Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 323 Willingly Falling into the Trap, Around Two Hundred Million
Congratulations on making it to the top nine!

"Congratulations my ass! What's there to congratulate? Anyone who didn't know better would think he'd been shortlisted." Wu Chen casually sat down in his chair, laughing and cursing with a look of disdain.

"Speak normally." Liu Yifei chuckled from the side, raised her hand and gently patted Wu Chen's shoulder, her voice neither too loud nor too soft.

"Tsk, see that? This is the power of a Golden Globe Best Director. The nine finalists are not worth any congratulations at all."

Ning Hao chuckled, picking up the script for "Bad Genius" from the conference room. "Look at this. It took me several months to finish, and I just finished it this morning. I've read it through, and you've basically covered everything I said and polished it. There shouldn't be any major problems."

Wu Chen and Liu Yifei leaned over side by side, looking down as they flipped through the pages, occasionally exchanging glances and whispers.

Xing Aina looked at the two of them, her eyes flickered slightly, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

After a while, Wu Chen looked away and nodded: "It's good."

If the background were changed to Hong Kong, given the current strain on Hong Kong's educational resources, the emerging tension between mainlanders and locals, the burgeoning wealth gap, and the increasing popularity of international study abroad exams, the sense of immersion would actually be stronger.

"Sisi."

While Wu Chen and Ning Hao were chatting, Xing Aina patted Liu Yifei's hand, and then the two of them went to the next meeting room together.

Wu Chen and Ning Hao weren't particularly interested in asking questions as the two women were talking.

"By the way, did President Han invite you to the premiere of 'CJ7'?"

"Shouted."

“Alright, let’s go together then. I knew President Han wouldn’t let you off the hook,” Ning Hao chuckled.

When Liu Yifei and Xing Aina came out of the conference room, Wu Chen could clearly feel that Liu Yifei's eyes were shimmering and her ears seemed to be a little red.

On the way back, in the car, Wu Chen casually asked, "Is there something you need, Sister?"

"It's alright," Liu Yifei replied immediately.

Wu Chen didn't pay much attention to it.

That evening, the sound of water came from the bathroom. Liu Yifei quickly opened the wardrobe and searched inside with a flushed face.

After a long while, the bathroom door opened, and steam carrying the fresh scent of a shower wafted out.

As Wu Chen dried his hair, he walked out, casually wondering whether he should make a cup of tea, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He saw Liu Yifei sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a pink silk nightgown with the straps of her shoulders drooping gently.

The hem of her nightgown slid down to mid-thigh, revealing a pair of jade-like legs encased in black stockings, crossed over each other, her toes lightly touching the floor, the shimmering curves rippling like soft waves under the light.

Her hair was slightly damp, with a few strands clinging to her cheeks. She gently lifted her eyes, her gaze moist yet carrying a hint of unnatural panic.

"Senior sister, what are you doing?"

Wu Chen's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, but he still tried to remain calm.

Even black stockings are on display; there must be a plan here.
Liu Yifei blushed and thought to herself, "Pah! You're never this serious before, but now you're acting all high and mighty."

But when he called her "senior sister," she knew in her heart that this person wouldn't last more than a few moves.

She slowly rose and walked towards him with light yet imposing steps.

Then, with a flick of the wrist, he pushed.

Wu Chen collapsed onto the bed before he could even react.

"What do you mean, 'I'll nudge you'?"

"what?"

Wu Chen looked completely bewildered.

Is it now fashionable to "cut cabbage into a pig" (a metaphor for being forced to work one's own feet)?

Before she could finish speaking, those moist lips pressed against hers.

Wu Chen felt a sudden heat in his head. Although he knew there was definitely a plan hidden in this night, the enemy was too cunning and their tactics were too elaborate. He had no choice but to bravely go into battle first.

It's not that we're incapable; it's that the enemy's offer is too tempting.

As night deepened, only the lingering breaths of the two remained in the room.

"Junior brother."

