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

Chapter 209 Making money, no shame! Lu Chuan loses the second trial again (6000 words, please vote)

The 59th Cannes International Film Festival officially opened last night in Cannes, France, with a host of Chinese filmmakers, including Wang Jiawei, Jiang Wen, and Zhang Ziyi, walking the red carpet.

"The mainland China-Hong Kong co-production 'New World,' co-produced by Ruishijie and Yinghuang and directed by newcomer director Lu Yang, has been officially approved today, and the relevant casting requirements have been announced..."

"Guangdong Zude Film and Television Company, founded by Song Zude, has been shut down due to suspected multiple illegal activities."

"Reprinted from The Hollywood Reporter: The epic/war film '300,' written and produced by Lu Rui, has successfully started filming."

Sony Columbia Pictures has released a new announcement: The film "The Pursuit of Happyness," adapted from Lu Rui's work, has successfully concluded its 71-day run.

The film grossed $1.83 million in North America and $3.57 million overseas, a resounding success!

……

In May, Lü Rui and "Rui Vision" truly shone brightly in the film and television industry!
From the continued box office success and record-breaking performance of "Sunny," to the approval of the co-production "New World," the global box office success of its Hollywood adaptation, and finally the start of filming for the $150 million epic war film "300"...

This wave of attention has made Lü Rui's name even more renowned in the industry!

More importantly, he also taught his peers in the industry a harsh lesson.

Faced with Song Zude's barking, he easily gave him a taste of his own medicine and sent him to prison.

This not only demonstrated his ruthlessness, but also delivered a resounding slap to those who were secretly trying to escape!

Anonymous payment, are you trying to unleash your dogs to bite people?
Currently, there is no way to find or provide evidence to determine who is behind this.

But he doesn't care.

All we need to do is skin this dog, hang it up, and let them know what the consequences of causing trouble will be.

To deal with this kind of person, you have to be ruthless. Being gentle and weak and confronting them openly will only make them look down on you and bring more trouble.

After all, dogs usually have several puppies in one litter.

If one is gone, another will come. They always come in groups. You can't just kill one after another, can you?

He's not afraid of anything when it comes to dirty tricks.

He wanted everyone to know that Ruishijie was not to be trifled with, and that anyone who dared to make a move should be prepared to have their hands chopped off.

He was capable of digging up all the dirty tricks Song Zude had done in the past, and even managed to bankrupt his company in a short period of time, demonstrating his extensive network and influence.

From now on, if anyone wants to cause trouble again, they'd better think twice before deciding whether they're qualified!
Of course, things are definitely not going to end so easily.

Lu Rui will eventually expose all those hiding behind the scenes!

No matter how well they hide, or even if they use anonymous accounts and remotely control Song Zude to spread rumors, they will always leave some clues.

They're lucky if he can't find them, but if he does, Song Zude's fate will be their end!

……

After getting up early in the morning, Lü Rui didn't rush to the company. Instead, he turned on his computer and checked a new email.

With the release of "The Pursuit of Happyness (US version)" now finished, a large sum of box office revenue has been deposited into Ruixing Pictures' account.

According to the financial statements, Ruixing Films can receive $3500 million in box office revenue from North America and overseas alone, after deducting the corresponding costs!
The film's total cost was $1500 million, and Lu Rui held a 30% stake, which meant he invested $450 million.

The return rate is as high as 677%!

Including the revenue from selling various licenses and copyrights, he earned a total of nearly 5 million RMB from this movie alone.

Of course, this is the total amount both domestically and internationally; it's impossible for it all to go into his pocket, as it's divided between the two companies.

But both companies belong to him, which means he earned that much.

Furthermore, there are subsequent revenues from DVDs, discs, online and offline sales, which will bring in another large sum of money.

Ruixing Pictures is currently in the development and expansion phase, with its special effects and animation departments being established, and it is precisely at this time that it needs money.

This influx of funds was undoubtedly a timely help, replenishing the company's rapidly depleted accounts.

