So what if I work with celebrities?

"Director Xu, have you ever thought about developing your career in Hong Kong? With your talent, it's a better fit for you there."

He Guanchang phrased it rather subtly, without directly asking if he could join Jiahe Company.

Xu Zan was well aware of Jiahe's style. When he went to Hong Kong, Jiahe would definitely open a subsidiary for him and fully support his filmmaking.

The fact that Golden Harvest was willing to spend four million on Jackie Chan shows that Golden Harvest is never stingy with people who can change the landscape of Chinese-language films.

It's quite remarkable that a low-budget art-house romance film by Xu Zan could achieve a box office of 1.5 million in Hong Kong.

The most important thing is that this person is too young, only twenty-one years old.

"I have too many favors to owe, it's hard to extricate myself!" Xu Zan said, glancing around before finally giving Lin Qingxia a deep look.

Why not go to Hong Kong? It wasn't about personal favors, but rather that Xu Zan needed a powerful dragon to cross the river, not a snake to swim in.

"Director Xu, could you entrust the distribution of this film to us? Jiahe has distribution channels in Southeast Asia, Japan, and even North America," Mr. He said.

"Mr. He, you think so highly of my movie?" Xu Zan asked with a smile.

"Mr. Hsu, your film, which cost 80 New Taiwan Dollars, raked in tens of millions of New Taiwan Dollars at the box office. This can't be described as genius anymore. Putting that aside, with a combination of Li Lihua, Teresa Teng, and Qin Xianglin, it would be hard for it not to be a box office hit!"

In the end, Xu Zan did not agree. After all, "Miss Strange" had not been filmed yet, and the major distributors had not made any offers. There was no need to tie himself to one company.

Ko Chun-hsiung was quite interesting; he spoke tactfully and without leaving any room for error. He seemed to realize that Hsu Tsan wanted to cast him in a movie, and he was incredibly enthusiastic towards him at the dinner party.

After the dinner, the group strolled around the hotel area.

"Mr. Ke, this movie is very interesting, full of misunderstandings. I think it will be a big hit," Xu Zan said.

"Really?" Ko Chun-hsiung no longer cared about the quality of the drama, but rather the speed at which he could make money. "Then I'll take your kind words."

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone was quite tipsy and suggested going to a karaoke bar. In the car, Ke Junxiong turned around in the passenger seat and asked, "Director Xu, I heard you're auditioning for that movie?"

"Yes, that's true." Xu Zan has noticed these days that she seems to have gotten caught up in some kind of turmoil.

"It's not easy! Some directors can make a lot of films, not because they are so good, but because they have a wide network of connections, especially good relationships with those in power." Ko Chun-hsiung was not optimistic about Hsu Tsan.

However, he wouldn't offend Xu Zan, so he would say things that Xu Zan liked to hear, as if he were trying to curry favor.

"How was my acting in 'My Little Aunt's Love'?" Brigitte Lin didn't want to talk about this topic, lest Hsu Tsan think that she had stood him up.

"The movie portrayed your beauty in a way that's different from what I've seen before. Your career is soaring!" Xu Zan said earnestly, patting her on the back.

Suddenly, Brigitte Lin took his arm. "I've been working very hard. When are you filming your next movie? I'll definitely participate!" Her tone was somewhat pleading, but because there were so many people around, she pretended to be nonchalant.

During this period, Brigitte Lin didn't have any artistic pursuits. She felt that acting, besides satisfying her vanity and enjoying the spotlight, was also a way to make a lot of money.

Besides these, after entering puberty, she often fantasized about romances like those in Qiong Yao novels. Now she is deeply immersed in them and is quite distressed.

Their daily lives are very monotonous; they either film or stay at home, so it's easy to develop feelings for a character on set and then not know how to break free from those feelings.

Xu Zan's appearance gave her a time she had never enjoyed before. He took her dancing openly, playing in amusement parks, and eating and drinking at street food stalls.

This sense of freedom is completely different from her usual cautious and careful way of dealing with outsiders.

"What does he really think of me?" Lin Qingxia had another worry.

