Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 665 Schools and Society

The discussion continued inside the private room.

Maggie Q is studying hard in order to fit in with her environment.

Although I haven't read the original novel or watched the TV series, I've managed to piece together a rough character map in my mind based solely on everyone's discussions.

"108 bad guys being portrayed as heroes?"

"Yes, the 108 heroes of the Water Margin aren't heroes at all, they're all thieves. Shi Nai'an himself said at the beginning that Grand Marshal Hong released the souls of 108 demons~"

"Qin Ming's entire family was killed by Song Jiang, and then Song Jiang married Hua Rong's sister to Qin Ming, and Qin Ming obediently became Song Jiang's dog?"

"more or less."

"They even sell human flesh buns?"

“Sun Erniang’s whole family deserves to die. Selling human flesh buns and being called ‘heroes’ is unacceptable. And I can’t even bear to watch the scene where Li Kui chops up that child…”

"That's why I prefer 'The Tale of the Suppressing Bandits,' which has ridiculously poor writing."

"Qin Ming is a perfectly good civil servant, but they insist on forcing him to become a rebel. And even if he's a rebel, they still want to take him to take the civil service exam!"

"To be honest, those Liangshan bandits were all bullies who preyed on the weak. Li Kui went back to fetch his mother, only to find she'd been eaten by a tiger. The Liangshan bandits all laughed at him for losing his mother. But if it were Wu Song, who would dare laugh at him for losing his brother?"

The group toasted each other and talked at length about their views on "Water Margin".

"Wu Cheng'en really was a backpacker, Luo Guanzhong really fought in wars, Shi Nai'an really traveled the world, and most likely even killed people, and Cao Xueqin really lived a life of wealth and honor..."

"How to say?"

"Many details in Water Margin cannot be thought about. When I first read Water Margin, I saw how Wu Song cut out Pan Jinlian's heart. He first pulled open Pan's upper garment. When I was a child, I thought it was for sex. In fact, it was to prevent the clothes from getting stuck with the blade. I knew that the author must have done it himself, or at least seen it."

When Li Kui killed Luo Zhenren, he climbed over the wall and then opened the door to facilitate his escape after the murder. People who have never killed anyone would not notice such details.

There are also detailed descriptions of the fight, such as blood splattering in the Mandarin Duck Tower, and even details about needing to replace a knife when its blade is dulled.

Only someone who has actually witnessed murder or has studied weapons in depth can write about it.

Therefore, Shi Nai'an was either a practical fighter or a weapon enthusiast obsessed with researching knives.

If you look at the descriptions in the book, you'll know that when you're out traveling, you should at least carry a long weapon to prevent being kited.

Then bring a short weapon, in case you can't use it indoors.

Lin Chong was skilled with spears and staffs, but people like him knew best the weaknesses of such weapons. If a spear or staff got stuck in a tree or wall and couldn't be pulled out, it would be a very bad situation.

That's how Zhang Qing died. He couldn't pull the spear out of the tree, so someone else stabbed him to death.

There's also the story of Wu Song fighting the tiger, who was carrying a long staff, but it broke when he struck a tree branch.

When Wu Song shed blood at the Mandarin Duck Tower, he carried a long knife with him as he scaled the wall, intending to fight inside the courtyard.

There were no enemies in the courtyard, so he went into the kitchen on the first floor, put down his long knife, picked up a short knife, and went inside to kill people, because the short knife was more convenient to use indoors.

Therefore, I don't believe that Shi Nai'an didn't have many lives on his hands.

Another detail: when the Liangshan heroes robbed, they would flatten the gold, silver, and wine vessels to make them easier to pack. Do you think this was based on their life experience?

"And Luo Guanzhong..."

At this point, everyone got excited, and Ning Hao began to share his insights: "When Zhu Yuanzhang was conquering the country, Luo Guanzhong was a civil official under Zhang Shicheng. He had actually fought in battles. In Luo Guanzhong's writing, why did Zhao Zilong charge in and out seven times? Because Li Wenzhong did the same thing when he fought them. I don't know if the real Zhao Zilong actually charged in and out seven times, but the real Li Wenzhong really did charge in and out seven times..."

