Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 214 Fan Bingbing's Haste

There was a bang.

"What?! Disney actually did this?!"

The table was slammed with a deafening roar, a real, hard slam—Han Sanping was genuinely furious!
Wu Yuchen didn't know that Chinese-language films were once so close to winning the Oscar for Best Director, but Disney ruined it!
The Oscar for Best Director is a whole level more prestigious than the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film!

Winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film was already a cause for celebration in China, much like a major New Year's celebration. Furthermore, the film's success in the past year, which earned it the title of Best Actress in China, was also recognized and praised by the authorities. If he were to win Best Director, Han Sanping can't even imagine how that would happen!
Ignoring his reddened hands from clapping, Han Sanping said to Wu Yuchen:
"Brother Wu, don't worry. I can't guarantee anything else, but you can forget about ever getting a Disney movie into China again!"

To be honest, this sanction has virtually no real impact on Disney. The total box office revenue in China is still relatively small, and when imported films are released, the distributors only receive 13% of the revenue. This amount is negligible for Disney.

Hollywood is currently only cultivating China as a future market, given its population of over a billion and its considerable future potential. However, the future is ultimately the future, and it doesn't really affect Disney much in the present.

However, Wu Yuchen naturally had to express his support for Han Sanping:

"Thank you, Brother Han. This matter is actually a personal grudge between me and Disney. Getting China Film involved would be making a big fuss."

Han Sanping waved his hand: "Brother Wu, what are you saying? Who are you now? You are the flag bearer of Chinese cinema. 'Love' going to the Oscars represents China. Being tricked like this behind your back, how can this be your personal matter? No need to say anything, this matter is settled!"

Since award-related public relations matters shouldn't be discussed openly, Han Sanping decided to retaliate as much as possible within his power.

Seeing this, Wu Yuchen didn't say anything more, and cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Han Sanping.

……

Wu Yuchen has been spending a lot of time at Miracle Films lately, writing scripts, handling company affairs, and setting the general direction for development.

As the company grows, it naturally has more staff, such as producer Jiang Xuerou, who is preparing for the TV series "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" adapted from Gu Long's novel of the same name.

Jiang Xuerou had previously worked for several magazine companies before developing an interest in film and television. In her previous life, she founded Zhouyi Film and Television around 2000, but now she has joined Miracle Film and Television at the invitation of her good friend Cai Yinong.

In his previous life, Zhou Yi produced many popular period dramas, such as "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," "Love Through Time," "Water Moon Cave," and "Xiao Shiyi Lang," among others. Together with Tangren Media, they dominated the period drama scene for many people's childhoods. However, due to financial problems, he divorced his husband, Jiang Xuerou, causing Zhou Yi Film and Television, a husband-and-wife business, to collapse.

Wu Yuchen naturally welcomed such talent with open arms. He never expected that his Miracle Films would now have both Tangren and Zhouyi, the two major bosses, under its wing. Wouldn't that mean Miracle Films would dominate Chinese period dramas for at least the next decade?
Wu Yuchen smiled and looked at the book "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" in his hand. Originally, he had no intention of interfering, but after a certain face came to mind, he made a phone call.

Fan Bingbing was overjoyed! China's top director, an Oscar winner, had taken the initiative to call and summon her!
She quickly changed into a pretty dress, wanting to put on more makeup, but afraid of keeping Wu Yuchen waiting too long, she could only apply a little makeup before rushing to Miracle Films.

Congratulations to Director Wu on winning the Oscar!

As soon as Fan Bingbing entered the office, she offered her congratulations. This was the first time Fan Bingbing had met Wu Yuchen since he returned to China.

Fan Bingbing was a naturally beautiful woman, and with this little makeover, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but be impressed. Her classic oval face was fair and clean, and her peach blossom eyes, when she smiled, were both cute and alluring, making her whole face even more radiant and charming.

However, Wu Yuchen was no longer a naive young man. He simply smiled and nodded, saying, "Bingbing, don't be shy, have a seat."

