The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 256 Oscar Winner! Filming Begins for "Peerless," the Painters' Organization Originates from the Ancient Medici

……

"Dilraba, if you don't act anymore, what are you going to do?"

The Real Steel series combines the right timing, the right location, and the right people.

Lu Zhiyuan seized the opportunity presented by the fact that the theme of mecha hunters fighting monsters in Hollywood had not yet been overexploited... He made a killing and amassed a fortune.

In addition, he found Dilraba, the female lead who was a perfect fit for the role of Alita.

They also found Keanu Reeves, the cyber philosopher.

Unfortunately, after filming "The Matrix" series, Keanu Reeves experienced a series of box office flops, resulting in extremely low pay.

He successfully bought at the bottom.

It is virtually impossible for anyone else to replicate his success, even if they possess the same directing skills.

Even he himself would probably find it difficult to repeat his past success.

Dilraba herself reached the pinnacle of film history with the role of Alita, and is almost the best actress in history.

At this critical juncture, Dilraba's decision to retire gracefully is undoubtedly a wise and skillful move.

Just like Bruce Lee.

His sudden death at the height of his career is what has left future generations with endless regrets and countless reflections on him.

If Bruce Lee had acted until he was 70, like Hendrik Willem Van Loon, his image in the minds of movie fans might not have been so perfect.

"Brother, I've asked Sister Hong about this."

"Sister Hong used to be the most beautiful woman in the world. After getting married, she almost retired from acting and has been working as a producer for Director Chen. If she comes across a role she likes and wants to have some fun, she can definitely take on a cameo role."

"I think this way of getting along is quite good."

“From now on, you’ll make the movies, Kun will do the work, and I’ll manage the accounts for you.”

Actresses can't act forever.

Most actresses retire around the age of 30. Unless they have a troubled marriage and an unreliable husband, leaving them no choice but to return to acting.

However, those actresses couldn't earn as much in a lifetime as Dilraba did in just three short years.

Retiring from the limelight and moving behind the scenes was a choice Dilraba made from the very beginning.

Mainly because……

After the "Real Steel" series finished filming, it was difficult for her to find an opportunity to play Lu Zhiyuan's leading lady again.

Lu Zhiyuan is someone who focuses 90% of his energy on his work.

Dilraba knew that if she couldn't help him at work, another woman would definitely come along and steal her man!

Gao Yuanyuan and Liu Shishi are watching closely from the sidelines.

Reba swore to God that she would never make the same mistake as Jing Tian.

Are you planning to transition to working behind the scenes?

Lu Zhiyuan looked Reba up and down, pondered for a moment, and agreed, "It's not impossible."

"Brother, you agree?"

Upon hearing this, Dilraba's eyes lit up, and she revealed a sweet smile.

"Besides my own film, the company has many other projects that will be launched one after another. The producer is essentially the company's representative, helping to manage the finances."

"Kun is indeed a bit too busy to handle everything by himself."

Lu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and said to Dilraba, "For the 'Project Gutenberg' project, you can try being the production manager and managing the finances. Have Brother Kun arrange a few assistants to work with you."

We've secured financial control over the project!

This is exactly what Dilraba wanted.

The male lead outside, the female lead inside.

The man handles the projects, and the woman manages the finances—that's the legendary husband-and-wife business.

That's how Chen Kaige and his wife did it.

Most importantly, if any foolish little vixen in the crew tries to seduce Lu Zhiyuan, Dilraba can just go up and slap her across the face!

This greatly reduces the possibility of having one's partner poached.

……

At the Oscars ceremony.

The crews of "The Batman 3" and "Real Steel 3" were arranged to sit together.

Lu Zhiyuan and Christopher Nolan were seated almost exactly a few seats apart.

Although the two barely interacted in real life, they both admired each other's talents.

"Chris, Director Lu is saying hello to you."

Nolan's younger brother, Jonathan Nolan, nudged his brother lightly and nodded towards Lu Zhiyuan.

As a screenwriter, Jonathan Nolan has long been familiar with Lu Zhiyuan's nickname, "the screenwriter destroyer."

At this moment, Nolan turned around, waved to Lu Zhiyuan, and smiled slightly.