After confirming that the details of the earnings were correct, Lü Rui replied with a new email.

This is an authorization email, which essentially authorizes Peter to use the funds to continue expanding the market.

After finishing his work, he first got up and went to the bathroom to wash up, and then planned to go back to the company to finish the post-production of "Dying to Survive".

Unlike science fiction blockbusters, realistic films are not too difficult to edit.

He was very confident that he could get it done before the end of the month.

However, when it's submitted to the bureau for review, it will likely be sent back for revisions multiple times, which is quite annoying...

After going downstairs, he passed by a breakfast shop and bought a breakfast.

The breakfast shop downstairs is run by a couple from the south. Their steamed buns are especially fragrant, with thin skins and generous fillings, and are very juicy. Taking a bite gives you the feeling of eating soup dumplings.

Most importantly, buying steamed buns comes with a free tofu pudding.

However, Lü Rui declined the offer and opted for a cup of plain soy milk instead.

He really couldn't stand the sweet tofu pudding; the spoonful of sugar sprinkled in made him feel like his diabetes was about to kick in!
In comparison, he still prefers savory tofu pudding.

Upon arriving at the company, as usual, he first dealt with some documents brought by his secretary before heading to the editing room.

Recently, the editing department only has one project running: "Dying to Survive".

Kang Honglei's "Soldiers' Assault" has completed post-production and is currently under review.

Before his current drama had even passed censorship, he eagerly joined Lan Xiaolong in the early preparations for "My Chief and My Regiment".

"Brother Rui, you're here."

Shen Ao has been helping Lü Rui a lot lately, usually arriving early to prepare.

As usual, the two chatted while they were busy.

"Chen Kai is a really strange person. He always acts like he's the only one who matters. Whenever the media compares someone to him, he gets very unhappy, gives them the cold shoulder, and speaks sarcastically..."

Hearing Shen Ao's complaints, Lü Rui asked in surprise, "What happened?"

"It's all because of the movie box office. Peng Ge's 'Sunny Sisters' broke the box office record of 'The Promise'. The media went to interview Chen Kaige and asked him what he thought."

Then he said that this kind of youth comedy film has no depth whatsoever and is far inferior to "The Promise." I don't know where he got the confidence to say such a thing..."

Lu Rui couldn't help but laugh: "He's just being stubborn. After all, he can't just admit that his blockbuster is not as good as a youth film, can he?"

"Haha, you know what, that's really true."

The release of "The Promise" did not eliminate the controversies surrounding Chen Kaige.

He needs to make a critical and commercially successful film to completely turn his career around.

Furthermore, he has always wanted to dispel the rumor that "Farewell My Concubine" was written by his father, but he has been struggling to find evidence to prove it.

But in fact, everyone in the industry knows how to find this evidence.

All he needs to do is make a film that is better than "Farewell My Concubine".

And Chen Kaige did indeed do that after he realized what was happening.

Immediately after recovering from the failure of "The Promise," he set his sights on Peking Opera, frequently visiting opera venues in Beijing and across the country...

The best way to beat "Farewell My Concubine" is to make a better story about Peking Opera!
Chen Kaige firmly believes that he can definitely do it. He doesn't think of himself as someone who "relies on his father to get ahead in the industry." He is determined to prove his own strength!

……

Yinghuang has almost finalized the filming locations for the movie "New World" in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

However, the film auditions were conducted in mainland China.

Zhao Peng was busy promoting the movie and couldn't find the time, so Lü Rui arranged for Shen Ao to help Lu Yang with the audition.

In his spare time, he would also take a stroll around.

After getting off work that day, he saw that the lights in the audition area were still on, so he went over to check on the audition progress.

As soon as he entered, Huo Wenxi, who came from Yinghuang, spotted him immediately and quickly stood up to greet him: "Director Lü, you've arrived."

"Sit down, don't be shy."

