Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 622 Coordinating Hype
As Guo Fan entered Xingchen Entertainment early in the morning, he was greeted by a series of greetings.

"Hello, Director Guo~"

Good morning, Director Guo!

"Director Guo, have you eaten? I have some xiaolongbao here~"

……

"Thank you, thank you~"

"Morning~"

"No need, no need, I brought breakfast too~"

Guo Fan responded all the way back to his office.

He became famous overnight.

With just one film, "Gravity," he rose to become one of the top directors in China and a rising star within his company.

Previously, although he wasn't exactly a nobody at Star Entertainment, he certainly couldn't get a word in edgewise when the big shots were chatting. Now, he's one of those big shots.

Things are truly different now. With the film's explosive popularity, Guo Fan's life has been on the fast track, with every day filled with unprecedented changes.

Before, he was a complete nobody, and nobody would have known him.

Now, he is often recognized by fans on the street and asked for autographs. His phone is also full of invitations from major media outlets and film and television companies. Even his home address has been exposed, which scared him so much that he moved overnight.

In just one month, his status and position underwent a dramatic change, and even now, Guo Fan still feels a sense of unreality.

He often sat by the window, watching the bustling crowds outside, and felt as if he were in a dream.

The knocking on the door brought Guo Fan back to reality; it was his assistant.

"Director Guo, these are some new invitations. Mr. Wu from Orange Sky Entertainment invites you to lunch, Mr. Wang Zhonglei from Huayi Brothers would like to invite you to play golf this weekend, Ms. Yang Xiaomi came to see you yesterday, but you weren't there, so she left, and Li Binbin's agent, Li Xue, left you her phone number, saying you can call back if it's convenient. Also, here's an invitation to a social event, from the Beijing Film Academy's student union."

"Oh, let me see the invitation to the social gathering."

The assistant picked out the invitation and handed it to Guo Fan. Guo Fan opened it, glanced at it, and a smile appeared in his eyes. "These guys, they're just messing around~"

Then he looked up and said to his assistant, "Please cancel all the others except this social gathering for me."

The assistant, with an expression that said "I knew you'd do this," smiled and turned to leave.

As for why Guo Fan kept the invitation to the social gathering, it's quite simple: the main participants in this gathering were the Beijing Film Academy students who were temporarily recruited for the filming of "Pacific Rim".

To document the challenges encountered during the filming of the sci-fi blockbuster, Zhang Chen recruited 20 students from the Beijing Film Academy. The only task these students had to do was to record all the problems encountered during the filming of "Pacific Rim" and the process of solving them.

Guo Fan was their leader at the time.

After filming ended, the crew disbanded, and the students returned to the Beijing Film Academy, but their contact with Guo Fan remained, and they often held gatherings.

Previously, Guo Fan was just an assistant director, and his status was not much different from theirs.

Before this gathering, Guo Fan suddenly became a famous director, and the students didn't know how to treat him.

Can I still call him Brother Guo like before?
Will they find fault with me?

Then someone suggested that we send a formal invitation, and that's how this whole thing happened.

Guo Fan is a smart man. A lot has happened to him in the past two days, and he has thought about it a lot.

The media dubbed him the "successor to science fiction films," calling him the best director of domestic science fiction films since Zhang Chen.

He could barely accept this, because apart from Zhang Chen and himself, there was no other director in China making science fiction films.

It probably started from the premiere that the celebrities' attitudes towards her began to change.

Many celebrities he would never have seen before would suddenly appear in his life, especially some female celebrities who were once unapproachable, who now show him great affection, making various hints and hints, and engaging in ambiguous relationships...

Guo Fan often had to silently recite 'Amitabha' in his heart in order to escape unscathed.

He didn't know how to handle the situation, so he specifically asked Ning Hao for advice. Ning Hao smiled without saying anything and finally gave him a 'Good Morning'.

What does "Good Morning" mean?
The science and engineering student was completely baffled.

Like just now, he receives numerous invitations to various gatherings under all sorts of pretexts every day, but Guo Fan simply refuses them all.

But there's always a time when you can't avoid it, and they still ended up meeting at the premiere of "Train to Busan".

