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

Guan Hu became increasingly angry and agitated as he spoke, embellishing his account of Venice's ordeal with exaggerated expressions, his spittle flying everywhere.

"That little brat, he made a short film, won a small award, and now he thinks he's all that! If he gets ahead of himself, how will there be any order in our industry anymore?"

The private room was rather quiet.

In the very center of the sofa, half-reclining, was Wang Shuo, a round-faced, chubby man wearing shorts and an old man's shirt, with a cigarette between his fingers.

His new girlfriend, Wang Ziwen, knelt obediently beside him, serving him tea and wine.

On the left is Feng Xiaogang, smiling with his eyes narrowed, and on the right is Wang Zhonglei, dressed in a suit and with his legs crossed, while a handsome new actor is peeling grapes for him.

Most of the remaining people also pretended to be deaf and dumb, with varying expressions.

Zhang Yibai, however, added fuel to the fire by interjecting:

"That kid's pretty arrogant! Guo Fumin introduced him to me before, and I kindly offered him a position as an assistant director, but he turned it down right away. Now it seems he's just too proud and looks down on us old guys..."

After a long pause, Wang Shuo took a drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled, and spoke lazily, as if mocking:

"Self-colonization? Hey, is that really hitting the nail on the head?"

He turned his head and looked at Feng Xiaogang with a mixture of amusement and exasperation:

"Gangzi, this is a fresh term. These days, even greenhorns who've read a lot of books can swear without using any swear words. It's interesting..."

Feng Xiaogang could tell from Wang Shuo's attitude that he wasn't angry and probably even found the whole thing amusing.

So he smiled, picked up the conversation, and acted as a peacemaker:

"He's pretty arrogant, but Master Shuo, this bastard has that 'nothing to lose' kind of reckless attitude. And you, Hu Zi, why are you getting worked up over a newbie? Aren't you ashamed?!"

"I'm not just being stubborn!"

Guan got so scared that he slapped his thigh:

"That kid's on fire right now. Youku is pushing his short videos everywhere, and the internet is full of people praising him while putting me down. If we don't react, who will respect us in the future?"

Wang Zhonglei, who hadn't spoken before, chuckled softly, picked up a peeled grape, put it in his mouth, and said slowly and deliberately:

"Director Guan, what kind of reaction do you want? Blacklist him? Or release a press release to smear him?"

He took the wet wipe, dried his hands, and said lightly:

"Huayi is about to go public, and at this crucial juncture, we need to know how to make money through harmony! That kid has Lu Zheng backing him up and has also gotten in touch with Jiang Zhiqiang. Are we really going to let this little bit of face cause us to turn down money? Who will be responsible if we delay everyone else from making money?!"

Huayi is set to be listed at the end of next month, but things are turbulent right now, and he's been lectured by his brother so much that he's practically behaving himself.

If something unexpected happens, their money is one thing, but if it delays other people from making money, then the trouble will be much bigger!

"Zhonglei is right."

Wang Shuo stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, sat up slightly, and looked at Guan Hu:

"You idiot, do you know why you got scolded?"

Guan Hu was taken aback: "Master Shuo?"

"Because you're no good at it!"

Wang Shuo didn't give him any face at all, and spoke very bluntly:

"People call you a bootlicker because your films didn't sell well and you didn't win any awards! If you were like Gangzi, with hundreds of millions in box office revenue, would they dare to criticize you? Any criticism they give you is just out of jealousy!"

"When you're doing art, you either create something that people can't understand but have to admire, or something so vulgar that ordinary people will buy your stuff! Right now, you're stuck in the middle, getting caught out and getting a beating, and then you come back crying and whining. It's embarrassing!"

Wang Shuo's words hit Guan Hu's face hard, even more painful than the slap in Venice.

Guan Hu's father was a veteran of the Beijing Film Studio, and he could be considered a true member of the Communist Party.

When he first started making films, he was arrogant and looked down on the connections in the industry. He took some money and tried to become a director like others. As expected, he lost everything.

He only realized what was happening when the creditor came knocking, and he slunk back, begging for mercy.

Wang Shuo looked down on him.

Either you rebel to the end and break through with your own talent, or you learn from Feng Xiaogang, keep a low profile, and live a clear-headed life.

