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Chapter 175 Zhang Ziyi Under Immense Pressure
Leung Ka-fai has acted in many martial arts films before, such as "New Dragon Gate Inn" and "Heroes of the Water Margin". He is not without experience in action scenes. However, after reading the script of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and hearing that Li An asked him to join the crew for three months of training, he agreed without hesitation.

Li An finally breathed a sigh of relief. After Li Lianjie withdrew from the role and Chow Yun-fat wavered for several months, the male lead, Li Mu Bai, was finally confirmed, which put a huge weight off his mind.

In order to make a good film of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", Li An does not plan to leave this year's Chinese New Year. He will stay on the mainland to train actors and keep an eye on the preparations of the crew.

After securing Li Mubai, the only major role that hasn't been finalized yet is Yu Jiaolong.

As Li An was pondering the choice of Yu Jiaolong, Wu Yuchen walked over and pulled him aside:
"Director Li, I'd like to recommend another candidate for the role of Yu Jiaolong."

"No problem, which actor is it?"

"Jiang Qinqin is the female lead in the movie I directed, 'If Love Has a Destiny'."

After Wu Yuchen finished speaking, he also felt somewhat helpless. Jiang Qinqin was about to finish filming "Princess Pearl 2" and heard that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was casting in Beijing. She had been calling him these past two days to audition for the role of Yu Jiaolong.

It's quite a coincidence that Jiang Qinqin and the character Yu Jiaolong have a connection. She played Yu Jiaolong in a previous life, but it was in a TV series version.

But this gave Wu Yuchen a slight headache, because he didn't expect that Li Xiaoran, Zeng Li, and Jiang Qinqin would all end up playing the role of Yu Jiaolong.

In those days, Chinese film and television was still in its early stages, producing a limited number of films each year. Among these, roles that offered opportunities for actresses to shine, especially memorable ones, were even rarer.
Actresses like Jiang Qinqin and Li Xiaoran, who have already played leading roles in well-known films, naturally want to seek more opportunities in movies. They certainly didn't want to miss out on the role of Yu Jiaolong, which suddenly appeared, thus leading to the current situation.

Li An naturally wouldn't refuse after hearing this, but when he heard Jiang Qinqin's name, he didn't think of "If Love Has a Destiny," but rather of the female driver he had seen her play in "Car 44" two years ago.

Just as Li An was pondering Jiang Qinqin's image and personal characteristics, Wu Yuchen leaned slightly closer to him and whispered:
"Director Li, you can choose the role of Yu Jiaolong according to your own ideas, I will not interfere. However, please keep an eye on Li Xiaoran, Zeng Li, and Jiang Qinqin who are on set for training, and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Li An was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then looked at Wu Yuchen and met his gaze. After that, he understood everything.

As a Chinese director who has won the Golden Horse Award, the Golden Bear twice, and directed several films in Hollywood, how could Li An not understand?

Li An, too, has experienced the world of fame and fortune and various temptations. Leaving aside other things, take his upcoming film, *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, for example. The male lead is Li Mu Bai, but isn't it actually about Li An's own middle-aged emotions and state of mind?

He had definitely been with women as alluring as Yu Jiaolong, and probably more than one. Even the action scenes in the bamboo forest fight scene, including the bed scene, clearly indicated that he and his "Yu Jiaolong" had slept together.

Li An'ai has always supported his wife, but there are too many temptations in the entertainment industry. After becoming famous, he inevitably fell into them, especially since Wu Yuchen is so young and has already achieved so much.

In the director's circle, having a few women around is no big deal, and he understands Wu Yuchen perfectly.

Li An immediately understood that these three were all closely related to Wu Yuchen, and now that they were all gathered in his training camp, Wu Yuchen was afraid that something might go wrong, so he asked him to keep a close eye on them.

"Director Wu, I'll try my best to separate them." Li An didn't dare to make any promises too confidently.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen immediately smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, Director Li. I know that you are good at training actors. Even if you are not selected, it doesn't matter. Being able to learn from you for a few months will benefit them a lot."

"Haha, Director Wu, you flatter me!"

