Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 389 Filming Begins

Seeing how hard Fan Bingbing had worked for him, and knowing she wanted to become famous, Wu Yuchen gave her that opportunity.

Fan Bingbing hasn't really had any big-budget production opportunities since her debut, but the role of the fox demon Xiao Wei in "Painted Skin" is perfect for her. She can pull off this role just by her face and beauty.

When it comes to beauty, Fan Bingbing is definitely an unavoidable figure in the Chinese entertainment industry.

In her past life, Fan Bingbing was the only one who could still have a large number of casual fans in the entertainment industry reminisce about her beauty even when she was partially blacklisted.

No matter how much people who dislike her criticize her, almost no one criticizes her for not being pretty, because it has to be admitted that she really is beautiful! Even Liu Qianqian has a lot of people criticizing her appearance and figure, but Fan Bingbing really doesn't have that problem!

It was only after Bingbing was removed from the internet that a bunch of other actresses like Dilraba, Gulnazar, and Zhang Yuqi emerged and started outshining her on the red carpet. If Bingbing hadn't been removed from the internet, they would all have to call her "sir," and she could have overshadowed all those other glamorous stars who were barely surviving.

In "Painted Skin," there are actually two female leads, plus a virtuous wife character with a significant amount of screen time. This character was played by Zhao Yanzi in her previous life, and Wu Yuchen is unlikely to cast her again this time. Jiang Qinqin would actually be suitable for the role, but I suspect her mind isn't on this anymore, so it's best not to waste her talent.

Wu Yuchen had already chosen a suitable candidate: Gao Yuanyuan!
Fan Bingbing lacks leading roles in big-budget productions, and Gao Yuanyuan is in a similar situation, except that she might not be as career-driven as Fan Bingbing, so she didn't specifically ask Wu Yuchen for one. However, Wu Yuchen naturally keeps the beautiful Gao Yuanyuan in mind.

Whether you promote one or two, it's all the same. So, it's a good idea to promote both Fan Bingbing and Gao Yuanyuan at once, and have them act opposite each other. One will play a virtuous wife, and the other a seductive mistress—perfect!
Moreover, "Painted Skin" is a subject that Tsui Hark is good at filming. Whether it's "A Chinese Ghost Story" or "Green Snake", you can see that he has a knack for filming ghost stories.

As for whether he's willing or not? Don't be ridiculous, he's busy making money!
Tsui Hark's two big-budget productions flopped in a row, and now Wu Yuchen is extending an olive branch, giving him this opportunity, which he can't be happier to accept!
Two days later, Fan Bingbing attended the premiere of "Fast & Furious 3".

"Fast & Furious 3" grossed 973 million on its opening day, failing to even break the 3 million mark. It grossed 2400 million over its opening weekend. However, Fan Bingbing was very happy. Since there weren't many big releases this week, she could brag about winning the weekly box office champion. But what truly made her happy was the "Painted Skin" project that Wu Yuchen had promised her. The big director and big production she had been longing for had finally arrived!

A few days later, after arranging matters in Hollywood, Wu Yuchen took his private jet and, with Fan Bingbing, once again traveled thousands of miles back to China.

Upon returning, Wu Yuchen's first stop was to visit Li Xiaoran, who was nearly five months pregnant and whose belly was already showing.

Wu Yuchen pressed his head against it, and Li Xiaoran poked his forehead with her finger: "He's only 5 months old, what can he possibly hear!"

"Hey, the doctor said you can feel the baby move around four and a half months, maybe I'll hear it!"

Unfortunately, Wu Yuchen pressed his face against it for a long time, his neck ached, and he still didn't hear anything.

Li Xiaoran giggled and said, "It's no use telling you, look at you so silly~"

However, while she was laughing, she was also rubbing Wu Yuchen's neck.

Wu Yuchen hummed and said, "I'm happy to!"

Li Xiaoran pressed Wu Yuchen down and asked, "Have you thought about naming your child yet?"

Wu Yuchen immediately shook his head: "Uh, you've asked the wrong person. The right to name a child doesn't belong to me, it belongs to my parents!"

Li Xiaoran complained, "Honestly, it's just the two of us having the baby, not them, yet they're worrying about everything. My dad's the same, he's already come up with several names!"

Wu Yuchen smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, let those old folks discuss it themselves."

Wu Yuchen was enjoying Li Xiaoran's massage when he suddenly felt a warm, soft body press against his back. He heard Li Xiaoran whisper in his ear, biting his earlobe and breathing hot air, "Husband, I want it..."