The middle-aged, blond, overweight man with a side-parted hairstyle wasn't particularly charming, but his name was Christopher Nolan, and that made all the difference.

Nolan's status in Hollywood is slightly higher than Lu Zhiyuan's.

Because he has been famous for a long time.

The Batman trilogy also achieved tremendous commercial success, with the entire series grossing approximately $25 billion.

The dark and realistic style of "The Dark Knight Rises" injected a special spiritual energy into superhero blockbusters, gradually transforming subsequent superhero movies from popcorn films into heroic epics.

It can be said that Nolan single-handedly rewrote the quality of the entire superhero movie genre.

In addition, he also directed the highly personal film Inception.

Even in Hollywood, where geniuses abound, Nolan is still a top-tier figure!
In English-speaking countries, Nolan is a superstar in the directing world, with a huge number of fans, almost all of whom are die-hard fans!
In the eyes of his fans, everyone except Nolan is trash!

Now, among film fans around the world, another Nolan-esque director has emerged, with a highly personal style, whose films combine art and commerce.

Most importantly, compared to Nolan, this director, in addition to creating extremely stunning film plots and visuals, is also particularly adept at portraying the female lead.

This is the biggest difference between Lu Zhiyuan and Nolan.

Nolan's movies, while very entertaining, leave you feeling somewhat detached from the characters after the film is finished.

All the characters are like cogs in Nolan's machine, forming the basis of his vast and fantastical narrative!
Lu Zhiyuan is different. His films are built upon characters, using them to drive the story and thus creating a vast worldview for the audience.

This is the complete opposite of Nolan's approach.

However, artistic creation, to some extent, often leads to the same goal.

Both of them have brought magnificent and romantic fantasy stories to movie fans all over the world!
……

"Two years later, the two geniuses once again face off across the distance!"

“I heard that Nolan’s whole family are fans of Lu Zhiyuan’s films and are loyal fans of the ‘Real Steel’ series. When ‘Real Steel 3’ was released in the UK, a reporter photographed Nolan with his children buying Alita figurines at the cinema.”

"The Batman trilogy clashed with the Real Steel trilogy. What's most interesting is that each Real Steel film grossed slightly more than the Batman trilogy."

As a renowned director, Lu Zhiyuan has maintained a very low profile online, rarely releasing any personal information.

Except for the time when he officially announced his relationship with Dilraba.

In this world, there is another super director who is even more low-key than Lu Zhiyuan: Christopher Nolan.

He doesn't even have a personal email address.

They also use almost no social media.

Nolan is like someone living in the Middle Ages.

Aside from film promotion activities, he rarely participates in any interviews.

……

Dilraba knew that at this moment, there were many cameras pointed at her and Lu Zhiyuan.

At this moment, she appeared remarkably calm, gently tossing her hair, tilting her head back, exuding an aura of power, just like the arrival of Empress Alita.

However, listening to everyone around him, almost everyone was talking about Lu Zhiyuan and Nolan.

Dilraba was also very honored.

She whispered with a smile in Lu Zhiyuan's ear, "Brother, they're all talking about the similarities between you and Nolan, and discussing who is the strongest among the younger generation."

In Hollywood as a whole, among the new generation of directors, Nolan is undoubtedly the number one!
Nolan has countless fans in North America, Europe, and even Asia. These fans are more enthusiastic about Nolan than any other movie star.

After all, a director is an artist.

Celebrities are merely virtual idols created by directors using cameras and characters.

The two are not the same.

At this moment, after Upgrade and the Real Steel trilogy, Lu Zhiyuan can almost be compared to Nolan.

Even the most demanding North American film fans have to admit that Lu Zhiyuan is worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with Nolan.

Even this year, they overtook Nolan by half a step!
"He and I do have some similarities in certain aspects."

Lu Zhiyuan and Nolan have one thing in common: they are both very focused on one thing.

However, there are also significant differences.

Nolan's wife and children are almost never seen on social media.

Lu Zhiyuan's girlfriends, both of whom were popular female celebrities, were also involved in the relationship.

besides……

“Drizzo, let me tell you a little secret. Nolan has an older brother who is a fugitive. So, there are some subtle details in his movies.”

