Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 340 Moral blackmail, the director who can be kicked aside at any time

Because of his property dealings, there has been much commotion. Many people on Weibo have called out to Chen Shouzhe, and some charitable organizations have even contacted Zhong Lifan, hoping that Chen Shouzhe would take the money and give it to them.

With a net worth of hundreds of billions, donating a few hundred million shouldn't be a problem.

There were even attempts to manipulate public opinion, demanding that Chen Shou donate money, and comparing him to Zhou Juanjuan, saying that Zhou donated all his wealth.

It just goes to show how easily people are fooled these days. Perhaps only when short videos become widespread and various science popularization bloggers emerge will this media-influenced mindset be reversed.

Just like Chen Shouzhe's daughter, there's no need to respond too much; handle it discreetly.

Public opinion is a double-edged sword. One must be strong to succeed. Donating money is a good thing, but the important question is where the money is donated and to whom it is donated.

Chen Shouzhe had donated before. He knew Han Hong and would donate money several times a year. Han Hong would also actively seek his help, and Chen Shouzhe would always help her. As for Basha, when Guo and Yu were invited to go, they would ask the two elders to take him along and help him donate some money.

Therefore, after the incident of allegedly coercing donations occurred, the first person to stand up and refute the rumors was Han Hong.

[Chen Shouzhe is a junior I admire very much. I know his character very well. He donates money to the foundation every year. This is his donation and usage record. It's not that he hasn't donated; it's just that you don't know how much he has donated. Please don't let the slander of certain malicious individuals cause charity to be swayed by public opinion, and don't let the hearts of every philanthropist be chilled.]

Han Hong's appearance proves that Chen Shouzhe donates money every year, and the amount is quite large. Every penny has a detailed purpose, even down to the expenditure of a pack of instant noodles.

With Han Hong's timely intervention, the issue of coerced donations came to an end. After all, those people were already chanting slogans, saying that he was rich but heartless, that he had made so much money but had not given back to society, and that they would boycott his movies, etc.

Now that the rumors have been debunked, the movie's popularity has actually increased, so it can be considered a blessing in disguise.

"Director Chen, there's been a lot of talk about you lately," Huang Bo said while eating.

It was just the five of them—Chen Shouzhe, Wuershan, Huang Bo, Shen Yijie, and Wang Baobao—in the small private room.

“That’s normal, you’ve been through this before.” Chen Shou chuckled. “If you were my opponent, do you think you could beat me in the movies?”

"What a joke, how could I possibly beat you?" Huang Bo shook his head.

"You'd be easy to kill," Wang Baobao laughed.

"Since you can't beat me in the film market, what are you going to do? To paraphrase my godfather, when the other party can't target you professionally, they'll criticize you morally and ethically. You know, a moral saint? They demand of themselves that they be despicable, but demand of others that they be saints," Chen Shou said sarcastically while eating.

Everyone present had experienced this, especially Huang Bo and Wang Baobao, who are both actors. Wang Baobao is impeccable in both acting skills and character.

However, who would have thought that his ex-wife had such a crazy fan who would actually slander him?

He felt it was his fault, because he had neglected his family, which led to his wife and agent having an affair.

How can we explain this kind of moral condemnation? We don't even know if those people are human; they might be animals typing on keyboards in front of computers.

If Wang Baobao has any issues with his character or conduct, how come his two closest friends have absolutely no dirt on him, while those sitting in front of their computers are attacking him with such absurd language?

Guo Degang once said something quite insightful: "For entertainers, half of their money comes from being criticized."

Take "Brother Coat" for example; if he lost those eccentric villagers, where would his popularity come from?

Without those steel-black characters, Deyun Club's popularity will be much lower.

"Underhanded tactics."

Huang Bo said in a deep voice, “Now you know why I didn’t sell those shares, right? Before I became a shareholder of Wanda Pictures, there were even more attacks like this. Every year, the company had to spend a lot of money on public relations. I was attacked once when Painted Skin was released, and after that, people criticized me for every movie. Now there are still a bunch of people calling me an American.” Chen Shou said with a smile.

“You can’t tell if it’s a person or a ghost from behind a screen. They’ll probably regulate this in the future. My movie probably won’t be released until the Lunar New Year season. Director Shen, don’t delay it too long.” Huang Bo raised his glass to Shen Yijie.

"I have work this afternoon, so I won't drink. I'll try my best to finish filming for you before November," Shen Yijie said.

"Three months?" Huang Bo asked, his eyes wide.

"Then how long do you want?" Shen Yijie smiled.

"Two months, ideally starting in September and finishing filming before November," Huang Bo said.

"It's probably going to be difficult. Although the movie is currently in pre-production, filming should start in mid-September. According to my estimate, it won't wrap up until November. Your movie will be released during the New Year's holiday season, and promotion should start around mid-November," Shen Yijie said.

Huang Bo was furious. He pointed at Shen Yijie and said to Chen Shouzhe, "Director Chen, you see, if he doesn't do a good job, I'll kick him out and become the director myself."

"That's a good idea," Chen Shou couldn't help but laugh.

It's not uncommon for actors to step in and film a movie if the director isn't good enough. The most famous example is Jiang Wen and Lu Taro. When they were filming "Finding a Gun," Lu Taro's performance wasn't great, so Jiang Wen went up and gave him a good scolding. It's said that she scolded Lu Taro until he cried, and the movies that followed were all said to be in Jiang Wen's style.

Huang Bo is no ordinary actor; he's now a well-known director and could very well kick Shen Yijie aside.

"Brother Bo, don't be like that. Teach me when the time comes," Shen Yijie immediately said with a smile, picking up his teacup.

“That’s more like it. If you choose Jiang Wenli to play the lead role, you can invite director Gu Changwei to visit the set. He’s an expert in this field, and like you, he’s a cinematographer. He might be able to offer you a lot of help,” Huang Bo said.

"I'll definitely have to pay a visit then. By the way, Director Chen, I just thought of an actor who can play a villain," Shen Yijie said.

"You can contact the person you chose later," Chen Shou said.

“I guess this person is too important, and we need your help,” Urshan added, who hadn’t spoken until now.

"How big of a celebrity is he?" Wang Baobao asked curiously.

“I would like to invite director Jiang Wen to play the villainous role,” Shen Yijie said.

Chen Shouzhe had just picked up a piece of vegetable, but it stopped in mid-air. After a while, he realized what was happening, put the vegetable in the bowl, and pondered for a moment.

"He is indeed suitable, but there is one problem with him as an actor. We worked together on The Taking of Tiger Mountain, you know."

Shen Yijie nodded. The others who hadn't worked with Jiang Wen looked over, wondering what was wrong with Jiang Wen being an actress.

“In China, only directors choose actors and have requirements for them. But Jiang Wen is different. When he acts, he has requirements for the director. If the director can't achieve the effect he wants, he will really kick the director out and become the director himself. Yi Jie, can you handle that?”

"I want to give it a try."

"Then I'll give him a call."

With Jiang Wenli, Huang Bo, and now Jiang Wen, his first work is poised to be a smash hit. Wang Baobao is very envious; only big capital and big directors can provide such convenience. Compared to Shen Yijie, she is completely incomparable; his backing is too strong.

(End of this chapter)