The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 128: The First S-Class Talent

……

Monday evening, January 4th.

Aman Summer Palace Hotel.

This celebration banquet wasn't as sensational as the one when Huayi Brothers went public.

After all, Zhao Shanshan didn't invite any of the directors or even stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan, resulting in a loss of 30% of her audience.

These people are highly suspicious; they hired someone to write articles behind the scenes to smear Lu Zhiyuan.

Since there is suspicion, we must only kill the wrong person and not let the guilty go free!

“Tian Tian, ​​that bastard Sima Nan ran away so fast. He disappeared as soon as he finished writing the article. He was already in Los Angeles when the article was published.”

Sima Nan's tax affairs were indeed problematic.

This kind of thing can't withstand scrutiny, especially if it's specifically targeted at him.

Two hours later, Zhao Shanshan received the news that his tax affairs were indeed problematic.

The economic crime investigation team immediately prepared to make an arrest.

No, we should ask Mr. Sima Nan to come and assist with the investigation.

Because the situation of the MCN behind him is even more serious.

As a result, by the time the police arrived, Sima Nan had already fled.

"He thinks that just because he's run away to Los Angeles, we can't do anything about him? He's as naive as a child!"

If Sima Nan was only being targeted by the police for tax evasion, and he fled to Los Angeles, the police probably wouldn't bother with him.

After all, it's not worthwhile to use manpower and resources to deal with just one person.

But this old fellow offended Miss Jing Tian.

If the young lady wants to mess with him, how could she only consider the economic aspect?
We'll make you scared!
Jing Tian thought for a moment, then snorted and said, "I hope something strange will appear in his car before tomorrow afternoon."

"No, it wasn't laundry detergent. That was too obviously a frame-up."

"Use those anonymous phone cards. Give him 100 of them. Let him learn his lesson."

Under the Patriot Act, in California, you must provide identification information to purchase a phone card.

Anonymous purchases, especially of 100 at a time, can trigger a police investigation.

So many anonymous phone cards are obviously used for money laundering or fraud.

Sima Nan's crime doesn't warrant death, but spending a few days in jail to make him flustered and teach him a lesson is more than enough.

"Tian Tian, ​​you're so naughty."

Zhao Shanshan imagined Sima Nan typing away at his keyboard at home, only to have the police knock on the door, suspecting him of engaging in fraud or money laundering.

He estimated that everyone was stunned.

"I don't care if he offends me, but if he dares to mess with our robots, I'll make him suffer!"

Jing Tian gave Zhao Shanshan a few instructions: Sima Nan must be dealt with so that he will tremble at the mere mention of Lu Zhiyuan's name.

Are you writing articles to smear our robot?

You dare to do this?!

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan and Xin Yukun arrived.

"Okay, Sister Shanshan, you handle these things. I don't know anything about them."

Miss Jing Tian immediately put on a sweet expression, and running over with a smile in her high heels, she took Lu Zhiyuan's arm.

"Ah Yuan, do I look good in this dress today?"

At this moment, her smile was particularly innocent and sweet, as if the little devil who wanted to kill Sima Nan just now was purely Zhao Shanshan's illusion.

"very nice."

Lu Zhiyuan looked at it very carefully for a few moments, then nodded with a smile.

Seeing that Jing Tian was still not satisfied, she looked at him expectantly.

Lu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and began to analyze the situation in detail.

"Look at this angle, the clean lines and curves intertwine, full of the minimalist sculptural feel of neoclassicism."

"The colors on the skirt blend together, with ivory white interspersed among burgundy red, like the Parisian morning mist under a soft focus lens, full of elegance in the haze."

"The materials are also very delicate and exquisite. The flow of chiffon and silk, and the light and shadow effects reflected, are like the water lilies under Monet's brush, which makes people feel affection."

Haha!

Our robot is really something else, that sounds so nice.

Compared to those who boast superficially, he is so much more sincere!
After listening to Lu Zhiyuan's analysis, Jing Tian felt even more that she had a good eye and had made a great choice in buying the dress.

I love it!

"I'm leaving, my king!"

Jing Tian gracefully took Lu Zhiyuan's hand and walked into the hall.

Tonight's victory celebration is actually a [coronation ceremony for a new king].

Previously, John Woo was undoubtedly the king of commercial films among Chinese directors.

However, his film "Red Cliff" completely ruined his reputation.

This project cost nearly $8000 million to produce and grossed approximately $2.4 million at the box office, so it might not have lost money on paper. However, money has costs.

This project has been in preparation for a long time.

In reality, this project definitely lost money.

