Huayu09: Starting with Hijacking Xiao Shenyang

"oh!"

Liu Yifei's pretty face turned red.

She's not a complete idiot.

"How many people are in your family? Are they all in good health?"

Ma Lijuan's voice involuntarily tightened.

Liu Yifei's face turned even redder.

Oh no... Auntie.

Is the process too fast?

I only had a meal with Chen Mo.

"My mom and dad divorced years ago. I live with my mom in Beijing. We're both in good health. My mom used to be a dancer at the Jiangcheng Opera House..."

At this point, Liu Yifei quickly covered her mouth.

Oh no... Sisi.

Are you registering your household registration here?

"Oh my! She's a dancer! To tell you the truth, my dear, I used to be a teacher at the Fengtian Folk Art School, so I was in the same profession as your mother."

"...That's quite a coincidence, Auntie."

Liu Yifei's smile seemed somewhat awkward.

One is a dancer, and the other is a singer.

Where will we travel together?

Auntie, we can't talk like that.

The two of them talked and answered questions in a very friendly manner, as if they were meeting for the first time.

"Hahaha..." Zhao Benshan laughed loudly, "What a stroke of luck! Who knew that a golden nugget would grow out of a bunch of country bumpkins? Old Jiang, no need for you to urge me to drink, I'll drink this cup in one go."

"I'll go with one."

Zhao Benshan and Jiang Wen clinked their wine glasses together.

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

"Master, you're getting old, you should drink less."

Chen Mo quickly offered a word of advice.

If I remember correctly, Teacher Zhao suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage this year and was hospitalized. Although she was saved, her health was damaged.

It's best to avoid alcohol if possible.

"You brat, you're even telling your master what to do now? If you forbid me from drinking today, does that mean you won't allow me to smoke tomorrow?"

Zhao Benshan said something.

"What are you saying, bro? Xiao Mo is doing this for your own good. Don't act like you don't know how good you have it. I feel like you're showing off." Jiang Wen pursed his lips, pointing his wine glass at Chen Mo. "If your master isn't drinking, you drink with Uncle Wen."

"No problem, Uncle Wen. You're the elder, you drink one cup and I'll drink two."

Chen Mo is the most likely to take advantage of someone's kindness.

The way he called out "Uncle Wen" was so warm and affectionate it almost overflowed.

"Wow, not only can he make movies, but he can also be a good person. That's really rare. To be honest, Xiao Mo, with the quality of 'Black Coal, Thin Ice,' if it didn't make it into the main competition at Cannes and win an award, it would definitely be a rigged affair."

As Jiang Wen spoke, his eyes would occasionally glance at Shu Qi across from him.

Chen Mo keenly noticed this scene.

Of course, I know what that means.

Uncle Wen is on the judging panel, so he should put in a lot of effort.

"When it comes to making movies, it has to be my Uncle Wen. There's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"Please feel free to speak."

"I think you're a very stubborn madman."

"Oh? Tell me more."

"Here, 'crazy' is a compliment. Uncle Wen is like the male protagonist in a movie—he wants to earn money with his head held high!"

Hmm, that's interesting.

Jiang Wen began to listen attentively.

"From 'In the Heat of the Sun' to 'Devils on the Doorstep' and then to 'The Sun Also Rises,' there's no denying that Uncle Wen has succeeded!"

Chen Mo's expression was serious, and his tone was firm.

Jiang Wen remained silent.

After becoming famous, I heard too many compliments.

Chen Mo only touched on one point that resonated with him.

That is, earn money while standing up!

I know him fairly well, and this isn't just empty praise.

"Some viewers don't approve of these works, and some even say that Uncle Wen has run out of talent, but I don't think so."

"Uncle Wen uses film to express his heartfelt feelings to the audience!"

"For well-known reasons, it must be classified as a magical realism genre, and non-linear narrative and montage techniques are interspersed to make it look very confusing to the audience."

Jiang Wen put down his chopsticks, clearly having taken his words to heart.

The others at the table also stopped talking.

I'd like to hear how this new director praises and views director Jiang Wen's work.

Especially Zhao Benshan.

