Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 99 Mixed joys and sorrows
Seeing Wang Zuxian hesitating while holding two scripts, Qi Qin walked over and asked:

"Little Fairy, do you want to go back to acting?"

"I'm just looking around, I haven't rested enough yet~" Wang Zuxian turned around and smiled at Qi Qin.

Qi Qin knew that Wang Zuxian must have some designs on her:
"You've been on hiatus for three years now. Actually, I don't mind; I just want you to do what you love. But I bet your fans are missing you terribly!"

Compared to their first relationship, the two have matured considerably this time and are trying their best to understand and tolerate each other.

The relationship between Wang Zuxian and Qi Qin is a complicated and tangled one.

They met in 86 and started dating the following year. Their relationship was the envy of many, even reaching the point of meeting each other's parents. However, Wang Zuxian's family was extremely dissatisfied with Qi Qin. While he was undoubtedly musically talented, he also had many bad habits: a bad temper, extravagance, and a penny-pinching attitude. He had no savings and was considered an extremely unreliable man by his elders. This ultimately led to their breakup in 90.

When a top beauty like Wang Zuxian, with her immense fame, breaks up with her boyfriend, she naturally attracts many suitors, including the wealthy tycoon Lin Jianyue. Rumor has it that Lin Jianyue pursued Wang Zuxian for three years. Initially, Wang Zuxian was very resistant to him, refusing even flowers. However, Lin Jianyue not only helped her get rid of harassment from some triads and other forces, but he also actually divorced his wife, which threw her into turmoil.

The same thing done by an ordinary person and done by a super-rich person have completely different effects. An ordinary person might not even glance at you if you divorced your spouse, but a super-rich person would divorce you and pay 4 million in divorce settlements. How could you not be moved?

Few women could resist such an offensive, and Wang Zuxian was no real ethereal fairy who didn't partake in worldly affairs.

Then came the incident where Lin's mother told reporters, "I'll just assume my son found a prostitute outside," which caused an uproar throughout Hong Kong, ruining Wong Cho-sin's reputation and forcing her to flee Hong Kong in disgrace and retire from the entertainment industry.

In 96, Qi Qin, who was going through a low point in her life, thought of Wang Zuxian and wrote a song for her called "Don't Let My Tears Accompany Me Through the Night," which moved Wang Zuxian to tears, and the two rekindled their relationship.

After acting for so many years, Wang Zuxian actually misses it a bit after taking a break for a few years. However, she will not consider acting in Hong Kong or Taiwan anymore, after all, the media in those two places criticized her too harshly back then.

At this moment, she held two scripts in her hands. One was an invitation from Japan for the science fiction film "Bridget Jones," in which she would play a female agent. The other was "My Brothers and Sisters," which Wu Yuchen had sent to her through someone.

Wang Zuxian thought for a moment and asked Qi Qin, "Which of these two do you think is better?"

After listening to Wang Zuxian's brief explanation, Qi Qin rubbed her chin and said:

"I feel it's weird that Japanese people are making a film about our Chinese BJ Ape Man. And the story of 'My Brothers and Sisters' seems a bit cliché. Hmm, they're all just so-so..."

Wang Zuxian gently patted him: "Hey, you're quite picky!"

"I don't know anything about acting, but I can sing. If I had to choose, I'd pick 'My Brothers and Sisters,' since it's related to music!" Qi Qin said with a smile.

“How can you be so picky about roles?” Wang Zuxian joked with Qi Qin again.

……

On the other side, Wu Yuchen was also lying in bed talking to Zeng Li on the phone.

"Is filming going smoothly for your crew?"

"When you mentioned this, I was quite worried about how difficult it was to film these kids' scenes. But after two weeks of filming, it's gotten smoother and smoother. Today we filmed a scene where they were crying as they parted ways. Their crying was so moving, it was heartbreaking to hear and see. Even if you called over everyone in your class, none of them could compare!"

This isn't Wu Yuchen exaggerating; the young actors really did a fantastic job today. Although children are a bit unpredictable, their emotions are sometimes more genuine and pure, and when children cry, it's definitely more impactful than when adults do.

"What you're saying makes me feel like I'm not even as good as a child. What am I going to do about my exam next week?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen remembered this: "Pear, how are your preparations going?"

"I don't know either. I see that my classmates are all well-prepared, so I'm quite unsure of myself," Zeng Li said, sounding a little unsure. The Central Academy of Drama's tradition of eliminating freshmen made everyone in Class 96 very nervous, and Zeng Li was no exception.

