Actor: Thank you.

Zeng Jia wasn't too surprised by Zhang Yuan's reaction.

Perhaps the boss had already guessed that the other party would come up with this kind of trick.

Zhang Yuan knew, of course, that there were only a few tricks to going through when it came to litigation.

When they can't win on the surface, they start to fight from behind the scenes.

Just like why some cases involve arrests made thousands of miles away while local law enforcement takes place.

The outcome of any event can vary greatly depending on where it is approached.

Just like Pizza Hut in Nanshan and Shaolin Temple.

Zhang Yuan filed the lawsuit in Beijing, and it's clear that the other party objected, wanting to move the case back to their company's location for a second judgment, which would give them much more room to maneuver.

Theoretically speaking, even if the case were transferred back to the local court, it would still be considered a victory.

If the film bureau keeps pressing the issue, the film won't be released even after it's finished, which would be a complete waste.

But Zhang Yuan knew that Huaqi Film and Television had considerable influence in Hubei Province.

In particular, there are connections with Hubei Provincial Radio and Television.

Therefore, the other side believes they have a fighting chance and will not give up easily.

"So, what preparations should we make?"

“For example, with the court…” Zeng Jia hinted.

It's nothing more than... like giving a doctor a red envelope when you go to the hospital.

“Let the lawyers handle these matters. Our people should avoid having direct financial dealings with the court officials to prevent giving them leverage and making things worse.”

"Okay, I understand." Zeng Jia understood what he meant.

But a few seconds later, he added.

"If the other party successfully asserts jurisdiction, what should we do?"

That's what she's worried about.

If the other party succeeds, it is very likely that they will not even receive the copyright fee.

In recent years, foreign companies have won some copyright lawsuits in China, but not many, and the cases tend to drag on for a long time.

We are a domestic company, which has both advantages and disadvantages compared to foreign companies.

The advantage is that it's local and the cost is low.

However, the disadvantage is that they don't receive the same level of attention from higher authorities as foreigners.

At this moment, Zeng Jia would recall that Zhang Yuan often said he was a grassroots person during past gatherings.

She was still thinking, living in a big house, coming and going, and being surrounded by big bosses and directors, where was the commoner?

But looking at it now...

Compared to those who are born into high positions with powerful relatives or aunts, he is truly a commoner.

Moreover, most of the people gathered around Zhang Yuan were actually "grassroots".

Few people have powerful connections; most climb up the ladder through talent and hard work.

Zeng Jia herself is one of them.

This is called sticking together for warmth.

If Zhang Yuan really has powerful connections, then there's no need to worry about going to court.

"In principle, you should instruct your lawyer to delay as much as possible."

"But there's no need to fight to the death."

"If the other party successfully transfers the case back to their local jurisdiction, then so be it."

"That's it?"

“Yes, that’s fine,” Zhang Yuan replied affirmatively.

"At this point, I will have other options."

As usual, he didn't give detailed instructions, only saying that he would handle it.

Zeng Jia was used to it; whatever you say goes, I'll do as you say.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yuan felt somewhat guilty.

If I keep acting like this, isn't it bad for Zeng Jia's development?

After all, he couldn't very well tell the other party that he deliberately wanted them to take the case back to their local area!

The so-called delaying is just for show, to avoid arousing suspicion from the other party.

But he can't say how he will solve it, because some things haven't happened yet, and logically, a closed loop hasn't been formed.

"That's fine for now." He rubbed his temples and said, "Let's leave it at that for the time being."

"Hey, let's go!" At this moment, Nicholas Tse came to his side with a smile.

"what's up?"

“Since an older brother is coming, let’s go together and I’ll introduce you to him.” Xie Tingfeng patted his chest, looking like a rare older brother.

Seeing his pretentious act, Zhang Yuan became somewhat curious.

“I know the older brother, you don’t need to introduce me.”

"It's not Brother Chenlong, it's another brother."