Gulina was dumbfounded. What was all this about?
Before she met Zhang Chen, she thought that when big directors got together, they would definitely talk about art and the future of film.

After getting to know Zhang Chen, this is what the big directors talk about when they get together?

The party lasted until 11 p.m., and the group drank heavily. Zhang Chen, the most important person at the party, naturally drank too much.

Maggie Q also drank too much.

Everyone present could tell that Maggie Q had feelings for Zhang Chen.

"Um, Gulina, could you give me a hand and help them get back to their rooms?"

Ning Hao asked Gulina to help lift Maggie Q. As a woman herself, it was easier for Gulina to help Maggie Q.

"Ok."

Gulina put Maggie Q's arm around her neck and struggled to help Maggie Q up.

"Come with me~"

Ning Hao helped Zhang Chen, and Gu Lina helped Maggie Q, as they headed towards their reserved hotel rooms.

Both of them had drunk too much, so Ning Hao simply booked a room upstairs.

"Just throw it on the bed~"

Once in the room, Ning Hao threw Zhang Chen onto the bed, then directed Gu Lina to throw Maggie Q onto the bed as well.

"The same room?"

Gulina couldn't believe it. She thought she was being taken back to Maggie Q's room, but it turned out to be Zhang Chen's room.

Ning Hao immediately understood what Gulina was thinking from her expression, and waved his hand, "Don't worry, I'll take responsibility if anything happens."

He then pulled Gulnazar away.

With a "beep," the electronic door lock closed, and the room returned to silence.

On the way back, Gulina looked preoccupied. Ning Hao noticed her expression and asked, "What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

"Ah? Uh..."

Gulina didn't know what to say. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, "I still feel that what we did just now was inappropriate. Maggie Q was drunk, but we left her in Director Zhang's room. What if the two of them..."

Gulina looked conflicted as she said this.

Ning Hao chuckled and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you must have just graduated from school and entered the workforce not long ago..."

Hearing Ning Hao say this, Gulina was taken aback, then nodded.

"Many things are different in society than in school."

Ning Hao decided to act as a life mentor for Gulina; otherwise, the girl would probably be too worried to sleep tonight.

Have you seen the movie "Tai Chi Master"?

Gulina nodded.

"While watching, didn't you feel that Zhang Junbao was on the side of justice, and Dong Tianbao was the big villain?"

Gulina nodded again.

"That's because you didn't have much life experience when you watched this movie. If you watched it again after navigating the real world for a few years, you'd have a different perspective."

"Different opinions?" Gulina looked puzzled.

"When I first watched it, I also thought Dong Tianbao was a major villain, a bad guy, but now I think he's righteous in a way."

From Dong Tianbao's perspective, the whole story should be like this:
When he first started learning martial arts at Shaolin Temple, like most people, he had only one simple wish: to work hard in martial arts, get into the Bodhidharma Academy (university), and have a better future.

But repeated setbacks made Tianbao realize that hard work alone couldn't guarantee success. He had to become stronger and climb higher to avoid being bullied by those who were weaker.

So he tried his best to seize every opportunity to change his fate, which led to his parting ways with his best friend.

Having finally gotten into the system, he discovered that his best friend had joined the underworld.

To prevent his good friend from falling into the abyss, he reported his friend's triad to his superior and was promoted to an official position for doing so.

When a woman tried to recruit him into the underworld, he readily agreed. He never forgot his desire to bring his brothers into the underworld back into the system, but his brothers never understood him. They were determined to join the underworld and even beat him up.

To be brothers to this extent is truly beyond words. Everyone thinks he's despicable and shameless, and even his death is deserved.

Little did people know that the worst thing he did was say: "My fate is in my own hands, not in the hands of heaven."

He sacrificed everything to get ahead, but he never betrayed his brothers.

