1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 646 "Mom, Love Me Once More"

"My dear child, if your mother agrees to your request, it will actually harm you!"

"You know our Shanghai, it used to be a bustling metropolis, full of prosperity and noise. To put it bluntly, in the decades of the old society, the most elite young men in the country gathered here."

"Do you know what this represents? It's not just about extravagant spending; it also represents countless loves and hates."

"Back then, there were countless girls like you who threw themselves at those rich young men and big shots. There were daughters of noble families, progressive female students, and many beautiful girls from ordinary families like ours."

"But how many of them had a good ending?"

"The love of great men is always finite."

"They may spoil you for a while, but it's hard for them to spoil you forever."

"Sigh, I know you're thinking about him all the time, so you definitely won't listen to what I'm saying."

"But your mother still advises you to think it over carefully!"

Gong's mother spoke earnestly to Gong Xue, saying that she actually had many other ideas to share with her daughter.

For example, if Li Changhe is so capable, what will happen to his two wives and such a large family business?
Throughout history, fratricide and family breakdown have often stemmed from disputes over family property.

But after thinking about it, Gong's mother still didn't say anything.

This is too early. If possible, she still doesn't want her daughter to get together with Li Changhe.

Seeing her mother's posture, Gong Xue lowered her head, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke softly.

"Mom, he's not that kind of person!"

In fact, how could she not have considered these things? She's not stupid.

But often, when emotions run high, rationality disappears.

Moreover, Gong Xue intuitively felt that Li Changhe was not that kind of person.

Seeing this, Gong's mother sighed.

My daughter is deeply in love; she won't turn back until she hits a brick wall.

"Never mind, I'll go and discuss it with your father first."

“You should also think carefully about what your mother said.”

After saying this, Madam Gong got up and went out.

Such a big matter definitely needs to be discussed with Mr. Gong.

After Gong's mother left, Gong Xue lay down on the bamboo bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, Gong's mother returned to their bedroom, where Gong's father was enjoying the breeze from the fan, humming along to a traditional opera tune on the radio.

This radio was bought for him with foreign exchange certificates when Gong Xue came back before. She also bought a lot of Yue Opera and Shanghai Opera tapes. Now this thing is also Gong's father's favorite.

pat!

The recorder button, which had been making a creaking sound, was suddenly pressed down hard by a finger, then bounced back up, turning off the recorder.

At this moment, Mr. Gong opened his eyes and looked curiously at the tape recorder, then saw Mrs. Gong's gloomy face.

"What's wrong with you? Did you two argue again?"

"I asked him curiously."

The mother and daughter were chatting and laughing when they went upstairs just now, how come they changed their expressions in such a short time?

"We didn't argue, but something terrible happened to your sweet girl."

Instead of taking her anger out on Mr. Gong, Mrs. Gong came over and quietly told him about Gong Xue's situation.

Gong's father was stunned after hearing this.

"What do you think we should do about this?"

At this moment, Gong's mother asked Gong's father with concern.

Mr. Gong shook his head: "This is difficult!"

"If that's the case, then Xiaoxue is determined. What can we do?"

"To put it bluntly, if Li Changhe really wanted to take Xiaoxue to Hong Kong Island, could we stop him?"

"I think it's no use just talking to Xiaoxue about this; we still need to talk to Li Changhe!"

Compared to Gong's mother's worries, Gong's father actually had a higher perspective.

Forcing his daughter Gong Xue won't work; if it were effective, it would have been done long ago.

The root of the problem lies with Li Changhe.

"Would it be useful to talk to Li Changhe about this?"

"That's what Gong's mother said with concern."

Mr. Gong sighed, "Let's try anything, no matter what. We'll see him first and see if it works!"

Shanghai Film Studio, Shanghai.

Early in the morning, Xu Sangchu had his secretary notify several key figures in the factory before arriving at the conference room.

"Old Xu, what brings you all here so early in the morning?"

"Good news, great news!"

"Hurry up and do it, come on, I'll show you something good!"

At this moment, Xu Sangchu sent out the script of "Mom, Love Me Again" that Li Changhe had given him.

"There are only three copies. I had someone copy them overnight. You guys take a look and see what you think of the scripts."

After Li Changhe dropped Gong Xue off yesterday, he found Xu Sangchu and handed him the script, since he had called Director Xu before coming.

