Actor: Thank you.

Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da...

From the television screen in front of the camera came an electronic voice that was incredibly familiar to countless gamers.
Zhang Yuan was holding the Famicom controller, playing the original Super Mario Bros. with a blank stare in his eyes.

"Super Mario" is the name used in China; the actual name is "Super Mario Bros."

In 85, its release on the Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System) sparked a market frenzy.

Since then, Mario, with his red hat, along with The Legend of Zelda with his green hat and Pokémon with its yellow mouse, have become the strongest IPs of the legendary game company Nintendo.

It's not just the legendary content of this game company, but also a legendary product in the history of video games.

The Mario Brothers' status in the video game genre is equivalent to Michael Jackson's status in the pop music industry.

The appearance of this game on the set of "The Piano in a Factory" was not a whim, nor was it because the director had a particular fondness for the game.

The movie is set in the early 90s, so playing a game from 85 isn't too outdated.

The director's intention in having the male lead play "Super Mario" is actually the same as the other plot points in the film.

Super Mario is a side-scrolling jumping game.

At the beginning of the design, the project leader, who would later be known as the God of Games, Shigeru Miyamoto, believed that there should be no text prompts in games. Instead, players should be able to gradually understand the gameplay from the moment they enter the game and start operating it.

It's like if there's a glass ball on the ground, even a 3-year-old child would pick it up, throw it, and watch it roll in the sunlight.

Nintendo is a company that started by making traditional physical gaming devices, so it has always adhered to this philosophy.

So, how do we let players know that they should control the character in the game to keep moving to the right?
The simplest way is to make it so that once you move forward, you can't go back, and the content on the left will disappear forever.

Can time be reversed?
Can Mario go back?
Life is a journey that is constantly moving forward, with no way back.

Along the way, you'll encounter various enemies such as spiky turtles and long-legged chestnuts. You can also collect coins to make your account look better.

Unfortunately, life is not a game; everyone only has one chance to complete it in one life.

The Famicom was introduced to China in the late 80s, and its price at the time was about 15000 yen.

That period coincided with the last glorious phase of the island nation's economic bubble before it burst, with the Japanese yen's exchange rate soaring and the per capita income of China and Japan differing by nearly 80 times.

The price of a genuine Famicom in China is roughly equivalent to a worker's annual salary.

The price of one genuine cassette tape is enough for a family of three to have a good year's worth of food and drink.

Therefore, the craze for going abroad in the 8s and 90s is easy to understand.

That's enough to earn in a month what a level 8 worker in China earns in a year just by cleaning toilets abroad.

It's understandable that the male protagonist's wife would rather take their daughter and live with a man who sells fake medicine.

In theory, the male protagonist in the era depicted in the movie shouldn't be able to afford a genuine Famicom.

So at the beginning, director Zhang Mengtao switched to a Little Tyrant learning machine to participate in the filming.

But Zhang Yuan stopped him before filming began.

Nintendo boasts the strongest legal department in the Eastern Hemisphere.

If you use a pirated machine and play a pirated Mario game in this movie, people might not care about you.

I really want to sue you, and I'd win every time.

Zhang Yuan asked him one question: "Do you plan to participate in the Tokyo Film Festival?"

Zhang Meng then fell silent.

I just bought a genuine set for filming.

In this way, if the game is played in the video and the background music is also from the game, copyright issues can be avoided.

Zhang Meng's design was that the male protagonist was playing a game, and the camera would scan the room at the end, finally landing on the divorce summons sent by the court on behalf of his wife.

At the same time, Mario dies in the game, and a death background music plays.

"Okay, I'll take it."

"Two scenes left, let's keep up the good work." Zhang Meng exhaled a puff of white breath in the winter night.

Zhang Yuan stood up from in front of the camera and handed him a Harbin cigarette.

"Zhang Yimou is over fifty and still has three children."

"I don't even have money to get married," Zhang Meng sighed after taking a few puffs.

They're clearly in the same industry, so why is there such a big difference?

"Did you know that Zhang Yimou's original name was not Zhang Yimou, but Zhang Yimou? Yi means merit, and Yi means to benefit one's grandson's plans."

