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

Chapter 293 How much influence does the "Queen of Comedy" have? What? Liu Yifei uprooted a willow tree! (Seeking monthly votes)

As Zhao Benshan voiced his impertinent request, the private room fell silent instantly.

Hou Hongliang, who was drinking with Lü Rui, secretly glanced at him, his eyes filled with undisguised surprise.

He truly did not expect that this king of comedy sketches, while making his debut on the big screen, would also want to bring his apprentices along for a trip.

Lu Rui's hand holding the wine glass froze in mid-air, his mind already racing with calculations.

The actors in Zhao Benshan's troupe mostly have national recognition and comedic talent, and their entry into the film market can indeed bring new genre film layouts to Ruishijie.

While they may not be able to carry the weight of a movie's lead role, they can definitely shine in a supporting role.

If used well, it can even become a unique highlight of the film.

Anyway, Ruishijie doesn't act as an artist agent, so it doesn't matter who gets the role. They can just throw a few supporting roles over there and that will satisfy the other party's requirements.

"Once we cross Shanhaiguan, we'll find Zhao Benshan!"

This saying, which is widely circulated in Northeast China, is by no means unfounded.

With his support, Ruishijie may be able to further penetrate the Northeast market and establish a localized supply chain from content to distribution channels.

Of course, this cooperation is limited to the local area, not to the entire Ruishijie platform.

Cooperation is beneficial to everyone, so it naturally goes more smoothly.

Thinking of this, Lü Rui smiled and immediately clinked glasses with him:

"Teacher Zhao, it's not about mentoring, it's about a win-win cooperation. I'll have my team design some roles for the actors in Zhao's troupe, taking into account their personal images, to test the waters first."

"Great! That's satisfying!"

Seeing Lü Rui's straightforwardness, Zhao Benshan immediately burst into laughter, tilted his head back, and drank the white wine in his cup in one gulp.

The spicy liquor went down their throats, turning into a warm sensation that spread along their throats. The two looked at each other and smiled, their eyes full of understanding.

In the following days, Hou Hongliang stayed at Benshan Holdings and began working with Zhao Benshan's business team.

The negotiations are progressing very smoothly.

Ruishijie acquired almost all of the core content copyrights of Zhao Benshan's team.

The company has acquired all the online broadcasting rights for TV series such as "Liu Laogen", "Ma Dashuai", and "Country Love Story", as well as the exclusive online distribution rights for classic sketches and Errenzhuan compilations from previous years.

At the same time, the two sides also finalized a long-term cooperation agreement for five years.

In the future, the online copyright of all film and television works produced by Zhao Benshan's troupe will be handled entirely by Ruishijie.

As for the cooperation price, it will naturally follow the market price.

Both sides are shrewd individuals; they will neither let the other suffer a loss nor wrong themselves.

Moreover, the basis of cooperation is fairness and mutual benefit.

Meanwhile, Lü Rui followed Zhao Benshan and toured around Shenyang.

He not only met Zhao Benshan's 23 unique apprentices, but also watched several authentic Errenzhuan performances at the Liu Laogen Grand Stage.

At the same time, through Zhao Benshan's introduction, he also met with leaders from various departments in Shenyang, including culture and tourism, investment promotion, and urban construction.

Over the past few days, Lü Rui has truly experienced Zhao Benshan's influence and connections in Northeast China.

Logically speaking, he is now a well-known director with many blockbuster works under his belt, the chairman of Ruishijie, and a prominent figure among public figures.

However, in Shenyang, far fewer people know him than they know Zhao Benshan.

When the two of them went out, it was like a parade of floats. No matter which shopping district, hotel, or entertainment venue they went to, they would always run into Zhao Benshan's friends and brothers.

They almost never have to pay for their meals.

Often, halfway through a meal, the bill would be paid by some unknown "big brother," a spectacle that truly broadened Lü Rui's horizons.

The only thing that he found a little hard to handle was the astonishing alcohol tolerance of Northeasterners.

