A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 161 Palace Fight
April 12, 1997, Shanghai.

Not far ahead, Wong Jing, speaking Mandarin with a Taiwanese accent, was talking to Zhang Yimou, Gu Changwei, and others, seemingly emphasizing some shooting angle issue. He had been urgently summoned. When shooting period dramas, large-scale scenes, or even explosions and landslides, Zhang Yimou and Gu Changwei were an absolutely top-notch combination. However, when the crew moved to Shanghai to shoot some sophisticated modern urban scenes, Lin Jianlu always felt that Zhang Yimou hadn't fully unleashed his potential.

It doesn't taste right.

When it comes to making sophisticated modern urban dramas, Wong Kar-wai is probably number one in the Chinese film industry right now, but I'm not that close to him. Wong Jing is probably second only to Wong Kar-wai. Asking him to lend a hand is just a matter of a word, and he certainly comes right away.

And they had a clear idea right away.

Hong Kong films are exceptionally good at portraying refined male and female styles.

Therefore, Zhang Yimou was immediately demoted to assist Wang Jing in directing the crew and filming according to his requirements.

Ge Fuhong and Chen Hong stood side by side, watching the busy scene from afar.

The former had witnessed firsthand how the latter had won over Lin Jianlu with just a few bowls of soup, and even quickly climbed into his bed. He already admired and admired her, and they had chatted quite a bit during their time in New York, so they could be considered to have some friendship.

This spring, Chen Hong suddenly called Ge Fuhong again, saying that Lin Jianlu had allowed her to open a brokerage company in mainland China. She had no experience and didn't know how to do it, so she invited Ge Fuhong to invest.

Ge Fuhong readily agreed and quickly sent several assistants over to help Chen Hong set up the scaffold.

The first business deal the two collaborated on was signing Su Huilun and arranging for her to do commercial performances in several major cities in mainland China. The money wasn't much, just a few hundred thousand yuan in agent commission, but the experiment was a success, and everyone was quite confident about future collaborations. What Ge Fuhong admired most about Chen Hong, and what truly impressed her, was that despite having so many people she could sign, she wasn't in a hurry. The company had been established for over a month, and the experiment with Su Huilun had been successful, yet she hadn't rushed to sign anyone else!
This is quite remarkable, and in Ge Fuhong's view, it shows that Chen Hong is a truly intelligent person.

So whether it's cooperation or flattering Lin Jianlu, Ge Fuhong is very willing to help her—signing people is incredibly easy for her! The key is that there aren't any truly influential agencies in mainland China that can reassure so many artists from Taiwan and Hong Kong to sign contracts, and that signing a contract will actually guarantee them orders in mainland China.

With Lin Jianlu's endorsement, Chen Hong's credibility is not an issue from the start. With Lin Jianlu's large network of friends, she won't have trouble finding people to sign her. Once she really opens up the market and gets things going, her future is limitless.

Although only 20% of the shares were given, Ge Fuhong still believed it was a good deal.

And that's why their relationship has heated up again in the past month or so—in fact, once they get close, they have a lot in common, even if they don't talk about business. They're both playing the third wheel.

"I heard that a few days ago a man named Xu Qing came over, and you two almost got into a fight?"

"That Chen Huaien told you, right? I was just wondering why you had to send a photographer all this way. He has plenty of photographers here... Is he one of your husband's people?"

"Haha, there's a lesson smart people learn early, the earlier the better, because you'll suffer if you learn it late. That is, see through things but don't say it! Don't always have to say it just because you see it! Look, he didn't ask anything, but when I asked if we needed anyone, and Chen Huaien was free, he immediately agreed. He also needs to make me feel at ease!"

Are you that scared? Afraid he'll kick you?

"Please, Ah Hong, you have no idea how famous he'll become, but I know he will! Of course, he's under a lot of pressure! So, please help me out, say good things about me! I'll do everything I can to help you, OK?"

"Of course it's OK! So, with our relationship, is there anything we can't say to each other?"

"Ha! That's right! Hey, did you win?"

"I lost! I was bound to lose! I had to lose!"

"how to say?"

"Jianlu likes Xu Qing's willful and jealous nature, and she likes me because she likes my intelligence. So, Xu Qing should naturally be a little willful and jealous, but I must be more sensible and give in. That way, we both win. If I really fight with her, in the end she might just get a scolding and nothing serious, but I'll lose miserably!"

