Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 164 My Evaluation of Myself?
Zhao Yazhi's heartfelt words made Jiang Qinqin think. After her sudden rise to fame, Jiang Qinqin's mentality had become somewhat inflated. If someone else had said this, she might not have listened to them. But Zhao Yazhi, who had starred in many hit works, said this, which made her more sober.

It was Wu Yuchen who helped her choose "My Fair Princess"; otherwise, when Qiong Yao approached her, she would have been cast in "Heaven Has Tears," a drama that aired in Taiwan even earlier than "My Fair Princess," boasting a star-studded cast but ultimately receiving only lukewarm reception. Wu Yuchen told her at the time that audiences were already tired of Qiong Yao's style, and now it seems that's indeed the case.

Qiong Yao herself didn't value "Princess Pearl" highly, but Wu Yuchen was able to predict it in advance. It's obvious who has better taste.

Needless to say, "If Love Has a Destiny" was specially prepared for her by Wu Yuchen, who taught her how to act step by step, truly feeding her the food he was given.

Therefore, it's entirely fair to say that Wu Yuchen personally made her famous. Even without Jiang Qinqin, if Wu Yuchen wanted to promote her, he could have easily replaced her with another actress who would have become famous. But without Wu Yuchen, Jiang Qinqin might be nothing now…

Having figured all this out, Jiang Qinqin's inflated emotions from the past few days subsided considerably. She then said to Zhao Yazhi, "Thank you for the reminder, Teacher Zhao~"

Then she glanced at Wu Yuchen, who was talking to the producer, and suddenly thought, wait a minute, he's my man, isn't it only natural for him to be my man?
Thinking of this, she straightened her back again. Apart from Wu Yuchen, she could still show off in front of other people!
……

Wu Yuchen was unaware of Jiang Qinqin's true intentions. At the wrap party tonight, Zhu Yongde, the CEO of Shanghai Film Group, was naturally present. After the toasts and conversation, he asked Wu Yuchen:

"Director Wu, when do you plan to release our film 'My Sassy Girl'? During the Lunar New Year holiday or the summer?"

There aren't really any special holiday seasons like May Day or National Day. The two best box office periods throughout the year are the summer vacation and the Lunar New Year holiday. "My Sassy Girl" is a comedy, which is actually more suitable for the Lunar New Year holiday season, hence Lao Zhu's question.

"Mr. Zhu, let's schedule it for the summer. To be honest, I have a lot of things to do. I may have to postpone the post-production of 'My Sassy Girl'. Releasing it next summer will give me more time."

Wu Yuchen wasn't lying. After finishing editing "Mr. Donkey," he immediately went out to promote "If Love Has a Destiny" with Jiang Qinqin. Then, before summer was over, he had to hurry up and finish filming "My Sassy Girl."

Now, the post-production of "My Sassy Girl" can be put on hold for a while. He needs to go back and finish the post-production of "Mr. Donkey" first. Although some parts have been handed over to others, he, as the director, will still be responsible for checking the overall coordination and the final effect.

“Okay, Director Wu, once you set a time, we can make the necessary arrangements.” Old Zhu had no objections.

As the wrap party was drawing to a close, Wu Yuchen asked Wang Zuxian, "Sister Xiaoxian, aren't you going back to Taiwan after filming this?"

Wang Zuxian smiled and shook her head: "I'll rest for two days, then go to Chengdu to meet up with Qi Qin and we'll go to Tibet together. He's holding a concert in Tibet on October 2nd~"

Wu Yuchen nodded upon hearing this and said with a smile, "Then I wish you all the best on your trip to Tibet, and have a great time!"

Wu Yuchen had also heard of this concert. Qi Qin was the first pop singer to hold a large-scale concert in Tibet, and Wang Zuxian was a special guest.

To be honest, it's quite admirable in this respect. At an altitude of nearly 4000 meters, and singing live, they weren't even in it for the money. Otherwise, they could have held the event in an eastern coastal city. They are very dedicated. They are far superior to those lip-syncing, money-grabbing, and stubborn 10-beat E6 singers.

