Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 305 The Tragic Ning Hao

After Wu Yuchen finished talking to Cai Yinong and hung up the phone, his phone rang again in no time.

After glancing at it, he answered the phone and said with a smile, "Director Feng, I have to say something to you. It's not like you don't have my phone number. Just contact me directly if you need anything! It's so formal."

Feng Xiaogang's voice came from the other end of the phone:
"Director Wu, it's my fault! There's a time difference between China and America, and our days and nights are reversed. I was really afraid of disturbing your rest and affecting your filming schedule!"
Director Wu, you're shooting a blockbuster in Hollywood, two movies back-to-back, with a budget of 5 million US dollars. That's more than the production cost in China over ten years. Your time and energy are precious!
If I hadn't run out of options, I really wouldn't want to trouble you!

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head. This Feng Xiaogang is still the same old Feng Xiaogang, unchanged.

He said directly, "Director Feng, I heard you've run into problems with your script. What happened? Tell me."

Feng Xiaogang stopped with the pleasantries and got down to business:

"Director Wu, here's the thing. I previously took a liking to a novella by Zhao Benfu called 'A World Without Thieves,' which tells the story of a prodigal son who returns home. The theme is to encourage people to do good, which is also advocated in our traditional culture."

But I've gone through several drafts of my script and sent them to the chief editor, but they just won't pass. You're widely recognized as an expert in scriptwriting, so I thought I'd ask you for your advice and guidance so I can find the right solution!

After listening, Wu Yuchen asked, "You've had your work rejected several times, so surely Big Scissors must have given you some feedback, right? What did they say?"

“They said a few things: First, my transformation into a thief was not convincing and lacked positive guidance; then they said I overemphasized the fights between thieves, and the thief's death was somewhat tragic, while the police did not play a enough role in the film. In addition, there was the question of whether the feeling that there were thieves everywhere on the train would have a negative social impact.”

After Feng Xiaogang finished speaking, he suddenly remembered and hurriedly said, "Director Wu, I'm so sorry, I was so anxious that I forgot you haven't read the script yet!"

Wu Yuchen chuckled and said, "Yes, I do need to take a look at your script before I can give my opinion. Please bring the script to me."

"This won't affect you, will it?" Feng Xiaogang asked.

"Hehe, although I'm quite busy right now, reading your script, Director Feng, is a good way to change my mood~"

"Okay, that's fine! I'll send it to you right away!" Feng Xiaogang said happily.

Wu Yuchen waved his hand and said, "No need, no need. You can give the script to Sister Xiaoran. She'll be coming next week, so just have her bring it to me. It'll be safer that way."

Upon hearing Wu Yuchen's words, Feng Xiaogang's eyes darted around, and an idea struck him. He immediately said, "That's great! Director Wu, it's quite a coincidence, I was originally planning to invite Xiaoran to be the female lead in this film!"

Feng Xiaogang had previously collaborated with Li Xiaoran on the film "Endless Love," which grossed over 30 million yuan at the box office.

Now, hearing Wu Yuchen's words, he felt it must be a hint directed at him. Coincidence? Was he overthinking it? Perhaps. But the reason Feng Xiaogang had gotten to where he was today was because he thought more than others, was good at understanding people's thoughts, and knew how to please influential people.

So what if he's overthinking it? If Li Xiaoran is cast as the female lead, Wu Yuchen will definitely pay more attention to the script. A woman's pillow talk is much more effective than his foul mouth from thousands of miles away!
Besides, if the script doesn't pass muster, he won't lose anything. However, as long as Director Wu is willing to put in the effort, Feng Xiaogang is very confident that the big cuts side will definitely give him face!

"Oh? What a coincidence! That's perfect then. Give the script to Sister Xiaoran first, let her take a look. Also, have her bring me the review comments that were returned several times, I want to take a good look at them!"

"Okay!" Feng Xiaogang happily hung up the phone.

On the other end of the phone, Wu Yuchen chuckled. As expected of Feng Xiaogang, the other party understood his intention as soon as he said those words.

