The Fleeting Years of Chinese Entertainment

"Xiao Mo, have you missed me lately? I heard your movie has started filming, how's it going?"

Liu Yifei's check-up call came in…

"Hehe... Of course I wanted to. Things are going well, filming went smoothly. Hua Ge and Zhang Jie's acting was very consistent, and Huang Bo's performance was also commendable. In short, he's much better than you," Lin Mo teased.

"Hmph! You stinky Lin Mo, you dare look down on my acting skills? Believe me or not, I'll bite you!"

"Then come on over? I'll be waiting for you right here."

……

After chatting for nearly an hour, Liu Yifei hung up the phone after Lin Mo took the initiative to end the conversation and urged her to rest early.

She understood that Lin Mo was worried that the pressure of filming every day was too great for her and wanted her to have more time to rest.

However, the lifestyle of a night owl is not so easy to adjust.

After chatting with Lin Mo, Liu Yifei read for nearly an hour before finally crawling into her blankets to go to sleep.

Since "Kung Fu Hustle" was taken off the screens, the domestic film market has been unusually quiet.

The movies released in February, such as "Himalaya Star", "Neurotic Couple", "Seoul Raiders", "AV", "The Eye 10", "Peacock", and "Slimming", failed to pique the interest of moviegoers.

Therefore, the box office performance of these films was naturally a complete mess.

The second round of entrance exams for the Beijing Film Academy has completely ended, and the final exam is scheduled for March.

During Lin Mo's filming, some teachers from the Beijing Film Academy even called him, wanting him to be an art exam examiner, which Lin Mo naturally refused without hesitation.

Let alone if he's filming right now, even if he were sitting at home, he wouldn't have the slightest interest in going.

……

"Director Lin, I'm here..."

Huang Xiaoming took leave and came to the set of Lin Mo's "The Crowd".

"Hehe... Senior, it's been a while, your complexion has gotten even more sallow." Lin Mo joked.

"Haha... I can't help it, Producer Zhang likes this type. He always says I'm too pale, like a pretty boy, and that tanned skin enhances the character's authenticity and江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) feel. I even spent a long time tanning myself under a stylist for that!"

Lin Mo carefully observed Huang Xiaoming's expression and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"That's perfect. You were playing a group leader in my movie, always out in the sun and wind, so this skin tone is just right. It saves the crew the trouble of arranging makeup and styling for you...hehe!"

"So, by some twist of fate, I actually saved the makeup artists on set time?"

Huang Xiaoming didn't take Lin Mo's teasing to heart at all; instead, he even started making fun of himself.

Despite the banter, Lin Mo eventually had the makeup artist do some makeup on Huang Xiaoming. Huang Xiaoming's current appearance did save the makeup artist a lot of work.

……

While Lin Mo was busy filming his movie "The Crowd," he received a call soliciting ideas for the Olympic opening ceremony.

As the largest international sporting event of the new era, the position of director of the opening ceremony of the 08 Olympic Games naturally attracted widespread attention from people all over the country.

Almost every director in China, big or small, has received the notification, and they are all putting in their best efforts, hoping to soar to new heights.

Lin Mo believed he could never surpass Zhang Yimou's performance in his previous life, so he skipped out. But unexpectedly, his master, Xie Xiaojing, came directly to the "Endgame" film crew, grabbed his ear, and dragged him to the Olympic Organizing Committee.

"Master, I think... you shouldn't have called me that at all. How old am I? How much experience do I have? How could I possibly shoulder such a heavy responsibility!" Lin Mo followed behind Xie Xiaojing, secretly saying with a helpless expression:

"You brat, don't try to fool me. This is a matter of great importance, bringing honor to our ancestors and serving the country and its people. How can we back down? Besides, whether we get elected or not is one thing, and whether we get elected at all is another." Xie Xiaojing reprimanded him seriously.

Lin Mo was still a little scared of his master's serious attitude, so he could only obediently lower his head and admit his mistake, promising to make him proud this time!

Looking at Xie Xiaojing's teachable appearance, Lin Mo secretly thought to himself:

"Although I have no intention of running for the Olympic opening ceremony director, it would be quite interesting to be able to personally witness the famous scene of the great poet Chen."

Lin Mo is now genuinely curious whether Chen Kaige actually prepared a seven-character regulated poem by Du Fu, "Hearing of the Recovery of Henan and Hebei by the Imperial Army," when he was running for the position of chief director of the Olympics, or whether the media deliberately smeared and sabotaged him.

The meeting room arranged by the Organizing Committee is very large…

The organizing committee and departments such as culture and sports were almost all bigwigs who came.

Led by Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, and Li An, almost all the well-known directors from the three major art academies, major film studios, and private film and television companies in China were present.

Lin Mo was pulled by Xie Xiaojing to sit next to the directors at the Beijing Film Academy. He secretly glanced around...

I noticed that everyone's eyes were filled with passion and boundless energy.

After all, being the director of the Olympic opening ceremony is incredibly tempting. Who could resist such a job?

In this world, apart from feelings and loyalty, nothing is more important than fame and fortune.

If one succeeds in being elected as the director of the opening ceremony, the fame and fortune it brings will far surpass what a few films can achieve.

"The 2008 Olympics is the best platform to showcase our country's 5,000-year-old culture to the world. It is a major event for the nation and the people, and a grand celebration that will attract worldwide attention. I hope that everyone here will actively participate and enthusiastically..."

As the leader mobilized, the fervor in the eyes of the many directors sitting below intensified, and Lin Mo was afraid that they might accidentally set him on fire.

Director Chen, who was sitting in front, was already eager to try. If it weren't for the fact that it wasn't the election stage yet, Lin Mo estimated that his senior brother would stand up and recite a line: "Suddenly news came from beyond the sword gate that Jibei had been recovered, and upon hearing it, tears filled my clothes."

Zhang Yimou was surprisingly calm, but one wonders if he was reminiscing about the 04 Olympic closing ceremony performance at that moment.

……

The main topic of today's meeting is to announce the official start of the process of appointing the chief director of the Olympics, as well as the selection criteria, preparations, and so on.

Moreover, this matter was not kept secret from the public. After all, Lin Mo had already seen many reporters outside the meeting room before he arrived.

As Lin Mo had predicted...

Before he even returned to the set of "Endgame," reports about the meeting were already appearing on television.