The next day, Xu Zan threw herself into filming "Miss Strange." They couldn't afford to delay any longer if they wanted the film to be released during the Spring Festival.

At this time, Shao called, wanting to promote "Joyful Encounters" at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival, which would also boost box office revenue in Southeast Asia.

The 21st Asia-Pacific Film Festival was originally scheduled to be held in June, but it was postponed for six months due to the international situation.

It's a pity that "Miss Granny" couldn't be released before the film festival, otherwise it would have caused a huge sensation.

Hu Huizhong was overjoyed because she could openly travel abroad with Xu Zan to Jakarta. She worried that something wonderful might happen.

The sailor was no longer so surprised; Xu Zan had given him too many shocks in the past six months. A coffee waiter had become a well-known director across the island and had also made a splash at the Golden Horse Awards.

For this filming of "Miss Strange", they actually invited top stars like Deng Liyun, Li Lihua, and Qin Xianglin.

Don't be fooled by the sailor's seemingly carefree act of wielding two samurai swords from one end of the street to the other. He's actually just a loser who's also a fan of celebrities and enjoys watching movies. When he meets his idols, he can't resist taking photos and getting autographs.

When filming the scene where the female lead participates in a singing competition on a TV station, Hsu Chan deliberately used "Gunseok" as the name of the singing competition.

The magazine that the female lead's grandson was holding was also "Gunseok" magazine, and he promoted it in every way.

In addition, the film features product placements for many elderly-related products, as well as some musical instrument brands and clothing brands.

Xu Zan earned 1.2 million yuan just from the production costs of one film. It's a great pity that they couldn't invite any major international brands to join the project.

Teresa Teng's mother was very kind; she would bring Xu Zan homemade lunch from home every day. Although the ingredients weren't anything fancy, just some simple home-cooked dishes, they tasted delicious.

The most interesting thing is that one of the dishes was made by Teresa Teng herself, similar to hand-shredded chicken.

"Sigh, all that effort for nothing, even the big director didn't say a word of feedback!" Teresa Teng said, hands on her hips, fingers pinching a chicken leg, looking sullen.

"Grandma, your cooking is so delicious! It reminds me of my mom's cooking!" Xu Zan held up her rice bowl, pretending to cry, which made the crew burst into laughter.

Besides, even though Qin Xianglin had a girlfriend, Xiao Fangfang, he still acted like a "central air conditioner" on set, taking great care of Teresa Teng.

While saying it was all the brother's way of taking care of his sister, Xu Zan also ate a lot of delicious food, fruit, and smoothies...

In mid-December, "Marco Polo," a film Xu Zan had previously participated in filming, was released in Hong Kong, and Zhang Che was very confident about it.

The main actors are all his protégés, and the film also collaborates with foreigners, giving it the confidence of a co-production that seems poised to be a huge hit both domestically and internationally.

The film opened poorly at the box office. Critics criticized Chang Cheh's film for lacking originality, having a dragging plot, and having absolutely nothing to do with Marco Polo. It simply followed the same old formula.

The only thing worth mentioning is the opening scene filmed by Xu Zan, which depicts a fight between a Mongolian master and a Central Plains master, showcasing two distinct styles of kung fu. As for the other fights, if you ignored their costumes, you might mistake them for two Hung Kuen masters exchanging blows.

This is clearly illogical!

Some film critics went even further, saying that Zhang Che is old and out of touch with the times, and should retire gracefully.

The implication is that Shaosheng's investment should not be wasted any more.

Li Hanxiang, who had a lifelong feud with Zhang Che, was secretly delighted. Now that Zhang Che was gone, Shaoxing had almost no directors who could rival him.

From now on, who can stop him from making blockbuster movies?

Li Hanxiang once again became the face of Shaoxing, even though the box office of a single film could not surpass that of Jiahe.

Amidst a flurry of exciting developments in the entertainment industry, Xu Zan's "Strange Girl" has finally finished filming and entered post-production.

Meanwhile, the head of the distribution department of Toei Company in Japan brought a group of people to Taiwan to discuss the import of "Joyful Encounters" with Hsu Tsan.