Actor: Thank you.

I chatted with Teacher Zhao for a long time.

We even got together for drinks that evening.

Teacher Zhao brought Feng Gong along.

This time, actor Feng Gong finally got his wish and played the role of the patriarch Feng Guozhang.

Zhang Yuan originally wanted to invite Li Xin along so that the girl could broaden her horizons and meet some important figures in the industry.

I guess I should give them some compensation for playing with their feet for so long.

But Fan Bingbing took the initiative to come to him and asked him to go with her, so he had no choice but to give up.

With Fan Bingbing's sharp eyesight, she could see the problem between herself and Miss Li with just a glance. She shouldn't be making trouble for herself.

"Teacher Feng," Zhang Yuan said, raising his glass.

"We're from the same sect, no need to be so polite."

In theory, both were from noble families and were of the same generation.

But if you directly call him "senior brother," it might feel good to say, but he's still so much older than you.

"I am also an unofficial disciple of your faction," Zhao Benshan said, raising his glass to join in the fun.

Zhang Yuan watched Zhao Benshan drink.

He's such a glutton! Even though he was seriously ill last time, he still drinks it now that he's feeling better. He can't live without it.

Putting everything else aside, the way he drinks is something most actors could learn in half a lifetime.

Bao Qiang smoking, Zhao Benshan eating skewers—these kinds of performances, where the greatest truths are invisible and the greatest sounds are silent, have completely returned to simplicity and authenticity, leaving no trace of performance.

These are all signs of exceptional talent; ordinary people can't learn them.

"Teacher Feng, I saw your female apprentice on the Spring Festival Gala this year. Her performance was quite good."

He was referring to Jia Lin.

"You're still far from being as good as Old Zhao's students," Teacher Feng said politely.

"Xiao Shenyang is so great, I'm envious of him. Benshan is really good at taking on apprentices."

Jia Lin was certainly not that good; in fact, her performance was quite average.

But as long as it brings economic value, Zhang Yuan never refuses it.

After all, if he doesn't make that money, someone else will.

And if I earn this money, at least I won't launder it all overseas or transfer the people's wealth, because I am virtuous.

"Teacher Feng, it's not easy for us in the traditional performing arts industry these days."

"Especially the younger generation, let alone the lack of successors, even if someone is willing to do it, they still need to have food to eat."

“I can relate to this. Jia Lin is fortunate to have you as her mentor in the traditional performing arts, which is why she is doing relatively well in the industry.”

"But even outside of the performing arts, it's difficult."

"You acted in quite a few movies back in the day."

"I think it would be better if we had a meal together sometime, and we could help each other out. If your apprentice is interested in developing in other circles, I will help if I can."

"Hey, look at this!" Teacher Feng Gong raised his big head: "They must be from the same school."

"We're colleagues in the same industry."

Let's raise our glasses and drink together.

People are naturally more than happy to help when someone offers to help them when they can't even ask for it.

As soon as they started talking, they all began discussing their apprentices.

Zhao Benshan is worried about Xiao Shenyang.

Feng Gongchou and Jia Lin.

Zhang Yuan's underage apprentice, Brother Qian's son... is also a bit of a worry.

He's always hugging and kissing pretty older girls since he was little. I hope he won't cause any problems when he grows up.

Baoqiang was still what troubled him more.

Fan Bingbing watched from the side.

She understood that these men were worried because they had a sense of responsibility.

There's no shortage of heartless and carefree people.

only……

We finished eating quickly and agreed to meet on set tomorrow.

After putting on a mask and hat, Fan Xiaopang left through the back door and got into the car, giving the driver his home address.

"Teacher Feng Gong's female apprentice is right, isn't she?" This person asked, seemingly casually, on the way.

"What do you mean?" Zhang Yuan had drunk quite a bit, but he sobered up immediately.

"Heh..." Fan Bingbing sneered.

Good, good, good. If you don't discipline someone for three days, they'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles.

Women shouldn't be spoiled. It's just that I was interrupted earlier, otherwise I would definitely be obedient to her now.

If a woman's anger isn't vented physically, it will turn into resentment internally, leading her to find fault with everything and be unhappy with everything you do.

“It’s been a while since I last came.” The first thing Zhang Yuan did when he arrived at her house was to draw the curtains.

Many Hong Kong stars have been photographed without drawing their curtains.

The curtains in the large villa were huge and heavy, making them difficult to pull open.

"It would be better if it were a few years later," Zhang Yuan muttered to himself.

Xiaomi later released electric curtain motors, what a pity...

