Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 103 Yang Mi's Changban Slope! The Entertainment Industry Can't Sit Still
After everything was discussed, Yang Mi was getting impatient.

"Elbow, come into the house with me."

They left the banquet hall and arrived at the safe house Yang Mi had previously rented near the Beijing Film Academy.

After the two men opened the door, she revealed a fierce and menacing look.

Yang Mi looks beautiful today; she specifically chose this dress for the red carpet event.

But she changed out of it right after walking the red carpet.

She was wearing very casual clothes, a black off-shoulder T-shirt and light blue jeans, with a few strands of hair falling lazily down, giving her a unique, domestic charm.

Turn around,

She looked at Cao Zhong as if he were some kind of gold and silver treasure, and said in a cute, exaggerated manner,

"I smell over 300 million on you."

Cao Zhong's eyes darted around: "What's three hundred million? I can give it to you anytime you want."

"Don't believe me!"

Yang Mi stuck out her tongue. "You were so cool on stage today! First you donated tens of millions, and then you gave the main cast and crew millions in bonuses. You were so generous. I'm so envious!"

“I also heard Wang Renjun say that if they give you face, you should give them gold. He has a whole repertoire of those phrases. I regret not investing back then.”

“You don’t have much to invest, so I can buy you whatever you want,” Cao Zhong said. “I need to emphasize two things. First, the words aren’t important, but there’s a set of rules. Second, I can give you those numbers right now.”

Seeing Cao Zhong raise an eyebrow and finish speaking, Yang Mi immediately understood the significance of the two things Cao Zhong emphasized, and felt a little embarrassed.

But then, Yang Mi's eyes lit up with surprise: "How many numbers can you control?"

"Forehead……"

Cao Zhong didn't know how to answer that question either.

Seeing Cao Zhong's discomfiture, Yang Mi grinned.

She smiled for a few seconds, then remembered what Cao Zhong had said about not having any substance, and was greatly surprised: "Not a single one?"

“Even if I had it, I wouldn’t want it.” Cao Zhong looked at Yang Mi and his grin turned serious again. “You were the one who said you wanted to taste the flavor of my box office success.”

"Humph!"

Yang Mi pretended to be angry, but she was secretly overjoyed.

Cao Zhong earned so much from the box office, but who would have thought that she would be the first to share the profits?

This is what we call intimacy!

No one was closer to her than Cao Zhong.

The two of them went to wash up; one washed until she was spotless, and the other washed until she was long and fresh.

"I have to thank Director Cao for giving me two minutes of screen time," Yang Mi grumbled. "It's different for me; I always give you much more screen time."

Cao Zhong thought about it and felt uneasy. The two dramas with Jing Tian were a promise made at the time, but Yang Mi's side had indeed been neglected.

Just then, Cao Zhong remembered the tens of millions left and the few movies he had overlooked when choosing films for Jing Tian. His eyes lit up.

"Once I finish filming these movies, I'll make one for you too."

"Really?" Yang Mi was pleasantly surprised.

"When have I ever lied to anyone?"

"You lie to me all the time. You just told me you don't have any tricks up your sleeve." Yang Mi put her hands on her hips.

"Do you still want the role?"

Cao Zhongyi snorted.

"Husband~"

Yang Mi turned around and turned on the TV, saying, "This way it won't disturb others."

A loud, boisterous voice is shouting on the TV:
The story goes that Zhao Zilong charged into and out of Changban Slope seven times. With his silver spear, he had thirty-six moves, which were incredibly fierce. He routed the Changban army and was truly a tiger general.

Yang Mi looked up at the TV.
"Hehe, I like Zhao Zilong quite a bit too."

Yang Mi had just finished speaking when
The voice from the television continued.

"But the people at Changban Slope were no pushovers either."

Not only was she incredibly beautiful, but she was also the top courtesan at the brothel…

Yang Mi, feeling embarrassed, quickly turned off the TV.
"What the hell!"

Cao Zhong couldn't help but laugh. He suddenly remembered a joke and asked Yang Mi, "Do you know why Goujian was most afraid of Zhao Zilong? (500 points from BJ)"

Yang Mi thought for a moment and said, "Do you think I'm stupid? Do these two people know each other?"

