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

Chapter 114 They can earn it, but I can't?!

Cao Zhong spent less than a day on the set of "My Disqualified Daughter".
Yan Ni wanted to invite Cao Zhong to dinner that evening to express her gratitude for letting her join the Olympic team. However, Cao Zhong declined because he was busy, saying that men must protect themselves when they are away from home.

Xu Zheng, however, heard from Guo Tao that Cao Zhong had mentioned a new drama and came over to ask about it.

Cao Zhong said he did have this idea, and a hint of envy rose in Xu Zheng's eyes, though it was unclear what he was thinking.

"How was it like directing? After this film, do you want to be a director or an actor?"

Cao Zhong asked casually.

"If I had a choice, I would definitely direct and act in it myself."

Xu Zheng chuckled, saying that his true feelings were hidden in his jokes.

He experienced the joy of being a director in charge of the crew, but deep down he still loved acting.

"Put more effort into directing," Cao Zhong said. "Chengying Film Studio can support you in the future."

"Thank you, Director Cao."

Xu Zheng's expression changed slightly, his heart filled with excitement.

Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, Xu Zheng has basically reached the end of his career in television dramas.

The TV series "Li Wei Becomes an Official" represents a peak that many actors cannot reach.

Besides, he can't act in other types of TV dramas.

Although he's only recently entered the film industry, he's met quite a few crew members over the past decade or so.

Xu Zheng might not believe it if someone else said it.

But Cao Zhong is different.
It's not just about ability, it's mainly about perspective.

Xu Zheng had been filming "My Disqualified Daughter" for so long, he naturally knew where Cao Zhong's confidence came from when he announced to the media that the film would gross over 100 million yuan.
From both a narrative and comedic perspective, this film is quite good.
Although structurally it doesn't seem to have the multiple parallel storylines of "Crazy Stone" and "Nanjing Photo Studio," and its sophistication is somewhat lacking.
Its theme is more family-friendly, and its reach is definitely much wider than that of "Crazy Stone".

Cao Zhong is indeed a very skilled director and screenwriter of commercial films. This film's genre is rare in China, bringing together surging emotions and intricate character relationships into a comedy, which is naturally designed to attract a wider audience.

With Cao Zhong's fame, breaking 100 million is not just talk.

There are only four directors in the entertainment industry whose films have grossed over 100 million yuan.

But for this one film, Cao Zhong actually handed it over to Shen Ao to direct.

He truly spared no effort in cultivating his team.

If Xu Zheng doesn't like or trust this kind of person, where in the entertainment industry is there anyone he can trust?
Thinking of this, Xu Zheng took a deep breath.

"By the way, Director Cao, I have the answer to the question you asked me before. I am very willing to join Chengying."

He looked up at Cao Zhong and said that he didn't plan to wait until the movie was finished before making a statement.

Now that Cao Zhong is shrouded in the Black Tide, this is the time when he is most valuable.

Xu Zheng is currently unaffiliated with an agency and is a free agent, so he doesn't need to overthink things. Being able to establish a good working relationship with Cao Zhong through this film is a great boon for him.

He also spoke with his wife on the phone, and they were of the same mind.

These two share similar values ​​and are very open in their speech and actions.

It's just that it hasn't evolved to the point of open love yet, but it will be a bit more outrageous in the future.

"welcome."

Cao Zhong smiled. Xu Zheng's joining Jincheng Film Studio is indeed a good thing for the future establishment of the comedy system.

This put him in a really good mood.

Cao Zhong withdrew in the evening and headed straight for Nanjing.

Hengdian and Nanjing don't seem far apart, but it still took more than five hours to get to Nanjing by car.

When Cao Zhong arrived in Nanjing, his muscles were already a little sore.

After a good night's rest, I slept soundly until I woke up naturally, feeling refreshed and energized.

Although Cao Zhong was quite strong, he was exhausted from days of travel and the fierce battle he had fought against Fan Bingbing the day before yesterday. It was only today that he regained his fighting spirit.

Although a young body can make multiple round trips while riding a bicycle, standing up and pedaling with the thighs straight still puts stress on the body.

After carefully considering his next steps, Cao Zhong felt that it would be unwise to leave the 50 to 60 million yuan in box office revenue sitting idle in the books.