"Makes sense."

"Hey, last time I overheard you talking to him on the phone, you said there was some problem in Hong Kong?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty big problem! For the past two weeks, it's been all negative news about him, most of it fabricated, but some of it is true. Anyway, he's been famous for a year, and everyone has been quite restrained towards him, an outsider. There haven't been any large-scale attacks. But this time, his request to participate in film investment has stirred up a hornet's nest. All the pent-up dissatisfaction has been released! Hong Kong's entertainment industry dominates Asia, and what's the core of that dominance? The core is movies! Records have to come in second! They won't allow Ah Lu to come in and take a slice of the pie!"

"So now? Is it resolved?"

"No! How can this be resolved? It can't be resolved!"

"So... we just let them continue their attack?"

"Hehe, not really! There are ways to solve this! Ah Lu jokingly said that my solutions are three strategies: best, middle, and worst. The worst strategy is to throw a banquet to apologize! Then sign a few film contracts with them, and you'll have a powerful backer. Immediately everyone will turn around and sing your praises, and all the attacks will disappear. The middle strategy is to ignore it. It will have some impact, but there's no real evidence. The evidence is mostly just gossip and rumors, so it won't really affect Ah Lu's ability to continue releasing albums. And the best strategy..."

"Speak up, don't keep me in suspense!"

"Ha, the best strategy is exactly what Jianlu is doing!"

"English album? Music video?"

"That's right! Hong Kong people are spineless and very Western-worshipping. As long as the album does well, everything is fine! You've already transcended the three realms. You don't rely on the Chinese music market for a living anymore. In the small Hong Kong market within the Chinese music market, even if there are some rumors, what can they do to you?"

"Hmm...that's interesting!...Could he really become famous?"

"Haha, that's your man. You're not even as confident in him as we are? You only spent a few days getting into his bed! You should be the one with the most confidence!"

"I don't understand music!"

"I don't understand either! But I do know that a top global record company like Columbia Records, after listening to his album, actually dispatched two global directors to handle the album's promotion and distribution. I knew then that he was going to be a hit! Even A-level promotion and distribution resources wouldn't warrant the deployment of two global directors!"

"Makes sense."

"Here, it'll be released globally in three days. This is a copy published and distributed in Hong Kong by Sony Columbia. I just got my hands on it yesterday; it's the first copy, so I'm giving it to you!"

"You're going to give me my man's records?"

"Ha! You're so sharp-tongued, you're not a pleasant person at all!"

"Just please my man!"

"Hey, you didn't get the female lead role, are you unhappy?"

"Yes! I'm considered the most beautiful woman in period dramas in mainland China, she doesn't even make the list! But what can you do? She was probably a virgin when she was with Ah Lu. She'll have to be pampered for a while!" "Oh yeah! Almost no man can resist that. You'll definitely be at a disadvantage in that respect."

“It’s okay. I’ve got my eye on a girl, one of his backup dancers. I bet he’s been interested for a while, but she’s a bit slow! I’ve decided to sign her and give her a good talking to.”

"Wow...you're only in your early twenties, isn't that a bit too early? You're not going to fall out of favor, are you?"

"Tch! Sis! Men! Even though I love him, love him to the point of madness, I'm not so confident that he'll love me that much more! He definitely loves me too, I can feel it! But... do I need to say more? Aren't you going to see me off?"

"Ha...we're all getting old!"

"Oh……"

"Haha, don't give me that! Everyone has been young, and everyone gets old! Why do I admire you so much? You are still so young, so incredibly beautiful, but you are already doing things that women only consider and start doing after they have aged and lost their beauty. This is something only a truly intelligent person would do."

"Thank you! I'm far from falling out of favor, don't worry!"

"Don't worry! Of course I trust you! Wow... she looks so beautiful in that outfit!"

"Yes, I think she's beautiful too!"

"This Yu Feihong is really tough to deal with, isn't she?"

"Yes! She's much smarter than Xu Qing! Second only to me and Lin Qingxia!"

"You consider yourself number one?"

"Is not it?"

