Actor: Thank you.

"Yes, I've already discussed the release date with President Han."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"I'll take responsibility if there are any problems."

Zhang Yuan called Jiang Zhiqiang and explained the change of the film's release date to the end of April.

After learning about the situation, Mr. Jiang expressed his concern and support.

However, concerns were also expressed.

He was also afraid that if his grades weren't good, people would talk badly about him.

After all, he had a rather unpleasant experience with Donnie Yen and Huang Baiming because of this film.

When Zhang Yuan said he was willing to take responsibility for the consequences, he could only smile helplessly.

Zhang Yuan put down his phone with an indifferent expression.

Anyway, I was the one who was supposed to take responsibility.

You bunch of old foxes, how many of you have the guts to step up and do something big?

They all prioritize maintaining the status quo.

If the film had failed and performed poorly, I would have been blamed.

Huang Baiming guaranteed that he would be the first to make trouble.

So whether I say I'll take responsibility or not, I'm the one who's actually taking responsibility.

It would be better to put it more politely.

Many large companies are able to rise rapidly because of their founders.

Many companies ultimately decline because of their founders.

The decline of Hong Kong's film industry is also inextricably linked to you vested interests.

Similarly, the decline of Hong Kong dramas is also inextricably linked to TVB, the largest producer of Hong Kong dramas, and its big boss, Sir Run Run Shaw.

In the 90s, anyone with eyes could see that with the increasing popularity of television sets and the strong demand of the people for entertainment, the Chinese TV drama market was about to give birth to a huge market worth tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions.

But at that time, Run Run Shaw was almost 90 years old and did not have the energy to lead the company.

The elderly have long lost their ambition.

Furthermore, people's thoughts change as they get older.

This change can be medical and physiological, involving brain cell death, brain lesions, and prefrontal cortex degeneration, leading to dramatic changes in intelligence and temperament.

She had been raising her two sons.

However, after his concubine became his official wife in 97, he kicked his two sons out of the company's management and let his concubine take over.

This kind of thing often happens in ancient feudal dynasties and modern family businesses.

When they were young, they planned to establish the eldest son as the heir, but when they got old, they began to depose the eldest son and establish a younger one.

She used to be a nightclub dancer, and you expect her to manage such a large company?

People get confused when they get old.

If we want to make progress, we need to entrust tasks to young and middle-aged people.

Most of those old Deng brothers had the mentality of "I've fought all my life, can't I enjoy myself a bit?"

The soup is alright, but as the head of the kitchen, he can only follow the old recipes to attract regular customers; young people simply can't get used to the food.

Not long after, Boss Yang also called him to inquire about the matter.

Zhang Yuan almost burst out laughing when he heard what he said.

The older brother was worried that another film being released at the same time would compete with it.

Besides "John Rabe" and "City of Life and Death," another Hong Kong film called "Money Empire" is also going to be released.

"It's okay, as long as it's fair competition."

"Okay then, but let's not fight."

“I know that I also have an investment collaboration with director Wong Jing, and the proposal has already been given to you.”

"Yes, that's why I called you. It's not just my idea; everyone's afraid of you." Old Yang said with a chuckle.

This film, "Money Empire," is a work by Wong Jing.

Zhang Yuan was the one who spearheaded the investment in his other film, "The Spy Who Loved Me".

Director Wang can direct, produce, and write five or six films a year; he has a lot of work.

Therefore, it is impossible to cooperate with only one investor.

"Money Empire" was funded by Bona Film Group.

Zhang Yuan recalls that Yu Dong later collaborated with Wong Jing for a long time, and most of his big productions were invested in by Bona Film Group.

But what's unique about Wong Jing is that once he takes making a serious film, the probability of not making money increases dramatically.

On the contrary, the comedies he casually made were basically all big hits.

Money Empire is just another one of the same old three movies.

Wong Jing excels in three genres of serious dramas: gambling films, corrupt cops, and martial arts films.

"God of Gamblers", "The Five Billion Dollar Inspector", and "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" are all his classic works.

This film, "Money Empire," is the new version of "The Five Hundred Million Dollar Detective."

Director Wang is very smart; he knows that the themes of film and television works are cyclical.

It basically goes through a cycle of 2 to 30 years.

Seeing that things were about right, he filmed "Lee Rock" to test the market.

His later works, such as "Chasing the Dragon," "From Vegas to Macau," and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," all revolved around the same themes.

The success rate is over 2/3.

However, this film, "Money Empire," was clearly not very successful. It's probably because the cyclical pattern hadn't been established yet, and the filming was just so-so.

Zhang Yuan thought that Bona's Yu Dong was also a top-tier connection to Lao Han.

This time, we've finally brought our own family together.

He understood what Mr. Yang meant, fearing that if he gave his film publicity to Bona Film Group, it would cause a lot of trouble.

