The only sun in Huayu

Chapter 142 Embroidering the Red Flag Overnight

Office of the Head of the Department of Management at Beijing Film Academy.

Yu Jianhong has been feeling better and better lately, and is often smiling.

"Director Yu, have you heard? Is it really possible that Director Shen's conversation with Paperclip took place at our school?"

An associate professor, holding a teacup, spoke with an inquisitive and envious tone.

Yu Jianhong laughed heartily and personally added hot water for the other person.

In just half a day, several groups of colleagues have come to visit "on the way".

Without exception, the conversation carefully veered towards this astonishing news.

Although the news of the dialogue event has not been officially announced, it has already spread within the college.

"Haha, it's all just rumors from the students. Nothing's certain yet, nothing's certain yet."

Despite this, Yu Jianhong's brows were full of pride.

After seeing her colleagues off, Yu Jianhong sat back in her office chair and took a deep breath.

"This is truly a disaster."

Yu Jianhong muttered to himself that the extraordinary talent of his disciple had exceeded his expectations.

It brought him so much—face and substance—one wave after another, too much to bear.

If the success of "The Eunuch" was a commercial miracle, then this time, the significance is entirely different.

paper clip!
He is an internationally recognized master of art, a mountain peak that countless art directors look up to throughout their lives.

Equal dialogue?

In Yu Jianhong's previous understanding, this was almost a fantasy.

This means that Shen Shandeng is not just a box office hit director.

Furthermore, within the academic and artistic discourse system, it has been forcibly elevated to a status equal to that of a paperclip!

Directing Department.

In stark contrast to the jubilant atmosphere in the management department.

The directing department's teaching and research office had now transformed into a battlefield, filled with the explosive atmosphere of anger, contempt, and disbelief.

"Absurd! Shameless! This is a complete desecration of art!"

Professor Huang slammed his hand heavily on the table, trembling with anger.

As the mentor of many sixth-generation directors, he has always considered himself a guardian of the purity of art films.

"Shen Shandeng? A complete box office freak! His theory that 'only industrialized countries can have artistic freedom' is utter fallacy! He's using money to corrupt the soul of film! Even if the Big Three European cinemas have problems, they are still temples of art, and how dare a mere child like him interfere!"

Professor Huang's roar was met with almost universal response.

It quickly garnered strong resonance from another heavyweight figure, Professor Xie, a representative of the fourth generation of directors and a doctoral supervisor.

Professor Xie's face was ashen, and he said in a somber tone, "Equal dialogue? What makes Shen Shandeng think he can? Just because of those few hundred million in box office revenue? That's market blindness, that's just the audience's momentary frenzy!"

"Paperclip's works are profound reflections on humanity and society, artistic treasures that can withstand the test of time! To engage in dialogue, one can only 'engage with the masters,' like a student seeking guidance from a teacher!"

"They want the school to provide a venue for some kind of 'equal dialogue'? I'd have to be dead! I strongly oppose it! Beijing Film Academy must never agree to something that would lower its status like this!"

The thing Professor Xie hates most is singing praises.

Shen Shandeng, who makes films about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, is the kind of person he despises and despises the most. It is a disgrace for him to be a director like him!

All eyes were on the department head, Tian Lili.

Tian Lili is also a representative of the academic school and a supporter of the idea of ​​art above all else. In the past, she had many criticisms of Shen Shandeng's "market-only theory".

However, he recently had been asked to arrange a dinner party, which made his feelings towards Shen Shandeng quite complicated.

Tian Lili remained unusually silent.

"Director Tian, ​​please say something!"

Professor Huang urged, "Do you also think that Shen Shandeng is qualified to be on par with Paperclip?"

Tian Lili raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over her indignant colleagues, and said helplessly, "Qualifications? Does it matter whether we recognize them or not?"

Seeing the astonished expressions on everyone's faces, Tian Lili continued, "The important thing is that Paperclip has agreed."

This one sentence instantly silenced the fierce condemnation.

Tian Lili couldn't help but smile wryly, "Even Paperclip has nodded in agreement, and we, the directing department, are here arguing about whether Shen Shandeng is qualified?"

Although it is not stated explicitly, the meaning is clear.

Gentlemen, aren't you taking yourselves a little too seriously?
Tian Lili looked down on this group of people. He was the director that Marco Müller admired the most, and he was also the leader of the fifth generation of directors with his own artistic style.