"He always liked to film stories about crime and the loss of family members."

Besides his younger brother Jonathan, Nolan also has an older brother named Oppenheimer.

Yes, it shares the same name as Oppenheimer.

"Really? This is the first time I've heard of this!"

Dilraba's eyes widened, and she kept turning her head to look at Nolan.

Is there such a thing?

It can only be said that anyone who becomes a great director must have a shocking, untold story behind them.

However, Nolan likes to make films about crime and the loss of family members.

What about Lu Zhiyuan?

He always liked to construct the fates of all the characters into a tragic aesthetic when conceiving his art.

A perfect story, perfect characters... but the characters are given a tragic ending.

What kind of mentality is this?
What kind of story does he have?

Dilraba really wanted to know.

She wanted to know everything about Lu Zhiyuan.

……

This is Lu Zhiyuan and Dilraba's fourth time attending the Oscars, and they are no longer interested in the awards ceremony.

"Brother, I saw some online analysis from netizens, and they say your chances of winning Best Director are 50%!"

"You only have one opponent, which is Li An's 'Life of Pi'."

"However, netizens have no idea that you gave Li An a lot of advice in making this movie."

The movie "Life of Pi" was conceived by Li An in 2009.

Before the Cannes awards ceremony, Li An discussed the artistic concept of the film with Lu Zhiyuan.

Friedrich's "The Wanderer on the Sea of ​​Fog" conveys a sense of harmony between humanity, nature, and the spiritual world, subtly revealing a unique philosophical reflection and introspection.

This is the origin of the story of "Life of Pi".

At that time, Lu Zhiyuan and Li An had a very in-depth discussion, which gave Li An a lot of inspiration.

Therefore, in Dilraba's mind, even if Li An won the Best Director award, he should still give half to Lu Zhiyuan!
Needless to say, Real Steel 3 completely crushes Life of Pi in almost every aspect.

It was only because of the unspoken rules of the Oscars that Lu Zhiyuan missed out on this year's competition!
Thinking of this, Reba was incredibly proud and couldn't help but reach out and hug Lu Zhiyuan's arm.

This world's most outstanding director is her man!

“Even without me, he could have perfected these ideas in a few months at most.”

"As an art film, it is truly surprising that Life of Pi could achieve such high box office results worldwide."

"Based on my understanding of the Oscars, they will encourage this kind of innovative art-house film!"

Lu Zhiyuan's implication was that Li An would most likely win the Best Director award.

"Lust, Caution" grossed over $7000 million worldwide, especially in South Korea, where it earned $1900 million.

Although it received poor reviews in China, from a commercial perspective, the film was not a failure.

Li An found his audience.

They successfully marketed the product "Lust, Caution".

So, Li An, who was used to path dependence, made a movie called "Making Woodstock" with a theme similar to "Lust, Caution", but it was a complete commercial failure.

The film "Lust, Caution" is a conflict between collectivism and individualism. The female protagonist, Wang Jiazhi, directly betrayed her political beliefs and chose personal desire.

Lu Zhiyuan couldn't understand why Koreans liked this movie. But regardless, the movie's box office in South Korea did surpass that in China.

It's really strange.

— "Taking Woodstock" is set in 1969 in the United States, a time of chaos and disorder in society due to the Vietnam War, the moon landing, and the civil rights movement, and the counterculture movement reaching its climax.

The male protagonist was born into a very conservative family, but he is gay and can only suppress his feelings in his daily life.

However, during the counterculture movement, they witnessed the hippie culture's pursuit of freedom and equality, and released their long-suppressed selves.

……

Both films, in some respects, touch upon social change, collective pressure, and individual demands.

However, "Lust, Caution" was a commercial success.

This made Li An want to replicate a similar story in the United States.

Unfortunately, Manufacturing Woodstock was a complete commercial failure.

With a $3000 million investment, the final box office was less than $1000 million, almost bankrupting Focus Features!
of course.

Li An caused a huge mess for Focus Features, which, in a sense, benefited Lu Zhiyuan.

