Huayu: Reborn in 97, transferring to the Central Academy of Drama's star-studded class

When Jiang Lai first met Fan Bingbing, she was a plain-looking girl, with her skinny buttocks covered by jeans, looking rather unsophisticated.

After being coached by Wong Jing-hua, by the time the casting for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was completed, things had improved a lot. At least, it could be described as both rustic and sophisticated.

But what Jiang Lai didn't expect was that when he saw Fan Bingbing again a year later, the other party had a shiny bald head.

Jiang Lai scratched his head helplessly. "What are you up to?"

Fan Bingbing blinked her innocent big eyes, "Didn't you say you were going to shave your head..."

"I didn't tell you to shave now! You kid...why are you so honest!"

"President Jiang, please don't be so harsh with me..."

Fan Bingbing felt a little wronged; she had already shaved her head and was still being criticized.

This is actually a bit of a misunderstanding about Jiang Lai. He needed hair for the earlier scenes, and he was afraid that his scenes would be cut because of it, which would be a waste of his haircut.

Fortunately, Stephen Chow stepped in just in time, "Ms. Fan, right? Thank you for your sacrifice for the film. I've seen your performance in 'Endless Love,' it was brilliant. Shall we try out a scene together?"

Hong Kong and Taiwan filmmakers have always paid close attention to mainland films, and Stephen Chow is no exception. Perhaps because they both work in comedy, he has a particular fondness for Feng Xiaogang, who has emerged in recent years, and has naturally seen the film starring Fan Bingbing.

Upon hearing Stephen Chow mention the audition, Fan Bingbing timidly looked at Jiang Lai, blinking her big eyes.

"Why are you looking at me? Just do the audition if the director says so."

Jiang Lai asked in confusion, wondering why Fan Xiaopang was acting so dazed and confused.

It's really not Fan Bingbing's fault. What Jiang Lai himself didn't know was that his image in the industry had been demonized. Words like "all-powerful," "ruthless," "bullying men and women" were all euphemisms.

Before Fan Bingbing set off, Wang Jinghua gave him many instructions and reminders.

"Once you get there, whatever you do, don't upset President Jiang. Listen to him in everything; do whatever he tells you to do, understand?"

The statement itself was somewhat ambiguous, and coupled with those rumors, Xiao Fan naturally viewed Jiang Lai through the lens of a great demon.

Moreover, she always felt that Jiang Lai had ulterior motives towards her. Otherwise, why would he help her with her lawsuit on their first meeting, and why would he have such excellent resources, far surpassing others?

The little girl knew exactly what was going on.

Nineteen is an age when people love to fantasize. She was thinking about whether Jiang Laiqiang should accept her directly or resist before accepting. If she accepted, would it be considered being kept?

"Hey! What are you thinking about? The director is waiting for your audition!"

Jiang Lai raised his hand and waved it in front of her, interrupting the girl's daydream.

Fan Bingbing blushed instantly, and ran away awkwardly with small, hesitant steps, leaving Jiang Lai completely bewildered.

"Hey, Miss Fan, you're a pastry chef making steamed buns. You confessed your feelings to someone you like, but you were rejected. Now, act out this situation."

Fan Bingbing picked up on the information in his words and thought about how to perform. Before Stephen Chow could say anything more, she immediately entered performance mode.

She lowered her head, picked up something with both hands and tied it around her waist—it was probably an apron. Then, expressionless, she repeatedly rubbed the dough in front of her. The kneading motion looked quite professional, and she would occasionally tilt her head and rub the flour off her face with her shoulder.

Just as she tilted her head to rub against him for the third time, her eyes suddenly reddened, and a tear fell onto the back of her hand.

She lowered her head further, as if nothing had happened, and continued kneading the dough, but tears fell one after another like a broken string.

Stephen Chow was very satisfied and clapped his hands, saying, "OK, Ms. Fan, welcome to the team."

Fan Bingbing wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and kept thanking him.