He thought for a moment and then made a phone call to Han Sanpin.

"Do you want Jiang Zhiqiang's phone number?"

After hearing Cao Zhong's request, Han Sanpin's lips twitched. "You're not going to make him thank you too, are you?"

The fact that Wang An thanked Cao Zhong earlier has already spread within a small circle.

Whenever he thinks about it, Han Sanpin feels that the young people are playing too wildly.

Wang An was beaten to tears.

They should thank you.

That said, Wang An did indeed suffer a significant blow because of "Eileen Chang," and it wasn't just a matter of reputation.

Wang An himself invested over six million US dollars in this film, just to make it more "realistic".

Because it can't be released in China, and its box office performance in Europe and America is really low, even with the copyright fees included, it's still a loss.

Films with such somber narratives do not perform well at the global box office. Without mainland China and Hong Kong, they only grossed less than 18 million US dollars in South Korea and Taiwan combined.

Its global box office has only reached a little over 40 million to date.

They definitely lost a lot of money in the profit sharing.

Furthermore, in conversations with the Shanghai Film Studio these past few days, I heard that a Taiwanese company called "Taiwan Era" is claiming ownership of the copyright to "Eileen Chang" and has caused a stir.
Because Eileen Chang died alone, and her will was already unclear, and given her rarity and wealth, the dispute over her estate led to a legal battle.

Seeing that Wang An was losing power, this company clearly did not want to give up making a profit from him, which can be described as a dog-eat-dog situation.

This made Han Sanpin sigh; even drinking cold water would be a problem for Wang An.

Cao Zhong completely wiped them out in this wave!
Jiang Zhiqiang was also severely persecuted.

Upon seeing Cao Zhong approach Jiang Zhiqiang, Han Sanpin's first reaction was that Cao Zhong was trying to get him. "He's different from Wang An; his relationships with some people are complicated."

Han Sanpin cautioned, "He may have been taken advantage of in some aspects, but he's just a businessman. I understand the attitude of you young people, but going too far might not look good."

Han Sanpin said, "At that time, if anyone from the mainland, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, or even more than one circle tries to trip you up, you will suffer."

"I know, it's Nanhai Shisanlang."

Cao Zhong smiled. Jiang Zhiqiang's family was powerful and had the demeanor of a prominent family.

The number of people involved is countless; otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to create Edko Films in Hong Kong "empty-handedly" and become the driving force behind Zhang Yimou, Wang An, and others' journey to Hollywood.

This is an extremely wealthy family that has been rich for generations.

There is a movie called "The Mad Monk of the South China Sea". It was with this movie that Tse Kwan-ho beat Leslie Cheung to win the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor, and became famous overnight.

There was an actress named Mei Xian, who was also from this family.

Jiang Yuecheng, the director of "A Chinese Odyssey", is also an unofficial relative of theirs.

In short, it has many tentacles.

Moreover, although Edko Films is an independent production and distribution company, it has made outstanding contributions to the Hong Kong film industry.

In 1980, Jackie Chan, who had just joined Golden Harvest, made HK$1102 million at the box office with "The Young Master," making it the first Hong Kong blockbuster to gross over HK$10 million.

That year, the runner-up at the box office was a documentary about the War of Resistance against Japan called "The Tragic War," which was edited together from footage of numerous war movies. It grossed 942 million yuan and almost became the second blockbuster to gross over 10 million yuan.

This movie is from Edko Films.

When Ang Wong was filming "The Cat and the Insect" in 1999, the investment company went bankrupt halfway through the project. It was Bill Kong of Edko Films who came to the rescue, not only investing more money but also securing global distribution rights.

This film only grossed 1500 million yuan at the domestic box office. Winning an Oscar was a sweet treat given to Ang Wang by the West in order to influence the perception of Chinese martial arts narratives. However, its global box office of over 2 million US dollars was inseparable from Jiang Zhiqiang's efforts to turn the tide.

There's also "Hero." Zhang Yimou was influenced by "The Cat and the Insect," but he initially just wanted to make a low-budget art film. Before filming started, Jiang Zhiqiang asked him if he wanted Liang Chaowei and Maggie Cheung, and the male lead could be Jet Li.

