Actor: Thank you.

I got up early, had a cup of tea to perk myself up, and then headed to Huayi's office building.

Because Ning Hao is currently collaborating with Huayi Brothers, and "No Man's Land" is also a film invested in by them.

So theoretically speaking, Ning Hao is considered one of Huayi's people, at least for the time being.

The makeup and preparation before the shoot took place in Huayi's office area.

I parked the car in the basement and stepped onto the elevator.

As the elevator slowly ascended, Zhang Yuan, inside the car, sighed with emotion.

Haven't been here for a long time.

Things have changed, and it feels like a lifetime ago.

In fact, only a few years have passed, and both Hua Yi and he have changed a lot.

Huayi has transformed from a struggling film and television company, which was on the verge of collapse after Wang Jinhua's departure, into the leading listed film and television company in mainland China.

As for myself...

I gained a lot, but I also lost a lot.

"Hey, did you two swap outfits?"

Upon arriving at the photography studio, Zhang Yuan immediately spotted several familiar faces.

Ning Hao has a few unique characteristics.

Besides his penchant for cameo roles in his own films, his works are also known as the "Night Paris" universe.

Because in every one of his movies, there's a nightclub, hotel, or similar building called "Night Paris."

He's a fun-loving person.

In addition, there is a dedication to actors, and a preference for using familiar faces.

Xu Zheng and Huang Bo were both there.

However, their appearances are the exact opposite of their actual appearances.

Xu Zheng plays a lawyer who is driven by profit but still has a conscience.

Huang Bo plays a fierce and reckless poacher.

Normally, Xu Zheng always has a shiny bald head.

Huang Bo used to have long hair and was once a flamboyant singer.

For his look in this drama, Xu Zheng sported medium-length hair with long bangs.

Huang Bo, however, became bald.

"You guys... you moved Bozi's hair onto Zheng Ge's head?" Zhang Yuan joked.

It's not just about hairstyles, but also about styling.

Xu Zheng, dressed in a suit and tie, with a slightly parted hairstyle, amplified his "shrewdness".

The bald head, coarse cloth, rags, and linen trench coat further enhance Huang Bo's ruggedness.

After chatting for a while, I discovered that these two had gone through a lot of hardship for the role of Big Head.

Xu Zheng lost over 20 pounds in several months to better resemble a lawyer.

Because the legal profession has high requirements for appearance; it's a profession that requires a presentable image and a respectable demeanor.

The general image of this job is similar to that of an elite in the financial industry.

Regardless of whether you are good-looking or not, that's something you're born with, but you need to improve your body management and your taste in clothing to make it easier to convince customers.

Huang Bo practiced "killing intent" because the character was a reckless man.

So I spent several weeks learning at the slaughterhouse and learned how to slaughter cattle.

The so-called "killing intent" that can be imitated is very difficult to portray, as well as the genuine indifference towards life that comes from personally wiping out a large number of lives.

After killing dozens of cows, Brother Bo's knife and his heart were both cold; he didn't need to act to be convincing.

Besides these two, there's also the "postgraduate entrance exam duo".

These two are like "Sauce Explosion" in Stephen Chow's movies; they are "character" actors who don't need to act, they just need to stand there.

There was also the "old gourmet" who ate three bowls of mutton soup and nine flatbreads, who later became Yang Xinming, the actor who played the priest in "Dying to Survive".

Everyone was there, and he greeted them one by one.

The film "No Man's Land" actually has a bit of a "Mad Max" feel to it.

The final scene of Xu Zheng riding a horse and rescuing the girl alone is very reminiscent of a Western film, especially Clint Eastwood's Dollars Trilogy or the famous game "Red Dead Redemption".

The color palette and the violent conflict scenes are very similar.

However, the story's pacing and character relationships are more like an extension of the "Crazy" series, still following an intricately linked formula rather than the simplistic style of American "muscle movies."

The story is a road movie.

Judging by quality alone, it is at a level that is among the top three in China's road movie scene since the millennium.

The visuals and plot conflicts are excellent, and the story also has profound meaning.

However, Zhang Yuan still believes that Uncle Benshan's "Fallen Leaves Return to Their Roots" is more artistically superior.

Ning Hao originally intended to remake "The Host" after filming "Crazy Racer".

He loves watching it.

But after Crazy Racer became a huge hit, his thinking changed.

He needs to make sure he can earn money. It's not that he's greedy, but rather that the outside world's expectations of him have changed, causing him to change his self-perception.

After much thought, I realized that the "monster" theme is not popular in China and is likely to be unsuitable for local tastes.

Even Ning Hao could figure this out, yet Zhang Yimou still made "The Great Wall"...

Even directors sometimes find themselves unable to control their own destiny.

Ning Hao defines "No Man's Land" as a "dark prophecy" film, showcasing his artistic ambitions.