It's worth noting that he never used his strongest Prajna Palm technique on Junbao, even in his death. You can say Dong Tianbao wronged everyone, but he was the only one who truly cared for Junbao; he lived up to the promise of "never forgetting his benefactor even in times of wealth and power."

"Ah, is that so?"

Gulina never expected the movie to be interpreted in this way.

Are we watching the same movie?

"That's why I say the system you learn in school is different from the system that operates in society."

“But, but…” Gulina still felt that something was wrong.

Ning Hao cut to the chase: "Have you ever been drunk?"

Gulina nodded.

"Then you should know that even when drunk, a person is still mentally clear-headed. The idea that alcohol leads to promiscuity is complete nonsense. At most, a drunk person is bolder than usual, but to say that they are completely unaware of anything is simply impossible."

Gulina nodded again.

"Do you know that if someone drinks themselves into a stupor, they will inevitably lose control of their body? In that state, a person is no different from a dead person. And do you know how heavy a dead person is? They are not someone we can help up, and even two people might not be able to lift them..."

At this point in Ning Hao's speech, Gulina seemed to be deep in thought.

"The fact that we were able to help them to their room means they were conscious, which means they knew we were taking them to a room, but they didn't object. What does that mean?"

"illustrate……"

While Gulnazar was still hesitating, Ning Hao interrupted, "That means they acquiesced, so you don't need to worry about what you just did. If they hadn't wanted to, we wouldn't have been able to get them into a room..."

"Ah~"

Gulina covered her mouth in disbelief, but then she remembered something: "But Manager Zhong told me before that some female celebrities would throw themselves at Director Zhang, and when the time is right, I need to play the villain..."

"That was when Director Zhang wasn't willing. Now that Director Zhang is willing, there's naturally nothing for you to do."

Ning Hao perfectly resolved Gulina's doubts with just one sentence.

"Alright, think about this when you get back. In short, society is different from school. You can't use the same methods you learned in school to deal with things in society, or you'll suffer terribly, just like your current job. Okay, I won't say anything else..."

After Ning Hao finished speaking, he went back to his room, leaving Gulina alone, bewildered in the wind.

What did he mean by his last sentence?
What does "my current job" mean?
Gulina was in a state of confusion. She didn't know whether she should listen to Ning Hao. Logically speaking, given the relationship between Ning Hao and Zhang Chen, he shouldn't harm Zhang Chen, but she felt that her behavior just now was inappropriate.

With a determined effort, Gulina decided to go back and take a look.

All around was quiet, and it seemed that no one was paying attention to her. Gulina quietly sneaked back to Zhang Chen's room. Just as she was about to peek through the door to see what was going on inside, she heard a sound that made her blush and her heart race.

The next morning, Gulina opened her bedroom door early, sporting dark circles under her eyes.

It was breakfast time on set. Gulina got her breakfast and saw Ning Hao and the other main actors chatting and eating together not far away. Instead of joining them, she found a corner and ate quietly by herself.

Then, Zhang Chen and Maggie Q appeared on set looking radiant.

Yes, radiant.

Gulina suddenly remembered something: that women's skin becomes fair and radiant after that, and Maggie Q's current state perfectly illustrated this point.

Then she saw Zhang Chen walking over to her, pampering her: "Why are you eating here all by yourself, not with the others..."

"Uh~" Gulina didn't know what to say.

For some reason, the things she had overheard on the door last night kept replaying in her mind, and she blushed and her heart raced.

Just then, Zhang Chen's phone rang. When he answered it, he found it was Tom Cruise.

"Zhang, I've finished reading the script. I have to say, you're a genius. The syndicate concept is truly brilliant. I really don't know how your brain works; how do you always come up with such ingenious ideas?"

Tom Cruise's voice was full of excitement; according to the time difference, it should be evening where he is.

"I told Angelina about your new idea, and she's very interested. Now we still have one major problem..."

"What is it?"

"Since you want it released in October, we need to hurry. You'd better come to Los Angeles as soon as possible; we need to work together to convince Warner Bros. and Paramount."

