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

Chapter 88 One foot tramples on Xiao Jia, the other on Wang An
September 9, 2007, 1:30 a.m.

China's highest-grossing director
With "Nanjing Photo Studio," he broke through the ranks of three major Chinese directors: Chen Kaige, Feng Xiaogang, and Zhang Yimou.
It then broke the 3.6 ​​million yuan box office record in the Chinese film market, which had been held for nine years by "Titanic".

The new generation director who boosted the box office to 3.67 million yuan
Cao Zhong, the legendary predictor of the Golden Lion Award.

In the dead of night,
Riding on the wave of excitement following the awards ceremony of the 64th Venice International Film Festival,
With just one article, he caused a sensation in the mainland entertainment industry!

A sudden gust of wind arose.

Some people, beneath their outward appearance, harbor a heart dedicated to saving the country; they don fine robes yet willingly endure the scorn of thousands.

Some people, though yellow on the outside and white on the inside, are willing to be accomplices of evil, yet they are full of honors; they are all demons and monsters.

This sigh, and the content of the article.

Every word is about her.

Every word is also his.

She was the first one.

The second one has many possibilities: Is it Captain Jia? Is it Wang An? Or are there many others?

People don't know.

But it doesn't matter, the public opinion has exploded!
This article is just as shocking as the initial attack on Mao Yushi, and it is no less so than the "Decree of the Termination of the War"!
Even more shocking!
Because it looked like a sniper had been waiting for the right moment!
At 2 a.m., those who follow entertainment news were already horrified by Cao Zhong's article.

Especially when telling the story of martyr Zheng, the narrative of his entire family's loyalty and sacrifice is accompanied by a series of heroic acts.

Four people died heroically in succession, and one of them fell ill from grief over the death of his daughter and passed away suddenly.

It was so powerful it made your scalp tingle!
Just like the ordinary people in "Nanjing Photo Studio," with their simple values, the sacrificed Su Liuchang, the sacrificed Jin Chengzong, the sacrificed Song Chengyi, and the survivor Lin Yuxiu.

It's just as heartbreaking.

On one side, they were still recounting the glory of "Ailing" winning the award, while on the other side, Cao Zhong had completely exposed the truth.

Cao Zhong not only did not retreat, but instead went against the wind!

We want to completely destroy your momentum! We want to shatter your legitimacy.

Cao Zhong does not deny that people can enjoy art films; film, by its very nature, requires exploration, art, and the margins.
If you want to create art, you can create art, you can use metaphors, but don't use social suffering as a pledge of allegiance.

Cao Zhong wanted to make an example of someone.

Want to be a dog? No way, Cao Zhong won't allow it.

Either be a human,

Either die!

That night, countless people suffered from insomnia.

Many reporters from major news portals felt they were going crazy tonight, as they couldn't possibly finish writing the news by themselves. They quickly called their editors, demanding that everyone, regardless of who was resting, be pulled out and made to work overtime!
They have so much work to do.

The story behind "Ailing"

Eileen Chang's own story,
Tonight's Golden Lion Award winners list

Is there a reason behind Zhang Yimou's retirement due to illness?

Cao Zhong's previous analysis of the three-tiered structure of the three major European countries,
The conflict between Cao Zhong and Jia Zhangke
The current conflict between Cao Zhong and Wang An

Martyrs' deeds...

Countless news stories need to be investigated in depth.

Dig frantically.

I love Cao Zhong so much! Many reporters' eyes were already shining.

He is a media hero!
For some journalists, it goes without saying that this event will be the biggest headline for the next month.
-
"Director Cao is too ruthless! He's too ruthless; he's going to ruin Director Wang!"

"Does the battle for directors have to be like this?"

Late at night, those following the related events,

Most of them are people from the entertainment industry.

Many people were shocked by Cao Zhong's remarks.

Beijing,

Fan Bingbing, who just finished watching the Golden Lion Awards ceremony.

I glanced at the news again before going to sleep.
Then I saw Cao Zhong's article.
Fan Bingbing was immediately dumbfounded.
She was upset.

She had only witnessed the open and covert battles between the top actresses.
I've never seen a director so direct and confrontational before!
That's fucking terrifying!
Moreover, Cao Zhong is too mighty!

Fan Bingbing patted his large chest, feeling fear.

Suddenly,
Fan Bingbing was stunned.

After a long revision process, PG has finally been scheduled for release on November 30th of this year.

