Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 340 Fan Bingbing, a Maid's Fate

Fan Bingbing has played many leading roles in recent years, such as "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", "Water Moon Cave" and "The No. 8 Pawnshop". Although these are not as popular as Jin Yong's dramas, they are still popular dramas that have been repeatedly broadcast by many TV stations.

As for movies, Wu Yuchen got the role of Wu Yue in "Cellphone" from Feng Xiaogang last year, and she was indeed suitable! After the movie was released, the public praised her for her brilliant performance as the mistress.

And then there's this year's "New Police Story," where Fan Bingbing's portrayal of a beautiful and rebellious female robber left a deeper impression than the actual female lead, earning her considerable praise.

This made Fan Bingbing increasingly eager to achieve more on the big screen.

Wu Yuchen gently stroked her ample breasts with his fingers and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? What are you thinking about now?"

Fan Bingbing moved closer to Wu Yuchen to make it easier for him, and then said:
"Brother-in-law, TV dramas are pretty much the same these days. Unless I get to play a role like Little Dragon Girl or Huang Rong, it won't really improve my career. I want to focus more on movies."

Wu Yuchen looked at Fan Bingbing thoughtfully and nodded: "Hmm, what kind of movie do you want to act in?"

Fan Bingbing gently traced her slender fingers across Wu Yuchen's chest: "Besides big-budget commercial productions, aren't they just art-house films vying for awards?"

Wu Yuchen laughed upon hearing this: "You make it sound so easy. Which female star in the industry wouldn't want a big commercial production and a good art film leading lady?"

Fan Bingbing rubbed against Wu Yuchen's arm and said coquettishly, "But you're still here, brother-in-law! I'm practically half your butt~"

Wu Yuchen laughed and slapped Fan Bingbing's half-butt, causing Fan Bingbing to let out a soft groan.

However, Wu Yuchen then shook his head: "It's not that your brother-in-law doesn't want to help you, it's just that for the time being, there really aren't any projects or roles suitable for you."

In mainland China right now, when it comes to big-budget commercial productions, the only ones that come to mind are Wu Yuchen, Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Feng Xiaogang. Who else can make big-budget commercial productions?
As for Hong Kong, to be honest, the role of the female lead in Hong Kong films is not meant to promote anyone. Fan Bingbing's role as a female robber and Gao Yuanyuan's role as a mute girl in "Kung Fu Hustle" were already considered outstanding.

In fact, Wu Yuchen knew that Jackie Chan was already preparing for "The Myth". The female lead, Princess Yu Shu, should be the most popular female lead in Hong Kong films in recent years, but Wu Yuchen did not ask for the role.

The female robber Fan Bingbing was no big deal, just a piece of cake, but the female lead in "The Myth" is an important character.

In the previous film, Princess Yu Shu was played by Kim Hee-sun, who was then hailed as the most beautiful woman in South Korea. She also had intimate scenes with Jackie Chan in the movie. Moreover, it is rumored that Jackie Chan personally taught her Chinese during filming, and they often talked all night long.

Look at how affectionately Lung (Liu Yonghong) is with Kim Hee-sun in various settings, without any restraint. He even kissed her right there during a promotional event. Given Lung's womanizing nature, who would believe he didn't sleep with her?
Jackie Chan clearly wanted to use this role to pick up girls. Even if Wu Yuchen managed to get the role, he would definitely owe Jackie Chan a huge favor. In the future, Jackie Chan would inevitably try to put his drug-addicted son into his movies, which Wu Yuchen didn't want, so he simply didn't consider it.

As for art films...

Wu Yuchen glanced at Fan Bingbing and asked, "How do you think your acting skills compare to your sister Qinqin's?"

Just as Fan Bingbing was about to say something, Wu Yuchen patted her on the shoulder and said, "Speak your mind."

Fan Bingbing hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can't compare to Sister Qinqin..."

Fan Bingbing could also understand the subtext of Wu Yuchen's words: even Jiang Qinqin might not be able to get some roles in art films by top domestic directors these days, let alone someone with her acting skills.

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and said, "Bingbing, I'm not saying your acting is bad. You're definitely much better than the average person, but compared to a true genius... you know what I mean?"

Fan Bingbing looked miserable and didn't say anything. Seeing this, Wu Yuchen advised, "If you want to pursue acting skills and win awards, it's already much harder than for others. Your appearance is a disadvantage."

