This actor has something

Chapter 332 Changes
He Daqi didn't know how to explain it. His first reaction was that two companies had clashed, no, it was three companies clashing, including his own.

Then his eyes turned strange as he secretly observed Feng Kuzi's reaction, wondering to himself: You old bastard, you wouldn't be trying to mess with Zhang Yimou too, would you?

Thinking of this, and especially noticing the looks that came from everyone else because of Lin Jianyue's question, He Daqi tentatively observed everyone's reactions while explaining, "Director Feng's script seems to have the same theme as the drama I'm taking on in the first half of next year. Let me clarify first, I haven't been to Director Feng's newly established production team, and I didn't know the script was like this before, so it's just a coincidence, not a deliberate coincidence."

Now all that's left is for the lawyer to review the contract and sign it. Since everyone in this room is now considered one of their own, He Daqi didn't hold back and laid everything out on the table.

This is interesting...

Hearing He Daqi's explanation, the crowd reacted in different ways, but curiosity clearly dominated the majority.

"Daqi, would it be convenient for me to take a look at your script?" Feng Kuzi asked first after thinking for a moment when no one responded to He Daqi.

He was extremely anxious. The two kings were not very willing to invest in the Night Banquet project in the first place, and now this unexpected trouble had occurred. Especially since the Night Banquet crew had just started filming, there was still time to turn back. So Feng Kuzi was a little afraid that after returning from Yonghui Qiming today, the two kings would nag him again and cause the project to be canceled.

After all, if their projects clash, it's really hard to say who will win. It's not that Feng Kuzi is being modest, but if he were to actually try to compete with He Daqi, he would be a little scared.

Seeing He Daqi get up and go out to get the script, Feng Kuzi's mind was racing.

Is it possible to get He Daqi to give up the Yonghui Qiming project altogether?

Or... to put it more directly, if the scripts really overlap a lot, could I just use He Daqi's script and then have He Daqi play the lead role?

Thinking about the second possibility, Feng Kuzi felt it was more and more reliable. After all, He Daqi himself said that he was scheduled to shoot this movie in the first half of next year, so wouldn't it be a win-win situation for both parties to work together?

Feng Kuzi's eyes gradually brightened.

It took He Daqi less than two minutes to go out and come back. Yonghui Qiming had already prepared the script. He casually asked Liu Ying and got a stack of them. He didn't even count how many copies there were. He just tucked them under his arm and came back.

Back in the meeting room, he casually tossed the scripts onto the table, where they slid far away, lining up one by one.

It was quite convenient; everyone took a book and started reading. Even Lin Jianyue joined in the fun, happily taking a book as well.

I was stunned from the very beginning. The script is titled "Royal Palace Mayhem"? What the heck?

Feng Kuzi suddenly realized that the perfect strategy he had just come up with wasn't entirely unchangeable, because looking at the title of the script in his hand, an unreliable aura immediately came over him.

Fortunately, everyone present was quite calm, and no one directly criticized the name as being somewhat abstract; they decided to read the content first before making a judgment.

The two CEOs closed the script after reading it for a short time. They had also read the script for "The Banquet" and could confirm that the two plots were very similar by flipping through a few pages, so they didn't need to do much comparison.

Feng Kuzi was different. Because of his earlier thoughts, he was reading He Daqi's script very carefully, wanting to compare the differences in details, and then discuss whether the two companies could co-produce it.

"It sounds a bit like a thunderstorm. Also, who came up with this name? Why is it called 'Royal Palace Melee'?" Wang Jinghua was flipping through the pages when she looked up and saw that no one was speaking, so she broke the silence with a smile.

He Daqi touched his nose, looking embarrassed, and said with a smile, "I came up with this name by chance. I plan to change it later. The project hasn't been planned yet, so the name doesn't matter."

The name was indeed chosen randomly to lull the New Pictures side into a false sense of security. He Daqi's preferred name was actually "After the Flowers Bloom, All Others Wither," which was a direct competitor to New Pictures' "Curse of the Golden Flower." He planned to change the name when the film was about to be released, emphasizing the element of surprise.

However, a problem has arisen now. He had planned everything perfectly, but he never expected that Feng Kuzi's banquet would also have a similar plot.

It's also He Daqi's own fault. Feng Kuzi invited him countless times, but he refused to watch the actual plot of The Banquet, and now this mess has happened.

"Daqi, uh... our scripts are indeed quite similar. How about this, let's set aside our differences and collaborate on a film? I'll direct and you'll star, and we can discuss the specific details." Feng Kuzi finally revealed his perfect plan.