Li An was very satisfied with Wu Yuchen's attitude of not interfering with his casting process. After all, Wu Yuchen was a major investor, and theoretically, it wouldn't be a problem if he specified the actress. The fact that Wu Yuchen had completely given him the power to choose was truly a good thing!
Wu Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Li An had agreed. They say three women make a drama, and he certainly didn't want to experience that!

His Yuanyuan is so much better. She studies peacefully at school, and now that it's winter break, she comes over every now and then to give him a little kiss and show him some warmth. She's such a sweet and caring girl!
……

When Zhang Ziyi first joined the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" crew through Zhang Yimou's recommendation, she felt that having Zhang Yimou as her backer and endorsement gave her an advantage over other actors.
When she arrived, she saw Zeng Li, who had already joined the training group, and immediately felt a sense of pressure and urgency. Zhang Ziyi knew perfectly well what the relationship between Zeng Li and Wu Yuchen was; how could her relationship with Zhang Yimou compare?
But Zhang Ziyi was unwilling to accept this. She had finally gotten to act in Zhang Yimou's film and become a "Mou Girl". Why couldn't she compete for it?
Moreover, she and Zeng Li were classmates and roommates, which fueled her even more and gave her a competitive and rivalry-driven spirit.

Just two days later, another actress entered the training camp, none other than Li Xiaoran, who had just won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress!
This made Zhang Ziyi even more alarmed. The post-production of "The Road Home," in which she starred, hadn't even started yet, while others had already gained fame and recognition with "Run Lola Run," which made them world-renowned. How could she compare to them?

What to do? Only hard training! Zhang Ziyi may not have much else, but she has ambition and a ruthless drive to do anything for her goals!

Once Zhang Ziyi got into it, Zeng Li was also inspired by her enthusiasm. They were in the same class and even the same dormitory, so she couldn't possibly lose to her, could she?

Seeing how enthusiastically the two were practicing, Li Xiaoran was somewhat taken aback. She had never been particularly hardworking; because of her natural talent, she had slacked off in school, yet she still managed to become an outstanding student at the dance academy and was directly selected by the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe. The most dedicated she had ever been was during the filming of "Run Lola Run." But now, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" wasn't Wu Yuchen's film, and she didn't feel the same way about Yu Jiaolong as she did about Lola, so she couldn't bring herself to be 100% fully committed.

But two weeks later, when Li Xiaoran saw Jiang Qinqin join the cast, her mindset immediately changed. No way, she couldn't lose to Jiang Qinqin!
On the other hand, Zeng Li had the same thought when she met Jiang Qinqin, and she worked even harder than when she was competing with Zhang Ziyi.

Zhang Ziyi was already under a lot of pressure, but now that she has another big star, Jiang Qinqin, joining the group to compete, and Zeng Li and Li Xiaoran are also training hard, the pressure is even greater, and she is extremely anxious.

Li Xiaoran is a Golden Horse Award-winning actress, Jiang Qinqin is the hottest female star in the past six months, dominating both the big and small screens, and Zeng Li is clinging to Wu Yuchen. Zhang Ziyi is the weakest and most helpless among them!
The immense pressure also allowed Zhang Ziyi to unleash even greater energy under these circumstances.

Practice! Practice like crazy, even if it ruins your health!

The performance of these women startled Jiang Qinqin, who had just joined the cast. She had essentially been guaranteed a spot in Wu Yuchen's productions and had a comfortable life on the set of "My Fair Princess." Why was things so different on "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"?
Jiang Qinqin thought to herself, "So the competition among actresses in big film crews is this fierce?"
Li An had been observing the dynamics within the training camp.

When Zeng Li sent it over, he felt it wasn't quite suitable and wouldn't look good on camera, but it wouldn't hurt to use it for training at the training camp.

At first, he was most interested in Li Xiaoran. But after watching for a while, he found that Li Xiaoran didn't seem to have much energy, and she didn't have the same presence as when she played Lola. She was also a little different from the eccentric and rebellious Yu Jiaolong in his mind.

On the contrary, Zhang Ziyi, whom he was not particularly satisfied with at first, has shown a newfound resilience in recent times, which has impressed him.