"Don't be careless. Women don't just rely on intelligence to win favor. There are many times and many people that you can't analyze from a purely logical perspective. For example, you know he really likes it when a girl acts like a spoiled little princess towards him, right? By the way, you said last time that you guessed he had another one. Did you find out?"

"No. I'm sure there is such a person, but I can't find out who it is! His assistant, Liu Xiaoli, is very tight-lipped, and I couldn't get any information out of her! But I guess he probably has a childhood sweetheart, or even a girl he's been thinking about since he was very young! Because my own analysis is that the girl is probably still in high school!"

"Wow! You're in trouble then! Childhood sweethearts are the best!"

"Yes! Childhood sweethearts are the hardest to deal with! But it doesn't matter, we'll definitely run into one soon. When we do, I'll observe her carefully. If it's difficult, I'll leave it for now. At worst, I'll spoil her even more than I dote on her!"

"This is a good idea!"

"Hey... do you really think his English album will sell well?"

"I'm very confident."

"How much better can it get?"

"A minimum of three million copies worldwide!"

"That's not much! It doesn't even sell as much as his album 'Cold to the End'!"

"Come on! That's an English album! For a Chinese person to release a pure English album and sell three million copies worldwide is already a huge success! Returning to the Chinese music scene, he's already crushing everyone!"

"Oh, I see! Is it possible to sell five million copies or something?"

"There's hope! But breaking ten million copies is purely a matter of luck! ... Of course, I don't understand music. According to Sylvia Chang, she thinks this album should sell twenty million copies! But... who can say for sure!"

…………

The two chatted endlessly, but suddenly, a shot was finished, and Wang Jing yelled "Cut!" The set instantly became lively. Lin Jianlu quickly went to the monitor to watch the playback, pointing at the screen and exchanging ideas with Wang Jing and Zhang Yimou.

But at this moment, Yu Feihong, dressed in a professional suit and looking exceptionally beautiful and elegant, turned around and walked over, her smile incredibly sweet, "Hello, Sister Chen Hong, Sister Ge!"

Ge Fuhong immediately smiled and nodded at her, "Feihong, hello, you look so beautiful today!"

As she approached, Chen Hong smiled and gently patted her shoulder, saying, "You're gorgeous! Once the music video airs, you'll be a global sensation!"

Yu Feihong glanced sideways and laughed, "Sister Chen Hong, you're making fun of me!"

Chen Hong looked very serious. "How could I possibly be laughing at you! Ask Sister Ge, in the year since he debuted, has he ever been this serious about anything? Only this time! We've followed him all this way, we've seen it with our own eyes! Not to mention wearing that heavy armor all day, look how he treated you! For every shot, he personally made you look so beautiful! I'm so jealous!"

Yu Feihong laughed again, a little embarrassed, "It's just that he thought I was suitable for this music video! Actually, if you ask me, based on the scenes we've filmed in the past, Sister Chen Hong, you were more suitable than me!"

"No way! Whoever he chooses, that's who he gets!"

The two girls smiled at each other, their eyes sparkling.

At this moment, even someone like Ge Fuhong, who was used to seeing all sorts of things, subconsciously wanted to back away—but thankfully, the person in question had already come over.

Chen Hong immediately bypassed Yu Feihong and went to greet him, already unscrewing the glass in her hand. She handed it over, saying, "It's warm! Have a couple of sips first!" He took it, gulped down half the glass, then handed it back and asked Ge Fuhong, "Any new news from Sister Aijia?"

Ge Fuhong replied immediately with a serious expression, "No! Everything is going smoothly! You can rest assured!"

Lin Jianlu nodded, was about to walk away, but then turned back, "You coordinate with Rock Records. The music video should be finished filming in the next day or two. After that, I'll go to Hong Kong to record songs there. I'll be back in the capital for May Day, so I can record for about half a month!"

Ge Fuhong was overjoyed upon hearing this, but quickly suppressed her excitement. "Okay! I'll contact President Duan right away, don't worry! But... are we going to Hong Kong to record? They might be a little unfriendly to you there lately!"

He laughed, then scoffed, "Otherwise, I wouldn't go!"

Before leaving, he added, "Subscribe to a few more newspapers for me. I want to see what kind of nonsense those people will spout after '21' goes on sale!"

"it is good!"

(End of this chapter)