Most importantly, its reputation is terrible.

It was almost entirely a chorus of curses!
Those investors not only failed to make money, but also earned a bad reputation.

It's estimated that Wu Yusen will have a hard time recovering in the short term.

If this operation is done again, it will most likely be ruined.

John Woo's career is declining. If Lu Zhiyuan makes another blockbuster, he will truly establish himself as the number one commercial film director in the Chinese film industry!
Second place goes to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which has grossed $2 million. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will be surpassed by "Upgrade" after tonight.

Moreover, to put it bluntly, Mission: Impossible 2 is not solely the work of John Woo.

If someone else had directed it, the box office results might not have been much worse.

These kinds of sequels never involve the director, who doesn't have much say in the production.

Because the copyrights are all held by the production companies.

The movie "Upgrade" is completely different.

From concept to idea, and from idea to implementation, even the background music "I Walk the Line" for Dilraba's scene of disposing of a corpse was personally determined by Lu Zhiyuan.

The entire movie world was created by Lu Zhiyuan alone.

He is the creator god of this world.

This is what a true, authoritative director looks like!

John Woo played a role in Mission: Impossible 2, but someone else might not have been much worse.

As a renowned director, his credentials are far too low.

Li An's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is quite something. It was filmed 10 years ago and grossed 2 million US dollars at the box office, and it's a Chinese martial arts film.

If someone else were to take the photo, it certainly wouldn't be successful.

such a pity.

Li An has significant limitations; he can only make art films and doesn't quite grasp the essence of real commercial films.

Unlike our robot!

After winning the Palme d'Or, he turned to making sci-fi commercial films, which were still explosive.

The rotten tomatoes are 92% fresh!

What is this concept?
This means that out of 100 people, only 8 will give a bad review.

By comparison, Avatar only has an 80% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes!

The Dark Knight is such a great movie, but it only grossed $65 million on its first day of release and only got a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes!

As a commercial film, achieving a Rotten Tomatoes score of over 70% is already considered excellent.

With over 90% of its rating, it's absolutely a historic film as a commercial production.

After all, even District 9, another high-concept sci-fi film, only has a 90% completion rate!

"Xiao Lu, I knew this day would come sooner or later. In the commercial film industry, you too can be crowned king! I just didn't expect it to come so soon."

"congratulations."

Chen Kaige arrived very early.

When Lu Zhiyuan held a celebration banquet, he arrived earlier than anyone else, just like a younger family member having a birthday party, and even helped with the arrangements.

They don't act like outsiders at all.

"Director Chen, I still have many shortcomings."

"This was my first time filming a commercial movie, and I didn't get the pacing right. Dilraba's self-sacrifice scene came too early. It should have been delayed until around 90 minutes to make the plot more compact."

The entire movie is 120 minutes long, and the female lead dies around the 50-minute mark.

Although, later on, the female protagonist was forcibly resurrected in another way.

However, some emotionally sensitive viewers still couldn't accept it.

After all, Dilraba's character in this movie is indeed very well-designed.

The character Lu Zhiyuan was portrayed in the beginning, which made the audience fall in love with him. However, around the 50-minute mark, he cruelly killed off the character.

While this might make the ending twist more impactful from an artistic perspective, it's a detail that wasn't handled well in a commercial film.

Died too young!
She dies in about 90 minutes and is resurrected in 120 minutes. The interval isn't that long, and the audience is still numb and hasn't recovered yet when the female lead is resurrected.

This approach would be better.

"Xiao Lu, you're overthinking it."

Chen Kaige had a different opinion: "I think you handled it perfectly. If he had died around the 50-minute mark, the audience would have clearly realized that things weren't that simple."

"If you kill off the female lead in 90 minutes, the audience might think that the death of this character was probably to motivate the male lead to burn himself out and go crazy for revenge, taking all of humanity down with him."

"The style of the entire film has completely changed. It is no longer a science fiction allegory, but has become a simple action movie. It has much less charm."

Chen Kaige's statement does make some sense.

Anyway, the movie is already finished, so it's too late to back out now.

Lu Zhiyuan is simply reflecting on himself and looking to see if he can improve in his next film.
"Science fiction movies are very difficult to make."

Chen Kaige sighed and admitted that he was getting old and couldn't keep up with the thinking of young people anymore.

"To be honest, Xiaolu, I still don't fully understand your concept of AI. However, you're hailed as a prophet online, and after reading some of the comments, I think there's some truth to them."

Chen Kaige smiled and exchanged a few jokes with Lu Zhiyuan.