If it were truly an unintentional coincidence that the scripts overlapped, He Daqi might have agreed. Unfortunately, that's not the case now. This movie is meant to counter the new narrative. If it were a collaboration with Feng Xiaogang, what would be the point of countering it? You can't exactly convince Feng Xiaogang to clash with Zhang Yimou, can you?

He Daqi didn't rush to answer Feng Kuzi's suggestion. Instead, he was torn about whether he should tell Feng Kuzi that he and Zhang Yimou had actually written the same script.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to give a subtle hint and then see how to handle it later.

"Director Feng, you can actually continue filming The Banquet. I originally wanted to revise the script. I feel that after I revise the script, our two companies won't have to worry about the same subject matter anymore. But what I'm about to say is not a guarantee, just something I mentioned casually. The reason we originally wanted to revise the script is because we heard that Zhang Yimou's new project has a similar plot to ours. Yes, don't look at me like that, I'm not kidding. We even asked around and found out that it really is similar. That's why I was so surprised when I saw your script today."

The news provided by He Daqi made Feng Kuzi's eyes widen in surprise.

The two Wangs weren't much better off than Wang Jinghua; they both looked at He Daqi with the same surprised expression.

Wang Jinghua asked with some uncertainty, "I remember that the movie 'Pants' started preparations last year, right? Zhang Yimou's 'Curse of the Golden Flower' was only announced this year, right? How could these two clash?"

"Perhaps it's just a coincidence," He Daqi said, shrugging.

At this moment, Feng Kuzi was already cursing in his heart.

Isn't this a ridiculous coincidence? It coincided with both He Daqi and Zhang Yimou? There aren't many profitable films made in China, yet they all happened to coincide?

His mind was in turmoil, and Feng Kuzi's thoughts were a jumbled mess, making it impossible for him to calm down and think things through carefully.

"Kids, how about we do what Daqi did and revise the script too?" Boss Wang was a little worried when he saw Feng Kuzi's blank look. This was Huayi's brand, and he didn't want Feng to do something rash and end up smoking here today.

"No changes! Why?! I was the first to do it! Whether it was finding people to research, setting up a project, or even referencing foreign classics, I was the one who acted first. Why did it turn out like this? Why should I change it just because it has the same theme as mine?" Feng Kuzi immediately shouted.

It's supposed to be a game for three, so why am I the one bent over and crawling in front? Feng Kuzi felt a little wronged.

Having already reminded him and fulfilled his obligations, He Daqi now comforted Feng Kuzi without any qualms, quite hypocritically. "Director Feng, calm down. I can't be sure the plot of 'Curse of the Golden Flower' will definitely be like this. Why don't you ask someone to check before making any plans?"

Hearing He Daqi's advice, Xiao Wang nodded in agreement and said to Feng Kuzi, "Yes, Kuzi, don't rush. Since the Golden Armor project has been approved, it must have passed the review. The script should have a backup at the review site. I'll ask someone to inquire for you when we get back."

"Hmm," Feng Kuzi responded noncommittally.

The morning sun was shining brightly, casting its light through the window onto a corner of the conference table. Reflected by the gleaming surface, the light became somewhat blurry and shone on half of Feng Kuzi's face, vividly illustrating the meaning of unpredictable mood swings.

The image has a really good feel to it, so much so that He Daqi was leisurely pondering that he might be able to use this lighting technique to create a shot in the future.

The three people from Huayi were quite happy when they arrived, thinking about the prospects of a powerful collaboration and imagining many wonderful things.

I felt a little melancholy when I left. The "Night Banquet" project had already started filming, and whether we stopped it abruptly or pretended to be deaf and dumb and finished filming, there would be losses.

Stopping the filming would mean financial loss, while continuing to film would damage Feng Xiaogang's reputation.

This is really upsetting...

After signing the contract, Wang Jinghua didn't leave immediately. Seeing He Daqi staring blankly at the backs of the three from Huayi, she walked over and stood beside him, asking in a low voice, "Daqi, is this just a coincidence or is there some other reason behind it? I don't believe that three scripts would clash at the same time."

"Sister Hua, you're overthinking it. Coincidences in this world can be just that absurd sometimes. There are even two people who look exactly alike without any blood relation, let alone a script."