He was no longer satisfied with using comedic plots to impress audiences, so he deliberately made a "non-funny" film to prove himself.

This is also a form of growth; at a certain stage, everyone will try to challenge themselves.

A good film about the struggle between humanity and bestiality, but...

Zhang Yuan offered some words of encouragement and expressed his regret that they couldn't collaborate.

You still need to make an expression.

But when Ning Hao told him that Zhang Guoli had also participated in the investment, he almost couldn't keep his composure.

Uncle Guoli, you... never mind.

This isn't my fault; you should have asked me beforehand.

But we're family, we can be considered fellow disciples.

Judging from the estimated investment amount, which shouldn't be too large, with Hua Yi contributing the bulk, Zhang Yuan had no choice but to give up and didn't say anything.

Ning Hao was still busy, so he waited and watched them work.

At the same time, I quietly pondered what to do.

He realized that he seemed to have matured a bit and started to feel troubled, worrying about the future of those close to him.

"A rare guest indeed." Not long after, a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

The fact that someone came was precisely the premise for his concern about Ning Hao.

"Mr. Wang, it's been a long time... but not too long." Zhang Yuan stood up and greeted Xiao Wang.

I had just seen him in North America, so it hasn't been that long.

"It's rare to see you here; it's been so many years since I've seen you here."

"What brings you here today?"

The two shook hands, and Zhang Yuan could clearly feel that Xiao Wang was shaking his hand quite firmly.

Oh, you're afraid Ning Hao and I are plotting something...

“Mr. Wang, I am a shareholder of Huayi, this is my home.” Zhang Yuan immediately stated his position.

Why can't I come?

"Haha, yes." Xiao Wang patted him on the shoulder and sat down to talk.

In his mind, he felt he had gotten a "great advantage" from Zhang Yuan, so he didn't show much hostility towards the barbs in Zhang Yuan's words.

After becoming rich, they started to pretend to be generous.

But in the end, it was all just an act.

Because this one quickly revealed its "fangs".

"I recently saw the news that you went to Hong Kong to meet with Stephen Chow?"

“You’re quite trendy; you read all kinds of news,” Zhang Yuan said, adding a touch of caution.

“I’ve been paying attention to you a lot.” Xiao Wang put his hand on his shoulder and exerted a little force.

"What brings you to see Zhou Xingchi?"

"Just chatting," Zhang Yuan replied casually.

He didn't want to say it was for Zhang Yuqi, in case Huayi tried to take her away from him.

“You’re not just spouting nonsense, and Zhou Xingchi isn’t the type to chat idly with people.” Xiao Wang’s words became increasingly direct.

“I know that Zhou Xingchi is currently preparing for a new project.”

"There's no need for us to compete, is there?"

"Besides, you can't compete with Huayi."

Zhang Yuanxin thought to himself, "People outside say I'm arrogant."

I was mostly faking it; this guy is the real madman.

After going public, they stopped pretending at all.

"Stephen Chow is very talented, and everyone is eager to watch his works."

"The Chinese market emphasizes fair competition, and this business environment was the tone set when China joined the WTO."

Zhang Yuan escalated the matter significantly!
As Milk Tea Dong once said, Jack Ma likes to elevate his perspective and stance when he speaks, talking to you from a higher position, which is a kind of "dimensional reduction attack".

Therefore, in many people's eyes, Jack Ma is a "liar".

His words are indeed unreliable; he's not the pragmatic, "technical" type. But there's an advantage to speaking like this: it's harder for people to refute him.

Zhang Yuan is now following this approach.

I've escalated the issue from investment competition in the film and television industry to your intention to undermine the domestic business environment.

Xiao Wang's mouth almost twisted in disbelief after hearing that.

That's quite a big accusation you're making...

"I've also heard that you've had some conflicts with Wang Jiawei recently?"

"You really do care about me."

"Of course, since you have a conflict with the Wang family, you should know that there is no such thing as fairness in this world."

Zhang Yuan watched this man, born into a privileged family, enjoy the benefits of the country and the market.

What you said is both realistic and ironic.

“Zhou Xingchi and Huayi are old acquaintances, and I look forward to working with him again.”

"As for you, you are a shareholder of Huayi."

"But you should know that whether you can receive dividends from your shares depends on a vote by the board of directors."

"But you don't have the right to vote."

"Not only dividends, but also transactions require the board's approval, and you have no decision-making power."

Zhang Yuan's condition for receiving shares was that he would not participate in management, voting, or have a seat.

So the other party is now using this to pressure him.

The food at Huayi is not that delicious, and the money at Huayi is not that easy to earn!
You were indeed clever; you seized the opportunity to make a fortune back then.

We may not be able to get it, but that's up to us!

The Wang brothers had a very clever plan.

Especially after "coercing" Zhang Yuan to hand over his shares in Tudou.com, these two became addicted.

