Huayu98: Starting with mentoring pop divas

The journey to the Sai Wan Pier was shorter than Li Shuo had expected.

After getting off the bus, a salty sea breeze hit my face. In the distance, a giant cruise ship, pure white and stacked like a castle, was quietly moored in the deeper waters. The word "FORTUNE" on the ship reflected the afternoon sun.

A white-painted speedboat was waiting at the beach to pick him up and head towards the "floating palace"-like cruise ship.

Once on the main deck, Li Shuo realized what the director meant by "being busy" on the phone earlier.

The scene was a chaotic mix of busy activity and orderly activity...

The lighting technician jogged around carrying his lighting equipment, the assistant director called out to people through a megaphone, and the extras dressed as waiters crowded around the dining table waiting for instructions.

He immediately spotted Andy Lau talking to director Herman Yau, dressed in a white tuxedo from the film, his profile slender.

Although the superstar maintained a professional composure on his face, his tightly pursed lips and the occasional glances at the chaotic scene revealed obvious impatience; he was merely suppressing it.

Not far away, on the other side of the pool, a very tall and beautiful woman was having her makeup touched up by a makeup artist while she and a man of similar height and refined demeanor were gesturing to each other while looking at the script.

Li Shuo felt the face looked familiar, and upon closer inspection, he exclaimed inwardly, "Wow!"

Isn't this Qu Yin, the first generation of Chinese model? The person next to her is none other than Huang Sanshi, who is still slender and artistic at this moment and will love cooking in the future.

The area around the pool is even more lively.

Steam filled the air in a jacuzzi. A short-haired woman, her back to us, with her bare, white shoulders, was being filmed.

Li Shuo stopped in his tracks… Is this… snow-white?! Is this something I can look at?!

Then I need to take a closer look and critique it!

I quietly crept up behind the staff and peeked around for a while when a cheerful voice sounded beside me.

"Isn't it pretty...? Do you recognize me?!"

Li Shuo subconsciously replied, "They look familiar! They're alright, I guess..."

"You don't even know Hikaru Yada from Japan?!"

"It's quite revealing, isn't it...!" Just as he finished speaking, the woman in the pool stood up and turned around, wearing a conservative one-piece swimsuit, and was taking a towel from her assistant.

Ha! Liar…!

After Li Shuo finished complaining, he turned to look at the person who had spoken to him.

A round-faced, thin-rimmed-glasses-wearing, chubby man—the kind who looks like a pig but is actually quite shrewd—was smiling at him.

"Ah! Hello, Director Wong Jing."

Li Shuo realized he was a little embarrassed and quickly greeted them.

"Handsome guy, you have good eyesight."

Wang Jing patted him on the shoulder and led him to a quieter side of the ship.

"Sammi asked Andy Lau, and Andy Lau asked me. I heard you want to go to America to make an independent film? Just for fun." He spoke casually, clearly not taking it seriously.

Zheng Xiuwen privately told Andy Lau that she wanted to let the young man experience the hardships and chaos of filmmaking so that he would carefully consider his options and preferably back down.

Wang Jing felt there was no better "discouragement scene" than the mess in front of her.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, while the cruise ship was undergoing maintenance and docking to handle the reshoots for the movie "Love Destiny", we also "received" this young man who was said to be very good at playing music.

"Yes, I have some ideas that I'd like to try." Li Shuo didn't seem to care about his attitude.

"That's a good idea. I know people in America, I'll help you make a connection and ask them." Wang Jing replied with practiced ease, his eyes already drifting towards the monitor.

"Just take a look and get a feel for the atmosphere. I have something to take care of, we'll talk later."

He thought to himself, let this kid wander around on his own, let him get through this noisy and chaotic scene, and he'll probably realize that making movies isn't as fun as he imagined.

He is indeed busy...

He was still waiting for the post-production of his own "Dragon in the Jianghu". If it weren't for the generous investment from the investors of "Love Destiny", and the fact that Andy Lau and the others were all tied to it, he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble.

Li Shuo was happy to be free and walked to the side, because at this moment the system in his mind gave him a notification.

[A female celebrity who could potentially become a confidante has been identified; should a partnership be formed?]

[A female celebrity who can foster good relationships: Hikaru Yada]

[Female celebrity who can cultivate good relationships: Qu Yin]

[Currently, the number of female celebrities who can be linked to good karma is 1/3]

He was recalling the two people he could choose to be bound to... he was somewhat conflicted.

Thinking about it, he realized that the white cruise ship he was on was the very same one that Andy Lau later mentioned in an interview as one of the movies he regretted taking on the most, "Love Destiny".

And Wong Jing happens to be the producer of this film.

This was precisely the time when mainland hot money poured into the Hong Kong film industry and co-productions exploded.

The film "Love Destiny" is a typical example. The mainland investors spent lavishly in order to put together a dazzling cast for a "superstar luxury cruise ship romance".