Wu Yuchen felt he needed to reduce her stress, so after thinking for a moment, he said:
"Relax, you'll definitely be fine. Let me tell you something. About two weeks ago in Beijing, I was passing by Shichahai Lake that night. It was already frozen over, and the moonlight shone through after the snow, making it look silvery white. I thought it was quite poetic when suddenly a loud wailing sound startled me!"

"That's pretty creepy. You're not running away, are you?"

"I initially wanted to run away too, but then I thought this might be good material, so I followed the sound and saw a tall, dark figure standing in the middle, looking up and howling. I almost thought I'd encountered a werewolf. But when I got closer, guess who it was?"

"Huh? I know him?" Zeng Li asked in surprise.

Wu Yuchen nodded: "I know him, he's from your class!"

"From our class! Who is it?" This piqued Zeng Li's curiosity.

Wu Yuchen didn't keep her in suspense any longer: "Liu Ye!"

Upon hearing this, Zeng Li immediately pictured Liu Ye, a big, clumsy guy, standing in the middle of a lake in the middle of the night, howling like a ghost, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Really? You're not kidding me, are you?"

Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, go ask him, but I bet he won't admit it.

After laughing a few times, Zeng Li asked with concern, "What's wrong with Liu Ye? Why is he crying at Shichahai so late at night?"

"Hehe, I have to say something bad about your class. He said the end of the semester is coming soon, but after he looked around, no one in the class was willing to perform with him."

"I had no idea there was such a thing! In my memory, he played basketball on the school court every day, and he didn't seem to be in a hurry."

"They don't seem worried on the surface, but they're secretly frantic. They're too embarrassed to cry in their dorm, so they end up going to Shichahai to cry late at night."

Zeng Li covered her mouth and laughed as she listened, finding it hard to believe that Liu Ye, who usually seemed so concerned with his image, could do such a thing.

"Hey, has Liu Ye found someone to work with yet?"

"Yes, he and Zhang Ziyi are rehearsing a skit together now. Ziyi has been practicing until after midnight every night lately."

Unbeknownst to Wu Yuchen, while he and Zeng Li were talking about Liu Ye and Zhang Ziyi, the two of them were burying their faces in their hands and sobbing uncontrollably because they felt their performance was terrible and they were sure to be eliminated by the teachers.

……

"action!"

In the video, a four- or five-year-old girl with pigtails and rosy cheeks stands obediently, while her fourteen-year-old older brother, Qi Yiku, squats down, holds her little hand, and says:

"Qi Miao, be good here, your brother will definitely come to see you!" "Can my sister and brother come to see me too?"

"Okay, I promise you, they will definitely come."

"Brother, when you come again, please bring my candy, okay?"

Young Qi Yi nodded, his voice now nasal and tearful: "I will definitely bring it to you!"

"And please bring me the little doll and duckling I left at home too, okay?" the little girl continued to plead.

"it is good!"

The boy couldn't bear to hear his sister's plea any longer. After speaking, he turned his back, stood up, bowed to the elderly couple in front of him, and cried, "Grandpa and Grandma, thank you for taking care of my sister. I will come to see her often!"

The boy's voice was already hoarse. After speaking, he lowered his head, turned around and left without looking at his sister again.

The four- or five-year-old girl, watching her brother's retreating figure as he was about to leave the room, realized what was about to happen. She stood there obediently, but couldn't help but sob softly, tears streaming down her face. She whimpered intermittently, "Brother... Brother! Brother!"

The boy at the door heard his sister crying and felt a pang of pain in his heart. He couldn't help but turn around to take one last look at his sister. With tears in his eyes, he looked at the small girl in the red cotton-padded jacket in front of him, but in the end, he hardened his heart and stepped out the door.

The boy stepped out the door, pulling his younger siblings along: "Let's go!"

"Where's my little sister? Why isn't she coming out?" the little boy asked.

"Let's go!" The boy didn't reply, but just pulled his younger siblings along.

Just then, a heart-wrenching cry came from the house behind them. Before the boy could take a few steps, the crying grew closer and closer. The little boy turned around and saw his little sister walking with her short legs in the snow, wailing "Brother!" as she desperately chased after them.

In an instant, Qi Tian and Qi Sitian broke free from Qi Yiku's hands and ran back to their youngest sister. Qi Yiku, who could no longer hold back, also rushed over and hugged his younger brother and sister. The group of them embraced and cried.

Even Wu Yuchen, who was filming, felt a little tearful because of the crying. However, he still directed the two cameramen to quickly capture this touching scene from different angles. Such a good performance should not be wasted!

"Pass!"

Several crew members rushed over to comfort the children who were still huddled together and crying.