This also aligns with Director Cao's triple structure, right?
Is it about talking about humanity within the context of the policies of the times?
Fan Bingbing suddenly panicked.
"Director Cao won't hit me, will he? I'll scream in pain!"

Fan Bingbing suddenly remembered that her film was nominated for the main competition at the Berlin Film Festival, and her mind went blank for a moment.

A villa in Beijing is brightly lit.

Liu Yifei and her mother watched the awards ceremony.

Liu Yifei sighed upon seeing that "Ailing" had won an award.

She was approached for the role of Wang Jiazhi, but she declined.

"What? You're not disappointed, are you?"

Looking at Liu Yifei, Liu's mother asked with a smile.

“How could that be?” Liu Yifei said. “Even if I had to choose eight hundred times, I wouldn’t take this role.”

“That’s right,” Liu’s mother said. “You’re considered a celestial beauty in the industry. Starring in this kind of movie is like digging your own grave.”

Liu Yifei nodded.

Suddenly, a news pop-up appeared, featuring Cao Zhong criticizing "Ailing".

"Cao Zhong?"

The mother and daughter knew the name: the director of "Nanjing Photo Studio".

They clicked into the news and saw Cao Zhong's article.

The more they read, the more frightened Liu's mother and Liu Yifei became. After finishing the article, they looked at each other in horror.

"Luckily, I didn't take this role."

Liu's mother said that at this moment, her heart was filled with relief.

"It's so scary."

Liu Yifei didn't know what to say.

"Cultural workers still need to be cultured."

Liu's mother sighed.

"Fortunately, the role contained such exposure, which is why we didn't take the role. It's a wake-up call for us. Feifei, you must be careful in the future. Read more books, but don't read books you shouldn't read. You should reject them. Don't play roles you shouldn't play. You should also reject those roles."

"Uh-huh."

Liu Yifei nodded emphatically.

"I know mom."

Suddenly, Liu's mother remembered something. "By the way, do you have any connection with Cao Zhong? At school?"

“He should know me, but I don’t know him. I’ve been filming too much outside. Last year, I did go back to school for a thesis defense. There were some students from the program watching. I don’t know if Cao Zhong was there.”

Liu Yifei thought for a moment and said.

“Remember this in the future. You know him, he looks familiar,” Liu’s mother said. “They’re both from the acting department, and both from the Beijing Film Academy. These kinds of opportunities are rare. Make good use of them and maintain the relationship.”

Liu Yifei stuck out her tongue, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her mother's words.

In his heart, he thought, "I still know him. Just reading the news makes Cao Zhong seem scary. Let's talk about it another time."

Starry.

Jing Tian is different from others; she doesn't care who wins the award, she only cares about the final target, whether it's the Golden Lion.

She knew that her senior brother must have had a purpose in saying that.

In that initial interview, the other party deconstructed some things and criticized some people. Lu Zheng told her that Cao Zhong would face great obstacles in the future.

But no, Cao Zhong soared all the way to the position of the top director.

After the Golden Lion was awarded, she started looking for news about Cao Zhong.

She knew that Cao Zhong would definitely speak.

It's like telepathy.

Sure enough, she got her wish.

Upon reading Cao Zhong's article, Jing Tian clenched his fists, feeling somewhat bewildered.

"Is it even possible to make a movie like this?"

And they even have to go out of their way to give out awards and release the film?

"The swords and spears wielded against cognition?"

Jing Tian looked at the title thoughtfully.
-
Yang Mi huddled under the covers, clenching her fists.

"Zhongzhong, he's started another war!"

Yang Mi felt sorry for Cao Zhong. She had originally planned to spend the night with him, but Han Sanpin had arrived, so she had to go home first.

Zhongzhong must be very lonely now, right?
It was too late for her to make an excuse to go out with her parents.

But deep down, she really wanted to stand with Cao Zhong at this moment.

Yang Mi texted Cao Zhong, "I miss you."

Cao Zhong quickly replied to the text message: "Get some rest early. There'll be some gossip tomorrow morning. Don't worry about me. I'm driving a semi-trailer. These guys can only talk to my insurance company."

Yang Mi chuckled, "You can still crack jokes at a time like this?"

"The time has come."

Cao Zhongdao said, "My box office is my half-trailer; it will carry me and make all these demons and monsters fly!"

Yang Mi said, "You should also be careful."

Cao Zhong replied, "How about you have your dad be my bodyguard?"

"You know what, that's really good. I'll get my dad to resign right away." Yang Mi's eyes lit up. This is great! This is like planting one of their own people next to Cao Zhong.

