Reborn in the Chinese Entertainment Industry: You're a Director, But You're a Casanova?

Overnight, the Hong Kong media circle was in complete uproar.

Rumors of Anita Mui's critical illness have been debunked; a misdiagnosis has shocked the entire Hong Kong.

With the help of Mei Yanfang's public relations team and the quick-witted Hong Kong reporters, this incident was perfectly packaged as a medical miracle.

Meanwhile, the young man from mainland China who was giving massages in the ward remained perfectly hidden from the spotlight, without being exposed at all.

After some time, with the joint endorsement of Mei Yanfang and Leslie Cheung after Mei Yanfang was discharged from the hospital, several of the lackeys who had previously followed Boss Pi personally brought generous gifts to the Mid-Levels Villa to apologize. However, they were dismissed by Liu Yuehua with the question, "Have you ever seen anyone go to a funeral home and shake hands with a dead person?"

Through Anita Mui's connections, Liu Yuehua established another shell company in Hong Kong, with Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui jointly investing and endorsing him.

More importantly, they joined forces with a group of friends and industry bigwigs, and even a few arch-rivals, including Yinghuang, Huanya, Jiahe, and Infinite, easily securing the distribution channels for "Comet" in Southeast Asia. This effectively radiated the film's influence directly from Hong Kong back to the mainland.

The current strategic goal is clear: first, shelve the dull chat film "Peng Zu" which has no explosive elements, and use this low-cost, high-reversal commercial suspense film "Comet" as the vanguard to explore just how strong the net of Ma Zongpu, the master behind Lu Chuan, really is.

A few days later, Phoenix TV, taking advantage of the two bigwigs' influence, invited Liu Yuehua to appear on Dou Wentao's flagship interview program, "Qiang Qiang San Ren Xing".

In the studio, Dou Wentao adjusted his signature black-rimmed glasses and, as a Hong Kong reporter, threw out a trap he had prepared long ago.

"Director Liu, the mainland film industry has been quite lively lately."

"It is said that Lu Chuan, the director who made 'The Missing Gun,' and Mr. Ma, the general manager in charge of distribution at China Film Group, both criticized your work in public, saying that you made commercial garbage that lacked literary foundation and that you were a commercial speculator who only cared about box office."

"They also believe that older professors who don't understand the market shouldn't interfere with fair competition. What's your response to this assessment?"

The camera zooms in, giving Liu Yuehua a close-up.

Logically speaking, a young and ambitious director who suffers such injustice would definitely talk at length about his artistic pursuits on the show and fight back fiercely.

But Liu Yuehua did not. He disappointed not only the Hong Kong reporters who had preconceived notions, but also the audience who were expecting a bloodbath.

He wasn't angry; instead, he gave a slightly innocent, even somewhat fearful, bitter smile.

"Teacher Dou, you're putting me in a really difficult position."

"Who is Director Lu? He's the son of Lu Tianming, China's foremost playwright."

"He is the leading figure of the sixth generation of directors in our country."

"They've been immersed in highbrow arts and culture since they were little. What am I? I'm just a poor freshman at the Beijing Film Academy."

Liu Yuehua was acting like a drama queen, his tone full of self-deprecation and subtle praise, lowering his posture to the dust.

"Director Lu is right, how would I know anything about literary depth?"

"I have to save the money I would have spent on a car and a house to buy lunches for the film crew, so I can't afford to make any big productions."

"When I came to Hong Kong this time, I didn't dare to bring out the historical film I made at school and embarrass myself."

"I made a very low-budget suspense film set in a dilapidated house."

"I don't make movies to go down in history. I'm just an ordinary person. I just want this movie to be suspenseful, commercially viable, and enjoyable for the audience so they'll be willing to buy tickets and I can make back the money I spent on renting the equipment."

"As for high art, humanistic concern, and philosophical thinking, I really don't dare to compare myself with Director Lu. That's not something a grassroots person like me can touch."

Dou Wentao was stunned when he heard these words.

Isn't that wrong? If you're not hot-blooded, are you even a young person?

The questions that followed completely disrupted the flow; how can you watch a show without debating?

This young man just lay down and let himself be mocked, even portraying himself as a pitiful victim. How could he surrender before even fighting?

"Director Liu, aren't you being too modest?" Dou Wentao quickly took out a document.

"I've heard that the co-producers listed on your sci-fi thriller are Mr. Leslie Cheung and Ms. Anita Mui."

"How could a commercial film that these two Hong Kong superstars would choose be trash?" Liu Yuehua quickly waved his hand, his face full of smiles.

"Oh dear, Teacher Dou, you're flattering me to death."

"Brother Rong and Sister Fang saw that I was a poor student, unfamiliar with Hong Kong, blacklisted and starving. They were kind-hearted and thought the suspense script was somewhat interesting, so they gave me face by casually putting my name on it and giving me a chance to make a living."

Meanwhile, in her spacious apartment in Beijing, Lu Chuan was watching the live broadcast of this episode of "Three's Got Talent" on TV. Hearing Liu Yuehua's self-deprecating remarks on TV, Lu Chuan's lips curled into a smug sneer.

You're smart enough to know you can't make it in mainland China, so you went to Hong Kong to be a lackey.

However, a sudden change occurred on television; the director abruptly switched to an audio signal from a hotline call. A woman's voice, though hoarse, was clearly audible coming from the television.

"Wentao, excuse me for interrupting."

The moment the voice came out, not only was Dou Wentao in the studio shocked, but Lu Chuan in front of the TV also sat up straight.

That was Mei Yanfang's voice.

"Sister Mei, how did you get in? Are you feeling better?" Dou Wentao asked in surprise.

"I'm much better now, thank you for your concern." Mei Yanfang chuckled on the other end of the phone, her tone becoming serious, carrying the domineering air of a big sister.

"I made this call to correct a statement Yuehua made earlier. Guorong and I co-produced for him not because we pitied him or wanted to give him a job."

"The Comet is the commercial suspense film with the most rigorous physical logic and the most ingenious structure that I have seen in recent years."

"Yuehua is a genius. Guorong and I have already spoken to our friends in the industry and watched it with them."

"He set up a distribution company in Hong Kong, and his friends were very supportive. He also had dinner with several bigwigs, and everyone made a decision."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions remained relatively normal.

Until the next sentence was uttered, all the audience members couldn't hold back their expressions anymore, their faces filled with "Holy crap!"

"Starting tomorrow, Yinghuang, Huanya, Jiahe, and Infinite plan to collaborate on distributing this film throughout Southeast Asia."

"The screening schedule for this film in mainland China was personally overseen by me and Guorong."

"If someone thinks this film is garbage, it's probably because they think the standards of the Hong Kong film industry are too low and don't meet the aesthetic standards of certain high-brow directors."

On the television, Liu Yuehua was facing the camera with an innocent smile, as if he were mocking Lu Chuan.

I haven't even exerted any effort yet, how come you've already fallen down?