Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 353 Awakening
Gong Li's mood was actually not good at all during this location scouting trip to Tianjin.

She had been hoping that Zhang Yimou would use this location scouting trip as a stepping stone to come to Beijing and bow down to her, since Zhang Yimou was the producer of the drama and it was only natural for him to come along for location scouting.

To everyone's surprise, only Sin Ki-yin and an assistant came, while Cheung Yik-mou stayed on Hong Kong Island to prepare for his next film.

That's clearly just an excuse!

At the beginning of the year, Zhang Yimou clearly said that he wanted to take a break and wait until next year to shoot a new film!

Liar, this big liar!

If it weren't for Xian Qiran's presence, Gong Li would probably have gritted her teeth to pieces long ago.

Only when she saw her dream come true did she manage to compose herself and put on a smile again.

To be honest, Gong Li's looks aren't exactly top-tier. If we go by Zhang Yan's evaluation system, even Gai Lili would be prettier than her.

But the moment Gong Li stepped out of the car, she was undoubtedly the center of attention. Her confident and powerful aura made it seem as if there was an insurmountable gap between her and others.

The juniors and seniors from the Central Academy of Drama's Class of '90 were almost all trembling under this powerful aura. Cao Ying was also filled with admiration. Among the actors, only Deng Jie and Gai Lili fared a little better.

Gong Li only consciously restrained her imposing manner after Zhang Yan came out of the house to greet her.

Zhang Yan greeted Gong Li, then focused his attention on Xian Qiran, shaking hands with her with a smile and saying, "Director Xian, it's an honor to meet you. Last time I went to Hong Kong Island, my first stop was Silver City, but fate had other plans and I couldn't make it."

"Haha, I've long admired Zhang Shengcai."

Xian Qiran laughed heartily, "Besides scouting locations, I'm here to deliver a message to Mr. Zhang. We've already selected two suitable martial arts instructors for you. Both have considerable experience, are quite skilled, and are likely willing to return to the mainland to develop their careers."

"That's great!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan exclaimed with delight, "We're about to start a martial arts drama, and we can certainly draw on the experience from Hong Kong!"

As they were talking, they ushered the three of them into the house.

After the guests and hosts were seated, Zhang Yan first chatted with Xian Qiran about the old story of collaborating with Silver City to bring "Tianjin Wei" to Hong Kong Island, and then went on to talk about "The New Dragon and Phoenix".

With the success of "Tianjin Wei" as a precedent, "New Dragon and Phoenix" should have been able to land in Hong Kong, but didn't Zhang Yan cause a stir in Hong Kong?

This matter was intentionally shelved.

Fortunately, Yuanmeng benefited from the copyright reform in mainland China, so he didn't care about the discriminatory income from Hong Kong.

After discussing the TV series, Zhang Yan began to inquire with Xian Qiran about the two martial arts instructors recommended by Yindu.

"The first one is Yan Hua, who came from the Henan Wushu Team..."

According to Xian Qiran, Yan Hua is a young man born in 70 who has won national championships in Tai Chi, Tai Chi sword, and nine-section whip.

In 90, he was introduced to a Singapore television station and started as a stuntman and extra. Because of his fierce appearance, it was difficult for him to play leading or positive roles, so he gradually transitioned to martial arts choreographer.

Last year, he went to Hong Kong Island to work as an assistant action director for the film "The Six-Fingered Demon," hoping to establish himself there. However, the film flopped at the box office at the beginning of the year, and he hasn't been able to get any proper work since.

However, members of the Sammo Hung Stunt Team who serve as the official action choreographer believe that his action designs are unique, with a kind of violent beauty that feels like every punch lands. Moreover, given his current awkward situation, he is unlikely to refuse the invitation to fulfill his dream.

[PS: Core member of the Donnie Yen Stunt Team.]

