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

Chapter 151 Riding a Rocket, Lu Chuan's Face is Smiled, the Hope of Chinese Science Fiction! (Please Subscribe!)

June is traditionally designated as "Domestic Film Protection Month."
However, with "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" kicking off the summer season on June 6th, and "Kung Fu Panda" set to release on the 20th, almost all domestic films have opted to avoid the summer release window.

The popularity of these two blockbusters has already demonstrated that domestic films have no way to compete with them.

Even "Red Cliff Part I" dared not challenge its edge, and its release date was set for July 10.

However, there were a few who didn't believe in the hype, perhaps because they had too little confidence in the film's quality and wanted to take advantage of people's willingness to go to the theater.

Tsui Hark granted Zhai Junjie a few days off because his previously filmed movie, *Missing*, was scheduled for release on June 12th. To promote the film and satisfy the investors, Zhai Junjie agreed to the leave, which coincided with filming the dramatic scenes of *Li Yannian* with Mao Weining.

Fan Bingbing also has a movie called "Kung Fu Hip Hop" that has started its promotion and is scheduled for release at the end of the month.
The remaining films were mostly for Olympic promotion, with a strong purpose of generating buzz for the Games.

At this juncture, Yang Mi became the latest mainland Chinese actress to step into Hollywood, causing quite a stir in China.

In the eyes of most people in the country, Yang Mi's actions are a great source of pride for the country.
The domestic film and television industry and actors were all shocked and horrified by this news.

For some female celebrities, it was even astonishing.
It's possible for female celebrities to go to Hollywood, besides Gong Li who has already done so.
The four leading actresses are all capable now, and Zhang Ziyi has already been there.

Li Bingbing, one of the "Double Bing" (Fan Bingbing and Li Bingbing), gained some exposure through "The Forbidden Kingdom," while Liu Yifei, whose popularity soared and was also a lead actress in the film, also achieved considerable success.

Even Fan Bingbing's move to Hollywood is understandable to everyone.

What is Yang Mi?
Upon closer inspection, it turns out that she had only played a supporting role to Liu Yifei before, portraying Guo Xiang.

His subsequent works were almost completely ignored.

What makes her qualified to go to Hollywood?

So many female celebrities are completely numb!

Many people secretly cursed Yang Mi, wondering if she had slept with some big shot.

Rong Xinda received countless calls. Cool Mom, of course, knew the inside story and began to confidently promote Yang Mi, expressing her gratitude to the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

Although Li Shaohong didn't know why Boss Jiang was being so merciful, it didn't diminish her gratitude.

Jiang Zhiqiang's actions are aimed at promoting her as an actress from Rong Xinda.

Its commercial value is off the charts!
"We signed Yang Mi by chance because she was valued by Hong Kong producer Mr. Jiang. We want to express our gratitude to Mr. Jiang for allowing her to try out this opportunity."

Despite the relentless flashing lights, Li Shaohong couldn't stop smiling.

A single news item has elevated the industry's perception of Yang Mi to a very high level.

Even a rocket can't go as fast as her!
Numerous media outlets began flocking to Rong Xinda, wanting to interview Yang Mi.

Yang Mi also gave some interviews.

Amidst the barrage of camera flashes and microphones, Yang Mi remained composed, exuding charm.
They directly dominated a significant amount of media coverage in the industry.

Yang Mi claimed that her gratitude towards Boss Jiang was like a tidal wave.
Whether the movie can be released in mainland China is no longer important.

Yang Mi is well aware that her fame has exploded.

Moreover, in just the last few days, she has received one after another offers to star in TV dramas.
The phone kept ringing from Cai Yinong's Tangren Film Company in Shanghai, inviting her to play the female lead Xuejian in "Chinese Paladin 3". They said they would ask for anything as long as Yang Mi could come.

……

"Zhongzhong, what do you think? Should I say yes?"

Yang Mi called Cao Zhong, wanting to ask if he still had a chance to give her a new role.

“I’m suggesting you take the role,” Cao Zhong said. “It won’t hurt your popularity, especially since ‘Split’ is unlikely to be released in mainland China.”

“Okay,” Da Mimi said. “I’ll listen to Zhongzhong.”

Cao Zhongdao: "Did Cai Yinong really say that you can negotiate the terms freely?"

“Really, she even said she was going to come to Rongxinda with Li Guoli, the director of ‘Chinese Paladin 3,’ to meet me.”