You could say that the people behind these films from the same period, from Yu Dong to the Wang brothers, and then to Lu Chuan, all have the same personality.

They're all incredibly petty.

Did I offend them?

It's all because these old emperors have bad tempers and rely on their relationship with Lao Han to cause trouble for others.

I can only guarantee that I won't be the first to use my ultimate move.

If they target me for their own gain, I'm not going to just sit here and take the beating.

Old Yang said that this is exactly what we're afraid of.

Youth is a powerful force, and young people often lack restraint in their attacks.

Zhang Yuan said, "I don't care about this or that. Reputation is earned, not begged for."

I put down my phone and went to the film set.

Su Youpeng is performing his last scene.

Zhang Yuan was thinking that he would see the other person off after he finished filming.

Teacher Shi Zhaoqi, dressed in a black military uniform, had a stern face, looking as fierce as ever.

I had said before that he didn't look like a police chief in "Conquest," and he looked even more menacing than Liu Huaqiang.

The commander played by Teacher Shi and Bai Xiaonian, the famous Kunqu Opera performer played by Su Youpeng, have a contrasting relationship.

The practice of male actors playing female roles (actors in Peking Opera) serving as male lovers of important figures has been common throughout history.

In "Dream of the Red Chamber," Jiang Yuhan, who eventually married Xiren, was an actor who served as the male favorite of Prince Zhongshun.

As a novel, "Dream of the Red Chamber" is very meticulous. The fact that Cao Xueqin wrote it this way shows that such things were already very common in ancient times.

Moreover, Xiren was Baoyu's maid, essentially a female favorite, and in the end, she and Jiang Yuhan, who was a male favorite, got together, which can be said to be quite a good match.

After the release of "Farewell My Concubine", some "petty people" went to the Mei family to complain.

It is said that Cheng Dieyi, played by Leslie Cheung in the movie, is a rabbit, and that the prototype is Master Mei.

Isn't this basically saying that Mr. Mei is "that"?
In the performing arts industry, there are the most people who snitch and cause trouble.

That's why they say traditional performing arts are considered the lowest of the low.

Moreover, this isn't something an outsider would say; it's something an expert would say, and even some masters dislike people in their own field.

But the Mei family remained silent.

The Mei family and the Chen family were acquainted and knew it was artistic embellishment.

Furthermore, the Mei family is very intelligent.

You can't just jump out and curse about this. If you do, it will make the news, spread wider, and people will be more convinced that Mr. Mei is "that guy".

So he kept a low profile and didn't say a word.

All four of the most famous actresses in Peking Opera have married and had children, and there are many rumors circulating that they are gay.

They even pitied the wives of the four masters, saying they were wives of gay men, how pitiful.

Do you think you deserve to be pitied?

It is true that male actors playing female roles (actors in Peking Opera) could be male concubines, and this has existed since ancient times.

But you can't conclude that all male actors playing female roles are rabbits because of this.

Just as some female celebrities sell their bodies to gain resources, you can't say that all female celebrities rise to fame by selling their bodies.

However, this stereotype was still used in "The Message," and Alec Su's performance was truly excellent.

Moreover, both veteran actors gave their interpretations of the characters. Shi Zhaoqi felt that the Commander character was too stereotypical, just a stern soldier.

Therefore, the detail of a limp was added.

To give a character a little more personality among a group of characters.

This is just adding scenes, but it's not overshadowing, it's still effective, and everyone can accept it.

Su Youpeng, on the other hand, changed the script.

In the script, Bai Xiaonian's death was caused by being tortured by the spy chief Wang Tianxiang.

Because Gu Xiaomeng usually imitated his handwriting to send secret telegrams, after the agents obtained everyone's handwriting under the pretext of filling out information, they compared the handwriting and identified Bai Xiaonian as the suspect.

But would underground party members use their own handwriting to transmit information?

Such a basic mistake would be absolutely impossible for a professional undercover agent.

And it was impossible for the spy chief Wang Tianxiang not to see it.

However, during the previous interrogation, Bai Xiaonian, relying on the fact that he was backed by the commander, arrogantly claimed that he had dirt on everyone.

He specifically named names, including Wang Tianxiang.

This is an attempt to protect oneself through threats.

The result was that things went wrong.

You have dirt on me, huh?
Then I'll kill you first!

Just like when the US military says you have weapons of mass destruction, you better actually have them.

If you're just making empty threats and the other person finds a weakness in you, you're not far from your doom.

What followed was a brutal interrogation.

Chen Guofu, this "pervert," devised a form of torture called "sitting on a stool" for the "Rabbit God" to suit local conditions.

It's not the tiger bench; that inflicts excruciating pain by bending the knees backward.

And the benches here... In one of Guo Degang's crosstalk routines, he said that Brother Qian's grandfather's family was wealthy.