Fan Bingbing glanced at Wu Yuchen sitting on the sofa, then walked over to the sofa and sat down, keeping a half-person distance between them. She then casually tossed her long hair to one side, revealing her face and fair neck to Wu Yuchen. At the same time, she slightly lifted her chest, creating a beautiful curve with her waist, abdomen, and buttocks.

Watching Fan Bingbing sit down, puffing out her chest, tucking in her stomach, and flipping her hair, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. This little girl was quite shrewd. However, he wasn't surprised at all; it was perfectly normal for an actress to showcase her strengths to a director. In the entertainment industry, if Fan Bingbing wasn't even embarrassed about this, she wouldn't have been the queen of controversy in her past life, the one who outshone all other actresses.

"Bingbing, you've been with the company for a while now, how's it going?"

Fan Bingbing immediately began to explain her situation:
"It's wonderful! Everyone at the company is great, and they treat me very well. Following your advice, Director Wu, I even enrolled in a vocational program at Beijing Film Academy to improve myself. My role in last year's 'Young Justice Bao' is about to air!"

Wu Yuchen nodded. He had suggested that Fan Bingbing go back to school to study. Given her age and current experience, it would have been easy for her to get into a bachelor's degree program in acting at the Beijing Film Academy. However, he felt that four years was too long, so she ended up enrolling in a vocational college.

But a vocational college is just a vocational college; the key is whether you can actually learn anything. Of the 00 undergraduate acting class at Beijing Film Academy, only Dong Xuan truly made it big. On the other hand, the vocational college class produced more famous actors like Che Xiao, Zhou Yiwei, and Zhang Songwen, although Zhang Songwen was a late bloomer and became famous relatively late.

Wu Yuchen took out the script of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and placed it in front of Fan Bingbing:

"Bingbing, this is a drama that the company plans to produce next. It's based on a famous novel by Gu Long, so it already has a large fan base. The female lead is Zhu Qiqi. Do you have confidence?"

Fan Bingbing's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. Even though she hadn't read Gu Long's novels, she had heard of his fame; he was on par with Jin Yong. Since last year, Zhang Dahuzi's plans to adapt "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" had been generating a lot of buzz, and now the lead role in one of Gu Long's famous novels had landed right on her head!

She'd only been with Miracle Films for less than a year. Even if the company valued her, it wasn't certain they'd let her take on the lead role so quickly. Fan Bingbing knew this was because of the reward and compensation she'd received from Wu Yuchen for tipping her off.

Fan Bingbing was delighted, but at the same time, more ambition surged within her. Although the lead role in a Gu Long drama was great, what she wanted even more was to act in Wu Yuchen's drama!
Wu Yuchen is now recognized as the number one director in Chinese-language cinema. His films are highly sought after. Not to mention someone like her who only has a little fame, even top stars from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are all vying to work with Wu Yuchen, even for supporting roles!

Didn't you see that Gong Li only played a minor supporting role in the movie "Amour," which just won an Oscar?
Didn't you see that Huang Lei's fame soared again because of this minor supporting role that lasted only a few minutes?

This is the boundless appeal of China's premier navigation system!

While thanking him, Fan Bingbing mustered her courage, took off her coat, picked up the script, shifted her position closer to Wu Yuchen, and, with her shoulder next to his, asked while holding the script:

"Director Wu, I haven't seen this movie, 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes.' Could you give me a brief overview of the female lead? Give me some pointers!"

At this moment, Fan Bingbing was wearing a black tight-fitting wool sweater that perfectly outlined her well-developed figure, and a pair of tight jeans on her lower body. Her taut thighs were pressed against Wu Yuchen, and a warm sensation could be felt between them. She was leaning towards Wu Yuchen, wishing she could throw herself into his arms.

As Wu Yuchen felt the beautiful, delicate body pressed against him, and smelled an alluring fragrance wafting from her, he couldn't help but lose his composure. If he weren't a seasoned veteran, he might have simply taken Fan Bingbing right there and then.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Bingbing, this Zhu Qiqi is a naive and lively rich girl, and a woman of the martial arts world who dares to love and hate. Go back and read the original novel, and you'll understand."