Cao Zhong flicked Yang Mi's head: "Because Zhao Zilong is incredibly brave, Goujian simply couldn't taste him all..."

"I can't possibly profit from your box office success," Yang Mi said timidly. "You'd better control it carefully."

……

That night, the entertainment industry was ablaze with conflict.

The following morning, news about Cao Zhong dominated major media outlets across the country.

On the red carpet, the captain's angry outburst at Wang An by name sparked a frenzy among entertainment gossip enthusiasts.

The donation of tens of millions of yuan has also been widely praised by netizens.

Han Sanpin and Cao Zhong's remarks affirmed "Nanjing Photo Studio," the Chinese box office market, and Cao Zhong's gratitude to the audience, giving many viewers a sense of happiness that their efforts in raising the film had not been in vain.

What excites the entertainment industry most is the three films that Cao Zhong announced to the media.
Although the details are still unclear, the entertainment industry's emotions have already been stirred up.
All news media outlets have already sent their reports.

Cao Zhong confirms that Chengying Studio will soon be producing three new films!

[While "Nanjing Photo Studio" is still showing in theaters, Cao Zhong has three new films on the way!]

At a celebration banquet, Cao Zhong, China's leading new-generation box office star, officially announced his new film. The title and character details are currently unknown, and it remains unclear whether director Cao Zhong will personally determine the cast.

[After Mei Ting's rise to stardom due to her role as Lin Yuxiu, who will become the next "Loyal Girl"?]

The news caused a sensation in the film industry.

The entire film and television industry was stunned by these news reports. In an instant, Wang An, Captain, and the Golden Lion Award were completely forgotten and became nothing more than a roadside item in people's minds.

Many people are contacting him, hoping to establish a connection with Cao Zhong.
Film companies are hoping to get a share of the profits, while actors and agents are hoping to get roles.

The calls even reached China Film Group and Huayi Brothers, the two distributors.

Public opinion was in an uproar. Since Chengying was just a studio, it was spared the onslaught of phone calls, but China Film Group had to become the switchboard operator.

After contacting Cao Zhong, Chengying, China Film Group, Huayi Brothers and other companies quickly contacted the reporter, and then the news was updated.

"Our reporter contacted director Cao Zhong and obtained confirmed information about the three films."

The first film is produced by Cao Zhong and is titled "My Disqualified Daughter". It is directed by Shen Ao, the assistant director of "Nanjing Photo Studio". Director Shen Ao said that the actors have been initially selected and the project is progressing steadily.

The second film requires consultation with special departments and we are still waiting for news.

The third film will be directed by Cao himself, with an investment of $2500 million, and will again be a story about suffering and hope.

It was very mysterious, and the news caused an uproar across the internet.

The films submitted for the Oscars are not actually the most talked-about news. The fact that the cast has been preliminarily confirmed has made actors in the entertainment industry start to wonder if they might be the ones chosen.

Cao Zhong's film has sparked much discussion.
A film needs to be discussed with special departments.

The news that a film's budget reached $2500 million has truly shocked many people.

Afterwards, China Film Group released another official statement, apparently because they were annoyed by the phone calls from news reporters.

"Although China Film Group invested in Cao's new film, Cao controlled the entire content and did not interfere with the film's production process."

Compared to previous news reports, this news is the most devastating for many people, as it demonstrates China Film Group's absolute trust in Cao Zhong.

……

Filming location in Huairou, Beijing.

Filming location for the movie "Mei Lanfang".

Chen Kaige sat in front of the monitor, staring at the screen, but he seemed lost in thought, his brow furrowed in contemplation.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing that Chen Kaige was a bit out of sorts, Chen Hong quickly came over to remind him.

"Han Sanpin has changed."

Chen Kaige said, "I originally wanted to spend 300 million yuan to film 'Mei Lanfang,' but Han Sanpin thought it was too expensive and only gave me 100 million yuan. In the end, he turned around and gave Cao Zhong 200 million yuan."

Chen Kaige's tone was sarcastic.

"I don't know what this old man was thinking? Does the fact that Cao Zhong's 'Nanjing Photo Studio' became a hit prove that the director is really famous?"
"Is the next one guaranteed to be a success? I won the Palme d'Or, but 'The Promise' still flopped at the box office. Those people just don't understand it."

