This actor has something

Chapter 476 Young New Forces

When something you thought might be troublesome is handled perfectly, even better than you expected, you feel a sense of surprise and relief, but also a bit of emptiness.

That's how the Infinite Challenge production team feels right now.

I always thought that this rushed filming in South Korea would lead to all sorts of unexpected events, but after filming was completed, I realized that I was just outsmarting thin air.

He Daqi's influence in South Korea exceeded everyone's expectations. In addition to quickly obtaining filming permits, he also invited the director, editor, and cameraman from the original Infinite Challenge production team from South Korean television stations to help.

When He Daqi and Lu Yang were discussing it, He Daqi said that the first two episodes could be filmed in a week to half a month. Lu Yang was quite pessimistic. But now it has been filmed in less than a week, even faster than He Daqi said.

However, there was one thing that Lu Yang didn't like: he initially thought He Daqi would be very helpful this time, but he didn't expect that once filming started, He Daqi would just show up and leave every day. If it weren't for the fact that He Daqi was still on screen, he might have already become a hands-off manager.

I have a feeling this guy came here for tourism and happened to film a variety show.

"Director Lu, are you going back already?"

Zhang Jiashuai, who had just earned the nickname "Little Sheep," was very perceptive and helped Lu Yang at the hotel entrance by carrying his large suitcase into the car.

"Yes, we're different from you. You can stay a few more days to travel around South Korea, but we behind-the-scenes people can't. We have to go back early to discuss how to edit the footage."

"Director Lu, you guys really have worked hard."

The two were chatting when He Daqi strolled out of the hotel, dressed in beachwear, clearly heading to the beach again.

Lu Yang was just about to look for him when he saw him coming out of the hotel. He quickly greeted him, intending to clarify some things before returning to China, so as to avoid having to make another phone call.

"Senior brother, after the first two episodes are completed, when will the remaining ten episodes be filmed?"

"No rush. After all, so many celebrities' schedules need to be adjusted. I need to go back and discuss this with the company. We also need to consider the schedules of the guest stars. So you can focus on post-production and train your two assistants. After the first season of Infinite Challenge is finished filming and I finish releasing 'After the Flowers Bloom 2,' I'll give you a new script so you can focus on making the movie. Then, your two assistants can film the second season of Infinite Challenge."

"A new movie script?" Lu Yang's attention immediately shifted, and he grinned as he asked, "Is it Painted Skin 3? Or My Flowers Bloom and a Hundred Flowers Kill 3?"

"No, it's a youth film. We'll cast this kid as the lead," He Daqi said, patting Zhang Jiashuai on the shoulder.

Is this even my business? Zhang Jiashuai felt like he was going to melt after being patted twice by He Daqi.

The movie lead actor! It's impossible for Zhang Jiashuai not to be jealous when Lu Han went to film Ning Hao's movie. Now he has also gotten this resource. Although Lu Yang is not as famous as Ning Hao, Lu Yang is still one of the directors of Asia Yue's big productions. You know, Asia Yue's big productions all have a minimum guarantee. Even if you have experience, you can still be at the Golden Legend level.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Teacher He!" Zhang Jiashuai bowed happily, probably because he had returned to South Korea and remembered all the messy rules here.

He was delighted, but Lu Yang was not at all. As soon as he heard it was a youth film, his face fell.

"Senior, youth films are considered low-budget, right? You might as well let me direct Painted Skin 3 instead."

"Don't worry, this movie will be filmed quickly, probably in less than a month. Add the two months for post-production, and it will be finished in about three months. Then I'll arrange another one for you. That way, you'll have to put in more effort next year and make two movies. The second one I'll arrange for you will be either Painted Skin 3 or My Flowers Bloom After the Hundred Flowers Kill 3. I hope that's not unfair to you?"

"I'm not wronged!" Lu Yang's bright front teeth were showing.

Seeing how radiant he was, He Daqi didn't dare to say that he might arrange for him to film three movies next year. In fact, whether it was the Painted Skin series or the My Flowers Bloom and All Flowers Wither series, He Daqi planned to finish arranging them next year.

As for the final project, Ning Hao and Zhang Yimou definitely wouldn't touch it. After they became famous, they both had some artistic pursuits, which is exactly what Lu Yang doesn't have, or rather, Lu Yang's fame isn't high enough yet. If he were to direct the final project, as long as it's a big production, he would be very happy.

