Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

In Fan Yiping's "The Search for the Gun," the real culprit who stole the gun and murdered Li Xiaomeng is "Old Tree Spirit," Ma Shan's old comrade-in-arms. He lost his sexual function due to injuries sustained on the battlefield, which led to a perverse hatred of intimate relationships with others, ultimately resulting in his crime.

In Jiang Wen's novel *The Missing Gun*, the murderer who stole the gun and killed someone is Liu Jieba, a mutton noodle stall owner who only appears twice in the early stages. His family died after drinking counterfeit alcohol made by Zhou Xiaogang, and he stole the police gun in revenge, accidentally killing Li Xiaomeng in the process. Since Liu Jieba is Ma Shan's second personality, the murderer is Ma Shan...

As for whether it will clash with the script Lu Chuan has already written, well, even if Lu Chuan and his father were together, they could never write such a script in ten thousand lifetimes.

"I just wanted to make a suspense thriller and see if I could win an award at Berlin next year. I got China Film Group to invest and cast Jiang Wen in it."

"A commercial genre film? Would Jiang Wen agree to that? Besides, it's been banned, isn't it?"

"Hehe, it's director Jiang Wen who's being blacklisted, not actor Jiang Wen. Besides, both of them have their pride, so I'll give them a way out."

Liu Chang nodded and grinned.

"Get moving! Liu Jiang's script for 'Double Perfection' is almost finished. We can have him assist you with the script later."

Yang Che sensed a hint of schadenfreude in Liu Chang's smile.

"Are you hoping I'll fight with Jiang Wen?"

"No, no, Jiang Wen is a drama tyrant... um... I think you're the best, Che-ge."

"Get lost."

There's no way he'll leave. Liu Chang still has a lot to do, like applying for a permit to film a TV series and dealing with Liu Jiang's situation. They all need to be discussed.

"Hmm... Liu Jiang's 'Double Perfection' should be changed to 'Double Fortune and Prosperity'. Find Xiao Yi from Hunan TV, let them take the lion's share, and they can produce it. We can just put Liu Jiang in the director's seat."

"Would Hunan TV agree to that?"

"I'll make a call in a bit."

Yang Che felt that Xiao Yi would definitely be willing to let him take a small share...

"Alright."

After Liu Chang finished his tea and left, Guo Xiaoyue looked at Yang Che and asked, "Who is Yuanyuan?"

"My girlfriend, oh right, Fan Bingbing is also my girlfriend."

Yang Che was remarkably calm, as if he were discussing what to eat later.

Guo Xiaoyue stared intently at him, then stood up and said, "I'm going to get back to work."

Yang Che nodded: "Thank you for your hard work."

Before we knew it, it was afternoon.

Yang Che, who had just woken up, was making tea when He Tiehong and Gao Qunshu arrived.

"Director Yang, this is Director Gao Qunshu."

Gao Qunshu has a round head and a double chin. He wears brown glasses and has a rough stubble on his sideburns, but he exudes a strong scholarly air.

Yang Che stood up to greet him, nodding and saying, "Please have a seat, the tea is freshly brewed."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Gao Qunshu explained his purpose.

"Mr. Yang, I went back to my hometown a while ago and heard the news that the Zhang brothers, Baolin and Baoyi, were arrested. They are the underworld bosses of Shijiazhuang. I wanted to write a script about their story and make it into a film. I hope to cooperate with you. If you are interested, I can talk to you about the creative ideas."

Yang Che became serious: "Tell me about it."

After pausing for two seconds, Gao Qunshu said, "Most crimes in China are related to survival. Psychological factors also play a role, but the main issue is survival. So fundamentally, it stems from some structural social problems."

Yang Che glanced at He Tiehong, then looked at Gao Qunshu: "What do you mean by that?"

"I have interviewed more than a dozen murderers, and they were different from what I had imagined. None of these murderers were vicious; on the contrary, they were just ordinary people like my neighbors or colleagues. After understanding what happened, I found that they were controlled by their emotions and acted impulsively."

Therefore, when I was filming "Thirteen Cases of Murder", I not only presented legal issues, but also social issues. A criminal is not necessarily a simple villain, but a complex human being.

Of course, Zhang Baolin is no ordinary person, but I won't portray him as a completely evil person like most police dramas on the market today.

Yang Che nodded. This guy was indeed awesome. Perhaps that was why he became a leading figure in domestic police and gangster dramas. He could be said to have created a genre.

"How exactly do you want to collaborate?"

Gao Qunshu tentatively said, "I have a partner, screenwriter Chen Yuxin. I plan to take him back to Shijiazhuang for on-site research, interview the police officers handling the case, and Zhang Baolin, and write the script first."

"Oh, is 10 yuan enough?"

"Huh? Uh... that's enough, I don't need it, I don't need it, 2 is enough."

Gao Qunshu was moved; no wonder He Tiehong insisted on recommending this person.

Yang Che didn't waste any words: "Okay, give me a bank card number, I'll transfer 2 to you first, and let me know when you've spent it all."

"this..."

"Hehe, I've watched a few episodes of 'Thirteen Murder Cases' and I know Director Gao's capabilities. Those who know me know that capable people have special privileges and quotas with me."

So Gao Qunshu and He Tiehong left with deep emotion.

What is a big brother? This is a big brother!

After leaving the house, Gao Qunshu looked at the dark iron gate of Tazhai and said, "Old He, why are there still so many sixth-generation film directors criticizing him?"

He Tiehong chuckled: "As they said, capable people have special privileges and quotas with him. Those who criticize him are definitely people who didn't get investment; they're just incompetent people."

Gao Qunshu nodded very seriously: "That makes sense. Yang Che is indeed a very discerning 'big brother'!"

"....."

Half an hour later, just as Gao Qunshu parked his motorcycle and was about to go talk to Chen Yuxin about the matter, he received a call from Doubao Finance, saying that they had transferred 20,000 yuan to him.

So Gao Qunshu sighed again, and a day later he and Chen Yuxin took the train back to Shijiazhuang to collect folk songs.

Returning to the timeline, Yang Che felt great after seeing Gao Qunshu off.

It wasn't about finding a bargain in "Conquest," but rather the sight of such talented and extraordinary people coming together to join him that made him quite proud.

"Hmph, genius is merely the threshold to my recognition!!!"

After muttering something to himself, Yang Che lit a cigar and began to smoke it contentedly.

Before he could even take two puffs, his phone rang; it was Guo Xiaoyue calling.

Suddenly, Yang Che's smugness vanished by more than half. What the hell? He hired an assistant, and it felt like he'd hired a father figure.

"Feed".

"Yang Che, this is Guo Xiaoyue. If you have time now, come to the Huasheng sales office and take a look. I've talked to someone again, and they can offer us an annual rent of 75 yuan. There shouldn't be any problems. Let's sign the lease contract today to avoid any unforeseen complications."