However, thinking about Wang Zuxian and Qi Qin's relationship, he couldn't help but shake his head, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Wu Yuchen and Wang Zuxian have worked together on two dramas and have become quite familiar with each other. They can joke around freely, but as an outsider, he shouldn't interfere in their personal matters.

Regarding Qi Qin's alleged illegitimate child, it wasn't that Hong Kong and Taiwanese media hadn't reported on it, even if it was just hearsay. Perhaps Wang Zuxian had already heard about it, but since the child hadn't been publicly acknowledged, she pretended not to know. However, just as she and Qi Qin were about to get married, the alleged illegitimate child made a public appearance and took the matter to court. It's unclear whether this was due to a disagreement over private terms or if it was pre-planned. This ultimately led to their complete falling out…

There's really nothing Wu Yuchen can do about this; he can only hope that things will develop differently this time.

After a lively wrap party, the crew went their separate ways. Wu Yuchen took Jiang Qinqin and returned directly to Beijing to continue working on the post-production of "Mr. Donkey".

Meanwhile, Jiang Qinqin was pulled away by Hunan TV and Qiong Yao to discuss the sequel to "Princess Pearl".

After Jiang Qinqin rose to fame as a movie star through "If Love Has a Destiny," she looked down on the sequel to "My Fair Princess" and didn't really want to act in it. However, Hunan TV and Qiong Yao now regarded "My Fair Princess" as a treasure, and how could the sequel be without a female lead? Therefore, they tried to persuade Jiang Qinqin every day.

Wu Yuchen didn't interfere and let her make her own decision while he was busy with his own things.

In the recording studio, listening to Wang Fei and Li Jian's duet of "I Want You," Wu Yuchen smiled with satisfaction. This song is the theme song of the movie, and the original version also has two versions: one sung by actress Ren Suxi herself, and the other a duet version sung by her and Lao Lang.

This time, Wu Yuchen invited Wang Fei and Li Jian to record two versions: one a solo by Wang Fei and the other a duet. So far, the results have been good.

After the two came out of the recording studio, Wu Yuchen said with a smile, "Very good! Thank you both for your hard work!"

Wang Fei politely replied, "Director Wu, you're too kind. Your song is quite good. I should thank you for remembering to ask me to sing it."

She had met Wu Yuchen two years ago, at Dou Wei's house, but things have changed since then. They have a daughter, but are currently going through a divorce. Wu Yuchen, who was a director's apprentice two years ago, has now become an internationally renowned director. Her agent even told her to be polite when she meets him, which left her feeling quite emotional.

Li Jian, standing next to Wu Yuchen, chuckled. He had already sung "If Love Has a Destiny" for Wu Yuchen before, and now he was being pulled over again, this time to sing a duet with pop diva Wang Fei. Li Jian felt like he was being carried along by Wu Yuchen.

"Haha, let's not stand on ceremony. I'll treat you to dinner to thank you for singing my theme song so well!" Wu Yuchen said with a big wave of his hand and a smile.

At the dinner table, after the group started chatting, Wang Fei mentioned things about Hong Kong to Wu Yuchen:
"Director Wu, you might not know this, but you've caused quite a bit of controversy in Hong Kong."

"Oh? What controversy?" Wu Yuchen raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. Could it be that some idiot from Hong Kong was trying to sarcastic him?
"It's about the Hong Kong Film Awards this year. Many people are criticizing the Hong Kong Film Awards for being too rigid, saying that since 'Run Lola Run' was filmed in Hong Kong, it should be considered a Hong Kong film, but the Hong Kong Film Awards refuse to allow it to participate in the competition, which has caused a lot of controversy."

Wu Yuchen realized he had misunderstood after hearing this.

Currently, among the various film awards in the Chinese-speaking world, the Golden Horse Awards have the greatest influence because a few years ago it relaxed its restrictions, allowing any Chinese-speaking film, regardless of region or nationality, to participate, as long as the director is Chinese and the film's dialogue is in Chinese.

Films like "In the Heat of the Sun" swept multiple awards in the first year that the Golden Horse Awards were opened up, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound Effects, dominating half of the awards and making a big splash.