After Xu Sangchu finished reading it, he immediately arranged for two copies to be made, and then held a meeting early this morning to let several core directors and screenwriters in the factory read it.

A few people curiously took the scripts, then huddled together in twos and threes, each staring at a book.

The script written by Li Changhe wasn't very long, only about 10,000 words, and the group finished reading it quickly.

"This book is really bold, even bolder than 'Romance on Lushan Mountain'."

"It has a bit of the feel of educated youth literature, using an unmarried pregnant female educated youth as the protagonist, which is itself a kind of indictment of the era and a display of past wounds. However, the script also incorporates the qualities of maternal love and self-reliance in this writing style."

"Isn't it very similar to Ling Jue? That kind of writing style that teaches people to be optimistic, positive and uplifting despite the pain of the past is exactly the same as Ling Jue's."

"Factory manager, could this be Li Changhe's script?"

The directors and screenwriters of this era are almost all literature enthusiasts and are familiar with Li Changhe's writing style.

In recent years, in particular, the screenplays led by Li Changhe have won the Hundred Flowers Awards and the Golden Rooster Awards, and have also won Cannes. His screenplay style has long been the subject of serious study in major film studios.

Therefore, the script was quickly identified by several directors and screenwriters as having a distinctly Li Changhe style. The question remains: was it actually created by Li Changhe, or was it a deliberate imitation?

"Tell me, is this script any good or not? Can we film it?"

Xu Sangchu couldn't suppress the smile on his lips, but he didn't tell the truth. Instead, he asked with a smile.

"Of course I can make it. I'll make this movie. Lao Xu, give me this film!"

At this moment, an elderly man holding a script spoke up.

His name is Bai Chen. He is a director who was just transferred to Shanghai Film Studio last year, but he is quite senior. He joined the New Four Js in his early years and later spent some time in Hong Kong Island, where he wrote many scripts for Great Wall and Phoenix.

Later, he was expelled from Hong Kong by British colonial authorities and returned to the mainland. Although he has experienced many ups and downs over the years, he is truly a veteran of the literary and artistic front.

When he spoke, Xie Jin and the others, who were also interested, opened their mouths but did not speak up to compete for it.

Since joining the Shanghai Film Studio, Director Bai Chen has been unassuming and hardworking, never vying for attention. Despite his seniority, he remains humble and unpretentious.

But precisely because of this, once he spoke, the others were unable to speak.

After all, older comrades generally don't speak, but when they do, it's a decisive statement!
Xu Sangchu, who was sitting at the conference table, was surprised to see Bai Chen speak. He hadn't expected it to be this old comrade who spoke.

However, thinking about some of the other person's previous films, he suddenly understood why the old comrade had spoken up: because this story was a perfect fit for his style.

This old comrade really likes to highlight women from the perspective of feudal ethics and morality, and to highlight the persecution of women by the feudal ethics. From this point of view, a script story with a female protagonist like "Mom, Love Me Again" is really quite suitable for him.

"Old Bai, everyone, to be honest, this script is Li Changhe's. I asked him for it a few months ago when it was the Golden Rooster Awards, and he just gave it to me yesterday."

"As long as our Shanghai Film Studio approves the story, we can film it, but there are also requirements."

"First of all, the female lead for this story has already been decided, and it will be Gong Xue!"

Xu Sangchu then spoke seriously.

Those present, including Bai Chen, seemed to be deep in thought after hearing this.

"Gong Xue, is that Xiuzhi from The Wrangler?"

Bai Chen pondered for a moment and then asked.

"Yes, that's her!"

"This girl's image and temperament are a good match, but she works at the Beijing Film Studio, right? Can we transfer her over here?"

Xie Jin then spoke up.

Upon hearing this, a smile reappeared on Xu Sangchu's face.

"I've already spoken to Lao Wang at the Beijing Film Studio. Gong Xue will be transferred to our Shanghai Film Studio. She's originally an actress from Shanghai, so of course she'll be coming back to our Shanghai Film Studio!"

Last night, Li Changhe handed the script to Xu Sangchu and also told him about Gong Xue's transfer.

Xu Sangchu would certainly not refuse this offer. For Shanghai Film Studio, it would be an incredible stroke of luck. Only a fool would refuse.

"Old Xu, is this for real? You can snatch someone away from Wang Yang?"