James, as the CEO of Focus Features, was overwhelmed with problems at the time. He happened to meet Lu Zhiyuan and immediately latched onto Lu Zhiyuan's coattails.

From then on, James was always Lu Zhiyuan's loyal lackey.

Because he had been tricked by Li An once, he never wanted to make art films again.

Commercial films are still the most reliable!
James abandoned his evil ways and embraced the light, but Li An remained stubborn and used a similar template to make a film about an Indian story called "Life of Pi".

It's another story about identity.

In fact, his films are always filled with the concept of searching for this identity.

However, Life of Pi was an unprecedented commercial success, grossing approximately $6 million worldwide.

For an art film, this is nothing short of amazing!
Even domestically, it grossed around $9000 million at the box office.

After the release of "Life of Pi," Li An's previous criticisms of "Lust, Caution" seemed to vanish like smoke...

Indeed, a movie is ultimately nothing more than a commodity.

The Promise only failed commercially.

If "The Promise" becomes a box office hit, netizens' opinions of Chen Kaige will likely be quite different.

Similarly, there's the movie "Hero".

Lu Zhiyuan vaguely remembers that when the movie "Hero" was first released, there was a lot of criticism in China.

Professor Dong of the School of Liberal Arts at Nanjing University criticized the film for its "lack of spiritual content" and for "highly heroizing and deifying" Qin Shi Huang.

Netizens' comments were also sharp, with some viewers believing that this was "Li Lianjie's worst work."

To everyone's surprise, the film received an excellent response internationally.

Time magazine named this film the number one of the ten best films of 2004, and it has a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes!

Spielberg said he "understood Hero through color," and the film grossed over $1700 million in its opening weekend in North America.

This film was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film!

After the news reached China...

Public opinion has completely reversed.

From then on, the reviews of this movie that netizens saw online were mostly positive.

For example, some might haile this film as a milestone in Chinese cinema, driving industry transformation and ushering in the era of blockbusters!

All I can say is... this world is just so magical.

Therefore, Lu Zhiyuan has never cared about awards or anything like that.

A product is just a product. And for any product, the most important thing is to sell it well and at a high price!
……

As expected, the crew of "Real Steel 3" did not win any major awards.

This year's best film goes to Argo.

As expected, the Best Director award went to Li An, and in a sense, it was well-deserved for "Life of Pi".

This is Ang Lee's second time winning the Best Director award.

The last one was Brokeback Mountain.

However, Li An is also an interesting person. When he went on stage to give his acceptance speech, after saying a lot of words of thanks, he suddenly mentioned Lu Zhiyuan.

"I want to especially thank director Lu Zhiyuan. Half of the artistic conception for this film came from his suggestions!"

"He is the most artist-like person I know!"

Li An's acceptance speech drew applause from the entire audience.

Several cameras were constantly pointed at Lu Zhiyuan.

Most people familiar with the unspoken rules of the Oscars know that the real Best Director this year is Lu Zhiyuan!
However, since Avatar, movies that are too successful at the box office have generally not won any major awards.

It is already quite an achievement to be nominated.

If you haven't seen "The Hobbit: The First Hobbit" and "The Dark Knight Rises," how can you not even get nominations for Best Picture and Best Director?

Although he didn't win Best Director, Lu Zhiyuan received a consolation prize from the Oscars.

"Next, I'd like to announce the Best Art Direction winner... Congratulations to Master Lu Zhiyuan for *Real Steel 3: Perseus*!"

The host addressed Lu Zhiyuan as "Master".

Although there was a hint of jest in it, in this kind of setting, any statement will be amplified 100 times.

Lu Zhiyuan truly deserves the title of art master!

After all, even another Best Director, Li An, admitted that Lu Zhiyuan had provided him with artistic guidance and advice!
If Lu Zhiyuan's advice hadn't been so valuable, Li An, as a senior colleague, would never have praised Lu Zhiyuan so indiscriminately on such an important occasion.

……

"Thank you."

Lu Zhiyuan went on stage and gave a brief acceptance speech.

After stepping off the stage, he placed the trophy in Dilraba's hands.

“Drizzo, this is my second Oscar. The last one was for Best Visual Effects, which went to the technical team.”

