Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

Wang Changtian organized the premiere of "The Martian".

Enlight Media is a diversified company. In addition to television media placement, it also has a subsidiary called "Jiahua Liyin" that specializes in undertaking large-scale galas and events. Previous ceremonies such as the Music Billboard and Film Billboard have already proven their strength.

Wang Changtian was one of the investors in "The Martian". When discussing the share, Zhuang Huai'an was willing to bring him on board. Besides Wang being very sensible, Zhuang Huai'an valued Enlight Media's distribution channels even more.

With Han Sanping's consent, Lao Wang leaked the list of Hollywood guests for the premiere, immediately causing a collective gasp of shock among major domestic media outlets and movie fans.

This lineup is something even the Shanghai International Film Festival couldn't get!

People in the industry go to great lengths to find connections for an invitation, but unfortunately, Zhuang Huai'an had already reserved the audience slots long ago. Every invitation was carefully considered and personally sent out by him, so there was no way to use personal connections or take shortcuts.

September 30th, on the eve of National Day.

The red carpet in front of the Beijing Hotel stretched from the main entrance all the way to the side of East Chang'an Avenue.

A huge banner hangs above: "Celebrating Shenzhou V, Congratulating Shenzhou VI, Welcoming National Day, and Looking Forward to the Olympics!"

Outside the railings on both sides, reporters carrying cameras and microphones and fans holding signs were crowded together, all waiting.

At 4 o'clock sharp, the invited celebrities began to walk the red carpet. Most of them had worked with 91 Company or were top-tier artists and directors from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Even Kai, who was stuck at home, came with his lover Chen Hong.

After that came the heads of major film and television companies, teachers such as Zhang Huijun from Beijing Film Academy, and representatives from state-owned enterprises such as China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group. Everyone who was supposed to come was there.

After Han Sanping's grand finale, Jingwei, the host from the movie channel, took the stage.

"Dear friends from the media and the audience, please welcome our international friends who have traveled from afar with the warmest applause!"

Everyone present instinctively looked towards the entrance of the red carpet.

A black minivan pulled up, the door opened, and out stepped a blonde woman in a burgundy backless dress—Nicole Kidman, a top global actress!

The reporters at the scene went wild.

"Nicole! Nicole, look this way!"

The flashes of light created a white ocean. Nicole Kidman, nearing the end of her peak, waved gracefully, exuding composure. Standing at 1.8 meters tall in high heels, she resembled a Greek statue, radiating white light as she walked the red carpet!

"My God, it's Nicole Kidman!" A female reporter outside the railing exclaimed, her voice trembling with excitement. "I've been an entertainment reporter for five years, and I've never seen such a big star before!"

Before she could finish speaking, the second car arrived, and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got out hand in hand.

Pitt wore a dark gray suit, his beard was clean-shaven, and he had his signature mischievous smile on his lips. Jolie wore a black velvet dress, her hair was up, and her diamond earrings sparkled under the flashing lights.

The moment the two appeared, the noise level at the scene doubled.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith! Look this way!"

Pitt stopped, put his arm around his wife's waist, and smiled at the camera. Jolie turned slightly to the side, revealing the famous Bengal tiger tattoo on her back.

Immediately afterwards, the third, fourth, and fifth vehicles arrived in succession.

Leonardo DiCaprio, dressed in a black suit with his hair neatly combed, walked alone on the red carpet, made a gesture to the camera, and blew kisses to his fans. His handsome appearance sent many female fans into a frenzy.

Matt Damon followed him out of the car, the two best buddies exchanged a smile, and walked side by side.

The film "Infernal Affairs" had just finished its theatrical run, and the reporters snapped even more photos of the two on-screen partners together.

Hugh Jackman, standing at 1.88 meters tall, wore a dark blue suit and had a bright smile. As a former teacher, he was very approachable and stopped to shake hands with fans outside the railing, eliciting screams.

Anne Hathaway, embracing local customs, wore a white lace dress with a Chinese style, the hem embroidered with delicate blue and white porcelain patterns. Her sweet smile and large, captivating eyes seemed to sparkle.

Seven guests, all of whom are A-list Hollywood stars, appeared on the same red carpet in Beijing today.

This is a scene never before seen in the history of Chinese cinema!

"That was awesome! Today was truly a fantastic day of filming!"

An experienced reporter's fingers trembled slightly as he typed, his voice slightly excited, "I've covered entertainment news for twenty years, and I've never seen anything like this before. Director Zhuang is awesome!"

The young reporter next to him pushed up his glasses, his face flushed: "This is the aura of a director who has won four Grand Slam awards!"

He pointed to the billboard displaying the red carpet shots, where a giant lion's head opened its mouth wide and roared to the sky.

"I think this group of people came partly because of Director Zhuang's influence, and partly because of MGM."

"What are you saying!" the veteran reporter glared. "Isn't this still giving Director Zhuang face?"

"That's true." The young reporter smiled sheepishly. Everyone knows that MGM's success today is all thanks to Zhuang Huai'an, and there really isn't much difference between the two.

"Now I understand what's going on. This red carpet event isn't a movie premiere at all; it's a signal."

"Senior, what do you mean by that?" the young reporter asked him.

The veteran reporter sighed, his tone full of emotion, "A Chinese man, with his own talent and capital, and a group of Hollywood stars, is going to pull off a big heist during the National Day holiday, right on his own doorstep."

"You're wrong, senior," the young reporter shook his head. "Director Zhuang has already proven himself on a global scale; he doesn't need to do this."

"Then why do you think it is?"

"I don't know, but I think it's pretty cool to have foreigners make a special trip here!"

...

The banquet hall doors opened, and everyone instinctively looked over. Zhuang Huai'an led the Hollywood Seven into the hall.

He was dressed in a custom-made black Armani suit today, without a tie, his collar slightly open, exuding a casual yet confident vibe. Coupled with his handsome face, he subtly held the upper hand among the seven celebrities.

The audience was captivated, both men and women alike wishing they could take his place and experience that exhilarating life!

Sa Beining, who had been brought in to be the host, checked the time, took Jingwei's hand, went up to the stage, picked up the microphone, and said:

"Good evening, everyone. The film premiere is about to begin. Please proceed to the adjacent screening room and take your seats as directed by our staff."

Upon hearing this, everyone put down their glasses and did as instructed, gradually moving to the next room.

The screening room was temporarily converted from the largest banquet hall in the Beijing Hotel. A huge screen occupied the entire wall. In order to achieve the best audio-visual effect, Zhuang Huai'an specially brought in a Dolby surround sound system that Jay Chou had just customized for him. The whole set cost 2800 million RMB.

This is a good opportunity to test the product. Since Jay Chou is here anyway, if it doesn't work well, we can return it on the spot. Director Zhuang has a very bad mind.

Everyone took their seats according to the name tags on the seats. Apart from some audience members and film critics, everyone present today was a friend from the industry with whom they had a good relationship. In order to prevent a repeat of the Peng Yu Banquet name tag ripping incident, Zhuang Huai'an repeatedly reminded Du Hua to make sure the seating was arranged properly.

In retrospect, nothing went wrong.

The lights dimmed, the dragon logo flashed, and then the 91 moon and star logo appeared, followed by MGM's classic lion's roar, which sounded particularly powerful in the surround sound system.

Zhuang Huai'an nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that Chairman Zhou had indeed not embezzled any money.

Sitting in the sixth row, Jay Chou inexplicably shivered.