"no problem."

After hanging up Tom Cruise's call, Zhang Chen turned to Gulnazar and asked, "Do you have a passport?"

"Have."

"Come fly to Los Angeles with me."

Gulina's heart pounded. Was she really going to accompany her boss abroad?
For some reason, she remembered what Ning Hao had said to her last night, and her ears turned red again.

……

At a private club, James, president of Universal, and Allen, president of Fox, met privately again.

Only the lamp on the table was on in the room, and the light fell directly on the box office report in front of the two of them, the numbers glaringly red.

"Planet 2" grossed $5.1 million in North America, while "Avatar" grossed $5.3 million, a difference of $2000 million.

"Planet 2" has finished its run in North America, while "Avatar" continues. Universal and Fox have decided that their theaters will run "Avatar" for an extended period of six months.

James tapped his fingers heavily on the table, and the leather chair creaked slightly in the silence.

"Six months is the maximum amount of resources we can offer."

His voice carried a hint of weariness, "I originally thought Avatar would easily break 6 million, but now it seems..."

Allen interrupted him, his fingertips tracing the number 5.3 million repeatedly: "At least in North America, we can still maintain our advantage, but in China..."

He paused, his face revealing barely concealed frustration.

To their annoyance, the same scene was playing out in China, only this time it was preceded by "Pacific Rim 2".

After a month and a half in theaters, Avatar has been taken off the screens with a box office of only 2 million RMB, which is just 2500 million USD. This is no different from the performance of other Hollywood blockbusters in the Chinese market.

This figure was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing all the expectations the two had previously had for the Chinese market.

It's worth noting that Avatar broke box office records in Europe and Australia, and even achieved over 100 million US dollars in small Southeast Asian countries, but it suffered a major setback in China.

However, the release of "Pacific Rim 2" has been delayed, and its current box office has reached 16 billion RMB, or 2 million USD, which is eight times the box office of "Avatar" in China.

Allen pointed to the line graph on the report, his brows furrowing: "The box office of 'Ultraman 2' is still growing in the third week of its release. After the key was extended, its screening share even rose to 45%."

Despite Avatar achieving record-breaking box office results in other countries, and its special effects, plot, and marketing investment being no less than those of Ocean 2, it unexpectedly flopped in China. Why?
The answer was actually vaguely known to both of them—they faced resistance.

From the early days of Avatar's release, a large number of voices appeared on the Chinese internet saying things like "You did the first day of the month, I'll do the fifteenth" and "Make Avatar look good, and avenge Ocean 2." Although there was no official statement, the subtle changes in theater scheduling and the spontaneous shift in public opinion all pointed to this silent confrontation.

"Zhang Chen is too clever; he packaged 'Global Times 2' as a benchmark for the industrialization of Chinese cinema."

James said in a low voice, with a hint of apprehension in his tone, "We previously only regarded him as an ordinary competitor, but we overlooked his ability to control the sentiment in the Chinese market."

Allen nodded: "He didn't even spend much money on marketing and promotion; it all relied on word-of-mouth from the audience. Now, Chinese audiences see 'Pacific Rim 2' as a symbol of resistance against Hollywood, and our 'Avatar' has naturally become the target."

The box office success of "Planet 2" proved that China is indeed the second largest market outside of North America, a conclusion that left the two both excited and frustrated.

What's exciting is that this huge market still has enormous potential;

Frustratingly, Avatar did not benefit from it at all; instead, it became a stepping stone for Zhang Chen to build his reputation.

James picked up a pen and drew a big question mark on the report: "Our previous strategy was completely wrong. We thought that as long as we threw money at it and grabbed screen time, we could win over the Chinese market, but we underestimated the power of local sentiment."

The two looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.

Allen sighed: "Zhang Chen is a guy with high offense and high defense. Maybe it was a mistake for us to target him in the first place."

James: "You regret it?"

"No, I just think we should focus on the people around him..."

"From the people around him?" Allen asked thoughtfully.

(End of this chapter)