Yang Mi has a touch of arrogance.
"Moreover, I heard from Cool Mom about the industry's evaluation of me before. The evaluation is that I have never acted seriously, I talk a lot, my expression is flat when I speak, I have no charisma, and I don't have any talent."

But when this news came out, Cai Yinong's comments were quite interesting. She said that I have a calm personality, am good at expressing myself, have a strong learning ability, and possess many excellent qualities for an actor.

Anyway, they just said whatever sounded nice, and I enjoyed it.

"As long as you're happy," Cao Zhong said with a smile, noticing that Yang Mi was getting a little cocky. "You can ask Cai Yinong later if he'll give you a share of Tangren's shares, no matter what the conditions are."

Yang Mi was stunned: "Isn't this inappropriate?"

"You know that?" Cao Zhong reminded him. "You're just an actor. Do you really think you can negotiate any good terms? Trying to get into a high position is the real priority. If you have the opportunity, you should improve your acting skills."

“I remember there was a kissing scene in the script,” Yang Mi said, wrinkling her nose.

"Then you should negotiate with Cai Yinong. It's fine to film kissing scenes, but you can have Cai Yinong be your body double and film close-ups specifically."

"Hahahaha." Da Mimi couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. "Oh dear, I know."

Yang Mi suddenly realized that her 500 points were useless, and she couldn't even understand idioms anymore.

She had originally planned to have dinner with Cao Zhong.

Cao Zhong declined, explaining that he was tired these past few days, having frequent video conferences with the special effects company in Hong Kong and also working on a new script; he simply couldn't do both.

……

Not many people knew the inside story, but Fan Bingbing was one of them.

The scene of Cao Zhong angrily rebuking Boss Jiang in front of her and blacklisting Tang Wei was still vivid in her mind.

Since Jackie Chan is temporarily not filming "Shinjuku Incident," Fan Bingbing does have some availability.
When Fan Bingbing saw that Yang Mi's Hollywood movie was about to be released, the first person she thought of was Cao Zhong.

"Director Cao, even that girl Mimi has managed to test her skills in Hollywood. I still remember the promise you made to me before."

Fan Bingbing's voice trembled as she said, "I really want to improve."

"Get ready, we can go anytime. The script is ready," Cao Zhong said calmly.

"Really?" Fan Bingbing didn't expect Cao Zhongzhen to keep his word.

“However, the starting point for you is not the blockbuster you imagined,” Cao Zhong said. “You’ll start with B-movies, but you’ll be the lead actor, so you can get some recognition in Hollywood first.”

"Don't even mention B-movies." Fan Bingbing's breathing became heavy. "I'm going to find Director Cao right now to act in a Category III film."

Cao Zhong was very dissatisfied with Fan Bingbing's eager behavior, saying, "You're being too attached to appearances. You're using this to test cadres? Which cadre can't withstand such a test?"

Fan Bingbing whispered, "I brought my own equipment. I recently got a blue and white porcelain dress and a piece of blue and white porcelain, worth millions. It looks like a porcelain doll."

Fan Bingbing whispered that the skirt was so big that a person could fit inside.

Cao Zhong was extremely dissatisfied with Fan Bingbing's behavior, believing that Fan Bingbing was like Daji from ancient times, and emphasized that the story of "lighting the beacon fires to amuse the feudal lords" was too outrageous.
It will also make him feel guilty about rejecting Yang Mi.

Fan Bingbing said she once played Daji, and she still has the costumes from that Daji role at home.

Cao Zhong was furious.
So I sent Fan Bingbing an address.

He was purely there to listen to the spring and appraise the treasure, to see if this blue and white porcelain was genuine.

Cao Zhong saw it that evening. He slightly moved the blue and white porcelain, tapped it with the mouth facing down, and the door opened wide.

That night, Cao Zhong carefully examined the age of the blue and white porcelain and confirmed that it was definitely from the correct period.

Each time you tap your fingers lightly, it produces a crisp, melodious sound.

This is not the sound that imitations or flawed porcelain would produce, because if there are cracks or firing defects, the sound will be muddy or dull, lacking resonance.
It is an absolute gem!
Blue and white porcelain has a dense body and exquisite firing process. When tapped, it produces a crisp sound similar to "ding" with a long aftersound. Moreover, due to the multiple layers of decoration or the special structure of the body, tapping different parts may produce different tones such as "do, re, mi".