After filming this scene, Wu Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief. The young actors were getting better and better. They were able to act so well in the climax of the older brother sending his younger siblings off. He estimated that filming would be completed in the next few days, and he would be able to notify the adult actors to come over.

Just as he was letting the crew take a break, the phone rang.

"Hello, Director Han, what's up?"

"Haha, that's great news! Wang Zuxian just contacted us and said she's interested in 'My Brothers and Sisters'!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen almost coughed up the water he had just drunk:
"What? Really?"

"Of course it's true. I gave them your phone number, and they'll probably contact you soon."

Wu Yuchen opened his mouth. He thought Wang Zuxian definitely wouldn't be coming, since he had already made arrangements with Jiang Qinqin. Why did she suddenly call again?

He wanted to say that the show was already halfway through filming, but Han Sanping must know the situation of the crew. The adult scenes haven't been filmed yet, and if Wang Zuxian is quick, she can join the crew in time.

Wu Yuchen rubbed his temples and asked, "Director Han, I have a question. If Wang Zuxian were willing to come, how much would you be willing to pay her?"

Han Sanping pondered for a moment and said, "Back then, Leslie Cheung only asked for 100 million to act in 'Farewell My Concubine,' so let's use that as a benchmark. I think anything under 100 million is acceptable. What do you think, Xiao Wu?"

When Leslie Cheung starred in "Farewell My Concubine," he lowered his fee from 300 million to 100 million. In the early 90s, Joey Wong's fee was already 200 million. She was willing to make a comeback in Hong Kong, and now there are plenty of film companies willing to pay her high prices to film. 100 million is not a high fee for her.

"I understand." Wu Yuchen understood Han Sanping's attitude after hearing this.

After hanging up the phone, Wu Yuchen felt a little conflicted. He remembered that Wang Zuxian had rarely made movies since retiring from the Hong Kong entertainment industry. If Wang Zuxian could participate in his film this time, it would definitely be a major selling point. Moreover, he himself was quite eager to work with this superstar from Hong Kong's golden age.

However, what troubled him was that he had already spoken with Jiang Qinqin, and she had probably been preparing for this role for quite some time.

Wu Yuchen sat back in the director's chair, deep in thought. He remembered that Wang Zuxian had starred in a Japanese movie called "Bridget Jones" in 97, a movie that her fans probably wouldn't watch.

He sighed. Wang Zuxian's reply was too slow. He had sent the script over a month ago and only then did she respond. Even half a month earlier would have been fine.

Actually, it's not uncommon for production crews to replace actors at the last minute, even after filming has already started. And Jiang Qinqin hasn't even joined the crew yet. But Wu Yuchen feels sorry for her, thinking she might have prepared for nothing.

Sure enough, the phone rang again after a while.

"Hello Director Wu, I am Wang Zuxian."

Hearing the clear, cool Taiwanese female voice coming from the phone, Wu Yuchen had already composed himself and politely said:
"Hello Ms. Wang, to be honest, I was really pleasantly surprised that you contacted us. I was just trying my luck, but I didn't expect you to actually call me back!"

"I'm sorry, Director Wu, something came up and I was delayed, so I saw the script quite late. Your script really touched me. I also have an older brother, so I understand this kind of sibling relationship very well. I heard from Director Han that your crew has already started filming. Am I already late? If so..."

"Oh, not yet. I'm currently filming my childhood scenes, so you can join the crew in a week. Ms. Wang, I really hope to work with you, but it's a low-budget film, so I probably can't offer you a very high salary. I wonder..."

Wang Zuxian smiled upon hearing this: "Actually, I haven't acted in three years. I'm already past my prime. How about 50 for the fee?"

Wu Yuchen was taken aback. So they're really understanding of our mainland production crew?
"Director Wu, do you think it's too high?"

"Oh, no, no, how about 50? We'd be embarrassed to go any lower! We'll be waiting for Miss Wang then. Just a reminder, bring some warm clothes, it's especially cold here in Harbin right now!"

"Okay, thank you for reminding me, Director Wu. Actually, I'm very interested in the heavy snow in the north, so I'll go and experience it this time!"

After hanging up the phone, Wu Yuchen recalled that Wang Zuxian had acted in two more art films after the millennium, and he had heard that she had appeared in them at a friendly price. Now it seems that this is indeed the case.

However, Wu Yuchen then scratched his head. This time, he really had to explain things to Jiang Qinqin. Losing a role that was almost in her hands must be hard for her. Words alone might not be enough. It seemed he would have to write a script specifically to comfort her.

(End of this chapter)