Actor: Thank you.

"Brother Shi, it's been a long time." Zhang Yuan took the initiative to bypass a large group of actors who were greeting him and came to his older brother.

Coolie Qiang looked somewhat embarrassed.

Back in the day, on the set of "Kung Fu Hustle".

He is the Twelve-Road Tan Leg, and Zhang Yuan is Brother Chen, a gangster boss.

I'm still stuck with manual labor, while others have become big shots.

He entered Shaolin Temple at the age of 12 and has been skilled in kung fu since childhood.

I never expected that my first time making a movie would result in being completely overwhelmed by an actor known for his good looks.

That's not all; the real experts in the crew, like Master Zhao, liked him even more.

Now, he has become a representative of popular action films because of "Ip Man".

He felt as if he were watching his next-door neighbor become the person he had imagined himself to be.

A few years ago, when he saw Zhang Yuan on TV news and in magazines, he was a little overwhelmed.

I always feel sad inside.

I don't feel bad anymore.

"Hello, Brother Yuan." He even smiled and nodded, extending both hands to shake hands.

He was afraid of upsetting people, and that if he said a few words to the director, he might lose his job.

The lead actor really does have that kind of power.

"No need to be so formal, we've known each other for a long time."

"What many people don't know is that we ate and lived together on Stephen Chow's film set back then," Zhang Yuan said to the actors around him.

Seeing that he didn't take it seriously at all, the older brother breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing his expression, Zhang Yuan roughly guessed what the other person was thinking, which is why he deliberately and openly brought up their past.

Film crews are like a small society.

If people find out that he and he had a minor conflict in the past, it's highly likely that they will find out.

There must be some "clever" person who will deliberately sabotage him in order to curry favor with themselves.

That guy had a really tough time.

It will also damage my reputation.

This person will definitely think I'm messing with him.

A single spittle from above, falling on the heads of those below, could become a torrential downpour.

Besides, I don't have any major grudge against him.

Even if there were some minor grudges, now that I've risen quite a bit in my career, pursuing them further would be petty and lacking in magnanimity.

Even if not for the other person, but just for oneself, we must complement each other.

In the film, Hu Jun plays Yan Xiaoguo, who is ordered by Empress Dowager Cixi to go to Hong Kong and kill Sun Yat-sen, a "traitor," when Sun Yat-sen visits his elderly mother.

In reality, Mr. Sun was discussing the uprising with representatives from 13 provinces.

The thirteen provinces, often referred to by storytellers as "seven in the south and six in the north," were ancient administrative units.

The English title of this movie is translated as "Killer and Bodyguard," which is quite straightforward.

The story is about an operation that took place in Hong Kong in October, involving the protection and assassination of Mr. Sun Yat-sen.

The opposing sides are the Qing government and righteous people from all walks of life who were inspired by the revolutionaries and voluntarily sacrificed themselves.

Therefore, Zhang Yuan defined this play as anti-imperialist and anti-feudal.

After all, it was Mr. Sun who overthrew the last feudal dynasty in China.

This film is the opposite of patriotic films with a macro-narrative like "The Founding of a Republic," focusing on the perspective of ordinary people.

Furthermore, the connections between the characters make the story structure more cohesive.

For example, the characters of Zhang Yuan and Wang Xueqi are connected through their wives, Fan Bingbing.

Wang Xueqi is Liang Jiahui's good friend, and the villain Hu Jun is Liang Jiahui's student.

Xie Tingfeng was Wang Xueqi's servant.

They were strung together one after another like that.

Another great thing about this show is that the characters are not one-dimensional.

Hu Jun plays Yan Xiaoguo, a military general who is loyal to the old dynasty.

Such ruthless characters are usually portrayed in movies and TV shows as mindless loyalists to their rulers and patriots, or as people who kill others for fame and fortune.

However, Chen Desheng portrayed Yan Xiaoguo differently, depicting him as an extreme "patriot".

He wasn't just after promotion and wealth; he felt that Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People were foreign ideas.

Foreigners only bully Chinese people; they are all wolves in sheep's clothing.

He believed that by upholding the Qing Dynasty, at least there would be a unified country to fight against foreign enemies.

Its core idea is the classic "to repel external aggression, one must first pacify internal strife".

You could call him a bad guy, and you could say that.

However, they are not mindless, purely evil people in the traditional sense.

The characters are profound, and their goals, organization, and logic are all very clear.

At the same time, his idea cannot be said to be entirely wrong.

History has proven that Mr. Sun Yat-sen made great contributions, but his ideas and actions had historical limitations.

This is why, despite Mr. Sun's ultimate failure, he is still highly regarded in history.