Zhang Yuan has never had a "white moonlight" he can't forget in his life, but Boss Lei will soon be one.

We sat down and chatted for a while.

Makeup is not that simple; we need to discuss it in detail.

Li Jing's older sister has already given him a preliminary investment plan, but it will need to be revised several times before it's finalized.

"Lefeng.com is just the first step."

"Next, we'll also be doing online stores on Taobao and Tmall."

"We also want to open flagship stores in the best shopping malls in the best locations in Beijing and Shanghai."

"We have to open it even if it means losing money, just to maintain appearances."

You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; to build a brand, you need to spend at least tens of millions in the early stages.

"We have contacted six or seven factories in Yiwu and Wenzhou, and they have expressed their intention to cooperate."

Zhang Yuan's idea is 334.

The shareholding ratio is as follows: 3% for the factory, 3% for him, and 4% for Fan Bingbing.

Don't complain about the amount; China has no shortage of manufacturing industries!

If the factory isn't willing, then I'll find someone else.

To put it bluntly, there are plenty of people who are willing to work with big stars.

Zhejiang businessmen have this kind of mindset.

“But our activities are all in the north, while you’re looking for factories in the Jiangnan region.”

“Why not choose a factory in the north? It’s closer to us, making it easier to conduct on-site inspections.” Fan Bingbing didn’t quite understand.

Zhang Yuan scratched his head.

"Whether an economy is developed or not is not only related to its geographical location, but also to its local business environment."

There are reasons why some places are poor.

"You wouldn't want to work hard to build your brand only to have the factory turn against you, would you?"

"Not only has all your investment been wasted, but you also have nowhere to seek justice."

“In some places, people from top to bottom collude to cheat outsiders, and even cheat their fellow villagers.”

"In comparison, the Yangtze River Delta region is not bad; at least people in it are reasonable, especially if you have money and can make money."

Many people say that the Jiangnan region, especially Shanghai, is all about money and not people.

Actually, this may not be a bad thing, because if you pay them, they will actually do the job.

It's better than emptying your pockets and then doing nothing at all.

Conversely, those who are cautious in their speech and don't easily agree to anything are more likely to succeed.

Not just in China, but abroad too. Chinese people are generally quiet and talkative, Germans are the least humorous and least talkative people in Europe, and then look at the Indians.

Zhang Yuan was chatting when he wanted to smoke to refresh himself, but was stopped.

"Don't smoke, it won't taste good when we kiss later," Fan Bingbing said with a seductive look in her eyes.

"Go take a shower."

"piece?"

"Who's going with you? Hurry up and go, it's filthy!"

"Then why are you still eating..."

"roll!"

Amidst laughter and playful banter, they pushed him into the bathroom.

Zhang Yuan looked around but didn't find any of Xu Qing's "little toys".

The main reason is that Fan Bingbing doesn't have time for these things, and she rarely even goes home.

Men tend to shower quickly; if it takes more than half an hour, they're basically not showering anymore.

A dozen minutes later, he came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.

"Little Zhang!"

Upon exiting, I looked around but saw no one. Instead, I heard a soft whisper coming from outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, Fan Bingbing, dressed as an empress dowager, stepped from the outside into the inside.

Seeing his fixed gaze, Fan Xiaopang was very satisfied. He'd be completely captivated!
I specially gave the prop master a red envelope and lent him the clothes for one night.

These kinds of things often happen on film sets; just don't let anyone find out.

"I think you're asking for trouble today!" Zhang Yuan said, rubbing his hands together.

Continuing!

That's exactly the look I wanted – the Empress Dowager look!
Today I'm going to change the law.

The next morning, the two got up early and went to the film set separately.

Zhang Yuan changed into a red theatrical costume today.

It's a real theatrical costume, similar to a Peking Opera costume, the kind worn by a female lead.

Why would a grown man like him wear the clothes of a female opera singer?
Most people may not know that Zhou Gong was actually an early "cross-dressing master".

This is not just idle talk or fabrication about a great man; it's a true story.

When Zhou Gong was studying at Nankai University in Tianjin in his early years, the school put on a theatrical performance.

Because the social atmosphere was very closed at that time, male and female students could not share the stage, which was considered a taboo.

Therefore, in acting, someone has to dress up as a woman.

Because of his handsome appearance and good physique in his youth, Duke Zhou accepted the job.

She played Sun Huijuan, Fan Huiniang, and Hua E in "One Yuan", "Aunt Qiu", and "The Story of Hua E", respectively.

