So what if I work with celebrities?

In order to ensure fairness, China Film Group Corporation considered not only internal officials but also well-known directors, producers, movie stars, and journalists in the film industry when selecting the script and director for "The Eight Hundred Heroes".

The small venue was packed with people, and reporters with cameras were recording the whole thing; everything seemed perfectly compliant.

In the center of the conference room was a long conference table with nameplates on it, all belonging to officials from China Film Group and some well-known directors who did not participate in the election.

The seats on either side of the conference table, near the windows, were for the candidates for directors and screenwriters. On the west side of the room was a row of seats for top actors, second-tier directors, screenwriters, and journalists from the film industry.

The meeting hadn't started yet, but the room was bustling with activity. Many celebrities were chatting, while others went to the offices of China Film Group officials to make their connections.

Meanwhile, the board members were having a small meeting in another conference room. What they were discussing was something that those of them who were just watching the spectacle had no idea.

As soon as Xu Zan entered the conference room, the room fell silent. Everyone looked at him with different expressions.

Qin Xianglin stood up and waved to greet them. Qin Han's expression was somewhat stiff. Deng Guangrong merely nodded, while Sun Yue remained expressionless...

Lin Qingxia and several other actresses were chatting about clothes and cosmetics when they saw Xu Zan enter. They immediately stopped, waved, and walked over, only to be stopped by Qin Han halfway there.

"Qingxia, don't say anything. There are too many people in the room, what if..."

Lin Qingxia stood there, hesitated for a moment, and then took the initiative to say, "Director Xu, hello!"

Other actresses, such as Gui Yalei and Lin Fengjiao, didn't have as much psychological burden. They came over to introduce themselves, hoping to have the opportunity to work together in the future.

Sylvia Chang, being quite outspoken, patted Xu Zan on the shoulder and said, "Zan-ge, you're amazing! If you get elected as a director, you definitely have to cast me!"

Hsu Tsan laughed and said, "Let's talk about it during the election. It's not that easy."

As soon as he sat down, he heard the people in the "observation" section buzzing with discussion, and they didn't seem to care that he could hear them.

"Is there some inside story?"

"Who says otherwise? Have you seen it? They got the script and the director, and once you see it..."

"So young, and with so little experience, to be able to beat so many famous screenwriters and directors—if there's no foul play, I'll jump off this cliff right now!"

The words got uglier and uglier, and the reporters from those newspapers and magazines got extremely excited. They immediately fanned the flames from the side, asking how there was any shady dealing involved, and whether China Film Group was very fair.

These veterans in the film industry have their own connections and are not afraid of China Film Group. They chattered about the news they had heard.

A certain director would play tennis with his superior every day, even if he got drunk the night before, he would still play the next day.

I heard that gangs were involved in the projects invested in by China Film Group. The demolitions were incredibly fast, and I also heard that they helped with bid rigging.

These people spoke with great conviction, as if the tens of millions invested by China Film Group all went into the pockets of the officials and the director they were talking about.

Qin Han whispered to Lin Qingxia, "Stay calm, don't be fooled. I've seen too much over the years; some people's actions will lead to trouble sooner or later. Qingxia, you know me, would I ever harm you?"

"I..." Lin Qingxia, who was already indecisive, didn't know what to say at this moment.

Although she didn't believe Xu Zan would do something like bid rigging to embezzle project funds, she had heard rumors that he played tennis with important figures.

Qin Xianglin said loudly, "Director Xu's abilities are outstanding. His ideas and techniques in filmmaking are so advanced that, not only in the Chinese-speaking world, I think he would be more than qualified to go to Hollywood. Let me tell you, I learned a lot at the 'Strange Woman' theater... Directors like him are the pillars of the future!"

Deng Guangrong was quite interesting. He hadn't intended to befriend Xu Zan, but now that his sworn brother had spoken, he chimed in, "I don't know about other things, but 'Joyful Encounters' managed to get so much box office revenue under my 'Love Run,' so he's definitely a capable director!"