Lu Rui waved to her and then sat down in an empty seat next to her.

Yinghuang attaches great importance to this co-production project, so they directly sent Mani Fok to coordinate and provide full support.

Of course, her main task was to help coordinate and prepare, but she did not have the authority to make decisions regarding the casting of actors.

"How's it going?" Lu Rui asked after sitting down.

"Several roles have been confirmed," Lu Yang replied, handing over the audition list.

Lu Rui took it and quickly scanned the list.

The main cast of the film *New World*, namely the first three main characters, are:

Lee Ja-sung, an undercover police officer planted in a gang, struggles on the edge of good versus evil; Jung-cheong, a core member of the gang and also Lee Ja-sung's "big brother".

Finally, there's Chief Kang, the police officer who spearheaded the "New World" project and was ruthless in achieving his goals.

As for the other gangsters, such as Lee Jung-gu (number four), Chairman Seok Dong-chul, Go teacher Lee Shin-woo, Vice Chairman Jang Soo-ki, and undercover police officer Seok-woo, they were all minor characters, not even the third or fourth lead.

So far, the confirmed cast mainly consists of several supporting actors.

For example, the role of Shi Wu was chosen to be played by Lin Jiadong.

The vice president, Cheung Sau-kei, was chosen to be Hong Kong actor Paul Chun. Chun is best known for his role as Temujin in the 83 version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," and is also a Hong Kong Film Award winner for Best Supporting Actor; his acting skills are beyond question.

As for the chairman, Shi Dongchu, who was killed by a truck shortly after his appearance, Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang was chosen to play him.

At 72 years old this year, he has starred in many classic film and television works, such as Huang Yaoshi in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", Uncle Jian in "A Better Tomorrow", and Master Zeng in "The Killer".

It is worth mentioning that in his youth, he and Xie Xian were known as the "student sweethearts" of the Hong Kong film industry.

The thing Lü Rui remembers most clearly is that in an interview in 2015 in his previous life, Xie Xian and Zeng Jiang suddenly got into an argument, and then the former openly slapped the latter in front of the media, which was extremely arrogant!
Hu Feng, who was caught in the middle, even had his glasses knocked off and smashed to pieces on the ground while trying to break up the fight.

At the time, Zeng Jiang didn't say much, probably because he couldn't afford to offend Xie Xian, so he only argued a few words.

However, his brother-in-law, Wang Yu, the one-armed swordsman, stood up for him, demanding that Xie Xian go to Taiwan to apologize and even make him wash Zeng Jiang's feet as an apology.

This incident caused quite a stir at the time, giving netizens on the mainland a delightful dose of gossip.

As for the rather crucial villain, Lee Jung-gu, Wu Zhenyu was chosen to play the role.

Most of these supporting actors were recommended by Yinghuang.

They had previously wanted Huang Qiusheng to join as well, but Lu Rui rejected the idea outright.

He didn't want to ruin the whole pot of soup because of one bad apple.

Nicholas Tse, on the other hand, got a cameo role, playing a fairly well-known henchman leader.

With Huo Wenxi reporting on the situation from time to time, he had already guessed the truth pretty accurately.

Even if he knew Lü Rui's true purpose, he couldn't refuse to cooperate or protest; instead, he pretended not to see anything.

The world is bustling, all come for the benefit, and the world is bustling, all go for the benefit.

Make money, don't shiver.

Moreover, that's how business is; whoever makes money is the boss, and everyone else has to serve them.

As for the internal pressure he will face, Yang Shoucheng believes he should be able to withstand it.

The supporting actors from Hong Kong are almost all excellent actors, so the mainland leads naturally can't be too bad either, otherwise it would be embarrassing to be outshone.

Therefore, the selection of the main characters was extremely meticulous.

Ruishijie doesn't handle artist management, so they don't care about the entanglements between the company and the management business. They simply search across mainland China to see if there are any suitable candidates.

The mainland is vast and populous; if you really put in the effort, there are plenty of suitable candidates.

