Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Ang Lee and his team never intended to use mainland Chinese actresses from the beginning. They only used Zhang Ziyi as a last resort, since in countless interviews he always considered her to be Taiwanese or Asian.

Just like that so-called "master historian" Hsu Cho-yun, a history inventor who studies China in the United States, a plagiarist, just because he said "But sadly I cannot see the unification of the nine provinces" in an interview, a bunch of filial sons and grandsons on the Internet were moved to tears. A bunch of idiots, big idiots.

This is like a Russian populist standing in Outer Manchuria looking at Northeast China and saying, "I hope for national unification," and then a bunch of Chinese people applaud and cheer. What is this if not idiot?

.........

Zhang Ziyi glanced at Laurie, who was driving, and asked with a smile, "Yang Che, are you also here for the film festival?"

Yang Che yawned: "No, we're here to film a movie."

Zhang Ziyi blinked, then glanced at the driver's seat: "You invested in it?"

Yang Che smiled: "Yes, it's a joint venture with Lionsgate. Oh, it's a new, small film company, just dabbling in things."

"That explains why I've never heard of it. You even invest in foreign films."

Laurie glanced at the rearview mirror and said in extremely broken Chinese, "Boss, Lionsgate is no small company."

Then, in English, he continued, "Mark told me they've already invested in 30 films this year, mostly independent ones. Hi, Ms. Zhang, to be precise, Lionsgate is investing in my boss's second script, because we've already finished filming the first one, and it'll be released in North America in two months."

Yang Che was speechless. This Lao Li, I have no interest in Zhang Ziyi. His perception and his role as a wingman are subpar.

"Lowley is my colleague at my American company."

He then yawned again.

Seeing this, Zhang Ziyi, no matter how curious or amazed, couldn't ask anything more. Besides, she was also very sleepy and tired. After greeting Laurie again, she said that she would be staying in Toronto for a while and hoped to visit Yang Che's film set.

It was no big deal, so he readily agreed. Although Yang Che was getting tired of her increasingly boundless sense of boundaries.

Yang Che leaned back in his chair and squinted. Zhang Ziyi also yawned, squeezed out some tears, and then squinted as well.

Anyone who's ever taken a long-distance bus knows that if you're next to a man, everyone's fine. But if it's a woman, even if she's not particularly attractive, once she falls asleep, they'll inevitably end up snuggling together, and sleeping soundly...

Yang Che and Zhang Ziyi are a case in point.

When Laurie arrived at Zhang Ziyi's hotel, Zhang Ziyi was already leaning against Yang Che's chest, and Yang Che's hand was inside her clothes, touching the soft flesh of her stomach...

Laurie glanced back at the steering wheel, grinned, and then winked at Li Xiangdong. Li Xiangdong gave him a blank look, then turned back and said, "Brother Che, wake up, Miss Zhang has arrived."

After being called out twice more, Yang Che opened his eyes, which were bloodshot.

Can you imagine? You spend the whole night at an internet cafe, then extend your subscription and play all day. You get back to your dorm and have just fallen asleep for half an hour when your roommate wakes you up to go drinking...

"arrive?"

"We've arrived at Miss Zhang's hotel."

Yang Che clicked his tongue, noticing his hand was a little numb. He squeezed it; hmm, soft and small. Damn! After pulling it out, he frowned and nudged it: "Hey, wake up, we're at your hotel."

Feeling something was off, he tugged at her clothes again; there was something white around her waist, which didn't look right.

Zhang Ziyi woke up, a hint of embarrassment flashing in her eyes. She smiled and got out of the car.

"Laurie, help her with the registration process."

"Okay, BOSS."

Zhang Ziyi looked at Li Xiangdong, who was carrying her luggage, and heard Laurie say she would help. She went up again to thank him, but when she got to the window, she saw that he was already lying in the back seat with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, so she didn't want to open the door again.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I've already touched him, if he can't wake up, then don't bother. Honestly.

Despite her complaints, Zhang Ziyi's mind started to wander. Tomorrow she would ask the director and the others about Lionsgate and what movies Yang Che had already made.

........

After checking into the hotel, it was already 12:30 a.m. Unlike Li Xiangdong, who forced himself to sleep to adjust to the time difference, Yang Che fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He was too exhausted to even wash off the sweat from the long flight, and was utterly physically and mentally drained.

Therefore, Yang Che, in this state, is even less likely to have any sexual interest in Zhang Ziyi.

Li Xiangdong sent four text messages to the three boss ladies and his assistant, Guo Xiaoyue, to let them know he was safe...

Except for Gao Yuanyuan, who is addressed as "Yuanyuan," the other three are addressed as, "Brother Che was too tired and fell asleep as soon as he got to the hotel. He asked me to send you a text message saying he was safe."

When Gao Yuanyuan returned home for the weekend, she was having lunch when she said, "Dong-ge, you've worked hard. You should get some rest too."

While eating sweet and sour pork in Shenyang, preparing for her concert that evening, Wang Fei replied, "Thank you."

The chubby boy eating his boxed lunch at the Zhuhai No. 2 Middle School stadium said, "Brother Li, you've worked hard. Remind him to call me back after he wakes up."

Guo Xiaoyue, who was auditing the accounts on the set of "Let Love Rule," replied: "Toronto is the most ethnically diverse city in the world, and some areas are quite chaotic. If Mr. Yang is looking for women, tell him to be careful, carry plenty of condoms, and get preventative treatment at the hospital."

Even the usually oblivious Li Xiangdong could see the resentment in Guo Xiaoyue's text message.

When he woke up again, it was already past 9 a.m. local time on September 9. After having breakfast, he went to the film set, the abandoned Hearn power plant, accompanied by James Wan and Leigh Whannell.

After getting off the bus, a gust of wind blew, causing the waist-high weeds beside us to rustle softly.

Yang Che looked up at the sky and then laughed, "Damn, you guys really know how to pick a place. Even with the sun so bright, I feel all gloomy."

James Wan, still sporting his messy hair, now has stubble and looks somewhat weathered: "The location Mark found is perfect; we've both got inspiration for the third film."

Ray Whannell smiled and nodded.

Yang Che patted Wen Ziren on the shoulder, his eyes showing appreciation: "Come on, let's go in and take a look."

Wen Ziren took a few steps, glanced at Yang Che, took a few more steps, and looked him up and down again.

Yang Che was puzzled: "What's up?"

"Brother Che, have you grown taller?"

Yang Che chuckled: "That's not true, I'm still just as tall."

Upon hearing this, Wen Ziren, who is 1.6 meters tall, showed a look of disappointment in his eyes.

As they spoke, the group arrived at the entrance of a factory and met Mark from Lionsgate, along with art director David Hack and Michelle Brady.

After a brief introduction, the staff members were very excited about Yang Che, who was listed as an investor and the lead screenwriter, and looked at him with the eyes of a fanboy.

This is not surprising, as most of the crew members, like James Wan and his team, are horror movie enthusiasts.