Actor: Thank you.

Shanghai, Songjiang Film and Television Base.

Filming for "Ip Man 2" has officially begun, and the crew is busy in a set that resembles an old street in Hong Kong in the 50s.

"Ah!"

A loud shout was heard, and then everyone saw that the eldest brother, Hung Kam-po, staggered back several steps before regaining his footing.

"Ahem, no regression, very good." The big brother straightened his clothes and said in a serious tone.

Zhang Yuan could only go along with what he said.

"My boss gave me a hand, but actually I only practiced a little before coming here, otherwise I would have forgotten everything."

As soon as he changed his clothes, Sammo Hung insisted on testing him.

Try and you will die...

Although he is known as the world's most agile fat man, he is now 60 years old, and no matter how agile he is, his strength has declined considerably.

As people age, they lose their physical strength, yet these celebrities still love to show off.

With a clash of fists, Zhang Yuan, using a combination of parrying and striking, pushed him several steps away.

They didn't even use their full strength.

Sammo Hung uses Hung Kuen because he plays Hung Kuen master Hung Chun-nam in the film, corresponding to Jin Shan Zhao + Master Liao in the previous film.

His attacks are fierce and powerful, similar to those of Jin Shanzhao, a master of Northern Fist.

The character design is similar to that of Master Liao, who was killed by the Japanese in the first film.

Because Master Liao, who freeloaded on food and drinks, was considered a friend of Ip Man in the first film.

It was only after seeing him killed by the Japanese that Ip Man suddenly became passionate about his country and its people.

In the script for the second part, Master Hong Zhennan also initially appears as an adversary.

However, he admired Ip Man's martial arts skills and, after being provoked by British boxing champion Tornado, resolutely defended the dignity of Chinese martial arts with his life.

They even added a setting where this character is in poor health, yet still fights with all his might to defeat the foreign devils.

This moved and inspired Ip Man.

Unlike the beginning of the first film, Ip Man was a wealthy young master at that time, who only fell into poverty after the Japanese invasion.

In the second film, Ip Man's wife, Cheung Wing-sing, became pregnant with their second child, and Ip Man, who was full of vigor at the beginning of the first film, transformed into a middle-aged man struggling to make a living.

If you have to bow down for five pecks of rice, how can you have the spirit to fight the Japanese like you did at the end of the first part?

So, Master Hung's death, just like Master Liao's death in the first film, gave Ip Man a shot of adrenaline.

Therefore, it can be concluded that Master Ye's fighting power relies entirely on the death buff of his teammates.

Compared to the first installment, this role was more challenging for Zhang Yuan to portray.

We need to find that sense of helplessness and wasted time that middle-aged people feel.

We also need to apply some special effects makeup to make him look older.

"You have such nice skin."

“Unlike me, who is carved in one stroke…” While getting her makeup done, Lynn Hung, whose ancestral home is Nanjing, reached out and rubbed her face with the back of her hand.

"Your current condition is just right, you might even need to turn a little more yellow."

"How can someone have two children and still look so healthy?"

Just praise it, what else can you do?

This woman is a former model, and this time she's playing the pregnant Zhang Yongcheng.

They had to wear a fake belly on their body.

But apart from having a belly, my older sister still walks and does other things with the air of someone walking a catwalk.

Zhang Yuan felt that it wasn't just that this person was used to walking like that, but also had a model's image to maintain.

"Seriously, how do you take care of your appearance?"

"What brand of face mask do you use?" Miss Xiong asked curiously.

"Pancreas," Zhang Yuan answered honestly.

That is, washing your face with soap.

"Tch, so stingy. Fine, don't tell me then... Did you get cosmetic surgery?"

Zhang Yuan: …

I can't tell the truth; I'm just relying on the anti-aging properties to get by.

Liu Xiaoli's cosmetic surgery business—can I even comment on that?

"Don't talk nonsense, I never go to the hospital," Zhang Yuan reminded him.

Don't slip up in front of the media, or you'll say I had plastic surgery.

My success is 30% destiny and 70% hard work; others can't learn that.

Because it's so anti-aging, not only did they apply powder to him so his face wouldn't look so pink and tender, but they also used a pen to dot a lot of "white hairs" on him.

"Hey, Xiaoming, you seem really nervous." Zhang Yuan turned to look at Huang Xiaoming beside him.

"Hehehe..." He just chuckled a few times.

It's tension.

Because Xiaoming is not good at action scenes and has hardly ever filmed them, he is an amateur.

In this play, his co-stars were all "experts".

Especially Zhang Yuan, as Ip Man's eldest disciple, his character Huang Liang goes through a process of being "beaten into submission".

But he saw it clearly just now; Zhang Yuan was pushed out by Hong Jinbao in just two moves.

In addition, the fact that Zhang Yuan and Hua Yi are at odds recently is common knowledge within the company.

He thought to himself, "How can I possibly have a good outcome now that I'm in this guy's hands?"

A single act of revenge against me could be fatal.

So now I'm just swallowing hard, not daring to say a word.

That junior who once started from a lower point than me has now surpassed my level!
He understood that Zhang Yuan was now the one challenging his boss.