From morning till night, he drinks alcohol almost every meal, toasting one glass after another, which he can neither refuse nor avoid.

For several days in a row, he felt like he was never truly awake; his head was constantly spinning, and he felt unsteady on his feet.

Even so, he knew in his heart that these drinking sessions were well worth it.

Not only did they finalize important collaborations, but they also established key connections in the Northeast market, paving the way for Ruishijie's future expansion...

On the day he left Shenyang, Zhao Benshan personally went to the airport to see him off.

As the two shook hands to say goodbye, he patted Lü Rui on the shoulder and said warmly, "Brother, don't worry about things in the Northeast. With me here, everything will go smoothly!"

"Okay." Lu Rui nodded with a smile: "Brother, it's been a pleasure working together. Let's get together again sometime."

"Haha, all set."

...

After boarding the plane and sleeping for nearly an hour, Lü Rui felt that his mind was finally clearing up a bit.

Hou Hongliang asked the flight attendant for a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, and handed it to her: "Chairman Lü, have a sip of water to wake yourself up, we'll be there soon."

Lu Rui took a big gulp, shook his head, and felt as if his head was being gripped and shaken by an invisible hand, his brain almost disintegrating.

"Damn! These guys can really drink! They almost made me drink myself to death!"

"really……"

Hou Hongliang, a native of Shandong, was starting to feel uneasy. He was chugging baijiu straight from the bottle, drinking like he was trying to kill himself!

"Fortunately, this matter went smoothly."

Lü Rui leaned back in his seat and let out a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves relaxing considerably.

At this moment, Hou Hongliang looked puzzled and said, "Chairman Lü, I've had a question lately."

"You said."

"Exactly, I can understand the normal practice of stockpiling film and television copyrights, but why do we have to accept all kinds of content, including crosstalk, sketches, Errenzhuan, opera, and sitcoms?"

This is something he's become increasingly curious about lately.

After all, in his view, there is no need to spend money to hoard many copyrights, as it would only tie up a lot of the company's working capital.

"Because I want to build Ruishijie into a huge resource library of movies and TV shows!"

Lu Rui first stated the core objective, and then began to explain it in detail:
"Currently, internet video is still in its infancy, and most people are only focusing on popular movies and TV series, but the 'long tail effect' will become more and more obvious in the future."

Popular content is like the tip of an iceberg. While these crosstalk, skits, and operas may seem to have a narrow audience and not make money at the moment, they can accumulate over time to reach various niche groups and generate continuous revenue.

More importantly, once this film library reaches a certain size, we will be able to determine the life or death of a video website!

If you want to cooperate, you have to abide by our rules. If you dare to turn your back, we can withdraw our core resources at any time. Then we can attack or defend as needed, and we'll have complete control.

In fact, he was very shrewd in his calculations.

Although the cooperation with Tudou.com seems to be going smoothly at present, it is ultimately not something that I can completely control.

There are too many variables in the future!
However, if he holds enough exclusive copyrights, even if Tudou.com goes under, he can immediately support a new video website or even start his own website.

With his vast library of copyrights and content, he could easily establish himself quickly and ensure his continued dominance.

Hou Hongliang suddenly realized!
After hearing Lu Rui's blueprint, he was shocked and deeply impressed by his long-term vision for the future!
"I see! Chairman Lü, you have a far-sighted view!"

Lu Rui smiled and didn't say anything more.

He simply took advantage of his foresight to accurately grasp the lifeline of the internet content ecosystem.

Having spent so much time in the industry in his previous life, he knew very well that in the era of rapid change in traffic, only the core resources he held in his hands were his most solid foundation.

……

Upon arriving in the capital, Lü Rui went home and slept for a full day and night, only fully recovering the next morning.

He went downstairs and bought a soy milk and fried dough sticks to go at the entrance of the community. When he got home, he ate while turning on his computer and browsing various recent developments in the film and television industry.

In the film market, "The Equation of Love and Death" has become the biggest dark horse of the summer season.

