Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 187 Fierce Animals
The next morning.

Zhang Yan then called Yu Hua and asked him to gather the money at Shi Tiesheng's house.

When Zhang Yan and Chen Hong arrived around 10 a.m., Yu Hua and Chen Hong were already waiting at the door.

After getting out of the car, Zhang Yan greeted, "Hello, sister-in-law—Brother Yu, don't just stand there, come on, unload the dried fruit, yogurt curds, raisins, and beef jerky from the back seat."

Yu Hua looked at the six or seven boxes piled up in the back seat and clicked his tongue, "Did you go on a big shopping spree in the border region? How did you bring them back?"

At this moment, Chen Ximi also came out to greet them. Seeing the two of them struggling to carry things inside, she quickly said, "We can't eat all of this, you can keep it for yourselves..."

"There's still some at home."

Zhang Yan laughed and said, "I didn't originally plan to bring so much stuff, but the comrades on the frontier specially cleared out an entire carriage for us. We can't just leave half of it empty, can we?"

This rock concert held in the border region was much more grand than the one held by the Tang Dynasty in history. In addition to Urumqi, it also toured several other major cities, and even performed two shows in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

In the end, they earned more than 70 yuan from ticket sales, all of which was donated to the local Project Hope.

The amount of money wasn't much; the main thing was that they created a huge buzz.

So when Zhang Yan and several other leaders and deputy leaders made the donation, they were received by the highest local leaders, and the train cars were specially approved after that.

After unloading the items, the women gathered in the kitchen.

Zhang Yan then vividly recounted his experiences in the frontier to Shi Tiesheng and Yu Hua, especially the scene where he and Dou Wei encountered wild wolves during their tour.

"We're all men, and I said we could just dig a hole behind the tent, but Dou Weifei insisted on running out and even dragged me along to keep watch for him—as a result, we encountered five or six wolves less than two hundred meters from the camp."

They glared at us, baring their teeth, and surrounded us before we could react, showing no fear whatsoever.

At that time, Dou Wei and I were back to back, and his calves were cramping. I said, "You have a good voice, hurry up and shout!" But he shouted like a girl, and after only two shouts, his throat was sore.

Fortunately, the camp was nearby, and the guide rushed over and fired two shots into the air, causing the wolves to flee.

After listening to Zhang Yan's vivid description, Shi Tiesheng said with longing, "I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to go to the frontier and see the scenery beyond the Great Wall in my lifetime."

Yu Hua chewed on a dried fig, his face also filled with longing: "I wonder if wolf meat tastes good."

"It definitely won't taste good. I heard from the local herders that it's sour and tough."

After discussing his experiences in the frontier, Zhang Yancai said to Yu Hua, "I just got back yesterday and received news that the higher-ups are preparing to gradually open up the film and television industry to private capital. They even selected our company, Yuanmeng, as a pilot project, saying they want to set an example."

Upon hearing this, Yu Hua suddenly realized and said, "So, you deliberately stirred up that hornet's nest the other day?"

"No, then it's just a coincidence."

Zhang Yan spread his hands and said, "But at this critical juncture, I won't be listed in the 'Living' crew anymore, lest I go from being a lapdog to a double standard dog again."

"That's it."

Yu Hua felt a little regretful. He asked Zhang Yan to be credited as the screenwriter, which was actually a way of returning the favor. After all, it was Zhang Yimou's transitional work, and it was still attracting a lot of attention in the industry.

But since Zhang Yan wanted to set an example...

Yu Hua shook his head helplessly and said, "If you ask me, there's nothing good about running a film and television company. The regulations are stricter than those for our novels. Not only do we have to dance in shackles, but we also lose money nine times out of ten. It's a pure loss-making venture."

Haha~
That's because you haven't seen online novels. Thirty years from now, the standards for online novels will be much stricter than those for TV dramas.

Feeling guilty for not being able to convey her feelings and instead having Zhang Yanbai help her, Yu Hua racked her brains to find a way to make up for it.

Believe it or not, it actually reminded him of something.

Yu Hua glanced furtively towards the kitchen and whispered, "Have you heard about Jiang Wen becoming a director?"

"Of course I heard about it. When he was still in the United States, he asked Liu Xiaoqing to ask me for a script, but I didn't have a suitable one on hand—I later heard that he asked Wang Shuo?"

"Yes, we acquired the adaptation rights to 'Ferocious Animals.' Have you read that novel?"

"No, what were you talking about?"

That novel was published at the end of 91. At that time, Zhang Yan was unhappy because of the nickname "Little Wang Shuo," so how could he possibly take the initiative to read Wang Shuo's novel?

