Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 362 Persistence
After learning from Chen Hong that Gong Li and Zhang Yimou had officially broken up, Zhang Yan's doubts not only remained unresolved, but deepened.

Now that they've officially broken up, why would Gong Li take the initiative to help persuade Zhang Yimou?
Are they the kind of people who remain friends after breaking up?
But Chen Hong's description doesn't seem to match.

While inwardly wondering, Zhang Yan couldn't help but complain, "Why didn't you tell me this sooner? If I had known earlier..."

"If you had known earlier, would you still have called Gong Li? Without Gong Li's intervention, would Zhang Yimou have been willing to back down?" Chen Hong asked a few questions before revealing the truth: "Actually, I originally wanted to give you a surprise..."

No wonder Gong Li's attitude was so strange!
When Zhang Yan heard that Chen Hong wanted to trick Gong Li into relieving his lust, his first thought was that it was absurd and bizarre. He didn't think he had ever shown any ambition towards Gong Li.

Why did Chen Hong suddenly have such a strange idea...?

Faced with Zhang Yan's doubts, Chen Hong patiently persuaded him, "That's Gong Li, the most accomplished actress in China and a representative of Chinese actors on the international film scene. Don't you feel a great sense of accomplishment to have someone like that under your thumb?"

You should be the one who feels the most accomplished!
After all, they were an old married couple, and Zhang Yan immediately extracted Chen Hong's thoughts and mindset from her words.

When the two first met, Chen Hong was obsessed with winning awards. Although she saw more and more people in the industry afterward, she gradually suppressed this obsession in her heart.

But this does not mean that her persistence has disappeared, as can be seen from her insistence on setting up an honor display shelf in the general manager's office.

Her current interest in Gong Li is a continuation of her past obsession—"Although I can't win international awards, I can drag those who have won awards down with me and manipulate them at will."

Of course, she genuinely felt it was a pleasant surprise.

Zhang Yan frowned and said, "But if you do it this way, what if Zhang Yi finds out..."

"So what if I know?"

Chen Hong said dismissively, "They've already officially broken up, and didn't you also say that in recent years our Dream Factory has focused on the small screen, and even if we're going to make movies, they'll mainly be comedies and action films?"

This was indeed the strategic direction set by Zhang Yan.

Directors like Zhang Yimou, who primarily make art-house films and aim to win awards, do not meet the strategic needs of realizing dreams.

Even if there's no need for cooperation, there's no need to deliberately offend the other party, right?

Zhang Yimou is different from Jiang Wen; he holds a much higher position in the industry.

Besides, her relationship with Jiang Wen wasn't good at the time, and they even had some minor conflicts. Furthermore, it was Liu Xiaoqing who initiated it, which is why she...

Of course, Zhang Yan and Zhang Yimou didn't have much of a relationship, so when Zhang Yimou called him to ask about Gong Li's scandals last time, he found it quite strange.

As for the face Zhang Yimou gave this time...

When Zhang Yan allowed Gong Li to join the inspection team using her dream-fulfilling quota, wasn't that also a way for Zhang Yan to save face for Zhang Yimou?

wrong!

Why should I think about all this nonsense?
Zhang Yan stopped his wild thoughts and said seriously, "There's no need for that. I have... well, anyway, Gong Li didn't agree. Just pretend this never happened!"

"Yeah, you're never short of women."

Chen Hong's voice carried a hint of resentment, but she quickly changed the subject: "Zhang Guoli and I discussed today that we're preparing to officially start filming on the 26th. Will you be able to come back from Shandong then?"

"Hard to say."

Zhang Yan said, "Anyway, I don't hold any position in the crew, so let Jinghua handle it. Also, have Lao Wang prepare for Lao Liu and Chang Jihong's promotions and announce them at the housewarming banquet on the 6th of next month."

Having spent the night with Wang Luyao, Zhang Yan naturally didn't want to continue talking about women, so he started discussing business, following Chen Hong's lead.

Ten minutes later.

He put down his now slightly overheated mobile phone and sighed helplessly. Throughout the entire ordeal, Chen Hong did not respond to his request to 'stop the plan,' clearly indicating that she was quite persistent about it, or perhaps even obsessed with it.

In the past, Chen Hong would never have been so stubborn, and Zhang Yan would have been even more assertive.

But isn't this a special period?
Zhang Yan didn't want to argue with Chen Hong over this.

Forget it, just do whatever you want.

Aside from this resigned compromise, deep down he also harbored a certain longing for Gong Li.

The two actresses with the most unique status in the Chinese entertainment industry right now are Liu Xiaoqing and Gong Li. I've already slept with Liu Xiaoqing, and if I were to sleep with Gong Li next…

Chen Hong is right, it is indeed quite fulfilling.

With such filthy thoughts in mind, Zhang Yan temporarily put the matter out of his mind and went to Dou Wei's house early the next morning to give him a thorough dressing down.

Dou Wei's album "Black Dream" was released last month and has already sold more than 30 copies, which is considered a good result.

But this pales in comparison to "Realizing Dreams." Relying on extensive promotional channels, including county-level television stations, "Realizing Dreams" has sold at least 50 copies of its albums since the beginning of the year.

"What do you know!"

Dou Wei was so provoked that his face turned red and his eyes and mouth slanted, as if he had suffered a stroke. He waved his fist and said something about "avant-garde art" and "experimental music".

Zhang Yan countered sharply, pointing out that the most popular songs on his album were the one or two with more obvious commercial elements. Without those commercial elements, the sales would probably have plummeted.

Dou Wei then started talking about things like "expedient measures" and "market compromises." As he spoke, he became even angrier and forcefully pushed Zhang Yan out, making a move to drive him away.

Zhang Yan grabbed his hand and laughed, "I'm not going to waste my breath on you. My seal has just been broken. Let's call up Lao Cui and Brother Guo and have a good get-together at noon today."

Dou Wei was taken aback, then realized: "Chen Hong is already pregnant?"

"It's been almost three months."

Zhang Yan gave an OK sign, and then Dou Wei's expression shifted between light and dark. After a while, he said with a bitter face, "Don't let Jiang Xin and Wang Fei know yet."

"You're such an indecisive and wishy-washy person!"

Zhang Yan criticized with disdain. Initially, he stood on the moral high ground, envying, jealous, and resentful of Dou Wei. Now, as a pond owner, he was angry at Dou Wei's lack of ambition.

The two met up with Guo Chuanlin and Cui Jian, found a quiet little restaurant, and set up a table full of beer and baijiu.

Zhang Yanxian made a round of toasts to show that he was returning to the outdated drinking culture, and then everyone started chatting about all sorts of things.

Cui Jian was still brooding over the stillborn Disciplinary Association, while Guo Chuanlin was becoming increasingly pessimistic about the future development of the rock music scene.

"Didn't Andy Lau come here the other day? Some idiots thought he was going to hold a concert and even started clamoring to collect venue fees and cleaning fees."

This is basically protection money! Is this supposed to be singing? This is practically organized crime!

There is such a thing.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Although Hong Kong singers are considered superior to mainland singers in the eyes of ordinary people, it's the opposite in the rock music scene.

Dou Wei was one of the representatives. Holding up his beer, he excitedly said, "So what if it's protection money? We have to take them down! Just you wait and see. When we, Magic Rock, go to Hong Kong at the end of the year, what the hell are the Four Heavenly Kings? When they come to us, there's only one word: wipe them out!"

(End of this chapter)