Wang Jinghua was just starting a conversation about this. After hearing He Daqi's explanation, she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she turned to ask something else: "Is your 'Palace Mayhem' project confirmed for the first half of next year? I know you're in the lead role, but have you chosen the others? A palace, a palace, there has to be an emperor, right? What do you think of Chen Daoming?"

"Sister Hua, you... don't need to be in such a hurry, right? The script hasn't been revised yet. We should at least wait until the script is revised before looking for roles."

"Haha, I was just asking casually, no rush. I'll be coming to Ya Yue often in the future. I'll just mention this to make sure you don't forget. Once the script is revised, it won't seem so abrupt when I bring it up again."

"Alright, you've got the foresight." Seeing that the three people from Huayi and Lin Jianyue had all left, He Daqi smiled and gave a thumbs up.

The perfunctory attitude was too strong, and Wang Jinghua immediately realized that He Daqi didn't want to talk about work. She had seen what kind of person He Daqi was on set before, so Wang Jinghua shook her head, smiled helplessly, and turned to walk towards Liu Ying's office. She probably felt that she could talk to Liu Ying better.

He Daqi's gaze remained fixed on the stairwell, but this time he wasn't observing others; instead, he was casually looking around while pondering something.

"Are we leaving or not?" Zhou Huimin asked, resting her chin on her hand as she sat at the conference table.

"Wait a minute, let me think about it before I say anything."

He Daqi didn't say what he was thinking, and Zhou Huimin didn't bother to ask, so the meeting room fell silent.

After a moment, He Daqi turned to Zhou Huimin and asked, "If we're rewriting the script, do you think it would be okay to use the Ming Dynasty as the background?"

"You really want to change the script? I thought you were just saying it casually. Why change it? Just go for it."

"We have no choice but to change it. Just look at Feng Xiaogang's attitude, and you'll know he's not going to change it. If three movies with similar plots are released in the same year, especially if two of them are released at the same time, do you think the audience will be furious? Another point is that this year Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou had a conflict in release dates, and we got involved. Next year, Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Yimou have a conflict in subject matter, and we'll get involved again. We're both from Beijing, so won't people suspect that we're forming a clique?"

Zhou Huimin raised her head in a daze. She hadn't considered the point He Daqi had made at the end. She smiled and retorted, "You guys in Beijing really do produce a lot of artistic talents."

He Daqi chuckled softly, did not respond to her, took a few steps and sat down next to Zhou Huimin, imitating Zhou Huimin by resting his chin on his hand and leaning his arm on the conference table.

He certainly doesn't know how to revise a script himself, but he can stitch scripts together. He asked Zhou Huimin earlier because he was considering whether he could stitch together a movie set in the Ming Dynasty into the script he currently had.

However, there are a few things that need to be confirmed before suturing.

Just now, when Boss Wang was comforting Feng Kuzi in a nonchalant and pretentious manner, he said he would ask someone to check the script. It felt like he was showing off his connections. This reminded He Daqi that he was not without connections as well.

He took out his phone, pressed a few buttons, and dialed. The dial tone aroused Zhou Huimin's curiosity. She didn't understand why He Daqi was suddenly calling, so she turned her head to look at him.

"Hey, Li Tuan, it's Da Qi."

"Haha, I know. Are you asking about the date of the awards ceremony? It's tentatively scheduled for October 1st. I'll let you know once the date is confirmed."

"No, no, I have something I'd like to ask you for help with." He Daqi's tone was somewhat embarrassed.

"Um...you go first."

"Li Tuan, I remember you also work in publicity, right? I have a script that I want to change to a Ming Dynasty setting, but I don't know what the censors have for this kind of historical adaptation. So if it's convenient, could you ask them for me? If it's not convenient, that's fine too. I can ask them in person when I go to the censors."

"Hey! Daqi, you scared me! I thought it was something serious! I'll hang up now and find someone to ask around for you. I'll call you back later."

"Okay, thank you for your help."

Commander Li cursed He Daqi under his breath for being unreliable. He knew about He Daqi's connections, and when he heard that He Daqi had asked him for help, he had been pondering it over in his mind for a long time.

Just as he was about to make a call, he suddenly realized that He Daqi really needed his help to inquire about this matter. After all, if he asked someone too high up, people would start speculating, and if he asked someone too low up, he wouldn't get any benefit from it. He thought that this level was just right.

Thinking of this, Commander Li smiled and became curious about the script He Daqi mentioned. A Ming Dynasty theme? It had been a long time since he had taken his wife and children to the movies. If not, he could take his family to see it when He Daqi's movie was released.

(End of this chapter)