Guo Fan never imagined that the CEO of a film and television company would address him as a brother, being incredibly enthusiastic and full of sincerity for cooperation and a desire to win him over.

Especially after learning that Guo Fan had not signed with Star Entertainment, the eyes of these film and television company bigwigs gleamed with a menacing light, and they all began to have designs on him.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Wu Kebo of Orange Sky Entertainment openly poached Guo at the premiere: "Director Guo, the salary is 1500 million, plus a signing bonus of 1000 million. Orange Sky promises to provide you with a dedicated creative team, giving you maximum autonomy from the script to post-production, and allowing you to have a certain percentage of your investment in your own film. Think about it..."

Let me think about it. What a load of nonsense!
This is Star Entertainment's premiere! Is it appropriate for you to do this?

If others find out, how will I be able to explain myself?
Guo Fan nervously looked around, but thankfully, there was no one nearby.

As if by prior arrangement, when Guo Fan went to another place to avoid Wu Kebo, he 'coincidentally' ran into Wang Zhonglei of Huayi Brothers.

"Director Guo Fan, how about we start a studio together? Working for someone else is nothing compared to being your own boss..."

They also wanted to poach talent, but considering Feng Xiaogang's feelings, they ultimately chose the form of a collaborative studio, but unfortunately, they were destined to be disappointed.

"Mr. Wang is joking."

Guo Fan pretended to be stupid and left quickly.

There are always people who want to harm me.

Guo Fan believes he has a clear understanding of himself. He knows that while he certainly contributed to the success of "Gravity" as a director, he was definitely not in a dominant position.

Putting aside other things, just look at a sci-fi project like "Gravity" that requires top-notch technology. From the construction of space scenes to the complex special effects rendering, and then to the global distribution network, every link requires huge amounts of money and a mature industrial system as a backing. Apart from Star Entertainment, there is no other company in China that can operate so perfectly.
Not to mention Zhang Chen's trust in him. This was a mega-project with an investment of up to $8000 million, yet Zhang Chen was willing to take the risk and entrust him, a newcomer who had only worked as an assistant director and lacked experience in independently directing large-scale productions, with full responsibility. This unconventional courage and boldness are not something that everyone in the film and television industry possesses.

Orange Sky and Huayi Brothers may treat him like an honored guest now, but that's only because he's succeeded.

If he fails, will he have a second chance to direct?
Therefore, when faced with invitations from Orange Sky and Huayi Brothers, Guo Fan avoided the topic, which can be considered a polite way of refusing.

By the end of August, Gravity had been in theaters for one month and twenty days, and its box office potential was completely exhausted.

On the day it was taken off the screens, the final box office figures for "Gravity" were officially released, showing a domestic box office of 560 million yuan.

This result must have made many directors envious.

Many people called to congratulate him, but Guo Fan only gave them a few casual replies. His attention was always on the drawing paper spread out in front of him—it was the early draft manuscript of his new script, "Edge of Tomorrow," with faint yellow stains from coffee seeping into the edges of the pages.

In fact, Zhang Chen had talked to him once before the filming of "Gravity" even started.

"Domestic science fiction films will be a huge market, but not everyone is qualified to eat from it."

I have high hopes for you and hope you can dedicate yourself to this field. Originally, I wanted to do this myself, but I have too many other commitments, so I hope you can focus your energy on this and bring the audience a sincere work every year.

Guo Fan naturally wouldn't object to this arrangement; on the contrary, he was full of anticipation.

Other directors, after finishing a blockbuster film, always take a break for a while, go on vacation abroad to relax, or just stay at home.

But Guo Fan was different; he didn't feel tired.

The new director has tasted success and is now full of energy, wishing he could produce twelve films a year.

The director doesn't have to work regular hours, but Guo Fan is always one of the first few people to arrive at the company every day.

His desk was always piled high with reference materials, from World War I-era blueprints for individual soldier equipment to NASA's latest Mars suit design, every page covered with dense annotations. At this moment, he was holding an HB pencil, the tip gliding rapidly across the drawing paper, making a soft, scratching sound.

