Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 231 Want a Trophy?

The little girl said she wanted to play with Xiao Ma, but in the end she still went back to her hometown in the Northwest with Chen Shou.

He wore sunglasses when he boarded the plane, looking like a little devil despite his small stature.

Chen Shou did not bring his child on the plane; he asked his assistant to take him, and they would meet up after the plane arrived.

To protect the child's privacy and prevent others from seeing him, it's best to reduce media attention. The child is still young and shouldn't be exposed too much.

It's impossible to be like Chen Kun, constantly guessing who the child's mother is.

When I take my child back to my hometown, my parents know he's coming back, but my grandparents don't, so naturally not many relatives come to visit.

The two elderly people, both over eighty years old, were overjoyed to see their great-granddaughter return and doted on the little girl immensely.

This led to her being even more unruly at home than at the horse farm. Chen Shou could do nothing about it in front of his grandparents, and could only watch as the little girl looked at him with smug eyes.

The old man was so fond of those big, bright eyes that he even pulled out several hundred yuan in cash from his pocket before leaving and insisted on giving it to the child.

Chen Shou was both amused and exasperated; he couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen cash.

He still finds cash a rare commodity, since he really doesn't have much of a concept of money. His bank card only contains cold numbers. If he were to withdraw it all, it might give him a little shock.

He left his hometown when he was very young, and he didn't know many people there. The little girl was taken away by her family to play.

Chen Shou strolled over to Xiying Film Studio, which wasn't far away.

Compared to the bustling scene at China Film Group, Xi'an Film Studio has truly declined.

Xi'an Film Studio was once the most influential national-level film studio, with a profound history and even a strong presence in the Northwest region.

The Beijing circle and the Hong Kong circle are probably the two most famous factions in the film and television industry.

In fact, there are several sub-circles, such as the Northwest Circle, the Shanghai Circle, and the Southern Hunan Circle.

Wherever there are people, there is a social hierarchy; since ancient times, hometown ties have always been second only to blood ties.

In ancient times, people from the same hometown formed powerful groups that have been influencing the people of this land ever since.

Xi'an Film Studio is somewhat desolate, but it has produced countless classics. Many directors who came from Northwest China, such as Zhang Yimou, Gu Changwei, Cheating King, Feng Xiaogang, Jiang Wen, and Jia Zhangke, are all directors who emerged from Northwest China.

However, that's all in the past; Xi'an Film Studio has declined.

Chen Shouzhe stood at the main gate, looking at the large characters on the entrance of Xiying Film Studio. The gatekeeper was already used to it; tourists often came here to take pictures.

"Director Chen?!"

Just as Chen Shou was about to leave, he suddenly heard someone call his name from behind.

Chen Shouzhe turned around and was somewhat surprised, not expecting to run into him here.

"It really is you!!" He saw the other person in the car, looking at him through the car window.

"Director Gu."

The person in front of me had an average appearance, but his eyes were distinctive. While others' eyes were upturned, his were downturned, making them appear small and lacking in spirit.
I never expected to run into Gu Changwei, the only big director at Xi'an Film Studio.

Once it was confirmed that it was Chen Shouzhe, Gu Changwei got out of the car; his assistant was with him.

Why don't you go in?

"I'm on my way home for the holidays and just happened to be passing by," Chen Shouzhe explained. "You're already at the door, why don't you come in and sit down? It's your own doorstep, why wouldn't you come in?"

Regardless of whether Chen Shou wanted to go in or not, Gu Changwei pulled him in by the hand.

The gatekeeper at the entrance recognized Gu Changwei, but Chen Shou didn't recognize him and still let him in.

Before long, the entire Xi'an Film Studio knew that Chen Shouzhe had arrived, and a large group of Xi'an Film Studio leaders came at once.

Director Wu of Xi'an Film Studio also came. It is worth mentioning that Director Tong, the former head of the Film Bureau, was also the deputy director of Xi'an Film Studio. Xi'an Film Studio has a very strong foundation.

