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

Chapter 250 completely ruined Zhou Xun's path to becoming a three-time Golden Horse, Golden Rooster, and Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress! (Seeking monthly votes)

"Let me introduce you. This is Professor Cao Baoping, a leading figure in the Literature Department of Beijing Film Academy, currently in charge of teaching graduate courses..."

Inside the film crew, Jiang Wei enthusiastically introduced them.

"Hello, Teacher Cao." Lü Rui took the initiative to extend his hand and greet him.

He had naturally heard of the man before him.

"Soaring Leopard," "Glorious Wrath," and "Absolute Emotion" are among his representative works.

There are quite a few screenwriters who have transitioned to directing in the industry, but Cao Baoping is definitely one of the best.

He has won many awards, especially in the arts and literature.

In Chen Guofu's words: Cao Baoping is a creator with great creative passion. Directors like him do exist in China, but they are extremely rare.

Lu Rui clearly remembers that this person would later be hailed as a "movie star maker" with extremely high quality works.

Especially the film "The Dead End", which can be called his masterpiece!
"Director Lü, I apologize for disturbing you."

Cao Baoping has no airs of seniority whatsoever.

Although he was a senior, he had come to ask for a favor, and given that Lü Rui's achievements far surpassed his own, he naturally had to be as humble as possible.

"You're too kind, Teacher Cao."

Guests are always welcome, especially since they are one's own advisor and professors from one's alma mater.

So, Lü Rui simply gave up his lunch break and took the two of them for a short walk around the film set.

Standing in front of several towering mecha models, Jiang Wei couldn't hide his amazement: "I really didn't expect that Chinese-language films could create such a huge thing."

Cao Baoping nodded repeatedly in agreement: "Old Jiang, you've really taught a good student!"

"No, no, no, I dare not accept this credit. He is entirely self-taught." Jiang Wei waved his hands repeatedly, but could not hide his pride on his face.

The students were so outstanding that it actually increased the pressure on him as a teacher.

Since Lu Rui's class graduated, the new class he's been mentoring has been absolutely terrible; not a single one of them has amounted to anything.

Left with no other choice, he prepared the TV series "Lurking" and brought a group of students to the set for on-site teaching, hoping to find some promising talents.

"Teacher Jiang, you're too modest. I wouldn't be where I am today without your guidance," Lü Rui said, offering a timely compliment.

Jiang Wei still verbally declined, but she couldn't suppress her smile, clearly pleased with his words.

After touring the film set, the three of them went to the rest area outside.

Jiang Wei coughed lightly and took the initiative to explain the purpose of his visit: "Professor Cao has written a new script and plans to direct it himself. He is currently looking for investors."

I'm currently working with your company, Ruishijie, on the TV series "Lurking," right? He asked me to help introduce him to you..."

The reason why the industry is divided into the Beijing circle, the Shanghai circle, the Hong Kong circle, and the Northwest circle is ultimately because it is easier to cooperate with your own people and avoid pitfalls.

The Beijing Film Academy is a circle, and collaborations, both in front of and behind the camera, often prioritize alumni.

If the overall level of actors at Beijing Film Academy were not inferior to that of actors at the Central Academy of Drama, there would be no such saying as "Beijing Film Academy directors favor actors from the Central Academy of Drama," and they would have long since achieved a self-monopoly in the industry.

"Could you take a look? If you can vote for it, great; if not, that's okay too," Cao Baoping added somewhat apologetically.

It's always a bit awkward when a senior asks a junior for help.

If Jiang Wei hadn't guaranteed that this would work out, he originally planned to approach China Film Group or Huayi Brothers Media Corporation.

However, I heard that China Film Group has recently become very strict in its support for art films, and many people who have tried to attract investment have been turned away.

As for Huayi Brothers, he plans to find Chen Kuo-fu, who recently left his position as production director for Columbia Pictures Asia and returned to Huayi Brothers as chief film producer.

The two had some prior acquaintance, so perhaps they could secure some funding.

We'll apply for a subsidy from Beijing Film Studio then, and we should be able to get started.

Is it the movie "The Equation of Love and Death"?

Lu Rui suddenly remembered the film bureau's approval announcement he had seen that morning; this film and "Crazy Racer" were on the same list of approved films.

"Yes."

Cao Baoping opened his bag and handed over the script.

Lu Rui reached out and took it, flipping through it with great interest.

The story mainly revolves around Li Mi, a female taxi driver. She and her fiancé Fang Wen planned to get married, but were forced to separate due to Li Mi's parents' opposition, and Fang Wen disappeared afterward.