Compared to the Golden Horse Awards, the Hong Kong Film Awards can currently only be considered a local award, as its eligibility criteria stipulate that the director must be from Hong Kong Island; the main creative team of at least six people must be from Hong Kong Island; and the film must have Hong Kong Island funding. At least two of these three conditions must be met to be eligible for the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Last year's "Run Lola Run" clearly didn't meet the requirements, so regardless of whether the film was shot in Hong Kong or whether it was a Chinese-language film, it couldn't participate in the competition. Wu Yuchen smiled faintly and said, "It's their loss if they don't let me participate in the competition."

“Director Wu, you’re right. That’s why the Hong Kong Film Awards got criticized!” Wang Fei agreed.

In fact, Wu Yuchen also knew that the reason he caused such a big controversy was mostly because his two movies in the United States grossed more than $100 million each, and not just barely. "Frequency" reached $150 million, and "Phone Booth" eventually reached $180 million.

Don't be fooled by the sense of superiority Hong Kong people have towards mainland China; they're nothing compared to their American "daddy." Consider that many in Hong Kong consider the British their father, and the British are America's junior partner—making America their "uncle" by lineage. Wu Yu-chen has already won over their "uncle," so wouldn't a bunch of people be cheering him on? Otherwise, how would they prove the superiority of their British and American "daddys"?
However, because Hong Kong's film industry has flourished over the past 20 years, earning it the nickname "Hollywood of the East," the status of the Hong Kong Film Awards has been elevated. But this is its peak. As Hong Kong's film industry continues to decline and it continues to insist on localization without relaxing restrictions, the prestige of the Hong Kong Film Awards will continue to decrease.

The meal was a pleasant affair for both host and guests. After seeing Wang Fei off, Wu Yuchen kept Li Jian behind and then took out a copy of the lyrics and music and handed it to him.

After taking it, Li Jian saw that it read "I Believe" and asked, "Director Wu, what's this?"

"This is the theme song from 'My Sassy Girl,' and your voice is perfect for it. Go back and practice it properly," Wu Yuchen said, patting him on the shoulder.

Li Jian was overjoyed upon hearing this. Who didn't know about Wu Yuchen's new movie, "My Sassy Girl"? It had been making headlines since filming began, and now they had even given him the theme song!

Li Jian decided to quit his job and pursue a music career because of "If Love Has a Destiny," a song that already brought him considerable fame. Now, Wu Yuchen has arranged two more songs for him: "I Want You" and "I Believe"...

To put it bluntly, Wu Yuchen was Li Jian's mentor, and he didn't know how to repay this kindness!
"Director Wu, don't worry, I will definitely practice this song well and won't hold you back!"

Wu Yuchen laughed and said, "It's not that bad. I'll give you the script when we get back. You should really get into the emotions between the male and female leads. Don't try to show off your skills. The emotions are the soul of this song."

In my past life, Sun Nan covered this song, and it became a hit. To be honest, Sun Nan's singing skills are good enough, but he just loves to show off. His natural voice is high and bright, but he tries to make a gentle, heartfelt song sound high-pitched and penetrating—penetrating my ass! This isn't like he's participating in "I Am a Singer"!
Wu Yuchen didn't actually intentionally groom Li Jian or anything like that. His voice was naturally suited to songs like "If Love Has a Destiny" and "I Believe," and now it's as if Li Jian has become his personal singer. However, Wu Yuchen doesn't seem to care about these details; as long as the effect is good, that's all that matters.

After the soundtrack for "Mr. Donkey" was completed, the overall post-production was almost finished, which finally put his mind at ease. Although the script was similar to the original version from his previous life, the actors were completely different, and the style was also different. It could be said that it was a completely different movie from the original. He wouldn't dare to say that he was very confident about winning awards, but he had done his best.

As if by coincidence, Wu Yuchen received an international call at that moment. After checking the area code, he realized it was from Germany.

"Hello, this is Wu Yuchen."

