Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 304 A Kindness That One Cannot Receive

Wu Yuchen sighed inwardly, "I really didn't realize this girl's acting was so good. It's laughable that I just gave her a long, rambling analysis..."

Their target wasn't Chen Kaizi!

Ignoring Jiang Qinqin shaking his arm beside him, Wu Yuchen shook his head and sighed.

"Honey~ I really wasn't pretending! I just suddenly decided to do it..."

Wu Yuchen said with a smile, "Qinqin, why beat around the bush with me? Just tell me the truth."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qinqin stopped feigning innocence: "I just want to be your leading lady. Which actress wouldn't want to be your leading lady?"

Wu Yuchen said, "Weren't you the female lead in last year's 'Brotherhood of Blades'? It really propelled you to fame all over the world!"

"I……"

Jiang Qinqin paused for a moment, then said with a hint of grievance, "I still don't have any decent awards. Forget about winning Best Actress, none of the films I've made have won any major awards!"

Wu Yuchen finally understood Jiang Qinqin's true thoughts. Leaving aside the short film "Car 44," the films he made with Jiang Qinqin as the female lead, from the initial "The Night the Comet Came," "If Love Has a Destiny," to "Brotherhood of Blades," were all aimed at commercial success and box office returns, and they didn't actually win any significant awards.

Wu Yuchen's most acclaimed leading roles in art-house films, such as *Mr. Donkey*, *Love*, and *The Boy in the Striped Pajamas*, all starred Gong Li. *Run Lola Run* starred Li Xiaoran, earning her a Golden Horse Award for Best Actress—a significant achievement in the Chinese film industry.

At this point, Jiang Qinqin continued, "I didn't necessarily intend to force you to promote me as the female lead. I know you're busy right now, so I was quite tempted when I received Director Chen's invitation. Even if he's not as good as you, it's still a good opportunity for me. But you said his film isn't good, so I won't act in it. That's why I suddenly remembered to mention it to you~"

Wu Yuchen chuckled and pinched her cheek: "I didn't say anything to you, why are you acting all wronged?"

Jiang Qinqin turned her head away: "I'm not wronged at all!"

Wu Yuchen put his arm around her and said, "Tsk tsk, look at your pouting lips~ Okay, okay, smile~"

Jiang Qinqin grinned at Wu Yuchen with a fake smile, then turned her head away.

Wu Yuchen chuckled and said, "It's just the female lead, right? Of course there is one!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qinqin's ears immediately perked up, and she heard Wu Yuchen exclaim:
"But right now, I'm already exhausted from filming every day, and the mental pressure is immense. Plus, my beautiful wife is throwing tantrums at me. How can I possibly have any creative energy?"

Jiang Qinqin immediately slapped his arm: "Who's being temperamental with you?"

"Hmm, no one's throwing a tantrum at me~ But I'm feeling really down right now, I can't cheer up at all, what do you suggest I do?"

Jiang Qinqin turned her head away with a haughty expression: "How would I know what to do?"

Wu Yuchen then sighed, "Lead actress, leading actress, big prize, big prize! I wonder who wants it!"

Seeing Wu Yuchen's expression, Jiang Qinqin knew he was teasing her, but she still couldn't help but grab his arm: "You, then what do you suggest we do?"

Wu Yuchen leaned forward and pointed to his face. Jiang Qinqin naturally knew what he meant, chuckled, and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

But Wu Yuchen wasn't finished yet. He turned his face and pointed to the other side. Seeing this, Jiang Qinqin tiptoed and kissed him again.

When Wu Yuchen pointed to his lips again, Jiang Qinqin couldn't help but punch him in the chest: "Hey! Are you ever going to stop?!"

"Alright, alright! Hahaha~" Wu Yuchen laughed, no longer teasing Jiang Qinqin, and put his arm around her as they slowly walked forward.

As Wu Yuchen walked, he said, "It's definitely not going to happen this year. Let's wait until next year. I'll make you the female lead then, and we'll try for another big award!"

Jiang Qinqin's head was now leaning on Wu Yuchen's shoulder, a smile on her lips. Now she could confidently tell Director Chen that she refused and wanted to be the female lead in Wu Yuchen's new film!

Then Jiang Qinqin smiled and said to Wu Yuchen, "Don't tell me I forced you, I'm smelling wonderful right now!"

