Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 131 Sacrifice my ass!

Inside the car, Wu Yuchen opened the rear window, letting the wind blow through to dissipate the smell of alcohol. They had just driven Director Liu from CCTV back home.

A moment later, Wu Yuchen closed the car window and asked Cai Yinong:

"Mr. Cai, what's your opinion?"

Cai Yinong thought for a moment and said, "The price for exclusive broadcasting is a bit low. I think we can consider premiering, since CCTV's platform effect is still very strong."

Regarding "The Passionate Years," Director Liu also discussed the price with the two of them, offering two options.

First, the first broadcast rights were sold to CCTV for 400 million yuan;
Secondly, CCTV bought the exclusive broadcasting rights to the drama "Passion" for ten million yuan.

These days, CCTV generally pays significantly less for first-run rights than local stations because CCTV has a platform effect; if a first run on CCTV is successful, it's easy to sell it for a second run. Therefore, some confident film and television companies choose to sell their first-run rights to CCTV at a low price, making money by selling them for second and third runs to various local stations.

For example, the price quoted for "The Passionate Years" was 400 million, which is 500 million less than the production cost. If CCTV could broadcast it immediately, Wu Yuchen wouldn't mind; he could sell it at a loss and still make a profit later. But the key issue is that they can't arrange for it to be broadcast right away.

Wu Yuchen shook his head and said, "President Cai, CCTV is going to air 'Water Margin' next January. I don't want to wait until next year. If they put our 'The Passionate Years' on Channel 8 to compete with Channel 1's 'Water Margin,' there's no way we can compete."

As for selling exclusive broadcasting rights for 10 million, he wouldn't even consider it. He'd be a fool to sell such a blockbuster drama for 10 million.

After hearing this, Cai Yinong understood Wu Yuchen's thoughts and tentatively asked, "Then let's leave CCTV for now? I'll contact other TV stations?"

Wu Yuchen nodded: "Contact Beijing TV, Shanghai TV, Guangdong TV, and Hunan TV to try and get it released as soon as possible!"

“Okay, I’ll go to each one. I can tell from Director Liu’s attitude this time that Director Wu, you’re still very attractive after you’re officially listed!” Cai Yinong said, not forgetting to flatter him.

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this. He was now nominally the producer, and he was also the first writer listed on the screenplay, which was indeed somewhat useful to these TV stations.

Just then, Wu Yuchen's phone rang. When he answered it, he found it was an overseas call.

"Dear Wu, it's been a long time!"

Wu Yuchen immediately recognized who it was and replied with a smile, "Hi Jeff, I really miss your wife's strawberry cheesecake~"

"Haha, when you come back, you can try other flavors!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Jeff got down to business:

"Wu, the release date for 'Frequency' has been set. It will be officially released in two months."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Is it during the Thanksgiving period?"

"Yes, I originally suggested scheduling it for Christmas, but it was rejected because they were worried we wouldn't be competitive enough. However, Thanksgiving is a great time slot, and we'll release it on the Friday before Thanksgiving to try and get a head start."

"Hmm, that's a really good strategy!" Wu Yuchen praised.

This arrangement is indeed thoughtful. Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, a time for families to reunite and share warmth and love. And "Frequency" itself is about father-son relationships, making its Thanksgiving release perfectly fitting.

Wu Yuchen then asked with concern, "Jeff, what was the final cut of the movie like? Have you seen it?"

Jeff burst into laughter upon hearing this: "Wu, don't worry, the company is very satisfied with the results you produced. With Stallone's and our insistence, it's still your version, uncut!"

Wu Yuchen smiled with satisfaction: "Jeff, this news will make me happy for at least a week!"

"Wu, I'm still amazed by your film editing speed; it's incredibly fast and precise!"

"Hehe, that's because I made ample preparations before filming, and all the scenes were in my mind."

After chatting and laughing for a while, Jeff emphasized again, "Wu, you must come! The crew can't do without you for the promotion!"

"Of course, I'll definitely go to my first Hollywood movie."

Wu Yuchen hung up the phone with a smile, in a good mood. Whether it was the fact that the movie was uncut or the promotional arrangements by Sony Columbia, it was clear that they attached a certain degree of importance to "Frequency".

However, considering that the male lead of this movie is Sylvester Stallone, even though his popularity has declined in recent years, his name is still very famous, so it's only natural that he would receive some resources. This made him quite looking forward to the release of "Frequency" in two months.