Not long after Lü Rui came in and sat down, an actor who auditioned for the role of "Section Chief Jiang" walked in:

"Hello, directors. My name is Wang Zhifei, I am 41 years old, and I have acted in dramas such as 'Breaking Through the Siege,' 'The Silent Witness,' and 'Stormy Court'..."

Shen Ao and Lu Yang were both looking down at his information.

Only Lü Rui raised an eyebrow, looking at the future head of the underground organization of Green Vine City with great interest.

When Lü Rui watched his works in his previous life, he deeply understood what it meant to have an aura that could wipe out an entire drama with just a glance.

In fact, China has never lacked good actors. Unfortunately, capital has focused on promoting young idols and popular actors, making it difficult for these good actors to get ahead.

In this lifetime, Lü Rui felt he should properly discover these truly hidden gems of actors.

Wang Zhifei had previously played mostly roles such as prosecutors, criminal police officers, and soldiers.

Therefore, he portrayed the "righteousness" of Section Chief Jiang very well.

As for the "evil" aspect of this character, it is thanks to his previous role as the villainous criminal psychology professor Chen Junwei in "The Silent Witness," which he portrayed very well.

After Wang Zhifei finished her audition, Hu Jun, who had previously worked with Lü Rui, followed her in.

He was auditioning for the role of "Lee Ja-sung".

Lu Rui had a high opinion of him, after all, he had filmed police and gangster movies in Hong Kong in his early years, and it was rumored that he had captivated the rich women of Hong Kong!
Following that, a host of veteran actors, including Liu Yijun, Wang Jinsong, Wang Zhiwen, Ding Yongdai, Ding Haifeng, and Fu Dalong, made an appearance.

Even Lü Rui himself felt dazzled by what he saw, let alone Shen Ao and Lu Yang.

The audition lasted until after 8 p.m.

As the last actor left, Lü Rui shook his head, stood up, and said:
"Take it slow. If one round doesn't work, try a second. If the second round doesn't work, try it with makeup on and work through the storyline. Make sure you find the most suitable team composition."

The role of Section Chief Jiang is alright; several actors would have been quite suitable for it.

The choice between Ding Qing and Li Zicheng is just too difficult.

These two characters are too special, with distinct personalities and styles, so finding a pair with compatible vibes is by no means easy.

Lü Rui personally thinks that Fu Dalong and Hu Jun could compete for the title of "Li Zicheng".

Although the former is relatively young, he can make up for it with makeup. The key is that his acting skills are solid enough!

But the role of "Ding Qing" is really hard to find. We can only patiently screen candidates slowly; there's no rushing it.

……

Once you enter the second half of the month, time flies by very quickly.

While Lü Rui was busy editing "Dying to Survive," the box office of "Sunny Sisters" was struggling to climb, and the casting for "New World" was in full swing...

Meanwhile, in Cannes, Jiang Wen, with his film "The Sun Also Rises," frequently appeared in major event publications.

There are positive reviews, but also negative reviews.

However, relatively speaking, there are more positive reviews.

Viewers may need to watch it several times to fully understand its deeper meaning.

But judges and film critics have always had a keen eye and can quickly grasp the story.

There are many people who worship and admire the "sun" of China.

Meanwhile, many other things happened in the mainland and Hong Kong entertainment industries during this period.

First, the plagiarism scandal involving Guo Xiaosi, a writer of the new era, which lasted for more than two years, has finally come to an end.

The court found that Guo Xiaosi's book "How Many Flowers Fall in Dreams" plagiarized Zhuang Moumou's book "Inside and Outside the Circle" in its entirety, and ordered him to pay compensation and apologize.