As they talked, more celebrities walked in. Ko Chun-hsiung followed Wang Yu in, chatting and laughing. When he saw Hsu Tsan, he came over and shook hands.

"Director Xu, long time no see! I heard from some theater managers that your film is very good. I wish you great success at the box office! Let me introduce you, this is the famous swordsman Wang Yu from Chinese cinema!"

Xu Zan stood up and shook hands with Wang Yu. Regardless of his behavior, it must be admitted that he is the biggest star in the Chinese film industry today.

At this time, Wang Yu still looked quite handsome, although he had gained some weight in middle age, but his eyes were very sharp.

"I've watched Brother Wang's 'One-Armed Swordsman' movies countless times. When I was little, I thought Brother Wang, dressed in white, was handsome and dashing. When I was a kid, I often competed with the kids from the military dependents' village to imitate the One-Armed Swordsman!"

"Haha, Director Xu, I can tell you're a loyal friend. I'm definitely going to be your friend. Shall we grab a bite to eat after the meeting?" Wang Yu smiled brightly.

"No problem!" Xu Zan took Wang Yu's hand. "I'll treat you later. Brother Wang knows Taipei much better than I do. Do you have any good recommendations?"

Wang Yu walked to the seats on the west side, and many people went over to greet him. After all, he was not only a celebrity now, but also the boss of a film and television company, with connections throughout all walks of life in Taipei.

That's truly a person who transitioned from a celebrity to a capitalist.

Someone shouted, "Director Ding!"

Suddenly, many people couldn't sit still and took the initiative to surround the meeting room, blocking the doorway. They praised Ding Shanxi all at once, flattering him relentlessly. One actor even used his sleeve to wipe the chair for Director Ding.

As soon as Ding Shanxi sat down, he looked at Xu Zan and said with a forced smile, "Brother, I wish you great box office success! I never thought that you and I would be sitting here competing for the position of director."

"Winning or losing isn't important; what's important is learning from the experience and working harder in the future." He lectured Xu Zan arrogantly, as if Xu Zan had no chance and was just a runner-up.

Zhang Che himself didn't come; he only sent Wu Ma, the company's assistant director, to stand in for him, seemingly having given up on this opportunity.

Wu Ma was a very shrewd and resourceful person. In his early years, he played some comedic roles in Shaoxing Film Company. Later, he worked behind the scenes in films with Zhang Che.

He didn't take anything. He first shook hands with Ding Shanxi and Xu Zan, chatting and laughing as they got to know each other. After a while, he went to the actors' seats to chat with them, trying to offend no one while taking care of everyone.

The other two junior directors followed several officials from China Film Group into the room and then sat down to wait for the meeting to begin.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 10:10, didn't start until 10:30, when senior executives from China Film Group, led by Mei Changling, gradually entered and took their seats.

The secretaries of these people stood at the edge of the conference room; some held notebooks, some carried kettles waiting to refill tea, some checked the lighting to decide whether to close the curtains, and some adjusted the projector to ensure the light was aligned with the screen...

The conference room was quiet, everyone waiting for the chairman to speak. He sat there, glanced around, nodded to a few people, and held a stack of papers in his hand, covered with writing.

The manager, Ming Jichong, who was sitting next to him, whispered a few words to him, and then began to speak loudly:

"It seems everyone is here. Let's have a meeting. The purpose of inviting everyone here is to fairly, justly, and openly elect the most capable director and the best script so that we can successfully complete the task entrusted to us by the Party and the State..."

"This time, we have outstanding directors, artists, screenwriters, and friends from the media, especially those from the media. We hope that the reports will be truthful and without any distortion..."

"Today's meeting has three items on the agenda. The first item is the selection of scripts and directors. The rules are very clear: the shortlisted directors will present their scripts to the audience, and our board leaders will score them. The second item is the announcement of the results, and the third item is a speech by our chairman, Mei Changling."

"Now let's begin the first item on the agenda. Zhang Sen, please come up to the stage and explain the script..."