"This is the first trophy I've ever won."

"We've known each other for so many years, and I've never given you a particularly precious gift... I hope you like this little trophy."

Dilraba has decided to retire from acting and move behind the scenes.

Lu Zhiyuan knew that she must have made a very big decision and truly wanted to spend her life with him.

He has always been indifferent to things like marriage.

However, he also has one advantage: he likes to make equal exchanges in everything he does.

Reba was deeply in love with him.

He can't remain unresponsive like a dead man. Over time, even the most passionate feelings will be extinguished.

When he's not working, his emotional intelligence is always very high.

"Brother, are you really giving me this trophy?"

This is an Oscar trophy; even a small award like this is enough to bring glory to one's ancestors.

"Originally, if I had won Best Director this year, I might have proposed to you with the Oscar statuette... However, it's just a small trophy, so it would be a bit shabby to use it for a proposal."

"I'm not good enough for you, the greatest actress in film history."

Lu Zhiyuan seemed somewhat disdainful of the small trophy.

However, upon hearing this, Dilraba quickly snatched the trophy from Lu Zhiyuan's hands and hugged it tightly to her chest.

"Brother, I don't mind!"

"It's good that you have this heart."

I'll take that as a proposal!

Haha!

Dilraba was actually bursting with joy inside.

She knew that for Lu Zhiyuan to say those tender and affectionate words just now was a pipe dream.

Too rare.

really!

During the red carpet ceremony, she said that she wanted to step back from the limelight and open a business with Lu Zhiyuan... This greatly touched Lu Zhiyuan.

From a certain perspective, Lu Zhiyuan actually dislikes his girlfriend showing her face in public.

After all, what man likes his woman to be hugging and kissing other people while acting, and maybe even having some intimate scenes?
Even Dilraba herself couldn't stand it when Lu Zhiyuan spoke a single word to Gao Yuanyuan or Jing Tian in private!

The biggest sign of liking someone is a strong desire to possess them!
……

After the awards ceremony.

Under normal circumstances, there are also banquets for celebrities.

This year, Lu Zhiyuan clearly felt that other people's enthusiasm for him had reached a new level.

"Boss, congratulations on achieving the title of Master of Art!"

Art director, director, and cinematographer are collectively known as the "trinity" of filmmaking, jointly determining the film's visual tone and narrative atmosphere.

In other production crews, these three positions are usually filled by three different people.

However, in Lu Zhiyuan's film crew, he personally held all three positions.

Especially in terms of art direction... he created all the artistic concepts for all his films himself.

The art and props working group was simply carrying out his requests.

Therefore, it is well-deserved that he received the art direction award.

After praising Lu Zhiyuan a few times, James said with some regret, "It's a pity he didn't win the Best Director award."

However, James's regret was short-lived, as he soon revealed his true thoughts.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"Who made our movie such a box office success?"

"If our film's box office stays around 10 billion US dollars, boss, you might still be able to compete for Best Director."

James was clearly joking.

A box office of $16 billion is certainly more appealing than a box office of $10 billion plus a Best Director award.

They are even more popular in Hollywood!

No matter what industry you're in, making money is the most important thing.

He also knew very well that Lu Zhiyuan's pursuit of box office success far outweighed any awards!
"James, is it safe in Colombia?"

The awards ceremony is over, and Lu Zhiyuan's winter vacation is officially over. He is about to officially start his new job!

"Project Gutenberg" is here!
"Boss, don't worry, I've contacted a senior DEA (Department of Drug Enforcement) agent. He can handle it perfectly!"

"The Colombian mafia can disregard their government. But believe me, not a single gangster dares to mess with a DEA client!"

James made a firm and confident promise.

But yes.

As a world-renowned director, Lu Zhiyuan probably has many fans in Colombia.

Under normal circumstances, no one would be so brainless as to deliberately provoke him!

Having James contact some officials was mainly as a precaution.

James proved to be very reliable in this regard, finding a senior DEA agent.

There shouldn't be any safety issues.

"The filming of this movie will be relatively fast. It should be completed in three months at most."

Three months later, at the end of May.

