Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 301 Going to Hong Kong
Before we knew it, it was the end of the month.

That morning, Gong Li got up in the dark and started washing up before dawn.

Hearing the commotion outside, Zhang Yimou, wearing only a vest, came out of the master bedroom and sat down on the sofa with his brows furrowed like terraced fields.

Ever since he said that "marriage is just a piece of paper," the two have been in a cold war and have been sleeping in separate rooms ever since.

The two had argued before, but most of the time it would be over in a few days, and Gong Li would usually take the initiative to make up.

But this time...

Zhang Yimou glanced at the bathroom subconsciously, wondering whether he should take the initiative to ease tensions before Gong Li went to Hong Kong—it wasn't that he couldn't let go of his pride, but he was just too introverted to know how to bring it up.

But Gong Li was truly angry this time. If Zhang Yimou were to let her leave in a huff, he felt that something might happen that he would regret.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yimou got up, walked to the bathroom door, cleared his throat, and said, "Ahem, I..."

Ding-dong, ding-dong~
Just then, the doorbell rang. Zhang Yimou choked for a moment, then changed his mind and said, "I'll go see who it is."

Gong Ligang wiped her face, turned her head with water stains on her face, heard Zhang Yimou say this, snorted coldly, and then lowered her head to continue washing up.

Seeing this, Zhang Yimou wanted to say a few kind words, but the doorbell kept ringing, so he could only sigh helplessly and walk over to look out through the peephole.

Upon discovering that it was his good friend Zhang Weiping and his wife outside the door, he opened the door in confusion and asked, "What brings you here?"

Zhang Weiping laughed and said, "Zhang Jing is also going to Hong Kong Island. She booked the same flight as the one for optoelectronics."

Zhang Jing laughed and said, "It's perfect that Weiping will drive us, which will save you the trouble."

Although the two men meant well, they interrupted Zhang Yimou's attempt to back down. But the old man couldn't say anything, so he had no choice but to let them into the house.

After Zhang Weiping entered, he pulled Zhang Yimou aside to talk about the publicity and distribution of "To Live". Originally, this project had nothing to do with him, but he talked about it in great detail, obviously having done some work behind the scenes.

Zhang Jing then went straight into the bathroom and handed a booklet to Gong Li.

Gong Li took it and flipped through it casually. She found that it recorded the preferences of the leaders of the Optoelectronics Group, as well as the information of Han Sanping from the Beijing Film Studio, and at the very end was Zhang Yan's information.

"Wei Ping went to great lengths to collect them."

Zhang Jing said smugly, "He said that you hitching a ride on Yuanmeng's coattails is a good choice—Zhang Yan of Yuanmeng is young, but I heard that he is one of Deputy Director Lin's advisors, and he is consulted on many things."

"I didn't think that much about it at first."

Gong Li said helplessly, "It's mainly because of what happened back then. Yi Mou doesn't want to ask Xi'an Film Studio or Beijing Film Studio for help with my matter."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a little resentful.

In the late 80s, news broke that Zhang Yimou had abandoned his wife and children to have an affair with Gong Li, drawing widespread condemnation in China and forcing the two to flee to Hong Kong.

Several years have passed since then, and the social atmosphere in China has changed. Yet Zhang Yimou still treats their relationship as something unspeakable. How could this not make Gong Li feel disheartened?

The phrase "marriage is just a piece of paper" is like stabbing someone in the back after reopening an old wound...

Zhang Jing knew that the two were in a cold war. If it were in the past, she would definitely have tried to mediate. But recently, Zhang Weiping often complained that Zhang Yimou was easy to coax, while Gong Li always acted on her own initiative.

Zhang Jing listened and kept it in mind, and gradually developed the idea of ​​advising them to separate rather than reconcile.

"You're right, this plot is also true."

She deliberately sighed, "You'll be thirty soon. If you keep dragging it out... it's one thing in other professions, but in your line of work, it's all about new faces replacing the old. I've heard that the young girls at the Central Academy of Drama and Beijing Film Academy are all incredibly beautiful."

She paused, as if remembering something: "By the way, was it true that Chen Hong publicly announced her marriage a while ago?"

