The King of Soft Rice in Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 589 Script Arrangement
If the Ye family is already so troublesome, imagine how much more complicated the Chen family, with its even greater foundation, is. This is when foreign capital is needed.

"Overall, it's still fine. We've had thorough communication with them. After all, it's a movie, so it has to be artistically processed. It can't be completely the same as reality. Plus, half of the storyline focuses on Gong Er, so the final compromise was that it can allude to her but can't be directly stated," Angela said on the phone.

"Alright, it's already a good result that they can bury their heads in the sand." Xu Jiuyang said with emotion. It wasn't surprising, so he had a plan in place. He just needed to change Chen Yaochi to Chen Yaoxing.

As for why it wasn't changed to Chan Yiu-hing... he's not one of the Five Tigers of Tsim Sha Tsui, so what's with the "Yao-hing"?

"There's one more thing I need your help with," he said then.

"Oh? What is it?" Angela asked unhurriedly.

Xu Jiuyang ignored her attempt to control the pace of the film: "I learned through other channels that Huang Baiming seems to be preparing a kung fu movie, which is very likely based on Ip Man—you know who Ip Man is, right?"

Angela also ignored his attempt to take over the reins: "You think you can sabotage this project? That won't be easy."

“His project can only be released at least six months after ‘The Grandmaster’ is released. Otherwise, given the hype-generating ability of the Hong Kong entertainment industry, they will have already used up all the hype. After all, Ip Man was Bruce Lee’s teacher,” Xu Jiuyang said.

“Just one of them,” Angela cautioned.

"That doesn't matter. With more publicity, the public will just think that Bruce Lee was taught by Ip Man." Xu Jiuyang chuckled. "The Chen family is at a huge disadvantage in this regard, even though Choy Li Fut is the most widely practiced boxing style in Guangnan."

"Is this because of... historical issues?" Angela asked tentatively again.

“That’s right. The Chen family stayed on the mainland after all, unlike Ip Man who went to Hong Kong. Moreover, the Chen family has a good relationship with the mainland government, which is a disadvantage in the eyes of Hong Kong people.” Xu Jiuyang said bluntly, “It’s like Wang Yaqiao is a patriot, but now when people mention the Axe Gang in movies and TV shows, everyone subconsciously thinks of them as villains.”

"Alright, alright, I'll go think of a solution." Angela sighed.

"Don't be like that, it's not like I'm forcing you," Xu Jiuyang said, trying to play hard to get. "I can talk to Tian Tian about this. Shenhua and Shenmu are, after all, capital from Shaanxi and Shanxi, they're in the mining business, you know."

"Are you sure?" Angela's tone turned dangerous.

“Well, it would be great if you could help,” Xu Jiuyang immediately changed his tune, “Then I’ll have to leave it to you, darling.”

In short, the matter was settled, and the preparation for the film took a big step forward. The rest was to check various details, such as the script, storyboard, or actors.

“I’ve read your suggestion, and I don’t think it’s a good idea. The plot is already a bit scattered, and adding another storyline will make it difficult for the audience to focus on anything.” Li Xue went on and on at the meeting.

"Yes, this character is definitely necessary. If Chen Yaoxing is the face of the martial arts world, then Yixiantian is the substance. Do you understand?" Xu Jiuyang shook his head and explained.

“Of course I know. What I mean is that the story of ‘A Line of Sky’ is best described as interspersed within the story. Taking it out on its own would seem a bit abrupt. But that also has its problems, because the main storyline is about Chen Yaoxing and Gong Ruomei, so inserting the story of ‘A Line of Sky’ would seem redundant,” Li Xue explained.

"What if we make a control group with Ma San?" Xu Jiuyang asked after thinking for a moment.

“That’s the director’s problem,” Li Xue shrugged.

"Okay, I'll talk to the directors and work out a simple storyboard first, then I'll let you take a look." Xu Jiuyang nodded, raised his hand to check the time, and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. I still need to practice my action sequences."

"Are you leaving just like that?" Li Xue asked, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Is there... anything else?" Xu Jiuyang asked, puzzled. Li Xue was furious: "Tell me, how long has it been since you last called on me? How long has it been since you last called on either of us sisters?!"

"If I remember correctly, I chose your sister last week," Xu Jiuyang recalled.

"What?!" Li Xue's eyes widened instantly, then she gritted her teeth. "This is too much!"

“Maybe she just doesn’t want to say it,” Xu Jiuyang reassured her. “You know your personality… to put it nicely, you’re competitive and always want to be number one; to put it bluntly, you’re stubborn as a mule. Once you get angry, you can’t be swayed.”

“How could that be!” she immediately interjected. “If you hit me a few more times tonight, you’ll find that I’m not the same anymore.”

After saying that, she even puffed out her chest. Well, with the magic bra on her chest, the curve was actually quite nice.

Unfortunately, Xu Jiuyang still refused her: "I'm really sorry, I really have other plans today—don't rush me, I know you volunteered to come here with Anji this time, and you're in charge of the script and even helping me with production, so I should show my appreciation; however, as I just said, I have a lot of things to do today, and I won't even get a rest tonight. So, I can only guarantee that I'll get to see you sisters sometime this week, how about that?"

To make his words seem more believable, he added, "However, if you don't mind being with Hao Lei and Zhao Yan..."

“I don’t mind!” Li Xue interrupted firmly.

Xu Jiuyang couldn't help but twitch his lips. Was it really necessary?

Well, it really is true, because she clearly licked her lips, and after realizing it, she didn't try to fix it, instead staring at him with intense eyes.

"Okay, I'll have someone arrange it when I get back." He could only sigh.

Come to think of it, what is this all about? Am I the "them" or are they the "me"? On his way to practice boxing, after reflecting on this conversation, Xu Jiuyang had this thought pop into his head.

But he quickly shook them off. The answer was obvious: it was his women. Once it started, they would never refuse any of his requests.

Aside from the wives and the closest ones, the other women, including the Li Xue sisters, have tried all sorts of tricks.

When Xu Jiuyang arrived at the training ground, Fan Bingbing was already waiting there. She was very unhappy when she saw Xu Jiuyang: "I've been waiting for you for ages. Are you even late for this?"

"You and Li Xue spent quite a while discussing the script at your company, and she wasn't very satisfied with the plot arrangement for 'The First Line of Heaven'," Xu Jiuyang explained.

"Really?" Fan Bingbing raised an eyebrow.

Xu Jiuyang felt a subtle feeling rising in his heart. He had always felt that Fan's attitude towards Li Xue was a bit strange. She seemed to be rejecting Li Xue while also being a little smug. If Li Xue weren't Angela's person, who knows what she would have done to her.

After confirming that they were highly likely to receive fragments of information from the future in their dreams, he became even more certain that Fan probably knew that in some future, he and Li Xue, who was then called Bingbing, were fighting to the death, which was why he had that ambiguous expression.

Although his mind was racing with many thoughts, Xu Jiuyang's mouth didn't stop: "Some things need to be checked by the director; the screenwriter alone can't determine what the specific effect will be like."

Before Fan Bingbing could ask any more questions, he immediately changed the subject and asked, "Alright, are we still practicing or not? Aren't you very busy? Let's get started!"

(End of this chapter)