Huayu02 started by making films.

The posters at the cinema entrance have been changed to feature Jiang Wu and François, demonstrating China Film Group's solid distribution efforts in the northern region.

Han Yi arrived at the cinema early in the morning to check the recent screening schedule. The situation was optimistic; throughout June, apart from one of Leonardo DiCaprio's biopics, cinemas reserved almost all screenings for "The Intouchables."

He called Luc Besson again, repeatedly reminding him of the release details.

This film set the second-highest attendance record in French history in its original timeline, with a domestic box office of $1.66 million.

Although Han Yi has now changed the main characters to a white and yellow combination, with the Palme d'Or, he is confident that their performance will not be inferior to the original.

One week later.

That day, Han Yi was in a casting room temporarily converted from a literature department, auditioning actors for the film "Tibetan Antelope" for Du Zhe.

Almost all the students from the performing arts department were present, men and women, young and old, filling the room and creating a lively atmosphere.

Du Zhe wanted to give the main seat to Han Yi, but Han Yi refused, saying, "You are the director."

"Next up, Zhao Ke!"

The temporary recruits, acting as stage managers, called out names from the list.

A moment later, Zhao Ke pushed open the door and walked in gracefully.

Han Yi glanced at her; at this moment, she already vaguely revealed some of the charm of Xiao Qiao in "New Three Kingdoms" and the mother-in-law in "My Son-in-Law". He then gently kicked Du Zhe under the table.

Old Du immediately understood and said, "Zhao Ke, you're the one for the female lead. Here's the script; if there are no problems, let's sign the contract."

Zhao Ke was taken aback at first, but after looking at Han Yi, she instantly understood. She thought of Chen Chen, but still approached and asked softly, "Director Han, do you have time tonight?"

Han Yi waved his hand and said, "Ake, this role may not have many scenes, but if played well, it will be outstanding. We can talk about dinner later."

Zhao Ke could only nod and accept the contract. Upon closer inspection, she was puzzled: "Director Han, why does the contract stipulate that actors cannot take on Qing Dynasty dramas during the collaboration period?"

Before Han Yi could speak, Du Zhe explained directly, "These are the rules of 'Ruoxing' Studio. If you can't accept them, you can refuse."

"No problem, I accept." Zhao Ke answered without hesitation.

She wasn't stupid, and since she was on Chen Chen's side, she naturally cooperated with whatever Han Yi arranged. She had little interest in any drama involving that period of history, let alone Qing Dynasty dramas.

The remaining roles were left to Du Zhe to decide. By the end of the morning, he had even assigned a small role to his new girlfriend, Papa.

Currently, only two male leads remain to be cast. Among the current students in the Performance Department of Taipei Film Academy, there's a feeling that something's missing, and Du Zhe is even considering going to check out the schools next door.

Han Yi pressed down on his eager shoulder and instructed:

"Go check out the vocational high school classes; the age range of actors there is more suitable. If all else fails, ask the teachers if they can get in touch with Fu Dalong and Chen Chuang; their acting skills are definitely good enough."

If they already have acting commitments, then look a few years back; Zhang Jiayi, Zhang Zijian, Liu Yijun from the class of '87... all are worth considering.

He paused, then added earnestly, "Old Du, remember, our principle for hiring people is 'we can't side with outsiders.' Think about the big things we're about to do!"

Du Zhe immediately understood and repeatedly assured him, "Brother Yi, I understand. Don't worry, I'll definitely get it done!"

The next issue is the production cost.

After discussions with Zhang Huijun and Han Shanping at the Beijing Film Academy, Han Yi finally set the project funding at 500 million RMB. Of this, China Film Group and Ruoxing Studio each contributed 200 million RMB, while Zhang Huijun insisted on joining in and invested the remaining 100 million RMB in the name of the Beijing Film Academy.

After finalizing the funding, Han Shanping asked, "Han Yi, do you plan to release this film directly in theaters, or go through film festivals first?"

"They're definitely going to film festivals to sell the rights."

Han Yi took a sip of tea. "This kind of film basically gets zero box office revenue in the domestic market."

Zhang Huijun, who was standing nearby, immediately chimed in: "Our Beijing Film Academy has a good relationship with the Venice Film Festival. Once the film is finished, I'll have Tian Zhuangzhuang make a trip there."