Liu Yifei snuggled close to him, her voice sweet and cloying, like she was pleading or trying to get information out of him, "Could you act in 'Bad Genius' with me?"

"what?"

"No, you should say 'um'."

Wu Chen blinked, half-asleep, and seemed to utter "hmm" more than once, with a slightly nasal tone.

The next morning.

Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, casting a slanting glow at the foot of the bed, and the air still held the warmth of last night.

Liu Yifei, still half-asleep, reached out her hand.
Huh?What about people?

She opened her sleepy eyes and saw that Wu Chen was already dressed in his pajamas, leaning against the bed and scrutinizing her with a mischievous smile. She quickly turned over and pretended to be asleep.

"Senior sister, wake up! You think you can just turn around and I won't know? You were pretty clever last night," Wu Chen teased.

"I don't care, you promised last night, and a gentleman's word is as good as his bond." Liu Yifei sat up, biting her lip with a "righteous" expression, but her eyes still darted around.

Her pink nightgown hung loosely on her shoulders, her fingers twirling as she tried to hide her guilt about what she had orchestrated the night before.

"Who taught you that? Sister?"

Wu Chen laughed so hard he almost fell over, but since he hadn't suffered any loss, he was too embarrassed to speak loudly. He could only tap her forehead and say, "You're really something."

"Humph."

Liu Yifei pouted, but her tone carried a hint of coquettishness, "My sister just said that she could let you participate in the filming. You're quite suitable for the second male lead role, and it wouldn't take too much time, so I thought about it."

"The second male lead," Wu Chen thought for a moment, and it seemed that the role was indeed not difficult and the screen time was not much.

"Fine."

"Really? You can't go back on your word."

Liu Yifei excitedly clung to Wu Chen, wrapping her arms around his neck, her eyes sparkling with joy and a smug smile playing on her lips.

"However, you might have to accommodate my schedule when you start filming, and try to wait until I finish filming 'The Martian'?" Wu Chen said with a smile, his hand naturally supporting her waist, his gaze falling on her messy hair, gently tucking it behind her ear.

"No problem!" Liu Yifei grinned.

"Shall we continue? Change into white ones during the day?" Feeling the softness of her body, and with such a strong reaction so early in the morning, Wu Chen couldn't help but whisper in Liu Yifei's ear. "Didn't we use white stockings last night too?" Liu Yifei's voice was soft and sticky.

"Oh, it's okay, keep using that one."

"That one you tore to shreds."

"Just right."

Liu Yifei froze for a second, then blushed and bit his shoulder in a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"You pervert!"

"Ouch, be gentle, senior sister!"

"."

"Director Wu really agreed! That's great, Yifei, you're amazing." Xing Aina was also a little surprised when she received Liu Yifei's call. The efficiency was too fast, and she couldn't help but give her a thumbs up.

"What method was used?"

"I didn't use any special methods," Liu Yifei said insincerely.

"That's true. You can easily charm me with your sweet talk, let alone Director Wu. The preparations will be quick, but if we need to coordinate with Director Wu's schedule, there's no rush."

"Mmm." Liu Yifei gave a soft "Mmm," and then quickly hung up the phone, thinking about what happened last night and this morning.

These days, "Black Peony" has been the subject of constant discussion in the industry, with various predictions and Oscar nomination predictions in North America, keeping the buzz going.

However, the nominations will not be announced until the 24th. Although the mainland is full of confidence, there is still a slight concern.

On the evening of the 23rd, Wu Chen and Ning Hao attended the premiere of "CJ7" together.

As the first highly anticipated film of 08, and with China Film Group as the main producer, the premiere was a grand affair, attracting media from all walks of life.
"Wu Chen and Ning Hao are here too." The media's flashbulbs kept going off.

"Are you really going to act? Are you planning to win a Best Actor award like Director Zhang?"

While greeting the audience and media on both sides, Ning Hao asked Wu Chen with a smile.

He learned the news from Xing Ai and wasn't too surprised. After all, almost 70-80% of the first and second-tier directors in the industry can act, and Zhang Yimou is the best of them all, winning the Best Actor award with his first film.