"His name is taken from the Book of Songs, and it was given to him by the elders in his family."

"His grandfather was a wealthy man in Lintong, the kind who lived in a landlord's mansion."

"My father was a quartermaster in the Kuomintang army."

"My eldest uncle was a graduate of the ninth class of the Whampoa Military Academy, and my second uncle was a graduate of the fifteenth class."

"My maternal grandfather was a tax official during the Republic of China era, and both my parents' families were extremely wealthy."

"Even though he was sent to the countryside later because of his family background, he rose again as times changed."

“You’re good at persuasion.” Zhang Meng glanced at him listlessly.

Before, I was just dissatisfied, but after hearing this, I feel a bit desperate.

“We’re considered good here, at least we don’t believe in bloodline theory.” Zhang Yuan took out another cigarette and continued smoking.

In the dead of winter, I feel freezing if I don't have something in my mouth.

"If you switched sides to the Japanese and Koreans, people like us, who were born into the Japanese, wouldn't even deserve to have human dignity."

Zhang Yuan looked up at the starry sky.

Just look at Japanese manga; there are no protagonists from humble backgrounds.

The three shonen manga series known as "Bleach," "Naruto," and "One Piece" ultimately boil down to the theory of bloodline.

However, things tend to turn around when things reach their extreme. By the time the Japanese version of the game became known as the "Number One Male Gunner," the bloodline theory in manga such as "One-Punch Man," "Jujutsu Kaisen," and "Demon Slayer" had faded.

What Zhang Yuan disliked most was that when meeting "high-class" white people, they would first "list their dishes," as if they wanted to tell you how glorious their ancestors were for eighteen generations.

At times like this, he always wanted to shout, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

Perhaps Teacher Guo shares the same mindset as him, which is why he keeps asking about the flag.

I put in so much effort just so that I could afford a camera like Zhang Yimou did in the 70s.

To communicate on an equal footing with someone like Xixi, who could afford a computer costing tens of thousands of yuan in the 90s.

Moreover, what I want is not just equal communication.

Thinking of this, he personally made a phone call to Zhang Yimou.

It took a long time before the call was connected.

"Hello." A weary voice came from the other end of the phone.

Not only was I exhausted, but I was also filled with helplessness and frustration.

Because so many colleagues have been calling me these days.

Nine times out of ten they say the same thing.

what happened?

Is it real?
What to do next?
Feel free to reach me anytime; just let me know if you need any help.

Most of them are just pretending to be good people, all talk and no action.

So when he saw Zhang Yuan calling, he didn't really want to answer; he was in a mess. But considering that the guy usually respected him, he eventually answered anyway.

"Director Zhang, I won't say anything else."

"I've heard everything."

"So, Mr. Yu Qian from Deyuan Society and I leased 100 acres of land in Lixian, Beijing, and built a horse farm."

"It also includes vegetable gardens, fish ponds, chicken coops, pigsties, and accommodations; it's quite well-maintained."

"If you think it's appropriate, I'll send a car to Wuxi to bring your family here to Lixian to avoid the limelight for a while."

“This place is my private estate. It’s quiet, nobody knows about it, and nobody will bother me.”

"Moreover, it is self-sufficient, and the environment and air are good, making it suitable for women and children to live in."

"There are animals to play with, and you can ride horses."

"What do you think?"

Zhang Yimou was stunned for a moment, then felt a surge of satisfaction.

These are the people who get things done!

Putting aside whether I need it or not, or whether I go or not, what they say is all practical, unlike those other people who just spout nonsense.

Zhang Yimou's villa in Wuxi is now too crowded for anyone to stay in.

After the address was exposed, no fewer than a hundred reporters surrounded it every day.

His wife and children keep the curtains drawn all the time, never letting them see the sunlight; they live like vampires.

Zhang Yuan's words struck a chord with him, directly addressing his practical problems.

As for how the problem arose, don't ask.

"Please consider it."

"I know you must be busy lately, so I won't bother you any longer."

"If you need anything, please send me a message."