After wrapping up, He Daqi plans to start two new film series, with Ning Hao in charge of one series and Lu Yang in charge of the other.

As for Zhang Yimou, He Daqi is too lazy to care what he wants to film. His "The Flowers of War" might not even be finished for a long time. Painted Skin 2 is not even finished yet. Add in the post-production time, and "The Flowers of War" will be scheduled for next year no matter how you look at it.

Seeing that Lu Yang and Zhang Jiashuai were quite happy after hearing the good news, He Daqi also laughed twice, and then happily got into the car and left.

Watching the car drive away, Lu Yang suddenly came to his senses and muttered to himself in confusion, "Wait a minute, isn't my senior brother supposed to stay in hotels? What's he doing here today? Did he come specifically to talk to me about the new movie? That doesn't make sense either! He just came out of the hotel, not walked in."

"Maybe he came to see Teacher He Bing. Isn't Teacher He Bing Teacher He's uncle?" Zhang Jiashuai didn't want to speculate about He Daqi's purpose at all, so he gave a casual excuse.

Little did he know that his reason was actually correct. He Daqi had come to see his uncle today because the filming of the Infinite Challenge episode in South Korea had finished.

That evening, He Daqi invited He Bing to his home for dinner, and they could also talk about how He Bing was a little reserved during the filming of the variety show, as well as He Bing's current persona and positioning on the show.

……

……

It's been a long time since I've been to the Beijing Film Academy, and I feel quite nostalgic coming back again.

Although his university journey only lasted a few months, it doesn't stop him from now being one of the faces of Beijing Film Academy.

Logically speaking, he didn't need to come specifically to help students enroll. There were some things he didn't even need to do himself. Whether it was Wang Jinghua or Liu Ying, they could easily arrange things by asking for favors.

However, this year is slightly different. Four people were arranged at once. Ma Yingjun called him and made sarcastic remarks for a long time. He Daqi is not one to cause trouble for others, so he made a special trip today to show his face and see how to settle the favor.

Behind him, Lu Han, Zhang Jiashuai, Gulinazha, and Dilraba were curiously strolling around, taking in the scenery of the Beijing Film Academy. It was quite a coincidence that they had all become classmates this year, all through He Daqi's connections, and their career paths were similar. "Hey, Tiantian, where are you? Come pick up your juniors. I have things to do; are you just going to leave me here waiting?"

"Coming right away!" Da Tian Tian's tone was irritable on the other end of the phone.

Not long after, Tian Tian rushed over. She first greeted her friends Gulnazar and Dilraba happily, and then nodded politely to Lu Han and Zhang Jiashuai.

In the past, He Daqi would take Tian Tian to register for school. Now, the torch has been passed on, and He Daqi no longer needs to go through the trouble. Instead, Tian Tian takes her little sister and two junior brothers on the school registration journey again.

The Beijing Film Academy has changed, but it hasn't changed.

The newly painted exterior of the teaching building still retains its original color. On the basketball court, a bunch of people are still making a racket in the sweltering heat. Under the shade of the trees along the road, the young and beautiful female students still love to wear hot pants in the summer. Their long, white legs remind He Daqi of his youth under the setting sun.

The people are no longer the same, and the familiar scene no longer brings the familiar greetings.

In the corridor of the teaching building, He Daqi finally found Ma Yingjun's new office, based on the description given over the phone and with directions from an enthusiastic female student.

I was a little disoriented when I entered. Little Ma is a heavy smoker, but there was no smell of smoke in the new office. Did they just move in a couple of days ago?
"Brother Ma! Long time no see!"

"Long time no see indeed."

Strange! Ma Yingjun has stopped drinking tea and started drinking coffee. He Daqi dragged his stool over and sat down opposite Ma Yingjun. The first thing he noticed was the cup in front of him.

"Is Little Ma now living a bourgeois lifestyle?"

"Don't even mention it. My new wife is even stricter after I remarried. She said she was preparing for pregnancy, so she not only forbade me from smoking, but also made me lose weight. I drink a cup of black coffee every day, and I can drink it from morning till night. I can't even eat a few bites of food."

Ma Yingjun looked quite dejected. As he spoke, he raised his cup and took a sip of coffee. He Daqi saw clearly that he had indeed taken a sip. At this rate, drinking this whole tub of coffee all day wouldn't be a problem.

"Brother Ma, you're really not being fair. You didn't even host a banquet for your remarriage. What's wrong? Are you afraid of receiving red envelopes?"