Just a few days ago, he was laughing and joking about Zhang Yimou's medical retirement in Venice.

As a result, in the past two days, Chen Kai witnessed the collapse of a high-rise building.

It's somewhat frightening, and it has elevated Cao Zhong to a position that doesn't belong to him.

Chen Kaige felt that all this buzz should belong to him.

"Mei Lanfang" was the film he wanted to make, the one he wanted to compete for an Oscar in.

It is for the promotion of Chinese-language films in the world.

And now, the two hundred million that should have belonged to him has been taken by Cao Zhong.

"Yes."

Zhang Ziyi, who plays Meng Xiaodong, also came over and said familiarly,

"If Director Chen's 'The Promise' was criticized so badly by netizens who don't understand art, will Director Cao's new movie definitely be able to do the same?"

I'd like to see what kind of movie he's filming. If I finish filming my scenes here and have the chance, I'll go check it out.

"Ziyi still wants to choose a role in Director Cao's movie?"

Chen Hong glanced at Zhang Ziyi, a slight smile playing on her lips.

“I was just saying,” Zhang Ziyi said. “I definitely need to finish the work at hand first.”

However, Chen Hong could see that Zhang Ziyi's eyes held a deep sense of anticipation.

……

A film and television base in Beijing.

The room was filled with an atmosphere of exhaustion.

Zhang Yimou, who had "retired due to illness" from Venice, sat in a chair, rubbing his eyes.

On the table in front of me were numerous materials and plans related to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
After Venice, he quickly resumed preparations for the Olympic Games opening ceremony, not daring to relax for a moment.

"Director Zhang, this Cao Zhong is really something."

The person next to him had clearly received the news.
"A $2500 million investment, they're going to make a blockbuster, they're going to have to go toe-to-toe with Director Zhang."

Zhang Yimou appeared detached, his emotions complex.

Those around him said that Cao Zhong wanted to arm wrestle with him, after all, Cao Zhong had a box office of nearly 400 million yuan, breaking all of Zhang Yimou's records in mainland China.

But somehow

Zhang Yimou felt that Cao Zhong didn't care about him at all.

Just think about what would have happened if he hadn't made that call.

Is Cao Zhong not going to tell him about the relationship between Wang An and Ailing?

This kid didn't even think to remind me.

After receiving the official document, Zhang Yimou was genuinely frightened.

If he gets involved with this, he'll be in for a rough time from now on, and a lot of netizens will probably be criticizing him.

But considering that Cao Zhonggang was preparing for his second film, he was able to secure an investment of $2500 million.

Zhang Yimou couldn't help but admire him.

This kid is really something else.

His insights, courage, and sense of self-worth are unparalleled.

During the last phone call, Zhang Yimou even sensed the pressure in Cao Zhong's tone.

This feeling is very strange.

My mind was still reeling from the thought of $2500 million.

For the first time, Zhang Yimou experienced the terrifying pace that a top commercial film director could bring.

"I won't be able to make movies for the next two years," Zhang Yimou sighed, thinking of Cao Zhong.

"I hope that you can actually compete with me then. I don't know if you have the ability."

In Zhang Yimou's mind, he looked down on Chen Kaige, and he thought highly of Feng Xiaogang, but this Cao Zhong was someone Zhang Yimou couldn't figure out at all.

Zhang Yimou dislikes this kind of uncertainty.

But I was also somewhat excited.

……

At home in Qingdao.

Huang Xiaoming was eating the mantis shrimp his mother had made for him. The meat was very fragrant. When he saw the news online, Huang Xiaoming was shocked. He was just about to make a phone call to contact the Olympic bid committee when a phone call came in.

Fan Bingbing's.

"Xiaoming! It's been so long since we last talked."

"Not long ago, back in July, we were judges on 'Go! Good Boys' once," Huang Xiaoming recalled.

Both of them are from Qingdao, fellow townsmen. Although they have never worked together, they are already old acquaintances.

However, at most, they would send a few text messages to say hello; they never made a phone call on their own initiative.

After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, Fan Bingbing learned that Huang Xiaoming was eating mantis shrimp, and said that she was almost drooling.