The characters played by Shi Xingyu and others are Qing Dynasty assassins that Yan Xiaoguo brought from the north to Hong Kong.

Among these men who played thugs, there were many familiar faces from later generations.

Besides Shi Xingyu, there was also Shen Yuhang, who later starred in "Ip Man: The Legend Is Born".

It's fair to say that everyone gathered around is a martial arts master with a reputation in the martial arts world.

The only one without a formal record is Zhang Yuan.

The strongest among them was the one that assistant director Ye Weiming had specifically introduced to him.

"This guy is Kang Li, he's a real expert."

“His Chinese isn’t very good; he only speaks Vietnamese and English.”

"I heard you're good at English, so it shouldn't be a problem."

“He is your main action co-star.” After introducing him, Ye Weiming added, “Be careful, he’s very heavy-handed.”

"I understand." Zhang Yuan nodded seriously to indicate that he understood.

He had heard of this man; his nicknames included Saigon Scissor-King and North American Sanda King.

He participates in both MMA and UFC free fighting competitions.

He is proficient in boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sanda, and Muay Thai, and was already famous when he was a teenager.

Moreover, he is the only one among these martial arts actors who doesn't use routines and focuses solely on real combat.

I started by practicing Taekwondo, but after two weeks I lost interest in it, thinking it was all just routines and boring.

Moreover, theoretically speaking, he is considered to be a fellow disciple of Shi Xingyu.

Because Cung Lee's master was Liu Xiangyang, a Shaolin monk, who was of a very high seniority.

Liu Xiangyang immigrated abroad a long time ago and served as the head coach of the North American Sanda national team. He was called the father of Lighthouse Sanda by Fox.

He can also be considered a successor of the Shaolin lineage.

Because of his age and declining athletic performance, he started looking for a way out in the film and television industry.

Similar to Zou Shiming in his later years, he wanted to increase his fame through the entertainment industry.

“Let’s practice our moves together during our break.” He patted the other person on the shoulder.

He was all muscle; his palms felt tight after patting him.

However, Zhang Yuan knew that this muscular physique wasn't entirely natural.

Later, the UFC found out that this guy was using growth hormone, the same kind that Stallone uses.

The guy was suspended and almost disqualified.

This strength is partly due to technology and ruthless skill.

As people get older and their physical condition declines, they may resort to any means necessary to try and reach their peak again.

Just like the Qing Dynasty in its later stages.

He went to film other scenes, and Kang Li and Shi Xingyu, both from the Shaolin School, naturally became acquainted and sat down to chat.

Shi Xingyu frequently performs abroad and speaks fluent English.

As they chatted, the conversation turned to Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan had just disregarded past grievances, which touched him a little, so he started bragging.

"You don't know, he's incredibly fast. He was already frighteningly fast a few years ago, and we don't even know how fast he's gotten now."

Shi Xingyu still feels lingering fear when he recalls being knocked unconscious a few years ago.

"Is the level that high?" Kang Li asked.

"It's as tall as three or four stories!"

Shi Xingyu was half-joking, but Kang Li took it to heart.

Turns out, he's an expert!
This is what is meant by "the speaker is unintentional, but the listener is attentive."

In the following days, Zhang Yuan noticed that Kang Li was particularly enthusiastic when practicing with him and getting familiar with the routines. He thought this was good, as it showed that the man was serious.

After practicing for about three to five days, it was time to film their fight scenes.

Their battle in the film is a life-or-death struggle.

The chase continues from the main street to an indoor duel, and in the end, one of them has to die.

Street fight scenes require filming with hundreds of extras around, leaving little room for error. So, they were asked to film indoor deathmatches first to familiarize themselves with the action.

"Remember to feel it's powerful enough."

"These fight scenes are the film's selling point, designed to attract audiences who enjoy action movies," director Chen Desheng specifically instructed.

"Come on... ACTION!"

As soon as he heard the word "turn on," Zhang Yuan felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

By the time he realized what was happening, he was already pressed against the wooden wall behind him.

There were cracking sounds behind me, and it took several seconds before I could catch my breath.

"Fuck!"

He cursed inwardly.

This is the first time I've encountered something with such incredible speed and power.

Moreover, I wasn't mentally prepared.

The opponent was a fighting expert, and in his prime; he was indeed extraordinary.

Zhang Yuan was glad that he had set up a security company and had bodyguards with him at all times.

If someone like that really did it to me, I'd be in for a world of hurt.

"Are you alright?" Seeing that he hadn't gotten up after a few seconds, the crew quickly called a stop, and his assistant went over to help him up.

"Give me some cushions." Zhang Yuan wasn't as reckless as he had been a few years ago, relying solely on his physical strength to withstand the pressure.

