Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

This trip to Taiwan was originally planned to include two activities.

The first to be affected is Zhang Fei's "Variety Big Brother," and the other is "Kangxi Coming."

But Zhuang Huai'an was really disgusted by the two of them. One was a vile woman who drank her own sister's blood, and the other was a sissy who hid his own ego. Just thinking about it made him feel nauseous.

Currently, Taiwan has four major variety shows. In addition to the two mentioned above, there is also Wu Zongxian's "Guess Guess" and Guoguang Bang's "Guoguang Bang Help".

Well, they're all... hard to put into words, especially the Guoguang Gang trio.

If things go as expected, Tuo Chung-kang and Qu Chung-heng will be implicated in the "Hsiao Shu-shen incident" by the end of this year, triggering the shocking Yeh Tzu-tzu case in Taiwan. According to statistics, one-third of the people in Taiwan's entertainment industry are related to this incident.

Surprisingly, Sun Peng, who is considered by many to be the most restless person, was not among them.

Some viewers have the impression that Sun Peng suffers from bipolar disorder and is bad at raising his son, but this guy is indeed a real man. In an episode where Li Liqun was a guest, another host, Tuo Zhongkang, asked him what his acceptance speech would be if he won the Golden Bell Award.

Sun Peng said without hesitation: Fishing D is ours.

The descendants of military dependents' villages still retain some spirit.

Getting back to the point, Zhuang Huai'an didn't consider other programs and only appeared on "Variety Big Brother".

When his friend came to Taiwan, Fei Yu-ching picked up the microphone again, and the two brothers continued to work together, with singer Huang Pin-yuan as the co-host.

Both of them were participating in the show for the second time. Zhuang Huai'an was participating after winning the Golden Horse Award, and Liu Yifei was participating when promoting Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. They were familiar with the process.

After the drama promotion, it was time for the interview segment.

Zhang Fei, sporting his signature long, lion-like hair, asked with a smile, "Director Huai'an, do you have any particular favorites among the new generation of actors from Taiwan?"

"some,"

Zhuang Huai'an laughed and said, "For example, Zhang Shi, whom I recommended before, played the role of the perverted rich second-generation in 'The Big Shot,' very well. And Ms. Jia Jingwen's portrayal of Zhao Min is also quite faithful to the original work."

Also, last night I saw a cross-strait co-production drama on the hotel TV called "New Yesterday's Stars," and one of the actors in it was Chen Chuhe, whom I found quite pleasing to the eye.

These three were all artists under the big boss Dun. Although Chen Chuhe was older than him, Zhuang Huai'an still gave him face and helped him out.

"Oh my, to have gained your appreciation, Director Huai'an, these three have a very promising future!"

Fei Yuqing continued, "We all know that Director Huai'an is not only a very capable director, but also quite skilled in songwriting and singing. For example, the album 'Little Little' that he produced for Yi Fei was a huge hit in Taiwan. Does Director Huai'an have any favorite singers?"

"Besides the young man, there's also Ms. Jiang Hui, whom I like very much."

Zhuang Huai'an joked, "I didn't quite understand the 'Dragon Brothers and Tiger Brothers' when I was a kid, but now that I'm here today, I'd like to ask you two brothers, are the rumors circulating true?"

"What rumors?" Fei Yuqing feigned ignorance. "I don't know."

Zhuang Huai'an looked at Zhang Fei with a mischievous grin, "I heard that Brother Fei likes Jiang Hui, Jiang Hui loves Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao loves Jiang Shuna, and Jiang Shuna likes Brother Fei. Is that true?"

"Well, so it's just a rumor, and it's not very credible."

Zhang Fei remained calm in the face of danger, saying, "Actually, I've always had a secret in my heart. I like Hsieh Chin-yen. Longtime viewers know that I call Chu Ke-liang my father-in-law."

With a swift and effortless move, Fei Yuqing quickly turned to Liu Yifei, "Yifei, you're now a Golden Bear Award-winning actress. Is there any Taiwanese artist you really like?"

"Yes, I have,"

Liu Yifei said sweetly, "Seniors like Ms. Fang Fang and Ms. Xiao Qiang, the number one beauty of Taiwan, are seniors I admire very much."

"Wow, I never expected a young person like Yifei to like Fangfang's type."

Huang Pinyuan, who had been playing a minor role, chimed in, "But Yifei's information is a bit outdated. The current number one beauty in Taiwan is Sister Zhiling."

"Sister Zhiling?" Zhuang Huai'an feigned confusion, "Who is this actress Zhiling? Is her sister that beautiful?"

"No, it's my punctuation that's wrong," Huang Pinyuan said somewhat awkwardly, and quickly explained, "It's a female model named Hei Zhiling. This title was chosen by several media outlets. You see, it's her."

The large screen displayed a photo of Kurosawa Shirin at the opportune moment. Zhuang Huai'an turned around to look at it, scoffed, and bluntly stated:

"It looks a bit fake, like one of those mass-produced products that have been packaged. I still think Ms. Xiao Qiang is more beautiful, at least in terms of temperament, this Kurosawa Shirin can't compare."

Damn it, what bad luck! If the timing wasn't too bad, I would have told my parents when I got home. Why didn't her husband beat her to death for being a scumbag who had been lurking for twenty years?

The Zhang brothers exchanged a glance, both puzzled as to why Zhuang Huai'an, usually so easygoing, was so aggressive this time. Just as Zhang Fei was about to speak up to smooth things over, he heard Zhuang Huai'an continue.

"Oh, by the way, I'm planning to make two movies in Taiwan soon, and there's an important role that I think is perfect for Ms. Xiao Qiang. If you see this on TV, you can contact Changhong Films to see the script."

Upon hearing this, everyone's attention was diverted. Fei Yuqing exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, two movies! Director Huai'an, would you mind revealing some inside information?"

"Of course," Zhuang Huai'an said with a smile, "I can only tell you that there are two crime films, one is a male ensemble film and the other is a female ensemble film. I wrote the script. Although I can't direct due to scheduling conflicts, I also served as the producer."

Zhang Fei explained, "Some friends may not know that Director Huai'an has another nickname in the industry: he is known as the God of Screenwriting. The movie 'Big Shot,' which became a hit in the province last year, was written by Director Huai'an."

"Yes," Fei Yuqing continued, "many Taiwanese artists have played important roles in it, such as Zhang Shi, whom Director Huai'an just mentioned. He's a very popular figure now."

"You can only say that Taiwanese artists are truly blessed."

Zhang Fei joked, "If my acting skills weren't so terrible, I would really like to use connections to get a role."

"I think Director Huai'an could consider it. Someone with Fei's looks could play all sorts of roles, like a triad boss, a criminal, a petty thief, etc., just like him," Fei Yuqing teased his older brother without holding back.

"You, Zhang Zhiwei, I'm your own brother. People say I look exactly like you if I shave my beard. If I can act, you can act too."

The two brothers took turns bantering, easily controlling the situation. Zhuang Huai'an and his wife didn't interrupt, watching the two brothers bicker with great interest, which was a way of fulfilling their childhood memories.

With these two seasoned veterans around, the atmosphere never got dull. The show was recorded without any major incidents, and the script supervisor clapped the clapperboard to end the show with the young couple singing "Coral Sea" together.

"Phew...finally finished recording. I was just responding normally, I hope Fei-ge won't scold me?"

Huang Pinyuan, who had been completely invisible throughout, wiped away a cold sweat. Looking at the group of people who were still chatting and laughing not far away, he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

Although he became a sensation for a while with the song "Xiao Wei", he was no match for these big names.