Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 338 It's nice to be a bit of a quirky girl once in a while
Do you remember this restaurant?

After the group got out of the car, Tu Honggang asked with a smile.

"Is this the place where we ate together when we filmed our music video?" Li Xiaoran asked uncertainly.

Tu Honggang gave a thumbs up: "Good memory! The boss took over the shop next door a couple of years ago, renovated it, and the shop is much bigger now, with more private rooms."

The group walked in talking as they went. After they sat down, Wu Yuchen said with a smile, "Brother Tu, I still remember that day very clearly! You were really fierce back then, taking on seven or eight people all by yourself. It's still vivid in my mind!"

Upon hearing this, Tu Honggang laughed heartily, then waved his hand, "I'm too old, I can't fight anymore!"

Li Xiaoran smiled and said, "Brother Tu, I heard you singing on stage just now, and you were full of energy and in great spirits!"

"Hey, you can't let your skills for making a living fall behind!"

Then Tu Honggang shook his head and said:
"Even if I could fight now, I wouldn't dare. My wife is super strict with me now, and things are different these days. Now everyone announces their name when they go out..."

Tu Honggang made a gesture of rubbing banknotes with his right hand: "Who would personally get involved in the fight? It's beneath them, they'd be called an idiot!"

Then, Tu Honggang remarked with a hint of emotion, "It's been eight years already!"

Wu Yuchen and Li Xiaoran listened with emotion, thinking, "Eight years have passed!"
Eight years ago, Wu Yuchen was just a promising student director who had barely begun to show promise, not even a rising star. Meanwhile, Li Xiaoran had only recently resigned from the Oriental Dance Troupe and was working as an extra to experience life.

Now, one of them is a world-renowned director, and the other is a top-tier actress in China, with considerable fame overseas.

In eight years, not only has society changed dramatically, but everyone has also become different.

Then Li Xiaoran reached out and squeezed Wu Yuchen's hand. Seeing her smile at him, Wu Yuchen understood her meaning and smiled back. The two of them had gotten together eight years ago that night when she had dinner with Tu Honggang.

That evening, the three of them reminisced about the past and chatted for a long time. This time, nothing unexpected happened. Just like Old Tu said, they are now people of status.

A few days later, Wu Yuchen picked up a few bites of food and started eating. Seeing that Wang Baoqiang wasn't moving and was just grinning at him, he couldn't help but ask, "Baoqiang, why aren't you eating?"

Wang Baoqiang immediately shook his head and said, "I'm not hungry!"

Li Xiaoran laughed and scolded him, "Silly guy, we ordered such a big meal, how are we going to finish it if you don't eat it?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "These dishes were all ordered for you. It would be a waste if you couldn't finish them."

Wang Baoqiang chuckled, picked up his chopsticks and bowl, and began to eat heartily.

Despite his small stature, Wang Baoqiang has a huge appetite; he finishes at least five out of ten dishes.

Li Xiaoran smiled and said to Wu Yuchen, "When I was on set, watching him eat made me have a much better appetite!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and nodded: "Baoqiang has the potential to be a mukbang streamer."

"Mukbang?"

"It's just performing a meal on TV; I'm sure a lot of people would be willing to watch!"

Wu Yuchen made a couple of jokes, then said to Wang Baoqiang, "Baoqiang, you're treating me to a meal today, so I won't eat for free."

He then fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Li Xiaoran said to Wu Yuchen, "Baoqiang said he used to practice martial arts."

Upon hearing this, Wang Baoqiang immediately stood up: "I know boxing! How about I demonstrate Shaolin boxing for you?"

Seeing that Wang Baoqiang really wanted to start boxing, Wu Yuchen waved his hand. He couldn't help but think of Feng Yuxiu, played by Wang Baoqiang. Although Feng Yuxiu was well-acted, he was just a villain, and to be honest, he didn't really promote anyone.

Although Wang Baoqiang gained nationwide recognition for his role as Sha Gen in "A World Without Thieves," it was another film that truly catapulted him to stardom...

Wu Yuchen asked Wang Baoqiang, "Can you endure hardship?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Baoqiang immediately puffed out his chest: "I can endure any hardship!"

Wu Yuchen nodded upon hearing this. Wang Baoqiang, who came from a rural area, had practiced martial arts at Shaolin Temple for many years since childhood, so being able to endure hardship was an essential quality for him.

"Well, Director Kang, the one who directed 'The Passionate Years,' is currently preparing a new TV series called 'Soldiers' Sortie.' I think you're quite suitable for the male lead role. It just depends on whether you can satisfy Director Kang!"