"She has a graceful figure, is dignified and reserved, has a slender and well-proportioned body, a delicate and quiet face, and an alluring personal charm."

This was the evaluation of Zhou Gong's portrayal of Sun Huijuan by a Tianjin newspaper at the time.

Later, when the school went to Beijing to perform "One Yuan", Mr. Mei Lanfang made a special trip to watch it, and the two became acquainted.

After liberation, at a literary and art symposium, Mr. Mei recognized him and brought up the old story again. Zhou Gong readily accepted it and did not feel embarrassed at all about his past impersonation.

On the contrary, it brought them closer to the Four Great Dan (female impersonators), since they were all cross-dressing.

Why was Duke Zhou able to preside over literary and artistic work?

Because they really know their stuff!

Cultural workers must be cultured.

Practicing martial arts, filming movies, fighting wars, diplomacy... he's practically a superman.

The scene we're filming today is the one where the actor comes to Beijing to perform in a play, meets Mr. Mei Lanfang, and holds a discussion.

Mei Lanfang directly approached Yu Shaoqun, the actor who played the young Mr. Mei in the film "Mei Lanfang".

He had just finished performing and could start performing immediately upon arrival.

Acting in a play is not difficult for Zhang Yuan.

He even doubted whether these scenes could be included in the final cut.

With a total runtime of 120 minutes and so many stars, how long can each person be in the film?

The production team split into five groups to film together, otherwise the schedules of so many artists wouldn't have been able to match.

Many people come here to film for a few days and then leave. They can only come back to film for a few more days after a month or two.

The scheduling alone would be enough to make the assistant director lose all his hair.

“Shaoqun, you’re a professional, I’m just an amateur. Let’s have more opportunities to exchange ideas.” He exchanged pleasantries with the actor who played Mr. Mei.

This person's mentor is a renowned figure in Hubei Province, the founder and director of the Wuhan Han Opera Troupe, and also served two terms as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He has a distinguished background.

He's just a low-key person.

After taking off his clothes, he ran to another film set to watch the "expert" perform.

"Uncle Master!"

He Yunwei had a sharp eye; he spotted him from afar and ran over to greet him.

His partner, Li Jing, was also there.

He Yunwei plays a French translator; he only makes a brief appearance.

Li Jing is different; she's much more important.

He plays Yuan Keding, the son of Yuan Shikai!
When Yuan Shikai declared himself emperor, this eldest son stirred things up quite a bit. Logically speaking, he should be considered a historical sinner, helping to reverse the course of history.

However, in his later years when he was in dire straits, he refused the Japanese invitation and refused to take a position in the puppet government, thus refusing to become a traitor.

He even refused Cao Rulin's offer to sell his house to the Japanese to raise money so he could make a living.

This person can reveal the complexity of people from that era.

He is a villain, but he also has his own principles.

Zhang Yuan greeted Li Jing and then looked around.

Yuan Shikai was naturally played by Zhou Runfa.

For a ruthless and powerful figure like him, you can't go wrong.

Chow Yun-fat exudes a sinister and wicked aura.

Just like Yuan Keding, no matter what Chow Yun-fat's character is like, there are really not many people who can play this kind of role better than him.

After scanning the area again, Zhang Yuan shook his head.

Li Jing played Yuan Keding.

Zhao Benshan plays Duan Qirui.

Feng Gong plays Feng Guozhang.

Teacher Fan Wei came from Li Yuanhong.

Yuan Shikai was surrounded by people who performed crosstalk or Errenzhuan (a type of folk opera)...

You tell me, was the Republic of China era any good or bad?

Of all the people around Yuan Shikai, only Hua Ge, who plays General Cai E, is not a comedian.

"Brother Hua, it's been another year, nice to meet you."

"What a coincidence, but with such a big production crew, having you is a good thing." Andy Lau acknowledged his talent and fame.

While they were catching up, Zhang Yuan caught a glimpse of a figure he hadn't heard from in a long time.

It was Tang Wei, who had been "blacklisted" for a long time!

Zhang Ziyi stepped down, and she was somewhat relieved of her restraints.

Jiang Zhiqiang arranged for him to join the film crew.

The character she played was quite famous; she was known as one of the "Three Heroes of Zhou Nan" along with Xiang Jingyu and Cai Chang, and was hailed as Tao Yi, the most talented woman south of the Yangtze River during the Republic of China era.

The relationships between the characters are quite important, but Zhang Yuan frowned.

Then he looked at Brother Hua beside him.

He felt he needed to do something… (End of Chapter)