Cao Zhong wanted to slap himself: "Stop messing around, get some rest. I can't be sitting while he has to stand."

Yang Mi giggled, not blushing at all, but deliberately teasing Cao Zhong: "That doesn't matter, I'm just afraid that if I do it automatically, my dad will beat you up."
-
Countless news outlets didn't even wait until morning; they were all reporting on Cao Zhong.

Major portal websites all jumped on the bandwagon.

Sohu, Sina, Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, 360, and all the major portal websites featured it on their front page.

"Cao Zhong criticized the background of 'Ailing' after receiving the Golden Lion Award, and the real-life figure behind the character brought tears to the eyes of the entire internet!"

“Ailing won the Golden Lion Award, and was subsequently attacked online by Cao Zhong!”

"Cao Zhong's novel 'Ailing' perfectly fits the first and third layers of the three-layered structure, which explores human nature in a unique context!"

Regardless of the financial backing of the news media, everyone knows that this kind of news cannot be hidden even if it is not reported.

The top-grossing director in China publicly criticized the Golden Lion Award-winning film right after the awards ceremony.

The hype is skyrocketing, and everyone's watching.
You have to keep your pressure and your thoughts to yourself.

Moreover, Baidu Tieba, Tianya Forum, Beijing Film Academy's campus network, and many other school networks have also been stirred up by Cao Zhong's words.

Cao Zhong personally tore apart the prestige and legitimacy of the Golden Lion Award.

He didn't go to Venice, but the whole of Venice was moved by him.

The so-called narrative of Chinese glory, the three-year-long Golden Lion myth, has been shrouded in an eerie shadow.

By midnight, many netizens had already posted comments.

"Speechless. As expected of the director of 'Nanjing Photo Studio,' the truth should be told to everyone in a naked way! I will watch every single one of Cao Zhong's movies from now on!" "Besides saying 'awesome,' there's nothing else to say. Cao Zhong's triple structure seems to be universally applicable now. Those movies back then were probably all of this type."

"Cao Zhong is really awesome. First, he made the Beijing Film Academy apologize, then he left Jia Zhangke speechless, and now he's directly attacking Wang An. He's really fierce. He's fighting across levels, isn't he?"

"Don't forget, Director Cao also managed to crush Lu Chuan in the process, and even broke the box office record for 'Titanic,' without delaying anything."

"He's only a junior in college!"

Various comments were published, and people were shocked.

"The martyrs of the revolutionary era are as numerous as the stars and should be remembered forever! But not in this way."

"Great people should not have their subjectivity diluted by special concepts. Everything they do is for the sake of light, not to be used as entertainment or bizarre tales!"

"I checked the records. The person in the original story, Zheng Pingru, was only 22 years old when she passed away. She was in the prime of her life, and she had already fought in the War of Resistance for seven years. With a powerful family background, she was fully capable of going to Japan or the United States. What a pity!"

"Support it! It's outrageous!"

"We strongly demand that this be addressed. Doesn't he love art? Give him the most authentic art!"

“What the person above said makes sense. Let’s deal with ‘Good Man’ too. Captain Jia also loves art.”

Cao Zhong woke up in the morning,

Seeing several netizens arguing for dozens of minutes, and noticing their surprise, Cao Zhong also fell into thought.

Cao Zhong cannot deny that

There's really no way to deal with this kind of person.

Such people can only be eliminated physically, because they have lost their sense of right and wrong.

All Cao Zhong could do was dismantle those people's narrative structures and reduce the number of such people appearing.
-
Jiang Wen and Zhou Yun watched the news.

The gloom from the awards ceremony vanished instantly.

"Awesome, really awesome!"

Jiang Wen didn't know what to say. Apart from the word "awesome," he couldn't find a single word to describe Cao Zhong.

The anger he had been holding in was finally amplified by Cao Zhong, causing such a huge uproar.

Will "Ailing" still be officially released?

The phone rang. "Will Cao Zhong's remarks help our film's release? He can beat Ozu and Wang An, but who can your film beat? Teach me."

Jiang Wen remained silent for a moment, then said, "I can't say how good I am at fighting."

Yu Dong asked, "If there's no one who can fight, is there anyone who can be praised?"

Jiang Wen fell silent again, then said, "Even though I can praise this, I can't say it."

Yu Dongren is numb.

"You made me move the release date of this movie to September 13th, so at least give me a reason to promote it, right?"

“I don’t care about that,” Jiang Wen said. “I only care about the vinegar I’ve been talking about. I’ve finished adding the vinegar.”