Chen Kaige himself often acts as a prophet, enjoying the pleasure of being smarter than others.

Now, he once again found a sense of kinship in Lu Zhiyuan.

"Xiao Lu, go sit over there for a while."

After chatting for a few minutes, Chen Kaige noticed Gao Yuanyuan over there and hesitated, looking conflicted as he wanted to come over.

He chuckled to himself and deliberately pulled Lu Zhiyuan over.

"You guys chat, I'm going to take a walk over there."

After pulling Lu Zhiyuan over, Chen Kaige smiled at Gao Yuanyuan, turned around and left, concealing his merit and fame.

Back with his wife Chen Hong, Chen Kaige couldn't help but act as a prophet: "I bet Xiao Gao has fallen in love with Xiao Lu."

Chen Hong said irritably, "Do you even need to tell me? Anyone here who isn't blind can see that."

After saying that, Chen Hong looked at Jing Tian, ​​who was not far away, with some admiration.

"Miss Jing, as expected of a young lady from a prestigious family, you have such poise that no one else can ever learn."

A beautiful female celebrity is trying to seduce her man.

Everyone else present knew what Gao Yuanyuan was thinking, but no one stopped her.

Everyone wants to watch the fun.

Miss Jing Tian stood calmly in the center of the venue, chatting and laughing with the other guests without changing her expression.

When she looked at Gao Yuanyuan, their eyes met, but there was no spark between them. Instead, Miss Jing Tian gave an elegant smile.

This left Gao Yuanyuan feeling lost and confused.

In a brief exchange, the outcome was immediately clear.

Hearing his wife's words, Chen Kaige wasn't surprised at all. He smiled and said, "Miss Jing knows that Xiao Gao can't win against her, so naturally she's not angry. But if a truly threatening opponent appears, do you think she'll be furious?"

After saying this, Chen Kaige saw another female lead, Dilraba. Alita: Battle Angel, a global phenomenon!
Two weeks ago, nobody knew who Dilraba was.

Even Chen Kaige wasn't very familiar with Reba. He only knew that there was a cute Uyghur girl by Lu Zhiyuan's side who was Lu Zhiyuan's little follower.

At this moment, apart from Miss Jing Tian, ​​the hostess, Dilraba was the most dazzling among the countless female celebrities present.

Standing next to Liu Yifei, even the starlight seemed to dim considerably.

As for the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four actresses and two actresses in ice cream)?

They're both older women. They might be more popular than Dilraba in China, but on a global scale, they're nowhere near as popular.

Compared to Dilraba, their only advantage is their established reputation in the entertainment industry.

But status in the martial arts world is all just an illusion.

Only those who have someone to support them can gain status in the industry.

But at this critical juncture, who carries more weight than Lu Zhiyuan?
As long as Lu Zhiyuan is willing to promote Dilraba, even the four Dan actresses and two Bing actresses combined wouldn't be enough to beat her... Judging from the current situation, even if you bring out Gong Li from the past, she probably still wouldn't be as good as Dilraba.

"Reba is such a lucky girl."

Chen Hong smiled.

After saying this, her expression suddenly changed, and her eyes began to shine.

It was the kind of expression that suggested they were ready to watch the show.

Seeing Chen Kaige's blank expression, Chen Hong nudged his arm, urging him to look over at Xin Yukun.

"Look over there, an even prettier Uyghur girl is coming."

Gulnazar, dressed up by Xin Yukun, made a dazzling appearance.

Having shed her heavy makeup and donned a simple, elegant look, she became the center of attention with her naturally beautiful face.

Even Miss Jing Tian couldn't help but take a few more glances, her eyebrows twitching slightly.

You, Kun, are deliberately causing trouble, aren't you?
"Sister Tian Tian, ​​what's wrong?"

Seeing Miss Jing Tian glaring at him repeatedly, Xin Yukun felt a little guilty, but pretended to be confused and came over to ask her a few questions.

"Who is this little girl? I've never seen her before."

For some reason, seeing Nazha made Miss Jingtian feel uneasy.

Dilraba is her undercover agent; she seems very innocent and kind.

But this little girl in front of me looks a bit mischievous, yet sometimes her eyes reveal an innocent feeling.

She is beautiful, but looks rather silly.

An absolutely idiotic beauty.

Girls with these traits are probably quite attractive to men.

But for other women, she is an absolute nemesis and must be resisted!

"Nazha, come here and call me 'sister'."

When Jing Tian asked about Nazha, Xin Yukun waved and called her over.

"sister."

Naza greeted them politely.