She had already investigated Zhang Yan, so how could she not know whether the matter was true or false? Asking this was just to further provoke Gong Li. "Of course it's true."

Gong Li's expression darkened: "I asked Zhang Yan that day, and he said the wedding would be held before the Mid-Autumn Festival."

As if on cue, the two were chatting when Gong Li's mobile phone in the living room rang. The caller was Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan called to confirm Gong Li's itinerary, so as not to delay the inspection team's departure.

Gong Li arranged to meet Zhang Yan at the airport, then went downstairs to buy breakfast. After a quick bite, she set off with Zhang Weiping and Zhang Jing, carrying her luggage.

Zhang Yimou escorted the three to the gate, but still couldn't find an opportunity to soften his stance.

They could only give up for now, thinking they'd deal with it when Gong Li returned—as for taking the initiative to call and apologize, given his personality, that was absolutely out of the question.

Gong Li and her two companions arrived early, only a step behind Zhang Yan and Chen Hong. As for the people from Optoelectronics and the eight major film studios, they were traveling together by bus and had not yet made it to the airport.

After meeting, Gong Li introduced the two parties.

Zhang Yan had heard Gong Li mention Zhang Weiping before, and knew that he was in the real estate business, and also worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative and in airline catering—it was because of his connection with airline catering that he was able to easily buy a ticket on the same flight as the inspection team.

So he casually offered a couple of compliments to the other person.

"I dare not accept such praise!"

Zhang Weiping quickly waved his hand: "I said I have tens of millions in assets, but more than half of it is tied up in business. Unlike you, my brother, you can easily earn tens of millions a year by doing commercial performances. That's a real rich person!"

He meant it sincerely. If he wasn't envious of the asset-light model of film, television, and music, why would he go to such lengths to win over Zhang Yimou?

Zhang Yimou was good at winning people over, but Gong Li...

hum~
It's best not to let yourself find any dirt on this woman, otherwise you'll definitely teach her a lesson!

"Mr. Zhang is joking."

Zhang Yan quickly added modestly, "We in this business have a lot of miscellaneous expenses, especially since we deal with local bullies. Many times we lose money but gain publicity."

"What about the TV series you produced? You must have made a lot of money from them, right? I heard that after 'The New Dragon and Phoenix' became a hit, more than a dozen provinces were vying to buy the copyright. That alone must have brought in several million in net profit."

Speaking of this, Zhang Yan became even more dejected: "Sigh, it's even more depressing to talk about this. When we invested, the RMB was still worth a lot, but who knew that the money would lose value at the beginning of the year? After all the calculations, we didn't even make a penny."

This statement is half true and half false. Because of the massive monetary easing, the actual profits were indeed less than expected. However, because of the massive monetary easing, more manufacturers sought out Chen Hong and Zhang Guoli to shoot advertisements than expected, and each one was more willing to ask for a higher price.

Although Zhang Weiping didn't understand the reasoning behind it, he could tell that Zhang Yan was lying through his teeth. He cursed Zhang Yan inwardly as a little fox, but his smile grew even brighter.

On the other hand, the three women, Chen Hong, Gong Li, and Zhang Jing, also create a drama.

Especially Chen Hong and Gong Li.

In terms of prestige and status within the industry, Gong Li is certainly far superior to Chen Hong. However, Chen Hong has a slightly higher level of national recognition thanks to her two hit dramas. Not to mention that she is not only a star but also a producer and the owner of a talent agency.

Therefore, the two sides are actually evenly matched, and Chen Hong's actual influence is even slightly higher.

Zhang Jing, caught in the middle, skillfully maneuvered, praising Chen Hong's recent return to her alma mater, which excited the students at the Shanghai Theatre Academy; and mentioning that Gong Li's film "To Live" was about to compete in Cannes and would most likely win a major award.

While seemingly supporting both sides, they actually harbored a secret intention to instigate conflict, and the two gradually developed a competitive spirit.

Neither of them were shallow women, so even if they were to compete, it would be done in secret, while on the surface they would mainly flatter each other.

Gong Li didn't notice anything amiss with Zhang Jing's actions, but Chen Hong keenly sensed something was off. Her gaze swept between the two best friends, secretly speculating about their true relationship.

(End of this chapter)