It was all planned out; they were holding Zhang Yuan's shares back so he couldn't touch them.

When he comes up with something good like Tudou.com, we'll pressure him into exchanging it.

Just like in "No Man's Land," everyone has both humanity and animalistic instincts within them.

Hua Yi's humanity will only be revealed when there is an equal contest or when she is striving for advancement.

When you are below him, he will only show you his cruel bestiality.

Greed, violence, bloodshed.

When a person has a knife or a gun, they will be unable to resist using it.

Therefore, violence must be kept in the hands of a restrained and civilized society.

"I understand what Mr. Wang means," Zhang Yuan replied calmly.

There's no point in arguing further, so I won't waste my breath on him.

But in the eyes of the other party, this means that he has given in.

Xiao Wang laughed loudly, patted him on the shoulder again, and left quite smugly.

"Are you alright?" Big Head asked as the other person left.

"Don't say those four words again." Zhang Yuan frowned.

Whenever I think of her, I think of Yang Mi. She just left me crying; I can't bear to hear it.

"It's nothing, no problem," he replied casually.

Big Head shook his head. It seems my brother is facing much more pressure than I imagined.

"Are you done?"

"almost."

"Let's go then."

The two said goodbye to the other actors, telling them to prepare well and get some rest.

Because we'll be going to film on location in Northwest China for several months, it'll definitely be quite tough.

“I didn’t ask you before, you asked me to meet someone.”

"Who are you going to see?" Ning Hao was also quite busy, and it took him a while to realize what was going on.

"Your junior."

I want to recruit them.

As they spoke, the vehicle pulled up in front of a teahouse/club.

"Which of my junior classmates?"

"You don't know him now, but you will in the future."

"Let me show you a video first."

Zhang Yuan had his assistant take out a tablet.

"This is good stuff!"

Ning Hao took it.

What he was holding was a brand new, first-generation iPad that had just been released.

Tablets of all kinds are common in later generations, but the iPad was a groundbreaking product back then.

So thin, so big, so expensive...

In fact, Jobs had already designed a prototype 10 years ago.

However, the hardware and software at that time did not meet his ideal requirements.

It's not sold in China at all; he had someone bring it from North America for him.

"If you like it, I'll give you a few."

“It’s probably quite boring for Aina to be resting at home during her pregnancy.”

"That's great!" Ning Hao was overjoyed. With a background in photography, he was quite interested in electronic products.

"I'll have someone deliver it to you in a few days. Let's not talk about that now. Watch a few videos first."

Zhang Yuan opened the file and started playing it.

"Full touchscreen is so convenient, Apple is awesome!"

"Yes," Zhang Yuan replied.

At this moment, Apple is truly invincible; there's no one who can even come close.

They dominate the field of high-end consumer smart devices with full touch control.

In 04, Apple's total market capitalization was only $135 billion.

After Jobs returned, he successively released mobile phones, tablets, computers, and music players.

When he passed away in 11, he had already generated over 3000 billion US dollars for the company.

Therefore, whether it's a company or a brand, the ultimate focus is on people.

Talent is the most valuable asset.

"Wow, not only is this thing interesting, but the video is interesting too." Ning Hao looked at it with great interest.

What's playing now is something like a music video.

It features covers of Japanese songs paired with somewhat comical, but gender-reversed short films.

"The filming was a bit rough, but that doesn't matter."

“I was rough around the edges in my early years,” Ning Hao commented.

"But the idea is interesting. I think it's imitating that movie called..."

“Memoirs of a Geisha,” Zhang Yuan answered for him.

It's that movie starring Zhang Ziyi that failed to break into the high-end Hollywood scene.

"Let's go."

After finishing watching, they put the tablet away and the two stepped into the teahouse.

Two people were already seated in the small private room.

One person considers himself middle-aged, the other considers himself young.

Both of them are truly unremarkable in appearance and have very ordinary looks.

"Hello, we are... I don't think we need to introduce ourselves, right?" Zhang Yuan gestured after meeting them.

"No need, we know each other," the older of the two replied.

The younger man swallowed hard and nodded, appearing somewhat reserved.

These two people are the creators of the video that Zhang Yuan just showed Ning Hao.

That video is called "Memoirs of a Male Prostitute".

This video was released in 07 and spread widely on Mop and other platforms.

But places like Mop are ultimately niche territories; they're not really that popular.

Not many people know about it.

Similar to the "Back Dorm Boys" or Hu Ge, who became famous for "A Bloodbath Caused by a Steamed Bun," they were all early internet celebrities who started with videos.

At this time, the work was only moderately popular, but the person himself was not popular at all.

"Why don't you all introduce yourselves to Director Ning?" Zhang Yuan began.

The middle-aged man stood up and nodded.

"My name is Wang Taili."

The young man also stood up and bowed slightly.

"My name is Xiao Yang."

...(End of chapter)