Post-production will take a maximum of two months.

In other words, the movie "Project Gutenberg" could be released globally by early August, or at the latest by the end of August.

Lu Zhiyuan is planning to adjust his schedule and move the film's release date from Christmas to the summer season.

The Christmas box office competition was fierce, and the numerous award-winning films at the end of the year significantly eroded his box office revenue.

For Lu Zhiyuan, the summer movie season might be an easier time to achieve high box office returns!
"Boss, I await your triumphant return."

James handled all the logistical work for Lu Zhiyuan, mediated between various countries, and resolved all issues for Lu Zhiyuan.

Universal Pictures is truly remarkable in this regard.

If it were a regular film studio, it would take Lu Zhiyuan a long time to get filming permits and go through all the hassle of finding a location.

Now, it can all be done with just one phone call!
……

Lu Zhiyuan took Reba with him and strolled around the celebrity banquet, chatting with many people.

His business empire has gradually been laid out.

He acquired a 10% stake in Netflix and became Netflix's Content Art Director, helping to endorse several upcoming Netflix series.

YD Pictures' first film, "Project Gutenberg," is about to begin filming. If the film achieves commercial success, the company will be on the right track.

In China, Yuan Technology's robots have been updated to the third generation.

Although the development of humanoid robots has been slow, the third-generation robot dog has been successfully marketed all over the world.

Especially in the UAE in the Middle East, it has become a popular trend for some wealthy people to go out with robotic dogs.

In these countries, these robotic dogs are allowed to carry weapons. Theoretically, their function is similar to that of a bodyguard.

Hiring a bodyguard can cost several thousand dollars a month.

While the price of a robot dog is slightly higher, it's not by much.

Wealthy tycoons simply buy a dozen or so robotic dogs, each carrying a semi-automatic rifle, to patrol their estates day and night—a much more cost-effective option than hiring bodyguards.

After all, bodyguards are full of energy, and they might take advantage of the owner's absence to have an affair with the lady of the house.

Such an accident is completely impossible for a robot dog!

In addition, Lu Zhiyuan's special effects company, Black Hole Vision, has become one of the world's leading special effects companies after being trained on the Real Steel trilogy.

Especially when it comes to character modeling, such as those large monsters.

There are also some special light-tracking effects. In order to film the light bending effect of the black hole in "Real Steel 3", Lu Zhiyuan's special effects company spent countless efforts to develop a brand new engine.

These technical skills mean that even if Lu Zhiyuan stopped directing, he could still become a top figure in the film and television industry as a post-production special effects master!

As modern films demand increasingly higher standards for visuals, the technical reserves of special effects companies become all the more precious.

Looking across the entire country, apart from Lu Zhiyuan's special effects company, all the others are mediocre and insignificant. They're not worth mentioning at all.

This is why Keiko Kitagawa was able to help Lu Zhiyuan obtain the adaptation rights to "Godzilla" from Toho for free.

Because Lu Zhiyuan's special effects company has already successfully produced three monster-themed disaster movies!
Using it to film "Godzilla" was, at least from a technical standpoint, a perfect fit.

……

After the Oscars ceremony, Lu Zhiyuan immediately went to Florence.

Zhuang Wenqiang and the others had been waiting for a long time.

"Brother Yuan, you're here... Do you have any follow-up ideas about the [Painter] organization that you want to tell me?"

Zhuang Wenqiang made a strong first impression.

His question was an attempt to steer Lu Zhiyuan's train of thought.

Otherwise, if Lu Zhiyuan starts to improvise freely, it might veer towards the direction of science fiction films.

After all, Lu Zhiyuan is truly amazing at making science fiction films.

"After thinking about it, since we've chosen Florence, let's choose the Medici family behind the mysterious organization 'The Painters'."

"Painter, Florence, the mysterious M family... and then, paired with the cellar of an ancient castle, what do you think? Wouldn't it create a better atmosphere?"

Lu Zhiyuan will not make any further changes to the plot structure of "Peerless".

However, in terms of specific details, he removed some of the characteristics of Hong Kong-style violent crime films and added some of the feel of European and American crime films.

"I think it's okay."