He did indeed want to secure the female lead role in "A World Without Thieves" for Li Xiaoran, specifically the role of the female thief. In his previous life, that role was played by Liu Ruoying. And how did Liu Ruoying get that role? It was all thanks to her man, Chen Guofu!
Chen Kuo-fu is currently the Asia Director of Columbia Pictures. In this position, he has brought a lot of funding to the Chinese film industry, mainly by having Columbia invest in martial arts films and then taking over the European and American rights. The Chinese-American Brothers' "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" was made in this way, which has also led to a close relationship between him and Chen Kuo-fu.

In my past life, the director of this film, "A World Without Thieves," was none other than Chen Kuo-fu, so his mistress, Liu Ruoying, naturally won the lead role!
However, Wu Yuchen plans to reserve this role for Li Xiaoran first. Even though Chen Guofu has influence, can he compare to Wu Yuchen?

Once Wu Yuchen speaks up, even if Chen Guofu becomes the director of "A World Without Thieves," he won't be able to get his hands on the role anymore. Everyone's competing on manhood; if Liu Ruoying can't compete with Li Xiaoran, she shouldn't complain.

As for investment? Since Feng Xiaogang didn't bring it up, Wu Yuchen didn't plan to invest either. Feng Xiaogang is still a contracted director with the Wong Brothers, and "A World Without Thieves" is naturally also a Wong Brothers production; he didn't want to get too close to the Wong Brothers.

While "A World Without Thieves" did reasonably well at the box office, he wasn't short of money. Helping Feng Xiaogang resolve a script issue and asking for a female lead—that's not unreasonable, is it?

As for whether solving the script problem for "A World Without Thieves" would be a waste of his energy, Wang Shuo in his previous life could solve it with just one sentence, so it wouldn't waste Wu Yuchen's brain cells!
Night fell, and the bed, which had been churning all day, fell silent, and the room became quiet.

Jiang Qinqin nestled against Wu Yuchen's chest, inhaling his scent, and said to him reluctantly:

"Honey, take good care of yourself after I'm gone. Don't work until one or two in the morning every night; it's not good for your health. Also, be careful what you eat; eat less cold food. And try to avoid some of the local specialties. I saw Ning Hao had food poisoning before; he was so weak he couldn't even walk..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen smiled. They had been filming on an island before, and the locals were very hospitable, offering the crew their local specialties.

Chen Er was cautious and didn't eat it, but Ning Hao, being reckless, didn't care and ate it in big mouthfuls, which resulted in him getting sick and suffering from diarrhea for several days. There weren't many hospitals on the island at the time, so he could only take medicine, but the diarrhea wouldn't stop. After a few days, his dark face turned pale, and he lost a lot of weight. He only recovered after the doctor came with special medicine and IV fluids, but it was quite an ordeal.

Wu Yuchen gently patted Jiang Qinqin's back and said with a smile, "Don't worry, our crew's food has always been shipped from America. I promise I'll only eat the crew's food!"

这么大的剧组，光这餐饮都是一笔不小的开销，剧组有一个几十人的餐饮部门，每天为800-1000人准备一日三餐，仅早餐就需要要1100至1500枚鸡蛋、100至160磅熏肉、80条面包、50磅香肠、10多箱水果等等。

"That's good! And..."

Jiang Qinqin continued to chatter on, but Wu Yuchen showed no impatience. The love revealed in her words warmed his heart.

After Jiang Qinqin finished speaking, he instructed her, "I can't see you off this time. I've arranged for my agent, Karl, to accompany you the whole way. Just tell him whatever you need; he'll definitely be able to fulfill it. Call me from where you arrive to let me know you're safe."

Returning to China from where they filmed is not so easy. They have to first travel back to the United States via various means of transportation, and then go to Los Angeles before they can find a direct flight to China.

The two chatted back and forth, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere in the room.

A week later.

"Mouse, would you like to try this?" Ning Hao asked with a smile as he picked up a piece of fruit from a blond, blue-eyed foreigner's hand.

"Get lost! Chris, if you mess with me again, I'll shove it into your ass!" Ning Hao cursed loudly.

He still remembers the lesson he learned. He almost slipped off his post, and he still doesn't dare touch his anus because he hasn't recovered yet.

Ning Hao didn't know how much his directing skills had improved since joining Director Wu's crew for the "Pirate King" series, but his English had definitely improved. Now he spoke fluently and could easily utter swear words.

Having spent half a year with the crew, Ning Hao had long since become familiar with them. Ever since he fell seriously ill after eating something he shouldn't have, they've often teased him about it.

