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

The next day, the entire Chinese internet was in an uproar.

"Betting 1000 million on Edison Chen's acting skills, is Director Liu drunk?"

"He even filmed a movie on top of that? Isn't that a huge overstatement?"

"Wait a minute, speaking of filming together. I think 'Peng Zu' and 'Comet' were shot with the same cast and locations. Could it be...?"

"We're waiting for the old guard in Beijing to respond. If they don't go this time, they'll lose face."

……

The Lu family.

Upon seeing the open letter, Old Man Lu was so angry that he smashed the walnuts he had been playing with for over a decade onto the ground.

"Outrageous! This brat is outrageous!"

The film critics sitting next to him looked at each other in disbelief. They never expected that Liu Yuehua would act so unpredictably, flipping the table and even using 1000 million yuan to put them on the national media's pedestal.

"Old Lu, this is a tough one," an older screenwriter said, frowning. "He actually dared to wager 1000 million. Could that so-called suspense film actually have something to offer?"

"What a load of rubbish!" Old Man Lu roared.

"Can a movie shot in just a few days by a mere internet celebrity who can only smile crookedly be watchable?"

"He's bluffing. He's trying to scare us off with the 1000 million to make a big show of his audacity."

Old Man Lu prides himself on being a seasoned veteran, but this time his judgment was completely blinded by his inherent arrogance and prejudice against idol actors.

As a veteran, he firmly believed that Edison Chen was a hopeless case, and even if Liu Yuehua had extraordinary abilities, he could not turn a blockhead into a movie star in just a few days.

"Tell the media we're going." Old Man Lu slammed his hand on the table, his eyes filled with malice.

"Since he's willingly offering his neck, let's grant his wish."

"I want to criticize his rubbish to the point of being completely shattered in front of the national media."

"Let's see how he gets out of this. If he can't come up with 1000 million, I'll make sure he packs his bags and gets out of the entertainment industry."

The old folks' vanity led them to unwittingly step into the trap Liu Yuehua had set.

Meanwhile, in the office of Yixin Media, Edison Chen also saw the open letter online, and his legs went weak.

He stormed into Liu Yuehua's office without even knocking.

"Director Liu, are you crazy? 1000 million? And you still want to pull the film?" Edison Chen's voice was trembling.

"What exactly did you reshoot for that unseen guest? You've essentially gambled our lives on this."

Liu Yuehua was doing the final editing of the footage and adjusting the filters when he heard Chen Guanxi's roar. He casually dragged the footage he had shot in the past two days onto the timeline.

"What's the panic? I'm not afraid of losing 1000 million, what are you afraid of?" Liu Yuehua looked at Chen Guanxi, whose face was full of fear.

"Don't go anywhere. Dress a little more formally for the screening."

"You know, this is your chance to redeem yourself from the shame of your acting skills, and it might even be the most glorious moment of your life."

Liu Yuehua stood up, walked up to Chen Guanxi, patted him on the shoulder, and spoke with the confidence of closing the net.

"Remember this: in my crew, even if you're a piece of rusty iron, I can make you shine like gold in front of the camera."

……

Beijing Film Academy screening room.

The movie "The Invisible Guest" has finished its screening.

But not a single person in the hundreds of seats made a sound. Even the college students who usually loved to applaud and cheer after the screening were slumped in their chairs as if all their strength had been drained.

Oppressive, shocking, unexpected, deadly.

The hypocrisy and madness of Edison Chen, cornered in the enclosed room, and the murderous aura of Liu Xiaoli tearing off her mask, were like two saws, pulling back and forth on the nerves of everyone present.

Liu Yifei had contacted her classmates in advance, hoping they would act as shills at the event to create some atmosphere. She said that when she smashed the cup, everyone would stand up, clap, and whistle.

To her utter surprise, watching her mother's performance on screen, she was so shocked that she forgot to smash the cup.

Sitting in the back row, Edison Chen's hands were trembling uncontrollably.

As he watched the screen gradually darken, his eyes welled up with tears. He never imagined that his face, which was only good for looking cool in front of the camera, could actually bear such a profound and complex portrayal of humanity.

However, in this arena of fame and fortune, the shock to people's hearts can never outweigh the wickedness of their hearts.

In the first row, several old men from the Film Association next to Old Man Lu exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of barely concealed panic in the other's eyes.

They were experts, and they understood the value of this film better than college students. Based on the psychological battles within the hotel alone, this film would easily win Best Screenplay and Best Actor/Actress at any film festival in China.

But can they admit it?

Absolutely not!

Just a few days ago, they confidently vilified Edison Chen and Tang Yan as meaningless industrial garbage on the front page of national media.

If we admit defeat here today, the academic authority and discourse dominance painstakingly built up by these veterans in the Beijing film and television circle will become a complete joke in front of these newcomers.

In this circle, where you sit determines what you think, and where you stand determines right and wrong.

"Absurd, utter nonsense."

Old Man Lu stood up and, facing the dozens of media reporters with their cameras and microphones in the back row, began to distort the truth.

"Is this what you, Director Liu, call god-level acting?" Old Man Lu pointed at the now-blacked-out screen.

"The script is deliberately suspenseful, with plot twists for the sake of plot twists, and has no logic whatsoever in terms of realism."

"Look at the actors' performances. Edison Chen just stares and trembles from beginning to end. Liu Xiaoli's performance is even more exaggerated and pretentious, like a mentally deranged madwoman. She has no artistic foundation and no concern for humanity."

The old man's blatant lies caused an uproar throughout the room.

Many young journalists who were new to the profession and still had a conscience put down their cameras in shock, looking at each other in disbelief.

Nobody's stupid. That suffocating movie-watching experience was real. How did it become meaningless garbage in the mouth of this senior?

Of course, Old Man Lu didn't care about these voices from the lower classes at all. He only knew that as long as he stuck to his guns today, the major newspapers controlled by the Beijing circle would follow his lead and completely nail this movie to the pillar of shame tomorrow.

"Director Liu, it's a good thing that young people want to prove themselves."

"But it's wrong of you to try to fool everyone with such shoddy and defective products." Old Man Lu stared at Liu Yuehua, a smug sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Where is the check for 1000 million? Since you lost, just donate the money today in front of the national media."

"Regarding the cancellation of Initial D, I hope you can keep your word and not renege on your promise."

As soon as Old Man Lu finished speaking, the flashbulbs on the scene started flashing wildly at Liu Yuehua.

Everyone thought that this young director was going to be ruined today, facing pressure from veterans.

"Old man, you're about to be buried, you can donate your glasses if you don't need them."

In the second row, an old man with gray hair stood up.

All eyes were instantly drawn to him, and after seeing his face clearly, many reporters even forgot to press the shutter button.