It can even be a back-and-forth battle; I just pulled off a big one.

Furthermore, because Zhang Yuan sold his shares through his creditors, the Wang brothers have now tightened their policies towards all the star shareholders within the company.

They went to each individual to sign new agreements, ensuring that the shares could not be sold secretly.

This caused widespread panic, and many people cursed him behind his back.

But those who are not envied are mediocre.

Zhang Yuan knew that some people would criticize him, but how many of those critics truly hated him, and how many hated themselves for not being able to be him?

You all fawn over the Wang brothers, but I can strike hard. Aren't you envious? Aren't you jealous?

Of course, in the eyes of the Wang brothers, he was a "traitor".

"Brother Xiaoming, I'm really going to emphasize this to you again, very sincerely and seriously."

“Please speak!” Huang Xiaoming suddenly sat up straight, like a primary school student.

Zhang Yuan: …

As for?
It made me feel like a terrible villain.

I am so kind.

"Uh...we're in the same group, so we're colleagues."

"No matter what happens outside, even if the sky falls, it won't affect filming."

"On set, we are all equals, we are all actors, understand?"

"Understood, understood!" The man nodded vigorously.

Zhang Yuan was unaware that his honest words had the opposite effect.

Because Xiao Wang, after drinking too much, said things like, "We are all equal in the company."

Five years ago, Zhang Yuan said this: "That was a buddy."

The other party thought Zhang Yuan was giving him a warning when he said that.

"Alright then." Zhang Yuan had no choice but to accept his predicament; he was just happy to be able to film properly.

I also need to be careful not to cause any conflict.

But some things are destined by fate, and his attention alone won't necessarily make a difference...

After everyone finished their makeup, they went to the outdoor set for a rehearsal.

The production team found a Wing Chun master for Xiaoming, named Shi Feng, to spar with him 24 hours a day.

Zhang Yuan went over and greeted the other party with clasped hands, asking for their consideration.

The older man laughed and said, "Just go easy on him, don't cripple him."

"No, I know my limits," Zhang Yuan joked. "At most, I'll just injure you."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The two laughed. Getting injured while filming action scenes is normal; it's a "hellish joke" among industry insiders.

But when Zhang Yuan turned around, he saw Xiao Ming trembling beside him.

He didn't see the joke, he only heard about hell...

"Hey hey!"

"So beautiful."

"Wow, so powerful and majestic."

Zhang Yuanzheng didn't know how to explain to Brother Xiaoming when he heard a commotion nearby, so he used this to divert the other party's attention.

"What is it?"

"Brother Xiaoming, let's go take a look together."

After walking more than ten steps, I pushed through a small group of onlookers. "Something new?"

Peeking out, I saw a very luxurious-looking single chair on the ground.

There are plenty of chairs in the film set's rest area, and many people bring their own folding chairs.

But this one is different!
It's not a regular folding chair; it's more like a single sofa chair.

Dark red, with fine veins shimmering with a dim light.

It looks like genuine leather.

Moreover, the craftsmanship is excellent; the leather is taut but not stretched.

The leather craftsmanship is also quite good. He doesn't know much about this, but he just thinks it looks beautiful.

But what's even more special is that there's a patch of bluish-gray leather on the back of the chair, different from the rest of the leather.

Looking up, I saw Sammo Hung standing there with his head held high, showing off.

“Brother, this is good stuff.” Zhang Yuanfu suddenly realized and stepped forward to speak.

"Haha, you have a good eye." Sammo Hung, with his big belly sticking out, immediately began to introduce.

"A custom-made chair." He patted the armrest twice, making a loud thud: "Top-quality Italian leather."

Zhang Yuan nodded; Hong Jinbao was just bragging.

"Moreover, I have a bad back and knee problem in recent years."

"So I consulted a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, who said that I had too much qi and blood when I was young, so I need to cool my blood and clear away heat now."

"Look at this piece of leather." He pointed to the piece of leather with an unusual color that Zhang Yuan had seen.

Do you know what kind of skin it is?

"Not bragging, huh...?" Zhang Yuan wisely shook his head, letting him pretend, letting him pretend.

African rhinoceros hide!

Zhang Yuan: …

Damn!

I recently visited a nature reserve in Africa and condemned the poachers for their despicable behavior.

Who would have thought that the poachers' catch would end up being supplied here...

Zhang Yuan had only heard that rhinoceros horn had medicinal uses.

No matter how precious the materials are, in the end they all boil down to two words.

Aphrodisiac!

That's all a man can hope for.

Hong Jinbao should be diagnosed with Yin deficiency.

Yang deficiency manifests as cold hands and feet, easy fatigue, and lack of desire.

Yin deficiency manifests as fever, dry mouth and tongue, and excessive energy.

According to Western medicine, it may be related to thyroid abnormalities.

Chenlong is also a typical case of Yin deficiency, always seeming to have inexhaustible energy and being overly excited.

The principle of clearing heat and detoxifying for those with yang deficiency makes sense.

However, Zhang Yuan was very skeptical about whether rhinoceros skin had this effect.