"Hey, thanks." Zhang Yimou said goodbye and hung up the phone.

Whether it works out or not, his intentions have been conveyed.

Now is the time to extend goodwill.

Try to win them over.

However, one cannot be too kind, as this can easily lead to problems.

Because although Zhang Yimou is "honest and simple," he is not stupid.

Even if he doesn't want to, there are plenty of people who will analyze it for him.

In any detective novel, what is the first rule for identifying the murderer?
Whoever benefits is the murderer.

It may not be accurate, and the real culprit might even exploit this habitual way of thinking, but it will likely be brought up.

Therefore, the risk of revealing this information about Zhang Yimou is quite high.

Following this line of reasoning, Zhang Yuan shouldn't have triggered this event himself.

Just like Yang Lei's divorce settlement lawsuit on Tudou.com.

This matter is of great importance, and he dares not initiate it personally.

Forget about the cycle of karma; I got involved, and the consequences are now hanging over my head—I'm in for a world of hurt.

If the information is leaked, you'll be in deep trouble.

So he only mentioned this to Gu Yongqiang.

Because the other party is unlikely to "betray" them, their interests are intertwined, and they will advance and retreat together.

But Zhang Yimou's story is different from Tudou.com's!
If we let this happen naturally, there will be a big problem.

At this time, Zhang Yimou was preparing a new film called "The Flowers of War"!
It was during the casting process for this film that the conflict between Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping reached a breaking point.

After filming, the two basically broke up, ending their long-standing working relationship.

Then, in order to get revenge, Zhang Weiping hired someone to leak information about Zhang Yimou.

I'll ruin you.

This kind of thing is not uncommon.

Moreover, this situation is common when a company has only one mainstay, and that mainstay is still in existence.

You do not cultivate good deeds in your daily life, and you love killing and arson. How can you expect your subordinates to remember your good deeds?

Zhang Weiping made his fortune by being "unconventional".

But Zhang Yimou isn't someone to be trifled with.

One of the reasons Zhang Weiping was so angry was that he discovered that Zhang Yimou had already found someone else before breaking up with him!

After the conflict arose during the filming of "The Flowers of War," Zhang Yimou, though holding his anger, finished the filming while simultaneously contacting all parties involved.

After the falling out, she seamlessly transitioned to the next company.

The company that took over was the then-booming "Accountant Jia," which is LeTV Pictures.

LeEco was in dire need of a key figure, so it offered Zhang Yimou a lot of benefits, including cash and shares in its subsidiaries, which were then brought under his name.

That's why we need to detonate this in advance.

If things take their course, I'll most likely be unable to compete with those preemptive giants!

Can I compare my financial resources with LeEco's?
Wanda and several Alibaba film studios are also eyeing the market.

Will Zhang Yimou choose me?
Rather than passively waiting to die, it's better to take the initiative and fight back.

By not giving Zhang Yimou and those companies a chance to react or negotiate, they have brought everyone to the same starting line.

Furthermore, Le Vision Pictures had not yet been established at this time, and this biggest competitor was blocked by the "timeline," so it was much safer.

However, Le Vision Pictures will begin to be formed in early 11 and will be established in the middle of the year.

Therefore, the window of opportunity left for him is not long.

We have to take the risks!
Moreover, he had already made full preparations.

That is, they found a way to "clear their name".

They got involved early on in the conflict between Mr. Guo and Beijing TV, and made the conflict public.

This made it known throughout the world that he had a serious conflict with the Imperial TV Station.

Then let Beijing TV be the first to break the news, thus creating an "alibi".

Otherwise, it's not worth getting into such big trouble just for a little money from Teacher Guo and Deyuan Society.

But if it can drag Zhang Yimou into this mess, then it's worth it.

Zhang Yuan doesn't entirely believe in virtues like honesty, justice, and keeping promises, but he does believe that people will strive for their desires.

He can achieve a temporary alliance by satisfying the other party's desires.

Zhang Yuan picked up a tree branch and started writing and drawing on the ground.

They were calculating how to negotiate with Zhang Yimou.

So far, everything is going smoothly... (End of Chapter)