That evening, Wu Yuchen went to Li Xiaoran's place. Li Xiaoran no longer lived in her previous rented apartment; Wu Yuchen had bought her a house in a newly developed upscale residential area and moved her there.

To be honest, he used to read a lot of novels about time travel and rebirth and was determined to buy a courtyard house to live in. Apart from recognizing its investment value, if you're talking about living conditions and experience, it's really incomparable to apartment buildings!

In terms of water, electricity, internet, parking, and pipelines, the overall comfort level is lagging behind.

In Beijing, anyone who has ever lived in a courtyard house wants to move out. Even if someone owns a courtyard house, they usually rent it out and live in an apartment building next door. This is the norm for courtyard houses in Beijing.

Of course, if you're willing to spend the money to spruce it up, these facility issues can be resolved. However, Wu Yuchen still felt that the comfort of a courtyard house wasn't actually that great; it just sounded very high-class.

After Wu Yuchen took a shower and the smell of alcohol dissipated, he came out of the bathroom to find Li Xiaoran running up to him with a script: "Hey, can you take a look at this movie script for me?"

Wu Yuchen laughed and said, "Wow! Not bad, you're already getting offers to act in movies!"

Li Xiaoran raised her chin slightly proudly and said, "Of course, and there's more than one!"

Although "Run Lola Run," starring Li Xiaoran, wasn't officially released in mainland China, it's a big name and very popular on DVD; those who wanted to see it have already done so. It's not surprising that directors are now approaching her.

After taking the script, Wu Yuchen asked, "Who's the director?"

“Chen Chong, she contacted me first, saying she thought I was perfect for the female lead, and that it was based on Yan Geling’s novel of the same name, which is aiming for awards!” Li Xiaoran said happily.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen frowned, a thought flashing through his mind. He glanced at the script's title; it was indeed "Heavenly Bath." Wu Yuchen opened the script and began reading. After a while, he said, "Did Chen Chong tell you that this movie will have nude scenes?"

Li Xiaoran hesitated before nodding: "She said a body double could be used."

"A stand-in my foot! She'll definitely make you do it yourself the whole time!" Wu Yuchen said with dissatisfaction.

"Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl" did indeed win a lot of awards, especially at the Golden Horse Awards, where it swept the awards for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Director.

Although starring in this movie could win a Golden Horse Award, Wu Yuchen doesn't want Li Xiaoran to do anything like sacrificing herself for art!

He said directly, "Reject it. I can tell you very clearly that this film will be banned even if it's made. And unlike 'Run Lola Run,' which is allowed to be made but not shown, this film won't even be allowed to be made!"

"Huh? But Chen Chong never said that at all. She seems quite confident..."

Wu Yuchen shook his head: "She's not going to work in mainland China anymore. She's going to be based in Hollywood from now on. She doesn't care whether it's allowed in China or not. She'll just send her films to film festivals. She'll be fine then, winning awards and living a carefree life overseas. Do you want to be labeled as a specialist in banned films?"

Wu Yuchen is naturally very familiar with the movie "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl". In her previous life, it was starring Pingxi Wang Xiao Milu. She insisted on using a stunt double, but nine out of ten people who have seen it believe that she did the scenes herself.

There's also a detail: at the beginning of the movie, Chen Chong approached Fan Bingbing, but when Fan Bingbing heard that there was nudity, she went back and discussed it with her family and directly rejected Chen Chong. If there really was a body double, why would Fan Bingbing disagree? Why would it be Li Xiaolu's turn?
After the movie was filmed, Joan Chen was banned for three years, but it had no impact on her career overseas.

Li Xiaolu won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress for her film, which brought her instant fame and certainly helped her establish herself in the entertainment industry. However, what truly made her famous wasn't "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl," but rather "It's All Because of Angels," a film that many people have never even heard of.

Li Xiaoran thought it would be a good movie with the names of Chen Chong and Yan Geling, and that it could even win awards, so she decided to give it a try. But now, after hearing what Wu Yuchen said, she is a little worried.

Seeing that she was still hesitant, Wu Yuchen said directly, "Don't let yourself be brainwashed by those theories about art films. What about sacrificing oneself for art? Just listen to them and forget about them. Think clearly."

Li Xiaoran had a criminal record in her previous life. In the movie "The Botanist's Daughter," she really showed everything that needed to be shown, so Wu Yuchen had to give her a good warning.

Li Xiaoran was greatly surprised by Wu Yuchen's statement: "Huh? But I read in books and by my teachers at school that..."

