Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 156 Shooting
Wu Yuchen surveyed the group of people sitting around him. It was undoubtedly a very impressive lineup. Only someone of his status could have assembled such a group.

The production cost of "Mr. Donkey" is much higher than the 100 million yuan expected two years ago. At that time, the idea was just to find some classmates from school and film it like a stage play. But now it is different from what I thought back then.

Gong Li's $100 million salary alone is already over 800 million yuan. Add to that the salaries of other actors and other miscellaneous expenses, and it's estimated that this will cost at least 1500 million yuan, possibly even approaching 2000 million. This doesn't even include Wu Yuchen's personal salary. He won't charge Hollywood rates, but it certainly can't be less than Gong Li's $100 million, right?

This adds up to 3000 million, and the exact cost will only be known after production is completed. However, Wu Yuchen is not short of money right now. Even disregarding the huge sums of money he's made in Hollywood, the film and television revenue from Miracle Films alone over the past two years is more than enough for him.

He then subtly glanced at Sun Honglei, Ding Jiali, and Gong Li, and he was certain that he hadn't done it intentionally; he had chosen the actors entirely based on their roles in the film.

In his past life, rumors circulated that Sun Honglei was kept by his older sister, who used him to climb the social ladder before abandoning him. This older sister, the woman in the scandal, was Ding Jiali, who played the coppersmith's wife. The two met in 99 while rehearsing the play "The Curies." Although Sun Honglei had already acted in Zhang Yimou's "The Road Home" at that time, his status was still inferior to that of his older sister.

He and Gong Li met while filming "Zhou Yu's Train" in 2002. Their characters had a romantic entanglement in the film, and Sun Honglei reportedly developed feelings for Gong Li. At the time, news reports claimed he "climbed the social ladder by dating a senior actress, abandoning Ding Jiali for Gong Li." However, Gong Li was married at the time and rejected Sun Honglei.

Therefore, after launching two consecutive emotional offensives against actresses of higher status than himself, Hua Qiang's reputation for climbing the social ladder by associating with older women spread.

Wu Yuchen shook his head inwardly. He didn't care whether Sun Honglei had any intention of currying favor with the older sister. As long as he acted well, that was enough. In this movie "Mr. Donkey," Zhou Tienan and Zhang Yiman didn't have any emotional entanglements with the coppersmith's wife. He figured Sun Honglei wouldn't cause any trouble during filming.

"Director Wu, I'd like to ask, for the role of Zhang Yiman, did you base it on the Republican-era actress Zhou Xuan?" Gong Li asked curiously.

Zhou Xuan was a major star during the Republic of China era, known as the "Queen of Movies," and a figure who left her mark on film history. In the end, she also died of mental illness.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Yes, but it can only be said that it referenced a part of it. Regarding Zhang Yiman's background, we also need to talk about the 'sexual liberation' movement triggered by the 'Natural Breast Movement' during the Republic of China..."

Since it was during the reading session, Wu Yuchen tried his best to explain each character thoroughly so that the actors could better understand and portray the roles.

"Director Wu, I'd like to ask Pei Kuishan, does he truly love Zhang Yiman, or is it just a man's desire to conquer?" He Bing also took the opportunity to raise his question.

"Teacher He Bing, Pei Kuishan does indeed like Zhang Yiman, but his liking is a condescending kind of love. Pei Kuishan has the self-righteousness of an intellectual; he believes he is 'saving' Zhang Yiman's fallen soul, leading her from a wayward young woman to follow him and reform her. He sees himself as being tolerant of Zhang Yiman. But at the same time, he is sexually impotent, and Zhang Yiman's willingness to have physical relations with him satisfies his need for self-esteem."

Wu Yuchen paused for a moment, then continued to explain:
"Therefore, when Zhang Yiman initially rejected Pei Kuishan several times, he remained relatively calm. He considered himself superior to Zhang Yiman and felt he had her completely under his control. He believed his tolerant and profound love would eventually redeem her and guide the lost sheep back to the right path. However, when Zhang Yiman had a relationship with a coppersmith of far lower status and seemed quite pleased with it, his pride and sense of superiority were shattered. He felt a mixture of love turning to hate and anger at his deeply wounded pride, and thus…"

As He Bing listened to Wu Yuchen's explanation, he suddenly realized that understanding the character's inner logic would greatly help his performance.

During this script reading, Wu Yuchen also analyzed and discussed each plot point with everyone, and conducted a detailed analysis of each character.

A few days later, filming officially began for "Mr. Donkey".

……

"Do you understand everything?"

Wu Yuchen asked the four people beside him, Gong Li, Li Xuejian, He Bing, and Sun Honglei, and only returned behind the camera after seeing that they all nodded.