Now that I'm eligible for additional protection, I must take good care of myself.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

When they added a cushion for him, the props team leader noticed that Zhang Yuan's back was bruised and red.

Because of his current different status as the male lead, the staff immediately started cursing and criticizing him.

"It's alright, it's alright, I'm not that delicate," Zhang Yuan quickly stopped him.

"How was that kick?"

"very good."

"That's fine then. I'll adjust my mindset and do it this way."

"It wouldn't be good to make them stop. We've already said it's a selling point, so we have to make sure the audience enjoys it."

"Look, he's definitely the male lead."

"That's what a sense of responsibility is."

"Dedicated!"

clap clap clap...

A group of people praised him and clapped to encourage him.

It made him feel a little embarrassed.

Just as Huang Bo said, after becoming famous, you're surrounded by good people.

No matter what I do now, there are always people flattering me.

He quickly called for a stop, fearing that being in such an environment for too long would easily distort one's values.

"Excuse me." After being scolded by his older brother, Kang Li quickly came up to greet him.

She was also afraid that if she injured the lead actor, her own job would be in jeopardy.

"fine."

"You have excellent skills; I'd like to learn from you in private."

In other words, just take a little.

One should not let a chance to meet a master slip by.

It would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

When the other party heard "seeking advice privately," they thought it was coded language and wanted to beat him up, so they quickly explained.

"It was Shi Xingyu who said you were very capable, so I thought I would put in more effort to cooperate with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan turned around and looked at his old acquaintance who had been watching the show from the sidelines.

Shi Xingyu: !!!

Are you just going to push me to the front like this?

You don't know that his nickname in the industry is "Abbot".

Because he offended the abbot, he still wanted to run away?

Zhang Yuan glanced at it and was so frightened by Shi Xingyu that he was at a loss for what to do, and his chin trembled with nervousness.

Because whether it's him or Kang Li, Zhang Yuan, as the male lead, could make them lose their jobs with just one sentence.

Who knows what kind of temper the main character has?

There are plenty of celebrities with terrible character.

Hong Kong stars, in particular, have a tradition of doing this kind of thing.

"You praised me?" Zhang Yuan stepped forward and grasped Shi Xingyu's arm.

"I didn't, I am, I..." He couldn't even speak properly.

"Don't be nervous, it's okay," Zhang Yuan comforted him, seeing his bewildered expression.

"It's over..." the older brother cried out in his heart.

He already said I'm not dead...

Zhang Yuan scratched his head.

Is it appropriate for someone like me, who belongs to no sect or school, to be so frightened by someone from a legitimate Shaolin lineage?

I hope people won't say I bullied the Shaolin people!

Because of this, he was startled when he received a call from Brother Chenlong the next day.

"Hey, Uncle Long, long time no see."

"Hi, hello. I heard you're doing pretty well in Hollywood lately."

"They've all been eyed by Sylvester Stallone."

“I am very grateful to those who give me opportunities, just like you did,” Zhang Yuan replied gently.

"You need the ability to seize opportunities." Chenlong knew he was being diplomatic, but his words were comforting to hear.

"I've recently seen your Hollywood blockbusters playing in Hong Kong cinemas, that's great," Uncle Long praised.

"Hey, it's so-so."

It's really just so-so.

What Uncle Jackie saw was "Fast & Furious 4".

This show has only so-so popularity in China, and it's considered a "soft reboot" of the series, or a new work starting afresh.

Even if he were in the role, he would only be a supporting character, not the lead.

The box office was good in the first three days, taking in nearly 4000 million.

But it immediately cooled down.

Many viewers complained that they went to see the show because of him, but his scenes only lasted about ten minutes.

Some viewers felt it wasn't enough, while others said it was a scam.

Ten minutes is already quite good. In the future, those actresses will dare to make a big fuss about advertising even if they only have a 30-second appearance in a Hollywood blockbuster.

Now, a little over a week has passed, less than two weeks, and the box office in mainland China has exceeded 6000 million yuan.

It's definitely not bad, but it's just average compared to other blockbusters.

As the distributor, Cross-Strait Films expected his financial statements to be around 90 million, not reaching 100 million.

He wasn't in a hurry, because the series was a huge hit in the country and had already reached its fifth installment.

Therefore, his words to Chenlong were not merely polite.

His recent works are indeed only of average quality.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Anyway, I wish you great success."

Uncle Jackie Chan thought about how his Hollywood blockbusters didn't actually do very well at the domestic box office; they mainly made money overseas.

So I didn't take it seriously.

"I called you to talk about something else."

"You should say that someone else contacted you."

"Who?" Zhang Yuan was still wondering who could possibly trouble Chen Long.

Uncle Long then slowly uttered two words.

"Shaolin!" (End of Chapter)