A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 123 Chen Hong
When I arrived at the agreed restaurant and knocked on the door of the private room, I was a little surprised.

He Xiuqiong also brought people with her.

The key point is that Lin Jianlu recognized this person at a glance.

The two women stood up simultaneously when they saw Lin Jianlu enter. He Xiuqiong was about to introduce her, "Ah Lu, let me introduce you. This is my friend, an actress from mainland China. Her name is..."

Lin Jianlu waved his hand, "No need for introduction! Diao Chan!"

How could I not recognize you?

Simply put, on those short video platforms in later generations, whenever there's a so-called "comprehensive review of ancient beauties" or a series like "how stunning the old aunties you thought were when they were young," this person is almost always included. And whether it's the bullet comments or the comment section, it's almost unanimously recognized as having top-tier beauty. You may like other people, and you may think that someone else is also beautiful, but that's just "also beautiful." You still can't deny this person's beauty.

She is objectively beautiful.

Before the so-called "Four Dan and Two Bing" debuted, this woman was probably recognized as the number one beauty in mainland China. Even Xu Qing was not as dignified or typical as her beauty. Therefore, when Lin Jianlu wanted to find a pretty and young beauty to shoot the MV, Zhang Zien's first reaction was her, even though she seemed to be in her late twenties.

There's not much to say about the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four top actresses and two top actresses, also known as Fan Bingbing and Fan Bingbing), none of them are ugly. They all became top actresses, no matter how much you look down on them, they all have a good foundation in terms of looks. But without a doubt, Fan Bingbing is the absolute top among that group.

The top-tier face who might be comparable to others of the same period, but is actually a bit lacking, well, the one whose photo was taken.

Then there are the so-called "85 Flowers," with Liu Yifei at the top.

Then there were the Four Beauties of Xinjiang Province and so on—but by this time, Lin Jianlu from the previous life had already grown up. In his aesthetic sense, the other two of the Four Beauties of Xinjiang Province were just there to make up the numbers. Dilraba was the most beautiful, and Gulnazar was slightly inferior overall. And there was one who was slightly inferior to Dilraba, or rather, even going back further, she was still only slightly inferior to Liu Yifei, and there was also the magnificent Consort Hua.

Interspersed among them are Yang Ying, Lin Zhiling, and others, all of whom can be considered stunning beauties. Lin Zhiling is actually not young, but she became famous late, somewhat like Jiang Xin. She was already amazing when she played Mu Wanqing, but she was never very famous until "Ode to Joy" and "Empresses in the Palace". People like Lin Jianlu, who don't usually watch TV dramas, found her again.

The opposite example is Jing Tian. She's actually very beautiful, but she was heavily promoted by a wealthy patron in the early stages, resulting in a consistently poor reputation. Her reputation only improved later. But Lin Jianlu didn't care. He'd been a fan of Jing Tian's looks since he was a teenager. He knew perfectly well that a bad reputation didn't matter; he knew he couldn't sleep with her anyway. He only cared about her looks.

Of course, from the late 1990s until the 20s nearly 30 years later, there were a few that never seemed so amazing, yet remained beautiful in the hearts of ordinary viewers and netizens.

Yu Feihong, well, she went on a blind date, but the woman rejected her.

Gao Yuanyuan, mine.

Ada Chia, haha, she's still mine.

So you see, in the mind of an ordinary guy, the standard is always very clear: whether you have a good career, good acting skills, high emotional intelligence, strong network, and so on, none of that matters to me. What I love is always looks.

Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan, Li Jiaxin, Wang Zuxian, Chen Hong, Xu Qing, Yu Feihong, Jiang Qinqin, Alyssa Chia, Gao Yuanyuan, Fan Bingbing, Liu Yifei, Jing Tian, ​​Dilraba Dilmurat, Yang Ying, Jiang Xin, Zhang Bozhi...

Go ask around on the streets, do surveys online, everyone's choices will definitely be different, but in the aesthetic sense of almost all Chinese people, the most outstanding one must be among these people!

Even among the top beauties of Eastern aesthetics spanning fifty years, this woman in front of you can almost certainly be ranked in the top five. You don't even need to have seen her dramas; just a few seconds of footage is enough to make you realize that for a Chinese woman to look like this, she has basically reached the pinnacle!
And of course, her representative role has always been Diao Chan.

CCTV's aesthetic choices regarding the Four Great Classical Novels are no joke!

