Actor: Thank you.

On the playground of a local elementary school in AS city.

"Come on, let's walk through it together."

"Everyone, remember to be orderly and rhythmic."

Director Zhang Meng shouted it out with his own voice.

At night, even though it was still a dilapidated primary school, I could take as many pictures as I wanted without any problems.

The scene we filmed involved the protagonist gathering a group of friends to steal a piano from the school's music room.

Because this attempt failed, he later did the "absurd thing" of building his own piano.

Zhang Yuan lit a cigarette and looked around.

One good thing about this film is that it reminded him of his time filming "Conquest".

That means you can smoke freely on set, because the characters smoke.

In the 90s, heavy smokers were everywhere.

Ten years ago, even with a continuous decline in smoking rates, the smoking rate was still around 30%.

The subsequent year-on-year decrease is a good thing.

In the 90s, the smoking rate among men exceeded 50%, while that among women was around 2%.

After all, in general perception, smoking is like getting a tattoo; once you're involved, you're not a good girl.

All the main characters in the film, especially the male ones, smoke, even on camera.

That's what makes it real, that's what people from that era are like.

If a child actually learns to smoke from watching movies... that's really not good, just like learning to fight from watching "Young and Dangerous".

Therefore, Zhang Yuan has always been a supporter of film rating systems.

Filming this movie used up a lot of cigarettes, so he bought them himself.

In the Northeast, there's Harbin, the Great Hall of the People, and Changbai Mountain.

There is also a local cigarette called Lao Baduo.

"Rehearsing the scene."

"coming."

The crowd lined up and walked past the camera one by one.

After filming once, Zhang Yuan glanced at the playback.

Ah.

No wonder they made us slip away so quickly; they had a little scheme up their sleeve.

It imitates "Abbey Road," the most famous poster of The Beatles, in which the four members line up on a zebra crossing and walk across.

Abbey Road was published in 69, when Northeast China was still in its golden age.

Zhang Yuan didn't know whether this was imitation or a tribute.

Not only in this scene, but also in the scene where they steal the piano and sit on the truck, the director had Qin Hailu and Teacher Wang shaking their heads together.

He glanced at it from afar, and it looked like Jim Carrey's famous scene of three people shaking their heads in a car.

It's clear that Zhang Meng put his heart into it.

In Northeastern dialect, he poured all his artistic talent into this play.

It was almost 11 o'clock when we finished filming this scene.

It was already eerily cold, and now a flurry of heavy snow began to fall from the sky.

"Great!"

The director is tinkering with an old piano, the one the main characters in the film tried to steal but were eventually caught.

The brand of this piano is called Northeast Piano, and it is a product of the Northeast Piano Musical Instrument Factory.

This brand has been around since 52, and in 88 it even acquired the Swedish brand Nordisk, aiming to break into the high-end market.

Then it broke.

You think it's because Northeast China declined in the 90s and nobody bought them anymore?

No, no, no, it's always been excellent, ranking among the top three in national sales.

At one point, the sales volume of grand pianos even reached the number one in the world.

Then in 07 it was acquired by a foreign company, and went bankrupt in less than a year due to "poor management".

This is capitalism.

If I buy you out and destroy you, I'll have no competitors.

This is how many private enterprises in China have failed.

Chinese brands are not afraid of fair competition; what they fear is collusion between insiders and outsiders, with compradors and foreign companies joining forces to engage in "free trade."

Zhang Yuan stepped forward and touched the upright piano, which looked somewhat worn.

Ding!
I pressed a key, and the tone was slightly off; it was clear that it hadn't been maintained for a long time.

However, a good piano wouldn't be wasted by the film crew.

"You'll play the piano in a little while."

“I’ll set up a spotlight on you.”

"It was shot right in the snow."

"Got it." Zhang Yuan glanced at the weather and thought to himself that the director was really going all out for him.

There wasn't even a formal shoot; he was practically frozen while he sat on the piano bench and the lighting technician found the right lighting.

I had my assistant prepare some hand warmers, which I then stuck to the inside of my large cotton gloves to improve blood circulation in my hands.

Thump thump thump thump...

Filming officially began shortly afterward.

He played "Für Elise," a piece most familiar to the students, on the piano.

He let the snowflakes fall on his head, shoulders, and the piano.

Under a spotlight-like beam of light, the solo performance in the snowy night created a truly romantic scene.

The director used this to depict the psychological changes of the male protagonist after his failed attempt to steal the piano.

Zhang Yuan sat there, a cigarette dangling from his lips, playing the piano.

His eyes were unfocused, he didn't know where he was looking, and he just played mechanically.

After failing to steal the zither, the protagonist Chen Guilin was at a loss as to what to do next.

"Not bad," said Teacher Wang, sipping hot tea as she watched.

"It's not bad." Qin Hailu also praised, "The advantage of bringing him here is that he's good-looking. This scene looks like a painting."

