Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 109 Fan Bingbing: You still have to pay even if you don't touch.

Seeing that Cao Zhong's mindset was not affected at all, Han Sanpin was relieved.

"Don't be influenced by public opinion. If you can't handle it, then don't go online. We will keep a record of those people."

Han Sanpin said, then suddenly hesitated, "But I can't give you too many promises. To develop some things, we need to give up some things, and it may take a long time."

“I understand, Chairman Han,” Cao Zhong said. “You don’t need to be disappointed, but I have always firmly believed in one principle: those who scheme against others will always be schemed against. I have a very strong mentality.”

"Next time you have a movie and don't want to bring China Film Group with you, just tell me directly. I know that China Film Group is just taking advantage of you."

Although he didn't understand what a "pan" was, Han Sanpin didn't ask, but instead changed the subject.
Seeing Cao Zhong being scolded, Han Sanpin felt quite guilty and, knowing his place, took the initiative to express his closeness to Cao Zhong.

"Why is Chairman Han being so sentimental? You have to protect me!"

Cao Zhong was happy to have an easy time, he said,
"If you really feel like you're getting a good deal, then next time you should also pay 1.5 times the premium. Don't just talk the talk."

In fact, Cao Zhong didn't care much about whether or not he ate alone.
Making movies can be profitable, but it pales in comparison to his understanding and development of future generations.

Getting some Bitcoin doesn't cost much.

Moreover, there are many stocks and companies that are bound to skyrocket in the future. Even if he doesn't fully understand investment and management, or hire the right people and lawyers, he can still ride the wave of success and soar to new heights.

Thinking of this, Cao Zhong suddenly remembered that Weibo would be launched in a few years, and he remembered that the domain name seemed to be in the hands of a private individual.

We could talk to someone about taking it over. If we can get on board with Weibo, it could at least become a tool for Cao Zhong to increase his influence.

I'll see if I can get involved then, and maybe even use the domain name and investment to get onto the board of directors.

Cao Zhong made a note of this matter for the time being.

"Hi... let's talk about something else,"

Han Sanpin suddenly remembered something and said,
"The script for 'Li Yannian, a Man of Both Literary and Martial Arts' has been labeled as a key subject matter. It's been running around to various departments. You know, these days there's a big picture: the Olympics, the World Expo, China's accession to the WTO. What's the mainstream of our time? Peace and development. So it's been constantly being refined."

Han Sanpin sighed.
"Speaking of this, CCTV's major drama 'War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea,' which was filmed in 98, is still being shelved. It was originally scheduled to air in 01, but due to that incident, it was postponed for ten years for the sake of friendly relations."

Cao Zhong was speechless upon hearing this: "If it really doesn't work, Chairman Han can let me know and I'll try something else."

"So, you still have some left over?" Han Sanpin asked, somewhat surprised. "You didn't write all of these in high school, did you? Or are you a genius screenwriter?"

“I just said it offhand,” Cao Zhong explained. “I’ve talked about three shows, how can I give up halfway?”

"I knew Little Eagle wouldn't give up," Han Sanpin said with a smile.

"So I didn't give up. I went to the PLA Academy of Arts and stood up for them in the name of 'political work education.' They kept talking to me about 'singing a different tune' every day."
It's just a historical background, but the whole script has seized a high ground, and you're arguing with me about that?

"If a movie about seizing high ground were to have any connection to anything, wouldn't everyone in '96 be terrified?"

Han Sanpin said firmly, "I said, if I stand behind you, I will definitely stand firmly. But next time, you'd better change your tactics and stop getting in other people's way."

Cao Zhong nodded, indicating that he understood.

"Thank you, Chairman Han, but don't forget about the premium you just mentioned."

"Hey..." Han Sanpin felt that his statement just now was a bit unnecessary. This kid isn't even grateful.

-

Mr. Smith has finally finished his investigation.

He lost his job.

The Squid Commander thought he had messed things up and severely reprimanded Smith, then chose Gustavo to take over, making him the new Smith.

Gustavo's status is different from Smith's, so his available resources are much greater.

The materials he was given even included the contact information for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Overseas Center.

After learning about the recent situation in mainland China, Gustavo believed that the direction taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was correct, so he decided to increase his investment.

beep.

The call connected and reached Aki.

Aki's gaze quickly turned solemn. This phone call, compared to the leader who assigned him the task, was like a real father to him.

Even my father's father.

The other end of the line only has one requirement.

"Go and kill that Cao Zhong guy!"

"Hey! I got it! I'll allocate more funds and arrange for more cultural figures to attack him. Trust me, I will definitely take down Cao Zhong."

Aki even bowed on the other end of the phone.

A slight bow is a sign of respect.

……

A wave of online negativity has emerged.

The selection of roles naturally sparked a fierce and bloody battle.

Cao Zhong was framed, and Yang Mi felt sorry for him, so she made an emergency phone call to comfort him.

After exchanging a few words, and hearing that Cao Zhong's emotions were relatively stable, Yang Mi revealed her true intentions and began to offer reminders.

"Zhongzhong, I noticed that you still chose Jing Tian as the female lead."

Seeing that Jing Tian was still the main character, Yang Mi was a little disappointed, but knowing that he was a loyal angel investor, she accepted it.

During this time, fearing she might delay Cao Zhong's work, and also worried that Cao Zhong's progress would be too rapid and leave her too far behind, she bought many books to study.
The books, "Admonitions for Women," "Internal Instructions," "The Analects for Women," and "A Record of Exemplary Women," are unfortunately written in classical Chinese and lack illustrations, which Yang Mi finds difficult to understand.