"Alright, enough with the nonsense, let's get down to business. You're getting more and more outrageous these days. I could handle one or two before, but now you've assigned four, and none of them are showing up for class. What, do you think I'm the principal?"

Ma Yingjun didn't want to argue with He Daqi anymore, especially about the remarriage issue.

His new wife was more than ten years younger than him, which already made him a laughing stock among his friends. In particular, he had a big fight with his ex-wife over the second marriage, and was dragged and beaten by his ex-wife who weighed over 200 pounds. Then he was cornered in an alley by ten burly brothers-in-law and given a good beating. After many twists and turns, he finally married his beautiful bride.

If a junior like He Daqi knew this, he would probably make a fool of himself again.

"Don't even mention it. It just so happens that we've all come together. I told you about the two girls beforehand. As for the two handsome guys, I just poached them from overseas this year. When I poached them, I promised them admission to the Beijing Film Academy. I can't go back on my word, so I came here today hoping you, Brother Ma, can give me some pointers on how to repay this favor."

"No need to pay it back. Lao Tian and I have both been promoted, and we each arranged two for him. Otherwise, do you think it was so easy to get four people admitted? Lao Tian has a bunch of students working for you. You can just go over and say hello to them later. It's his duty. As for me, it's the same as before. Leave some of the supporting roles in your Ya Yue TV series so I can do you a favor."

The difference between showing up and not showing up is that big. Face to face, Brother Ma was no longer sarcastic like he was on the phone. He explained everything clearly, so He Daqi didn't have to run around to several offices.

"Should I go find Lao Tian now? Has he moved locations?"

Ma Yingjun waved to stop him: "Don't rush, I have something to ask you. How did Ning Hao and Lu Chuan get together? I heard he's saying he wants to make a movie about Nanjing? Oh, and Zhang Yimou is also making one. You're not involved in any of this, are you?"

"You're asking me about this? I don't believe you don't know what happened. Even if our fellow apprentices at Ya Yue don't say anything, shouldn't China Film Group have at least given some hints? No Man's Land is an investment of China Film Group, and Ning Hao is probably not the only one with grievances."

"What a mess, sigh, take it easy, Lu Chuan is also your senior brother." Ma Yingjun's words sounded quite melancholy, but his gloating tone betrayed him.

He Daqi knew immediately that he was not a qualified mediator, and shook his head with a light laugh, saying, "If it weren't for this connection, he would probably have been skinned alive by now. I wouldn't even need to say a word; Ning Hao could crush him right now."

"That's why I told you to take it easy."

"Understood." He Daqi replied as he got up and walked out.

Why the hell would they call me and make me go to Beijing Film Academy for such a trivial matter?
It's obvious that relying on Little Ma's connections wasn't quite enough. If the connections had been more effective, even if we didn't replace the directors of the Jinling Photo Studio and The Flowers of War projects with newcomers or incompetent ones, we could at least have put those two projects on hold.

If we take a three- or four-year break before filming again, by then the discussion surrounding the movie "Jinling" will have completely died down. If we film these two projects then, at least people won't think it's a deliberate attempt to embarrass us.

Old Tian didn't change offices; he was still in the main office of the directing department. However, there was no one there at the moment, just Old Tian himself. It was obvious that he had deliberately sent everyone else away and was waiting for He Daqi here.

As expected of Zhang Yimou's classmate, these two have similar habits. They rarely smile, are always sullen, and chat incredibly slowly, taking their time to think through each sentence.

Old Tian didn't want to waste time with He Daqi. He immediately brought up Lu Chuan's matter. He and Brother Ma were probably on the same side. Although their tones and attitudes were different, their demands were the same. He gave a perfunctory answer and that was it, as if he was afraid that He Daqi would think too much about it.

However, Lao Tian also mentioned a second matter, which was something that could be done or not. It was obvious from the word that it was just a favor to be done, and it was all up to fate.

"Jiang Wen has a new movie. He said you promised him a leading role back then? Now you don't have to pay it back. You can just have a cameo in his new movie."

"When did I owe him a leading role?" He Daqi said with a look of disgust.

When the new Shanghai Bund was being filmed, Lao Tian was the director. How could he not know the details? Now he's just spouting nonsense. Does he think He Daqi has a bad memory?
"Then you can tell Jiang Wen yourself. He called you but you didn't answer, so he came to me. I just wanted to let you know." Old Tian reverted to his usual grumbling self.

(End of this chapter)