When I arrived at the place, it really was the eldest brother.

And there was more than one.

The Four Heavenly Kings were once the most famous figures in Hong Kong's entertainment industry.

Now, two of them have appeared on the set of "Bodyguards and Assassins".

First up is Brother Fly.

There's also the senior disciple, Duan Shui Liu.

Upon seeing the two people, Zhang Yuan shook his head, realizing that his knowledge was all mixed up.

Two of the Four Heavenly Kings, Cheung Hok-yau and Lai Man, were right in front of him.

It also reminded Zhang Yuan of Stephen Chow's "King of Destruction".

After all, everyone knows... I love Li Min, I love Li Min, I love Li Min.

This is when it's Nicholas Tse's turn to shine.

After all, this person was made famous by the entire city of Hong Kong.

A true darling of the entertainment industry.

She went to be a guest at concerts by stars of Karen Mok and Andy Lau right after her debut.

Of course, he was also booed and jeered by tens of thousands of people.

This may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Just like in crosstalk, an apprentice gets booed off the stage by the audience the first time he goes on stage.

This shows you lack the ability and don't know how to handle the audience's jeers.

After this experience, will you succumb to despair, or will you calm down, learn from your shame, and strive for improvement, thus beginning to diverge in your acting career?

Only by experiencing setbacks on stage can one develop reverence for the stage and the audience, and know the importance of giving one's best.

Whether they can get through it is another matter.

There's a famous saying in Peking Opera: "Three yuan and three fen, call Xiao Fan."

"Calling Xiao Fan" is a high-pitched aria from the Peking Opera "Si Lang Visits His Mother," which ends with a rise of eight octaves.

Teacher Guo loves to sing this part, just to show off his voice and pitch.

In addition to the Four Great Dan (female role) performers, Peking Opera also has the "Four Great Sheng" (male role) performers: Ma, Tan, Yang, and Xi.

Among them, Tan, specifically Tan Fuying, has the best voice.

In the world of crosstalk, when someone has a good voice, they're often referred to as "Little Tan Fuying."

But this very person got into trouble in Tianjin.

Mr. Tan has a problem; his mental fortitude is generally poor.

Tianjin audiences are known for their love of traditional folk arts, their knowledge of opera, and their love of cheering.

So Mr. Tan was nervous when he went on stage to sing "Si Lang Visits His Mother".

When he sang the part about calling out "Little Fan," he really messed it up.

It didn't go up to the octave.

The whole place was in an uproar, some people were even throwing teapots, it was almost a fight.

What would you do if the entire audience demanded refunds?
At this moment, a wise person appeared – the theater owner.

Not only did they refuse to refund the tickets, but they also said they would add another show tomorrow and have Tan Fuying sing this part.

The audience got excited.

I want to hear if you can sing it tomorrow.

The ticket was two yuan that day, but the theater owner raised it to three yuan and three jiao for the next day.

That was in the 50s, three yuan was worth a lot of money.

Tickets sold out instantly, and they almost sold out of tickets; everyone was scrambling to buy them.

This is exploiting the audience's curiosity.

Later, many films adopted this approach for their marketing and distribution.

The problem was that Mr. Tan became even more nervous the next day.

The result was the same line, and it was sung terribly again!

From then on, Tan Fuying fell ill, and whenever she performed in Tianjin, she would avoid singing "Si Lang Visits His Mother".

The phrase "three yuan and three jiao is called a small dish" is used in Peking Opera to describe how even masters can make mistakes.

And there's more to this story.

Why is it said that Mr. Tan was ill?

Because as long as he doesn't sing in Tianjin, he can sing "Si Lang Visits His Mother" in Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, and all over the country, and every time he sings it, it's a hit!

The old man would cower as soon as he set foot on Tianjin soil.

No matter how great a master you are in the outside world, there is always a fear in your heart.

Therefore, even Mr. Guo opened a branch in Tianjin very late and rarely performed commercial shows in Tianjin.