Of course, she also has another reason for being famous: whether it's in internet memes or short video jokes, the classic scenes in the Qiong Yao drama she starred in conveyed Qiong Yao's classic values ​​are truly... indescribable! That can be considered a stain on her reputation!

…………

Hello, Mr. Lin!

Chen Hong's eyes were bright and moist. She took the initiative to get up and walk a few steps over to greet him.

Lin Jianlu shook hands with her, "Hi! Hello! Don't call me Mr. Lin, just call me Jianlu or A-Lu, it's fine! 'Mr.' is what they call me here!"

She laughed happily, "Okay, nice to meet you, Lu!"

"Hey, please sit down, please sit down!"

Seeing it in person, it's truly top-notch.

And it's no wonder Zhang Zien's first reaction was to recommend her; she really does look so young—I really want to ask how old she is this year, how she still looks like a girl in her early twenties, even with her face full of collagen, her features are stunning, her skin is so smooth, it's simply...

Emmm...they look so much better in person than on TV!
Judging from the current situation, Xu Qing could get 96 points, Guan Zhilin was still at her peak and could get 97 points, the aging Lin Qingxia could barely get 90 points, the rather inexperienced Gao Yuanyuan could barely get 88 points, Jia Jingwen, who was at her best age, could get 95 points, Jiang Qinqin could also get around 95 points, Zuo Xiaoqian was a bit worse, around 85 or 86 points, and Yu Feihong had not yet reached her peak, around 92 points.

Lin Jianlu is willing to give this person her highest score in history, 99 points.

He Xiuqiong spoke very politely, “Ahong is currently studying in America and recently came back for a visit. We have been in contact by phone before. She is a contracted artist of our company. This time, she stopped by here first before returning to the mainland. What a coincidence! I just heard that you are in Taiwan and wanted to invite you to dinner. Ahong heard about it and also wanted to get to know you. She admires your musical talent very much!”

"Hi, I admire your beauty too!"

"But your beauty is no less than mine!"

"That's true."

After a few simple words, He Xiuqiong and Chen Hong couldn't help but laugh.

They quickly ordered their food, and while waiting for it, they drank tea and chatted as they ate. He Xiuqiong and Lin Jianlu did most of the talking, while Chen Hong didn't get a chance to join in.

"Actually, I just got back yesterday. I went to Hong Kong. There's a role in the movie 'Heaven Has Tears,' and they decided to cast Zhu Yin. I went over to talk to her and also met with Qingxia. She said that you mentioned that for our upcoming 'Princess Pearl,' she will mainly represent you with Forbidden City Film Studio... She has a very good relationship with my mother."

"Yes, I know, she was the first generation of Yao Girl!"

"That's right! My mom always says that we all help each other succeed! But... are you really sure you can trust us two women to make this show? How about you be a producer or executive producer?"

"Hmm... let Qingxia be the producer, she's quite interested in it. Count me in as an executive producer too!"

"Great! By the way, I heard when I went to the capital last time that you're investing in a lot of films and have many friends in mainland China. So, when our actors get roles in mainland China, could you please help them out?"

"Ha... okay! No big deal!... You mean her?"

"Yes! Of course, that includes Ah Hong."

"She...doesn't need me to take care of her, right? She's famous enough!"

"I want what I want!"

…………

From the moment Lin Jianlu entered the room, Chen Hong had been secretly observing him.

Actually, she hadn't really wanted to come.

She knew Lin Jianlu was very famous. He was already famous before she went to America, and was even called the King of Asia. But he was just a singer, and she felt that there would be no business dealings with him, so she didn't care. Of course, she knew that Lin Jianlu was very handsome, super handsome, but she wasn't curious. As for men, as long as they're not ugly, that's enough. Besides, pretty boys are everywhere, so she didn't care.

As the most recognized beauty in mainland China, Chen Hong has an unimaginable confidence in her looks. But because of this confidence, she feels that everyone is uglier than her and there is not much difference between them.

But He Xiuqiong strongly urged her to come and meet them together, saying it would be good for her in the future.

When filming "Plum Blossom Trilogy: Between Water and Clouds" in 93, Chen Hong was handpicked by Qiong Yao as the female lead. At that time, He Xiuqiong was just an executive producer, a student, but she already had a high status in the crew. It was during that time that the two formed a close friendship.

The following year, He Xiuqiong officially took on the role of producer and filmed "Smoke Locks the Tower". Chen Hong also joined the cast immediately and played a cameo role.