Even the stools there are made of ivory.

Especially in the middle of the stool, there is a whole piece of ivory!
It also points upwards.

When you sit down, it makes a "plop, plop" sound.

The punishment that Chen Guofu designed for Su Youpeng was similar to this.

The seat was covered in large nails, all pointing upwards.

In the very center there is an iron pillar, more than ten centimeters long, with its top polished to a gleaming shine.

Before the torture, they even used a file to sharpen it, making it as neat as possible.

How could that person possibly have a good time sitting on it?
This is just like the character in Stephen Chow's "Flirting Scholar," the one who is the king of kings, the one who cuts through the intestines.

Rabbit Lord, you don't like "getting things done through connections"? Well, here's something to "open your eyes" to.

When filming this scene, Alec Su screamed so hard that he lost his voice.

They also tried five or six different ways of screaming.

Now that the commander has arrived, he is threatened by Takeda, who demands that he personally eliminate his male lover to prove his innocence.

Teacher Shi Zhaoqi had to take a whip and beat Su Youpeng, who was lying in the stinking pond, to death.

The director arranged for Alec Su to scream when he was being beaten, but the screams had to be different from the screams he made when he was being tortured.

After performing it once or twice, Alec Su quit.

"I think it's better not to call it that."

As the saying goes, there is no greater sorrow than a broken heart.

"As a male concubine, Bai Xiaonian's power comes from the commander."

"Moreover, I believe that Bai Xiaonian is not just a male concubine, but he really loves the Commander."

Zhang Yuan: …

When Zhang Yuan heard Alec Su say that his character loved someone else, he suddenly felt like his older brother was "Ru Hua".

Your understanding is somewhat similar to Zhou Xun's.

"But the commander wanted to kill him himself for his own sake."

"So he was desperate."

"The despair of being betrayed by a lover is more painful than torture."

"When a person is in utter despair, they can't even make a sound."

He suggested that they simply not shout it out here.

He endured the beating without uttering a sound.

Only then can the character's traits be brought out.

“I think he should scream when he gets the first hit,” Zhang Yuan added after listening for a while. “After all, before the first hit, Bai Xiaonian still pinned his hopes for survival on the commander.”

"So he wasn't prepared for that first blow."

"Despair only came after the first lash."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Youpeng clapped his hands: "Accurate!"

Silence is the greatest protest.

Do not erupt in silence, but perish in silence.

Su Youpeng had the same idea.

Zhang Yuan also noticed that Youpeng's approach to handling roles was quite similar to his own.

More rational.

This is the complete opposite of Zhou Xun's approach.

Xun Ge is the kind of person who must endorse a role.

She can't act well if the role is beyond her understanding.

You have to genuinely respect a person to become one.

Therefore, she has to believe that she loves Li Bingbing, otherwise, in her understanding, her role and behavior are not valid.

Su Youpeng made the characters more complete and believable by adding details.

This kind of script alteration, like Shi Zhaoqi's addition of scenes, positively enhances the work.

Zhang Yuan roughly understood why he was able to successfully transition into directing.

"Brother Youpeng, let's keep in touch."

"Whether it's a TV series, a movie, or any other work, we can discuss any ideas we have together."

Zhang Yuan lowered his voice: "We're friends, and I think I'll give you far more freedom than anyone else."

"I see."

He didn't explain, but the other party understood everything.

Knowing that he wanted to leave Huayi and go solo, Zhang Yuan also kept his relationship with Huayi ambiguous.

Their situations are actually quite similar.

In addition, our relationship has become much closer due to our cooperation these past few days.

However, when Hua Yi said these things to me on set, I still felt a sense of "being caught in the act."

That's incredibly bold!
"It's not appropriate to talk about these things here," Youpeng said cautiously.

“There’s nothing wrong with it; I always speak the truth.”

Zhang Yuan saw him looking at Chen Guofu not far away.

Director Chen will eventually have to leave Huayi.

Moreover, his involvement in too many projects caused fluctuations in Huayi's stock price when he left.

Meanwhile, Chen Guofu's departure also served as the prelude to the later fierce battle between Huayi Wanda.

Su Youpeng suppressed a laugh and patted him on the shoulder.

He thought to himself that his little brother was bold enough back then, and now he's even more ferocious.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to grow so big and strong.

I had a farewell dinner with my friends from the film crew.

Back to hotel room.

Su Youpeng has left.

Li Xin also left.

Looking at the empty room, I suddenly felt a little lonely.

drop by drop...

The ringing of his cell phone broke his slightly melancholy mood.

"Hey."

"hello."

A slightly cheerful voice came from the phone.

The caller was Sisi.

She was noticeably happier than before.

Then she spoke solemnly.

"I've decided to take on the job of singing the theme song for the TV series you asked me to sing last time!" (End of Chapter)