For four years, Li Mi could only receive letters from Fang Wen, but had no mailing address and could never find him.

Until an unexpected murder tightly intertwines her fate, Fang Wen's fate, and that of two strangers...

“A very good subject matter.” Lu Rui analyzed as he read, “Drug trafficking gangs are like those in power who pursue profits in real life, profiting by exploiting the lower classes.”

Fang Wen, Qiu Huogui, and Qiu Shuitian are oppressed members of the lower class who are ultimately forced into a life of crime, losing themselves, struggling, and with nowhere to escape…

Cao Baoping's eyes widened slightly, and he subconsciously exchanged a glance with Jiang Wei beside him, his eyes full of surprise.

Lu Rui had only skimmed through the script once, yet he had accurately deciphered the core message it was trying to convey?

This person's ability to appreciate scripts is amazing!

"Snapped!"

After roughly flipping through the script, Lü Rui closed the book and nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Professor Cao truly lives up to his reputation as a leading figure in the literature department. His writing skills are truly impressive."

The script is actually not complicated, in fact, it is very simple, but it has a rare kind of exquisiteness.

Often, just a few lines of voice-over narration can concisely explain the cause of the story while subtly foreshadowing what will happen later.

No wonder Cao Baoping was able to establish himself in the screenwriting department of Beijing Film Academy; his abilities are truly outstanding!

"As long as you're satisfied."

Cao Baoping's face lit up with genuine joy, and his tense shoulders relaxed a little.

Lu Rui didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "How much investment does Teacher Cao need?"

"It might cost between 800 and 1000 million..." Cao Baoping paused, then added, "I want to take a path that combines commerce and art, leaning more towards commercial production..."

Which director doesn't want their film to be a box office hit?
He also wanted to try to challenge himself and break the limitations of art films being niche.

"800 to 1000 million?"

After thinking for a moment, Lü Rui made the decision without much hesitation: "The quality of the script speaks for itself, and besides, we have Teacher Jiang's connection. We're family, so let's not be stingy. Let's go for 1000 million!"

I think with the funding in place, Teacher Cao can focus more on refining his work.

These words not only gave Cao Baoping face but also subtly praised Jiang Wei.

Standing to the side, Jiang Wei couldn't hide his joy, clearly appreciating the thoughtfulness.

Cao Baoping was both surprised and delighted, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: "Then thank you very much for your help, Director Lü!"

"You're welcome. I also hope that Professor Cao's project will be a great success," Lü Rui replied with a smile.

Afterwards, the three chatted for a few more minutes about the film's project approval and preparation details.

However, when Cao Baoping mentioned that he preferred Zhou Xun to play Li Mi, Lü Rui's smile faded slightly, and he frowned a little.

"Excuse me for speaking frankly, Professor Cao, Zhou Xun's reputation hasn't been very good lately."

These words startled Cao Baoping.

He has been busy polishing the script lately and has only heard some rumors sporadically, but has not looked into Zhou Xun's scandals in detail.

"Since we've decided to take the commercial film route, we need to have a certain level of box office appeal and public appeal for the actors. Actors who are currently embroiled in controversy are likely to cause unnecessary trouble for the film later on, and their promotional efforts may also be misled."

Lü Rui explained simply.

Cao Baoping nodded slowly, agreeing with these words in his heart.

After a moment's thought, he quickly realized what was going on.

Lü Rui was subtly reminding him that he didn't want him to use Zhou Xun!

The attitude of the sponsor is crucial, so he naturally wouldn't insist on it head-on. He immediately followed up by asking, "Does Director Lü have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

Lu Rui didn't nominate anyone directly, but said, "Why not hold open auditions and take your time to choose? Good roles need good actors. You can't rush these things. If you look around more, you'll eventually find the most suitable one."

“Okay, then it seems we’ll still need to borrow Ruishijie’s venue.” Cao Baoping immediately replied, and then finalized the details of the subsequent cooperation.

“Of course, no problem.” Lü Rui readily agreed.

~

Before the afternoon filming of "Pacific Rim" began, Lü Rui dropped Jiang Wei and Cao Baoping off at the entrance of the film set.

On the way to the photography studio, he first called Hou Hongliang and instructed him: "We have decided to invest 1000 million yuan in Professor Cao Baoping's 'Li Mi's Conjecture'. You should prepare the funds and contracts as soon as possible and coordinate the details."

“Okay, I understand,” Hou Hongliang replied immediately.

After hanging up the phone, Lü Rui pondered for a moment, then found Fan Bingbing's number and dialed it.