Wang Baoqiang certainly knew about "The Passionate Years," a huge hit from a few years ago that was popular for several years and is still being broadcast on some local TV stations.

Upon hearing the words "male lead," Wang Baoqiang became incredibly excited!

He spent seven years in Beijing, and the only time he played a leading role was in "Blind Shaft" a couple of years ago. It was this leading role that changed his fate, which led to subsequent roles like "A World Without Thieves".

Having gone through this experience, Wang Baoqiang certainly understood what the male lead meant to him, and quickly bowed to Wu Yuchen: "Thank you, Director Wu! Thank you, Director Wu! I'm definitely the one who can endure the most hardship!"

Wu Yuchen smiled at Wang Baoqiang's expression and said, "Keep this attitude, you have a long road ahead of you!"

For Wu Yuchen, giving Wang Baoqiang a boost was just a side effect, and he figured even if he didn't say anything, Kang Honglei would have already extended an audition invitation after seeing Wang Baoqiang in "A World Without Thieves." Baoqiang is considered a breath of fresh air in the entertainment industry; despite his wife and agent's scandals, no dirt on Wang Baoqiang has been exposed. It's not that he has powerful connections; it's very likely he genuinely has nothing to hide!
On December 20th, Wu Yuchen and Zhao Wenxuan went to Longwang Mountain in Huzhou to film a set of scenes, which completed the winter scenery for "Departures". All that's left is to film again next spring.

After filming, he didn't return to Beijing, but instead went to Shanghai.

On December 23, "Kung Fu Hustle" premiered nationwide, with a mainland premiere ceremony held in Shanghai, since the film itself was shot in Shanghai.

Wu Yuchen's arrival was personally greeted by Stephen Chow, not because of Wu Yuchen's status as a famous director, which Stephen Chow didn't care about; he was always very polite to his financial backers.

The timing of "Kung Fu Hustle" was actually during the Christmas season. Now, not only is the Christmas atmosphere strong in Hong Kong, but major cities in mainland China have also started celebrating Christmas in recent years. Therefore, the Christmas season is a highly competitive period for many domestic films these days.

Clearly, the top film of this year's Christmas season is "Kung Fu Hustle," which will be released simultaneously in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. "Kung Fu Hustle" didn't have any charity events like "A World Without Thieves"; it was just a very traditional event with a group of reporters interviewing people and then everyone going to see the movie together.

Many reporters turned their attention to Wu Yuchen when they saw him arrive, asking him a lot of questions about his new movie. Wu Yuchen dodged them all with a laugh, as he didn't want to steal the spotlight from "Kung Fu" today.

Afterwards, everyone focused on Stephen Chow today. There were many issues, not only about "Kung Fu Hustle," but also about various problems that occurred during filming. For example, Sammo Hung scolded Stephen Chow after returning home, and many people in the Hong Kong film industry also jumped out to criticize Stephen Chow, which put Stephen Chow in a bad public opinion situation.

However, Wu Yuchen wasn't worried at all. Most viewers didn't care about Stephen Chow's character; they only knew his movies were good. Plus, Miracle Pictures had invested heavily in the promotion and distribution of "Kung Fu Hustle," so there was nothing to worry about.

Wu Yuchen's trip here wasn't to support Stephen Chow; it was for the female lead, Gao Yuanyuan!
Not only Wu Yuchen, but Feng Xiaogang was also invited by Stephen Chow. He made a cameo appearance in the movie as the leader of the Crocodile Gang, and I must say, the effect was quite good.

At the premiere, Feng Xiaogang also spoke highly of Stephen Chow, showing that he genuinely admires him.

After the movie started, Feng Xiaogang sat down and looked at Gao Yuanyuan sitting next to Wu Yuchen, thinking to himself, "Master Chen is really dashing!"
After the lights went out, Gao Yuanyuan simply hugged Wu Yuchen and snuggled into his arms, comfortably watching the movie.

After the movie ended, the audience in the theater reacted very strongly. Gao Yuanyuan's face was also flushed. This was the first time she had watched a complete film, and she didn't expect it to be so good!
Even after returning to the hotel that evening, Gao Yuanyuan was still chattering away:
"Brother Chen, how much do you think 'Kung Fu Hustle' will gross? Will it surpass 'A World Without Thieves'?"

Gao Yuanyuan was too embarrassed to ask the question earlier because Feng Xiaogang was present, but she asked it after returning.

"A World Without Thieves" has grossed over 70 million yuan in just two weeks, setting a new record for Feng Xiaogang's films. It seems certain that it will surpass 100 million yuan.