Wu Yuchen waved his hand to interrupt her:
"Dedication to art is not the same as winning awards! What are you doing as an actor?"

Li Xiaoran retorted, "Don't you know perfectly well? In the beginning, it was just to earn some money to support yourself..."

"now what?"

“Now, now…” Li Xiaoran hesitated for a moment.

Seeing that she hesitated and didn't finish her sentence, Wu Yuchen said directly:
"When you came back from playing minor roles, didn't you say that you would definitely have Sister Wanjun comb your hair in the future?"
Don't be shy about speaking up. Right now, you just want to be more famous, have a higher status, and be admired by more people, right?

Li Xiaoran nodded upon hearing this, but she still felt a little ashamed that Wu Yuchen had spoken her inner thoughts so frankly. After all, the current education and social environment in China require people to be ashamed to talk about fame and fortune, as if pursuing fame and fortune is a shameful thing, and pursuing art is noble.

Wu Yuchen then asked, "Last year, we watched 'Comrades: Almost a Love Story' together. Did you think Maggie Cheung's acting was good?"

"Okay!" After studying acting, Li Xiaoran naturally knew how amazing Zhang Manyu's acting was.

Moreover, "Comrades: Almost a Love Story" was a big winner at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards, winning nine awards including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress, solidifying its status as a classic film.

"Yes, Maggie Cheung is currently recognized as the best actress in Hong Kong. She has won the Golden Horse Award, the Hong Kong Film Award, and the Berlin Film Festival Best Actress Award. Have you ever seen her film any nude scenes?"

Furthermore, did you know that Maggie Cheung has publicly admitted that she entered the entertainment industry out of vanity? Even Leslie Cheung has said that no one in the entertainment industry is without vanity, and that he himself is vain. What's wrong with facing your own conscience?

I know you took this role to try and win awards. But now that you already have "Run Lola Run," making "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl" won't really help you much. In fact, the nude scenes might damage your reputation.

Use your brain next time. Don't believe that "sacrifice oneself for art" nonsense. The films that truly win major awards rarely involve any such "sacrifice for art."

After hearing Wu Yuchen's explanation, Li Xiaoran finally understood. She might not have believed it if someone else had said it, but since it was Wu Yuchen, she had no choice but to believe it.

She nodded repeatedly: "I understand. I won't take this movie, and I'll reject all similar roles in the future."

Wu Yuchen put his arm around her and said, "You need to know what you want. You're not some nobody who needs to resort to these kinds of methods to get ahead. Don't worry, I'll definitely recommend you for good opportunities."

"Okay, I'll listen to you from now on~" Li Xiaoran said, giving Wu Yuchen a kiss.

……

A few days later, it was the same restaurant as before.

Wu Yuchen nudged the middle-aged man next to him and said with a smile, "Thank you for your appreciation, Director Gong!"

"Haha, Director Wu, you're being too polite! To be honest, my family is a military family, and I grew up in that kind of environment. Watching 'The Passionate Years' is just like watching my parents' story, which brings back a lot of emotions for me!"

The middle-aged man who was expressing his deep feelings was the deputy director of Beijing TV station, in charge of purchasing programs. He was quite curious when he heard that Wu Yuchen, a famous director, was personally writing and supervising a TV series, so he watched it with him.

The result was that he was completely captivated by it, and it was precisely because of the strong advocacy of Deputy Director Gong that the two parties quickly reached a deal: the first broadcast rights for 7 million yuan, and the broadcast would take over the prime time slot of 8 pm just half a month later.

"Director Gong, rest assured, I have great confidence in 'The Passionate Years' and I'm sure it will achieve a result that will satisfy you!" Wu Yuchen assured him with a smile.

"With Director Wu's words of reassurance, I am completely at ease!"

Deputy Director Gong has certainly earned his position, so he must have some skills. If a drama can move him so much, and everyone who watched it with him said it was good, he doesn't believe it can't achieve success.

Moreover, it also boasts the title of director, producer, and screenwriter Wu Yuchen, who just achieved a box office of 7000 million, making promotion much easier.

After seeing everyone off, Wu Yuchen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't really like the current atmosphere where everything involved drinking. If it weren't for the fact that this was Miracle Films' first TV series, and it was also under his name and needed to establish a foothold, he wouldn't have wanted to participate.

However, once "The Passionate Years" made a name for itself and Miracle Films achieved success in television dramas, he would no longer attend similar banquets and would leave them all to Cai Yinong. Wasn't the purpose of inviting her here to do these things?
(End of this chapter)