The thoracic structure of the mechanical exoskeleton has taken shape, with smooth metal lines extending from the shoulders to the waist. Space for gear transmission has been specially reserved at the joints. Even in just a draft, one can see the designer's ultimate pursuit of "functionality".

Guo Fan has a good foundation in art. He was a champion in the painting group since childhood, and his works were exhibited in London during his university years.

But as he was drawing, he suddenly stopped.

In this design, the exoskeleton looks much better, but the leg support is too bulky and doesn't fit the premise that "soldiers can run fast".

Guo Fan crumpled the drawing into a ball and threw it into the wastebasket.

The next version's design is too thin and light, lacking the weight and gravitas of futuristic warfare.

Crumple it into a ball again and throw it into the wastebasket.

Guo Fan is immersed in his own world. The core of this play is time reset. The audience will follow the protagonist back to the battlefield time and time again. The exoskeleton is the first 'battlefield symbol' they see.

If the exoskeleton doesn't look realistic, it's hard for viewers to believe that the protagonist's cycle of life and death is real.

He stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the bustling street below. He suddenly remembered that when Zhang Chen designed "Red Rising" for "Pacific Rim," he did the same thing, drawing one version after another, and finally finding the one that best suited his taste from hundreds of design drafts.

In fact, the company's design department is full of talented people. As long as Guo Fan makes a request, countless excellent solutions will be presented to him.

But Guo Fan always insisted on drawing the first draft himself, a habit he learned from Zhang Chen.

Back then, 90% of the core ideas for the Jaeger design in Pacific Rim came from Zhang Chen. From the nuclear-powered heart of Gipsy Danger to the heavy metal armor of Cherno Alpha, every detail incorporated his thoughts on the "relationship between Jaegers and humans". Especially Crimson Typhoon, from the sensors on its head to the thrusters on its legs, everything was meticulously crafted by Zhang Chen in his studio.

Guo Fan still remembers that Zhang Chen's drawing paper was filled with notes in addition to the design drawings: "The shoulder armor must be able to block 12.7mm armor-piercing rounds" and "The cockpit's field of vision angle must not be less than 120 degrees" - those seemingly harsh requirements ultimately made the audience believe that these mechs were real "steel warriors" that could fight in reality.

At this moment, the setting sun shines through the window, casting warm spots of light on the drawing paper.

Guo Fan sat back down at his desk, picked up a pencil, and made his first stroke on the new drawing paper.

This time, instead of drawing the overall shape of the exoskeleton first, he started by calculating the size of the soldier's hand and then adjusted the fit of the armor according to ergonomics.

The sound of the pen gliding across the paper evokes the clanging of metal on a future battlefield, reflecting a director's serious attitude towards his work.

……

The morning sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of the presidential suite, casting long, slanted patches of light on the beige marble floor, while the crisp scent of champagne from the previous night lingered in the air.

ding dong~
ding dong~
The soft, clear doorbell rang, and Lily Collins lazily got up, walking towards the entryway on the soft cashmere carpet. Her silk robe seemed to be worn nothing underneath, thanks to the sunlight filtering through it.

When the doorbell rang for the third time, Lily Collins finally went to the door, opened it, and saw a waiter with a warm smile: "Madam, here's your newspaper."

There were several newspapers on the waiter's tray in front of me.

"Thank you!"

Lily Collins took the newspaper, and the door closed again.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom; Zhang Chen was taking a shower. Lily Collins sat down on the sofa and began flipping through the newspaper with interest.

The internet age has long since arrived, but print media still occupies a mainstream position.

Lily Collins eagerly flipped to the entertainment section—and sure enough, the blurry yet clearly recognizable street photo in the upper right corner was of her and Zhang Chen walking side by side into a restaurant on the streets of Los Angeles the night before.

"Mission: Impossible 4's female lead casting mystery: A mysterious newcomer may become Tom Cruise's new co-star!"

The bolded headline almost jumped off the page, and Lily couldn't help but run her fingertip over the text, her heart pounding along with the reporter's emotional description.

The article details the couple's frequent public appearances together over the past three days: from walking the red carpet at the premiere to him naturally carrying her shopping bags on the red carpet, and even the moment she handed him a cup of hot coffee in the hotel lobby yesterday was captured and amplified by the camera.