Fan Bingbing was quite disappointed when Wu Yuchen explained it so simply. "Your guidance is too serious!"
Under normal circumstances, Fan Bingbing wouldn't be so ungrateful; she would have simply backed down. But this was Wu Yuchen, China's top director, someone she rarely had the chance to meet!

Moreover, she knew that Wu Yuchen wasn't the type of person who didn't enjoy women; otherwise, why would he have been having an affair with Jiang Qinqin and Gao Yuanyuan behind Jiang Qinqin's back? She didn't expect to rise in status and do anything to Jiang Qinqin or Gao Yuanyuan; she just wanted to get closer to Director Wu and completely climb up this big tree.

If we don't seize this opportunity, who knows when we'll see Wu Yuchen, this internationally renowned director who travels all over Hollywood, again?

Thinking of this, Fan Bingbing felt a little anxious again. She put the script on the table and directly reached out to take Wu Yuchen's hand:
"Director Wu, you are a great hero of our China, I admire you so much! I've remembered everything you told me to learn, and I'll never forget it. Today I just want to learn more from you~"

As she spoke, Fan Bingbing took Wu Yuchen's hands in both of hers and placed them on her chest.

Wu Yuchen's right palm was pressed onto a piece of high-quality wool sweater. He couldn't help but squeeze it, and couldn't help but admire the quality of the sweater. It was delicate, soft, and elastic, and definitely worth buying!
However, he also thought to himself, "This little girl is still a bit inexperienced; I've been too hasty."

Feeling Wu Yuchen's movements, Fan Bingbing was overjoyed, thinking that things were about to work out. She almost couldn't resist snuggling into Wu Yuchen's arms, but the next moment, she heard the man beside her say:
"Bingbing, let's call it a day today, I'm quite busy."

Fan Bingbing's body stiffened involuntarily, and the fire in her heart was instantly extinguished. Did the other party reject her? Did he not like her?
Fan Bingbing was starting to panic; she didn't know what to do. But she didn't want to give up, knowing that if she failed today, she might never have another chance.

"Director Wu, I... I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to invite you to dinner to express my gratitude and admiration for you, I..."

Wu Yuchen interrupted her: "Let's skip dinner today..."

Wu Yuchen's repeated rejections left Fan Bingbing utterly hopeless. If she couldn't get close to Wu Yuchen this time, what could she do in the future? After all, Wu Yuchen wasn't just a famous director, he was also her boss!

She suddenly began to worry about her future, and the rejection dealt a significant blow to her confidence. She began to doubt whether she really had no charm, otherwise why would Qiong Yao only let her play a maid? Why did Wu Yuchen also look down on her?

"Bingbing, we can have this meal on your birthday, no rush~"

Upon hearing this, Fan Bingbing, who had been in a state of utter confusion, instantly went from sorrow to joy. Of course, she understood what the other person meant!

Fan Bingbing snuggled into Wu Yuchen's arms, sat on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said coquettishly, "Director Wu, you almost scared me to death! My heart is still pounding!" As she spoke, Fan Bingbing puffed out her chest, making it even clearer to Wu Yuchen.

"Hehe, don't think too much about random things right now. Just focus on making this movie well~" Wu Yuchen chuckled and patted her shapely buttocks.

Fan Bingbing pouted, then twisted her body and said sweetly, "I'm not eating dinner, so let me offer Director Wu some snacks first~"

As she spoke, her luscious red lips pressed against Wu Yuchen's lips.

After a while, Fan Bingbing walked out of the office with confidence and high spirits. Although it was not completely resolved yet, judging from Director Wu's attitude, her future career as a star was definitely secure.
Inside the room, Wu Yuchen smiled and wiped his lips with his finger; the pastry tasted pretty good.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he had an appointment with Zeng Li today, and he needed to spend time with several women in Beijing during this period, so he didn't want to take on any more time. As for Fan Bingbing, she decided to wait a while.