And wasn't this thing used to make armor in ancient times?

Isn't it uncomfortable to lie on this thing?
Zhang Yuan understood that this was a case of scarcity increasing value.

Hong Kong people love this.

Is it really that delicious to eat so much shark fin, abalone, and a bunch of rare ingredients?

Zhang Yuan, who knew this before and now knows even better, understands that the original flavor of shark fin and abalone is just so-so.

The key to an opera singer's voice and a chef's broth lies in the broth.

In 1922, Einstein was invited to lecture in an island nation and passed through Shanghai on his way there.

This person not only went to Yu Garden, but also strolled along the Bund, and finally dined at Yipinxiang, a famous restaurant in Shanghai at the time.

The chef in charge was Master Mu Xiangxiangzhen, a famous chef from Tianjin. During the Republic of China era, he was as famous as Mei Lanfang, Ma Lianliang and others, and was a master in a different field.

Chicken and spinach salad, two kinds of prawns, fruit juice mandarin fish, braised duck, and braised ox tongue tail are all hot dishes.

The most impressive main dish is "Braised Sea Sheep".

This dish requires eight ingredients, including sheep tendons, sheep spinal cord, sheep brain, sheep eyes, and sheep stomach.

Then, a whole shark fin is placed on top.

There are two types: white and red. The red version requires caramelizing sugar.

This dish left Einstein completely bewildered.

After finishing the meal, the old man pulled Master Mu aside and thanked him repeatedly.

This left this world-renowned figure with a very good impression of Chinese cuisine.

But Einstein wasn't stupid; he knew what he was eating.

When he got back, he told people that he had eaten "unbelievable" cuisine in China, made up of top-quality ingredients that Europeans could hardly imagine.

The key issue lies in the word "immoral." Einstein thought it tasted good, but the ingredients were excessively luxurious.

It is clear that there are differences between Eastern and Western cultures.

But in any case, these high-end ingredients that Hong Kong people love most are things that even Einstein would consider luxurious.

It can be said that within the entire Chinese cultural sphere, Hong Kong is the region that most loves all kinds of precious materials, not just food ingredients.

So, Sammo Hung's deliberate display of the rhinoceros leather seats also fits one of the stereotypes of that place...

Because there is a second one.

Zhang Yuan resisted the urge to frown.

How did Zhang Weijian, that bald guy, get into trouble back then?
Because of the seats.

Zhang Yuan's second stereotype about his colleagues in the Hong Kong entertainment industry is their unusual obsession with set seating.

On the set of "Let the Bullets Fly," Chow Yun-fat, his wife, and their assistant did the same.

In Hong Kong film crews, seats are a symbol of status.

Just like sitting at a dinner party in Shandong, you absolutely cannot get the seating wrong. There is a strict hierarchy: the host, the main host, and the secondary host.

Sammo Hung has now acquired both of these: a precious set of film seats, a full buff, no wonder he's so smug.

Zhang Yuan, of course, knew the rules. Apart from praising him, he didn't reach out to touch him, just in case the other person was unhappy.

"Touch it, it's ice cold!" The big brother wasn't so petty; he let him play with it and complied.

"It feels so good, I'm so envious."

"Good stuff."

"I think only the big shots in the film and television industry are qualified to use this kind of chair."

"Hahahaha." Hung Kam-pao was quite pleased with himself.

He was the eldest brother when he was young, and he has always been the eldest brother since his debut. He is very concerned about his image.

He's the kind of person who, even if you're not the lead actor or director, everyone has to listen to him as long as he's around.

They're not completely unreasonable, but they respond better to gentle persuasion than force.

Zhang Yuan understood his personality well; he knew that things could be discussed properly, but it required skill.

Don't you know how to coax an old man?

"Brother Zhang Yuan, how about we get you a deluxe chair too?"

He had barely walked a few steps after praising the person when his assistant came up to him and asked.

"I'm fine."

He bought the same model as the Liu family mother and daughter; it was imported and cost several thousand yuan.

"Brother Sammo Hung wanted to sit in the best chair to show that he had a high status in the crew, so let him have that."

"I'm not losing any of my flesh, and besides, he is a senior."

"Are you suggesting we try to compete with him?"

"He'll get a rhinoceros hide."

"I'll have a tiger skin."

"Brother Xiaoming, bring another panda-patterned one later."

"They all ended up inside."

He'd seen countless conflicts caused by chairs; they weren't worth it.

Mr. Yuan often told him, "The size of your heart determines the size of your books."

One must have a broad mind to be able to handle important matters.

In the North, it's called "competing," and in the South, it's called "showing off." This kind of thing is meaningless and only makes the older generation unhappy.

He didn't care at all and told his assistant and bodyguard to keep a low profile wherever they went to film in the future.

But after thinking about it, I added a sentence: "Domestic use only."

In foreign countries' territory, if you don't put on airs, you'll be seen as an idiot.

He walked unsteadily, thinking that as long as everyone was happy, that was all that mattered.

But some people are unhappy.

Huang Xiaoming, who had only heard half of what was said, stopped in his tracks in a daze.

"He's going to send me in!"

...(End of chapter)