The King of Soft Rice in Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 284 is about time for some face-slapping moments.
Two very simple questions. First, it's true that Xu Jiuyang is the screenwriter of "The Dark Side," but the Venice Film Festival doesn't give out any screenwriting awards!
Of course, he could also imagine what excuses the other party would use, such as if there was no screenwriting award, they could use something like the FIPRESCI Prize or the San Marco Award, etc., to replace it.

However, these points should have been raised during the conversation earlier—in fact, this guy is quite capable; whether it's admitting that Best Director and the Golden Lion are difficult to manage in public relations, or admitting that he's not valued by Angela, both are very convincing. The only flaw is in this part.

Secondly, after being rebuffed by Angela, even if they still wanted to promote themselves, they should have gone to Tang Wei, who was a producer. And even if they knew Tang Wei was Angela's person, they should have gone to Fan Bingbing. Little Swallow (Tang Wei's nickname) played a supporting role in the film; she would definitely be able to speak to Angela.

If these guys knew about his relationship with Angela, they should have fawned over her from the start, instead of acting all high and mighty and only changing their tune after he cornered them.

So... does he think that as the screenwriter of "The Dark Side," he has something worth trying to win over? Xu Jiuyang suddenly became interested. After all, how Lou, Wang, and Section Chief Jia made money through art films was thoroughly exposed more than a decade later. Lou's film received a zero score at Cannes, and after being thoroughly humiliated, he didn't dare to utter a single word.

This so-called international arts and culture movement is nothing more than using various foundations and even NGOs to discover the people they want.

"The Dark Side" premiered the day before yesterday, and the response was decent. Kenneth Lonergan handled the emotions of this kind of drama quite well, and the thriller aspect was also handled well with the foundation of "Perfect Blue". Moreover, it is said that some of the techniques were suggested by Tang Wei. Xu Jiuyang felt that it was somewhat similar to "Black Swan".

In fact, not only are the techniques for creating the atmosphere similar, but the entire plot is also similar to "Black Swan". The only difference is that the ballet dancers have become stage actors, and the background has been changed to an American team coming to the mainland for cooperation. At the same time, there are fewer erotic scenes.

There are several scenes involving sex in "Black Swan".

This scene was changed to a fantasy performance on stage, but the plot felt off, and the body language was quite daring.

In other words, it is to tell the audience through suggestion.

This technique is not new. Perhaps it's because China has such a long history that the nobility have tried all sorts of things. So, in the end, literary works about sex tend to be subtle, while the more explicit and vulgar the description, the better.

Unlike Europe and America, where the Middle Ages were oppressive and the Renaissance was just around the corner, only to be met with capitalism that wanted to buy and sell everything, and then the left wing in the name of liberation, so they used this as an excuse to make it seem as if showing something on screen meant progress and freedom, while not showing it meant backwardness and conservatism. In the 1970s, there were even female directors who made underage actors nude and have real sex.

"The Dark Side" still wants to be released in China, while "Titanic" only got special permission from the elders, and even then, it was cut during its re-release, with the excuse of "being worried that 3D viewers would reach out and hit the head in front of them".

In short, this subtle fantasy was filmed in a way that was both beautiful and thrilling. Moreover, to highlight this plot, Li Xue, at Xu Jiuyang's suggestion, also consulted with other screenwriters to add an ambiguous scene to the stage play in the movie, setting it as the opportunity for the female lead to turn evil, transforming from a gentle little white rabbit into a big bad wolf.

As for other aspects, the female protagonist's mother's control over her, and the later plot of her schizophrenia and stabbing herself, are all very similar to "Black Swan." However, the localization was done very well, and Lonergan didn't cause any trouble. As a plot device, she did a very good job.

Overall, the response has been positive, the investors have American backing, film critics have given it good reviews, and it may even be a contender for this year's Golden Lion Award, so... perhaps some people have their eyes on it?
“To outsiders, Angela and I must have some connection, otherwise I wouldn’t be ranked first in the screenwriter section. Moreover, if Lonergan isn’t tight-lipped, it would be almost natural for him to tell others that I can interfere at any time during filming.” Xu Jiuyang rubbed his chin.

Thinking about it more carefully, the sixth generation of directors should be recruited next year, while "Summer Palace" seems to have been made in 06, the same year as the Murdoch incident. These clues can be connected.

No wonder there are so many conspiracy theories. Although I rationally tell myself how much time and effort it would take to regulate such a commotion, and that it would be all over if even a little bit of information leaked out—and it's impossible not to leak out—I still can't help but be amazed when these clues come together.

"Since that's the case, should we stall for time and test the waters a bit? I reckon they'll definitely offer some benefits, so we can take the sweet talk and then fire back at them..." Xu Jiuyang muttered to himself as he pondered.

I'm a reincarnated person, after all; it's time for me to have some face-slapping moments and show these women what I'm capable of. So…

"The Raymond Foundation?" Angela thought carefully before shaking her head after Xu Jiuyang's question. "I have absolutely no recollection of it."

After saying that, she looked at her secretary, and Annie shook her head as well: "I don't remember either."

“I’ll have someone investigate. Since the other party found you through Zhao Yan, they should also be able to find the so-called Jin Chengzhi through her,” Angela instructed. “The awards ceremony is in a few days, so don’t cause any unnecessary trouble.”

"No problem." Xu Jiuyang nodded and then prepared to leave.

All that talk about getting slapped in the face or showing off is just a joke. There have been countless examples of people who have a smooth ride but have a bad day throughout history, and he didn't want to experience that. So, after returning to the hotel, he knocked on Angela's door.

Of course, he wouldn't say those speculations, but he did mention some puzzling points.

However, it can now be concluded that the guy is undoubtedly a fraud. After all, he has witnessed Angela's abilities, and she will definitely remember anything that has an impression of her.

“Oh, right, there’s something I need your help with,” Angela said, then added, “I’m going to invite Gong Li here tomorrow night to talk. You should be there too, to make things more convincing.”

Although she didn't quite understand why she wanted to meet with Gong Li, and why her participation would increase her persuasiveness, considering that Gong Li had readily agreed to help investigate Jin Chengzhi, it was acceptable to lend a hand.

"Okay, I'm not going anywhere tomorrow. You can call me then," Xu Jiuyang replied.

After coming out, he thought about it for a moment, then went to Fan Bingbing's room and rang the doorbell. Fortunately, she was still in her room.

“Raymond Foundation? Jin Chengzhi? Never heard of it.” Fan Bingbing replied after he asked.

"I understand." Xu Jiuyang turned and left.

"Hey!" Fan Bingbing called out to him with a displeased look, "You came all this way just to ask this?"

"Otherwise what?" Xu Jiuyang asked back.

"At least tell me what happened," Fan Bingbing said, spreading her hands.

"Oh, that's easy, just ask Angela." Xu Jiuyang waved his hand and quickly slipped out.

(End of this chapter)