Because if there's even the slightest flaw, people will criticize it.

Actors who are easily embarrassed can really die on stage.

How did Mr. Tan get through this ordeal?

I still have to rely on my dad.

Tan Fuying's father, Tan Xiaopei, was also a famous Peking Opera artist, and her grandfather was Tan Xinpei, who was known as one of the "Thirteen Greats of the Tongzhi and Guangxu Eras." Three generations of the family were engaged in this profession.

Mr. Tan Xiaopei spent money and invited many friends to give advance notice.

I arranged a performance for my son in Tianjin and had him sing "Si Lang Visits His Mother".

The audience members who greeted us were very enthusiastic and kept cheering.

Tan Fuying became more and more confident as she sang, and finally, when she got to the line "calling Xiao Fan," she sang it with all her might.

This incident broke the "curse" that prevented her from singing in Tianjin, and she has had no further problems since.

Therefore, the greatest enemy and obstacle for a person is actually themselves.

The most valuable thing is to overcome oneself and surpass oneself.

If one could receive help from family and friends at this time, just like Mr. Tan Fuying, that would be a great blessing in life.

Zhang Yuan glanced at Xie Tingfeng, who was enthusiastically introducing the two big shots to him.

In fact, Xie Gongzi's growth in life also relied on his family.

But this family isn't like the old man and his mother, or Xie Si Ge; they're lucky if they don't take advantage of their son.

Young Master Xie's rise to prominence was due to women.

After his experiences with both Faye Wong and Cecilia Cheung, he has clearly matured a lot.

Speaking of Wang Fei...

Zhou Yun was also there, meeting her idol along with everyone.

She noticed that Nicholas Tse's demeanor was somewhat different from usual.

Especially when facing Li Min, he held his head high and stood tall.

"What's wrong with him?" "Hehe, you don't know, do you?" Zhang Yuan whispered a few words in his ear.

The key lies with Lao Wang.

When filming "The Legend of Yuan Zhenxia", Li Min was already interested in Lao Wang.

Later, he invested in and filmed "Big City, Small Things," and even directly asked Wang Fei to be the female lead.

Actually, Leon Lai pursued him back then, but Leon Lai didn't reciprocate his feelings.

Because Wang Fei likes men with a bit of a roguish charm; Dou Wei, Nicholas Tse, and even Li Yapeng all have that vibe.

This one doesn't suit Li Min's taste.

But what you, King Leon Lai, couldn't handle, I did!

Despite being a junior, Nicholas Tse has a psychological advantage when compared to others.

Zhou Yun shook his head after listening: "Still naive."

Using women as a scale to measure oneself is naive.

But not all men are this naive.

Zhang Xueyou was invited to make a cameo appearance, and filming wrapped up as soon as he appeared on screen.

The character's name is Yang Quyun.

Most of the characters in this film are fictional, but Yang Quyun is a real person.

He was the first president of the Revive China Society, and he planned the Guangzhou Uprising.

The plan was eventually leaked, the uprising failed, and he himself was assassinated by the Manchus.

The first part of the film's script is about Zhang Xueyou's death.

Because Yang Quyun was among the first to sacrifice his life for the Chinese revolution, he was a milestone figure.

In the later film "Detective Chinatown 1900", Bai Ke played a character named Zheng Shiliang, whose prototype was Zheng Shiliang.

He was a close friend and compatriot of Mr. Yang Quyun.
The story of purchasing weapons from the West, depicted in the film, takes place after the Guangzhou Uprising and before the Xinhai Revolution.

It belongs to the same time period as "Bodyguards and Assassins".

So not long after, a gunshot rang out on set, and Brother Fly fell down the stairs.

He's quite dedicated; he really did fall.

Zhang Yuan felt that Zhang Xueyou's acting skills were actually somewhat underestimated.

This person is actually a very talented player.