Yu Dong wanted to curse.

He wanted to slap himself a few times.

At the dinner table, he didn't share a copy of "Nanjing Photo Studio"; he firmly chose Jiang Wen's version.

Looking back now, he was a complete clown.

The treasure mountain is right in front of us, yet we are unaware of it.

He had already broken down mentally, but he kept suppressing it, waiting for Jiang Wen to create some other value for him, such as copyright value, or to win an award, to give him publicity and make him happy.

As a result, they returned empty-handed.

Yu Dong wanted to learn from Cao Zhong and fight rare battles, but he couldn't learn anything from him.

They were in a hurry, like ants on a hot pan.

Suddenly, Yu Dong came up with a brilliant publicity idea.

"A rare award, its brilliance hidden."

Yu Dong was excited.

Previously, the media had been promoting Wang An's "Ailing" and Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises" together, as the two films themselves had points of conflict.

Now that they're going to criticize Wang An, he'll join in and crush him to death!
As for Jiang Wen's opinion, he didn't care. He just wanted to sell the box office, otherwise his more than 600 copies would be stuck with nothing.

As for how Jiang Wen will get along with Wang An in the future, what does that have to do with him?

If I ever choose to cooperate with Jiang Wen again, he's a son of a bitch!
Isn't Cao Zhong good enough?
He wants to get on the bus too! He wants to get on the bus too!
He would fight whoever Cao Zhong told him to fight!
Cao Zhong isn't in command yet, so he can fight on his own.

This is a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy: it boosts box office revenue for "The Sun Also Rises" and also serves as a testament to Cao Zhong's loyalty!
Venice, Lido Island.

Wang An saw the news from within China.

When Wang An saw Cao Zhong's article, his expression changed drastically. When he saw Cao Zhong's phrase, "Yellow-skinned, white-hearted, demons and monsters," he was even more shocked.
Wang An suddenly felt a strong sense of grievance.

He turned to James and said, "I told you not to make this movie, not to make this movie, and you disagreed. What are we going to do now?"

Initially, he really didn't want to make the film. As the director, he was very clear about the title behind the original work. Perhaps many people don't know it, but as a director, he did.

This novel, which is only a little over 10,000 words long, took 25 years to write.

Because Eileen Chang dared not publish it.

She herself was afraid of being torn apart by the frenzied newspaper media, by the morality and sense of justice of the masses. Moreover, in that era, it might not only be the media that destroyed her, but also her body.

James's expression was also very unpleasant at this moment. He even had a vague suspicion that Zhang Yimou and Cao Zhong had discussed something.
What a coincidence!

Everything was too coincidental.

If Zhang Yimou were still alive, things wouldn't be so difficult.

If it weren't Cao Zhong who criticized Wang An, things wouldn't be so difficult.

Cao Zhong broke China's nine-year box office record; that's a huge achievement.
Because of this mobilization power, this appeal.
Starting yesterday, the situation changed drastically, and James was unsure of what to do.

His chest heaved as he considered the next course of action.

“We must react quickly. We can contact Jiang Zhiqiang and have him buy up all the public relations resources in China to defend you.”

Jiang Zhiqiang is the producer of "Ailing" and one of the first Hong Kong filmmakers to enter the mainland. He is also the go-to partner in this field. From "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to "Hero", "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" and "Curse of the Golden Flower", he has always been the liaison between the mainland and Hollywood.

Mr. Smith once said that...

People from the most powerful civilized country are so damn difficult to deal with.

Mr. Smith once engaged in cultural colonization of Mexico, making Mexicans fall in love with a film character named David Crockett. However, this character was a real historical figure who helped the United States seize Texas from Mexico in the 19th century.

Thinking of this, James breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was Jiang Zhiqiang and many media outlets in mainland China; they could still have a debate.

We haven't lost yet.

There is still room for debate.

Zhang Yimou has landed.

After a flight of more than ten hours, Zhang Yimou finally landed.

When he landed in Beijing, he took a breath of the city's air. Although it was accompanied by yellow sand, Zhang Yimou felt a sense of freedom and peace, a long-lost freshness.

Zhang Weiping came to pick up Zhang Yimou.

"Luckily you ran fast, luckily you ran fast."

Zhang Weiping has always considered himself "Zhang the Cannon," someone who dares to criticize anyone in the entire entertainment industry.

But he was truly convinced.

Cao Zhong left Wang An no way out whatsoever.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yimou asked, puzzled. He couldn't watch the news on the plane.