The role of "Li Mi" is completely incompatible with Liu Yifei's fresh and innocent image, so she naturally had no chance.

Fan Bingbing, being slightly older, possesses a natural maturity that aligns well with the character's resilient nature.

Actually, her acting skills are not bad, it's just that her overly bright face is too eye-catching, always making people subconsciously overlook her acting skills.

Lu Rui's idea was simple: recommend her to audition. As for whether she would ultimately succeed, that would depend on Cao Baoping's judgment.

As long as Zhou Xun isn't involved, it's fine. He had already planned to cut off her path to becoming a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning actress.

Now that the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Awards are gone, the Golden Rooster Awards naturally can't be left behind.

Fan Bingbing became instantly excited when she received his call!

The box office performance of "A Battle of Wits" was a complete flop, which left her feeling depressed.

The script for "My Love from the Star" is still being polished, and no matter how anxious she is, she has to wait for the writing team to finish it.

Therefore, she is currently in a gap period and has not yet found a suitable job opportunity.

More importantly, her contract with Huayi Brothers only has 20 days left, and she is currently worried about finding a temporary project to fill the gap.

Unexpectedly, Lü Rui's sweet treat just "came" over here!

If it were a recommendation from someone else, she would definitely inquire about the project details repeatedly, for fear of encountering another flop like "A Battle of Wits".

But when Lü Rui spoke, she was completely at ease and immediately declared, "Director Lü, don't worry! I will definitely prepare well for the audition, and I will definitely get this lead role. I will not let you down!"

"???"

Lu Rui stared blankly at his phone for a moment.

He was just suggesting she give it a try, so how did it become a task she "must complete"?
He sometimes really couldn't figure out Fan Bingbing's thought process.

She's clearly a powerful and charismatic "Fan Ye" in public, but in front of me, she always seems to regress from a tigress to a kitten, becoming incredibly docile, which is quite puzzling.

"Well, good luck then." Lu Rui didn't say anything more and hung up the phone.

However, Fan Bingbing on the other end of the phone was still immersed in excitement.

She paced back and forth a few steps, clutching her phone, becoming increasingly certain that following Lü Rui was definitely the best choice!

Even though Liu Yifei is a recognized "Rui Girl", Lü Rui is willing to give her the audition opportunity. The resources that are just slipping through her fingers are enough for her to gain a foothold.

This is the benefit of successfully choosing a side!

Unlike some foolish women who not only jump from one pit to another, but almost ruined themselves by leaving the entertainment industry, which is really stupid.

At the same time, Zhou Xun, who was in a period of relative quiet in the public eye, saw the announcement that "Li Mi's Conjecture" had passed censorship and his eyes lit up instantly.

She immediately found Cao Baoping's contact information and dialed the number.

The two had met at the Shanghai International Film Festival awards ceremony during the early stages of script preparation.

Cao Baoping talked to her for more than half an hour with the script, and even said that she was perfect for the role.

Zhou Xun kept these words in mind.

She is now forced to keep a low profile and is going crazy from being stuck at home.

If I could collaborate with Cao Baoping on this film, it would not only fill a gap in my career, but I might also be able to turn around my public image through the role. It would be a worthwhile deal no matter how you look at it.

However, the joy that had just appeared on Zhou Xun's face froze instantly after hearing Cao Baoping's words.

"The project investors have just been finalized, and a public audition will be held later. If you are interested, you can register at Ruishijie."

"Okay, I understand, thank you Director Cao."

Zhou Xun's voice betrayed his deep disappointment.

After hanging up the phone, she stared blankly at the ceiling, a bitter feeling instantly washing over her.

Should I register at Ruishijie?

She knew perfectly well that there was no chance at all.

She knows best what she has done, and the outside world can guess roughly the same thing.

Now that "The Equation of Love and Death" is being invested in by Ruishijie, she's being asked to audition in the rival's home turf... Let alone landing the role, whether she can even successfully complete the process is unknown.

She curled up on the sofa, her mind a complete mess.

Cao Baoping had clearly given her such high regard, but now that the investors have changed, everything has vanished.

She could even imagine the cold reception she would receive if she actually went to Ruishijie.

The tiny spark of hope that had just ignited was extinguished by a bucket of cold water, and the air in the room seemed to become heavy.

……

On December 4th, the crime film "New World," co-produced by Ruishijie and Yinghuang, officially premiered in the capital.

The invitations covered almost all film and television industry figures from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

As expected, apart from the actors and partners from Yinghuang's camp, everyone else from Hong Kong unanimously stated that they would not attend.