Of the Four Heavenly Kings back then, Andy Lau was an actor, Cheung Hok-yau was a singer, Guo Fucheng was a dancer, and Lai Man was handsome.

Actually, Li Min is the weakest one; she can't compare to the others in singing, dancing, or acting.

Especially after Guo Fucheng's acting improved in the later stages, his performance seemed even weaker.

He's mainly handsome, and not just in terms of his face, but in terms of his overall presence.

He's handsome just by standing there and smiling; he doesn't need to do anything.

But like Nicholas Tse, the first thing Chen Desheng did after bringing him here was to "disfigure" him.

No handsomeness allowed!
They cast him as a beggar named Liu Yubai.

He was originally a martial arts champion with merit in the Qing Dynasty, but he fell in love with his father's concubine.

After her father died of anger, her lover also committed suicide out of love, and she fell into despair.

He sold his ancestral property to become an opium addict and ended up as a beggar on the street.

Li Yutang, played by Wang Xueqi, knows about his past, so he gives him a silver dollar every time he passes by.

Liu Zhuangyuan lived off this silver dollar and continued to smoke opium.

Therefore, in the ranking of martial arts prowess in the movie "Bodyguards and Assassins", Zhang Yuan's Shen Chongyang can only be ranked third.

The second is Hu Jun's Yan Xiaoguo.

And the first place is Liu Yubai, played by Li Min.

Because of Master Li's kindness and the fact that Master Li helped him redeem his family's heirloom iron fan, and because he was already troubled by love, he no longer wanted to live.

He then agreed to guard the most dangerous pass alone.

One man faces numerous assassins from the Manchu Qing dynasty.

This was despite having smoked opium for many years and ruining his body, yet he still managed to fight off a group of people and win.

Ultimately, his injuries became too severe, and he was killed by Yan Xiaoguo, who arrived late.

Furthermore, just like Deng Sidi who attacked Xie Tingfeng, Yan Xiaoguo knew that Xie Tingfeng was the top martial arts champion of the Qing Dynasty, so he did not use excessive force.

It wasn't until dawn cut off his braid with a fan that he finally lost his temper and killed him.

Cutting off my braid is tantamount to taking my life.
Most people who see Li Min's fight scene think that others are practicing martial arts, while this one is cultivating immortality.

How can someone be so awesome, killing dozens at once?

It's not an exaggeration at all.

The last martial arts champion of the Qing Dynasty was Zhang Sanjia in the 24th year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign.

The weapon this top scholar usually used was a large sword, similar to the one used by Guan Yu, weighing dozens of kilograms.

It can be played with one hand.

Huo Yuanjia... is the Huo Yuanjia master in the movie.

I once sought advice from Zhang Sanjia.

The martial arts champion stood tall, taking three kicks from Master Huo without batting an eye.

He then threw two punches, which caused Huo Yuanjia's blood and qi to surge, and he immediately clasped his hands in farewell.

Two punches shattered Huo Yuanjia's martial arts dream...

Huo Yuanjia was a famous figure who founded his own school of martial arts, yet he was powerless against the "naturally strong" martial arts champion.

The saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" illustrates this principle.

If you're not born into wealth and privilege, and are raised on plenty of meat and fish from a young age, where would you get your innate superhuman strength?

This is a real difference in strength; they're not even in the same league in terms of raw power.

Thinking about it this way, Liu Yubai is set up as a martial arts champion, and he uses his family's ancestral weapon.

They also have a favorable position at the corner of the stairs, so it's not impossible for one person to hold the pass.

To showcase the martial arts champion's exceptional skills, director Chen Desheng cleverly employed a differentiated filming approach.

Zhang Yuan and Hu Jun's fight scenes were very realistic, but Li Min's fight scenes were designed to be very ethereal and graceful.

Because Li Min herself doesn't know martial arts, and she naturally possesses that elegant and graceful temperament.

This role was practically tailor-made for him.

That's the director's skill.

