Actor: Thank you.

"Please, everyone, you are too kind."

Zhang Yuan clasped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the group of seniors.

Today we're filming the main event: Ip Man's challenge to the martial arts school.

"Challenging" or "crashing the place" is also called "smashing the place".

This can be found in both the North and South martial arts circles.

Not only was it shown in "Ip Man 2", but Xu Haofeng's later film "The Master" also showcased the style of the Northern School of Tianjin challenging the school.

In Tianjin, he would train his apprentices by challenging them to do so, teaching them to risk their lives.

Of course, this is just a cinematic technique used to depict the cutthroat competition in traditional industries.

A normal challenge involves testing your skills against each opponent one by one. Winning or losing doesn't necessarily establish your reputation in the local area. Being too strong makes you feared, while being too weak makes you looked down upon.

However, movies and TV shows always require artistic embellishment. In "Ip Man 2," the challenge was designed to be a banquet at Hongmen. Within the time limit of an incense stick, one had to stand on a round table without falling or touching the ground to successfully challenge the opponent.

It has a feeling of being the "world's number one martial arts tournament".

There's also a specific custom associated with this "stick of incense".

Generally speaking, one hour is equivalent to four incense sticks, totaling eight quarters.

All things considered, one incense stick is equivalent to half an hour.

But this is just a common denominator; in reality, it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.

If I like you and want to let you pass, I'll bring out a small stick of incense.

If someone doesn't like you, they'll take out a stick of incense as thick as your wrist, light it, and you can burn it. It'll take them ages just to light it. That's what they mean by wanting you dead.

The world of martial arts is nothing more than human relationships and social customs, all of which are manipulable.

The same applies to other trades.

"Jumping the Treasure Game" is a gambling game.

Go in and cause trouble, then get beaten up. If you can pull through, you're considered amazing. From then on, you'll come and collect money every day, and if anything happens, you'll help settle things.

In Tianjin, people used to love fighting. When they went into a gambling den, they would pull out a dagger, shave a piece of flesh off their calf, and throw it on the table.

I'm betting on this!

You can't cry out in pain, you can't shed tears; back then, that was what made a person a hero.

Looking at it now, it's just plain crazy...

Mr. Yuan had told him that there were also "challengers" in the storytelling industry.

In teahouses, people say, "Come on in, go backstage and say hello for your hard work, then sit down and have some tea. The implication is that you've just arrived in this esteemed place, empty-handed, and would like some food and drink."

It's not like they'd just give me two steamed buns and an apple as a form of assistance.

Instead, they should give up their spot and let others come to them tomorrow.

He kept saying for several days that the money belonged to someone else, and after a while, the teahouse owner came out to persuade him.

If someone is better than you, just leave.

If the person who comes is not as good as you, then you should stay and give them some travel expenses.

The same applies to the culinary industry. If a fellow chef comes from out of town, you have to take leave and let them cook for a few days to earn money.

Finally, the boss judges the cooking skills; whoever is less skilled goes out.

In the old society, this could be considered a means of survival of the fittest.

Of course, the boss might also dislike you and deliberately find a "helper" to embarrass you and make you leave.

This kind of thing often happens in companies nowadays.

As Zhang Yuan clasped his hands in greeting, he scanned the crowd.

Life is like a drama, drama is like life.

He played Master Ip to challenge the martial arts school.

In real life, didn't he also come from all walks of life, challenging others to come?
If you want to climb higher, you have to challenge others; it just so happens that you've challenged Hua Yi.

The character in this scene is quite important; he will be fighting against three senior actors in succession.

Hung Kam-po plays Master Hung.

Luo Mang plays Master Luo.

Feng Ke'an plays Master Zheng.

Of these three, Master Luo Mang's actual skill level is the highest.

The eldest brother has a background in Peking Opera, while Feng Ke'an has a background in Cantonese Opera.

Feng Hak-On is the one who isn't blind in the "Qin Mo Duo" duo in Stephen Chow's movie "Kung Fu Hustle".

The person who asked Master Zhao Zhilin, "How much of this cloth is artistically made?"

Teacher Feng is a former child star, and her family has a tradition of Cantonese opera.

His younger sister was also a child star, just like him, but she is far more famous than him.

It is none other than the famous Hong Kong "child prodigy" Feng Baobao.

It's the same name as the gossipy character in the "Under One Person" comic.

The character Feng Baobao's appearance is inspired by Maki Horikita and Erika Toda, while her core is the Taoist concept of "Chizi" (赤子), which means a child with a pure heart, a state of innocence and natural non-action.

The name is taken from this Hong Kong star.

This veteran actress also has an older sister named Feng Subo, who played Granny Sun in the Gu Tianle version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

This family consists of Hong Kong stars.

Master Luo Mang is even more of a heavyweight, first of all, his name perfectly reflects his boldness.

Most of the characters he's played are also quite reckless.

And this man's master was the head bodyguard of Chen Jitang, a Cantonese warlord who was known as the "King of the South" back then!

One can imagine the level of skill of a warlord's bodyguards.

The Southern Mantis Boxing style is mainly divided into two schools: the Zhu family and the Zhou family.