After arranging these big-name stars, they were still missing a capable supporting actor. Jiang Zhiqiang recommended Donnie Yen, whose team consisted entirely of top-tier actors, with an investment starting at 200 million.

In the blink of an eye, a low-budget art film becomes an international blockbuster. It doesn't matter how much money is spent, because Boss Jiang is there.

Ultimately, "Hero" grossed 2.5 million RMB at the Chinese box office, breaking records. It was also released simultaneously in more than 2000 theaters in the United States, and grossed more than 5000 million USD in North America, truly ushering in the era of Chinese blockbusters.

As a result, this person was deeply trusted by Zhang Yimou, and he collaborated on films such as "House of Flying Daggers" and "Curse of the Golden Flower".

Han Sanpin did not want Cao Zhong to be his enemy.

The decision to suppress "Ailing" earlier was simply a matter of course.

He has to endure it.

In reality, the authorities were tolerant of Jiang Zhiqiang's occasional missteps. After all, he's a businessman; every film is a business. Whether he thought about that aspect or not, he was ultimately just a businessman.

Moreover, the family had resisted the Japanese, and they were quick to take things up high and then let them go easily.

Tang Wei is an artist under Anle Entertainment and has already been punished.

Regardless, he can be considered one of our own for now.

Calling him a traitor is a bit of an exaggeration, and calling it intentional would be a bit of a conspiracy; at most, it's just a momentary lapse in judgment in order to make money.

"If you already know all that, then why do you still need his phone number?"

Han Sanpin's voice was wary as he frowned and asked.

"They can earn this money, but I can't?"

Cao Zhong smiled. "Don't worry, Chairman Han, I want to talk business."

Han Sanpin was taken aback: "You have a new idea again?"

"That's it."

Cao Zhong didn't plan to bring Han Sanpin along because the film he wanted to make was inherently unconventional.
They were trying to make money by sabotaging overseas distribution channels, and the film couldn't even be shown domestically, so it felt somewhat perfunctory.
"I'll talk to you again after I finish talking with Jiang."

Han Sanpin felt that Cao Zhong was hiding something from him and wasn't planning to take him along, which made him a little disappointed.

He always felt that Cao Zhong must have something good.

Why would someone contact Jiang Zhiqiang out of the blue? Could it be that they're planning something in Hollywood?
Han Sanpin muttered to himself, thinking that he should call Jiang in a couple of days.

But he couldn't back down yet, as it would seem like he was being too eager.

Han Sanpin called Zhao Haicheng and told him to keep a close eye on Cao Zhong and to use his brain to find out more information if anything happened.

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Haicheng looked embarrassed.

Just a couple of days ago, he was still angry about whether China Film Group belonged to Chairman Han or Cao Zhong.
Now look what's happened; Zhao Haicheng has become Cao Zhong's secretary and follower...

……

The following afternoon, the main members of the production team also arrived in Nanjing.

Dante Lam, Lu Yang, Wang Hongwei, Chen Daomin, Wang Zhiwen, and Fan Bingbing all appeared in Nanjing.

There were many reporters at Nanjing Lukou International Airport early in the morning.
Cao Zhong arrived by car and wasn't stopped, but these celebrities arrived in Nanjing by plane, and even though they were all covered up, they were still spotted when they came out of the airport.

The news instantly swept across entertainment news headlines.

The main cast and crew of "We Live in Nanjing" have arrived in Nanjing, suggesting that filming may be about to begin!

"Fan Bingbing declined an invitation to the Kazakhstan Film Festival but appeared in Nanjing and may soon star in Cao Zhongxin's film."

"Cao Zhongxin's new movie became a hit even before its release, and his subsequent filming of a Nanjing-themed movie has sparked a media frenzy."

In the past few days, the news surrounding "We Live in Nanjing" has been the hottest topic in the film industry, and Cao Zhong, as the director, is naturally in the eye of the storm.

Cao Zhong simply ignored the overwhelming black tide.

But the more you ignore it, the louder the dog barks.

The news of the actors appearing in Nanjing was like a depth charge dropped into a calm lake.

It caused another uproar in the entertainment industry, but instead of creating a ripple, it stirred up a completely different emotional vortex…

(End of this chapter)