Cao Zhong examined it for a long time and found it wonderful!

Meanwhile, the script for "Happy Death Day" was also handed to Fan Bingbing.

……

In mid-June, Lu Chuan, during an interview with the media, discussed the arduous process of creating "Nanjing Nanjing."
The conversation touched on Qin Lan's departure, their breakup, and also touched on her father's help.
He smiled and remained silent about his previous disagreement with Cao Zhong, then feigned hesitation and claimed that Cao Zhong was secretly extremely treacherous.

It's said that Cao Zhong told his investors behind his back that "Nanjing Nanjing" had the wrong perspective, trying to cut off his funding. It's also said that Cao Zhong was simply afraid they would make a similar film, and that they were trying to put him in a superior position; Cao Zhong was avoiding their attacks.

They even said that this was what Guo Degang meant by attacking competitors.

In the interview, he talked about his subjective judgments of Cao Zhong, which effectively promoted the film "Nanjing Nanjing".

He also expressed his gratitude to Cao Zhong, saying that although Cao Zhong stole his reputation as the first director of the "Nanjing" series of commercial films, he paved the way for the subsequent review of "Nanjing Nanjing" and claimed that the film might be released sooner than expected.

He even sincerely challenged Cao Zhong to a duel.

"Director Cao, I first approved 'Nanjing Nanjing,' and then 'Nanjing Photo Studio.' But because of the issue of big-budget versus low-budget films, you stole my name. I can overlook all of that. But since our new films are both 'Nanjing' themed, do you dare to release them at the same time as me during the Lunar New Year holiday?"

The news caused an uproar across the internet!

The media was extremely excited about Cao Zhong's involvement.

That afternoon, the internet news headlines swept across the entire network, overshadowing both Yang Mi's news and the premiere of "Kung Fu Panda".

Lu Chuan said of Cao Zhong, claiming that Cao Zhong was outwardly patriotic but inwardly extremely treacherous!

Lu Chuan invites Cao Zhong to release two Nanjing films during the Lunar New Year holiday season!

"Two top directors from Beijing Film Academy clash, with Lu Chuan criticizing Cao Zhong for stealing a false reputation!"

Those who knew what "We Live in Nanjing" was about couldn't contain their excitement, and even those who didn't know it were thrilled.

Han Sanpin urgently called Cao Zhong to apologize, his face extremely gloomy.

"Director Cao, this matter is inextricably linked to me. I never expected that asking for your help would have such a big impact on you."

I've already called Lu Tianming, and he said it has nothing to do with him. He said he'll give an interview to help you sort this out.

Han Sanpin first apologized, and then claimed that he would give an interview in the afternoon to explain the truth about why the investors had asked Cao Zhong to help review the script.

It was only after Qin Hong begged and pleaded with Han Sanpin that Han Sanpin finally asked Cao Zhong for help.

At this moment, the information Lu Chuan released during the interview was like a fly to him.

And it's a slap in the face to him!
During his conversation with Han Sanpin, Cao Zhong understood that later, Lu Chuan's father, together with a large group of Lu Chuan's mentors at the Beijing Film Academy, intervened, gained influence in Beijing's elite circles and with Qin Hong, and suppressed the escalating conflict.
This secured enough funding for the subsequent production, and filming for "Nanjing Nanjing" wrapped up in early April.

"These directors want to use Lu Chuan to do something about the legitimacy of 'Nanjing Photo Studio'."

Cao Zhong smiled after hearing what Han Sanpin had said.

He could understand that he had hit Ozu Yasujiro a bit too hard when he did it.

It's normal that Cao Zhong's opposition has some supporters.

"By the way, isn't Lu Chuan's dad on the review committee? Hasn't he seen my script?" Cao Zhong asked.

"Didn't you say back then that the fewer people the better, so only a few trusted confidants reviewed the script?" Han Sanpin said. "Your script definitely got the green light, and Lu Tianming's power wasn't as great as you might think."

Cao Zhong suddenly realized and smiled.

"He said his movie will be released during the Lunar New Year holiday, is that true?" Cao Zhong asked again.

“That’s true, his father must have received the news,” Han Sanpin said. “Because your film ‘Nanjing Photo Studio’ has become a benchmark and pilot project, the censorship of this type of film has been relaxed a bit.”