"action!"

This scene was filmed early in the movie, when a fire broke out in the donkey shed due to the dry weather, and the crew launched a firefighting operation. This firefighting operation was not just filmed randomly; it was carefully designed by Wu Yuchen and the crew, and it actually foreshadows the characters' future plot developments and fates.

In the scene, Sun Honglei is the first to rush up and jump up to try to put out the fire with a broom, which actually implies that he is impulsive but incapable of solving problems.

Gong Li rushed into the donkey shed to try and put the flames down, but instead ignited the haystacks on the ground, foreshadowing that her character Zhang Yiman would get herself into trouble.

In a panic, He Bing used a shovel to throw dirt to put out the fire, but instead splashed dirty dirt on Gong Li, implying that Pei Kuishan was about to harm Zhang Yiman.

Principal Sun, carrying two blankets, rushed over, shouting "Listen to my orders!" and covered the fire with the blankets. Clearly, his incompetent attempt to cover up the problem and his misguided commands only caused the fire to escalate.

With everyone working together, the fire spread smoothly, and the donkey shed went from smoking to a sea of ​​flames. This also illustrates how the later individuals escalated what was initially a minor, fabricated incident into a major crisis that spiraled out of control.

……

The filming of "Mr. Donkey" was not fast, and Wu Yuchen was not in a hurry. He wanted to get everyone into their best condition before slowly speeding up the pace.

A month and a half later, filming was halfway through. At this point, a major scene was to be filmed, in which everyone, under pressure from the coppersmith and the special envoy, took turns angrily cursing Zhang Yiman. The entire film's tone shifted from joy to sorrow from this scene.

In the shot, the coppersmith sits on the platform, wearing a mink coat, which shows his important status.

This coat also has a special meaning. What is a mink coat? It's made of animal skin!
Those who donned animal skins underwent a dramatic change in temperament, transforming from humans into beasts. The primal evil within human nature began to be unleashed, whether it was He Bing's Pei Kuishan or Fu Dalong's coppersmith.

At this moment, He Bing, looking all prim and proper, walked up to Gong Li. His chance to vent his anger had arrived. A slight smile played on his lips, his hair was meticulously combed, and he wore a stern Zhongshan suit. With the mouth of a teacher, he smiled and uttered the most vicious words:

"You're a filthy whore. Everyone knows what you did in the city. You're a rat in the street, and you have the nerve to be picky? You're shameless, do you even deserve it? What right do you have to pick on others? Someone sleeping with you is doing you a favor, you're not even as good as a whore! A whore does that for money, to survive. And you? You're throwing yourself at someone! You're so cheap, you're even cheaper than a whore!"

He Bing became more and more excited as he spoke, and his emotions began to run high. The smile on his face gradually disappeared, and it became ferocious:
"Do you know what you are in a man's eyes? You're just a public toilet! You deserve what you've become! This is your retribution! How could I have been so blind to fall for you! Fall for you! You slut! You slut..."

When He Bing got to this point, his face was red and his neck was thick with anger, turning into a roar, before Li Xuejian forcibly pulled him away.

Meanwhile, another camera focused on Gong Li. At this moment, she was clearly touched by He Bing's words. Her lips trembled, her eyes welled up with tears, and her chest heaved. However, she bit her chin and forced back her tears.

"Good!" Zhang Guoli gave a thumbs up, and Fu Dalong, wearing a mink coat, also clapped. "Pass!" Wu Yuchen's voice came.

Then, Wu Yuchen walked up to Gong Li and asked, "Sister Li, are we filming today?"

"Shoot." Gong Li said just one word.

Wu Yuchen nodded and instructed the departments to prepare. He asked this because the scene they were going to film was the one where Gong Li's head was shaved, which was also the scene where Zhang Yiman had a mental breakdown.

The coppersmith Fu Dalong was not satisfied with merely verbally attacking the woman who had hurt his pure heart, so he resorted to an age-old trick for dealing with harlots: cutting her hair.

Throughout history, hair has been considered extremely precious to beautiful women, both in China and abroad. In the film "Malèna," the protagonist, Malena, had her clothes torn, her hair cut, and her head shaved in public by a group of women, which is a severe form of psychological trauma for women.

The person who shaved Gong Li's head was Principal Li Xuejian. For his "greater good," he was willing to sacrifice anything, once again demonstrating his hypocrisy.

In the scene, it wasn't until Gong Li's hair was completely gone—not bald, but rather covered in a layer of pitted, unsightly scalp—that Fu Dalong's voice came through: "Alright, I'm satisfied."