It seems that Fan Bingbing has really learned something from Feng Xiaogang and his old cronies. This is much better than when Jin Suo could only frown, glare, and cry. She has learned to be more emotional.

As Jiang Lai was thinking, Fan Bingbing suddenly looked at him expectantly.

Jiang Lai was taken aback, then silently gave a thumbs up, and Xiao Fan smiled happily.

With Fan Bingbing joining the cast, the final piece of the film's puzzle is complete; the rest of the cast are all old friends and partners of Stephen Chow.

After a few more days of preparation, Stephen Chow led the entire crew to Zhuhai.

The film's martial arts choreographer is Cheng Xiaodong. He's the martial arts choreographer for many of Stephen Chow's films, and Tsui Hark also likes to hire him.

This person can handle any action design style, from beautiful and majestic to magical, you could say they're plug-and-play.

Fan Bingbing plays Amei, a Tai Chi master. Of course, she doesn't need to actually become a master; Cheng Xiaodong only teaches her a set of simple movements.

Fan Bingbing practiced moves like "Wild Horse Parts Its Mane" and "White Crane Spreads Its Wings" at the hotel every day.

Jiang Lai looked exactly like the old man in the park. Fortunately, she had a background in dance, so her movements were coordinated and she looked quite convincing.

Tsk, another dance student.

Filming on location was difficult, requiring too much coordination, so Stephen Chow decided to start with interior scenes, shooting a few scenes of the martial arts brothers' first appearance, which would also allow everyone to get used to each other.

The first thing to film is the eldest brother's Iron Head Kung Fu.

Huang Yifei has been in the entertainment industry for two or three decades, playing supporting roles and extras in various movies and TV series. He has also collaborated with Stephen Chow many times. The only award he ever won was for Stephen Chow's "Shaolin Soccer," for which he received the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Unfortunately, they eventually broke up.

The film crew booked out a bar in Zhuhai.

Jiang Lai was squatting with the props team inspecting the props when he picked up a wine bottle and smashed it over his head with a loud thud.

The bottle shattered into pieces, and the sound of it breaking was very realistic. Most importantly, the head didn't seem too big.

"You know what, Mr. Jiang, there's a reason this stuff is expensive. It's more realistic than candy glass, and safer too," said Xiao Wu from the props team, trying to flatter him.

During this period, the fake glass props were mostly made of sugar, but the sugar would soften easily in hot weather, resulting in a poorer cracking effect, which was definitely unacceptable to the meticulous Stephen Chow.

Historically, in the scene where the senior brother is hit with a wine bottle, Stephen Chow insisted on using a mix of real and fake bottles, which is why Huang Yifei later criticized Stephen Chow so much.

That line, "Please, please let me go," wasn't an act anymore; he was genuinely terrified of being hit.

Jiang Lai directly requested that the film be made of resin silicone when he joined the crew, because the production cost was too high. In an era where cost-effectiveness is more important in filming, few people would choose this material.

Jiang Lai didn't care about that. It's normal for actors to be dedicated to their craft, but they can't joke about safety. It's just money, after all.

He gave Xiao Wu a thumbs up, "Okay, reliable!"

Xiao Wu grinned widely and smiled happily.

After saying that, Jiang Lai strolled over to Fan Bingbing's side, pointed at Stephen Chow and Huang Yifei who were about to start filming, and said, "Take a good look, both of them have excellent acting skills, especially Stephen Chow. Learn from him."

Fan Bingbing nodded seriously, her eyes filled with expectation.

then.

"Shaolin Kung Fu is awesome!"

"That's really great!"

"Shaolin Kung Fu is awesome!"

"It's awesome~"

"I'm Iron Head Kung Fu!"

"Invincible Iron Head Kung Fu~"

"You have legs of steel!"

"I am King Kong... Pfft, hahahahaha."

Stephen Chow and Huang Yifei gazed at each other deeply, then burst into laughter, and from there they couldn't stop laughing non-stop.

Fan Bingbing tilted her head in confusion and looked at Jiang Lai, who coughed twice.

"Ahem, we don't need to learn this."