After Ning Hao finished speaking, he raised his glass and clinked it against Chris's. He wouldn't dare to eat anything indiscriminately, but drinking a little alcohol was fine, as long as it didn't interfere with his work.

At this moment, another foreigner next to Ning Hao asked, "Hey, Mouse, didn't you say last week that the director's girlfriend left? I think I saw her come back today."

Before Ning Hao could answer, Chris shook his head and said, "No, no, no, buddy, you must have seen wrong!"

The other party retorted, "No, I'm not mistaken. We don't have any young women with black hair and yellow skin in our crew!"

Chris insisted, "No, no, I swear, what you saw was definitely not the one from last week! I saw this one today too, and she's much prettier than the one from last week! She has a great figure, and this time I really agree with the director's aesthetic sense!"

"Really? Then I must have been mistaken. I'm a bit far away from her. Is her figure really that good?"

“Hmm! Her skin is great, and she has an S-shaped figure…” Chris gestured.

People weren't surprised at all that Wu Yuchen had a different woman by his side; it's all too common in Hollywood.

At this moment, Ning Hao raised his glass and interrupted, "Let's drink, let's drink. Don't gossip about the director's personal relationships, including the women around him."

Chris raised his glass and said, "Oh, Rat, I don't think you'll go and tell on me, will you?"

"Of course I can! I'm the director's assistant!"

"Oh my God!"

……

At this moment, a woman who was even more beautiful and charming than Jiang Qinqin in the eyes of several foreigners was lying on Wu Yuchen's lap, enjoying his massage: "I'm so tired! This place is so remote! Plane, car, boat, and then another car ride, it's too much of a hassle!"

"Sister Ranran, you've worked so hard~ I'm so touched that you came all this way!" Wu Yuchen said while massaging her shoulders.

Li Xiaoran chuckled and said, "I'm so good to you, aren't I! I come over to keep you company with just one phone call~"

"Mmm, Ranran is the best~" Wu Yuchen said, then leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

Li Xiaoran nuzzled her head against Wu Yuchen's thigh again: "But to be fair, the more remote the place, the prettier it is. You have a great eye for location!"

"That's right, otherwise why would I have taken a liking to you?" Wu Yuchen said with a hearty laugh.

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Li Xiaoran's face.

After a while, Li Xiaoran got up from Wu Yuchen's lap and stretched: "Mmm~~ That was great!"

She then took out a script and some accompanying materials from her bag and handed them to Wu Yuchen: "Here, Director Feng asked me to bring these to you."

Wu Yuchen looked at the title "A World Without Thieves" on the sign, smiled at Li Xiaoran, and then asked, "Sister Ranran, have you read it? What did you think of it?"

"I read it, and it was quite interesting. It felt like an ancient chivalrous tale, where a prodigal son returns home, and the story of 'The Three Heroes and Five Gallants' is worth more than gold. Yes, just like Bai Yutang, who, despite being a thief, upheld justice..."

As Wu Yuchen flipped through the script, he said, "You mean the original novel, right?"

Li Xiaoran asked curiously, "Eh? You've read the original novel?"

Wu Yuchen nodded: "I've read it. This novel is from several years ago."

The original novel of "A World Without Thieves" is quite short, less than 10,000 words. The male and female protagonists are indeed more like chivalrous thieves; they don't steal for money, but rather travel the world, stealing from the unscrupulous when they're short of cash, and even robbing the rich to help the poor and donating to Project Hope. The novel repeatedly emphasizes that they aren't bad people, which is why they felt compelled to protect the naive and simple-minded Sha Gen after seeing him.

However, in Feng Xiaogang's script, for the sake of dramatic tension, he changed the character settings. The couple were indeed a pair of notorious thieves who committed crimes specifically for money.

However, this raises a logical problem. Why would a pair of master thieves, who are only after money, suddenly change their ways and protect an innocent child's "dream of a thief-free world"?
After seeing Wu Yuchen flip through the script page by page and then pick up the review comments, Li Xiaoran couldn't help but say, "Are all these review comments going to be difficult to revise?"

Wu Yuchen said with a smile, "Of course we can't revise it line by line according to their opinions, otherwise the script will be completely different!"

(End of this chapter)