Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 339

After the Ice and Snow Sisters interrupted, Han Sanping didn't bring up inviting Andy Lau to act again, since Andy Lau had clearly seemed a bit hesitant earlier.

Zhang Yan then turned to Andy Lau and asked, "I heard that there's a celebrity soccer team in Hong Kong. Aren't you involved in it?"

"I'm not very interested in football."

Andy Lau laughed and said, "But Anita Mui really liked it, and she was one of the founders—what, does Mr. Zhang also like football?"

"so so."

Zhang Yan said, "However, we also organized a star football team in Tianjin to join in the fun of the Jia-A League."

"The Chinese Jia-A League is quite popular lately."

Han Sanping laughed and said, "These days, almost all the media outlets are reporting on the Jia-A League. The cities where the Jia-A teams are located are also bustling with activity. I heard that even the night markets have become much more prosperous."

The Chinese Jia-A League officially started on April 17th, and only two rounds have been played so far, but it has already generated a considerable amount of public discussion.

“It’s not just Jia A League. Our Tianjin football team only participates in Jia B League, and each match has 20,000 to 30,000 spectators.” Zhang Yan said, then turned to Andy Lau and said, “I want to invite Hong Kong celebrity football teams to play a charity match against mainland celebrity football teams. All the proceeds will be donated to Project Hope. Do you think it’s a good idea?”

"This one……"

Andy Lau asked cautiously, "Does it only include stars under Dream Company, or does it include other mainland stars?"

He asked this because if it were only Dream Club, it would be seen as promoting Dream Club, and the Hong Kong Island Celebrity Soccer Team probably wouldn't agree to that.

"Of course, that includes other mainland stars. Just the popular stars under our Dream Realization program alone can't put together a complete football team."

"That should be manageable."

Andy Lau pointed upwards: "If the authorities agree, then we'll be even more secure."

"That's not a problem."

Zhang Yan was also using the banner of charity as a pretext, since his purpose was charity, and there was no reason for the higher-ups not to support him.

He had been preparing for this last year, but because he was extremely busy at the end of the year, he didn't officially start implementing it until after the New Year.

Apart from Xu Wei and Han Hong, everyone in the company was quite interested in this matter—Xu Wei had been a bit down lately and couldn't muster any interest in anything, while Han Hong was simply unable to participate due to her physical condition.

Feng Gong has also assembled a team in the crosstalk circle, and the two sides have been frequently playing five-person matches recently. They have also hired professional coaches to arrange their teams and conduct training.

If we're going to play against the Hong Kong Island Celebrity Soccer Team, we'll definitely need to expand our squad and prepare for the match, at least by bringing in some more players from the Beijing football circle.

…………

The meal was a pleasant one for both the host and guests, and the gathering didn't end until nearly 2 p.m.

When the three of them came downstairs, they found several police officers questioning people at the front desk, and the Ice and Snow Sisters, still wearing their bright red cheongsams, were also there.

Zhang Yan gestured for Han Sanping to take Liu Dehua away first, then he grabbed his bag and went over, calling the front desk to settle the bill while curiously asking the Ice and Snow Sisters, "What happened? Is it related to you?"

"no!"

Li Bingbing quickly denied it, then explained in a low voice, "To prevent news of Hua Zai eating here from leaking out, the manager locked all the hired models and the student producers in the dressing room. Who knew someone would suddenly get addicted..."

The two sisters were also feeling frustrated. The manager had given them the day off, but since their clothes were all in the dressing room, they decided to find a place to rest in the lobby.

As a result, I was unwittingly dragged into this mess and was even called in by the manager to be a witness, explaining why those people were locked inside.

Tsk~
Zhang Yan asked again, "Model or student?"

"model."

That's not surprising. The two most chaotic groups in the entertainment industry right now are models and the rock music scene—of course, the rock music scene is even more chaotic.

Therefore, Zhang Yan refused to become the president of the self-discipline association no matter what—if those bastards had even a shred of self-discipline, they wouldn't have bothered with this stuff. "Then you just need to cooperate and explain things clearly."

Zhang Yan gave a word of advice, then turned to the two police officers and said, "Officers, these two are college students who are out working part-time. They shouldn't have anything to do with this."

Zhang Yan considers himself a filial son, so he always thinks highly of the Bingxue sisters and is willing to help them solve some minor troubles.

Upon hearing this, one of the police officers glared and retorted, "Whether it's related or not is up to you to decide!!"

Zhang Yan didn't say much, but instead took out a business card and handed it over, saying, "If you need anything, you can call this law firm."

The two police officers looked at each other, and after a long while, they awkwardly accepted the business card.

Although most of the people who come here to eat are rich and powerful, it is rare to see someone casually tossing out a business card from a law firm.

At this moment, the waiter handed over the bill. Zhang Yan paid the bill, waved to Li Bingbing and Li Xuewei, and left the restaurant amidst their profuse thanks.

As Li Bingbing watched Zhang Yan's carefree departure, she couldn't help but recall that absurd dream of being forced into marriage.

If only that dream were real.
After leaving the hotel, Zhang Yan first drove to the hotel where Andy Lau was staying to pick up the film reels, and then went back to the Beijing Film Studio with Han Sanping, where he accompanied Han Sanping to watch the three-hour rough cut of "Heaven and Earth".

Coincidentally, this was a banned film from the Republican era.

Perhaps it was a desperate gamble, but Andy Lau, whose looks were at their peak, delivered the best performance of his career. While the film may not be quite a classic, it is definitely a work made with heart.

but……

After watching it, facing Andy Lau's expectant gaze, Han Sanping and Zhang Yan unanimously gave the following evaluation:

"I'm afraid this film will have a hard time making a good box office in Hong Kong."

They may not have a deep understanding of Hong Kong films, but they do have some knowledge of what kind of films have been successful in Hong Kong in the past two years.

This film has artistic value, but it's also bad because it's too artsy and sentimental.

The beginning was alright; the battle of wits and courage between the good and the evil was quite exciting.

The problem is that justice was not served in the end. The anti-opium commissioner played by Andy Lau lost his wife and his life because he affected the interests of the local warlord. He was also falsely accused of committing suicide out of fear of punishment. Meanwhile, the villain who was finally caught was released without charge.

This story is so real it makes my chest feel tight.

Even if the protagonist dies together with the mastermind, that's fine too.

Upon hearing their comments, Andy Lau gave a wry smile and asked, "But it's a good movie, right?"

"It's really well shot."

Han Sanping nodded and said, "If the promotion is done well in mainland China, it should be able to break ten million in box office revenue. Any more than that will depend on luck."

"Only a little over ten million?"

Andy Lau was greatly disappointed: "Didn't the Hong Kong films we imported last year all gross over 30 million?"

This is also why Andy Lau had high hopes for the mainland market. According to the exchange rate at the time, the box office revenue of these Hong Kong films in the mainland had already surpassed that of the box office champion in Taiwan.

"Two films grossed over 30 million each, and one film grossed 28 million each," Han Sanping said, spreading his hands. "But those films were the highest-grossing comedies and action films in Hong Kong."

After a pause, Han Sanping added, "However, if this film is distributed by our Beijing Film Studio, I can guarantee that the box office revenue share will be significantly higher than that of the three films last year."

These words gave Andy Lau a jolt of energy. The biggest criticism the Hong Kong film and television industry has of the mainland is the lack of transparency in box office revenue sharing.

He hurriedly said with a grateful look, "Director Han, this movie is very important to me. If you can guarantee that this movie will be successfully released in mainland China, I am willing to make an exception and return to the small screen!"

(End of this chapter)