"Cao Zhong has stepped down, stepping on Xiao Jia with one foot and Wang An with the other. He also has nearly 400 million yuan in box office revenue on his head, which is as heavy as a thousand pounds. Coupled with the moral cudgel, he has completely crushed these two."

Zhang Weiping found it terrifying.

Cultured people are all about verbal sparring.

Cao Zhong was aiming to kill them.

Zhang Yimou glanced at the news, his pupils constricted slightly, and he too felt terrified.

"From now on, we must be more careful when accepting scripts. We must not let anything go wrong."

Old Zhang was in a daze; if he hadn't run away yesterday...

He dared not even imagine what Cao Zhong would do.

On the way, Zhang Weiping found it strange.

"Old Zhang, what do you think Cao Zhong's purpose is in doing this?"

Zhang Weiping was a little confused.

Zhang Yimou thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's because of the right to speak, or perhaps it's because of what he said back then about the right to aesthetics, the right to morality, and the right to interpretation. I really can't figure it out."

"Even if this kind of thing is fought over, what impact will it have? Who will care? Would you care? Would I care?"

Zhang Weiping didn't understand. He agreed with the logic of playing the rare game, but felt it was making a mountain out of a molehill. Isn't making money a good thing?
Even if there is a subtle, pervasive influence on perceptions, who actually benefits from it? Who makes a living?
People just watch for entertainment; who can really analyze the deeper meaning behind a movie? Even if they do say something, let them be—what difference does it make?
Zhang Yimou thought about his conversation with Cao Zhong: "Actually, I'm not really sure either. Maybe it's because he's disgusting."

Zhang Yimou sat in the back seat, watching the scenery rushing past outside the car.

"However, I don't think Cao Zhong did anything wrong. Let's not talk about art, narrative, or awards. As Chinese people, we shouldn't be insensitive to many things, especially directors. Wang An has only himself to blame this time."
-
China Film.

Han Sanpin looked at Cao Zhong beside him, "We're going to a meeting soon, is there anything you want to say?"

"We must act swiftly and decisively, and not give them any time."

Cao Zhong looked at Han Sanpin and said:

"Be careful they retaliate and defend themselves with art."

Taking advantage of the peak of popularity and the biggest news trend, we are issuing the most important announcement.

Han Sanpin said, "I really think you're starting to have a hawkish mindset. Should we deal with the person?"

“Some works need it because we have to dismantle their narrative structure, but for people, it’s up to you. If you think it still has a use, and you want to develop the market, increase box office revenue, or if there’s pressure, then I have no objection.”

"Furthermore, I suggest that we should also differentiate between different approaches. For things that are intolerable, we should resolutely cut them off. As for 'poisonous weeds,' if you cut them off, some people may still think that they are a kind of food, a kind of holy medicine, or a kind of snow lotus, so they cannot be banned."

Cao Zhongdao:
“Just leave it; ‘poisonous weeds’ should be left for the people to criticize.”

Han Sanpin pondered for a moment, his eyes flickering, and said in a deep voice, "I understand what you mean, but you're still not ruthless enough."

"Chairman Han has other ideas?"

"I'll make the arrangements myself, don't worry."

"Then I'll wait and see."

Cao Zhong smiled.

Han Sanpin smiled as well.

The two looked at each other and saw determination in each other's eyes.

After a moment of silence, Han Sanpin picked up his teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and said, "Why don't we stay here and wait a bit, and see if this room is alright? I'm going to a meeting, and we'll find out about it later."

"That's great! I'd love to know what it's like to be the chairman of the board," Cao Zhong said with a smile. His company had almost been named Zhongying back then.

"If you're interested, why don't you come and stay at China Film Group for a while?"

"Forget it," Cao Zhong said. "I still prefer to be free. Besides, now that I'm here, where are you going to find your eagle?"

"You're not a eaglet anymore, you're an eagle now."

Han Sanpin got up and left.

When we got to the door,
Han Sanpin turned his head and asked, "Is there anything else to say?"

Cao Zhong raised his head and said earnestly:
"Chairman Han, this is war."

Only beauty is glorious; other aspects are not honorable.

Many people don't really understand what this war is like, but ultimately, someone has to hold the line. The two capitals and thirteen provinces need someone to shoulder the responsibility for the Ming Dynasty. I know you need to be cautious in everything, Mr. Han, but I've already done so much, and I don't want it to end without a trace.

Han Sanpin sighed, checked the time, got up, and went out.
"Wait for my news."

(End of this chapter)