Wu Yuchen was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Sis, are you sure you can do it now?"

Li Xiaoran hugged Wu Yuchen and said, "It's okay. The doctor said it's not good in the first and last three months, but it's fine now that it's been five months!"

Wu Yuchen had also heard that during pregnancy, a woman's needs and desires are stronger than usual due to hormonal changes. Now it seems that this is indeed true.

Wu Yuchen turned around and carefully hugged Li Xiaoran in his arms. He felt that in addition to her swollen belly, her already large private parts had also increased in size and become even rounder, making her irresistible!

……

After showing concern for Li Xiaoran, who had quickly become a mother, Wu Yuchen went to see Jiang Qinqin. Just as Fan Bingbing described, Jiang Qinqin didn't mention marriage again. Instead, without saying a word, she pushed Wu Yuchen down and started juicing him! All she could think about now was the child!
Only Wu Yuchen, with his extensive experience, could withstand Jiang Qinqin's relentless exploitation.

However, he was all smiles; as long as marriage wasn't mentioned, nothing else mattered. His troubles in the household were finally gone, and he could now enjoy peace and tranquility!
With his home life resolved, Wu Yuchen naturally focused his energy on his work, with the Olympics being his primary concern.

"No, what's the difference between your choreography and regular drumming? Singing while striking the drum must showcase the grandeur of Chinese culture. It must be solemn, beautiful, and refreshing!"

Wu Yuchen reviewed the several sets of choreography designs for "singing while striking the earthen jar" provided by the director and rejected them all, as they did not meet his requirements at all, and sent them back to be redone.

Then he asked Zhang Yimou, "Brother Zhang, how's the making of the jar going?"

Zhang Yimou shook his head: "The time is still a bit short. They produced several, but I don't think any of them are good enough." Wu Yuchen said calmly: "No rush. There is still enough time. Let them adjust and test little by little. They will eventually get the sound we want."

He then turned his attention to another important program: "What about movable type printing? How are they doing with their trials?"

Movable type printing is one of the Four Great Inventions and a highlight of the Olympics. The movable type model simulated by the actors was incredibly lifelike, and when the eye-catching character "和" (harmony) appeared, it won applause from the entire audience.

Zhang Yimou sighed: "It's difficult. Performing in such a large venue as the Bird's Nest, the undulation of these letter molds must reach 4.5 meters to be effective. But the key is that each letter mold we customized weighs 28 kilograms. Lifting a 28-kilogram letter mold to a height of 4.5 meters in one second, and with the distance between the letter molds not exceeding 5 centimeters, is indeed quite difficult!"

This nomination isn't controlled by machines; it's all performed by people. Even soldiers would struggle with such a performance, and the probability of making mistakes is extremely high.

Zhang Yimou then said, "Now many people are suggesting that we change this program and make it something that can be implemented."

Wu Yuchen frowned upon hearing this. If he could make movable type printing in his previous life, there was no reason he couldn't do it now. He thought for a moment and said to Zhang Yimou:
"The current problem isn't with the actors, but with the props. So, we need to apply to have some experts in materials science and physics come over and think of some solutions. First, we need to solve the prop problem by seeing if we can find ways to reduce the weight by working on the materials. Second, we need to address the issue of the props' force application by seeing if we can design a smaller force application method and also solve the spacing problem."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yimou's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands, exclaiming, "That's right! How come I didn't think of that! It's definitely time to call on scientists!"

Wu Yuchen chuckled upon hearing this: "Sometimes when we can't do something ourselves, we have to seek help. Now that it's the Olympics, we have to use the power of people from all walks of life!"

He just remembered that the program did encounter many difficulties, and in the end, it was only by inviting experts from Tsinghua University that they were able to solve all the problems. Now, Wu Yuchen has brought out professionals in advance, saving the production team from doing all sorts of useless work and wasting time.

Wu Yuchen spent ten days reviewing the situation of all the Olympic-related programs. He provided solutions or guidance for some of the problems encountered, and also suppressed some voices that wanted to change the programs.

Wu Yuchen calculated the time. It was the end of June, and there were still nearly three months before the final plan was submitted in September. However, he had already finalized the plan and dealt with any objections.

He should be able to spare about two months to film "Reign of Assassins". Even if there are any problems with the Olympics, there is still one month to deal with them. Besides, he is filming in China, so if anything serious happens, they can come to him anytime.