Wu Yuchen isn't just spouting nonsense; this is actually true almost all over the world. Many popular young actors and actresses, especially those with handsome faces, are naturally disliked by many judges. The Oscars are proof of this. If you don't make yourself look ugly, don't even think about winning an Oscar. Just look at how many times Leonardo DiCaprio cried himself unconscious in the bathroom!

Fan Bingbing cried and said, "Brother-in-law, what should I do?"

“People should make the most of their strengths. You’re so beautiful, so you should naturally pursue a more commercial career and not waste your looks. If you really want to pursue acting skills and win awards, you should choose roles that suit you, like Wu Yue.”

Fan Bingbing said with a hint of grievance, "So, I can only play mistresses?"

"You can win awards for playing a mistress, would you do it?" Wu Yuchen asked directly.

"Act!" Fan Bingbing didn't hesitate at all.

In fact, she won the Best Actress award at the Hundred Flowers Awards this year for her role as Wu Yue in "Cellphone". She was overjoyed at the time. Whether it was due to the company's efforts or Wu Yuchen's help, she won the award!

Wu Yuchen knew that Fan Bingbing did have an artistic pursuit. In her previous life, in films like "Apple," "Buddha Mountain," "Chongqing Blues," and even later "I Am Not Madame Bovary," it was clear that she wanted to perform well and win awards. However, it could only be said that her talent was limited. Her acting wasn't bad, but it also didn't really impress anyone.

So Wu Yuchen simply advised Fan Bingbing to stop messing around in this area, as it wouldn't help her career much.

Of course, Wu Yuchen also had his own selfish motives. He didn't want this girl to beg him to make a movie for her to win an award, otherwise Jiang Qinqin would definitely find out.

"Brother-in-law, I'll listen to you. I also want to go into business, but I can't find any reliable projects right now..." Fan Bingbing said pitifully.

She can't rely on Hong Kong, and she can't get into the big commercial productions of other big directors. There's only Wu Yuchen she can rely on, but it's obvious that Wu Yuchen's own film resources are also scarce. Not to mention others, there's Jiang Qinqin ahead of her. How can Fan Bingbing compete with her?

What Fan Bingbing is now facing is that she has suddenly reached a bottleneck and there is no way to move forward...

Wu Yuchen sighed. There are still too few film projects in China every year! And too few directors who can make commercial films! In fact, in previous years, Wu Yuchen had directed films such as "My Brothers and Sisters", "My Sassy Girl" and "If Love Has a Destiny", which should have boosted the development of some drama films. Unfortunately, the domestic film market and funding in previous years were not enough to support the development of those young directors.

Furthermore, Wu Yuchen's subsequent Oscar wins for "Love" and "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," as well as his Golden Bear win at the Berlin Film Festival for "Mr. Donkey," solidified the resolve of many directors to pursue art-house films.

For film investors, the key is that films like "Love" and "Mr. Donkey" require small investments! In the context of a sluggish domestic film market, investing in similar low-budget art films might even lead to winning awards at international film festivals and selling copyrights.

But if it's a commercial drama, first of all, do you need to find stars? Their salaries alone are a huge sum. Then, if you make it, the domestic market might make you lose everything. And these kinds of commercial films can't be shown at film festivals to sell their rights, so the risk of losing money is just too great!

Therefore, it's not that investors don't want to invest in commercial films, but rather that given the current box office performance of the Chinese film market, they can't afford the risk. Low-budget art films are a safer bet.

Therefore, the prosperity of commercial films is definitely closely related to the country's economy. Once ticket sales increase in a few years, the number of commercial films will naturally increase.

However, Wu Yuchen glanced at Fan Bingbing and said, "Waiting a few years is easy to say. How many years does a female celebrity have? It's also very agonizing to not be able to move forward."

"Brother-in-law, don't worry about me. I know I'm destined to be a maid all my life, a maid to Sister Qinqin, and a supporting character to Sister Yuanyuan. I can't compare to Sister Xiaoran. But I'll definitely listen to you obediently. After all, I'm your sweet little cotton-padded jacket~" Fan Bingbing said sadly.

Fan Bingbing knew the most about Wu Yuchen's relationships with the women. She knew what kind of person Wu Yuchen was, and she could guess a lot of things. Moreover, Wu Yuchen hadn't really hidden anything from her, so there was no need for him to.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen's heart stirred.