It's stuck in the middle, what kind of mess is this?!

Seeing that the situation was about right, Feng Xiaogang stepped in to smooth things over.

He patted Guan Hu on the shoulder:

"Alright, Master Shuo is just frustrated with Li Yan's lack of ambition! Yi Bai, stop stirring things up. Li Yan is a bit arrogant, but there's a truth to his words: a movie has to be really good!"

"The market has changed. Even CEO Han's side is now keeping an eye on the box office! Stop thinking about how to mess with him. In your next film, show some real talent and crush him at the box office. That's what makes a real man!"

"Come on, Ziwen, pour Director Guan a drink to calm him down."

This meal was tasteless and unpleasant, leaving me feeling extremely uncomfortable.

He finally understood: he was now just an outsider!

Wang Shuo looked down on his talent, Wang Zhonglei didn't value him, and Feng Xiaogang only knew how to spout empty words and offend no one.

They're all just watching the show, damn it!

Late at night, after seeing off a line of luxury cars, a gust of cold wind sobered Guan Hu up considerably.

He stood by the roadside, his face grim, his eyes filled with venom.

"Poor performance? Box office results?"

Guan Hu spat fiercely and forcefully crushed the cigarette butt under his foot.

"You guys are just talking without any understanding of the situation! I've been humiliated! If I don't get my revenge, how am I supposed to face anyone in this industry after this?!"

"Li Yan... 'Silent Witness,' right...?"

Guan Hu opened the car door, got into his car, took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and muttered to himself in a sinister tone:

"I'll fucking buy your house!"

……

No. 1 Jianwai Street, across the street from Li Yan's company.

Lu Zheng simply waved his hand and booked the entire conference hall at the China World Hotel.

The huge poster backdrop was covered with a red cloth.

Aside from the movie title "Silent Witness," the only other names visible are Gravity, Starlight, and Edko Films.

With a little while to go before the 10 o'clock press conference, a number of entertainment reporters had already gathered in twos and threes in the smoking area outside the China University of Technology, and the topics they were discussing were mostly joking and meant to make fun of the situation.

"Li Yan just got back from Venice, hasn't even had a month or two of rest, and he dares to hold a feature film press conference? Isn't that taking a huge leap?"

"Young people like that, they get cocky after achieving a little success. Isn't this another investment from that same Boss Lu? Just setting up a stage for Jing Tian to put on a show! Probably the same old tricks!"

"I think it's pretty much the same. I reckon they'll just find a few washed-up Hong Kong stars, drag in a couple of clueless old actors, and end up with a terrible movie. If it weren't for the generous travel expenses from Boss Lu, I wouldn't have bothered coming."

"Looks like that beauty from Xinjiang is in there too?...Tsk tsk, do you think she's Li Yan's mistress or someone else's?"

"Then you'll have to ask Zhuo Wei. Ugh, I heard that Nazha's not even 18 yet, what a bastard!"

"Hey, you've been in this industry for so long and you still don't understand? Isn't that how it is for everyone...?"

Just as people were talking outside, the door to the backstage dressing room was opened again.

Naza, who was still touching up her makeup, subconsciously glanced back and then froze.

Even Liang Jiahui and Jiang Zhiqiang, who were exchanging pleasantries, paused for a moment, a hint of amazement flashing in their eyes.

Fan Bingbing came in.

She is completely different from the image that everyone has of her: glamorous and charming, with long flowing hair, and always wearing a gown on the red carpet.

Now, she has a neat, short bob, wears a deep burgundy lipstick, and is dressed in a clean and well-fitting black smoking outfit. The deep V-neck has no inner layer, only a gold ribbon tied around her waist, making her look powerful, cool, and sexy.

"How's it going, Director Li?"

Fan Bingbing walked up to Li Yan, put one hand in his pocket, slightly raised his chin, and looked at him with a hint of provocation, looking incredibly handsome.

"Does this new look meet your approval?"

Li Yan looked her up and down, from her beautiful legs to her cool and elegant makeup, and finally nodded in satisfaction:

"Sister Bingbing, trust me!"

"From today onwards, every woman in the country will fall in love with you!"