Master Luo is a legitimate successor of the Zhu Family Mantis Boxing style, and his skill level is very high.

But those who are truly skilled in kung fu will never be able to compete in the film and television industry as those who are good at fighting, because it is a visual art.

"Master Luo, I've heard you're a master of Mantis Boxing. I hope we can exchange techniques sometime," Zhang Yuan said, stepping forward to offer his assistance.

"Oh, you're interested in Mantis Boxing?" Master Luo asked in surprise, as not many people are willing to practice this skill these days.

"Understood."

"Which school of mantises do you know?" Master Luo thought to himself, this male protagonist is really talking big!

You know a little bit about it?
Master Feng, who was standing nearby, gave him a meaningful look.

He's the male lead and an investor, what's wrong with him showing off a little?

You're such a roughneck, you don't give me any face at all.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yuan made a starting stance with a whoosh.

"Good!" Master Luo clapped his hands.

He was demonstrating Master Yu Hai's Seven Star Mantis Fist, which belongs to the Northern Mantis style.

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent; you can tell just by looking at their posture. They genuinely have a "basic understanding."

"You're clearly just practicing."

"Unlike Zhang Zhen from the Wang family, who only practiced the basic stance."

This person also participated in the filming of "The Grandmaster".

The comparison revealed a profound truth.

“Wong Kar-wai’s films are art films, ours are kung fu films, the requirements are different.” Zhang Yuan’s statement was a tacit agreement with his point of view.

"Come on, everyone, let's eat." Just as he was talking with the senior, Fan Shaohuang ran over carrying several large bags.

"Almond cookies, a famous brand, my wife queued for a long time to buy them."

"Everyone should share some and have it with tea."

People in the Hong Kong area of ​​Guangdong province love to eat dim sum, and around 3 o'clock, they will definitely drink tea first.

But after the cake was divided, Fan Shaohuang pulled him aside by himself.

"what's up?"

"Thank you, I was able to make this movie again." The old man smiled and took a jar out of a simple plastic bag.

"Here, this is a small gift for you."

Zhang Yuan didn't open it, but when he sniffed it, he noticed a dry, fragrant aroma.

"what?"

“Dried tangerine peel,” the young man said in a low voice, “30 years old.”

"Oh, thank you so much!" Zhang Yuan quickly thanked him upon hearing that it was him.

Hong Kong people love dried goods, and besides dried seafood, dried tangerine peel is considered the most precious.

This isn't the kind of preserved tangerine peel sold in supermarkets that you just eat for fun.

This is 30-year-old aged tangerine peel, which can be used in medicine and cooking.

Giving this as a gift in Hong Kong would definitely be impressive.

Because it's not fragmented, top-quality 30-year-old Xinhui tangerine peel, it costs at least 5 to 6 yuan per kilogram.

"I'm so lucky to have this! I'll definitely make good use of it."

"It strengthens the spleen and stomach, stimulates appetite, and regulates the body. I see you're so busy usually, so you should take more supplements," Fan Shaohuang said politely.

"Strengthen the spleen and stomach..." Zhang Yuan thought, "Then Jiang Xin and Zhao Liying probably don't need to eat anymore, since their spleens and stomachs are already very strong."

The reason this person was so polite was because in the previous film, he stopped Ye Weixing from changing the ending of the character Jinshan was looking for. Originally, he was supposed to report Ip Man to the Japanese and be killed by them.

After that part was deleted, he didn't die, so a second part came out.

And with the change in her persona, she became much more likable.

He became a henpecked husband making a living in Hong Kong and even raised money to help Master Ye.

Viewers who have seen the first season will appreciate this kind of storyline where enemies become friends.

If there are plays to perform, there is money to be made, and it is only reasonable for people to give gifts as thanks.

They pulled him aside to prevent the other Hong Kongers from trying to snatch the good stuff.

"You're welcome. You and your character make this show more complete. I should be thanking you."

Zhang Yuan wasn't just talking nonsense, because Master Ye and Jin Shan Zhao in the second part are actually in the opposite positions to those in the first part.

In the first film, Master Ip was kind, and Jin Shan Zhao was a Northern Kung Fu practitioner who came to the South to challenge other schools.

In the second part, Master Ip challenges the martial arts school, but Jin Shan becomes kinder.

Ip Man actually became Jin Shan Zhao in the first film.

"I'll take this call, we'll talk later."

He knew there was an important call when he saw his assistant bring him the phone.

It was Cheng Hao calling; people are indeed more important.

"what is the matter?"

"By the way, how's your appetite lately? I got some dried tangerine peel."

"Stop grinning like that, I have something important to tell you," the older sister said irritably.

“You’ve been causing trouble again lately, but do you know that the company account is empty again, not a single penny?”

"I can't even scrape together the money to pay my loan next month."

"is it?"

Hearing his relaxed tone, Cheng Hao felt even more helpless.

"Don't you have any sense of responsibility as a boss? Your subordinates need money to eat, you can't keep messing things up."

"It's alright, the payment from the animation company should be coming soon, enough to cover the expenses for the next few months."