Many of the people present are veterans of the arts and culture field, and many have had dealings with Wang Yang.

They know Wang Yang very well. How could someone like Lao Xu possibly poach Gong Xue from Wang Yang?
How can it be?

unless
"What do you mean by 'robbery'? It was a friendly coordination. Besides, Comrade Gong Xue herself wanted to return to Shanghai, so Lao Wang couldn't forcibly stop her, could he?"

"Anyway, this is a good thing for us."

"Old Bai, I don't object to you wanting to make this movie. As for the female lead in the script, it's a done deal that Gong Xue will play the role. There's no way to change that. That's one of the conditions Li Changhe gave us for the script."

"Or to put it bluntly, this movie was deliberately tailor-made for Gong Xue, but it was given to our Shanghai Film Studio."

Xu Sangchu was worried that the directors and screenwriters might not understand the significance of the content, so he simply told everyone directly.

"I knew it! This character is clearly a carbon copy of Xiuzhi, but even more likable!"

Xie Jin shook his head and said with a smile.

Bai Chen nodded: "Okay, I've seen Comrade Gong Xue's performance. Her performance was fine, and her image fits the role. I have no problem with it."

"Actually, if it weren't for her, the only candidate we could choose would be Wu Haiyan. Chen Chong is too young, and Zhang Yu just finished filming Lushan Romance, so her image isn't suitable for the role here."

Like the Beijing Film Studio, which has its own outstanding actresses, the Shanghai Film Studio also has several leading actresses.

Wu Haiyan, Chen Chong, and Zhang Yu are all examples.

However, apart from Wu Haiyan, the other two are really not suitable for the script of "Mom, Love Me Again". Chen Chong was born in 61 and just turned 20 this year. She is too immature and not suitable for playing a mother.

As for Zhang Yu, this girl is too sweet-looking, and her image in last year's "Romance on Lushan Mountain" is deeply ingrained in people's minds. This time, she is playing an unmarried mother, which is too contrasting and her image is also different.

Those present thought about it for a moment and felt that Gong Xue was indeed a good fit for the role.

"What about the male lead? Does Li Changhe have any requirements?"

Bai Chen then asked again.

Xu Sangchu shook her head: "I don't have any requirements, but the male lead has almost no scenes in this drama, and his image is not positive."

"Li Changhe said that if we have a suitable actor, we will use him; if not, he will recommend Zhou Lijing from the Beijing Film Academy, as a way to give the students of the Beijing Film Academy an opportunity."

"I think we should decide on this later. The image in the film is really not good. As for Guo Kaimin, let's ask him for his opinion first. If he's not willing to take the role, we'll see if there are any other suitable candidates."

Although the male lead is portrayed as a villain, it is, after all, Li Changhe's script, and Guo Kaimin might not necessarily refuse it.

Although film roles are now considered part of the shooting schedule, studios sometimes need to respect the actors' wishes and cannot completely force them.

"Hmm, no problem. Here's what we'll do: Lao Xu, you talk to Comrade Li Changhe. If he has time, I'll personally talk to him about the story behind this."

"I'll take the script back and work on it, and write a project proposal while I'm at it. If everything's alright on our end, I'll start preparing to start filming. What do you think?"

Bai Chen then spoke seriously.

Since joining the Beijing Film Studio, he has only made one film, "Ten Days," last year, and hasn't made any since.

What Xu Sangchu didn't know was that he had been planning a story, a story about educated youth sent to the countryside, especially after learning about the experiences of many female educated youth from Shanghai in the frontier. He had a burning desire to express it.

He was originally thinking about how to write the script, but now Li Changhe's script has been delivered to him, and the story in it is exactly what he wanted to write.

So, before anyone else had even finished reading the script, he didn't hesitate to ask for the filming rights.

He had already made up his mind to make this story into a film, and not only to make it, but to make it well.

"Okay, I'll contact him later and see if we can hold another script workshop. You can share your thoughts with him then."

Xu Sangchu naturally agreed to Bai Chen's suggestion.

Meanwhile, Li Changhe, who was being talked about by the Shanghai Film Studio, saw Gong Xue again after a day apart.

Looking at Gong Xue's reddened eyes, which clearly indicated she had been crying, Li Changhe sighed helplessly.

(End of this chapter)