"I don't have that idea of ​​becoming a movie star. Director Zhang is exceptionally talented, but it's not a big deal for him to act in it. However, you shouldn't deliberately mess things up." Wu Chen suddenly thought that Ning Hao would be directing, so he wondered if Ning Hao would give him random roles.

"Don't worry, we're brothers, we'd never cheat you, let alone anyone else," Ning Hao chuckled, a surge of excitement welling up inside him.

"Haha, you better be."

"."

"Director Wu, Director Ning, welcome, welcome. Director Wu, Director Ning, we must have a good chat later." Zhou Xingchi shook hands with Wu Chen and Ning Hao, feeling a surge of emotions.

If this were in Hong Kong, very few people would dare to come and support him. However, the environment on the mainland is indeed much better than in Hong Kong.

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

Xu Jiao, Zhang Yuqi, and a few others also joined in.

These are two of only five directors in mainland China with box office earnings exceeding 100 million yuan, and they have a close relationship with each other. It's like getting noticed by one person and gaining the attention of the other – it's incredibly worthwhile.

Moreover, if one could gain Wu Chen's favor, one could even step onto the international stage.

"He's not as bad as people in Hong Kong say. He seems alright." Ning Hao glanced back at Zhou Xingchi, who was very polite and courteous, and personally escorted the two of them to the inner area.

"Right and wrong cannot be determined solely by words," Wu Chen smiled. "Putting aside other things, I've seen many of his movies, and they're all classics."

"Oh right, I almost forgot you're from the Cantonese region."

Han Sanping, sitting in the front, waved to Wu Chen and the other person.

There were quite a few people at the event, but most of them were from the mainland. Very few people from Hong Kong dare to come to the mainland to show their support.

"We're here. Let's take a good look at the movie later and see how it is," Han Sanping said cheerfully.

The premiere of "CJ7" was very elaborate, thanks to the efforts of China Film Group. It took a long time for Stephen Chow to finally give his speech on stage, sincerely thanking Han Sanping for giving him the opportunity.

The latter had a big smile on his face.

"Putting aside everything else, Chairman Han is quite good in this regard, and he's willing to lend a hand," Ning Hao whispered to Wu Chen.

Wu Chen nodded upon hearing this.

This is why, even though Han Sanping is like a mythical creature in the industry, many people still remember his kindness in helping them.

The story of "CJ5" is relatively simple, but Stephen Chow paid great attention to the details. His signature humorous lines kept the audience laughing for five minutes at a time, while several emotional scenes also moved many viewers to tears.

"How was it? Not bad, right?" Han Sanping couldn't help but ask after the screening ended.

"Good!"

"really not bad!"

Wu Chen and Ning Hao both gave affirmative answers, and Zhou Xingchi, sitting to Han Sanping's right, couldn't help but smile.

Sometimes, the quality of kind words depends on who is saying them.

Media outlets relentlessly pursued Stephen Chow for interviews, and Han Sanping was not spared either. When asked about his box office expectations for "CJ7," Han Sanping couldn't help but call out to Wu Chen.

"I think Director Wu and Director Ning have experience in this area; you might want to ask them for their opinions."

Han Sanping's actions amused many viewers, but the media were quite interested, as this was a topic that came to them.

Ning Hao didn't deny it, saying, "To be honest, my box office is only a little over 100 million, so my estimates are very limited. I can only say that I think it won't be less than 100 million."

After he finished speaking, the whole audience burst into applause and laughter.

"Thank you, Director Ning," Zhou Xingchi said, picking up the microphone.

A box office of 100 million is not low, and Ning Hao said it would be no less than 100 million, without mentioning the upper limit, so we'll leave it to everyone to guess.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on Wu Chen.

"Director Ning is a bit cunning, isn't he? It's like a number guessing game; with just one sentence from Director Ning, the game is over."

"Hahaha!"

The whole room burst into laughter.

"Okay, I'll guess a bit higher, around 200 million in box office revenue."

(End of this chapter)