This director lacks vision.

Chapter 29 Building the Old Boy IP
After experiencing the difficulty of fighting two opponents at once, Jiang Yifeng became much more sober. He realized that he needed to work harder, film well, and win more awards.

Only in this way can you fully enjoy life.

He picked up the script for "Old Boys" that he always carried with him and went through it carefully again.

The mountaineering team ate breakfast at the farm before descending the mountain together.

Upon arriving at the parking lot at the foot of the mountain, everyone drove home.

This hiking activity has now officially come to an end.

Jiang Yifeng and Nazha got into Gao Yuanyuan's car.

In the car, Jiang Yifeng looked at Gao Yuanyuan, whose complexion was rosy, and asked, "Are you busy at noon?"

Gao Yuanyuan was secretly delighted and said, "Since you invited me, I'm fine."

“Let’s have lunch together then,” Jiang Yifeng said. “You drive to Vanke Blue Mountain first and take Nazha home.”

After last night's fun, Naza wasn't as jealous of Gao Yuanyuan anymore.

In addition, Jiang Yifeng told Nazha early this morning that he had a work-related social engagement at noon and would invite Gao Yuanyuan along.

So Nazar wasn't unhappy.

After the car pulled up to the entrance of the residential area, she kissed Jiang Yifeng, got out of the car, and went home.

Seeing this, Gao Yuanyuan felt troubled; her opponent had grown too fast.

She exclaimed, "These little girls nowadays are amazing! Not only are they beautiful, but they also have such a great attitude."

"If I were Nazar's age, and my boyfriend were seeing other women, I absolutely couldn't stand it."

Jiang Yifeng smiled and asked, "What would you do if you couldn't stand it? Break up with me?"

“How could that be? I’ll make my boyfriend love me even more. That woman will know she can’t win and will leave on her own.”

It has to be said that Gao Yuanyuan's views on love sound somewhat distorted.

This idea was not accepted in later generations.

However, it was still quite common in the 1990s.

After all, the mainstream view at that time held love in very high regard.

Many things can be forgiven as long as they are done in the name of love.

As Gao Yuanyuan drove, she said, "You're really strange, unlike other people."

"Why is it different?"

"Most men will try their best to please you and be obedient to you before they get what they want, but their attitude will change after they get what they want."

You were the complete opposite; when you failed yesterday, you weren't very nice to me.

Today, instead of taking the initiative, he invited me to dinner and asked me out on a date.

After they succeeded, they treated me even better.

After a pause, Gao Yuanyuan licked her lips and slowly said, "Are you satisfied with my service?"

Seeing Gao Yuanyuan's happy expression, Jiang Yifeng didn't spoil the mood. Instead, he said, "It's more satisfying than expected, but there are other people having lunch with us."

I've made a reservation; we'll go to the club for a massage this afternoon.

I noticed you were a bit stiff last night, and your neck kept cracking.

Gao Yuanyuan laughed and said, "My neck is cracking because you were too rude!"
"You're really something, taking a woman to a massage parlor."

"A proper massage, both men and women need it, it's very comfortable."

"Okay, who are you having lunch with?"

“Mr. Li Mingqi, I would like to invite her to star in ‘Old Boy’. It would be more sincere to invite you, the female lead, to join the discussion.”

Gao Yuanyuan understood that Jiang Yifeng's so-called invitation to dinner had an ulterior motive.

Bringing her along to chat with Li Mingqi would add weight to the "old boy" image.

After all, it's a short film, and she might not agree to star in it if a veteran actor like Li Mingqi were asked to.

However, the movie's female lead is A-list actress Gao Yuanyuan, which makes all the difference.

The success rate of inviting Li Mingqi is much higher.

The car arrived at a private restaurant in Chaoyang District, and Jiang Yifeng and Gao Yuanyuan went into the private room first.

Jiang Yifeng had arranged to meet at 11:30, but Li Mingqi arrived at 11:15.

Her clothes were simple and elegant, her hair was neatly combed, and she wore reading glasses. Although she had a smile on her face, she still looked somewhat fierce.

Most Chinese people have probably seen Li Mingqi's portrayal of Wang Po and Rong Momo.

These two classic villains have created a preconceived notion that everyone thinks of her as somewhat evil.

