Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

Kirk is gone.

It's clear he's quite satisfied with this trip to China.

After returning home and seeing that Grandpa Yang was in increasingly good health, Yang Chen also left with Zhuang Huai'an's entrustment, as he was going back to Hollywood to expedite the release of "Happy Death Day".

To reassure this great general, Zhuang Huai'an went to great lengths to hire a top-notch imperial physician to provide rehabilitation therapy for Old Master Yang every day.

That day, Mr. Yang, the owner of Yinghuang, came to visit him, saying he wanted to invite him to a banquet.

When Zhuang Huai'an inquired, he was disgusted.

This banquet was the birthday party of Edison Chen's father, that old gay man. I don't know if Mr. Yang has lost his mind or gotten too cocky, but he still dared to invite me to this kind of event.

Do you really think Zhuang Huai'an hasn't heard of those shady stories?

Mr. Yang himself is a decent person, but the things behind his back are too complicated.

Two months ago, the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) launched a large-scale crackdown on capital figures in the entertainment industry, arresting a total of 28 people, including Mr. Yeung, the president of Universal Music, senior executives of TVB, singer Mak Chun-lung, and his father Mak Siu-tong.

The core issues lie in the manipulation of the Jade Solid Gold charts, inflated record sales figures, and bribery of high-ranking TV station executives.

Besides capital, many singers have also been implicated.

The entire Hong Kong entertainment industry was in a state of panic and fear.

Mr. Yang and others were released only after paying a large sum of bail.

Forget it, it's best to avoid dealing with him in the future. Anyway, Huayi Dongping is quite powerful in Hong Kong, so I can just contact him if I need anything in the future.

Hong Kong is ultimately too complicated.

Heavens, if Boss Yang knew what Zhuang Huai'an was thinking, he would never have come to invite him, even if you beat him to death.

He hadn't really thought that much about it; he just felt that Edison Chen's father was a longtime friend of his and the chairman of a listed company, so he could introduce them to each other and help Edison Chen get better opportunities in the future.

As expected, the banquet caused quite a stir, and the next day, major media outlets all published the same photo on their front pages.

Hu, who claims to be the number one male model in mainland China, held Chen Zemin's hand with a longing look in his eyes, and even pouted his lips slightly, looking like a cute little wife asking for a kiss.

In addition, Chen Zemin's high-profile behavior when Hu held a concert more than ten days ago has made people discuss this scandal extensively.

Zhuang Huai'an was even more relieved. It wasn't that he was worried that Chen Zeming would harass him; it was just that he was truly disgusted by this whole thing.

The scandal remained a hot topic until the end of September, when Zhuang Huai'an came to the rescue of the two.

Parasite has concluded its global run, grossing a total of $3.2 million and currently ranking eighth on the global box office chart, above a host of blockbusters.

Finding Nemo, The Matrix Reloaded, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Bruce Almighty, Terminator 3, X-Men 2

Just look at these movies and you'll know how high the quality of "Parasite" is.

Surprisingly, besides North America, the second biggest box office hit for "Parasite" was the UK. Could it be that this film reminded the British people of the Victorian era?

This made the British aristocracy realize that the traitorous Americans were not living as well as rumored.

To be honest, Zhuang Huai'an was also surprised that the movie could achieve such high box office results, but he roughly analyzed the reasons.

After the millennium, with the rise of the internet age, the global wealth gap became easily visible, and the polarization of wealth became a global issue. Under these circumstances, people at the bottom of society are eager to climb the social ladder, but they suffer from a lack of upward mobility.

The movie "Parasite" effectively reflects many current class issues, and coupled with the constant news generated by Zhuang Huai'an over the past six months, a small explosion in popularity is quite reasonable.

After a month or so of doing nothing, Zhuang Huai'an finally remembered to get back to work, so he asked Zhang Lu to contact the media and release the news about the box office performance of "Parasite" and his entry into the board of directors of MGM Studios.

The entertainment industry has been shaken once again!

Everyone is praising Zhuang Huai'an as the number one director in mainland China!

Old Wang from Guangming was the first to approach him, shamelessly insisting on doing a profile interview with him.

Since they were all JB buddies, Zhuang Huai'an readily agreed.

"Brother Nagata, I have a small request."

"Brother, you say it," Wang Changtian seized the opportunity and immediately accepted Zhuang Huai'an's address, "As long as you ask, I'll agree to any request."

The media industry is Enlight Media's core business. As long as they can interview Zhuang Huai'an at this critical juncture, Wang Changtian doesn't mind making a small sacrifice.

Zhuang Huai'an handed him a cigarette and said with a smile, "Actually, it's nothing. I just think the traditional question-and-answer interview is too boring. How about we try a different approach?"

"So, what are your thoughts, bro?"

"How about this? You send a few people to follow me for a day, filming our daily lives and doing interviews. I've already thought of a name for it: 'A Day with a Celebrity'."

Zhuang Huai'an's concept is similar to the later Lu Yu You Yue Nong, where interviews can be conducted while also giving the company some free time.

"That's fantastic, bro!"

Wang Changtian, a veteran media professional, quickly grasped the ingenuity of the idea and exclaimed, "This is a brilliant idea! It abandons the traditional, rigid question-and-answer format and provides a more direct view of celebrities' daily lives. Absolutely brilliant!"

