It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 197 Han Sanping: Who are you below? How dare you accuse this official? (Seeking monthly votes)

"After The Return of the Condor Heroes, your popularity will reach its peak, but new pressures will also follow."

If you want to make more TV series in the future, you have to be even more meticulous. Ordinary scripts can no longer support your current popularity..."

In the break room of the "Dying to Survive" film crew, Lü Rui was analyzing the current situation for Liu Yifei and Liu Xiaoli.

The mother and daughter exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with barely suppressed joy.

There is pressure, but that's for the future. The next few years have been much smoother than expected!
"I've received a lot of TV drama scripts, they're probably all coming for the popularity of 'Little Dragon Girl'..."

Liu Xiaoli came to the film set today specifically for this matter.

With the immense popularity of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," many production companies sent their best scripts to Red Star Film Studio, specifically requesting Liu Yifei to star in them.

Furthermore, most production companies indicated that she could name her own salary!

It was precisely through these scripts and promises that Liu Yifei's popularity truly gained tangible weight.

Lu Rui took the script and flipped through it, immediately recognizing many familiar names.

"Struggle", "Magic Phone", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"...

These dramas did indeed become quite popular later on, but none of them are suitable for Liu Yifei right now.

"Let's push them all down."

After quickly flipping through a few pages, Lü Rui pushed the script aside.

Liu Xiaoli didn't ask a single question. She silently put the script into her bag, already planning in her mind to refuse them one by one when she got back.

Now she has complete trust in Lü Rui, and coupled with her own belief that she has a poor eye for scripts, she subconsciously feels that these scripts must be terrible.

Seeing that she didn't ask any more questions, Lü Rui took the initiative to explain: "There are actually some good projects among these, but none of them can reach the level of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'."

She has very little room to boost her popularity through TV dramas now, and instead needs to "cool down" and first establish herself in the film industry to raise her profile.

"In a couple of years, we can go back to making TV dramas, using truly good scripts to broaden our audience; that's the only way to build a stable career."

Liu Yifei only half understood what Lu Rui was saying, but she vaguely realized that he was making plans for her long-term future, which warmed her heart.

Liu Xiaoli immediately understood and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'll do as you say, that's how it'll be arranged."

After finalizing Liu Yifei's future development plan, Liu Xiaoli rushed back to the company to connect with the brands that had approached them.

With her daughter currently enjoying immense popularity, endorsement opportunities need to be carefully selected.

Liu Yifei returned to the set to prepare for filming the next major scene.

She discovered that her "father," Jiang Wu, was selling "fake medicine."

Reason told her that this was wrong, but that was her biological father. Without these "fake medicines," her father might die in a very short time due to the lack of medication.

Torn between the law and family ties, the conflict entangled her like vines, leaving her face filled with helplessness and struggle...

……

The night passed.

Shu Qi, who was considered by many to be a top contender for the female lead in Li An's new film "Lust, Caution", suddenly announced that she will be collaborating with Daniel Wu on the action film "Blood Brothers".

The news came as a great surprise to many!

After all, Li An had previously stated in an interview that Shu Qi was the actress who best fit the temperament of the female lead in "Lust, Caution" in his mind.

The former Category III film actress has transformed into a recognized powerhouse in the industry since winning the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress in 05.

Rising to fame is never easy, and many people choose to take a different path, and Shu Qi is one of the successful ones.

In fact, there were many people who followed the same path as her at the same time, but in the end they could only withdraw in disappointment.

Some praised her for "a prodigal son's return," while others felt her success set a bad precedent...

In the future, some people will inevitably follow suit, thinking that they can easily put their clothes back on and dress decently.

But no matter how others evaluate her, it doesn't change the fact that she has already succeeded.

What people can't understand is, after finally gaining a foothold, shouldn't they be pursuing better opportunities?

That's Li An's new film, which is a stepping stone to a higher level. Why would Shu Qi use the act of accepting the role in "Blood Brothers" as a way of indirectly rejecting it?

Many people began to seek the answers, while Lü Rui's people took the opportunity to spread the news and help everyone understand the true nature of "Lust, Caution"...