……

At this moment, Zeng Li put down a new collection of novels in her hand and let out a long breath.

Seeing that she had finished reading, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but smile and ask, "How is it? Do you like it?"

Zeng Li nodded vigorously: "I love it! I love it so much!"

"How about you play the role?"

"Are you going to make it into a movie?" Zeng Li's eyes sparkled with surprise.

Wu Yuchen shook his head: "Even if we make another one based on this kind of opera, it's impossible for it to compare with 'Farewell My Concubine.' I'm planning to have Kang Honglei make it into a TV series, and you can play the female lead. What do you think?"

Zeng Li was slightly disappointed; she had thought Wu Yuchen would be directing it himself. However, she knew Director Kang Honglei, who had directed "The Passionate Years," and was a very good director. Then she looked down at the novel in her hand, titled "The Blue Dress," which she truly loved.

Seeing this, Wu Yuchen smiled. This novella, "Qingyi," was recently published by the renowned author Bi Feiyu, and he had immediately bought out the adaptation rights. The novel tells the story of a popular Peking Opera actress's dream life on stage, revolving around her dedication to the opera, love, and the intertwining of "the blurring of lines between actor and role" and "life is like a play" in her destiny.

Zeng Li was originally a Peking Opera singer, so Wu Yuchen specially prepared this for her, and she fell in love with it at first sight.

Zeng Li looked up again and asked, "I'm about to film the sequel to 'The Grand Mansion Gate,' can we film this year?"

“If we can’t film it this year, we can film it next year. Besides, Kang Honglei needs time to prepare. You should focus on filming the sequel to ‘The Grand Mansion’ first, and then prepare for ‘Qingyi’ later. Don’t get distracted and affect ‘The Grand Mansion’.”

Although the sequel to "The Grand Mansion Gate" is far inferior in quality to the first one, it's good enough to have a proper ending.

Zeng Li is graduating this year, and Wu Yuchen has already made arrangements for her, getting her directly into the Beijing People's Art Theatre. She's not the type to be very ambitious, so letting her perform in plays at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, where she can enjoy herself when a good role comes along, maintain her fame and status, and satisfy her vanity.

As for Jiang Qinqin and Li Xiaoran, he doesn't need to make any arrangements for them now. The two are already quite famous, and they keep getting offers for roles.

For example, Jiang Qinqin has a new film project with director Huo Jianqi, "Life Show." Li Xiaoran, on the other hand, has taken on a project called "Go to the End," starring Jiang Wu, which is the first road movie in China.

Gao Yuanyuan, she's already joined the cast of "Swordsman"...

"Yuanyuan, how's it going? Is everything going smoothly since you joined the film crew?"

"Brother Chen, I'm doing alright. I started training a few months in advance, and the martial arts instructor even praised me!"
But let's not even talk about the production team. Producer Zhang and Shao Bing have fallen out, and they're looking for a new male lead. Who knows who they'll get...

Listening to Gao Yuanyuan's worried words on the phone, Wu Yuchen suddenly remembered this matter. It seemed that there was a casting controversy shortly after the start of filming for "Swordsman".

Wu Yuchen asked, "What exactly happened to them? Is Shao Bing being arrogant?"

"A bit, I think he's not a bad person. The main problem is that he disagreed with Producer Zhang and the director, and they started arguing. He insisted on his performance, and then Producer Zhang said that if he couldn't act, he should leave."

Wu Yuchen nodded, now he understood. Logically speaking, "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" is a major production of CCTV, and Zhang Jizhong is a well-known figure in the television industry. Even if Shao Bing is famous, he wouldn't be foolish enough to act like a diva in this show.

If what Gao Yuanyuan said is true, that's about right. But Zhang Jizhong's approach is also correct. If an actor is not under the control of the production team, it's best to replace him as soon as possible. Otherwise, you won't be able to achieve the desired effect, and the whole production will be ruined.

"Hey, by the way, let me tell you something funny that happened a few days ago. Someone came to our film set and tried to cause trouble!" Gao Yuanyuan said excitedly.