Zhuang Wenqiang breathed a sigh of relief; at least they hadn't messed things up.

It simply adds a touch of local flavor, making it more in line with the theme of "counterfeit money + art".

"Besides that... I think your script doesn't have enough action scenes. I designed several scenes on my way here."

"Let's confirm this before the official filming."

Although the movie "Project Gutenberg" is a violent crime film, it possesses a unique, understated beauty characteristic of East Asian culture.

If it were actually filmed like that, its box office performance in Europe and America might not be very high.

Western crime films tend to be straightforward, with lots of killing... The mindless "Speed ​​Chase" has almost no plot; everything is just about fighting.

The plot of this movie is either fighting or on the way to fighting. Despite being a mindless popcorn flick, it actually did very well at the box office.

However, despite its meticulously crafted plot, the Bourne series often falls short of box office expectations.

Therefore, even for the sake of box office success, the proportion of violent scenes in the movie "Project Gutenberg" had to be increased.

Crime action movies are all about two things: crime and action!

These two core elements are essential!

"Brother Yuan, your words have truly cleared the fog for me."

As it turns out, as long as Lu Zhiyuan doesn't go crazy, he's practically a shrewd businessman like Raphael, loved by everyone and charming countless noblewomen!

But if he starts to go crazy, then he's Leonardo da Vinci... utterly capricious.

But most of the time, he works like Michelangelo, seven days a week, 18 hours a day, and can work non-stop for months on end.

Everything can be done personally.

Even for a single shot, I want to film it myself!
"Go get ready."

"Let's discuss how to film it during dinner tonight."

After Lu Zhiyuan finished speaking, he told Zhuang Wenqiang to start making preparations.

Officially, Lu Zhiyuan is the director.

In reality, Zhuang Wenqiang was the true director, responsible for all the specific work of the crew... while Lu Zhiyuan was only the art director.

"Zhiyuan, congratulations on winning the Oscar for Best Production Design."

After Zhuang Wenqiang left, Gao Yuanyuan, the female lead of the film, arrived and looked at Lu Zhiyuan with a smile.

She has successfully delivered the painting "Water Lilies" to Lu Zhiyuan's home.

The first payment of 300,000 yuan for her "sugar baby" in February has been successfully deposited into her account.

She thought that Lu Zhiyuan had already tacitly acknowledged their secret intimate relationship.

Seeing that no one was around, she tried to take Lu Zhiyuan's arm.

"what are you doing?"

Lu Zhiyuan's eyes widened, somewhat puzzled.

"Asking knowingly."

Gao Yuanyuan gave him a mischievous look and said passionately, "Li Wen dreams of sleeping with Ruan Wen. Now, you are Li Wen, and I am Ruan Wen... Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Lu Zhiyuan shook his head slightly, his brows furrowing: "Little Gao, something's not right with you. You're a goddess in this movie, and Li Wen is your simp... Show some restraint!"

Gao Yuanyuan chuckled and said nonchalantly, "In the play, you fawn over me. Off-screen, I fawn over you. It doesn't interfere with anything."

I've gone to such great lengths, getting Zhuang Wenqiang to film "Project Gutenberg" and sending you world-famous paintings... What do you think I'm trying to do?
Is he really going to make a movie with you?

“Xiao Gao, I know you are deeply poisoned. Moreover, this poison has been in your body for about three or four years, and it certainly can't be cleared away in a short time.”

"I understand your confusion. I won't scold you today."

"But would you like to take a look in that direction under the bridge?"

Lu Zhiyuan understood that Gao Yuanyuan was not in a normal state at this moment, but rather in a state of being love-struck due to being poisoned by an S-level toxin!
At this moment, he was somewhat helpless and could only point to a figure by the bridge.

Not far away, under the old bridge over the Arno River, Reba looked at the two of them with a leisurely gaze, her eyes slightly narrowed, a hint of murderous intent flashing in them.

"Hehe, what brings her here too?"

Upon seeing Dilraba, Gao Yuanyuan's love-struck mind instantly snapped back to reality. She silently released Lu Zhiyuan's arm.

There's a mountain in Altay, it's so annoying!

(End of this chapter)