Clearly, they are still resentful about the casting of mainland actors as the main characters and Hong Kong actors as supporting actors in "New World," and are deliberately putting on airs.

Lü Rui didn't care at all about this.

These people can come or not, it's better if they don't come, it'll be quieter and saves them from spoiling their fun.

As of now, apart from "Confession of Pain," directed by Lau Wai-keung and Alan Mak and starring Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Shu Qi, which has not yet been released and whose performance is unknown, almost all other Hong Kong films have suffered huge losses.

Currently, the top-grossing film in Hong Kong in 06 is still "Fearless," which was released at the beginning of the year and grossed HK$3020 million.

The second place went to "Rob-B-Hood", which grossed HK$2345 million.

In contrast, the third-place team couldn't even retain HK$2000 million.

Even "A Battle of Wits," which was touted to the skies by industry insiders, only grossed a little over 800 million Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong after more than ten days of release.

The so-called "high praise" is nothing more than industry insiders hyping themselves up. Hong Kong audiences don't buy it at all; instead, they are full of criticism and call it a bad movie.

The market is almost completely dead, but when these people went north, they still acted all high and mighty. If you didn't know better, you'd think the golden age of Hong Kong films hadn't passed yet.

Lu Ruicai was too lazy to indulge them.

He has his own production team, distribution channels, and good scripts, so he has every reason to maintain a superior attitude.

Unlike that fat guy Yu, who, ever since breaking off his cooperation with Ruishijie, is practically begging to kneel down and kowtow to the Hong Kong entertainment circle, fawning over everyone he meets.

Although there were few people from the Hong Kong entertainment circle, the premiere was still a star-studded event.

Directors and actors from the mainland film and television industry gathered together, chatting and laughing in a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere.

Han Sanping, Ren Zhonglun, Wang Changtian, Jiang Wen and others were all present to show their support.

As soon as they stepped onto the red carpet, they heard Lü Rui being interviewed by the media in front of the autograph wall, his tone calm and composed:
"New World is our first attempt at the crime genre, and we hope it can contribute to the diversified development of Chinese-language films..."

The applause was deafening, and no one paid any attention to the absent Hong Kong people.

The era of Hong Kong films dominating the Chinese film and television industry is long gone.

"This young man, at such a young age, already has the air of a ruthless hero."

Jiang Wen gazed at Lü Rui's figure from afar, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

Back then, he had treated Lü Rui as his apprentice for a period of time, leading him to visit various schools and social circles.

But now, the apprentice is more successful than the master, so he only dares to boast when he's drunk. He's very cautious when chatting with people, afraid that people will expose the fact that "his apprentice is better than him" and say that he's hypocritical.

But after thinking about it, he felt relieved again.

In any case, his act of helping Lü Rui was already widely praised in the industry.

As long as he doesn't do anything reckless, the better Lü Rui develops, the more likely he will be recorded in film history in the future.

Thinking of this, Jiang Wen's smile grew even brighter, and he even had the idea of ​​retiring and going home to enjoy the warmth of his wife and children.

If they keep making films, what if they end up making a terrible movie? Wouldn't that ruin his reputation?
But the thought of the book he recently came across, "Ten Tales of the Night: The Story of the Thief Official," made him itchy to read it again.

It's not good to just rest like this! I just had a son, and I still need to save money for his wedding.

"Fine, let's just make one more movie, just one more, and then I'll take a complete break!"

Jiang Wen made up his mind and then followed the others into the venue.

"Director Jiang, welcome to the premiere!"

At this moment, Lu Yang was leading the creative team of "New World" to greet the guests who were entering the venue one by one.

"Where's your dad, Lu Haibo? Didn't he come?" Jiang Wen asked casually, as he was fairly familiar with Lu Haibo.

"No, he has a forum to attend today," Lu Yang replied calmly, but a pang of sadness welled up inside him.

To put it bluntly, his father is no different from that "biological father".

In high school, his father forced him to give up his beloved humanities and choose science instead.

After graduating from Capital University of Science and Technology, he joined Phoenix TV, where his passion for film and television became even stronger.

But when he applied to the Beijing Film Academy for graduate studies, his father flew into a rage and threatened to abandon him!

Since then, although the father and son were not exactly at odds, they hardly communicated at all.

Lu Yang had been holding back a strong determination in his heart. He was determined to succeed and show his father that the path he had chosen was absolutely right!
"Snapped!"

Suddenly, someone patted his shoulder, and Lü Rui's voice came: "What are you standing there for? Let's go, it's time to go in."

"it is good."

Lu Yang nodded, suppressing his emotions, and followed Lü Rui into the venue...

(End of this chapter)