Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

After washing his face with cold water, Yang Che did some self-reflection. What the hell was wrong with him?

No, there's nothing wrong with it!!!

He was just a pitiful, handsome man who was forced into something, failed, and was misunderstood!

Then he felt that Yuanyuan, Bingbing, and Feifei owed him a lot.

Guo Xiaoyue!

Forget it, we can't afford to offend her. We're counting on her to run our SP (service provider) business.

...........

After that, Yang Che called Hao Lei once, but she hung up on him, so he didn't call again.

On August 21st, Hao Lei sent him a text message that simply said, "I'm going to Guangzhou to film a movie."

Yang Che replied, "Take care to avoid heatstroke, and eat less."

"Seafood won't make me fat, so I'm not fat!!!"

"You'd look better if you were chubby. You're just not suited for acting."

Hao Lei did not reply to him again.

Three days later, she sent a message: "What's your relationship with Chen Hao?"

"???"

No reply yet.

Yes, they were in the same production team. Chen Hao was the lead actress, and she was the second lead actress.

Yang Che didn't bother to ask. He was focusing most of his energy on "Looking for a Gun," and his need for women had plummeted. He hadn't slept with a woman for several days in a row.

Jiang Wen officially joined the "Looking for a Gun" preparation team on the 19th. Perhaps it was because Yang Che had communicated well beforehand, or perhaps the script really suited Jiang Wen's taste. When going through the script, there was no situation like the "Jiang Wen will definitely not listen to you" that many directors had mentioned. There were naturally some arguments, but it wasn't to the point that no one could convince anyone else.

On the 23rd, the two got into an argument over how to design a shot of a dimly lit alley.

This shot is crucial; it embodies the film's stream-of-consciousness style and is key for viewers to understand the fictional setting and foreshadowed characters.

This scene takes place after Ma San and Zhou Xiaogang confront each other. Ma San walks around the town in a daze and then enters an alley (actually, he enters his own world).

That is, after Jiang Wen and Yang Che's first audition, Jiang Wen was quite surprised that Yang Che acted well, and gave a thumbs up and said "Awesome".

The next moment, when talking about how this alley scene was filmed, Jiang Wen said that a subjective shot was used until the second personality, Liu Jieba, appeared with a bowl of mutton noodles, and then the shot was cut to another shot.

Yang Che was confused after hearing Jiang Wen's statement.

It's not that Yang Che doesn't understand; when it comes to theoretical knowledge and professional terminology, Jiang Wen may not know more than him.

His confusion stemmed from the thought that Lu Chuan might have contributed to the original film.

No, this is a typical "Jiang Wen style" cinematic narrative.

"Since it's a visual representation of inner thoughts, it must be a subjective shot; otherwise, it would be objective, and the storyline about being unable to leave the alley would be meaningless."

Yang Che countered, "Is schizophrenia an objective reality, or a subjective delusion?"

Jiang Wen's gaze remained calm: "I understand what you mean, which is why I said to switch to an objective shot only when the second personality appears."

Yang Che remained calm: "The scene of the murder in the rainy night used jump cuts because it's the intersection of the light and dark storylines. The alleyway isn't like that. The alleyway is meant to show Ma San getting stuck in his own thoughts. After Liu the Stutterer appears, he leaves the alley. How can you use subjective cuts?"

"I understand what you mean, but that's subjective, you see..."

Yang Che listened to Jiang Wen's reasoning, which made a lot of sense and was very logical, but it was just wrong.

He had a headache, and finally he slammed his hand on the table: "Let's not argue anymore. Let's fly to Zhucheng right now and film it with a DV camera, including the opening scene you mentioned earlier, whether it's fast or slow. Let's film it all and you can see the scene over there."

Jiang Wen stroked his beard: "Okay."

So, Yang Che, Jiang Wen, Cao Yu, Lin Mu, and Fu Dong flew to Zhucheng that afternoon.

During this time, the others watched as Yang and Jiang would occasionally and calmly argue, a far cry from the harmonious scene of the previous few days where they were always so friendly and boastful. Sure enough, "Jiang Wen definitely won't listen to you." Cao Yu would also occasionally pat them, ostensibly to help the director and producer record...

Upon arriving in Zhucheng, on the way from Longdongbao Airport to Qingyan Ancient Town, Yang Che received a call from Ning Jing.

He actually didn't want to accept the offer, at least not now, since the van was packed with people.

But this woman went crazy and texted me, "Try hanging up on me again, you brat."

Before Yang Che could reply that it was inconvenient at the moment, the other party called again.

Jiang Wen, who was standing to the side, finally couldn't suppress his curiosity and took another look. The caller was still his second sister.

Jiang Wen felt that she definitely wasn't Yang Che's sister, otherwise why would she hang up on her several times?

Seeing Yang Che's expression when he answered the call, Jiang Wen became even more certain that this wasn't family.

"Hello, Sister Jing..."

"Oh ho, all serious now, isn't this the time to massage my back?"

"Ahem, I have something to take care of right now, I'll talk to you later..."

"What's wrong with you? Just hang out with Jiang Wen."

"Um?"

At that moment, Jiang Wen glanced at Yang Che, who was on the phone. He wasn't sure if it was his own ear or what, but he thought he heard his own name, and the woman's voice on the phone sounded very familiar...

"Forgot? My mom is Naxi, I know witchcraft, Mommy Mommy soothes... Hahahaha, okay, my brother saw Jiang Wen at Longdongbao Airport, I guessed you were there too, so I thought I'd give you a call."

Ning Jing's words gradually calmed down from lively to gentle and magnetic.

Yang Che's tone remained calm: "Oh, you're still in Hengdian?"

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

"I have to go to the set of 'The Grand Mansion' in a few days, and I'll come find you then."

Ning Jing chuckled twice, then asked in a light, airy tone, "In a few days?"

"About 5 days."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

Seeing that Yang Che had hung up the phone, Jiang Wen coughed lightly, paused, but ultimately didn't ask.

Yang Che would never mention it, since he had no personal relationship with Jiang Wen and he wasn't a pervert.

After arriving at Qingyan Ancient Town, it was already six o'clock in the afternoon. Yang Che really liked Guizhou Province. The winters were mild, the summers were cool, and the air was fresh. In another time and space, he had lived in Kaili for a long time.

Of course, it looks very poor now, even poorer than Shanxi Province.

After getting off the bus, I saw local producer Yung Kin-lam and two men in white shirts waiting for me. They said they were leaders from the Zhucheng City Government, as well as a deputy district head from Huaxi District.

The other party was so excited to see Jiang Wen that it made Jiang Wen feel extremely awkward.

Hmm... he was quite enthusiastic towards Yang Che, just as enthusiastic towards Lin Mu, Cao Yu, and others. Even though Yang Che, the investor and director, was the first person Rong Jianlin introduced.

The leaders are still quite pure-hearted!

After listening for a few minutes, Yang Che understood the gist of it. It was because "Looking for a Gun" was going to be filmed in Qingyan Ancient Town that the municipal government had officially launched a systematic protection plan. The Dingguang Gate on the south side was already under repair. It was called repair, but it was actually a reconstruction. The half-collapsed gate had already been demolished.

This statement implies that the local government attaches great importance to the "Looking for a Gun" film crew, and also shows that the local leaders have excellent vision and decisiveness. Yang Che indeed thinks that the leader who made this decision is very capable.