Considering Wu Yuchen's numerous female co-stars in China, Jiang Qinqin has appeared in the most of his films. From her early work "Car 44," to "The Night of the Comet," "If Love Has a Destiny," "Brotherhood of Blades," and the recently completed "Departures," she truly enjoys Wu Yuchen's exclusive favor!

Then there's Li Xiaoran, whose role in "Run Lola Run" catapulted her to international fame, earning her a Golden Horse Award for Best Actress. She later starred in Feng Xiaogang's "Endless" and "A World Without Thieves," also receiving decent treatment.

Zeng Li has been living a leisurely life, never making any demands. In the past two years, she has acted in TV dramas that interested her, and she even won the Best Actress award for "Qing Yi". Moreover, Wu Yuchen has plans for her, intending to cast her as the female lead in his next Chinese-language film.

As for Gao Yuanyuan, although she hasn't acted in any of Wu Yuchen's works yet, just look at the resources Wu Yuchen has arranged for her along the way:

She debuted as the female lead in "Eternal Love," instantly becoming a sensation and hailed as the nation's first love. Her role as the female lead in "Postmen in the Mountains" propelled her to the ranks of art-house films. She also starred in "Young Justice Bao," played Yue Lingshan in "Swordsman," and Zhou Zhiruo in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," all highly popular roles. Furthermore, she was the female lead in "Waiting Alone" and "Kung Fu Hustle," roles that would make other actresses green with envy!

In comparison, although Fan Bingbing also acted in popular dramas, none of them were as popular as those starring Gao Yuanyuan. She even played a supporting role to Gao Yuanyuan in "Young Justice Bao".

It was only with the release of the films "Cellphone" and "New Police Story" in the past year that Fan Bingbing vaguely felt she was catching up with Gao Yuanyuan. However, compared to Gao Yuanyuan's accumulated experience, she still lags far behind.

Wu Yuchen himself had to admit that he didn't care about Fan Bingbing as much as he did about Gao Yuanyuan.

He looked at Fan Bingbing's pitiful expression, shook his head with a smile, and slapped her buttocks again: "What are you saying to me like that?"

“Nobody has that!” Fan Bingbing said sweetly.

Seeing her like this, Wu Yuchen chuckled and said, "Alright, I was originally going to give you some pointers, but if you keep pretending, then I might..."

Upon hearing this, Fan Bingbing quickly kissed Wu Yuchen twice: "Good brother-in-law, dear brother-in-law, I want it! I won't pretend anymore!"

Wu Yuchen rested his head on his arms, remaining silent, just smiling at Fan Bingbing. Fan Bingbing, seeing Wu Yuchen's smile, also gave him a seductive smile, then kissed Wu Yuchen's chin, neck, and continued downwards…

Wu Yuchen took a light breath: "Why are you so excited, girl? Be gentle~"

Fan Bingbing looked up at Wu Yuchen and gave him a seductive smile before continuing.

After a long while, Wu Yuchen exhaled with his eyes closed. When he opened them, he saw Fan Bingbing hugging his arm again: "Brother-in-law~"

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "There aren't many good resources in China that we can get for you, but there's always overseas!"

Fan Bingbing's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this: "Brother-in-law, you mean..."

Wu Yuchen smiled faintly and said, "I have some influence in Hollywood. I'll get you a supporting role so you can get some experience."

Fan Bingbing screamed as soon as she heard the word "Hollywood"!
Hollywood, that's Hollywood!

Many people in China dream of going to Hollywood but can't, but she can now go to Hollywood and act in movies!
In this era when America is still the beacon of light, being able to gain some prestige in Hollywood is no less than starring in a major domestic commercial film; it instantly elevates one's status!
However, Wu Yuchen added, "But don't expect a lot of screen time, you're a newcomer after all."

Although Wu Yuchen has considerable influence in Hollywood now, it's impossible for him to cast Fan Bingbing as the female lead. People might give him face, but no one is willing to do a favor that would cause the project to lose money. Therefore, Wu Yuchen had to give Fan Bingbing a heads-up beforehand to prevent her from having too high expectations.

However, this couldn't dampen Fan Bingbing's ecstatic mood: "Brother-in-law! I'll love you forever! I'll always be your dearest sister-in-law!"

Wu Yuchen smiled as he watched Fan Bingbing's ecstatic expression. The girl's fawning over him pleased him greatly, and he felt he had to reward her in some way.

When he makes his next film, he could consider giving her a supporting role.

Since she herself said she was destined to be a maid, let her play a supporting role to Zeng Li one more time!
(End of this chapter)