Wu Yuchen asked cooperatively, "Oh? Besides Director Chen, there are others chasing after you with invitations?"

"That's right! There are plenty! Let me tell you, after 'My Fair Princess III' aired last month, everyone was begging me to come back and play Ziwei! Even Aunt Qiong Yao called me, hoping I'd come back to save the 'My Fair Princess' series!"

Wu Yuchen couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. The first two seasons of "My Fair Princess" had such a huge impact that by the third season, the main cast had been completely changed. Neither Huang Yi's Xiao Yanzi nor Ma Yili's Ziwei could compare to Zhao Yanzi and Jiang Qinqin, which led to a barrage of criticism from the audience, and the show's reputation plummeted. A group of viewers declared that they would rather watch "My Fair Princess" seasons 1 and 2 a hundred times than see "My Fair Princess" season 3 again.

Wu Yuchen asked with a smile, "So what are your thoughts?"

Jiang Qinqin has no interest in saving the "Princess Pearl" series. She only agreed to act in the second season because of the sincerity of Qiong Yao and Hunan TV's repeated visits. Now, she has no intention of playing Ziwei again.

"I'm not going! Forget Qiong Yao, I even turned down Director Zhang when he came to me before!" Jiang Qinqin said sweetly.

"Director Zhang? You mean Zhang Jizhong?" Wu Yuchen asked.

"Yeah! He asked me if I'd be willing to play Little Dragon Girl, and I said I'm not really interested in TV dramas anymore~" Jiang Qinqin said, tilting her chin up. She had previously gained a lot of fans for her role as Huang Rong in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," and having already experienced a Jin Yong adaptation once, she didn't want to repeat herself.

As for the popularity of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and Xiaolongnü, to put it bluntly, she already has the roles of Ziwei and Huang Rong in two TV series, so she doesn't need the popularity of Xiaolongnü at all. Moreover, she's not just a TV actress, but also a film star, and her works have spread globally!
Jiang Qinqin's biggest pursuit now is not popularity or box office, but to win some honors in movies. Even if she doesn't win Best Actress herself, as long as the movie can win a big award, that's fine!
Hearing Jiang Qinqin say this, Wu Yuchen found it amusing. In his previous life, Zhang Dahuzi used actors from the entire industry to market the "The Return of the Condor Heroes" project, including Jiang Qinqin. She was voted the most popular choice for Xiaolongnu by netizens, but it was all for naught. She was just a tool for Zhang Dahuzi to generate popularity, and he could do nothing about it.

But now, the situation has completely reversed. The bearded man immediately approached Jiang Qinqin, wanting her to play Little Dragon Girl, but Jiang Qinqin no longer thought highly of him. This really amused Wu Yuchen.

……

"No, no, no, it's not simply about enlarging the squid. I need you to make it more ferocious and terrifying. When it opens its mouth, it has monster-like teeth, densely packed with sharp fangs that will make anyone tremble at the sight of it!"

At this point, Wu Yuchen rejected the Kraken design proposed by the designers and explained his requirements in more detail.

This sea monster, the legendary Kraken or the Norwegian Sea Monster, will bring a lot of visual impact and shock to the audience. It is one of the highlights of this special effects work. Therefore, the special effects team is constantly communicating and adjusting with Wu Yuchen to meet his requirements.

After Jiang Qinqin joined the crew of "The Pirate King," she stayed by Wu Yuchen's side and watched the filming, only then realizing just how busy he was. He filmed during the day and discussed various matters at night.

Other staff members only need to do their own jobs, but director Wu Yuchen has to oversee the whole situation. He has to be involved in every department when problems arise. He has to care about and communicate with all aspects, including photography, special effects, and action. Therefore, he actually has very little time to spend leisurely with Jiang Qinqin.

This made Jiang Qinqin feel even more sorry for him. He's so busy right now, yet he still made time to pick her up and spend time with her. Even when she threw a tantrum, he didn't get angry, trying his best to be tolerant, and he even promised her the lead role…

Looking back now, she really wasn't considerate of Wu Yuchen at all!
Thinking of this, Jiang Qinqin couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt towards Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen didn't have time to consider Jiang Qinqin's thoughts right now, as his work was the most important thing. Besides, he also had to worry about other things, regularly receiving transoceanic calls to hear reports and updates from Miracle Films.