Just then, another unexpected incident occurred at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Qin Hailu actually published the list of nominees for the Hong Kong Film Awards on his blog. He not only stated that he would decide his judging preferences based on the results of netizens' votes, but also publicly called on netizens to campaign for Zhou Xun in the "Best Actress" category.

This incident immediately caused a huge uproar!
The public questioned whether her actions violated the professionalism of the judging process, turning a serious award selection into a "popularity vote."

However, Manfred Wong, chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards Association, responded: "The association has no right to interfere with the personal behavior of the judges, and this will not affect the final results..."

The online debate is raging, and even the core members within the association who truly have the power to decide who gets the awards are now embroiled in a heated controversy:

“I think Zhou Xun should be awarded an award! The mainland film and television market is becoming more and more important. Giving her a Best Actress award can attract more mainland actors to come to Hong Kong to work together, which is also a good thing for the influence of our Hong Kong Film Awards.”

"That's not right!" someone immediately retorted. "There are so many excellent actresses in Hong Kong, why should the Best Actress award be given to a mainland actress?"
"When we invited mainland actors to Hong Kong to film movies, our purpose was for them to support local artists and create a buzz, not for them to come here to win awards and build their reputations."

"That's not how it works. Zhou Xun's acting skills are undeniable. Her performance in 'Perhaps Love' truly deserves the Best Actress award..."

"Good acting skills are not enough! We must safeguard the foundation of Hong Kong cinema. If even the Best Actress award is given to an outsider, what future will local artists have?"

The debate raged on, but ultimately, on the core issue of whether or not to award Zhou Xun the prize, most people sided with "no".

In their view, maintaining the "local character" of Hong Kong's film and television industry is more important than recognizing the acting skills of a mainland actor.

Unbeknownst to anyone, after this controversial meeting concluded, in a secluded private club, the vice chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards Association was clinking glasses with Yang Shoucheng…

……

As night deepened, the lights on the set of "Dying to Survive" focused on the rooms.

On the monitor, Jiang Wu's character was excitedly taking off his clothes, a smug smile on his lips.

He thought that after his "heroic rescue" at the nightclub, Li Bingbing hadn't refused his offer to take her home, so he assumed it was a mutual attraction, and his heart was filled with anticipation for the passion and release to come.

But then the camera suddenly shifts, and Zhao Jinmai's character, the daughter, appears out of nowhere at the door, looking sickly and weak.

She stood quietly, staring blankly at Jiang Wu, her dark eyes gleaming on her pale face, as if she already knew everything that was about to happen.

Although she was young, she understood it quite well.

This is also a problem faced by many second-marriage families, especially when the woman remarries with children.

Girls are somewhat better off, but many boys subconsciously feel that "my mother actually earns money to support me by sleeping with strange men," so their relationship with their stepfathers will naturally become increasingly distant as they grow up.

Even Dorgon couldn't untangle these family entanglements, so it's even more difficult for ordinary people to sort them out.

The scene before him was so frightening that Jiang Wu immediately swore!

"Holy crap! What's going on?"

He frantically grabbed his coat and trousers and pulled them on, then hurriedly hid under the covers to cover his lower body before daring to meet those innocent yet sharp eyes with a guilty conscience and embarrassment.

The secondary shot gave Zhao Jinmai a close-up of her face.

She portrayed the helplessness, the barely concealed fear, and the forced strength on her small face with exceptional skill; even the slightest tremor in her eyes conveyed the emotion.

"Crack!"

Lu Rui's voice suddenly fell.

In the footage, the little girl didn't move, but just turned slightly to the side, her eyes fixed on Lü Rui.

She remembered the director's words: she could not leave the camera position without being told "yes".

"Great, fantastic!"

After watching the replay, Lü Rui gave Zhao Jinmai a thumbs up.

The little girl then smiled, her cheeks flushed after being praised in public, but her shyness was mixed with excitement.

"Congratulations, Xiaomai, on successfully wrapping up filming." As he spoke, Lü Rui handed over the teddy bear he had prepared in advance.

While other guest stars can give flowers after their appearances, giving a little girl a plush toy is clearly more appropriate.

"Say thank you quickly!" Zhao Jinmai's mother urged softly from the side.

The little girl belatedly realized what was happening, and a big smile spread across her face: "Thank you, Uncle Director!"

