Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 137 The Turmoil in the Grand Mansion

November has arrived before we knew it, and the leaves on the trees have turned yellow. Recently, a cold front has hit, and the temperature in Beijing has suddenly dropped sharply. Many people on the streets were caught off guard, shivering and rubbing their hands together, not wearing thick clothes.

Wu Yuchen, who owns a car, doesn't have this worry. He hasn't been filming lately, so he's been living a pretty comfortable life. He occasionally visits the company, brews a pot of tea, and writes a script. When he has free time, he goes to school to attend classes. These days, the teachers at school turn a blind eye to whether he attends classes or not, as long as he gets a good grade.

The CCTV program "Love Will Carry On" is scheduled to air in the middle of this month, and promotion has already begun. These days, promotional methods are very simple. In fact, they mainly invited the main cast and crew members to do an interview, which was a question-and-answer session. A portion of that interview will be edited out and broadcast later.

However, Wu Yuchen won't be able to see the premiere of "Eternal Love." He's already booked his flight and will be flying to the United States in two weeks to promote "Frequency." He's only paying a little attention to "Eternal Love," while "Frequency" is his first Hollywood film, which is clearly his focus.

After hearing a knock on the office door, Wu Yuchen called out "Come in," and then saw Cai Yinong and Kang Honglei enter together.

Seeing that the two of them had come together, he figured it must be something important, so he asked with a smile, "What is it?"

Cai Yinong pointed to the script in Kang Honglei's hand: "Director Wu, you haven't been here for the past two days. The company received a great script, and Director Kang praised it highly after reading it, so we wanted to ask for your opinion today."

"Oh? Movie or TV series?"

"TV drama."

Since Wu Yuchen's "My Brothers and Sisters" became a huge success, he has received a steady stream of film scripts. With the explosive popularity of "The Passionate Years," television scripts naturally followed. However, to be honest, the quality of most of them was questionable. At first, Wu Yuchen would take a look, but later he felt it was a waste of time, so he simply had his subordinates review them, and only those he found satisfactory would be brought to him.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "If it can make Director Kang applaud so highly, then I'll have to take a good look at it."

Kang Honglei smiled and handed over a thick stack of scripts. Wu Yuchen glanced at them and exclaimed in surprise, "So thick? The complete version?"

Cai Yinong nodded: "Yes, it's the complete version. Maybe they really want us to film it."

Even when submitting a script, TV dramas typically don't send the entire script. They usually send a synopsis and a few episodes, and if there's interest, they discuss further details. Sending the entire script carries a high risk of plagiarism. Don't have high expectations of the ethics of people in the industry; shameless people exist everywhere.

Moreover, this is an era of unbridled growth; if a film is copied and becomes popular, the original creator can't do anything about it. Suing in court and gathering evidence is extremely troublesome, and it could take several years to get a result. Even if you win the case, the compensation is pitifully low.

But now the other party has actually sent over the entire script, which is somewhat beyond Wu Yuchen's expectations. Is it really that sincere? Or is it simply a matter of trust in him, a famous director? This piqued his interest.

Wu Yuchen took the thick stack of scripts, looked at the cover, and was shocked. It read: "The Grand Mansion Gate".

He quickly flipped through the pages: Bai family, Baicaoting, Bai Jingqi…

No doubt about it, it's the "Grand Mansion" he remembers!
No wonder Kang Honglei applauded so enthusiastically; after all, this is "The Grand Mansion Gate," an absolute classic!
But Wu Yuchen was both surprised and astonished. How did "The Grand Mansion Gate" end up in their company?

Could it have been sent by Guo Baochang? But that shouldn't be the case. If Guo Baochang sent it to him, he should have contacted him through an acquaintance. Why did he send it directly to the company without even telling him?
Many people have not heard of Guo Baochang. He is a graduate of the 59 directing class of Beijing Film Academy and can be considered a very experienced veteran director. He is also the author of the original novel of "The Grand Mansion Gate". He is a relatively low-key person, but he has a high status in the industry. Fifth generation directors, led by Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, have all been trained by him.

Viewers who watched "The Grand Mansion Gate" in their previous lives can see a host of big names making cameo appearances, including Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Jiang Wen, Li Xuejian, Ning Jing, He Qun, and others. These people are not people you can hire with money.

Therefore, Wu Yuchen felt that even if Guo Baochang wanted to seek investment from him, he should contact him through Beijing Film Studio.

