HuaYu: A Great Director Starting with Dream of the Red Chamber

International Arrivals Exit, Terminal 3, Beijing Capital International Airport.

A number of entertainment reporters, always eager for a good spectacle, were loitering in the lobby.

The online uproar continues, with everyone wanting to seize the opportunity to silence Li Yan, the new director who dared to "fire back" at an international film festival, and create another big news story.

Unfortunately, they all came up empty-handed.

Li Yan pulled his baseball cap down low and glanced at his phone, which he had just turned on.

"You're back? Don't plan anything else tonight, come to my place... I'll give you a 'victory celebration'. (Red lips.jpg)"

He smiled knowingly, put away his phone, and led Zhang Qiang and the others directly into the VIP passage.

Just as I came out, a black Alphard drove up.

As soon as the car door opened, Jing Tian, ​​dressed in a light pink Chanel-style suit, came over with a bright smile.

She was also holding a large bouquet of sunflowers in her arms.

Congratulations to our esteemed director on his triumphant return home!

She shoved the flowers into Li Yan's arms, her bright eyes fixed on him:

"Although you said we don't need to make a big fuss, I think we absolutely have to have a sense of ceremony! You're a huge contributor to our success!"

Li Yan smiled and accepted the flowers, then promptly shoved the box containing the trophy into her arms.

"Here, take your five million pledge of loyalty. Let's check it out first."

Jing Tian exclaimed and hugged the trophy, then smiled and weighed it up and down.

"It doesn't seem that heavy... I wish it were pure gold, hehe! Anyway, you didn't embarrass me this time! You have no idea how much fun I've had scrolling through Weibo these past few days; all those people who used to criticize you are now completely silent!"

Li Yan relaxed and leaned back in his seat, casually saying, "This is nothing, just a short film. Let them see how it goes."

……

After dropping Zhang Qiang and the others off in the city, the van made a turn and headed straight for Huangsi Street.

It's still that familiar courtyard house.

In the flower hall, Lu Zheng was holding a purple clay teapot and slowly watering his tea pet.

Upon seeing Li Yan enter, he put down the teapot, his gaze sweeping over the trophies in Jing Tian's arms, a smile spreading across his face:

"Director Li, that was a brilliant move! Not only did you win the award, but you also gave some people a taste of their own medicine. Now, there's a lot of talk in the industry about you as a dark horse..."

Li Yan knew he was being subtly pointed at, but didn't say much, simply replying:

"Mr. Lu, you flatter me. We're lucky, and we also have to thank our Tian Tian for her good fortune."

The three of them took their seats.

Jing Tian sat obediently to the side. Although she was also a "sugar daddy," she knew very well that she couldn't get a word in edgewise when it came to serious matters.

Lu Zheng didn't beat around the bush, poured Li Yan a cup of tea, and got straight to the point:

"I was originally planning to throw you a celebration party, but Tian Tian was in a hurry and insisted on securing the rights to 'Silent Witness' first. Now that you're back, let's talk about where we should start next?"

To be honest, Lu Zheng still had doubts about Li Yan.

Winning an award for a short film is certainly impressive, proving this kid's talent.

Talent is talent, but in the world of commercial films, an inexperienced director can easily bankrupt you.

He looked at Li Yan, wondering if this young man was just all talk and no action.

Li Yan took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before slowly saying:

"Boss Jiang Zhiqiang has helped me negotiate with Liang Jiahui and Wu Zhenyu."

"Who?"

Jing Tian stared wide-eyed at her: "Liang Jiahui? And Wu Zhenyu? This is too..."

"Li Yan, you're amazing! Two top actors!"

Lu Zheng's teapot trembled slightly, but his focus differed from Jing Tian's:

"Jiang Zhiqiang of Anle?"

His gaze towards Li Yan finally changed: "How did you get in touch with him?"

This Hong Kong bigwig, even if Lu Zheng wanted to make connections, he would have to go through two detours, but this kid just went to Venice and got things done?

"I was lucky; he happened to be in Venice too. After winning the award, we talked, and his assessment of the market prospects of this project was the same as mine."