"You're welcome," Lu Rui patted her head, then looked at her mother and said seriously, "This girl has a great talent for acting and deserves to be nurtured. If there are suitable roles for her in the future, I will continue to contact you."

"Thank you! Thank you so much for Director Lü's recognition!" Zhao Jinmai's mother said repeatedly. She had already decided to let her daughter pursue an artistic career.

Zhao Jinmai, standing next to him, blinked and stared at Lü Rui for a while, her eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

Lu Rui returned to the monitor.

In the next scene, Li Bingbing enters the room, gets into bed, and takes the initiative to embrace him, clearly indicating her willingness to spend the night together.

However, Jiang Wu's interest was dampened by the earlier incident, and he forced himself to suppress his desires, acting like a virtuous man who could remain unmoved even with a woman in his lap.

Looking at the footage on the monitor, Lü Rui felt a strange feeling inexplicably.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to be getting better and better at designing "Liu Xiahui"-like characters.

Realizing this, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Damn, I shouldn't overthink this, or I'll end up with a 'eunuch' mentality!"

……

In late March, Zhao Peng's film "Sunny Sisters" successfully completed post-production and passed the Film Bureau's review.

Lü Rui first called Wang Changtian to finalize some publicity details.

Immediately afterwards, he contacted Han Sanping to formally set the film's release date.

To his surprise, when Han Sanping came to the film crew for a cameo appearance the next day, he brought with him a distribution plan.

"Here is the movie release schedule for the next three months. Take a look and pick a good release date. Don't tell anyone about this."

Han Sanping handed over the watch, his tone casual.

Lu Rui curiously took it, glanced at the string of familiar movie titles on it, and couldn't hide his surprise: "President Han, this... isn't against the rules, is it?"

"Violation of regulations?" Han Sanping raised an eyebrow and retorted, "What regulations did you violate if you didn't do anything?"

This translates to: Who are you, sir? How dare you accuse me?

It's so domineering that it makes no attempt to hide it!

A hint of admiration appeared on Lü Rui's face.

No wonder he's the future "Third Master Han," his aura is truly powerful.

The table mainly lists imported films, with half of them marked with approximate months and a few even specifying the exact release date.

He also saw Huayi Brothers' productions "Rob-B-Hood" and "The Banquet," both scheduled for release after September.

Han Sanping simply said, "What's already set in stone can't be changed. What's not yet set in stone is still in the negotiation stage. If you have a particular release date in mind, I'll have them move the imported films scheduled for the same period to other release dates when they're negotiating."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Han."

Lu Rui nodded, feeling a pang of emotion.

China Film Group's position is truly remarkable; it acts as both player and referee, making it a unique entity in the industry.

"Sigh, there's really no other way." Han Sanping suddenly sighed, his tone softening. "The main problem is that our film industry is too weak right now, and it needs proper protection. Otherwise, we wouldn't be doing this."

You might not know this, but China Film Group faces immense pressure when it comes to importing films. After all, WTO regulations dictate that they can't afford not to import them, but importing them also means they have to consider their domestic film portfolio, sometimes easily resulting in pleasing neither side.

"I see."

On this point, Lü Rui truly admired Han Sanping.

Although he was somewhat domineering and unrestrained in his actions, his dedication to the domestic film industry was unwavering.

It may not be obvious now, but later on, he could almost be said to have supported half of the Chinese-language domestic film industry!

Unfortunately, this protectiveness has offended too many people...

When reviewing the materials, Lü Rui focused on films released around May.

"Becoming Julia" is scheduled for release on April 20th. Although imported films such as "Heartbeat," "Above the Wrath," "Poseidon," "The Da Vinci Code," and "Mission: Impossible III" have not yet been scheduled for release, they are all aiming for Labor Day.

"Let's go for the May Day holiday; the number of moviegoers during that time will definitely be high."

Lü Rui has set his goal.

Han Sanping took the form, glanced at it, and nodded. "Okay, I'll arrange it."

This matter is temporarily closed; filming will continue...

A few days later, China Film Group sent back the results:
"The youth-themed film 'Sunny Sisters,' produced by Ruishijie, directed by Zhao Peng, and starring Liu Yifei, Fan Bingbing, Shu Chang, and others, is scheduled for release on May Day."