Secondly, due to insufficient evidence, Lu Chuan lost the second instance again, and the court recognized that "Kekexili" was a case of plagiarism!
The nickname "Lu the Copycat" has become firmly established on Lu Tailang, making him even more popular in the Chinese entertainment industry!
However, since the Shanghai Special Olympics had recently announced that he would serve as the artistic director and that he would create the opening ceremony film... coupled with the efforts of his mentor, Professor Jiang from the Beijing Film Academy, and his family, the court ultimately did not order him to publicly apologize in the media. Instead, he was punished with a newspaper article, compensation for economic losses, and the removal of "Kekexili" from all online platforms.

Although he couldn't get the guy to cry in front of the media again, Lü Rui was still quite satisfied with the result.

From now on, this guy will never be able to shake off the nickname "Lu the Copycat".

Although this incident is not enough to ruin his reputation, it is definitely a social disaster, and it will be even more difficult for him to make a comeback in the future!
On the other hand, Hong Kong media were hotly discussing Dou Wei burning paparazzi Zhuo Wei's car.

The specific details are as follows: Zhuo Wei wrote several reports about Dou Wei, such as "Million-Yuan Alimony Drives Dou Wei 'Crazy'" and "Dou Wei Gives Gao Yuan 500 Yuan a Month, Ding Wu Advises Him to See a Psychologist," which were all false reports.

The article states that Dou Wei is currently in dire financial straits, earning only 500 yuan per month, and that he is also involved with the princess's current husband, Li Yapeng.

However, Dou Wei claimed that he had never been interviewed by Zhuo Wei and that these allegations were completely unfounded.

Later, Zhuo Wei expressed his desire to interview Dou Wei about the relationship between the princess and Li Yapeng, but was refused.

Unexpectedly, the very next day, an article titled "Li Yapeng accompanies the princess during her pregnancy, Dou Jingtong is bitten by a dog, and Dou Wei loses his temper" appeared, which infuriated him!

So, Dou Wei stormed into the editorial department of the Beijing News, threatening to beat up Zhuo Wei.

Zhuo Wei was probably afraid of being beaten, so he hid and avoided seeing him.

Enraged by the long wait, Dou Wei smashed the editorial office's computers, televisions, and other office supplies, and poured several buckets of cold water on the editorial staff.

Not long after leaving, he returned and burned Zhuo Wei's car parked in the yard to vent his anger and seek revenge.

Meanwhile, rumors are circulating that the princess has given birth to a daughter for Li Guanpeng.

Hong Kong media immediately stated that they were willing to offer a reward of HK$50 just for a single photograph!
Whether it was to join in the fun or not, just as the news broke that the princess had given birth to a daughter, Nicholas Tse also started to reveal that he and Cecilia Cheung had a candlelight dinner under two hundred roses and had breakfast together the next day.

As for what else happened in between... well, that's about it.

Amidst the uproar in the public sphere, Lü Rui, while observing the drama unfold, compiled the final cut of "Dying to Survive" and nervously submitted it to the Film Bureau.

As for whether it will pass the review on the first try, that depends on fate.

He had no choice but to pray.

Finally, on the 29th, news came back from the Cannes International Film Festival.

"The 59th Cannes International Film Festival concluded successfully last night. Congratulations! Jiang Wen won the Jury Prize for 'The Sun Also Rises'."

When Lü Rui saw this announcement, he was quite surprised.

What surprised him was not that Jiang Wen failed to win the Palme d'Or, but that Wang Jiawei actually managed to get an award for Jiang Wen, which was quite impressive.

After all, in his opinion, it would be really difficult for "The Sun Also Rises" to win an award, as the various metaphors in the story are too profound.

If it weren't for the excellent judging panel, the chances of winning an award would have been almost zero.

Without hesitation, he immediately took out his phone and called Jiang Wen.

The call was quickly connected.

"Director Jiang, congratulations! The Cannes Jury Prize is a dream come true, haha."

However, the very next second after he said those words, he heard Jiang Wen's exasperated and exasperated voice coming through the receiver:
"I'm really fed up with Wang Jiawei. He's completely ruined this year's Cannes International Film Festival."

Lü Rui: "???"

(End of this chapter)