Even Pei Kuishan, He Bing's lover, couldn't bear to see such a tragic scene. After all, this was the woman he had once pursued, had an intimate relationship with, and loved.

"Pass!"

After shouting this, Wu Yuchen immediately waved his hand and said:
"Scene change!"

Gong Li had just shaved her head, so now was the perfect time to film her mental breakdown after returning home and looking in the mirror. As it turns out, Gong Li never disappoints; the scene was filmed in one take!

……

The following day, Wu Yuchen focused on filming another crucial scene: the one where Zhou Tienan is frightened by the gun and goes from being timid to cowardly. This scene is arguably one of the most emotionally impactful and powerful moments in the entire film.

After the gunshot went astray, Sun Honglei sat up from the ground, his chest heaving and his breath coming in ragged gasps. He touched his head, then opened his eyes wide and looked at his hands:
"Holy crap, I missed! I'm still alive!"

Then Sun Honglei's face gradually flushed red with emotion, his laughter grew increasingly unrestrained, and he roared as if venting his frustration:

"Missed! Hahaha!"

Zhang Guoli took the gun from his deputy, pressed it against Sun Honglei's head, and said calmly, "This shot won't miss again."

The arrogant smile of relief on Sun Honglei's face vanished instantly, replaced by terror. He shook his head frantically, rubbing his thighs and buttocks against the ground as he retreated rapidly until his back hit the wall, leaving him nowhere to go. Then, as if realizing what had happened, he immediately knelt down before Zhang Guoli, performing a deep bow of obeisance.
"No, no, no, Special Envoy, please don't shoot! I was wrong, I'll kowtow to you! I was wrong, I'll do whatever you say! Please don't shoot! I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Sun Honglei's head kept hitting the bricks on the ground, making loud thuds. He was holding Zhang Guoli's feet, and his tears mixed with drool were dripping onto Zhang Guoli's leather shoes, which made Zhang Guoli frown and move his feet away in disgust.

"Pass!"

This scene was filmed many times, which really tested Sun Honglei's explosive power. His forehead was red and swollen from the impact, but he ended up having to wrap a bandage around his head for later scenes.

Wu Yuchen was quite satisfied with Sun Honglei's performance in this scene. He wanted to create a strong emotional impact on the audience by contrasting his character before and after.

Zhou Tienan was all talk and no action, but in reality, he was utterly timid and cowardly. He had just launched a powerful attack, but now he was cowering at his feet, begging for mercy—worse than a dog. It was truly a tragic sight. But in the face of a gun, who could criticize him?
That evening, it was still Sun Honglei's scene, where he was explaining something to his sweetheart, Zhou Xun:

"Fighting them like that is useless! I have to infiltrate first, bide my time, and wait until I have the ability and power to seize their weaknesses, then deal with them and take my revenge. That's the only way now!"

Sun Honglei is now advising Zhou Xun to compromise and cooperate with everyone's actions. His logic is quite classic: if you can't win, join the other side. Does this remind you of a historical figure?
That's right, it's a veiled reference to Wang Zhaoming, whose pen name is Jingwei!

"To draw the sword and die a swift death is a fitting end to my youthful ambition."

In his early days, Wang Jingwei was a representative figure of patriots and was hailed as the Tan Sitong of his time. He was much more ruthless than Zhou Tienan, but like Zhou Tienan, he joined the enemy when he couldn't win and became a traitor.

……

While Wu Yuchen and his crew were engrossed in filming "Mr. Donkey" in western Shanxi, the entire Chinese film industry was shaken to its core by "Titanic".

"How much?" Han Sanping asked, somewhat incredulously.

"It's broken, it's broken 3 million..."

Hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, Han Sanping opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

He recalled that a few months ago, before the release of "Titanic," Wu Yuchen had specifically mentioned this to him. At the time, he was quite confident, saying, "How good can your movie be? With a few tens of millions more in box office revenue, I believe that in a year or two, domestic films will be able to catch up."

However, after watching the film himself upon its release, Han Sanping realized just how significant the gap Wu Yuchen had described truly was. And now, the difference between *Titanic* and domestic films is directly reflected in their box office performance; in just two months, it has already surpassed 3 million yuan!
That's 3 million! That's three times the record for the highest-grossing Chinese film ever!
And judging from the current situation, they won't stop...

Han Sanping, who felt a sense of mission towards Chinese films, was anxious. He had seen the gap, but it was too big. Even he was almost losing confidence, let alone the others.

No, he had to do something quickly, otherwise the confidence of the entire Chinese film industry would be shattered by the "Titanic" disaster. A gap in skill isn't scary, but losing confidence and fighting spirit is truly hopeless!
Han Sanping thought for a moment, then picked up the phone and dialed...

(End of this chapter)