Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 33 Boss Yang
Listening to Chen Shou's constant use of various professional terms, even Yu Qian, who was studying directing, was completely confused. After all, they were not products of the same era; they already had a very sophisticated special effects industry in the early 20th century.

We have been simulating and creating special effects for many years.

Our domestic films are still focused on the story itself, searching for movie stories in the fields.

It was only with the exploration of commercial films by Zhang Yimou's generation that the concept of commercial films gradually emerged in China; otherwise, no matter how well the market was developed, it would only become someone else's box office.

The elderly couple looked on with satisfaction as they watched Chen Shou eloquently describe the special effects from abroad.

Chen Shou has established himself in the film and television industry. Although he is still very young, his words carry more weight than the two of them. He is no longer the rookie who needed them to find connections and spend money to make movies.

Given time, they too can soar to great heights and fly high in the sky.

"I'll take good care of your junior apprentices when the time comes," Guo Degang said jokingly.

"If there are suitable opportunities, I will let them take the stage. Comedians are too close to the audience, making it difficult for them to portray characters well. The same goes for acting skills. I will try my best to bring them along when I have the chance," Chen Shou nodded.

Guo Degang knows his apprentices well; it's difficult to train them for the big screen. Chen Shouzhe might be the most convenient channel, but Chen Shouzhe has a passion for film, and not just anyone can get on board.

The first film was a comedy, and since they were also comedians, Chen Shouzhe was short of people and needed them. Many of them gained considerable fame after appearing in the film, which helped Deyun Society increase its visibility.

This shows that an excellent film can be as good as their work in small theaters over many years, but it's just too difficult to get it onto the big screen.

The way his fellow apprentices looked at Chen Shouzhe was just like how his classmates looked at him now—they were from completely different worlds. A movie with a 13 billion investment, how many of those are there in the world?

"You're still thinking about doing crosstalk?" Yu Qian asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"Let's stick to storytelling. I won't do crosstalk anymore. I'm away from home most of the time now. It takes two people to be a good partner, and it's too difficult to get a good rapport with one. Besides, I don't perform every day," Chen Shou said, shaking his head.

"Go ahead and make movies. Have your own company. Storytelling is just a hobby for you. This industry is addictive," Guo Degang said with a smile.

Chen Shou still has a desire to perform crosstalk deep down. However, he can't go back to performing crosstalk now. Storytelling is better for him, allowing him to express the content in his mind and the books through storytelling.

However, a person's energy is limited, and Chen Shouzhe hopes that he can grow stronger so that he can achieve more goals.

"Have you been resting lately?" Yu Qian asked.

"I have a dinner party tonight," Chen Shouzhe said, glancing at his watch.

"Aren't you in a hurry?" Guo Degang asked.

"No rush, no rush. Having lunch and playing a couple of rounds with you guys is no problem," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"That's OK!"

Li Hebiao took charge of cooking, while the others washed and chopped vegetables. Soon, a large table was set up, and more than a dozen people ate and drank. Those who needed to rest went to rest, and those who needed to go to the small theater in the afternoon went to the small theater. Chen Shou stayed with the old couple, and the four of them, along with his uncle Hou Zhen, formed a circle to play mahjong.

Around 5 p.m., Chen Shouzhe's assistant reminded him that it was time to leave, and he then stopped.

"Who did he just say was treating?" asked Wang Hui, the godmother at the door.

"It was a Hong Kong film company boss who treated us," Guo Degang replied.

The assistant drove Chen Shou into a private restaurant in the style of a traditional courtyard house. From the outside it looked like a traditional courtyard house, but inside it was a different story, decorated as a private restaurant that only offered private rooms.

Chen Shouzhe never expected there to be such a restaurant within the Second Ring Road. Without someone to guide him, who could find this place?

"Director Chen."

"Mr. Yang, Director Huo, I'm sorry I'm late," Chen Shou said, clasping his hands in greeting.

"No, no, we just arrived. Please come in," Boss Yang said warmly, pulling Chen Shouzhe's hand.

The two escorted Chen into the private room. There was no one else inside, just the three of them. After they were seated, a waiter came in to serve the dishes.

Everything was already ordered. A few minutes later, it arrived—more than a dozen dishes, plus a bottle of good wine, which Albert Yeung brought himself.

"I heard that Director Chen is planning to collaborate with Emperor Entertainment?"

When Chen Shouzhe returned yesterday, he contacted Huo Wenxi. Unexpectedly, today Emperor Group's boss, Yang Shoucheng, flew directly from Hong Kong, making Chen Shouzhe feel valued. After all, he is a big boss, and he flew directly to Beijing to treat him to a meal without saying a word. This sincerity is much better than that of other companies.