Lai Man's acting skills are definitely not among the top tier, and he knows for himself that he is not top-tier.

However, if used well and given the right role, they may not necessarily perform worse than the top performers.

A director needs to be able to recognize and utilize talent effectively.

However, Zhang Yuan has always had doubts about the character Liu Yubai.

He found it unbelievable.

The reason why it's unbelievable is different from what most people think; it's not that they think it's impossible to fight dozens of people at once.

Because he can really take on dozens at once...

What he found unbelievable was that Liu Yubai, a martial arts champion from a wealthy family, had fallen so low as to not want to live for his father's concubine.

This martial arts champion is too spineless.

Can a man really stop living because of a woman?
Based on his own experience, he felt it was a bit exaggerated.

until……

"Hello, Director Chen."

"Leon."

A woman arrived and greeted Li Min warmly, calling him by his English name.

This is Michelle Reis, who plays Liu Yubai's lover and stepmother in the film!
"Sodisne!" Zhang Yuan's doubts were resolved the moment he saw this person.

He even unconsciously spoke the Japanese language.

Reasonable!

Quite reasonable!

If you cast Michelle Reis as Lai Man's ideal woman, then the plot would be perfect.

Falling for a stepmother like that is just like the "widow" storyline in Japanese dramas.

If you want to switch places with me, I'll... right?

Michelle Reis is now almost forty, but she is still stunningly beautiful.

One can imagine how destructive he was at the age of twenty.

Back then, this man was known as the "enemy of all Hong Kong's wealthy women."

She was just good-looking and wanted to marry a rich man and climb the social ladder... and she succeeded in the end.

So she doesn't even need to act to play roles like Du Shiniang or Ake; she can just sit there and be it.

And Michelle Reis truly is Lai Man's ideal woman.

It was the same movie, "Yuan Zhenxia," that brought the two of them together.

So, if Wang Fei had agreed to Li Min's advances, this whole situation might not have happened.

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Zhang Yuan watched from afar and exclaimed in admiration.

I was born too late.

Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Michelle Reis, and Joey Wong are all getting old now.

Actually, it's not impossible now, but it really won't work in another ten years or so.

The old A8 is still an A8, at most it's more fuel-inefficient and some parts like rubber bushings have less elasticity, but the interior and exterior remain luxurious and classic.

As Zhang Yuan was sighing, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Zhou Yun was looking at him with a half-smile, pursing her lips.

"what happened?"

“You’re naive too,” Sister Zhou replied, shaking her head.

“Then I’d rather never mature,” Zhang Yuan replied with his arms crossed.

If the price of maturity is losing interest in beautiful women, then I'd rather remain a naive youth for the rest of my life.

“It’s become even more childish,” Zhou Yun commented. “But at least it’s sincere.”

"Thank you for the compliment." Zhang Yuanquan took it as a tonic.

"By the way, Director Jiang's new film is almost ready."

"He asked me to show you the cast list."

"You are, after all, an investor. If you feel something is inappropriate, we can discuss it."

"Actually, I don't care. I trust Director Jiang's judgment."

Zhang Yuan felt that the other party was quite decent in handling things, at least they notified me.

During his evening rest, he glanced at the list.

After figuring out that there were no major problems, I decided to shut down the computer.

But before he could turn it off, he went back to the computer, sat down, and looked through it all again.

He then got up, intending to go to Zhou Yun's room.

But then I thought, it doesn't seem appropriate for me to "knock on a widow's door" in the middle of the night, even though she's not a widow.

But we still need to avoid suspicion.

If they are resting early, it would be even more inappropriate to disturb them.

So they simply waited overnight before finding each other again on the film set.

"Sister Yun, I've seen that cast list."

"It should be mostly fine."

"That's good."

“I mean roughly…” Zhang Yuan spread his hands: “So there are still some minor issues.”

"There's a role and an actor I feel are unsuitable..." (End of Chapter)