The King of Soft Rice in Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 283 Are you trying to fool me?

"I think that while Teacher Tian's version of 'Spring in a Small Town' cannot compare with director Fei Mu in terms of composition and camerawork, it is excellent in terms of color tone."

"Bingbing, you're going a bit too far with your flattery."

“I’m serious, Teacher Tian. This is definitely not an easy task. It requires not only a high level of aesthetic appreciation but also a thorough understanding of the original ‘Spring in a Small Town’.”

"It's over, it's over, haha."

Looking at Fan Bingbing chatting and laughing with Tian Zhuangzhuang in the distance, Xu Jiuyang couldn't help but shudder. Especially when he saw Tian Zhuangzhuang saying "It's too much" but with a rather smug expression, he wanted to cover his forehead even more.

To be honest, although I have a good understanding of how directors of all sizes are trapped in information cocoons in my past life, and I have even participated in many of these situations myself, I still feel a little uncomfortable seeing this scene.

In fact, rationally speaking, he knew that although Tian Zhuangzhuang had been banned for ten years because of "The Blue Kite", he was still a prominent figure in the mainland literary and artistic circles, after all, he came from a family with a strong literary tradition.

This also makes him different from Zhang Yimou. The latter, after all, rose from the bottom and, although he was insecure, he was still insecure. The former, on the other hand, was both insecure and arrogant.

In the 1980s and 90s, he felt inferior when facing the glamorous world abroad, but he was proud when facing the domestic world, because he was a child of a privileged family.

Therefore, even if such a person doesn't become elated by a few compliments like Rikutaro, they will still unconsciously immerse themselves in their comfort zone and not want to leave.

In fact, the so-called sixth generation of directors are all like this: insecure yet arrogant. They want to be as humble as possible in front of outsiders, but put on a show of "I am here to guide you, and you should listen to my teachings" in front of their wives.

However, Xu Jiuyang couldn't help but think that Tian Zhuangzhuang was, after all, born in the 50s. He didn't expect him to be as persistent as veteran directors like Li Jun and Yang Guangyuan, but he should at least have some self-awareness.

But now it seems they are birds of a feather. Why did they choose to remake Fei Mu's masterpiece, a top work of that era, when he could have made a comeback film? You can imagine what their intentions were.

Then think about the movies Tian Zhuangzhuang directed afterward, such as "Go Master" and "The Wolf's Tale". Oh, and there's also "Yang Guifei", which I don't know if it was just a nominal appointment, but he had Fan Bingbing from his previous life make a horse-riding scene. Haha, how is this any different from Zhang Yimou's style during the "Half River Green" period?

"It's rotten here, rotten there. It may seem insignificant, but if left unattended, it will eventually rot completely," Xu Jiuyang muttered to himself.

Occasionally, he would think about trying to intervene, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, his laziness would kick in.

Oh well, aren't Fan Bingbing and the others going to control the entertainment industry anyway? Maybe that will cause some changes, and I can also influence them to interfere.

Just as someone was lost in thought, someone walked over and said, "Hello, Mr. Xu Jiuyang."

“Miss Zhao?” Xu Jiuyang turned around and saw the middle-aged man next to Zhao Yan smiling at him.

“This Mr. Jin Chengzhi wants to see you,” Zhao Yan explained. “I’m really sorry, but I can’t refuse.”

Xu Jiuyang frowned slightly. He didn't have much of a relationship with Zhao Yan, and she was one of the few women who didn't pounce on him right away.

Of course, it's possible that because filming is still early, they haven't had time to, well, train?
However, since the person was already there, and they were currently working together on the same film and attending the film festival together, he composed himself and nodded slightly: "Mr. Jin, please have a seat."

Jin Chengzhi immediately leaned close to Zhao Yan's ear and whispered something to her, appearing quite intimate.

After Zhao Yan left, he sat down, wearing glasses and appearing refined, and then said in slightly arrogant English, "Hello, Mr. Xu, I am a director of the Raymond Foundation..."

He was interrupted before he could finish speaking: "Please speak in Chinese, my English isn't very good."

Jin Chengzhi paused for a moment, his expression somewhat displeased, but faced with Xu Jiuyang's nonchalant expression, he softened his tone and switched to Chinese: "I am a director of the Raymond Foundation, Mr. Xu. You may not have heard of our foundation, but you will definitely need it."

“Really?” Xu Jiuyang raised an eyebrow and asked. “Of course,” Jin Chengzhi said with a hint of self-satisfaction. “To date, our foundation has helped countless newcomers win awards, whether they are actors, photographers or screenwriters.”

"Where's the director?" Xu Jiuyang asked curiously.

“Well, the director and best film awards are a bit more difficult,” Jin Chengzhi stammered, but still honestly admitted, “We can help, but that would be at a different price.”

"I see... What about them?" Xu Jiuyang pointed to Tian Zhuangzhuang and the others in the distance.

“A bunch of penniless bastards,” Jin Chengzhi said without hiding his contempt. “They hired a PR team to fend for themselves, but they’re also stingy with money.”

"Then why does Mr. Jin think I wouldn't be stingy?" Xu Jiuyang asked curiously.

“Mr. Xu is different. Mr. Xu has benefactors supporting him,” Jin Chengzhi pushed up his glasses. “Even if Mr. Xu doesn’t need it, at least we can build a good relationship. Our foundation has many channels overseas. Maybe Mr. Xu will need them someday?”

"Are you all so powerful?" Xu Jiuyang asked again.

"I wouldn't say I have extraordinary abilities, since there are some things I'm not capable of doing, but I definitely have the widest network of connections," Jin Chengzhi said, his tone once again tinged with smugness. "Mr. Xu, would you like to give it a try?"

"How do I quote a price?" Xu Jiuyang asked after thinking for a few minutes.

Jin Chengzhi took out a stack of documents from his pocket, but did not hand them to him: "Because many well-known figures are involved, we still have to save face, so please take a look here, Mr. Xu."

"No problem." Xu Jiuyang nodded.

He took the small stack of documents, glanced at them briefly, and his brow twitched involuntarily as he looked at Jin Chengzhi.

Obtaining the list of judges is easy, since it's public information. But finding out their preferences and the conflicts between them requires some skill.

In addition, the information not only shows the price of the lobbying, but also the reasons for the pricing, and even the handling fees are marked, making it very transparent.

"I'm curious, shouldn't you have approached Ms. Angela Lindwall first for this kind of thing?" Xu Jiuyang asked after a moment's thought.

“Ms. Lin Dewo is a big shot and has her own channels. We are keen to provide better service, but unfortunately the timing isn’t right. The chairman doesn’t want to give up, so he wants to show his sincerity through a roundabout approach,” Jin Chengzhi said.

“Mr. Jin is quite frank,” Xu Jiuyang said noncommittally.

“Otherwise, how could we dare say we have extensive connections?” Jin Chengzhi raised his chin slightly.

"So, you have a very high opinion of 'The Dark Side'?" Xu Jiuyang asked again.

"Several evaluators from our foundation attended the premiere the day before yesterday, and they all agreed that the story structure was very ingenious and had the potential to compete for the Golden Lion," Jin Chengzhi nodded.

"Then, let me have your business card and give me some time to think about it," Xu Jiuyang replied after a moment's thought.

A hint of joy flashed across Jin Chengzhi's face, but he didn't say much. He left his business card and then left.

After he left, Xu Jiuyang slammed the business card on the table in front of him and muttered, "You bastard, you tried to cheat me."

(End of this chapter)