"Who said anything about looks? You women are so superficial," Teacher Wang joked. "I said it was because the acting was good."

"There's a sense of decadence, but it's not pretentious."

After repeating this a few times, Zhang Yuan rubbed his hands together and went to the side when the director yelled "cut."

"Are your hands alright?" Qin Hailu asked, noticing that his hands were red and frozen.

"You need to wipe it with warm water. Just now, after the last wiping, my fingers were so sore I couldn't move them, and my joints hurt."

"I'm afraid my fingers will touch the piano keys."

Teacher Wang quickly grabbed the thermos and poured some warm water into his hands for a soak.

Using water that is too hot at this time is not advisable, as it can easily cause injury.

"No wonder he became a movie star at such a young age."

"A professional attitude is remarkable."

"Zhang Yuan," the director called him again, "Let's do it one more time."

"Isn't it over?"

"You look pretty handsome, I'm planning to take a few more poster photos."

He had no choice but to wipe his hands with a towel and return to the camera.

Making a film is no easy feat, especially for a small production crew like this.

Just from that one scene, his fingers were so frozen that they were stiff for several days afterward.

“Learning an instrument in Northeast China is difficult; the winters are unbearable,” Zhang Yuan muttered to himself, looking at his hands.

"Are you stupid?!" Qin Hailu heard this and stepped forward to mock him, "We have heating!"

Zhang Yuan slapped his forehead; he might have been thinking a bit like a southerner just now.

I wondered how Lang Lang, a Northeasterner, could practice his piano in this weather.

Zhang Yuan really wanted to find Lang Lang to befriend, and maybe even take advantage of him.

If you really can't let me take advantage of you, you can try getting to know my future sister-in-law.

Like everyone else, I mainly love music...

Lang Lang fell in love with the piano after watching the episode of "Tom and Jerry" featuring the "Cat Concerto".

It's the one where Tom plays the piano and Jerry lives inside it; that episode won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 46.

The cat and mouse team is still too strong.

After several days of shooting, Qin Hailu got excited during dinner one evening.

"Want to go see a movie later?"

"You're in such a good mood."

"There's a popular drama lately, Jiang Wen's drama, isn't it in it?"

Only after she mentioned it did Zhang Yuan remember.

I glanced at my phone; it's already the release date for "Let the Bullets Fly".

"Not only did I spend money, but I also spent money."

"Then we definitely have to watch it; you have to treat us."

"You can't always bully me just because you're a woman." Zhang Yuan said casually, "Fine, I'll treat you guys, I won't go."

"It's pointless to just look at yourself all the time."

Let them see one of the strongest Chinese commercial films of this century. While "Let the Bullets Fly" may not be as profound as many art films, it's impressive when placed within the commercial film category.

This is the best film Jiang Wen has ever made, striking a balance between artistic and commercial success.

He then returned to his room.

The production crew didn't prepare a luxury hotel, just a standard room in a three-star hotel.

Zhang Yuan glanced at the report sent by the film companies on both sides of the strait.

"Let the Bullets Fly" grossed 3000 million yuan on its opening day!
Second only to "Aftershock".

It had already exceeded 100 million by the early morning of the third day.

It reached 200 million on the fifth day!

No wonder Qin Hailu and the others knew about it.

The whole country knows!

"Brother Wen, you can break even in a week, so you can rest assured."

He called Jiang Wen to congratulate her.

"It's alright, but I really didn't expect so many people to watch it." Jiang Wen remained calm, not letting the high box office numbers go to her head.

"These people are just stirring up trouble. How many of them actually understand what's going on? They're just watching the show."

"It's good enough to have some excitement to watch." Zhang Yuan didn't care about any of that.

You may not understand now, but you will understand in the future.

The key is that I made money!
This play was initiated with the strong support of both him and Yang Shouchen. Its success would undoubtedly strengthen his influence.

This also makes the company's cash flow more abundant.

"Brother Wen, you should prepare yourself mentally."

"Maybe we can break the box office record this time."

"Plan the celebration banquet in advance, so you don't rush into it haphazardly."

"It's not that easy."

Don't say he doesn't believe it; nobody does.

No one in the industry or outside the industry believed that Jiang Wen, whose films always lose money, could break box office records.

And it's real box office revenue, achieved through the hard power of quality and word-of-mouth, not through ticket fraud.

The emergence of milestone works has both accidental and inevitable aspects.

It was by chance that Jiang Wen filmed this movie at this particular time.

The inevitability lies in the fact that, as the Chinese film industry has developed to this stage, someone has to step forward and make a film like this.

Zhang Yuan leaned back in his chair, quite satisfied.

Being able to participate in such a work is a way to make a name for oneself in history.

Actually, the big winner of this Spring Festival film season is not Jiang Wen.