After a week of release, the film grossed 2163 million yuan, firmly surpassing "Flash Point" and ranking second only to Jay Chou's "Secret".

It's worth noting that "The Equation of Love and Death" only had an investment of 1000 million yuan. Based on this box office trend, breaking even would be a piece of cake.

The other two films, however, were not so lucky.

Although "Secret" led at the box office, its huge pre-release marketing investment, coupled with insufficient follow-up spending by fans, resulted in meager profits in the end.

"Flash Point" became a complete flop, with dismal box office performance not only in mainland China but also in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The 7000 million investment will most likely be a complete loss, making it one of the most unprofitable films of the year.

Meanwhile, updates on Jackie Chan's new film also came back.

Following the huge losses of "Around the World in 80 Days", his starring film "Rush Hour 3" was deemed unable to be introduced to the mainland market!
In an interview, La Peikang, who is in charge of imported films, bluntly stated that he is not optimistic about the market prospects of this film, believing that its plot is old-fashioned and lacks originality.

However, this move directly disrupted Shanghai Film Group's plans.

After all, Shanghai Film Group had already reached a distribution agreement with New Line Cinema, hoping to get a share of the pie by leveraging Jackie Chan's box office appeal.

But now, I've been given a cold shower.

Ren Zhonglun immediately stood up and subtly mocked La Peikang for being "shortsighted and missing a good opportunity"!
The former did not respond, but it held onto the import rights tightly.

People in the industry are all watching the show.

After all, China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group practically fought tooth and nail over the rights to distribute imported films.

Now, because of "Rush Hour 3", the two sides are at odds again.

This kind of struggle between state-owned enterprises is quite rare, and everyone is watching with great interest.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong media reported an even more explosive piece of gossip!
Cheung Pak-chi secretly gave birth to a son for Nicholas Tse!

The news caused a stir in Hong Kong's entertainment circle.

Looking around, wow! Hong Kong media even exaggeratedly commented that this is the birth of a "super second-generation star of Hong Kong entertainment," and that the hope for leading the resurgence of Hong Kong films in the future lies in this child!

Lu Rui almost spat out the mouthful of soy milk he had just taken a sip. A Hong Kong entertainment superstar's second generation?
The Hong Kong entertainment circle loves to do things like popping champagne halfway through, making all the pronouncements early on, only to be proven wrong later on. They've been doing this for years without ever learning their lesson, it's unbelievable.

In addition, the long-awaited TV series "Dream of the Red Chamber" has also been plagued by problems.

The actress who will play Lin Daiyu was revealed first.

Jiang Mengjie, 18 years old, has just been admitted to the ballet major at Beijing Dance Academy.

The moment the official photos were released, they immediately sparked a wave of criticism online.

Netizens exclaimed that they were "horrified by how ugly" and angrily criticized the production team as being completely idiotic, for not using suitable candidates and instead ruining a classic with an actor who has no distinguishing features.

It's worth mentioning that the suitable candidate mentioned by netizens is none other than Liu Yifei, who is currently undergoing intensive training with the cast of "The Witch"!
The reason for the recommendation is simple, just one word: beautiful!

"Possessing unparalleled beauty, a rare and handsome man..."

The description of Lin Daiyu in the original novel directly determined that the actress playing the role had to be exceptionally beautiful and have a stunning appearance that could convince everyone; otherwise, it was out of the question.

Although Liu Yifei is not the only one who meets the criteria, among young actresses around twenty years old, there are very few who can rival her in terms of appearance, temperament, fame, and status.

Of course, no matter how much the online demand is, she won't take the role.

Firstly, the reputation of the "Dream of the Red Chamber" production team was too bad. During the preparation period, there were many negative news reports, and even absurd rumors such as "selecting concubines", which were disgusting to hear.

Secondly, there's the issue of role suitability.

Lin Daiyu was a delicate and sentimental person.

Liu Yifei has been working hard on her physical training for the role of "The Witch" and has even developed subtle muscle lines on her arms.