The conversation shifted several times until Fan Bingbing mentioned Cao Zhong's name.

Huang Xiaoming narrowed his eyes; he immediately understood the meaning of the phone call.

"If you want Director Cao's phone number, I'll have to ask him."

Huang Xiaoming is a very good person. He didn't have any opinion about Fan Bingbing because of this. Instead, he sincerely said...
"If you just want to submit a resume to ask for a role, I can help you submit it."

"Thank you then!"

After hanging up the phone, Fan Bingbing's emotions were in turmoil.
She has many projects this year. "Contract Lover" has just finished filming, and she has several more movies coming up, including "Street Dance" and "Shinjuku Incident".

She was already very busy, but she didn't want to miss out on Cao Zhong's film project and had to ask about it eventually.

Since I can't compete with Director Cao for the headlines, I'll become the woman on Director Cao's headlines!
……

Entertainment all day long.

Wang Jinghua looked at the news with a cold expression.

"It's such a pity that Huayi Brothers took a share of Cao Zhong's film."

She really wanted to be involved in the film and help choose the role for Cao Zhong, but Huayi's investment made her worry about being targeted.

There's also the fact that he's backed by Japanese capital; Wu Kebo made his fortune in Japan and established his own company.

Wang Jinghua was also worried that Cao Zhong might have a bad impression of her because of this.

The more Wang Jinghua thought about it, the more anxious she became.

Mei Ting's sudden popularity made Wang Jinghua wish she could send all her employees to Director Cao's side so that he could carefully select them and give them a chance.

……

The entertainment industry is in chaos.

For two consecutive days.

Everyone is talking about the buzz surrounding Cao Zhong's film.

On the afternoon of September 13, Bona Film Group's Yu Dong, while being interviewed to promote the film "The Sun", suddenly announced a message that caused an uproar across the internet.

"We feel wronged. The Sun Also Rises also feels wronged. Cao Zhong's previous 'triple structure theory' seemed reasonable, but it was actually just indiscriminate attack, which also exacerbated the impact on the films selected for the Venice main competition."

But if what Cao Zhong said is true, the fact that we didn't win any awards suggests that Venice was dissatisfied with "The Sun Also Rises." Is it because our film is a good film, and they didn't like it?
Cao Zhong didn't explain; he was only concerned with expressing his own feelings, which in turn affected the vitality of true art films in China!
Director Cao's personal style is extremely biased and he doesn't understand art, yet he insists on analyzing it from an artistic perspective. This is going too far and is an insult to highly educated people who love art.

As an art film, we sincerely hope that people will come and see "The Sun Also Rises".
Because you will definitely see a vibrant and unrestrained red era, art, light, and a magical realism dream that is unique in the mainland!

After seeing the artistic style of this film, I hope everyone can raise legitimate protests and questions against Cao Zhong from an artistic perspective!

Oh, and I also heard about the name of Cao Zhong's new movie. It's called "We Live in Nanjing"!
Cao Zhong's new film seems to be another attempt to capitalize on the theme of suffering for box office success. A commercially successful director who understands nothing about art, only knows how to hide behind the tragedy of the people—it's truly laughable, utterly laughable!

Bona Yu Dong also learned how to fire a cannon.

In an instant, discussions about Cao Zhongxin's new film arose one after another, spreading rapidly.
It has sparked huge controversy and discussion across the internet.

A large number of Japanese people, scholars, and Aki from the Tokyo Foreign Ministry were all taken aback.

"Nanjing Photo Studio" is still showing in theaters.

"You idiot, you actually came back?"

This time, while the voices of approval were much stronger than before, the voices of doubt were also considerable.

The leak of this name instantly caused a huge uproar within the entertainment industry and among public intellectuals.

As the director, Cao Zhong naturally found himself in the eye of the storm.

Everyone is getting restless, and some have already started criticizing Cao Zhong!
Some people, however, see the potential for him to become even more popular than Mei Ting based on this name and the $2500 million figure.

For actors, popularity is the most important thing.

Even if the sky falls, Cao Zhong will hold it up!
In short, almost all the actors in the entertainment industry couldn't sit still any longer!
What if this became the next "Nanjing Photo Studio"? Nobody dares to imagine! How famous would it become?
(End of this chapter)