Unfortunately, Zhang Huijun was unaware of the heated argument Jiang Wen had with the Italian screenwriter in Cannes. Had he known, he would never have suggested voting for Venice.

Just then, Han Yi's phone rang.

He pulled out his phone and saw it was a French number. He leaned forward and answered, "Hello, Mr. Gilles, what can I do for you?... Is this so? Am I too young?... Okay, okay, please thank the French audience for me..."

After the phone call, Han Shanping and Zhang Huijun looked at each other, puzzled.

Han Yi put down his phone and said in a deep voice, "It was the person in charge of the Cannes Film Festival who just called, inviting me to be a jury member at next year's Cannes Film Festival."

"Holy shit!" Han Shanping couldn't help but swear.

"Really?" Zhang Huijun still couldn't believe it.

Han Yi shrugged: "I can still recognize Jill's voice. I even met with him once after the film festival closed, so I don't think any scammers would call me."

The two were then convinced. Han Yi added, "Director Zhang, President Han, please keep this matter confidential until the Cannes Film Festival officially announces the list of judges."

"No problem!" Han Shanping readily agreed.

Zhang Huijun's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Then let's hurry up and film 'The Tibetan Antelope,' and submit it directly to Cannes next year!"

"Can."

With this, all the major details of "Tibetan Antelope" have been finalized: Han Yi is listed as executive producer, Han Shanping is the producer, and Du Zhe is the director.

June 10th, morning.

The literature department classroom was bustling with activity as everyone was polishing the final version of the script for "The Legend of Sword and Fairy".

As soon as Han Yi entered the classroom, he heard a noisy argument inside:

"Why not follow the main storyline of the game? Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er are the male and female leads!"

"Audiences don't like pure romance stories anymore; we have to add a second female lead who develops a romantic relationship with the male lead!"

"Nonsense, I think it's just that you men like having multiple female leads!"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing! Director Han is here, let him be the judge!"

Everyone turned around and saw Han Yi walk in.

After some pleasantries, two versions of the script were placed in front of him: one version featured a single female lead, Zhao Ling'er, closely adhering to the original game; the other version added a romantic entanglement between two female leads...

After a long pause, Han Yi put down the script, shook his head, and looked at his colleagues in the literature department, saying:

"Your thinking is too narrow. Why can't Li Xiaoyao have it all?"

Everyone blinked, not quite understanding what he meant.

Han Yi continued, "In this way, any character who has an emotional connection with Li Xiaoyao can be developed appropriately. Of course, we'll leave out relationships with elders like Aunt Li and Lin Qing'er."

"ah?!!"

Han Yi smiled:

"Just take this as a casual remark. However, there's some truth to the saying that audiences don't like innocent romances. Turn on the TV and you'll see that every drama these days features two or three female leads vying for the same man. Let's go with this version."

He ultimately picked up the version of the script that was closer to the original work and made the final decision.

With the script finalized, the next step is to contact television stations for distribution.

At that time, online television was not yet well-developed, and the only way to check viewership ratings was to cooperate with television stations. Han Yi had already entrusted Han Shanping to contact Beijing Television to discuss this matter.

Said that Cao Cao Cao Cao arrived.

Han Yi had just stepped out of the classroom with the script when he received a call from Han Shanping.

"Mr. Han? What did the TV station say?" Han Yi asked as soon as he answered the phone.

On the other end of the phone, Han Shanping paused for a moment: "It's not good news. That Director Liu... isn't very interested in your TV series."

Han Yi stopped in his tracks: "What exactly did the station director say?"

He told you to wait a little longer, as Beijing TV currently doesn't have a suitable slot...

"Isn't this just a platitude?"

"I can't do anything about it. China Film Group and the television station are two different systems after all, unless I try to find someone in the Beijing entertainment circle..."

Han Yi quickly interrupted, "Forget it, don't bother with this. I'll think of another way."

He didn't listen to what Han Shanping said next and hung up the phone directly.

"Without Butcher Zhang, does that mean we have to eat pigs with hair on?" Han Yi thought to himself as he strode toward Zhang Huijun's office.