"Hello, Director Wu, we are the organizers of the Berlin International Film Festival. We hope we haven't bothered you."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen muttered to himself, "My Mr. Donkey has only just finished post-production. Could it have already reached Berlin? That can't be right. Are the news reports that accurate now?"
"Oh, no, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Director Wu, we would like to invite you to serve as a jury member for the 49th Berlin International Film Festival. Would you be willing?"

Film festivals usually invite judges several months in advance, since both directors and actors have schedules, and if you don't invite them in advance, they might have already made their travel plans.

Someone like Wu Yuchen, who has won Best Director at their Berlin Film Festival, is a suitable candidate for their festival to invite juries.

But this completely baffled Wu Yuchen...

You've invited me to be a judge?
He was planning to submit "Mr. Donkey" to this year's Berlin Film Festival, so I'll comment on myself.

If you could really be both an actor and a referee at the same time, wouldn't that be incredibly awesome!

Of course, Wu Yuchen knew this was a dream, and could only smile helplessly and say, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't accept this invitation..."

"Oh, that's a real shame. We actually really hoped that Director Wu could be a judge this time, but it seems we'll have to invite someone else instead."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen laughed and said, "Yes, you need to find someone else, because I'm bringing my work, which I've spent three years polishing, to this year's Berlin Film Festival."

"Huh?! Oh, that's fantastic! Haha, Director Wu, the Berlin Film Festival warmly welcomes you!" Upon hearing this, the person on the other end paused for a moment, then immediately burst into laughter.

Wu Yuchen is now not only the Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival, but also a renowned director in the international film industry, with two Hollywood films grossing over $100 million in North America.

Although the three major European film festivals have always claimed to uphold European art films and oppose Hollywood commercial films, they have always welcomed Hollywood directors to participate in the festivals with their films. This is genuine traffic! Just look at the fact that the Cannes red carpet has a set price tag. Who would turn down money?

Therefore, any film festival would welcome a great director like Wu Yuchen, who is both commercially successful and artistically accomplished.

"Director Wu, you can provide us with your film crew in advance. We will definitely arrange the best treatment for you, including first-class airfare and the Arunde Hotel!" There is competition among the three major directors, so they will try their best to provide the best treatment for any big-name director who comes to participate.

"I will, and I hope my trip to Berlin in a few months will be a complete success!"

After hanging up the phone, Wu Yuchen chuckled. He really hadn't expected the Berlin Film Festival to invite him to be a jury member; it was quite a coincidence. However, he couldn't go this time, and he didn't know who would be invited to fill his spot. In his previous life, the Chinese jury member for this year's Berlin Film Festival was Yang Ziqiong; would she be the same this time?

He hasn't had any dealings with this famous Chinese-American actress yet. At the beginning of the year, when she held a celebration party in Hollywood, Michelle Yeoh happened to be filming, so she only called Wu Yuchen to congratulate him.

Michelle Yeoh is currently doing much better in Hollywood than Chow Yun-fat. Because of her martial arts skills, she was immediately invited to play the lead role in "Tomorrow Never Dies," a departure from the typical action-packed Bond girl, for which she received a $2.5 million salary. Although the film was a box office flop, she still had a significant role and secured a place for herself in Hollywood.

It's clear that in Hollywood, it's basically impossible for Chinese actors to succeed as serious actors. Whether it's Bruce Lee in the early days, or Jackie Chan, Jet Li, or action star Michelle Yeoh, they all relied on martial arts skills and action sequences to make their mark. Even Chow Yun-fat's comeback was thanks to his martial arts action in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," after his earlier films were complete flops in Hollywood.

As for John Lone, although it's a bit unpleasant to hear, he did indeed benefit from director Bernardo Bertolucci and "The Last Emperor," and his career has been declining ever since. It's not that his acting was bad, but rather that Chinese people in Hollywood are too weak, so you can't get good resources. Moreover, arrogant Americans can't accept a Chinese male lead unless it's a kung fu or martial arts action film; otherwise, it's basically impossible for a Chinese person to be the male lead in a big-budget commercial production.

Thinking about this, Wu Yuchen calculated the time and realized that Jackie Chan's "Rush Hour" was about to be released in North America. It seemed that Jackie Chan was about to reach the pinnacle of his life.

(End of this chapter)