The King of Soft Rice in Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 302 Assigned Essay
So, what's going on here? Looking at Fan Bingbing, who was curled up on the bed with teary eyes but was also incredibly beautiful, Xu Jiuyang fell into deep thought.

Okay, he knew it was all Fan Bingbing's fault; she had provoked him first, and he was just responding.

“You’re always surrounded by women on set, don’t go too far, or you won’t be able to handle it later!” That’s what Fan Bingbing said.

Listen to what she's saying! If we don't teach her a lesson, people will think she's up to no good!

What's more, he originally suggested going to a quiet coffee shop or something in the city to talk business, but she insisted on going back to her hotel, so... this was a trap!
"Have you looked enough? Help me up!" Fan Bingbing said coquettishly, the blush on her face fading a little.

Forget it, it's been a while since I slapped her. Wildflowers may smell sweet, but they can't compare to home-grown flowers... Xu Jiuyang frowned and immediately gave himself a light slap. What was he talking about? Who's the wildflower and who's the home-grown flower? Was he out of his mind?

Fan Bingbing, lying on the bed, tilted her head and said, "Even if you're like this, I won't forgive you easily."

"Really?" Xu Jiuyang rolled his eyes with amusement, then simply picked her up and took her into the bathroom to give her a good beating.

"Is that enough? Can we get down to business now?" Fan Bingbing, wrapped in a blanket, asked weakly as she returned to bed.

"Hmm..." Xu Jiuyang thought about it seriously for a moment, "It's not enough yet."

As she spoke, she pretended to pull the blanket again, which frightened her so much that she immediately started to sob, but then she closed her eyes and lay down.

Despite knowing that there was a lot of acting involved, Xu Jiuyang still laughed and then helped her sit on the edge of the bed: "Alright, let's talk about it, what's the important matter?"

However, Fan Bingbing still looked timid and suspicious, and her body tensed up when he hugged her. But she immediately answered after he asked her a question: "Two things. The first is that you promised to give me a money-making idea, preferably in the Internet industry; the second is to help me write a script."

"Hmm...hmm?" Xu Jiuyang blinked, his face full of "you have so many demands."

But looking at her huddled in my arms, that fearful yet indignant expression was crystal clear... How did you manage to portray two such completely different emotions together? I really underestimated your acting skills, didn't I?!

Despite his complaints, he still thought about it seriously: "Let's talk about the second thing first. Why do you want a script again? 'Falling' hasn't even started filming yet."

“It’s all set. I’ll be joining the cast of ‘The Imperial Doctress’ right away, and filming for ‘Falling’ will start right after the Spring Festival next year. Then we’ll participate in the 04 Cannes Film Festival,” Fan Bingbing said.

"So what?" Xu Jiuyang still didn't understand.

“So, the script I want can start filming in 04 and participate in Cannes in 05, right?” Fan Bingbing blinked. “You’ll have at least a year to write it.”

Xu Jiuyang clicked his tongue, then gasped as if realizing something: "So, your goal is to win the Cannes Best Actress award?!"

Angela herself said that "Falling" would participate in the Cannes Film Festival. In fact, if Gong Li hadn't been a jury member at Venice this year, "The Dark Side" would have made some improvements in post-production and gone to Cannes.

"Can't I?" Fan Bingbing asked back first, then puffed out her chest and rubbed against him. "I want to become... I want to become the first Chinese actress to win the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress award!"

Her face held an air of arrogance, inexplicably reminding one of her confident declaration, "I am the epitome of wealth and power." But now, wrapped in a blanket and nestled in his arms, the contrast made her appear somewhat comical.

Without saying a word, Xu Jiuyang bent down and buried his face in the hole, nuzzling around wildly.

"I'm...I'm talking to you!" Fan Bingbing said, both embarrassed and annoyed.

"How wonderful." Xu Jiuyang sighed after enjoying the warmth and softness of the woman, and then stopped.

There was no other way; both sides were incredibly sensitive, and a single misstep could set off a fiery argument. So, all he had to do was interrupt her and seize control. "A good idea. Have you been in cahoots with Angela?" he asked.

"What do you mean by 'collusion'!" Fan Bingbing said, quite dissatisfied. "Couldn't it be that I moved her and got her to help me out?"

"Oh?" Xu Jiuyang drawled out.

“Well, at least… it was a deal between me and her!” Fan Bingbing said after coughing.

“Fine,” Xu Jiuyang said noncommittally, “but have you ever thought about what if another Chinese person or person of Chinese descent won the Cannes Best Actress award before you?”

"Absolutely not!" Fan Bingbing said firmly. "Angela and I have already discussed it. For the next three years, we will do our best to target any film with a Chinese actress in the competition, regardless of whether she has a chance of winning Best Actress!"

Xu Jiuyang gasped: "Utmost measures?"

"No matter the cost!" Fan Bingbing declared resolutely.

Interesting... He absolutely did not believe she was incapable of doing it, and if his memory served him right, Maggie Cheung won the Cannes Best Actress award in 04, which was big news in his previous life. There were even reports that she signed her divorce papers with her French husband on the set of the film that won the award.

In addition, Wong Kar-wai's "2046" also premiered at Cannes in 04. It's hard to say whether Maggie Cheung's Best Actress award at Cannes was helped by this film. The French still really like Wong Kar-wai's films.

Therefore, if Fan Bingbing and Angela really stop at nothing, they will definitely destroy these two movies.

Xu Jiuyang had no intention of stopping them. If they were killed, so be it. These two movies had nothing to do with him, even though he used to like Xiaoqing and Jin Xiangyu.

What he cared more about was whether, if they could really beat those two films and steal Maggie Cheung's title as the top Chinese actress, then perhaps...

"How much did you give Angela to make her help you like this?" Xu Jiuyang asked.

"What, feeling sorry for me?" Fan Bingbing chuckled. "If you feel sorry for me, then help me out more."

"What makes you think I can write a script that will win you the Best Actress award at Cannes?" Xu Jiuyang laughed angrily.

“First, you’re talented; second, a script and a movie are two different things; third, winning an award doesn’t directly equate to the quality of a movie; and finally, I already have some ideas,” Fan Bingbing said, counting on her fingers.

"Wow, you already have this level of understanding of foreign countries. Did Angela teach you that?" Xu Jiuyang was somewhat surprised, but then paused, "You've got some ideas? So you want me to write an essay on a given topic?"

Fan Bingbing chuckled twice, then clung to him and shook him: "Please help me out, Xu."

"Stop, stop, stop. Tell me your thoughts first," Xu Jiuyang quickly said.

“It’s actually very simple. In the end, it’s about playing a disabled person or someone with a defect,” Fan Bingbing said. “For the vast majority of people, including those so-called professional judges, a normal person looks no different from someone with a defect on the big screen, so that’s acting skills.”

"Great, Fan, that's a very good summary." Xu Jiuyang was genuinely surprised.

Why is it that in Hollywood, when some actors come out as gay, audiences no longer accept them playing homosexual roles? It's simple: if you are disabled yourself, how can you play a disabled person well? Does that count as acting skill?
Of course, such politically incorrect statements would never be explicitly stated. Back in the 80s, Hollywood would at least put on a show and promote some disabled stars, such as the famous Oscar-winning deaf actress Mary Matlin. But now…

(End of this chapter)