"I wonder what the relationship is between Boss Yang and Stephen Chow?" Chen Shou put down his chopsticks.

Upon hearing the name Chen Shouzhe mentioned, Yang Shoucheng and Huo Wenxi exchanged a glance and said, "Not bad, the company has always cooperated with him."

“I wrote a comedy-action script and originally planned to film it myself, but now I don’t have much energy and I think I can hand it over to someone else.”

"comedy?"

The two seemed not to hear the word 'action' that followed, and instead focused on the comedy.

Chen Shou's previous comedy film set a national box office record of 15 billion yuan, a record that has yet to be broken.

Upon hearing that Chen Shouzhe was going to start another comedy show, both Yang Shoucheng and Huo Wenxi were very excited. Since Chen Shouzhe had approached them, it meant that they could get a share of the profits.

“I would like to invite Stephen Chow to star in this movie,” Chen Shou said.

Does it have to be Stephen Chow?

Emperor Entertainment has many artists, with Nicholas Tse as the main star, and several others. Chan Sau-cheung's movies are very successful in promoting people, and once they are successful, Emperor Entertainment will be able to smoothly enter the mainland market.

Looking for Stephen Chow now would be like dividing up the pie.

“It’s not just about getting Stephen Chow to direct; I also want him to be the director, since I don’t have much energy to make other movies right now,” Chen Shou said.

“Sing-jai now has his own production company. If they want him to be a director or actor, the price won’t be cheap,” Huo Wenxi said.

"Then let's follow the cooperation model and have the three of us produce it together. If Emperor Entertainment can't do it, I'll find someone else."

Upon hearing Chen Shouzhe's words, Yang Shoucheng and Huo Wenxi exchanged a glance. They clearly sensed that Chen Shouzhe didn't need them much, but rather wanted to use them to get in touch with Zhou Xingxing, meaning they were dispensable.

Although they didn't know why Chen Shouzhe had brought them along, it was clearly an opportunity. If they couldn't keep up, they wouldn't be able to establish a relationship with Chen Shouzhe in the future.

Chen Shouzhe was actually helpless. On the one hand, he needed Hong Kong capital to pressure Zhou Xingxing, and on the other hand, he didn't have much money. In addition, after investigating Zhou Xingxing, he found that he only cared about money and not people. He had also been cheated by a mainland company before, so it would be difficult to get him to cooperate now. It would be better for Emperor Entertainment to step in.

It also allows me to get acquainted with Emperor Entertainment Group, and then I'll have plenty of Hong Kong-based films to showcase.

“No problem, Emperor Entertainment can handle it. When is Director Chen free to go to Hong Kong?” Yang Shoucheng asked.

"Let's do it in a couple of days. I have a performance tomorrow," Chen Shou said.

"Huh? Director Chen is going to perform again?" Yang Shoucheng looked at him in surprise, clearly not understanding Chen Shoucheng.

"Director Chen is a crosstalk performer, and he also writes books. Tomorrow, 'Journey to the West' will be officially released. Is Director Chen going to go on stage to tell stories?"

Compared to Yang Shoucheng, Huo Wenxi clearly understands Chen Shouzhe better. If Chen Shouzhe's storytelling time weren't so irregular, countless celebrities would flock to grab tickets once the sign was posted.

"Yes, I'll be telling a story at the Beijing Exhibition Theater tomorrow," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"That's great! I need to buy tickets right away!" Huo Wenxi clapped his hands and said.

"I bet all the tickets are sold out." Chen Shou shook his head, knowing that Huo Wenxi was trying to win him over. The best way to curry favor with someone is to start with their interests.

Why are so many people seduced by beauty and money? Who doesn't like money and beauty?

They then discussed some details of the collaboration. In a couple of days, Chen Shouzhe will personally go to Hong Kong, and Yang Shoucheng will contact Zhou Xingxing. The three parties will then sit down together and talk.

Chen Shouzhe had a good tolerance for alcohol, and Yang Shoucheng was a seasoned veteran. The two drank to their hearts' content. In the end, instead of returning to the horse farm, Chen Shouzhe and Yang Shoucheng, accompanied by their assistants, went to a nearby hotel.

The next day, Chen Shouzhe became a trending topic because his book was on sale. Those who bought it opened it immediately and were all dumbfounded after reading it.

Journey to the West was not written by Chen Shouzhe.

The entry was prominently displayed at the top of the Weibo post, drawing many curious viewers to click and take a look.

(End of this chapter)