If she were to play Lin Daiyu, she would most likely not be "burying flowers," but rather "uprooting a willow tree"!
Just imagining that scene made Lü Rui feel incredibly uncomfortable.

...

There was nothing to do at the company in the morning, and Jiang Wen happened to call and say he had a new idea, so Lü Rui simply went to his company.

However, as soon as he entered the door, he heard Ge You 'cursing' in a disdainful tone:

"Even rabbits know not to eat the grass near their burrows. Six people, in front of someone's husband, and in front of everyone—ugh! Disgusting! I kept the lights off!"

Lu Rui was stunned on the spot: "???"

Which song is this from?
A renowned director and an award-winning actor, are they putting on a live acting show here?

"You're here." Jiang Wen greeted Lü Rui as he entered.

Seeing this, Ge You put down his script, smiled and nodded in greeting, but his eyes couldn't help but glance at the script, his obsession with the character was impossible to hide.

"Are you two rehearsing a scene?" Lu Rui walked over and curiously looked at the two of them.

"Yeah, the plot got stuck." Jiang Wen nodded, his tone a little helpless. "The later plot couldn't be continued, and it felt like something was missing, so I called Lao Ge over to help me sort it out."

"Oh?" Lü Rui looked at Ge You and teased him with a cheerful smile, "So, Teacher Ge, are you satisfied with the role of Master Tang?"

"Great! Excellent!" Ge You thought about it carefully and gave it extremely high praise, "Second only to my previous film, 'To Live'!"

This is exceptionally high praise!
It's worth noting that Ge You won the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award for his role as Fugui, the male lead in the film "To Live".

The comment he just made is tantamount to directly defining the quality of the script for "Let the Bullets Fly".

Jiang beamed with joy upon hearing this, wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes, clearly extremely satisfied with the feedback.

"By the way, why did you call me over here?"

Lu Rui snapped out of his daze and looked at Jiang Wen with curiosity.

“Nothing else, if you’re free, come and help me play ‘Huang Silang’.” Jiang Wen handed over another script, “Go through the rest of the plot with me, get a feel for it.”

“I don’t seem to fit the role of Huang Silang at all?” Lu Rui took the script, flipped through it, and looked puzzled.

"This is just a temporary measure. We'll do a proper casting once the project is officially approved." Jiang Wen waved his hand. "Let's test the waters and develop a storyline first."

"Alright then." Lu Rui quickly glanced through the script and casually asked, "Don't you have someone you like in mind?"

"Yes!" Jiang Wen said decisively.

"Who?"

"Chow Yun-fat".

Upon hearing this name, Lü Rui subconsciously frowned, wanting to say something but unsure where to begin.

Regardless of his character, since "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Zhou has become an international superstar recognized by both the industry and the audience, and his film salary in Hong Kong is second only to Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow, and Li Lianjie.

Lu Rui was not surprised that Jiang Wen would take a liking to this person.

But he felt that there was someone more suitable than this one.

Han Sanping!
If we could invite this guy to make a cameo appearance as Huang Silang, his inherent aura and intimidating presence would be even more fitting for the role than Chow Yun-fat. Just thinking about it is exciting.

Of course, thinking about it, it's probably impossible. Third Master probably wouldn't dare to wear the hat of "Huang Silang".

Besides him, Leung Ka-fai is also quite suitable.

A versatile actor, he can convincingly portray any role; he could definitely handle Huang Silang perfectly...

While they were thinking, the three of them had already started acting out their roles.

“Ma’s position as county magistrate was bought. He bought the position to make money, and he doesn’t like to make money off the poor.”

"So whose money are you trying to make?"

"We'll make money off whoever has the most money."

"..."

"Master, brilliant!"

"The county magistrate is tough!"

"Master Huang, it's tall and hard!"

"Haha, awesome! This is the taste I've been waiting for..."

We had originally agreed to finish the simulation before noon, but once we got into it, we couldn't stop and it dragged on until the evening.

