Huayu02 started by making films.

Han Yi sat up straight and said sincerely, "Jiang Wu graduated from Beijing Film Academy. Teacher Dai, could you help me contact him? I'd like to talk to him in person."

"Once I can convince him, things will be much easier with his brother. As for things like sidelining the story or seizing power, my film only has two scenes; what can he do about that? If all else fails, I'll put his name on the director's list; maybe that'll even get me a few more bucks at film festivals."

Yuan Jiaping asked, "Which film festival do you plan to submit your work to?"

"Cannes in May. My plan is to finish filming, editing, and processing in March and then send it directly there. If there's no news, then Venice in September, or Berlin in January next year. Anyway, I'm not considering domestic film festivals."

"That's great! I, as your teacher, will definitely support you with this ambition. It's just Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu, let's take them down!" Teacher Dai gestured and said in a loud voice.

Seeing that Teacher Dai had been persuaded, Han Yi opened his bag and handed the cash he had withdrawn from the bank to Yuan Jiaping: "Teacher Yuan, I won't trouble you with two things at once. Here is a total of 21,000 yuan. I'll leave the film to you."

Yuan Jiaping took the cash, counted it, and nodded in agreement after confirming the amount was correct: "Six rolls of Kodak 400 feet, plus an Arri camera. Once you've finalized the cast and prepared the props, just come to the department to pick it up."

"Okay, thank you, teacher."

……

At Jiang Wu's home, he was having a drink and chatting with Jiang Wen, listening to his brother ramble on about what happened on the set of "Looking for a Gun".

"Hey soldier, let me tell you, that Lu Taro is a spineless coward. He doesn't dare utter a single word on set. I asked him if the script was plagiarized, and he stubbornly denied it."

Xiaobing was Jiang Wu's former name; his full name is Jiang Xiaobing.

Jiang Wen became more and more agitated as he spoke, and stood up: "Damn it, does he really think I haven't seen Akira Kurosawa's 'Stray Dog'? He even said I messed up his script. If the script hadn't been changed, who wouldn't have noticed when it was released? This little bastard."

He finished speaking, panting heavily, while Jiang Wu nodded in agreement. Just then, Jiang Wu's phone rang.

He answered the phone: "Hey, Lao Dai... Oh... Okay... Have him come straight to my house... There's no one else here... We're all from Beijing Film Academy, I'll definitely give my junior face... Have him bring the script so I can take a look first... My brother? He's here with me... That's all, he can come over now."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Wu looked at the bewildered Jiang Wen and said seriously, "Old Dai from the Literature Department said that one of his students has a good short film script and wants us to act in it. I told him to come over directly."

"What year are you in? Are you reliable?"

"I didn't ask in detail, but Lao Dai wouldn't stoop to lying to me. He must have read the script; you have to trust the professional standards of our Beijing Film Academy." Seeing that Jiang Wen still didn't believe him, Jiang Wu spoke with certainty.

"Yeah, your Beijing Film Academy's directing department doesn't produce directors, and your acting department doesn't produce actors. You're really 'professional'," Jiang Wen replied sourly.

In fact, Jiang Wen failed the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy in 1979, and was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama's acting department the following year.

Jiang Wu didn't respond, but just looked helpless. His brother would bring up this old story every time they ate together.

……

After receiving a reply from Teacher Dai's office and noting down the address, Han Yi left school and took a taxi to Jiang Wu's house. On the way, he stopped by a supermarket and, gritting his teeth, spent 600 yuan to buy two bottles of Feitian Moutai.

When asking someone for a favor, it's always a good idea to bring something with you.

A short while later, the taxi stopped at a residential complex. Han Yi paid the fare, carried his bag and the wine, and went to the address. After confirming the house number, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Bang bang bang!"

"They're here."

A response came from inside, and then the door was pulled open, revealing a round face with a thick beard. It was Jiang Wu: "You must be Han Yi? Old Dai told me to come in and sit down, it's cold outside."

"Okay, Senior Brother Jiang Wu."