“好莱坞进口片《碟中谍3》定档5月7日，《达芬奇密码》5月15，《海神号》5月20……”

"I Am Legend officially ended its theatrical run yesterday, after a month in theaters, grossing 2.77 million RMB!"

"The Hollywood blockbuster 'I Am Legend,' written and produced by Lü Rui and co-invested by China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group, has officially ended its theatrical run worldwide, accumulating a total box office of US$7.44 million, equivalent to approximately RMB 60 billion!"

Anyone with a discerning eye in the industry can see that "Sunny Sisters" received preferential treatment.

Otherwise, how could it be that only this movie and a few other low-budget art films were released during the entire May Day holiday?
In contrast, all the imported films were moved far away.

Wang Zhonglei noticed this situation and went to China Film Group with great interest, hoping that Han Sanping would do him a favor for "The Banquet".

But he was quickly and thoroughly humiliated and shut down!

The reason why "Sunny Sisters" received preferential treatment was not only due to the personal connections of Han Sanping and Lü Rui, but also mainly because of the investors' connections with "I Am Legend".

China Film Group invested $1500 million in this film, but the returns multiplied several times over!
Even based on this alone, Han Sanping is willing to put some pressure on "Sunny Sisters".

Who do you think you are, Huayi? How dare you even bother coming over here?
"If you're not going to help, then don't. Saying things like 'first check if your own film is good enough before talking about the release date' is just blatant disrespect!"

Wang Zhonglei was full of resentment and determined to regain his face through the success of "The Banquet"!
Feng Xiaogang thought so too.

Everyone looked down on him, saying his film wouldn't be a success, but he was determined to prove them wrong!
As for "Dying to Survive," to Lü Rui's surprise, as soon as the film's release date was set, someone came to his door to collect "protection money."

The public relations department called: "Mr. Lü, we received an anonymous email. The sender claims to have damaging information about one of the actresses in the movie 'Sunny Sisters'..."

"And then?" Lu Rui pressed.

"He said that it was possible to negotiate privately, that is, to accept a public relations fee, so that these scandals would not be exposed."

"Tell him! Tell him to get lost..."

Lu Rui curled his lip, his face full of disdain.

Media outlets typically contact and negotiate for public relations fees only after confirming that there is juicy material to be presented.

Sending an anonymous email and asking for money? Isn't that a scam?
"Okay, Chairman Lü, I understand."

The public relations manager received the order and obediently retorted.

Meanwhile, in an internet cafe in the capital, a guy with a sleazy appearance, resembling a "lapdog," was so angry upon seeing the email from Ruishijie that he bared his teeth, his face turning red and his neck bulging...

"Wait and see!"

……

Once the release date is set, promotional efforts must follow.

As a result, Liu Yifei, who had just finished promoting "The Return of the Condor Heroes", got busy again.

Zhao Peng was quite happy about this, and he often said, "I never thought that my movie could ride on the coattails of 'Little Dragon Girl's' popularity."

"The Return of the Condor Heroes" is still airing and its ratings are soaring!
It was taken offline in mid-April.

Two weeks later, "Sunny Sisters" can smoothly take over the time slot, which is a perfect example of capitalizing on the hype.

Fan Bingbing was also quite happy. She didn't have many scenes in "Dying to Survive," and the company wasn't giving her any new work, so she was bored anyway.

With her new movie about to be released, she can undoubtedly maintain her exposure, and she couldn't be happier.

In April, the revenue from "I Am Legend" after its theatrical run began to arrive.

Several projects under Ruixing Pictures have also accelerated their progress:
"300" was the first to begin casting, while "Life of Pi" started building its own soundstage while casting, and "Twilight" was busy looking for a suitable director...

Peter would call every two days to report on the progress of the project preparation.

Lu Rui could tell that he was actually a little nervous. After all, with three projects running in parallel, it was quite a challenge for him to handle them all by himself.

Fortunately, the filming of "Dying to Survive" in mainland China is coming to an end, and the crew will then fly abroad to film on location.

At that time, Lü Rui planned to go to the company to help organize the work and share some of the pressure.

However, there is one more thing to keep in mind before that.

The 25th Hong Kong Film Awards are about to begin...

(End of this chapter)