With Jiang Qinqin joining the group, the girls worked even harder, which made Li An quite happy. He wasn't in a hurry to choose, since there were three months of training time, and he would slowly select the most suitable one.

Moreover, Li An also needs to consider the cooperation and chemistry between these actresses and Liang Jiahui. After all, Liang Jiahui has already been cast as the male lead, so to achieve better results, the actresses must be chosen to match him.

While the girls were fiercely competing for roles in the training camp, Wu Yuchen had already led a group of people onto a flight to Berlin.

This time, "Mr. Donkey" was shortlisted for the Berlin Film Festival. Wu Yuchen kept his promise made at the wrap party and brought all the main actors of the crew to attend the Berlin Film Festival together.

However, Li Xuejian didn't come this time. After filming wrapped, he followed Wu Yuchen's advice and went to the hospital for a thorough checkup. Sure enough, some problems were discovered, and he immediately stopped all his work to focus on treatment. Fortunately, it was discovered early, and the problem isn't too serious yet. However, he couldn't make the long journey this time, so he can only send his best wishes and hope the production team achieves great success.

On the plane, seeing Sun Honglei constantly leaning against the window to look at the scenery outside, Zhou Xun couldn't help but ask, "Sun Da Sha, have you never been on a plane before?" This was a nickname Zhou Xun gave him because Sun Honglei played a simpleton, and he was a head taller than Zhou Xun. After they got to know each other, she simply called him "Big Fool Sun."

Sun Honglei turned his head, put on a disdainful expression, and said, "What's so special about airplanes? Back when I was in Northeast China..."

Zhou Xun immediately interrupted him: "Hey, don't change the subject. Is this your first time on a plane?"

Sun Honglei was momentarily speechless and a little embarrassed by Zhou Xun's retort, so he simply stopped pretending: "In China, we mostly travel by train and car. Who takes a plane every day for no reason?"

“I’ve been there before. I even flew back with the trophy, hehehe~” Zhou Xun stuck out her tongue to tease him.

She was referring to the fact that not long ago, she won Best Actress at the 15th Paris International Film Festival for her role in "Suzhou River".

Sun Honglei, skeptical, turned to Fu Dalong behind him and asked, "Dalong, have you ever been on an airplane?"

Fu Dalong chuckled: "I rode it when I was filming 'Run Lola Run' two years ago."

Then he looked at Gong Li and Wu Yuchen sitting in the front row. These two were obviously familiar with the place, as they frequently travel abroad.

He glanced at Zhang Guoli and Ding Jiali, who were separated by an aisle. Zhang Guoli seemed to understand his meaning; before he could speak, he smiled and said, "I rode it ten years ago when I went to Antarctica with an expedition team."

Zhang Guoli did something really impressive: in 88, he went to Antarctica with the Chinese Antarctic Expedition Team and filmed a TV series documenting the Antarctic scientific expedition, titled "The Great Wall Extends Southward." However, they encountered a massive ice avalanche, and the ice floes trapped their ship in the icy wilderness.

Then Lao Zhang volunteered, wrote his will, and took on the task of going ashore to use explosives to blast away the ice floes, saving the entire research vessel. In the end, Lao Zhang was awarded a collective first-class merit and an individual second-class merit.

To be honest, this alone is enough for Old Zhang to brag about for a lifetime! It's truly a heroic deed!

Ding Jiali, who was standing next to Zhang Guoli, understood what he meant and continued, "I also sat there at the Tokyo Film Festival a few years ago~"

Sun Honglei was speechless. Was he the only one in the group who was flying for the first time?
Fortunately, He Bing, who was behind him, grabbed his shoulders and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Lei Zi, this is my first time sitting here too, don't be ashamed!"

Sun Honglei squeezed He Bing's hand tightly. "My good brother who helped me out of this predicament!"
Berlin, Adlon Hotel.

The Adlon Hotel is considered Germany's state guesthouse and was the favorite "palace" of the last emperor, Wilhelm II. Countless international celebrities and dignitaries have stayed here. Some famous scenes have also been created here. For example, Michael Jackson later lifted his six-month-old son over the railing on the hotel balcony to wave to the crowd, a scene that is unforgettable.