"you!"

Professor Xie turned pale with anger.

"Professor Xie, I have no choice." Facing Professor Xie, Tian Lili still maintained a respectful demeanor and explained, "If this dialogue can really be held at Beijing Film Academy, you may feel ashamed, but the higher-ups at the academy will think it is a great honor for Beijing Film Academy."

"For a graduate student who hasn't even officially graduated yet to be able to have an event with an Oscar-level director that's known as a 'dialogue with masters' is itself the most hardcore and sensational advertisement!"

"This is the best demonstration of the Beijing Film Academy's teaching achievements, and it also directly reflects the status of the Beijing Film Academy. This symbolic significance is equivalent to holding a hundred international academic conferences!"

Tian Lili said quietly, "Gentlemen, we're just providing a venue. If we object, they can talk elsewhere. If we really ruin this, how will the college leaders view us?"

As the head of the directing department, Tian Lili knew what was important.

In this matter, whoever makes the college leaders uncomfortable will not have an easy time in their future career.

Moreover, it's not just the college leaders who ostracize them; other departments also exclude them.

Tian Lili said, "Moreover, the Management Department is already eager to get started. Even if our Directing Department objects, they can still use the auditorium in the name of the school."

"What will our directing department gain besides a reputation for being stubborn, inflexible, and jealous of talent?"

"Tian Lili! You, you've changed!"

Professor Huang pointed at him, heartbroken, and said, "How could you become so materialistic! So obsessed with empty fame! Are you still the Tian Lili who talked with us about the essence of film art?"

"I think you've gotten too close to Chen Kaige and been corrupted by that fame-seeking man!"

They won't publicly criticize Chen Kaige, but deep down, they despise him for following the lead of China Film Group!
Faced with such harsh criticism, Tian Lili's face turned ashen.

"Anyone who objects should go talk to the dean!"

They looked at each other and encouraged one another to cause trouble.

Seeing this, Tian Lili felt a little desolate deep down.

Although he didn't like Shen Shandeng, as someone who would help Chen Kaige and Lu Chuan and was familiar with the situation on the front lines of the industry, he was well aware of the power Shen Shandeng possessed.

These colleagues, still immersed in the ivory tower of art, with their cowardly and bullying nature, will likely see their influence diminish over time.

Tian Lili couldn't help but feel pessimistic about the future of the art movement.

Performing Arts Department.

In the practice room, what should have been training in lines and physical movements was replaced by an uncontrollable conversation.

Several well-informed teachers gathered in a corner of the corridor, their faces filled with disbelief. "Have you heard? Shen Shandeng from our school is going to have a talk with Hui Xing!"

"Equal dialogue? My God, this is unbelievable!"

"This isn't just a meteoric rise; it's like sitting right on a throne in the clouds! Paperclip! That's an Oscar-winning director!"

Everyone was talking about it.

The fact that a graduate student and a commercial film director were placed on equal footing with internationally recognized art masters completely overturned their previous understanding.

Huang Li said mysteriously, "I have a relative at CCTV who said that Shen Shandeng revealed the news in an interview on 'Face to Face' that the artistic director of the Venice Film Festival and Jiang Zhiqiang, the gold medal producer from Hong Kong, worked together to bring them together."

Other teachers asked in confusion, "Teacher Huang, I also watched the 'Face to Face' program, why didn't I see it?"

Huang Li explained, "That segment was later deleted, a lot of it was cut. There were many parts of that interview that couldn't be broadcast."

"Really? Really?"

Huang Li nodded affirmatively, feeling honored.

"That's why you have to look at people from a long-term perspective! When Shen Shandeng first enrolled, he even took my 'Drama Theory' class! Back then, he was very determined, and his attitude towards learning was impeccable! He was very hardworking!"

The other teachers exchanged bewildered glances; Huang Li had switched the topic a bit too quickly.

"Teacher Huang, didn't you criticize him before for being too commercial?"

That's still a euphemism; Huang Li's criticism was much more vehement.

Huang Li pretended not to hear it, anyway, he didn't remember how he had evaluated Shen Shandeng back then.

Don't ask, the answer is always that I'm optimistic about it.

"Think about it, besides his own major courses, he probably audited a lot of courses in directing, literature, and cinematography, right?"

"This interdisciplinary learning ability, this comprehensive understanding of film, is the cornerstone of his success! When you have the ability, opportunities will naturally follow! It's something all of us students, including us teachers, should learn from!"