The funds were indeed sufficient, but the majority went to the core of organizing the event.

Andy Lau's salary alone exceeded ten million, while the director, producer, and actors took another large share.

Later, Andy Lau himself admitted that he shouldn't have taken the job if his own company hadn't needed to turn over cash at the time.

As a result, after the actors' exorbitant salaries ate up most of the budget, very little money was left that could actually be used for production.

The scene before Li Shuo was fraught with hardship... there were only a few extras, and several technical positions were short-staffed.

Even the translator who communicated with Japanese actress Hikaru Yada was some unknown amateur, resulting in a conversation that was like talking to a brick wall.

The camera crew was under immense pressure, with some shots taking forever to be moved to the right position.

The entire film crew exuded a sense of "lavish stinginess".

And look... a dispute has broken out over there at the pool.

Hikaru Yada's manager gestured excitedly, while a stagehand stammered in broken Japanese, trying to explain, but the two were completely at odds.

Director Herman Yau frowned as the scene came to a standstill due to a communication breakdown.

Li Shuo sighed as he watched from the side, walked over, and spoke directly to Yada Hikaru in fluent Japanese.

"Ms. Yada, the director means that the next shot requires you to walk from the poolside to the railing, looking out at the sea, with a feeling of nostalgic sadness, without any lines."

Hikaru Yada glanced at the boy in front of him, who seemed quite pleasing to the eye, and then nodded knowingly.

He thus quelled an unnecessary argument.

After successfully filming this scene, Hikaru Yada happily came over to greet him gratefully, assuming that this handsome young man was Japanese.

Because her fluent Japanese, obtained through a system lottery, led to misunderstandings.

Li Shuo quickly explained that he wasn't... a pure and innocent Chinese good boy.

Just as that was resolved, the director of photography started yelling again: "You idiot! Who's going to cover the B camera? Where is everyone? Did they all go eat shit?"

Seeing that he was about to be delayed again, Li Shuo glanced at the camera mounted on the track and pointing at the main staircase, and walked straight over.

"For this camera position, should we use a downward-facing, slightly imposing push-up lens?"

The director of photography glared at him: "You recognize me?"

"I'll give it a try."

Without wasting words, Li Shuo skillfully checked the machine's status, adjusted the parameters, and then looked towards director Herman Yau.

The staff around him stared blankly at Li Shuo.

Herman Yau was skeptical, but it seemed quite convincing!

He decisively shouted, "Action!"

The track vehicle moved smoothly, and the picture displayed on the monitor was precise in composition and smooth in movement, definitely at the level of a skilled worker, with just the right amount of emotion conveyed in the picture.

Wang Jing, who had been keeping an eye on the area out of the corner of his eye, stared at the monitor, touched his slightly wide-open chin, and closed it a little.

After filming this scene, Wong Jing waved to Li Shuo: "Handsome, come here."

Li Shuo walked over.

"Li Shuo, right? You're so good at photography at your age! No wonder you're so confident in making movies at such a young age... And your Japanese is so fluent, did you learn it there?" Wong Jing asked.

"No, I just like it, I learned it on my own by figuring it out," Li Shuo said vaguely.

"You mentioned before that you wanted to make an independent horror/suspense film? Tell me more about it."

The previous perfunctory laziness in Wang Jing's eyes had largely disappeared, replaced by a more scrutinizing interest.

Li Shuo briefly explained the mockumentary format, the psychological fear build-up, and the publicity idea of ​​spreading rumors of "real events" through specific channels before the film's release.

As Wang Jing listened, her fingers unconsciously tapped on her knees.

"The idea... has a gimmick," Wong Jing finally spoke, his tone becoming much more serious.

"It's a bit rough around the edges, but it's a good start and a good idea for promotion. You can use it as practice; the mockumentary direction is quite feasible." He quickly considered it.

"I know a senior director who happens to be producing a film in the US right now, and it's also a horror film. If you're really determined to make one, I can ask him for your contact information so you can talk to him about the details."

"Thank you, Director Wang," Li Shuo said, but he was still struggling with whether or not to bind the system as prompted.

He felt that he should be careful now that there were only 2 empty slots before the upgrade, but he didn't feel much about these two.

Hmm! ...He needs to be careful, there's no rush!

Just as they were thinking of giving up and leaving, a small commotion came from the cabin door.

A woman dressed in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, with no makeup but strikingly bold features, walked in with her assistant.

She seemed to have just finished another job and rushed over, looking a bit travel-worn and languid, her gaze sweeping lightly over the busy film set.

They were just about to be met with Li Shuo's gaze... and both of them were startled.

The system information in my consciousness suddenly refreshed:

[Female celebrity who can cultivate good relationships: Shu Qi]

then……

Just moments ago, Li Shuo was agonizing over the decision... but he remained expressionless and quietly confirmed it!