Wu Yuchen immediately asked Cai Yinong, "Who sent this script? What's going on?"

Seeing that Wu Yuchen's expression was strange, Cai Yinong explained:

"It's a film and television company. They said they watched our 'The Passionate Years' and thought it was exceptionally well-made. They want to collaborate with Miracle Films on this 'Grand Mansion Gate' and would also like to invite Director Wu to personally star in it or serve as the producer."

Wu Yuchen frowned immediately after hearing this.

Something's not right, something's really not right. Should we ask him to be the director or producer?
As far as he knew, "The Grand Mansion Gate" was Guo Baochang's life's work, but why didn't Cai Yinong mention Guo Baochang's name at all? Guo Baochang would never let anyone else film "The Grand Mansion Gate," not even Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou!
"Director Wu, is there a problem with this script?" Kang Honglei couldn't help but ask.

Wu Yuchen nodded, then explained what was on his mind, and then said:
"I need to find out more about this notebook; there must be something in it."

Kang Honglei nodded upon hearing this. He had been eager to film the script since he first saw it. Although he was somewhat disappointed, he understood now that it represented the culmination of a veteran actor's life's work.

After he and Cai Yinong left, Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and then dialed his homeroom teacher, Xie Xiaojing's, number:
"Hey Wu Yuchen, are you taking leave again?"

Wu Yuchen was speechless at Xie Xiaojing's words on the other end of the phone.

"Um, Professor Xie, didn't I already tell you? I'm not going to America for another two weeks. I'm your student, can't I talk to you about our relationship when I have free time?"

Xie Xiaojing laughed and said, "I'm not a woman, why are you calling me to talk about feelings? Alright, just say what you want to say."

He no longer regarded Wu Yuchen as a student, and the two usually spoke very casually.

Wu Yuchen then cut to the chase and said directly:

"Teacher Xie, I would like to ask you for the contact information of director Guo Baochang, the senior from our Beijing Film Academy, Guo Baochang."

Xie Xiaojing on the other end of the phone immediately asked, "Are you looking for Master Bao? Has someone contacted you? Is it about 'The Grand Mansion'?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen thought to himself, "As expected, Xie Xiaojing's words clearly indicate that there's something going on."

"Yes, Teacher Xie, how did you know? I saw the script for 'The Grand Mansion' at the company today, and it was the complete version! They said a film and television company wants to co-produce it with me..."

"Damn these bastards! Wu Yuchen, don't you dare take this! This can't be explained over the phone. Since it involves you, you'd better come to my place right now."

"Okay, Teacher Xie, I'll be right there."

Wu Yuchen hung up the phone and immediately drove back to Jingying. As soon as he arrived at Xie Xiaojing's office, he saw Tian Zhuangzhuang there as well.

When Tian Zhuangzhuang saw Wu Yuchen arrive, he said, "Wu Yuchen, since we've come to you, why don't you come with us too? We'll take you to visit Master Bao, and we'll tell you what happened on the way."

Before Wu Yuchen's car engine had even cooled down, he picked up Xie Xiaojing and Tian Zhuangzhuang again and headed to a hospital. On the way, the two told Wu Yuchen what had happened.

After Guo Baochang created "The Grand Mansion Gate," he finally found a film and television company willing to invest and brought in Chen Baoguo to direct it. However, after only two episodes were filmed, the investors approached Guo Baochang directly, telling him that he didn't need to continue filming and pointing out loopholes in the contract, demanding that Guo Baochang pay more than 300 million yuan in breach of contract damages.

It turns out that this company was interested in the script of "The Grand Mansion Gate" and Chen Baoguo, but had no intention of having Guo Baochang as the director. They had set a trap in the contract from the beginning.

Guo Baochang was furious after hearing this. He was furious. He had written the script himself, so why couldn't he participate in the filming? Instead, he had to pay a penalty for breach of contract. Was there any justice in this?
But the other party held onto the contract, and even the script he had painstakingly created was no longer his. This angered him so much that he fell ill and ended up in the hospital.

Wu Yuchen frowned deeply upon hearing this. He knew that the entertainment industry in the 90s was already rife with problems, but such blatant greed was rare. They stole someone's script and then demanded 300 million yuan in compensation!
Directors of Guo Baochang's generation had never encountered anything like this before. Naturally, they were completely unprepared and fell into the trap immediately.