Huang Li's undisguised admiration caused subtle expressions on the faces of several teachers who knew the inside story, but no one dared to expose it at that moment.

I got home after get off work.

Huang Li remained excited.

He said to Sun Li, "I told you I hadn't misjudged him! This kid Shen Shandeng is a real dragon! He's going to have a dialogue with Huixing, a dialogue between masters! Right here at our school! I'm planning to try and get him the hosting job!"

Sun Li, who was preparing dinner, paused in her work.

Previously, Huang Like had criticized Shen Shandeng for being "vulgar," "commercialist," and "desecrating art," and called the "Du Gong" team a band of losers.

This sudden shift from arrogance to obsequiousness is rather abrupt, even bordering on fawning.

Sun Li couldn't help but recall that when "The Eunuch" was in preparation, Shen Shandeng personally extended an invitation to her and even met with her to invite her to star in the film.

What a rare opportunity!
It was Huang Li who forcefully demanded that she refuse.

Seeing her husband's true colors now, Sun Li couldn't bear it.

Huang Li, completely oblivious to Sun Li's change in mindset, eagerly pressed on, "By the way, how's the house search going, Mimi? Any updates? We need to hurry! It'll be so much easier to visit each other once we're neighbors!"

Sun Li also felt a glimmer of hope, and said calmly, "I heard from Mimi that they've already made their choices, so it should be soon."

Shen Shandeng has improved too quickly. He used to reply to her messages, but now he doesn't reply for days.

Sun Li longed to improve and wanted to be lectured by Shen Shandeng more, even if his tone was harsh.

The only hope is that the two sides will be physically close, and eventually they will meet.

After dinner.

Unable to contain his excitement, Huang Li, carrying this explosive news, slipped away to a bar frequented by a group of artistic directors and filmmakers in the industry.

really.

The moment I stepped inside, I could feel the oppressive atmosphere.

Many of them are graduates of the Beijing Film Academy and have already learned some of the news.

"A disgrace! This is a complete betrayal of the art of film!" A sixth-generation director slammed his wine glass on the table.

Another filmmaker, his eyes glazed over and his resolve broken, exclaimed: "How could this be? How could Mr. Paperclip agree? Can commercial success truly supersede the purity of art? Does Shen Shandeng even know what the darkness of human nature is? Does he understand the metaphors of society? He's not worthy!"

Huang Li glanced around and saw the independent director who had mocked him last time and even indirectly ostracized him.

He walked over slowly, his voice not loud, but just loud enough for the people at the surrounding tables to hear.

"Hey, teachers, what's all this arguing about? Why are you so angry? Is it really necessary?"

He seemed to have just remembered something, and spoke casually.

"Oh, you mean the dialogue thing? If you ask me, what's the point of arguing like this? The key is, it seems that Director Paperclip has already agreed."

For an instant.

The entire bar fell silent.

All eyes were on Huang Li, and the director who had previously ostracized him was practically spitting fire.

Huang Li didn't say another word, just shrugged and left with a meaningful look.

His years of performance experience culminated in an extraordinary display at this moment.

With just a glance, he conveyed what he wanted to say.

"The person in charge has already agreed, so why are you bunch of traitors getting so excited?"

A single glance, like a poisonous thorn, pierced the hearts of many present.

Amidst the angry, bewildered, or disarmed gazes of the crowd, Huang Li leisurely turned and left the bar.

The evening breeze blows.

Huang Li felt a sense of ease and clarity.

Following the strong is the hardest truth in this industry.

Shen Shandeng's strength is an undeniable fact, and Huang Li has chosen the right side.

In the executive suite of a star-rated hotel.

Paperclips have also arrived.

I sat opposite Jiang Zhiqiang on the sofa, the two cups of coffee on the coffee table between us had long since gone cold.

They looked at each other speechlessly.

"I heard you've been busy with the Olympic film lately?" Paperclip finally broke the silence.

He tried to find a less heavy topic, but found that he and the other person were both deeply mired in the quagmire of the failure of "The Creation," and any topic seemed inappropriate.

Jiang Zhiqiang nodded awkwardly: "Well, we have to do something."

Although embroidering the red flag overnight might have attracted Pharaoh's attention, it was indeed effective.

Jiang Zhiqiang looked up at Paperclip and asked knowingly, "You've come this time?"

(End of this chapter)