For example, right now, he is receiving a phone call from Cai Yinong:
"What, Mr. Cai, you mean Chen Kaige has contacted you?"

"Yes! But it wasn't Chen Kaige himself, but his wife Chen Hong who invited me for tea, and we talked about 'The Promise'. Oh, 'The Promise' is the name that Director Chen just decided on, it's the project he's currently preparing."

Chen Hong? Since marrying Chen Kaige and having children, this woman has become his capable assistant. A truly capable assistant; she not only manages the household affairs but also acts as Chen Kaige's producer, overseeing all matters related to the film crew. Therefore, Chen Hong's involvement can be seen as her representing Chen Kaige himself.

To be honest, Wu Yuchen didn't quite understand what Chen Hongtu and Chen Kaizi were up to.

Many people think that Chen Hong married Chen Kaige, which is a step up for her, but those who know Chen Hong's family background know that this is not the case. Her maternal grandfather is of a very high status, which is far beyond what Chen Kaige's family can compare to.

Moreover, Chen Hong has never promoted herself publicly, unlike a certain Xue, whose press releases have been circulating for over a decade, as if she wanted the whole world to know, which has made everyone tired of it.

Considering Chen Hong's beauty and privileged background, she should have been highly sought after and had no shortage of eligible suitors. Yet, she was willing to be a mistress and use her child to force her way into marrying this rich man. Is this true love?

Wu Yuchen shook his head, putting aside his random thoughts, and asked into the phone, "What's Chen Hong's purpose in calling?"

"The gist of her words was that she wanted to ask if we would be willing to invest in Director Chen's 'The Promise.' She said that quite a few investors had already approached us about 'The Promise,' from Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, but she wanted to give us the opportunity first..."

"Ha! That's really giving us face!" Wu Yuchen couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.

He thought about it and concluded that this wasn't Chen Kaizi deliberately provoking or showing off, but rather that he genuinely believed it. Kaizi was an extremely arrogant person, and naturally thought that "The Promise," which he had put so much effort into preparing, was excellent.

Therefore, whether it was giving the lead role to Jiang Qinqin or having Chen Hong approach Cai Yinong to ask if Miracle Films was willing to invest, Chen Kaizi believed he was conveying goodwill to Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head. He didn't want to refuse Kai Zi's willingness to back down this time, but he really couldn't accept Kai Zi's work.
"The Promise," also known as "A Bloodbath Caused by a Steamed Bun," remains firmly entrenched on the list of worst movies even more than a decade later, while "Hero" has seen a turnaround in its reputation.

How could Wu Yuchen possibly accept this?
Wu Yuchen sighed. It seemed that he and Kai Zi were destined to be apart.
"President Cai, forget it. Since Director Chen and 'The Promise' have no shortage of investment, let's not get involved."

Actually, Cai Yinong was quite keen to invest, after all, it was Chen Kaige, and the period martial arts genre was currently doing extremely well in the market, with examples like "Brotherhood of Blades" and "Hero" before her, so the probability of success should have been quite high. However, Wu Yuchen was the big boss, and since he had already made his decision, she couldn't go against it.

Wu Yuchen is not fortunate enough to accept Kai Zi's kindness.

He and Kai Zi don't really have any grudges, nor do they have any real friendship. It's fine to just keep things as they are, each going their own way and not interfering with each other.

At this point, Cai Yinong mentioned another director who is now quite famous in China: "Feng Xiaogang also came to see me twice, asking when you would be back and if you had time."

"Huh? Why did he come to see me?" Wu Yuchen asked, a little puzzled.

Feng Xiaogang has been living a comfortable life these past few years, being pampered by the Wang brothers, so I haven't had much contact with him. Of course, he's still very warm whenever we meet, but Wu Yuchen has been spending more time in Hollywood these past few years and has had fewer opportunities to interact with these people.

Cai Yinong said, "I heard that he is preparing for a new movie, but there is a problem with the script. It has been sent back for revision many times but it still can't be approved. I guess he came to you because of this."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen roughly understood what was going on. Wasn't this exactly what happened to "A World Without Thieves" in his previous life? Was Feng Xiaogang already preparing for "A World Without Thieves"?

Wu Yuchen calculated the time and it was about right. He said to Cai Yinong:
“I won’t be able to go back anytime soon, probably until the end of the year. But I’m quite interested in his situation, so have him call me directly!”

"Row."

(End of this chapter)