."

“I talked with Director Ji Gang yesterday, and our idea is to break down 2008 into 64 teams of 32 people each, with each team having a ‘human metronome’.”

"Since the soldiers' musical skills are insufficient, we selected specialists from the PLA Academy of Arts to be integrated into the team and serve as guides."

"But the training of these 64 people can only be handled by Director Chen. I think that's much easier than training 2008 people, right?"

Chen Qigang nodded in agreement.

Lu Kuan and Zhang Yimou exchanged a glance, both seeing disappointment in each other's eyes.

It's not that this music director lacks ability; it's just that he's been focusing all his attention on getting "Me and You" nominated lately.

Zhang Yimou, having received a hint, continued to press: "Old Chen, let's talk about the music issues of 'Silk Road' again? It's becoming clear that there's a huge gap between the arrangement and the rhythm of the wire dancers."

"When the wire dancers flip in the air, the climax of the music is disconnected from the movement by at least 0.8 seconds."

He pulled up the rehearsal video and pointed to the moment the dancers took to the air: "Here, the pipa tremolo should have been used to take over the strong notes, but the harp glissando is completely ineffective."

"Tell me, what should we do?"

Chen Qigang sighed inwardly, muttering that he had no excuse to make, and thought that he would privately report to the two chief directors during lunch.

Unfortunately, this path was also blocked—

The two directors did not have lunch in the cafeteria, but instead used the excuse of discussing the film to hold a meeting in their office behind closed doors.

Two boxed lunches were spread out on the coffee table in Lu Kuan's office. Zhang Yimou broke apart a pair of disposable chopsticks, smoothed out the rough edges, and first picked up a piece of cold toon sprouts.

"Hopefully, Lao Chen can figure it out himself."

In May, Beijing is at the peak of the season for tender toon sprouts. The purplish-red buds are coated in sesame paste and have a crisp, slightly bitter flavor when chewed.

Lu Kuan blew on the steaming shepherd's purse and tofu soup: "He's capable, but he's too cunning."

"Listening to the theme song as soon as possible is also a good thing for him. He can focus on doing his job well, and that achievement is no less than that of a song."

"That makes sense." The old man stuffed a piece of elm seed cake into his mouth. It was steamed by the canteen chef according to a Shaanxi recipe, made with freshly picked elm seeds mixed with cornmeal, steamed until soft and bluish.
“Of all the intellectuals, how many don’t want to leave their names?” Zhang Yimou didn’t eat much. He immediately wiped his hands and picked up his own ballot and opinion form.

About the Olympic theme song.

"Xiao Lu, let me see yours, let me see how you wrote it."

"I wrote it as soon as I got to the office in the morning, sandwiched between 'Under the Hawthorn Tree' and Chen Qigang's work. "I had to get it right so that Chen Qigang wouldn't lead it astray."

Chen Qigang's overall approach is to emphasize that Olympic music should avoid "frivolous and formulaic expressions" and instead pursue "delicate and sensitive Chinese emotions," which is consistent with the director team's overall design concept for the opening ceremony: "to move away from mass tactical approaches and slogan-based approaches."

Everyone has their own selfish motives, and this indirect approach is just a way to remind him, not to abandon our comrade.

Zhang Yimou looked at Lu Kuan's comments on the two songs:
Most Olympic theme songs feature rousing and passionate melodies. "Me and You" is composed using a minimalist pentatonic scale, with a light and gentle style that lacks a climax. The lyrics are repetitive and monotonous, and the melody lacks memorability and singability. It is not recommended to choose this song.

"Forever Friends" retains the rousing rhythm of an international style while incorporating Peking Opera elements, aligning with the creative direction of "internationalizing Chinese elements." With "friendship" and "struggle" as its themes, the catchy chorus easily evokes collective resonance, meeting the requirements of large-scale sporting events for mobilizing collective emotions. It is recommended as a choice.

After revising his assignment and finishing the materials, Zhang Yimou flipped through "Under the Hawthorn Tree" again, then turned to his junior at the Beijing Film Academy and smiled, "We're going to have to stay up all night for rehearsal tonight, so we'll have some time to talk about the script."

“No problem, Xiao Liu will come over tonight too.” Lu Kuan glanced at his watch: “Go to the meeting, we’ll talk in detail tonight.”

Zhang Yimou stood up: "Let's go."

(End of this chapter)