Chen Hong takes Qiong Yao's daughter-in-law quite seriously, especially since she has clearly taken over and is gradually becoming Qiong Yao's spokesperson, or even one of the four major producers in Taiwan. She is also willing to believe what Qiong Yao says.

That's why I followed them, hoping to at least get to know them.

Upon meeting him in person, he was indeed very handsome, so handsome that even someone like Chen Hong couldn't help but feel a flutter in her heart at first glance—but she immediately restrained herself. Getting to know each other and leaving room for future possibilities was acceptable, but a deeper relationship was absolutely unnecessary, and indeed, not advisable.

Although she was in America, she had many friends in the film and television industry in mainland China. The fact that Chen Kaige was scolded but couldn't retaliate on the spot was not something she wanted to publicize, but it had already spread throughout the industry. Naturally, she knew about it long ago—Chen Kaige was her future husband!

As an actress, she is already 28 years old and has to consider marriage. So it is obvious that the top director in mainland China is an outstanding choice, even if he is divorced!

A little ugliness doesn't matter. As I said before, when Chen Hong is choosing her future husband, looks are always a very minor issue—future prospects, abilities, talents, and whether he can become increasingly successful in the future are the absolute top priorities! And from this perspective, Chen Kaige is almost perfect!
At just forty years old, he had already directed "Farewell My Concubine," won a major award at Cannes, and become the top director in China. He had everything: talent, fame, status, and money!
He doesn't even need to advance further; just keeping his position is enough to make Chen Hong interested enough to marry him!

The only problem is that he has always had a girlfriend. His departure to America was just a gesture; the subtext was that he wanted her to follow him and break up with Ni Ping before he would date her.

This is essential for raising one's own value!
I will never date him from the perspective of being a third party. If I date him, I will be the official wife, and if we get married, I will be the legal wife!
Unfortunately, it is said that he had already arrived at the airport when Ni Ping stopped him again. Later, she probably persuaded him and did not chase after him. This shows that the previous plan had completely failed and he had not caught anything.

I've been in New York for over three months now, and it's been incredibly awkward and boring.

Fortunately, the groundwork laid before her trip turned out to be a lifesaver—she played the female lead in a Hong Kong drama called "New York Storm," with Lui Leung-wai as the male lead, and the reason she went to New York was precisely to film this drama.

Later, I enrolled in a class, but that was just a second excuse.

She couldn't concentrate on her lessons at all, but her English was becoming more and more fluent. She had enough for daily life and wasn't short of money for the time being. But she knew very well that she was already twenty-eight years old, and after the new year she would be twenty-nine. With each year older she got, her marriage value would drop significantly. More importantly, even if Ni Ping couldn't hold onto that playboy, he had no shortage of other options. Countless young and beautiful girls were eagerly throwing themselves at him!

So, despite the awkwardness, I decided to come back.

First, I need to make a trip to the capital to re-enter his life and give him another chance. Second, my savings are limited, and I don't dare to just lie around and spend them all. When I get back, I need to look for a suitable role for him.

She has always been clear-headed in her thinking. When she was in favor of Qiong Yao dramas, she invested in them without hesitation, even though she was already very popular in mainland China. Now that she is interested in Chen Kaige, she naturally has to win him over.

So she acted on her idea immediately. Her plan was to fly directly from America to Taiwan to visit Qiong Yao and He Xiuqiong, reconnect, and see if she could get any roles along the way. Then she would return to the capital, take advantage of the time before the Lunar New Year to see some old friends, and then go back to the entertainment industry. She would stay for two or three months, taking on roles if there were any, and going to film sets. If there weren't any roles, she would decisively continue to disappear after the Lunar New Year—she had to make Chen Kaige actively pursue her, leave the capital, leave Ni Ping, and then reject his advances, forcing him to go back and break up with her before coming back!
For someone like her, a singer like Lin Jianlu is completely outside the scope of her efforts to please.

However, He Xiuqiong had already laid the groundwork and made introductions before he came. Now, sitting at the same table eating and chatting, as she listened to He Xiuqiong's conversation with him, she gradually noticed that something was wrong.

it is true?
Lin Jianlu has invested in many films? And he's even going to co-star with Qiong Yao?

When has Qiong Yao ever allowed anyone to interfere with her acting?
Is Lin Jianlu very close to Brigitte Lin?
Moreover, it seems that He Xiuqiong, this strong woman, is deliberately praising Lin Jianlu in her words and actions.
And when he talks, it's as if Brigitte Lin is just one of his errand girls.
What kind of person is he?

(End of this chapter)