Han Yi stepped inside and quickly glanced around the room. It was a typical old apartment; the living room was spacious with radiators in the corners, the kitchen was rather small, and the bathroom was connected to the bedroom.

Jiang Wen was leaning back on the sofa, fiddling with the TV while eating peanuts.

Seeing that Han Yi was a handsome young man, Jiang Wen's competitive spirit resurfaced. "Damn it, it's one thing for the acting department to recruit handsome guys, but how come the literature department is so good-looking too?"

He spoke first, taking the initiative: "Your name is Han Yi, right? You're the one who wants to cast us two in a movie? I heard it's a short film? Where's the script? Let me take a look."

Han Yi nodded: "Yes, Mr. Jiang Wen." As he spoke, he put down the wine, took out the script from his bag, and handed it to him.

Just then, Jiang Wu came out of the kitchen carrying a thermos. Seeing this, he quickly said, "You're just a student, you can come in person, why did you bring all this stuff? And Moutai at that! It must have cost a lot of money!"

"This is my first time visiting, and I was wondering what to bring for you, senior brother. But I didn't know what you liked, so I brought some baijiu (Chinese liquor). Anyway, that can't go wrong." Han Yi grinned, a little embarrassed.

"Does the literature department now teach interpersonal skills?" Jiang Wen interjected from the side.

He had already finished reading the script, which consisted of only two pages.

Jiang Wen put down his manuscript, looked up, and asked, "Your script is interesting, but it's too short; it's not very satisfying to act out. Also," he handed the script to Jiang Wu, and continued:

"Was the father's death 'accidental,' or was it orchestrated by the protagonist himself? Was his brother's mental breakdown due to childhood abuse?"

"Mr. Jiang Wen, this is a low-budget film, and many details can only be guessed by the audience. As for whether it was an 'accident,' that depends on your interpretation. You know, even if I wrote a complete feature film script, it might not pass censorship."

"That's true. The reputation of those old men at the Film Bureau is well-known in the industry."

Jiang Wen suddenly changed the subject, a sly smile spreading across his face: "Xiaobing and I have taken this role. But... how much are you planning to pay us? You know, my brother won Best Supporting Actor at the 5th Changchun Film Festival and Best Actor at the 7th Beijing College Student Film Festival. As for me..."

Han Yi readily chimed in, rattling off a list of his achievements: "You won Best Actor at the 10th and 12th Hundred Flowers Awards, Best Actor at the 12th China TV Golden Eagle Awards, and Best Director at the 33rd Golden Horse Awards..."

He rattled off all of Jiang Wen's major awards in one go.

"Good lad, you've done your homework well." Jiang Wen raised his head, clearly pleased.

"Of course, Mr. Jiang Wen, I'm a big fan of yours. And my senior brother Jiang Wu, his portrayal of Er Ming in 'Shower' was so moving, I watched it several times at school."

Adhering to the principle that nice words don't cost money, Han Yi used various methods to praise the two men, making them blush and wave their hands repeatedly, saying, "Don't say anymore, don't say anymore, it's too embarrassing."

Han Yi tentatively asked, "Regarding the salary, Mr. Jiang Wen, and Senior Brother Jiang Wu, could you two give me a rough estimate so I can see if it's enough?"

"Oh, why would I need a fee?" Jiang Wu waved his hand with a smile. "It's just two scenes, we'll finish filming in a few days, a token payment will suffice."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Jiang Wen, "Right, bro?"

"Xiaobing is right. How much money could a student like you have? We still have two bottles of Moutai. Consider this our support for you. If you become famous in the future, just don't forget us."

"That's definitely not the case." Han Yi shook his head, his tone resolute.

When are you planning to start filming?

"Let's get all the logistics in place by tomorrow, and filming will begin the day after. Are you both available at that time?"

"No problem, we'll be in Beijing for the next two weeks."

"Then it's settled. Mr. Jiang Wen, you'll play the second male lead, the younger brother; and you, senior brother, will play the male lead, the 'father-killer'." After saying this, Han Yi got up to take his leave.