In today's Chinese film industry, breaking 100 million yuan in box office revenue is still a very prestigious achievement, which is why Feng Xiaogang has been unusually active in the newspapers lately.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but laugh and say, "Don't worry, it will definitely surpass 'A World Without Thieves'! With a little effort, breaking 2 million is quite possible!"

"Wow? It really can break 2 million!"

Currently, there are only a handful of films in China that have grossed over 2 million yuan. Apart from the foreign film "Titanic," it's either Wu Yuchen or Zhang Yimou. No other director has even come close yet!

In its previous life, "Kung Fu Hustle" grossed 1.73 million yuan in mainland China, 61 million yuan in Hong Kong, and over 100 million US dollars worldwide, which was quite an achievement for a Chinese-language film.

The reason Wu Yuchen said that it could break 2 million yuan at the box office in mainland China this time is that the investor this time is Miracle Films, and the promotional resources invested in mainland China are much larger than in the previous life, so it can naturally attract more viewers.
Secondly, the female lead, Gao Yuanyuan, is not an unknown actress. She is a goddess-level star with many fans, which will naturally boost the film's box office.

Thirdly, the special effects in the movie are much better than in the previous life. Wu Yuchen's UFO special effects were not created for nothing. They integrated resources from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, and had been developed for several years. Moreover, they went to Hollywood to learn from Wu Yuchen, so the level is naturally much higher than in the previous life.

With these combined factors, Wu Yuchen felt that "Kung Fu Hustle" would gross tens of millions more than in his previous life, and breaking 2 million should not be a problem.

Hearing Wu Yuchen say that the box office had exceeded 2 million, Gao Yuanyuan was especially excited tonight, and she was still unwilling to go to sleep after playing against Wu Yuchen until late at night.

"Yuanyuan, what do you think of that script I showed you before? Are you interested?" Wu Yuchen caressed Gao Yuanyuan's slender waist.

"Hmm? I watched it, it's quite interesting, but I'm afraid I won't act well..." Gao Yuanyuan said with some worry.

Wu Yuchen chuckled and pinched her waist, saying, "Oh, our Yuanyuan still has an idol image to maintain?"

Gao Yuanyuan said coquettishly, "No way! I've never played such a comedic role before, and I'm afraid I won't be able to pull it off!"

"What are you afraid of? You're the biggest star on this whole project! And I'm backing you up, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Then Wu Yuchen changed the subject: "Of course, if you're not interested, that's fine too. I just think this role is an opportunity for you, a chance to step out of your comfort zone and try other types of roles. It's no fun being a goddess all the time; it's nice to be a crazy girl once in a while!"

"Get lost! I'm not a crazy woman!"

After saying that, Gao Yuanyuan chuckled.
"But Guo Furong seems to be pretty oblivious!"

Seeing her expression, Wu Yuchen knew she was interested, so he continued to persuade her, "If you're interested, then give it a try. Besides, when it comes to comedy, you've been on the set of 'Kung Fu Hustle' for so long, you must have seen how these people acted, right?"

Speaking of this, Gao Yuanyuan nodded: "I found that when they were acting, they were actually very serious. There was no sense of them trying to make people laugh. For example, with Sauce Explosion, when I saw him saying his lines, he was very serious and earnest."

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this: "That's exactly why it makes the audience laugh. It's the effect brought about by the character's personality and the contrast. In fact, as long as you get into the role and follow the character's behavior pattern, the effect will come naturally. Don't think it's too difficult."

"Okay, I'll give it a try!"

Wu Yuchen and Gao Yuanyuan were just talking about a very classic and wildly popular comedy series from their previous lives, "My Own Swordsman"!
The immense popularity of "My Own Swordsman" needs no further explanation; it's the pinnacle of Chinese sitcoms. In my past life, all the main actors became famous because of this show, especially Yao Dazui.

Few people may know that the screenwriter, Ning Caishen, initially absolutely refused to cast Yao Chen as Guo Furong. In his vision, Guo Furong was a fair-skinned, beautiful, runaway heiress. However, Yao Chen completely didn't fit his description; his first words to Yao Chen were, "Her mouth is too big!"
However, the God of Wealth eventually gave in, not because Yao Chen was particularly powerful, but because she was cheap. Director Shang Jing told him, "If you have the money, I'll fully support you hiring someone prettier!" The God of Wealth then had nothing more to say.

The entire "My Own Swordsman" series has 81 episodes and took half a year to film, but it only cost less than 1000 million yuan. You can imagine how tight the budget was.

Now that the project has been invested in by Miracle Films, Wu Yuchen naturally wants to give the role of Guo Furong to the woman next to him first, and as for Yao Dazui, let her get lost!
(End of this chapter)