Jing Tian suddenly felt that this "sister" sounded a little strange.

"Who exactly is this person? Why did you bring her here?"

Miss Jing Tian pulled Xin Yukun aside and carefully inquired about Nazha's background.

Xin Yukun had already prepared his explanation and began to explain: "Well, my mother has a cousin who went to the Production and Construction Corps when she was young and stayed in Xinjiang."

"I've made it big now, haven't I? My mom was bragging to her cousin, and then my aunt called me the other day and said that she has a friend's daughter who is quite pretty and wants to get into the entertainment industry, and asked me to help her out."

At this point, Xin Yukun shrugged: "Sister Tian Tian, ​​you know me. What can I do? Take Nazha to a nightclub?"

"I was thinking, didn't Dilraba open a studio? She's really popular now, and she's too lazy to shoot for some low-end fashion magazines, so she might as well give them to Gulnazar."

With Nazha's beauty, shooting for those fashion magazines is a perfect fit.

Nazha and Dilraba are from the same hometown, so they should have a lot in common.

Jing Tian thought about it and realized that the arrangement wasn't bad, but something still felt off.

But soon, Jing Tian lost interest in Nazha's affairs.

Because, not far away, Lu Zhiyuan suddenly frowned and touched his ear, as if he was a little uncomfortable.

She quickly left the others behind and rushed over.

Before Gao Yuanyuan could reach out, Jing Tian first grabbed Lu Zhiyuan's arm and asked with great concern, "Yuan, what's wrong?"

"It's okay, don't exaggerate."

Lu Zhiyuan gently patted Jing Tian's small hand, then stood up and walked around, before grabbing a glass of mango juice from the bar.

"It's okay."

Jing Tian didn't leave either, and stayed with Lu Zhiyuan to drink mango juice.

As for the guests, let them chat amongst themselves. After all, these celebration banquets are just about eating, drinking, and showing off one's success.

As for how to show off?
Tomorrow morning, I'll just read the newspaper.

Those gossip paparazzi at the entrance, though they didn't get into the banquet hall, have incredibly vivid imaginations and are sure to come up with several fascinating stories.

Make sure you have a good laugh while you eat breakfast tomorrow.

"The mango juice is quite delicious. Could it be a special edition you mentioned?"

Lu Zhiyuan took a sip of the mango juice. The taste was indeed different; it wasn't particularly sweet, but the mango aroma was very strong.

It's quite different from the mango juice you usually buy.

"more or less."

Jing Tian chuckled, and seeing that Lu Zhiyuan seemed to like the flavor, she added, "I'll have them send some home later."

Looking at him from this side profile, Jing Tian suddenly felt a little dazed, sensing that Lu Zhiyuan had changed slightly compared to before.

While exuding an artistic vibe, it also has a touch of roguish charm.

what's the situation?
Our robot has become more handsome again?

Is it my own illusion?
Is there some kind of mystical power behind the lighting in this banquet hall?
Jing Tian was lost in thought. In any case, the fact that her man had become more handsome and made her like him even more was definitely a good thing.

At the same time, Lu Zhiyuan kept hearing mechanical system prompts.

Just now, the system notification sounds were so frequent that they made him dizzy and lightheaded, which made him frown slightly and touch his ear.

— [Guy Rich's lukewarm reaction to Madonna, and even his willingness to publicly insult her, impressed Madonna with his fearless attitude towards celebrities.]

—[As a director, Guy Ritchie's works are characterized by a unique style, intricate structure, and complex plots; his talent captivated Madonna.]

—[After meeting Guy Ritchie, Madonna's personality suddenly changed, and she longed for a traditional life as a wife and mother.]

This crippled system inexplicably introduced a bunch of information about Guy Ritchie and Madonna, focusing on how Madonna fell in love with Guy Ritchie.

After listening to the system's introduction, Lu Zhiyuan immediately sensed that something was wrong.

He silently prayed that it couldn't be some kind of weird talent like a foot fetish.

It's completely useless to have it.

However, his word doesn't count.

The talents revealed by the system are random.

— [Congratulations! You've accomplished an impossible challenge. Your film, "Upgrade," has topped the global box office charts for a single day, helping newcomer actress Dilraba Dilmurat become a world-class star and reach an insurmountable peak in the race of child prodigies!]

As long as the system doesn't malfunction, it's generally quite objective.

There are many outstanding individuals in the field of teenage prodigies.

However, no genius girl has ever tried to turn herself into an AI and then enslave humanity!

Dilraba's AI anti-human setting is, in some ways, even more awesome than Thanos' snap!