So much so that when Li Mingqi went to the market to buy vegetables, she was refused by the vendors who said they wouldn't sell her any. This is what a truly good actor is like, and it's the effect Jiang Yifeng needed.

A fixed villainous character who makes the audience feel that she is a bad person as soon as she appears.

"Hello, Teacher Li. I am Jiang Yifeng, and Gao Yuanyuan is the female lead in Old Boys."

"Director Jiang, hello! Yuanyuan, hello!"

They exchanged a few pleasantries.

Jiang Yifeng originally wanted to have a meal and chat first to build a closer relationship before discussing acting.

Unexpectedly, Li Mingqi said directly, "Director Jiang, you said on the phone that you wanted to cast me in a role. Did you bring the script?"

Jiang Yifeng took a script out of his bag and handed it to Li Mingqi.

"Teacher Li, please take a look. This character is very interesting."

Jiang Yifeng invited Li Mingqi to play the role of Teacher Li, the high school homeroom teacher of the male lead Dapeng.

A very strict, unapproachable teacher who often physically punished students was nicknamed "Old Witch" by the students.

She repeatedly suppressed Dapeng's dreams, forcing him to study hard.

In the early stages of the script, Teacher Li was portrayed as a stereotypical villain.

But as the script unfolds, the mystery is revealed: she was actually the late-arriving seed player.

Even though he is over sixty, he still dares to pursue his dreams, which is even more inspiring than Dapeng and Qiaoshan.

Back then, Teacher Li taught Dapeng and Qiaoshan because he felt that the two lacked artistic talent and was thinking about their future.

After the seeded contestants arrived, the production team, in order to save time, immediately removed Da Peng and Qiao Shan from the stage, denying them a chance to perform.

It was only after Teacher Li insisted that they were allowed to sing "Old Boy" on stage.

Teacher Li is a character whose story is initially portrayed negatively but later develops positively; he is an important figure in the show "Old Boys" and is highly valued by Jiang Yifeng.

He felt that casting Li Mingqi was the most suitable choice.

Teacher Li's face immediately screams villainy, making the final twist all the more interesting.

Moreover, one of the prototypes for the character Teacher Li is Aunt Susan.

If we were to list all the talent shows in the world, or even all the amateur talent shows, Susan Boyle would definitely be the most popular one.

The song "I Dreamed a Dream" shocked the audience and became a hit all over the world.

She later released an album, which outsold Lady Gaga and won the number one spot.

In the movie "Old Boys," having Teacher Li participate in a talent show was also a way of riding on the popularity of Aunt Susan Boyle.

It's just that Aunt Susan isn't famous yet. Once she becomes famous in a few days, Jiang Yifeng will change Teacher Li's name to Teacher Su.

After reading the script, Li Mingqi nodded and said, "Although it's a short film, the character of Teacher Li is very good, and I can play the role."

Li Mingqi agreed readily, much to Jiang Yifeng's surprise that things would go so smoothly.

He said with a smile, "Thank you for your support. If all goes well, I will make Old Boys into a movie series."

The character of Teacher Li will be the female lead in the next big movie.

After the short film "Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon" became popular, Chopstick Brothers made a feature film called "Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon," which was of very poor quality.

It also ruined the Old Boys IP.

Jiang Yifeng also plans to develop Old Boys into an IP and make it into a series of feature films.

His idea was to adapt the movie "Back to 20" / "Miss Granny", which was made by China and Korea using the same script.

In the upcoming movie "Old Boys," the character Ms. Li is the female lead. She accidentally enters a magical "Youth Photo Studio" and returns to her 20-year-old self.

This leads to a series of laughs, conflicts, and touching events.

In the movie "Miss Granny", the old lady who plays the female lead is also a mean-spirited and annoying character in the early stages.

Later, people discovered her inner kindness and resilience.

Furthermore, the female lead also loves to sing, has a musical dream, participates in a singing competition, and develops a relationship with the PD of a radio music program.

This character aligns with Teacher Li from Old Boys.

It will be very easy to adapt.

If the first movie adapted from "Old Boys" becomes a hit, the same formula can be used to make other characters younger or older, or even to create a time-travel/rebirth story like "Goodbye Mr. Loser," thus creating a series of IPs.

As a reborn individual, Jiang Yifeng knows all too well how important a successful IP is to a director.

Although success is not guaranteed, the development plan should still strive in this direction.

(End of this chapter)