So what if I work with celebrities?

The section chief of Toei Distribution Company was short, with only a few strands of hair that fluttered in the wind. He bowed deeply to Xu Zan upon meeting him, a formality that left him somewhat bewildered.

Ryusuke Takeda spoke to Xu Zan in a pragmatic tone.

"Mr. Xu, our company highly values ​​your work and hopes that 'Joyful Encounters' can be released in Japan."

"No problem, but we need to see your terms. I imagine Mr. Takeda already knows about the box office performance of 'Joyful Encounters' in various regions, so I won't go into details," Xu Zan said.

Although Ryusuke Takeda, this Japanese man, spoke very politely, he was anything but ambiguous when it came to negotiations. He produced a thick stack of materials, pointing out various problems with "Joyful Encounters" and the logical flaws in the plot.

He listed a whole bunch of prerequisites, but it all came down to the issuance costs.

"Mr. Hsu, although 'Joyful Encounters' has its problems, it is still an excellent work. Our company hopes to buy out its Japanese distribution rights for NT$2.3 million."

"Ha, if 'Joyful Encounters' had just been released in Taiwan, I would have agreed to this price without hesitation. But Mr. Takeda, you've seen its box office performance in Southeast Asia—four million US dollars! That's over five hundred million yen!"

"The Southeast Asian market is not as large as Japan's, and the national income is far lower than Japan's. So how much box office revenue will 'Joyful Encounters' generate in Japan? If the promotion is done well, it should gross at least 700 to 800 million yen, right?"

Ryusuke Takeda fell into deep thought. He hadn't expected Xu Zan to be so knowledgeable about the external market, especially the Japanese market. Xu Zan even cited the box office performance of Bruce Lee's films in Japan over the past few years.

It can be said that progress has been rapid. These books indirectly illustrate that Japanese cinemas are expanding, per capita income is soaring, and people's willingness to spend on entertainment is increasing.

It's hard to imagine that a high school graduate from Taiwan could have this kind of brain. Ryusuke Takeda had to take it seriously; since the company sent him, they hoped to acquire the film at a low price.

"Li Xiaolong's films are, after all, kung fu movies, while 'Joyful Encounters' is just an art-house romance. Mr. Xu, you have to admit that Taiwanese romance films are far less appealing than Japanese films. Unfamiliar actors, unfamiliar music, unfamiliar directors mean we'll have to pay exorbitant marketing costs!"

Ryusuke Takeda ultimately offered NT$7 million to buy out the distribution rights in Japan.

Based on the fact that it was their first collaboration and Xu Zan's reputation, he agreed to the deal, since he didn't expect to be a big hit with just his first film.

Hui's films have not yet been validated in Japan, where the tastes of the country have always been somewhat different from those of Confucian and Western circles.

Especially in the realm of art-house romance films, which lack exaggerated special effects and superb action sequences, focusing solely on love and romance, "Joyful Encounters" was indeed not competitive in Japan.

"I hope this is a good start to our collaboration. The movie I'm currently filming, 'The Strange Woman,' features Teresa Teng, but Mr. Takeda is someone I can't just get for a little money!" Xu Zan said.

"Oh? You're very confident in this film, but our company's consistent approach is to look at the box office. If your film continues to be a big hit, then everything is negotiable!"

It took half a month for Xu Zan's passport to be processed on December 21st. It has to be said that the efficiency of the Taiwanese government is too low.

The staff would interrogate them repeatedly, as if going abroad was a defection. No wonder so many people immigrate directly to Hong Kong or go directly to Japan or the United States.

This year's Asia-Pacific Film Festival is being held in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. After 1966, Indonesia entered a new era, and its economy developed rapidly through oil and export trade.

Jakarta's development naturally follows the standards of top-tier East Asian cities, and it looks similar to Taipei.

However, Xu Zan did not have a good impression of this country. The indigenous people would say they were content with what they had and accepted their fate, but in reality, they lacked ambition and their lives were naturally not as good as those of the Chinese.

For some reason, an extremely terrible event occurred in the 1960s, and there will be another one in the future.

Xu Zan simply lacks the ability. If he did, he would have dropped an atomic bomb here and crushed these bastards.

Taiwanese celebrities and directors almost all flew to Jakarta on the same day.