Later, I bought a few more modern books, such as "Whether a Woman is Virtuous or Not Can Be Recognized at a Glance," "How to Be a Good Wife," and "Three Tips to Nourish Your Husband." Yang Mi had a lot of insights from them.

But the book says that you should never let your husband be tested by other women, because men can't withstand tests.

Yang Mi wasn't too worried about Jing Tian. But when she saw that Fan Bingbing was only a guest actor, alarm bells went off immediately.

"You have to be careful of Fan Bingbing. She has a lot of experience. First, there was Jia Yueting, then the Hong Kong entertainment circle, and after returning to the mainland, there was Xue Bing. Now her relationship with her agent is also unclear. You must be extremely careful and protect yourself."

Yang Mi often gossiped, and she felt she had to remind Cao Zhong.

According to her understanding, people like Fan Bingbing always prefer to rest in the shade of walls or trees.

Yang Mi was very nervous.

"Don't worry, it's just a cameo role, she might not even be able to film for more than a few days."

Cao Zhong reassured Yang Mi that she could rest assured.

Not long after I hung up the phone, Fan Bingbing called back.

Faced with a massive online backlash, Fan Bingbing said she wanted to read the script and even admitted that she was having second thoughts.

Cao Zhong didn't know if this was an excuse.

"My script is confidential and no leaks are allowed."

"Don't worry, Director Cao, I have professional ethics! Just tell me the location, and I'll make a final decision after reading the script. If I don't want to act in it, I won't reveal a single word!"

"Okay." After confirming that the other party was also in the capital at the time, Cao Zhong agreed. However, Cao Zhong chose to go to Fan Bingbing's place, where Mu Xiaoguang would come to pick him up personally.

Qi Jiuzhou's Chengying residential project is still under selection, Cao Zhong has no major place to stay, and Fan Bingbing doesn't want to come to Beijing Film Academy, fearing it will cause a sensation and heated public debate.

Soon after, Mu Xiaoguang arrived, took Cao Zhong with him, and they quickly reached Fan Bingbing's studio.

Cao Zhong also saw Yang Tianzhen, who was already in tiger form.

"Nice to meet you, Director Cao, you look so young." Fan Bingbing smiled brightly when she saw Cao Zhong.

Her big eyes were curved into crescent moons. Where had Fan Bingbing ever seen a living director with a budget of 400 million before?

"Hello."

Cao Zhong also greeted them, and then, remembering Fan Bingbing's earlier conversation, he explained.

"Compared to my choice of the female lead, Sister Fan is indeed a bit too old."

Fan Bingbing's face immediately stiffened, and she said with a wry smile, "Director Cao, you don't have to be so blunt."

Mu Xiaoguang left the room soon after, leaving only Fan Bingbing and Cao Zhong behind. Fan Bingbing wanted to read the script.

After signing the confidentiality agreement.

Cao Zhong took out the script; he only gave Fan Bingbing the lines about forsythia, just four pages long.

Fan Bingbing was quite surprised when she saw it.

"So the movie that Director Cao made is completely different from what's said online?" Fan Bingbing asked in surprise!

"Yes," Cao Zhong said frankly.

"Doesn't that mean that as long as Director Cao deliberately doesn't respond, and as long as he wants, this movie will stay on the front page? Whether it's for publicity or release?"

Fan Bingbing was shocked!
Even though it was a massive black tide, she felt like she was a master of backing down.

Instead, we saw Cao Zhong using the Black Tide to go against the tide!

"If this gets me on the front page, wouldn't that be a blessing in disguise?"

Fan Bingbing couldn't help but lick her lips.

She was truly shocked!

Having just established her own studio this year, Fan Bingbing desperately needs attention!

She has ambition and a team, but she just doesn't make it to the box office.

She initially thought "Apple" would bring her awards, but Cao Zhong's criticism diminished the legitimacy of her participation in the Berlin Film Festival, and netizens now have serious doubts about its chances in the main competition, viewing it with a cautious eye.

She doesn't know if she'll win any other awards yet. In a couple of days, she'll be going to the Kazakhstan Film Festival, and she's thinking that she might actually win Best Actress.

But who cares about the Kazakh Film Festival?
Fan Bingbing felt that even though she won the Best Actress award, Cao Zhong had still hurt her.

So she planned to have Cao Zhong make up for it with box office revenue!

Back then, Qiong Yao said she would always be a maid, and she's been holding back her anger, determined to slap Qiong Yao in the face! To slap this mistress in the face!
And this forsythia is indeed her perfect opportunity!
Thinking of this, Fan Bingbing's expression towards Cao Zhong changed drastically!
A little later, Fan Bingbing invited Cao Zhong to stay for dinner, and Mu Xiaoguang and Yang Tianzhen also came in to persuade him to stay. Cao Zhong had no choice but to stay for a meal.

In the middle of the encounter, Fan Bingbing approached Cao Zhong several times, trying to get closer to him; the atmosphere between them was quite ambiguous and suggestive.

Cao Zhong could sense that Fan Bingbing still wanted to pursue leading roles.

Even after the meal was over, Cao Zhong still didn't let go of his mouth.

When they were about to leave, Mu Xiaoguang and Yang Tianzhen went out to arrange a driver for Cao Zhong.

Fan Bingbing called out to Cao Zhong, looking quite disappointed.

"Director Cao, let me tell you a story."

"You said."

“When I was little, my family kept a few goldfish. My cousin came over to play with me and reached into the fish tank to touch them. I just watched from the side. But my dad found out and took away both of our allowances.”

"Ah..." Cao Zhong chuckled, "Then you're quite innocent."

Fan Bingbing said with a resentful look:

"I just want to tell you that you still have to pay even if you don't touch it."

(End of this chapter)