His eyes gleamed as he looked at his apprentice.

You little rascal, your old teacher thought you only knew the basics, but I never expected you to know so much.

If you can talk, then talk more!

"Let me give you an example. The reason why 'In the Heat of the Sun' did not receive a satisfactory response is that everyone's perspective when watching the film was wrong. It is a movie, but also a middle-aged person's autobiography reminiscing about their youth. Youth has both reality and fantasy."

"As viewers, we cannot watch from the perspective of an outsider, otherwise we will not be able to distinguish between reality and fantasy. But if we put ourselves in the shoes of the protagonist Ma Xiaojun and watch from the first-person perspective, we will find that everything is real and reasonable, even the fantasy is real and reasonable."

"In one scene, the male lead goes to find the female lead. The house is very small, and when the camera pans across it, the female lead is not there. But as soon as the male lead turns around, the female lead appears."

"From an outsider's perspective, this shot is very illogical."

"But from a first-person perspective, I would really like to see the female lead in bed, and even want to do something with her—it makes perfect sense!"

"Holy crap!!!"

Many people at the table exclaimed in sudden realization.

"Don't speak yet."

Jiang Wen raised his hand to stop him.

Fifteen years! A full fifteen years!

Because "In the Heat of the Sun" did not perform well at the box office, and audiences generally felt they did not understand it, he disdained to explain it.

Today, finally someone understood it.

Who in my family understands the feeling of mutual appreciation?

Tears!

"In short, Uncle Wen is a very individualistic, opinionated, and capable director."

"Some movies achieve both critical and commercial success, not because you directed them well, but because you said less. Movies that are simple and easy to understand are more easily accepted by the market."

"Some movies are not satisfactory, not because you directed them badly, but because you talked too much. If they are obscure and difficult to understand, they will not be easily recognized by the market."

Shu Qi and Zhang Ziyi were stunned.

This young director is really something!

Look at their analysis, it's so detailed and logical.

really.

Only directors understand directors.

"Snapped!"

Jiang Wen slammed his hand on the table and tilted his head back to drink the entire glass of baijiu in one gulp.

"Damn, that feels great! Xiao Mo, you don't need to worry about 'Black Coal, Thin Ice,' I'll personally take it to Cannes!"

Jiang Wen made a promise on the spot.

"I can't accept this, Uncle Wen. I was just telling the truth."

Chen Mo added another patch.

"Hahaha... Uncle Wen likes honest kids. Brother, why don't you let Xiao Mo come back to Beijing with me? The movie scene there is better than in the Northeast."

Jiang Wen couldn't suppress his feelings and disregarded the rules to poach her.

"Huh? Old Jiang, why are you just making noises without saying anything? Let's drink, let's drink, hahaha." Zhao Benshan quickly changed the subject, adding a backup plan just to be on the safe side, "Xiao Mo, this kid, he grew up by my side since he was little. He's known to others as my apprentice, but he's really no different from my own son."

Old Jiang, are you still trying to poach people?

"Ability is important, but talent scouts are even more important. Benshan Media has a promising future. I envy you, brother."

Jiang Wen took a step back and said, "I won't grab it anymore!"

"Oh dear, people should do more good deeds; you never know when the rewards will come."

Zhao Benshan was overjoyed.

I really want to lean back tactically.

What's going on?

While Teacher Zhao was enjoying the compliments, Teacher Ma was still working on her strategy.

"Honey, what do you think of 'Black Coal, Thin Ice'?"

"It is indeed a top-notch movie. I... I was a bit stunned. He is only 18 years old. This is his first time writing a script and his first time directing. I really don't know how he did it. Maybe that's what genius is."

Liu Yifei spoke the truth.

I feel a tiny bit of admiration for them.

"You're absolutely right! I was stunned on set too. When Lao Zhao was filming, I visited the set, and he'd struggle to film one scene for three or four days straight. But look at Xiao Mo, he filmed hundreds of shots in four days—fast and high-quality. Filming with him was a real treat." Ma Lijuan sighed comfortably, then immediately asked, "What's your daughter's next project?"

"It's...it's not decided yet."