Hsu Tsan was standing next to King Hu, who was also invited to Jakarta, though not to have a film participating in the selection.

Director Hu has made a name for himself internationally this year. He made a special trip to serve as a judge, and his film "A Touch of Zen" was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Technical Grand Prize in the film industry.

The film "A Touch of Zen" showcases Eastern aesthetics; the landscapes, the characters' fight scenes, and the costumes and props are considered the pinnacle of the early 1970s.

Xu Zan believes that King Hu's pursuit of art surpassed that of his sworn brother, Li Hanxiang. King Hu can be said to have redefined what martial arts films are all about.

Classic Chinese martial arts films have all been influenced by him, such as "New Dragon Gate Inn," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and "House of Flying Daggers"...

"Director Hu, have you been filming anything lately?"

"Oh, have you heard of the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana? I'm preparing to make a martial arts film." King Hu's accent sounded like a stand-up comedian, naturally humorous.

Seeing that Xu Zan had never heard of it, he began to tell the story of the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana written by the Venerable Xuanzang.

Unfortunately, Old Xu didn't understand Buddhism at all and was completely confused by what he heard. However, he did remember that King Hu seemed to have made a movie called "Rain in the Mountain" around that time.

This movie isn't bad, but it's not suitable for the average person because they won't understand it. In layman's terms, it's a money-losing proposition.

"It's a pity. If Director Hu could have filmed in mainland China, he could have definitely produced even more outstanding film footage," Xu Zan thought to himself.

As soon as I got off the plane, the film festival organizers set up a special passage for visitors from all over the Asia-Pacific region.

Reporters from three television stations in Taiwan followed them as Hsu Tsan, arm in arm with Hu Hui-chung, walked out of the terminal and waved to the cameras.

"Brother Zan, look at Ko Chun-hsiung, and Deng Guangrong... Is that Dillon?"

"What, are you going to take a group photo? Did you bring a camera?" Xu Zan gently scratched her nose as the two sat in the middle of the bus.

Other celebrities weren't surprised by this; after all, it's not uncommon for beautiful women and handsome men to be together. They didn't do anything outrageous in public, unlike some celebrities who started fooling around in the bridal sedan chair, causing it to sway back and forth and attracting the attention of the crew.

The opening ceremony was quite formal, with a speech by the chairman of the jury, followed by a speech from the Indonesian official in charge of film, and then a slideshow of the shortlisted films on the screen.

Other theaters screen films from different Asian countries for judges to review and distributors to purchase.

The pomp and circumstance of walking the red carpet in this era was far less than that of later generations. After all, celebrities arrived by bus, which did not reflect their status or prestige.

Hsu Tsan was interviewed by TTV, where she shared her thoughts on the 21st Asia-Pacific Film Festival and made predictions about the awards for Taiwanese films.

As someone who's been through it all, he knows very well that every film festival has behind-the-scenes games and rumors. China Film Group has already made arrangements, and "Eternal Glory of Heroes" will win a major award.

His film "Joyful Encounter" was just a supporting role this time.

"Director Xu, what are your impressions of attending an international film festival for the first time?"

"Progress comes from cultural exchange. I'm really looking forward to this film festival and I'll be there to see some excellent works from all over the world..." She rattled off a bunch of seemingly reasonable but ultimately meaningless platitudes.

"Brother Xiong, shall we collaborate on our next film?" Xu Zan asked proactively.

"OK!"

As expected, during the awards ceremony, Ko Chun-hsiung won Best Actor, once again becoming the Asia-Pacific Film Festival Best Actor. "Thank you to the organizing committee for the recognition, and thank you to the fans for their support. I will continue to work hard. Please also support director Hsu Tsan's new film, *Miss Strange*!"

All eyes in the audience turned to Hsu Tsan, and even the host began to ask, "Mr. Ke, what is the story of Director Hsu's new film?"

Back at the hotel that night, Xu Zan lay on the bed, feeling that being at the conference was more tiring than carrying bags at the dock. The people in the Chinese film industry spoke in roundabout ways and were not straightforward at all.

Clang, clang, a knock came at the door.

Upon opening the door, one could see Hu Huizhong wearing a white silk nightgown, holding a bottle of red wine in one hand and two wine glasses in the other.

"You seem unhappy. Shall we have a drink?" Hu Huizhong asked nervously, her face flushed.