This time, Wu Yuchen brought the "Mr. Donkey" crew to the film festival and enjoyed the top-notch treatment, being accommodated here.

When everyone gathered for dinner that evening, Wu Yuchen raised his water glass to thank everyone: "Thank you all for coming to Berlin to support 'Mr. Donkey'. No matter what the final outcome of the film crew is, let's all be happy and spend a special Spring Festival abroad together!"

This year's Spring Festival coincided with the Berlin Film Festival, so it was indeed not easy to gather so many people together.

Zhou Xun then said with a smile, "Director Wu, I wish I could come to Berlin with the crew and eat and drink for free, and stay in such a nice hotel. That way I could travel the world for free!"

Zhang Guoli also said, "I can celebrate the Spring Festival every year, but this is my first time attending the Berlin Film Festival, so I absolutely had to come!"

Then He Bing put his arm around Sun Honglei next to him and said, "That's right, Director Wu, it's worth it just for the fact that you invited me and Honglei to take a plane ride for the first time this time!"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this. At this moment, Sun Honglei wished he could cover He Bing's mouth. Why did he have to bring this up?
After dinner, Gong Li spoke to Wu Yuchen alone.

"Director Wu, are you confident that 'Mr. Donkey' will win an award at Berlin?"

While the others lacked experience, Gong Li was a regular at the three major European film festivals and was very familiar with the inside story of their awards. The quality of the film itself was important, but the influence of the judges was equally crucial. Naturally, she wanted to discuss this with Wu Yuchen first, and also to offer a heads-up.

Wu Yuchen and Gong Li exchanged a glance, understanding the meaning behind her words. Then they smiled and said, "When it comes to winning awards, there's never a 100% guarantee before you win. It all depends on human effort."

Then Wu Yuchen analyzed in detail for Gong Li: "We still have an advantage at this Berlin Film Festival. First of all, Xie Fei is on the jury."

A few months ago, the Berlin Film Festival organizers called to invite Wu Yuchen to be a jury member, but he declined because he was a participant. He had thought the festival would invite Yang Ziqiong again, just like in his previous life, but this time it was Xie Fei instead.

Xie Fei won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 93 with "Woman Sesame Oil Maker," so it was perfectly reasonable for him to be a judge. However, in his previous life, it was the 51st Berlin Film Festival in 01, and this time it was two festivals earlier.

Director Xie Fei is almost certain to win this vote.

Then Wu Yuchen added, "In addition, we just collaborated on Ken Adam, who is on the judging panel. I hired him as the art director for 'The Sixth Sense,' so he shouldn't be taking my salary for nothing."

This was also Wu Yuchen's preparation in advance. His pursuit of awards didn't begin in Berlin; he started planning months ago. Who can criticize him for hiring someone as an art director?

Although he was still a college student, he was very clear about these major awards. Whether it was the Oscars or the three major European awards, public relations were a crucial factor influencing the award. It's just that the Oscars were done openly, while the three major awards were done behind the scenes. If he did nothing and just relied on the quality of his film to win over a group of foreign judges, he would really be foolish.

Upon hearing this, Gong Li's eyes lit up. This year's jury consisted of eight members. Therefore, if the film could win the favor of one or two more judges, the chances of "Mr. Donkey" winning an award would greatly increase.

Wu Yuchen didn't do much else. He already had some confidence in the quality of "Mr. Donkey," and Gong Li, the female lead, was a very prestigious actress among the three major film production companies. With two votes in hand, he already had a certain advantage.

Gong Li breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Director Wu, it's good that you're prepared. These foreign awards aren't all that fair; in the end, everyone just looks at the results. I've met with the jury chair, Angela Morina, a few times; I'll see if I can get a chance to visit her."

"That would be wonderful, thank you, Sister Li!" Wu Yuchen was overjoyed.

"It may not be useful, but it's never a bad thing to do this kind of social interaction." Gong Li was now full of confidence after hearing Wan Wuyuchen's words.

Following a pleasant exchange, the 49th Berlin International Film Festival officially opened on February 10th.

(End of this chapter)