Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 361 Who says there can only be one director?

Upon hearing Wu Yuchen's words, the leader couldn't help but glance at him, clicking his tongue in amazement:
"Oh? Is it really that good? So good that even you, Director Wu, would be humbled?"

"Boss, I can't guarantee anything else, but when it comes to combining traditional Chinese culture, Senior Brother Zhang's plan is definitely the best! Moreover, in terms of Senior Brother Zhang's personal style, his use of color is masterful worldwide, making him the most suitable person to be the chief director!"

Listening to Wu Yuchen's unreserved praise, Zhang Yimou was deeply moved. Wu Yuchen was different from Zhang Weiping; the other party didn't need to ask for anything from him, nor did he ask for anything in return, yet he still helped him so much. This truly stirred Zhang Yimou's heart.

This actually piqued the leader's curiosity, and he asked Zhang Yimou, "Director Zhang, would you mind introducing me to him first?"

Generally speaking, such a campaign plan would not be leaked before the election, but this leader is no ordinary person. Given the current situation, Zhang Yimou certainly doesn't care about this anymore, so he began to introduce his plan. He talked for an hour, and the leader listened with frequent nods and kept asking questions.

After giving a brief introduction, Zhang Yimou glanced at Wu Yuchen beside him and couldn't help but speak up:
"Boss, actually, my plan is not the work of one person alone. It incorporates many valuable suggestions from Director Wu. Otherwise, we wouldn't have the complete plan we have now."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen sighed inwardly. Why add that? I helped you find this opportunity today, so you, Zhang Yimou, should take all the credit and show off your abilities!

His help to Zhang Yimou wasn't driven by personal motives, nor was it about recruiting Zhang Yimou to his company. Frankly, with Wu Yuchen around, Miracle Films wouldn't be significantly affected by Zhang Yimou's presence or absence; he was simply icing on the cake.

Wu Yuchen is now genuinely worried that if Zhang Yimou is not selected and someone else is chosen as the chief director, and the opening ceremony of the 08 Olympics is a complete mess, then Wu Yuchen will truly consider himself a sinner!
Although Zhang Yimou didn't expose this incident, and he wasn't in charge of the Olympic opening ceremony, he definitely brought about this butterfly effect!

What Wu Yuchen wants to do now is to do his best to get things back on track and help Zhang Yimou become the chief director of the Olympics, so that he won't feel guilty or ashamed.

After listening to Zhang Yimou's words, the leader looked at the two of them thoughtfully and smiled. Then, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and said with a smile:

"Director Zhang, you should all be aware that although some of these policies have been relaxed, they are still fundamental policies."

Wu Yuchen quickly pulled the two of them aside and said, "What you say is right, leader. We will admit our mistakes. Now, Senior Brother Zhang has been punished as he should have been, and he has publicly apologized as he should have been. We are just wondering if we can give him another chance?"

Is having more children than allowed a major problem? Is it a serious problem? Is it morally reprehensible?

A decade or two ago, this would have been a very serious problem, potentially leading to severe consequences. But now, the issue isn't considered serious anymore. However, given Zhang Yimou's status at this point in time, such a mistake would certainly be magnified and exploited by certain individuals.

In fact, these days, in many places, especially in rural areas, people are having more than one child, and many are having two. The regulations have been relaxed and are no longer being enforced. Moreover, if the government were to encourage more births in ten years, that would be a different story. If we wait until a decade or more later, given the low birth rate, Zhang Yimou might actually be promoted as a model of having many children.

It can only be said that situations can change very quickly! The question of how many children to have depends entirely on the needs of the situation at the time.

The leader shook his head and said:
"Director Wu, Director Zhang, although we didn't specify this in our selection criteria, you should still understand the difficulties we face in our work."

The Olympics are a matter of national concern. Our organizing committee didn't choose the chief director for personal gain; it's for the sake of China. And China has always prioritized the people and listened to their voices! You should all be aware of the overwhelming public opinion right now!