"It's about a group of kids from high-ranking families, how naive and silly they were when they were young—that's not important. What's important is that I heard he recently joined the swimming team and is looking for a suitable girl to play a role in the show."

No wonder Yu Hua spoke so suspiciously.

Zhang Yan understood immediately and didn't bring it up again. After the six of them finished their lively lunch, he drove Yu Hua and Chen Hong home. After unloading a few boxes of dried fruit and beef, Zhang Yan started the car and drove back, asking, "I'm planning to meet up with Lao Feng tonight for a chat. Do you want to come with me?"

Chen Hong glanced at him and said calmly, "No thanks. I haven't seen Fangfang in a while. I'll take her out for a treat tonight."

If Zhang Yan really wanted her to go, he wouldn't have asked that question. Since he did ask, there's a high probability that there's another 'program' involved.

Zhang Yan knew he had been seen through, chuckled twice, and then started talking about the renovation of his new house within the Second Ring Road—after nearly a year of pulling strings, the approval for the reconstruction had finally come through.

Because this property was intended to be used as their marital home, Chen Hong was particularly concerned about it.

Back near the China World Trade Center, while Chen Hong was on the phone with Wang Jinghua, Zhang Yan went to several large bookstores before finally finding "Ferocious Animals".

After reviewing the contents, Zhang Yan called Jiang Wen.

"Yo~"

After Zhang Yan introduced himself, Jiang Wen's exaggerated voice came through the phone: "Who is it? Oh, it's President Zhang! So, you're finally going to give me a chance to make a living?"

"I don't have that ability."

Zhang Yan retorted, "I might try the white one, but I really can't arrange a black one for a gigolo."

"屮~"

Seeing Zhang Yan bring up his embarrassing past again, Jiang Wen said irritably, "Seriously, did you come back from the border? That night, I'll throw you a welcome-back dinner—don't say anything else, I'll call Feng Xiaogang, and the four of us will have a good chat!"

The two had only met three times, but Jiang Wen was a naturally outgoing person, and Zhang Yan was also a smooth talker, so at least verbally, they were not at all unfamiliar with each other.

"Four?"

"And Xiao Qing too."

When he was invited, Zhang Yan initially thought he wanted Zhang Yan to give him some advice on the script, but when he heard that Liu Xiaoqing was also involved, he immediately became alert.

"What do you mean? You two aren't trying to set me up, are you?"

"How can you call that a 'gathering'? We're calling this a grand event, a brilliant creation together! Let me tell you, my buddy adapted Wang Shuo's 'Ferocious Animals' into a script, and the adaptation was absolutely brilliant, a real gem..."

Listening to Jiang Wen's endless boasting about the script she had revised, Zhang Yan seized the opportunity to ask, "Is it that novel where Wang Shuo is delusional, fantasizing that he has sexually assaulted his dream lover?"

"you saw it?"

Jiang Wen was somewhat surprised, then said, "I plan to change that part. I'll have Milan slap Ma Xiaojun twice, then angrily try to pull off Ma Xiaojun's belt, but Ma Xiaojun will back down like a coward."

"So that means there are no nude scenes with Milan?"

"Vulgar, so incredibly vulgar!"

Jiang Wen scoffed, "Am I the kind of person who resorts to low-class tactics? Let me tell you, what attracts audiences is substance, depth, cinematic language, and..."

Let's talk about it when we meet tonight.

After Zhang Yan interrupted him, he hung up the phone immediately. With Jiang Wen's mouth, if you let him keep talking, two or three hundred yuan wouldn't be enough to cover his phone bill.

Judging from Jiang Wen's tone, she most likely wanted to ask him to invest. In that case, it would be perfectly logical for him to suggest that Tao Hong play the female lead, Milan, that night.

Of course, I must not bring this up before we've reached an agreement, otherwise Jiang Wen, who's always talking big, will definitely make an exorbitant demand.

…………

"That's it!"

On the other end of the line, Jiang Wen hung up the phone and said to Liu Xiaoqing with a smug look, "I was wondering how to get him involved, but this bastard delivered himself to our doorstep—now we have everyone. Old Feng is the best at following Wang Shuo's thinking, and with little Wang Shuo on the side..."

"Don't say anything like 'Little Wang Shuo' in front of Zhang Yan."

Liu Xiaoqing rolled her eyes at him and said, "Besides, the main reason I asked you to bring Zhang Yan along is because I value Yuanmeng's financial resources—don't treat him like a screenwriter, you'd better treat him like a god of wealth!"

Jiang Wen put his arm around her shoulder and chuckled, "Don't we already have a female god of wealth?"

"That's different. My money is tied up in real estate and factories. In terms of working capital, Yuanmeng definitely has more—those singers under him are all like money-printing machines!"

(End of this chapter)