It was Ge You!

Uncle Ge starred in three major films by himself: "Sacrifice", "Let the Bullets Fly", and "If You Are the One 2"!
What defines a top-tier male star?

These days, Ge You is a box office guarantee; people of all ages love to watch it.

"Director Jiang, now that this matter is finished, you should take a rest."

"Yes, Ichiro invited me to France." Jiang Wen was pleased to hear this.

He wasn't urged to start another film just because this one did well at the box office.

This kind of cooperation is comfortable.

"By the way, I heard you pried open Huayi's honey?"

"Huh?" Jiang Wen's words made him sit up.

"Don't talk nonsense."

"When have I ever done such a thing?"

"That Lin Xinru, isn't one of them?"

"I'm with you now."

“What do you mean by ‘following me’? This is called ‘cooperating with me’,” Zhang Yuan solemnly corrected.

You're not exactly a decent person either.

"Anyway, I was originally with them, but now I'm with you."

"I heard things didn't go well over there."

"You're being petty. In modern society, there are no indentured servitude contracts or bonded laborers. Who you cooperate with is a matter of personal choice."

Zhang Yuan was unaware that Lin Xinru had gone to see Xiao Wang.

Therefore, the two sides have completely different understandings of this matter!
In addition, Ruby Lin is shaking again now.

The crew of "The Glamorous Imperial Concubine" has resumed work, and even Liu Tao has voluntarily returned to the set.

He treated us to dinner again, and after a few drinks, he started talking recklessly.

Just then, someone asked her about Yu Zheng.

"No, I don't know." She initially tried to play dumb.

"Don't hide it anymore, it's all over."

"Everyone outside is saying that Zhang Yuan beat Yu Zheng half to death for your sake."

Ruby Lin: ...

for me?
They were beaten half to death?
That's how rumors spread; once they start, they spread like wildfire.

This is the origin of the saying that Zhang Yuan stole Hua Yi's "honey".

Jiang Wen deliberately made fun of him.

Some people actually believe it.

In addition, Ruby Lin also has a sense of shame; she can't very well say that she was beaten up by Zhang Yuan and is only now behaving herself.

To save face, she had to say the opposite.

So she told others that she encountered difficulties while filming, and Zhang Yuan helped her solve them.

I'm not making this up; he's the one who solved it.

As for where the difficulties come from, don't ask.

Zhang Yuan's long-range slap to Yu Zheng missed her, but it made her eyes look much clearer.

Da Kuo Yuan was very righteous and saved her from dire straits; now he even works with her.

What she meant was, "Zhang Yuan and I are on the same side, so don't cause me any trouble."

I also gave Zhang Yuan a shout-out, saying he could easily handle online platforms and TV stations.

It's even more exaggerated than he can actually do.

The more she boasts, the more correct it seems that she and Zhang Yuan are cooperating.

Hearing this, everyone felt even more that Zhang Yuan was capable.

It's good for him.

If you're strong enough, others will make excuses for you when you get beaten up.

She should thank us.

But when these words reached Huayi, they didn't sound right!
People are saying that since Ruby Lin just came from Huayi, why didn't you guys help her when she encountered problems, but Zhang Yuan did?

That's pretty impressive!
If you say you'll rescue someone, you can rescue them.

People will think, "Ning Hao also came from here."

Lin Xinru also came from here.

Zhang Yuan has "recruited" them all.

He helped smooth things over.

Conversely, could it be that people left because Huayi couldn't handle anything?
People are afraid of comparison; once they start comparing, they feel inferior.

Recently, Hua Yi has already faced a lot of criticism because of the Tudou.com incident, and now that Xin Xingru has come out again, it's even more upsetting for her.

The worst part is that all you can do is sulk.

Because Zhang Yuan's final payment hasn't come in yet, we can't scold him.

Lin Xinru actually contacted me, but I didn't help her with it.

The painful part is that rumors, as they spread, eventually become the truth!

The process was wrong, but the result was all correct.

Anyway, people in the industry watched as Zhang Yuan rose to power by stepping on them.

Frustration, a feeling that the two brothers had never experienced before.

I'm so angry, but I have nowhere to vent it.

They're all so frustrated they're drinking alone.

Fortunately, good news arrived, dispelling some of the gloom.

"If You Are the One 2" has also been released!
It grossed 35 million on its opening day and reached 100 million in two days.

The two brothers thought to themselves, "Finally, something good has happened."

It has to be Xiaogang.

If this film can become the top-grossing film of the year, just like last year, then the company's stock price will naturally soar.

I've given an explanation to myself and the shareholders, which will reduce the pressure considerably.

In addition, the financial pressure will be alleviated once the first batch of box office revenue is received.

Once we have a free hand.

hum!

Let's see if you keep jumping around like that.

But can "If You Are the One 2" really become the box office champion...? (End of this chapter)