After all, Thanos' snap left humanity with a glimmer of hope.

However, once AI gains control over humanity, it will inevitably use its intelligence, far exceeding that of humans, to lock down all of humanity's technology.

Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.

This is called a science fiction horror film!

Logically speaking, this kind of horror movie has no solution.

Because it is a reasonable deduction based on reality.

The more seemingly reasonable such a deduction is, the more it evokes a deep-seated fear and despair.

—[Reward obtained: S-rank talent - Guy Ritchie's extraordinary roguish charm towards female celebrities.]

what?
Say it again!
Guy Ritchie, an S-class bad boy?
Are you sure you're not kidding me?

Lu Zhiyuan knew what Guy Ritchie looked like.

He has a slightly roguish charm, but the system insists on calling him S-class. Are you sure you're not just lying through your teeth?
At most, one C or one D.

Lu Zhiyuan was puzzled.

But this talent seemed to have a note, so he clicked on it to take a look.

—[Note: The more famous a female celebrity is, the harder it is for her to resist your charm once she becomes interested in you. It's like an S-level poison, the kind with no antidote. Use with caution!]

Your uncle's!

They gave me a useless talent and told me to use it carefully?
Lu Zhiyuan was speechless.

He really wanted to ask the system if he could change the talent reward.
Guy Ritchie has so much talent, why don't you tell me about his attraction to Madonna?
But no matter how Lu Zhiyuan tried to summon the system in his mind, he received no response.

"A-Yuan, what are you thinking about?"

At this moment, Miss Jing Tian suddenly rested her chin on one hand, gazing at Lu Zhiyuan's profile with affection in her eyes.

what's the situation?
How come our robot has suddenly become so handsome?
He was originally a sickly, artistic male god, but in this instant, from a certain angle, he suddenly has a kind of bad-boy charm.

The artistic heartthrob has developed a roguish, bad-boy charm?

These two complex qualities blend together perfectly, almost like a poison, captivating all who behold them.

"I wasn't thinking about anything. I advise you not to overthink things right now. Just focus your gaze."

Lu Zhiyuan was very familiar with Jing Tian's gaze.

Every night, after she finishes drinking the nourishing soup, she will show this ambiguous smile in her eyes.

Then, before she could even react, she would drag her back to her room without saying a word.

But this is a victory celebration party, is it appropriate to use this kind of look?

Lu Zhiyuan pretended not to see Jing Tian's suggestive look and changed the subject, asking, "Tian Tian, ​​what comes to mind first when you think of Guy Ritchie?"

Without hesitation, Jing Tian replied, "A 42-year-old bald man. Madonna's ex-husband."

"Besides that, Sherlock Holmes is our second biggest competitor for the movie Upgrade."

"This movie is amazing. It grossed $2490 million in North America on its opening day, even surpassing Avatar. No wonder it's directed by a great director."

"No wonder Ning Hao keeps copying his movie style!"

After saying that, Jing Tian suddenly remembered something and added, "By the way, when he divorced Madonna, Madonna left him £6000 million in divorce settlement!"

What the hell!

Lu Zhiyuan never expected that the ultimate skill in the future T0 version of the martial arts world, divorce to generate gold coins, would appear on the body of the great director Guy Ritchie!

£6000 million!
Madonna is so rich!

No wonder she's a superstar and a rich woman!

After a while, Jing Tian remembered something and her eyes lit up as she said, "Besides that, Guy Ritchie's mother seems to be quite impressive. She married a British nobleman with a 300-year history."

Upon hearing these words, Lu Zhiyuan was inexplicably jolted.

So, does that mean Guy Ritchie also comes from an A-list family?
It must be a coincidence, right?

But isn't this too much of a coincidence?
I feel like it's hinting at something.

"Also, Guy Ritchie is just like you, straightforward and doesn't like to flatter others or say things against his conscience. He always speaks his mind."

"Perhaps it was this straightforward and unrestrained personality that attracted Madonna."

After saying that, Jing Tian looked at Lu Zhiyuan with a smile, her eyes full of hints: "I also think that this kind of personality is super charming."

After saying that, Jing Tian hooked her hand in Lu Zhiyuan's palm: "I want to go to the car to get something, will you come with me..."

Can I say I won't go?

"Tian Tian, ​​slow down, be careful not to fall."

Lu Zhiyuan was hurriedly pulled towards the parking lot by Jing Tian, ​​who was already quite impatient.

What a terrible talent! I knew it would have this effect.

I'm going to use up all my protein today on women again!
(End of this chapter)