Wu Yuchen sighed inwardly upon hearing this. It seemed it still wouldn't work! This whole affair involving Zhang Yimou had blown up too much; the Olympic Organizing Committee must have had considerable reservations about him, which was perfectly normal. Putting himself in Zhang Yimou's shoes, if he were in that leadership position, he couldn't possibly continue to give Zhang Yimou preferential treatment under such circumstances, despite the nationwide backlash.

Zhang Yimou's eyes dimmed instantly, though he had long anticipated this outcome. After all, he was the one who made the mistake first, and he was not wronged at all; he deserved his punishment.

But if this happens, will the opening ceremony of this Beijing Olympics still have the same glory as the previous one?

Worry appeared in Wu Yuchen's eyes. He hadn't expected that his butterfly effect would change the opening ceremony.

Just as the private room fell silent, the leader smiled and said, "However, I personally quite admire the opening ceremony plan that Director Zhang just mentioned!"

Wu Yuchen immediately looked up at his leader, wondering if there was still a chance for things to turn around.
The leader glanced back and forth between Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou, then said, "As the saying goes, two heads are better than one. You are both the best directors in our country. Since this plan was put forward by you two, why not form a team together and contribute to our Olympic cause?"

After the leader finished speaking, he looked at Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou with a smile.

It's true that Zhang Yimou has run into problems, but if Wu Yuchen is willing to join his team, then the pressure on Zhang Yimou will be immediately relieved, and a lot of attention will be focused on Wu Yuchen. In this way, there will be much less opposition. People will oppose Zhang Yimou, but they won't oppose Wu Yuchen! The Organizing Committee won't have to face any pressure at all.

Decades ago, when China faced a major event like the Olympics, the emphasis was on collective wisdom and effort. But these days, even the Olympics can't make these big-name directors back down. Didn't you see they each formed their own teams? Chen Kaizi, Li An, and even Cui Jian each assembled their own teams to compete.

In this situation, the two came up with a seemingly excellent plan, and there was also an opportunity to bring two great directors into the same team, which the leader was naturally happy to see.

Wu Yuchen was taken aback by his leader's words, but Zhang Yimou reacted much faster and said directly:

"Boss, I'm willing to assist Director Wu! As long as I can contribute to the Beijing Olympics, I'll be satisfied!" Hearing Zhang Yimou's statement, the boss nodded in satisfaction and then looked at Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Boss, can we consider this matter?"

Seeing this, the leader smiled and said, "Hehe, this is just a suggestion. Whether it is adopted or not depends on your thoughts. You can discuss it slowly when you get back. But personally, I really think your plan is quite good. It would be a real pity to miss out on it."

The leader then stood up and said, "Alright, it's getting late, let's call it a day!"

Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou also got up together to see the leader off. After the leader was gone, Zhang Yimou looked at Wu Yuchen and said, "Director Wu, junior brother Wu, just agree. At this point, this is the only way!"

Wu Yuchen sighed: "Senior Brother Zhang, this plan is the result of half a year of hard work and dedication from you and your team. I..."

Zhang Yimou held Wu Yuchen's hand and said, "Junior Brother Wu, this is not only the result of my and my team's hard work, but also your contribution. Otherwise, this plan would not exist!"
Moreover, only you, as the chief director, can ensure that our six months of work are not wasted and that our project survives!
Whether I'm the director or not doesn't matter; my biggest wish right now is to see it succeed!

Wu Yuchen felt the strength of Zhang Yimou's hand gripping his tightly, and seeing the pleading look in Zhang Yimou's eyes, he could no longer utter a word of refusal, and nodded with a smile.

When Zhang Yimou saw that Wu Yuchen had finally agreed, he immediately smiled and said, "Junior Brother Wu, thank you so much this time! I will definitely follow your instructions if you become the chief director!"

Zhang Yimou is truly grateful to Wu Yuchen; without Wu Yuchen's involvement, his project and team would have been doomed.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "Senior Brother Zhang, I am willing to be the chief director. However, who says there can only be one chief director for the Olympics?"

……

"An insider revealed that Zhang Yimou will withdraw from the competition to be the chief director of the Olympics!"