Another is a veteran stuntman who has been working in Hong Kong for many years. He doesn't have any particularly outstanding skills, but he has experienced the golden age of martial arts films in the 7s and 80s and has a wealth of experience in martial arts routines.

This person, who recently offended triad members, is currently living in constant fear and would probably like to go to the mainland to hide for two or three years to avoid trouble.

From Xian Qiran's description, it's clear that he leans more towards Yan Hua.

But every punch lands squarely...

Zhang Yan recalled promotional clips from Wolf Warrior. This fighting style was very impactful in the movie, but it was clearly not suitable for the needs of a martial arts drama.

Okay, let's recruit them all together and see if we can use them in the future.

While Zhang Yan and Xian Qiran were chatting, Gong Li remained mostly silent until the topic of film and television bases came up, at which point she became somewhat interested. "I've heard a lot of people talking about the August 1st Film and Television Base in Beijing lately, and it feels completely different from the film and television bases in Hong Kong. It's more like a theme park abroad."

Have you ever been to a theme park abroad?

"No, that's why I wanted to try it out."

"Haha~"

Zhang Yan stood up and said, "In that case, let's not just chat here. Let's go to the film and television base and ask Director Xian for some valuable advice."

…………

Just as Zhang Yan, along with Gong Li and Xian Qiran, were heading towards the August 1st Film and Television Base.

As soon as Director Chengjie yelled "Cut!", Assistant Lin, holding a parasol, and Li Xue, holding a fan and a water glass, immediately surrounded Chen Hong.

Li Xue handed the water glass to Chen Hong, then followed her, fanning her as they went, and finally helped her lie down on the beach chair.

Chen Hong closed her eyes and let the makeup artist touch up her makeup. After a while, she suddenly asked, "How many more takes are we shooting this morning?"

Assistant Lin quickly took out his notebook and flipped through it, while Li Xue, who was standing next to him, blurted out, "There should be two left, which is about a third less than yesterday."

She paused for a moment, then added, "It must be because Director Cheng was worried that you would get tired."

"Haha~"

Chen Hong chuckled and said, "Of course he was worried that I would get tired, but this time must have been specially set aside to welcome Gong Li."

"Gong Li is coming?!"

Upon hearing this, Assistant Lin exclaimed excitedly, forgetting all about resentment towards Li Xue for stealing his thunder.

The makeup artist was also a little excited.

Li Xue, who was not very familiar with the industry, knew that Gong Li had a high status in the industry, but she did not have a real sense of it.

So she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Mr. Chen, who's more famous, you or Gong Li? I feel like you're more famous than her now?"

Her words were half flattery and half her true feelings.

For many ordinary people, Chen Hong, who has dominated the small screen for more than two months, is indeed much more popular than Gong Li.

"Haha~"

Chen Hong smiled slightly and said, "It's hard to say who's more famous, but she's actually quite envious of me because Zhang Yimou still refuses to give her a marriage certificate."

As she spoke, she waved to the makeup artist and Assistant Lin, signaling them to step aside for the time being, before asking, "You've been hesitant to speak since this morning. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Li Xue didn't realize that President Chen had already seen through her hesitation.

However, this is precisely a good opportunity to express one's stance.

So she squatted down next to the beach chair and said in a very sincere voice, "Mr. Chen, my sister and I admire you very much and we both want to work for you. If you ever need our help, we will do our best!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Hong's eyes narrowed slightly.

Although she had discovered yesterday that Li Xue was a smart person and that her ambition to climb the social ladder was no less than Li Bingbing's, she did not expect that Li Xue would so quickly see the situation clearly and start to actively move closer to her.

This made her somewhat wary.

However, considering that she was already pregnant and would be officially married to Zhang Yan in two months, these slight concerns were quickly suppressed.

She stared at Li Xue with a half-smile and said, "You are indeed clever, but it's not so easy to establish yourself in the entertainment industry. If you want to work by my side, we'll have to see how high your awareness is."

(End of this chapter)