Zhang Yuan picked at his ear; he was referring to the box office figures of the animated film "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf."

One film every year, and the box office keeps getting higher and higher.

Even after deducting costs and theater revenue sharing, they can still make tens of millions.

"That will take a while; we'll wait for the rice to be cooked."

"You've also made a bunch of promises to invest in Hong Kong films."

"Ah, yes."

Getting those Hong Kong business owners to boycott Huayi Brothers might be a matter of saving face, but it also has to be practical.

He also promised a bunch of funding rounds; if you don't give him money, who's going to help you?

"Hey... can't you be a little more mature with your forgetful and careless attitude?"

"Just like a child, he always has to pick a fight."

“It wasn’t me who started it.” Zhang Yuan knew the other person was referring to Hua Yi.

"Starting a war is easy, but ending a war is not so simple."

"Can't you just focus on making money and be calm?"

"Hey!" Zhang Yuan sneered, "It's impossible to be calm and peaceful; life and death are the norm."

"You need to get used to this."

"And you must believe that I will eventually win, it just takes time."

Alibaba is putting a lot of pressure on him these days.

He told Gu Yongqiang about Yang Tianbao seeing Ma Yun, and Gu Yongqiang became serious as well.

Although she didn't express it, she felt that his intelligence network was very impressive, something she herself was unaware of.

"This is a protracted war."

"A protracted war?" My dear sister found that annoying.

You men are all terrible.

"It's not just a protracted war, it's a war of attrition."

"Let's see who gives up first."

"Can you outlast Hua Yi?" Cheng Hao was almost laughing in anger. Can't we just live a peaceful life together?

"Of course I can't."

"But I'm not alone. Although there are many traitors, I have more people on my side."

"There are still plenty of resources that can be squeezed out, as evidenced by the mutual withdrawal of actors this time."

"Look, does Huayi have a solution now?"

It was somewhat of an impotent rage.

Because Zhang Yuan leveraged his strengths, namely his wide reach.

In terms of individual performance, he is inferior to his opponent.

However, in a horizontal dimension, although the Hong Kong entertainment industry has declined, there are still some nails left in a broken ship, and Hong Kong directors and producers are all over the Chinese entertainment industry.

If they truly unite, their strength will be considerable, enough to temporarily contend with the imperial circle.

Moreover, Huayi is not part of the entire Imperial Circle, but only a part of it, and there are many people who dislike them.

"I have to fight, whether I want to or not, otherwise I have no value."

"Once you lose your value, you will be abandoned."

"Only by fighting can one demonstrate value, and only by having value can one continue to move forward."

"As for a war of attrition, you don't need to be afraid."

"Although Huayi is already listed on the stock exchange, the company is worth tens of billions."

"But the Wang brothers have already reduced their holdings and spent lavishly."

"Their shares are probably worth several billion, but they can't be converted into cash indefinitely."

"In reality, at most a few hundred million can be mobilized at once."

"My current objective is to deplete the enemy's manpower."

“Look, when the two brothers got desperate, they invested heavily in the Tudou.com project.”

"The more urgent the situation, the more you should throw."

"I'll wait here until he's exhausted from this attack before I make my move."

Zhang Yuan thought to himself, "I need to rewatch the movie 'Crossing the Chishui River Four Times'."

It's not a skill to mobilize your own people; it's a real ability to mobilize the enemy!
Cheng Hao, on the other end of the phone, clutched her forehead, her head aching!
I knew he was going to cause trouble again.

My sister prefers a stable life and doesn't like excitement.

It's fine to have some excitement in the bedroom occasionally.

"Don't panic, it will be fine in a while."

"I'll make you some soup when I get home."

"Come on, with so much foreign debt, how can we even eat?"

“That’s perfect, I have a recipe for strengthening the spleen and stomach!” Zhang Yuan glanced at the dried tangerine peel in his hand.

"I'm ignoring you... I have some savings here, I'll help you cover your losses first."

"You'll have to pay interest!" she said in a coquettish tone before hanging up the phone.

Zhang Yuan put down his phone and stroked his chin.

"I said my teeth haven't been feeling well lately, turns out it's because I've been living off Cheng Hao."

"I'm still poor!"

"If that doesn't work, how about we eat a few more meals off women and borrow some more money from them?"

He counted on his fingers who had money.

If that doesn't work, I'll have to pay with my body.

Actually, even if you don't lack money, you can repay with your body...

As he drifted into daydreams, a hint of worry crossed his brow.

"The key to the problem still lies with Alibaba."

"It depends on whether they will provide Huayi with ammunition, and how much."

"It depends on Alibaba's determination and the intentions of the people behind it."

Before Alibaba went public, a group of Zhejiang businessmen went on a buying spree, vying for Alibaba's publicly traded shares.

After Ma Yun learned of this, she sent people to find the group of Zhejiang merchants.

"Do you know whose shares you're trying to take?"

They also gave several names.

Then the Zhejiang businessmen ran away without saying a word.

How could a company of this caliber not have powerful backers?

"To be or not to be, that is the question." Zhang Yuan weighed his own abilities, wondering if he could withstand it. (End of Chapter)