Wu Yuchen couldn't help but ask, "So what's the current situation with the 'Grand Mansion' production team?"

Tian Zhuangzhuang said, "Chen Baoguo was righteous and directly refused to perform. He told the investors that he would not film the movie unless Baoguo was the director."

"They've sent scripts to several directors, including Zhang Yimou. He called us right away to ask what happened, and that's when we found out that Bao Ye had run into such a mess!" Xie Xiaojing sighed.

Soon, the group arrived at the hospital. Upon entering a ward, Wu Yuchen found that there were already quite a few people standing inside.

Zhang Yimou and Jiang Wen both came, and even Chen Kaige, who was filming "The Emperor and the Assassin", put down his work and came over!
Wu Yuchen couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking how incredibly influential Guo Baochang truly was!
In the two years since his rebirth, this was the first time he had ever seen so many renowned directors of Chinese-language films gathered together, and now they were all crammed into this small hospital room, standing quietly.

At this moment, Guo Baochang, lying on his sickbed, was pulling Chen Baoguo beside him and said in a sorrowful voice:
"Baoguo, I'm so sorry! Now you can't even film your show!"

Chen Baoguo gripped Guo Baochang's hand tightly: "Uncle Bao, what are you saying? Even if I don't make movies for five or ten years, and I sell my own house, I would never let these bastards act for me!"

The investors initially tried to pressure Chen Baoguo to continue filming, but Chen resolutely refused. However, the contract stipulated that Chen Baoguo could not film any other projects while filming "The Grand Mansion Gate," otherwise he would have to pay a penalty for breach of contract. In other words, every day that "The Grand Mansion Gate" is delayed, Chen Baoguo cannot take on any other projects, effectively cutting off his source of income.

"Baoguo, well done!" Tian Zhuangzhuang shouted after hearing this.

After saying that, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Xie Xiaojing led Wu Yuchen to the bedside: "Uncle Bao, we've come to see you."

Xie Xiaojing introduced Guo Baochang: "Uncle Bao, this is my student Wu Yuchen. I brought him to see you."

Wu Yuchen immediately greeted Guo Baochang respectfully.

Guo Baochang had naturally heard of Wu Yuchen's name, and he forced a smile:
"Hello Xiao Wu, I've seen your movies. Beijing Film Academy has a bright future! Xiao Jing, I was deeply moved after watching 'Red Elephant' which you and Zhuang Zhuang filmed together. The fact that you can still nurture such excellent students in the academy shows that Chinese cinema will only get better and better!"

"Uncle Bao, take good care of yourself, everything will be alright," Tian Zhuangzhuang said comfortingly.

Guo Baochang first nodded, then shook his head, his face filled with sorrow, and said:
"I wrote the first draft of 'The Grand Mansion' when I was 16. At that time, I hated my background and portrayed my father as a complete exploiter. My mother scolded me and burned my manuscript."

After entering the film academy, I wrote "The Grand Mansion Gate" for the second time, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to hand over the manuscript.

Later, I was labeled and sent to labor reform. During my time on the farm, those memories would wake me up in the middle of the night. I knew that "The Grand Mansion" was no longer just a creation, but my mission. I secretly wrote it down on scraps of paper, but unfortunately, when a major inspection came, I had to painfully burn them myself.

After those years passed, everything got better. After settling down and starting a family, I picked up my pen again to write "The Grand Mansion Gate," but unfortunately...

He didn't finish his sentence, but those who knew him well knew that this time, after his divorce from his ex-wife, she burned his novel "The Grand Mansion Gate" in a fit of anger.

Guo Baochang's voice choked with emotion as he spoke:
"I know that because of my attitude towards my father when I was young, my mother still resented me until her death, which made me regret it for the rest of my life. Every year I have to kneel down and repent, but I still want to record their story and their life!"
I don't know what's wrong with the world these days? Or is this truly a punishment from heaven, a punishment from my mother, destined to prevent me from ever making "The Grand Mansion Gate" into a film?!

After saying this, Guo Baochang burst into tears again. The scene was so heartbreaking that anyone who heard it or saw it would shed tears. No one present could speak; they all felt terrible.

Guo Baochang poured half his life's blood into creating "The Grand Mansion Gate," not just once or twice, but a full five times!
But each time it has been fraught with difficulties, and now this fifth time it has ended up like this. We are all in the same boat, who can not feel pity?

……

(End of this chapter)