Cao Zhong understood; that was indeed the case. The State Administration of Radio and Television had a history of relaxing restrictions on some good film and television works.

For example, films like "In the Name of the People," "The Storm," and "The Silent Glory" are difficult to get released or launched unless they are released at a special time.

Qin Hong quickly sent an apology text message to Cao Zhong. He was prepared to sit down and cooperate, and did not want to offend Cao Zhong, so he at least had to keep a smiling face.

However, Qin Hong also complained bitterly on the phone, claiming that Lu Chuan was somewhat arrogant and domineering, and hoped that Cao Zhong would be tolerant.

Cao Zhong said calmly, "President Qin, he wants to challenge me to a duel. It wouldn't be right for me not to answer, would it? But I understand about your call. These things have nothing to do with Xingmei in the future. If there is cooperation in the future, we will still proceed normally."

Media outlets came to interview Cao Zhong, asking for his response to Lu Chuan's interview.

Cao Zhong responded very directly:

"But I don't understand the empty praise for director Lu Chuan, but I am greatly shocked."

As far as I know, whether it's the up-and-coming "Looking for a Gun" or the award-winning "Kekexili," regardless of who the director is, whether it was a proxy filming, or whether there was plagiarism, it has now become an unsolved case.

I have already spoken with director Lu Chuan before, telling him to squander his civilization and his rarity, but I won't go into too much detail today.

I've seen the challenge, but my film prioritizes quality, and I don't know when it will be completed.

I cannot give a definite answer.

If he can wait for my release date, I certainly wouldn't mind at all.

As for his claim about the extremely wicked things I did behind the scenes, I think Director Lu Chuan himself knows the reasons behind it better than anyone else.

After Cao Zhong responded
During an interview, Han Sanpin of China Film Group firmly stated that Cao Zhong did indeed provide his comments on the script of "Nanjing Nanjing".

However, it was Lu Chuan's investors who personally approached Cao Zhong for his opinion, and Cao Zhong was helping out voluntarily.

Once the news broke, the story of Mr. Dongguo and the wolf took over the entertainment industry.

This caused Lu Chuan's expression to change drastically. Many people were cursing at him, which made him feel extremely aggrieved.

But soon, he was all smiles.

Cao Zhong's enemies will not let this opportunity pass and will continue to smear Cao Zhong.

"He came to you for help, and you said the script was bad. Doesn't that prove Lu Chuan's ideas weren't unfounded? Or is it that you, Cao Zhong, are worried that Lu Chuan will become a big director like you? You can eat this patriotic food, but others can't?"

"It's not Lu Chuan who's begging you, but the investors behind Director Lu Chuan. Aren't your words behind his back just insidious behavior?"

"It's like a company where the boss asks one colleague for their opinion on another, then betrays that colleague behind their back and gets them fired. Isn't that despicable?"

When Cao Zhong watched the news, he was almost convinced by it himself.

"Awesome." Cao Zhong was convinced; the news media really were awesome.

We must not take things out of context.

—Excerpt from "Don't Take Things Out of Context".

Cao Zhong's influence as a media personality is indeed not to be underestimated.

Even though he had always maintained a strong mental state, he couldn't help but break down.

Cao Zhong narrowed his eyes, called the special effects team, and asked them to work overtime, offering extra pay.

Cao Zhong felt he couldn't let Lu Chuan lose face.

Since Lu Chuan wants war, then let's fight.

Just don't turn into a crybaby.

……

at the same time,

Hongkong,

Liu Zhenwei held a science fiction film script he had just prepared, titled "Robot Man," in his hand, his heart pounding with excitement.

The script he wrote himself almost brought Liu Zhenwei to tears.

He made a phone call to Zeng Zhiwei.

"Zhiwei, I want to prove Chinese cinema! Help me!"

"How can I help you?" Zeng Zhiwei asked.

"Help me figure out which actors from mainland China and Hong Kong to cast," Liu Zhenwei said. "You know what? Although this is just a script for a romantic science fiction film, when I wrote it, I felt that the entire science fiction film industry in Hong Kong, and even the entire Chinese film industry, was on my shoulders. The last time a science fiction film appeared in a domestic film was in 1991 with 'The Disappearance of the Atmosphere'."
And I, I will lead the science fiction genre to glory!

Liu Zhenwei felt a great sense of mission and responsibility on his shoulders!
(End of this chapter)