"Is there anyone else who dares to cause trouble at your place? Have you called the police? Yuanyuan, are you alright?" Wu Yuchen asked with concern.

Gao Yuanyuan quickly explained, "No, it's not about causing trouble, it's a legitimate challenge. They're here to have a martial arts competition!"

"Oh? Who is it? Who is he fighting?" Wu Yuchen asked curiously.

"He's a really strange guy, short and thin, and looks a bit like an alien. The first thing he said when he arrived was that he wanted to challenge Teacher Yu Chenghui to a martial arts duel, and if he won, Feng Qingyang would have to act in it for him!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen immediately pictured a person in his mind and blurted out, "Ma Yun?"

"Yes, yes, that seems to be his name! I thought he was very confident back then, and I thought he was some kind of reclusive master, but he was defeated by Teacher Yu Chenghui in just a few moves, and then he left in a sullen mood."

Wu Yuchen immediately laughed. Jack Ma had just received a $2000 million investment from SoftBank and was shining with confidence, feeling like he owned the world. He never expected to suffer a setback here.

Jack Ma was unhappy about his loss, so he went back home and adopted Feng Qingyang as his nickname, named his office "Peach Blossom Island," and his conference room "Bright Summit." More than ten years later, he used his wealth to gather various kung fu stars and filmed "Gong Shou Dao," where he beat them all up and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Afterwards, Gao Yuanyuan chatted with Wu Yuchen about a lot of gossip from the film crew. For example, the male lead, Linghu Chong, was initially approached by Zhao Wenzhuo, but Zhao Wenzhuo already had a role to play in "Hero Zheng Chenggong," so they eventually found Shao Bing instead.

As for the role of Lin Pingzhi, the bearded man went to Lu Yi, who had just become popular with "Never Close Your Eyes," but Lu Yi said he would not consider any other roles except for Linghu Chong.

After "My Father and Mother" won an award at the Berlin Film Festival in February, Zhang Ziyi, the actress with the big beard, was dragged into the hype to promote the film's female lead. Wu Yuchen remarked that Zhang Ziyi's self-promotion had truly become second nature to him.

Wu Yuchen chatted with Gao Yuanyuan for a while, telling her to be careful to protect herself while filming and not to hurt herself during action scenes. After hanging up, he thought about it and realized that "Swordsman" was quite important to their Xiangshan Film and Television City, so he called Zhang Dahuzi to find out more about the situation.

"Haha, Director Wu, thank you for your concern! Don't worry, the male lead has been cast, and filming will resume soon. It won't affect the production of 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'."

"Oh? Who's the new male lead?" Wu Yuchen wanted to see if Li Yapeng was chosen again this time.

"You may not know Director Wu, but there's an actor named Li Yapeng who isn't very famous."

Wu Yuchen pretended not to know him and asked, "Since he's not very famous, why were you chosen? Is his image and temperament suitable?"

"It's so-so, it's passable!"

Then Zhang Dahuzi lowered his voice slightly: "Director Wu, I'm also under pressure. He was recommended by the higher-ups."

"Huh? A higher-up? He has this connection? Whose connections does he have?" This really piqued Wu Yuchen's curiosity.

"Hey, it's not his relationship, it's his girlfriend's. His girlfriend's name is Ke Lan, she's a host at Phoenix TV, you can ask around and you'll find out, she has a powerful background! I thought he looked alright, and his attitude was pretty good, so I didn't want to waste any more time and we just settled down."

Wu Yuchen then remembered that Li Yapeng had dated this rich young lady for several years. The reason he was nicknamed "soft rice man" in his previous life was firstly because of his marriage to Wang Fei, and secondly because of his relationship with Miss Ke Lan when he debuted, during which the young lady introduced him to a lot of resources.

However, Wu Yuchen didn't know that because of his influence, Li Yapeng was never able to act in "Love Will Carry On" and never became famous, so he didn't have the confidence to break up with Ke Lan. As a result, the rich girl who felt sorry for her boyfriend helped him get the role in "Swordsman".

(End of this chapter)