Xi'an Film Studio naturally valued Chen Shouzhe's arrival. Chen Shouzhe had a good relationship with them and had always brought them along on projects. Over the years, Xi'an Film Studio's business had relied entirely on Chen Shouzhe. The glory days were a thing of the past. Now, even China Film Group was far behind, let alone a long-established studio like Xi'an Film Studio.

The film industry today is no longer the era of stories from the Loess Plateau. It's hard to find excellent Northwest films in the current film market. Coupled with certain connections, Northwest films are really not suitable anymore, as there are still many exploitative realities in this region.

In "Operation in Northern Myanmar," Chen Shouzhe also brought Xi Ying along, giving Xi Ying 15%, and Xi Ying sold everything she owned to invest in it.

They've seen the benefits of mainstream commercial films. The story of "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" had nothing to do with them; on the contrary, China Film Group was very happy with the profits, and Shanghai Film Group also got a share.

If this operation in northern Myanmar is successful, it will be a significant boost for Xi'an Film Studio, and may even attract the attention of higher authorities, leading to renewed support for the studio.

"Director Chen, have you considered returning to work at Xi'an Film Studio?" Director Wu asked Chen Shouzhe, revealing his thoughts.

Xi'an Film Studio has lost too many talented people. Chen Shouzhe is now helpless and alone. Of course, he is very powerful on his own. If we can bring Chen Shouzhe into Xi'an Film Studio, it will be like gaining a powerful backer, which can bring Xi'an Film Studio back to life.

Chen Shouzhe naturally understood the other party's thoughts and refused with a smile. How could he possibly join Xiying Film Studio? He couldn't enter the system; once he did, he would face even greater restrictions.

One by one, they left the system, but he was the only one who went back; it wasn't a step backward in history.

Although joining Xi'an Film Studio would indeed bring benefits, and he might even be able to get into certain units in the future, there are also many problems there, and he would have to achieve results. It would be too difficult for him to drag the entire Xi'an Film Studio forward.

Despite refusing, Chen Shouzhe still had a meal at Xiying. It wasn't possible to have a lavish meal there, but the food at Xiying tasted just like the food he had as a child. Chen Shouzhe left only after he had eaten his fill.

We continued to travel and explore other places, treating it as a field trip. The scenery in the Northwest is still very beautiful, and the city wall ruins here are well preserved. This is not the capital city, which has long since lost its city walls, unless you go to the Forbidden City.

"teacher."

Midway through, Chen Shou received a phone call from his teacher, Wang Hongwei.

"Where are you now?"

"I'm at my hometown, is there anything I can help you with, teacher?"

"Nothing else, but if you have time, could you come back to Beijing Film Academy?"

"Back to Beijing Film Academy? What's up?"

Chen Shouzhe calculated the time and realized it had been a long time since he had returned to the Beijing Film Academy. He would go back once to promote the movie. Although his relationship with the academy was not great, it was still one of the top three universities in China, having cultivated countless outstanding talents. Two-thirds of the employees in Shouzhe Pictures came from the Beijing Film Academy, and Zhong Lifan would take people to the campus for recruitment every year.

“You’ve won one of only two Oscars in China. As a student at the Beijing Film Academy, you should bring the trophy back to your school as a souvenir,” Wang Hongwei said with a smile.

"They're not going to make me give the trophy to Beijing Film Academy, are they?"

Chen Shouzhe remembered that he wasn't given an award when the Beijing Film Academy celebrated its anniversary. He was glad he didn't go back to participate in the anniversary celebration, otherwise, as the director with the highest box office in China, he would have become a laughing stock nationwide if he hadn't received an outstanding alumni award.

"You can donate if you want, or you can take a photo as a souvenir."

"I'll talk about it when I have time. I'm at my hometown now and plan to rest for a while before going back."

(End of this chapter)