"If you like it, brother, feel free to use it," Zhuang Huai'an waved his hand generously. "Let me, your younger brother, take the lead for you."

When discussing the share of "The Martian" before, Wang Changtian so cleverly helped him take the lead, and Zhuang Huai'an couldn't be stingy. He took this opportunity to repay the favor with an exclusive interview.

"Okay!" Wang Changtian didn't hesitate. In interpersonal relationships, the thing you're least afraid of is owing favors to each other. Once you give and take, you're bound together, aren't you?

When will you have time?

After getting to know Zhuang Huai'an, Wang Changtian no longer hid his thick Northeastern accent.

"Wait a moment, I need to check."

Zhuang Huai'an walked to his desk and began to review the schedule prepared by Zhang Lu. Although he was a lazy bum, he still had to make decisions on many things in the company.

"There's no time like the present, let's set it for the day after tomorrow."

On the schedule, Zhang Lu circled October 3rd in red. That day was the wrap-up day for "Chinese Paladin". As the boss and executive producer, he would definitely have to go to Hengdian, which would also be a good opportunity to promote the show.

"Okay, I've arranged the manpower." Wang Changtian asked, "Do you have any reservations about the interview content?"

"The content doesn't matter, just don't make it too weird. I'll tell you everything I know."

To go all out of personal favors, Zhuang Huai'an wouldn't mind helping Wang Changtian create a few sensational moments.

A hint of gratitude flashed in Wang Changtian's eyes; he naturally understood Zhuang Huai'an's meaning.

"Okay, I'll go back to the company and make the arrangements now."

"Then keep an eye on your way."

Wang Changtian left in a hurry. Judging from his appearance, if live streaming wasn't inconvenient right now, he would have brought the film crew over today.

...

National Day,

CCTV put on a gala and wanted to invite Zhuang Huai'an and Liu Yifei to sing "Bauhinia Blossoms" on stage, but he didn't go. His reason was simple: the young lady couldn't find the time.

So he licensed the song to the gala's production team and made it clear that anyone except Red could sing it.

Ultimately, the production team paired Joey Yung with Hu Yanbin, which conveniently allowed them to switch the lyrics between the male and female leads.

One morning on the 3rd,

While Zhuang Huai'an was still asleep, Wang Changtian led five or six burly men with weapons to block the entrance of the courtyard.

It's supposed to be a one-day trip for big stars, but it's actually just a promotional event for "Chinese Paladin" and "A Deadly Secret." It's actually filming over the next two days, and we'll just edit it together later.

Zhuang Huai'an, sporting a messy, unkempt hairstyle, looked at the camera speechlessly. "Dude, this is... way too real!"

"Didn't you say it was all about realism?" Old Wang looked innocent, but inside he was laughing his head off. He hadn't expected the first bombshell to come out.

"Alright, have a seat first, brother. Make yourself at home. I'm going to wash up."

Zhuang Huai'an didn't care. He wasn't an actor who needed to maintain his image. Besides, with his face, he could pull off ramen noodle hair, let alone a messy, unkempt hairstyle.

After washing up, the film crew began filming.

Wang Changtian personally took on the role of host for this interview. There was no other way; Enlight Media now only has a handful of staff, and it was inevitable that they would feel a bit restrained in front of Zhuang Huai'an, an internationally renowned director.

Moreover, Lao Wang also wanted to make this program a hit, so that as the boss of his company, it would be convenient for him to interview some business people in the future.

After having breakfast at the courtyard house, the group went to 91 Company, toured all three buildings, and even got a few shots of the artists at the company before moving on to Hengdian.

To maintain a natural appearance, Zhuang Huai'an did not notify the two film crews and simply used facial recognition to get through unimpeded.

Facing the camera, what should have been a proper interview turned into a massive praise session for Zhuang Huai'an.

Wang Changtian also cleverly directed the camera to be aimed at Liu Yifei, Hu Ge, and other actors who were filming.

In the scene, Liu Yifei is dressed in an exquisite emerald green ancient costume, her figure looks very slender. She walks past the male lead Hu Ge face to face, but they do not look at each other, giving the feeling that they have forgotten each other in the world.

Under the sunlight, the little girl's expressionless face exuded a cool and aloof aura, the ethereal beauty that would later be praised by people was beginning to take shape.

Even Wang Changtian, a veteran media professional, couldn't help but admire her in his heart, thinking that this girl was indeed someone the master had been chasing after to feed.

"Come on, these two aren't part of the crew, but they deserve a special introduction to the audience."

In the "Chinese Paladin" crew, Zhuang Huai'an pulled Wang Zhengliang and Zhang Liangying aside and said seriously, "Wang Zhengliang, the music director of 91 Company, and Zhang Liangying, a signed singer, are both artists I have high hopes for. I personally produced an album for Liangying, and I wrote all the songs in it. The producers are the two masters, Li Zongsheng and Luo Dayou."

I personally think the quality is pretty good. It will be released after the New Year, so those who are interested can keep an eye out for it.

After saying that, Zhuang Huai'an gave them a look, and the two of them immediately understood. They then introduced themselves to the camera.

The main point of this interview trip is that we won't leave empty-handed; we'll take advantage of any opportunity to benefit, because it's good for our health.

You can earn more money by playing games, it's not shameful.