It's hard to say whether Jiang Qinqin had taken special care of her health before Wu Yuchen came back, but as soon as he returned, she kept asking him for seeds every day, and sure enough, two lines appeared on her testicles two weeks later!

This made Jiang Qinqin extremely happy. She even took Wu Yuchen to the hospital for a check-up and only went home happily after getting the accurate results.

This allowed Wu Yuchen to stay in Beijing for another week. Naturally, he had to inform his parents and so on. Then, they arranged a "Li Xiaoran" package for him, and only then was Wu Yuchen able to leave with peace of mind.

Since the project was first announced last year, preparations for "Reign of Assassins" have been underway for quite some time, and sets have been specially built in Xiangshan for the filming.

Most importantly, the main actors have all made ample preparations. Zeng Li, in particular, is the absolute leading lady. She knows that this film, "Reign of Assassins," was made specifically for her by Wu Yuchen, and she has worked exceptionally hard for the past six months, putting in a great deal of effort in both dramatic and action scenes.

However, after filming began, the female lead who came up to film was not Zeng Li, but Yu Feihong.

The opening scene of "Reign of Assassins" tells the story of the assassin, Drizzle, who is ordered to assassinate the Grand Secretary, then betrays the organization, taking not only half of the remains of Rama, but also 80 taels of silver. As a result, the Black Stone Organization issues a bounty on her, offering 80 taels plus a 5 tael gold reward for killing her and bringing back Rama's remains. Assassins from all over the land are thus mobilized.

The first scene being filmed is an action sequence where three groups of assassins team up to ambush and kill Xi Yu. And it's not a one-on-one fight; it's a group scene. This is the first action sequence the film will present to the audience, so it needs to be exciting to grab their attention; it also needs to establish the characters well, showcasing Xi Yu's exceptional skills; and it needs to reflect the film's style.

Therefore, Wu Yuchen also strived for perfection in this fight scene from the very beginning, filming it repeatedly.

"3, 2, 1, action!"

In the scene, Yu Feihong, wearing a straw raincoat and a black cloak, walks on a path in the forest. Her face is cold and aloof, and at first glance, you can tell that this woman is cold and cool!
A farmhouse came into view ahead. A hen clucked, an old woman was whittling bamboo in the fence, and a seven or eight-year-old boy had just finished urinating by the roadside. He pulled up his pants and was about to run back to the yard, laughing innocently. Everything looked harmonious and beautiful.

As the little boy passed by Xiyu, her right hand was already gripping the hilt of her silver sword. But the little boy didn't move until he had run two steps behind Xiyu, then turned back with a smile and called out, "Hey, sister..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Fine Rain Sword was drawn and swept across his neck with lightning speed. The little boy froze, and a bundle of hidden arrows, which had not yet been fired, could be seen in the sleeve he had just raised!

Watching Yu Feihong's action, Wu Yuchen nodded in approval. This first move not only showcased the speed and agility of Xiyu's techniques and movements, but also revealed her astute alertness and ruthless cruelty as an assassin. Of course, the audience also found this kind of strong female lead very cool!

Seeing that the ambush had been exposed by Xiyu, the others suddenly flew out from all directions and surrounded and attacked Xiyu!
The assassins who besieged Xiyu here were also very interesting. Unlike the uniform group of burly men in previous movies, they were a group of distinctive individuals: the Divine Detective, the Killer Bear, the Man-Eating Bear, the Ghost Granny, and the Ghost Grandson.

The little boy who was just killed was Ghost Grandson, and the old woman was Ghost Granny. The two traveled together. Ghost Grandson's weapon was a hidden arrow, while Ghost Granny's weapon was her dragon-headed cane.

Killer Bear is a burly man wielding a pair of grappling hooks, capable of both ranged and melee attacks. Man-eating Bear, on the other hand, is a strangely shaped woman wielding two short curved knives. They are clearly a husband-and-wife bandit duo working seamlessly together.

The constable was an old man, who looked like an old farmer, and charged straight at him wielding an iron rod.

This setting also uses a saying that is repeatedly mentioned in Gu Long's martial arts world, which is that when traveling in the martial arts world, you must be careful of three types of people: the elderly, children and monks. The elderly and children are included.

Moreover, the five assassins each wield a unique weapon, completely different from the swords and spears found in previous martial arts films, creating the eerie feeling of Gu Long's martial arts world!

(End of this chapter)