"rumored girlfriend..."

Lily smiled and repeated the name, wishing it were true.
Unfortunately, a fake is a fake. This was a publicity stunt, a publicity stunt that happened at just the right time.

Zhang Chen brought Lily Collins to the premiere of "Shameless" on a whim. He wanted to attend the premiere but didn't have a female companion, so he decided to bring Lily along.

The media's speculation is to be expected, and Zhang Chen doesn't care; he'll just clarify it later.

Such things are all too common.

Unexpectedly, the speculation intensified. What started as mere speculation later became his rumored girlfriend, and then media outlets reported that Zhang Chen and Lily Collins had fallen in love at first sight and were preparing to secretly propose...

"What is all this about?" Zhang Chen sensed something was wrong and was about to step forward to clarify when Warner found him.

It turns out that Warner was behind all of this.

They certainly had their own reasons for doing this:
On the one hand, leveraging Zhang Chen's popularity in the international film industry and the high level of attention given to "Mission: Impossible 4", the "scandal" was used to generate buzz for the film in advance, making the audience curious about the "potential female lead" even before the film was released.
On the other hand, Lily Collins's first big-screen film, "The Blind Side," is also being distributed by Warner Bros., so this hype is essentially riding on Zhang Chen's popularity to increase the film's buzz.

Warner Music is naturally not going to let go of this free publicity.

They quickly reached an agreement with Paramount, and the marketing team worked overnight to develop a plan, from deliberately guiding the audience from street photography angles to precise breaking news from entertainment media, every step of which was timed to coincide with a surge in traffic.

Zhang Chen was happy to see this happen. He didn't need to deliberately create intimate gestures; he only needed to remain silent when questioned by reporters and not take the initiative to clarify, which was enough to let the rumors spread.

In just a few days, Lily Collins's fame in Hollywood skyrocketed at a visible speed, as if a real-life "Cinderella story" had unfolded.

Just a few days ago at the premiere of "Shameless", she was just an unknown nobody.

On the red carpet, photographers would whisper among themselves when they saw her walking with Zhang Chen, wondering "Who is this girl?" and "Why is she able to walk the red carpet with Zhang Chen?"

But in the blink of an eye, as the scandal unfolded, netizens dug up all her personal information:

A newcomer to the industry, a graduate of a drama school, she had acted in an obscure short film, and her only notable achievement was playing the second female lead in a movie starring Sandra Bullock…

These otherwise unremarkable resumes suddenly became exceptionally dazzling under the halo of being "Zhang Chen's rumored girlfriend".

Overnight, Hollywood seemed to have gained a new figure: Lily Collins. Her name appeared everywhere, in the pages of major entertainment magazines and on trending topics on social media, and even the pre-sale box office of "The Blind Side" soared.

"The rumored girlfriend of Hollywood director Zhang Chen~"

This playful label became Lily Collins' most resounding calling card, making countless actresses who had struggled in Hollywood for years both envious and jealous.

They watched as this newcomer to the industry easily gained resources and attention that they might not be able to obtain even after years of hard work, all thanks to a single scandal, and they felt a deep sense of resentment.

That's how the entertainment industry is—cruel and realistic. Sometimes, spending all night filming on set or honing your acting skills in audition rooms for a whole year is not as good as standing next to a big shot for a minute and getting that ray of light to illuminate yourself.

Lily Collins rose to fame because of this 'show,' but what Zhang Chen received was a phone call from his mother:
"You proposed to a foreign girl?"

"No, that's just media hype."

"No, that's best. I'm warning you, don't you dare find me a foreign daughter-in-law, or I'll break your legs!"

"Ah, why?"

"Can't you be satisfied domestically? You have to go abroad to find it. I've heard that women age faster overseas~"

Zhang Chen was berated by his mother, and even the internationally renowned director could only endure it.

After hanging up the phone, feeling wronged, I happened to see Lily's buttocks swaying in front of me, so I slapped her.

You've got all the benefits.

Lily cried after being hit, but Zhang Chen continued to beat her.

You can cry, but I can't stop, otherwise you'll think I'm no good!
……

Dear readers, please vote for me with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)