Lu Rui was truly impressed by Jiang Wen. This guy was practically a drama fanatic. He would polish every line and every movement repeatedly until he achieved a satisfactory result.

Jiang Wen reluctantly stopped when his stomach started growling with hunger: "Alright, that's enough for today. We'll think about it later."

Ge You rubbed his sore neck and said with a smile, "This role is really addictive; the more I act, the more I feel it."

Lu Rui closed the script and stretched: "You two are so enthusiastic, I'm almost inspired to act myself. But seriously, you need to make sure you communicate with Chow Yun-fat in advance. His schedule and salary are not small."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Jiang Wen waved his hand. "If all else fails, we have a backup plan. Come on, let's go eat first, it's on me!"

……

After returning from Jiang Wen's place, Lü Rui flew to Hengdian the next morning to attend the wrap-up press conference for the TV series "Lurking".

Speaking of which, a lot of fun stories came back during the filming of this drama.

For example, in one scene involving a rocking bed, Sun Honglei needed to precisely control the rhythm of the rocking bed, while Yan Ni had to portray Cuiping's naivety and straightforwardness.

As a result, Yan Ni was amused by Sun Honglei's exaggerated physical movements and burst into laughter many times. In addition, her dialect accent was not up to par, so this scene was filmed more than twenty times before it was finally acceptable.

In addition, Feng Enhe, who plays Station Chief Wu, is the comedic relief of the crew.

Every time he arrives at the film set, he always sets up a table, arranges chairs, and brews hot tea. He drinks tea while telling jokes to others until it's his turn to film.

Although this is a serious spy drama, the filming process was quite interesting.

At the press conference, director Jiang Wei put his arm around Lü Rui's shoulder and boasted to the media present:

"Many people say that Lü Rui is a student I taught, but I want to say that he is now fully capable of being my teacher. The road to learning is long, and those who have achieved success are teachers. I am proud to have such a student in my teaching career!"

He recounted in detail how Lü Rui had helped him, including investing in him, introducing him to roles, and providing various forms of assistance during filming, going on and on...

At first, everyone thought this was the teacher's reflection on the students' achievements.

But as I listened, it just didn't feel right.

Why does it feel like Jiang Wen was bragging and showing off that he had brought out a top-notch talent?
After the news of the wrap-up of "Lurking" spread, Yao Dazui from Huayi Brothers finally found out who had replaced him with the role of "Cuiping".

It's Lü Rui!
In an instant, she completely wilted.

She had originally planned that if she found out who was behind this, she would definitely get revenge.

But now that she knows the truth, she doesn't dare utter a single word, let alone seek revenge.

Finding Li Xue won't help.

The Li sisters have been feeling resentful lately because Zhao Yanzi has overshadowed them, and they've even considered "rebelling against Huayi."

Especially seeing Fan Bingbing's rising popularity with "The Equation of Love and Death", the two were filled with jealousy and hatred, and had no interest in Yao Chen's affairs.

Meanwhile, after returning to the capital from Hengdian, Lü Rui took the time to meet with Cao Baoping.

People are in good spirits on happy occasions!

Seeing the box office of "The Equation of Love and Death" soaring, Cao Baoping was overjoyed.

However, the only thing that bothered him was that, compared to other film projects invested in by Ruishijie, the revenue from his film was barely enough to break even.

It won't lose money, but it won't make much either. It's like Ruishijie paid him to gain some experience.

Some media outlets have already commented that Ruishijie's investment in this film was a "mistake," which makes him feel quite embarrassed.

"income?"

Upon hearing Cao Baoping mention this, Lü Rui cheerfully reassured him, "How much money can you make at the box office? This time, I'm planning to take 'The Equation of Love and Death' to the Venice International Film Festival to sell the rights. Let's make some US dollars!"

"Huh?" Cao Baoping was taken aback. "My movie can actually sell its rights overseas?"

“You alone can’t do it.” Lu Rui chuckled, already having a plan. “I’m going to pull off a bundled sale and rip off a bunch of foreigners…”

Cao Baoping: "???"

(End of this chapter)