"Internal strife has erupted within Zhang Yimou's team, and the team has disbanded!"

"Zhang Yimou's team may withdraw from the Olympic Games!"

On the other side, Zhang Weiping was in front of his computer, watching the barrage of criticism against Zhang Yimou online and feeling a surge of satisfaction at the plight of Zhang Yimou's team.

He had been plotting this fatal blow ever since he broke up with Zhang Yimou six months ago. For the past eight years, he had managed all of Zhang Yimou's affairs, especially his extramarital affairs, which he had always kept in his hands, intending to use them to retaliate against Zhang Yimou.

He just hadn't expected that his attitude towards Zhang Yimou's mother six months ago would cross her bottom line, causing Zhang Yimou to explode and retaliate fiercely, to the point that even using this weapon of coercion failed. "But since you, Zhang Yimou, are so heartless and unwilling to continue making money for me, don't blame me for ruining your reputation!"
As Zhang Weiping had planned, the incident was exposed on the eve of the Olympic opening ceremony election, immediately attracting the attention of the people across the country and triggering a surge of public anger, all directed at Zhang Yimou, even more intense than the release of "Hero" two years ago and the dark 8 minutes in Athens last year!
Zhang Weiping grinned smugly. This time, Zhang Yimou was beyond redemption; he was destined to be forever branded with shame. Moreover, if this blow crippled him, Zhang Weiping would be even happier! Dare to defy me? See if I don't destroy you!
The following day, Zhang Weiping invited several reporters to give interviews:
“Starting with ‘Keep Cool,’ I’ve invested in 11 of his films, and apart from ‘Happy Times,’ none of them have gone smoothly. I’ve shouldered so much trouble for him over the years; Zhang Yimou is no pushover. I haven’t made any money from him all these years, and I’m always cleaning up his messes. Being a producer is no easy job!”

Listening to Zhang Weiping's words, which were half complaint and half sob story, the reporters knew they had come to the right place and eagerly asked:
"Producer Zhang, is it now confirmed that you and Zhang Yimou have stopped working together? Can you talk about the reasons for the breakup six months ago?"

Zhang Weiping nodded, then shrugged and said:

"Yes, we have stopped working together. There are some reasons, and I didn't want to tell outsiders. I haven't announced it to the public for the past six months, but now everyone has seen it."

The reporter quickly pressed further, "Are you saying that Director Zhang's mistake of having more children than allowed led to your breakup?"

Zhang Weiping shook his head and sighed, "We've been buddies for over ten years and have been partners for ten years. If it's just for something like this, I can definitely forgive him."

Since he did this, of course I could only help him keep it a secret. I've been advising him for a long time that if he's with someone, he should fulfill his responsibilities as a man and marry the girl, but I don't know what he's thinking, he just won't listen and has been dragging it out until now!
There are many things I'm still keeping from him. Don't ask, I won't tell. We're brothers after all.

Zhang Weiping has always presented a carefree and generous image to the public, and he continues to maintain this image as a good older brother, appearing considerate of his good friend Zhang Yimou and taking responsibility for him.

Another reporter chimed in: "Many people say that Director Zhang has serious issues with his conduct. Besides Gong Li and now Chen Ting, are there any other actresses involved?"

Zhang Weiping immediately shook his head with a righteous expression and said, "I can't say that, not for Zhang Yimou, but for those actresses. Our domestic actresses are already at a disadvantage when facing directors. Sometimes, for the sake of opportunities or the demands of big directors, they have no choice but to do so. I can't hurt them any further."

Zhang Weiping appeared very responsible, but the reporters were overjoyed. Although he didn't reveal anything, you can tell from his words that Zhang Yimou had had inappropriate relationships with more than just Gong Li among the actresses he had worked with.

In that case, all those "Zhang Yimou girls" will be dragged into the discussion, which will generate a lot of buzz and viewership! This kind of gossip is exactly what audiences love to watch these days, and it's not just reporters making things up; it's Zhang Weiping himself making it up!

(End of this chapter)