Li Yan calmly showed off:

"Besides these two movie stars, Boss Jiang will be coming to Yanjing in a couple of days. He can also help me make a connection with Fan Bingbing."

Jing Tian's already large eyes looked even bigger now.

Lu Zheng took a breath and leaned back.

Goodness, Liang Jiahui, Wu Zhenyu, plus Fan Bingbing who's always generating buzz?

This lineup doesn't look like the kind of setup you'd expect from a rookie's debut!

"He's got the skills," Lu Zheng exclaimed sincerely. "Since Boss Jiang has put in so much effort, what does he want? Is it the distribution rights? Or a share of the market?"

"Yes, we have them all."

Li Yan said frankly, "He will definitely take a share of the market and the issuance. When Boss Jiang arrives, the three of us will sit down and discuss it. The specific proportions will still need to be approved by you, Mr. Lu."

At this point, he glanced at Jing Tian, ​​who was grinning foolishly, and smiled:

"After all, with Tian Tian around, we can't let Uncle Lu suffer a loss. We're on the same side, right?"

Li Yan was both manipulating Lu Zheng and telling him that he could attract investment even without him.

I've done Lu Zheng a favor again. I only invited you to hang out because of Jing Tian, ​​and I consider you one of my own.

Lu Zheng, of course, understood the situation perfectly. He laughed heartily, pointed at Li Yan, and said to Jing Tian:

"Good! Tian Tian, ​​you were right about me this time. Uncle Lu is really fortunate to have you by my side!"

Jing Tian, ​​listening from the side, was completely confused, but she knew things had gone well, and she seemed to have really done something amazing, so she immediately straightened her back.

"That's right! I told you Li Yan was reliable, but you didn't believe me before, Uncle Lu!"

The atmosphere immediately became harmonious.

Lu Zheng was in a great mood and took the initiative to start a conversation:

"Now that we have a Hong Kong star and a leading lady, this is the standard co-production formula. As for the remaining prosecutor, Tong Tao, do you have any ideas? If not, Uncle Lu will find one for you."

He pondered for a moment: "How about Sun Honglei? 'Lurking' is currently very popular, he's well-known, or... Zhang Hanyu? A lineup of three Best Actor winners would be even more sensational!"

Lu Zheng's idea was simple: use whoever is popular, only choose the expensive ones, not the right ones.

Li Yan shook his head:

"Sun Honglei is okay as a gang leader, but he's too tough to play a prosecutor, making the movie look like a gangster movie. Zhang Hanyu is too rigid, more like a criminal police captain or a special forces member, not a prosecutor who uses his brain."

"Then who do you want?" Lu Zheng asked, puzzled.

Li Yan toyed with the teacup in his hand, and thought for a moment:

Wang Zhiwen.

Lu Zheng was stunned for a moment.

Wang Zhiwen? He's famously good at acting, but also famously difficult to deal with.

He has a bad temper, is picky about scripts, and charges exorbitant prices.

"In courtroom scenes, the dialogue is the most important."

Li Yan explained, "I hope it's not too exaggerated, the kind of feeling where you can corner someone just by reciting lines. Looking at the mainland, Wang Zhiwen is probably the only one who can do that. Besides, we've already invited so many big names, so we don't need to worry about his salary."

Lu Zheng pondered for a moment.

Liang Jiahui, Wu Zhenyu, Fan Bingbing, Wang Zhiwen...

He really dares to dream.

"Wang Zhiwen, I can have someone pass on a message..."

Lu Zheng spoke slowly, with some concern: "However, with so many big names gathered together, can a young guy like you handle it?! Don't let things get messy on set..."

Li Yan smiled, his youthful vigor instantly shining through:

"I'm the director, what am I afraid of? As long as the script is solid and the storyboard is accurate, they're here to act, not to cause trouble! As long as I'm professional enough, experts are the best to direct."

Lu Zheng stared at him for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth:

"Sure! If you dare to dream it, I dare to invest! Don't worry about the funding; if we can really raise all of these funds, we'll go over budget if necessary!"

"But there's one thing... Tian Tian's acting skills must be guaranteed!"

……