1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

The walkie-talkie in Xie Jin's hand slammed onto the stone steps with a "bang," and the battery rolled to Gong Xue's feet.

"You little brat..." Xie Jin's voice suddenly split, as if half of it had been blown away by a mountain breeze, "I've been waiting for you so long that my camera is practically rusting!"

Cheng Xuemin smiled. Actually, he had been there for a while, but Gong Xue and the others were so engrossed in filming that he hadn't shown himself.

After the last take was filmed, Cheng Xuemin shouted, "This take is done!" which alerted Lao Xie and the others.

"Director Xie, are you joking? If I hadn't come soon, your 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' might have to be renamed 'Waiting on Lushan Mountain'."

Cheng Xuemin stepped forward and, jokingly, said to Xie Jin.

"You, you, when did you learn to joke with me, Lao Xie!" Lao Xie stepped forward and hugged the kid tightly, shaking his hand excitedly, "But it was a good joke! If you hadn't come, our Lushan Romance would have really been shut down!"

The entire crew gathered around; this was none other than the influential figure, Comrade Cheng Xuemin, a pioneer of reform and opening up.

Their entire crew came from the Shanghai Film Studio, so apart from Xie Jin and Gong Xue, everyone else had only heard of Cheng Xuemin's great reputation but had never actually met him.

It's quite remarkable that the newcomer is so young and has become such a close friend of Xie Jin from their film studio.

The camera was still rolling, capturing the entire unexpected commotion.

"I wanted to give you a surprise," Cheng Xuemin said happily, his arms tightly held by Xie Jin. He then asked Xie Jin, "What's wrong? Filming stopped? Is it that kissing scene? Old Xie, you still can't make up your mind?"

Cheng Xuemin was well aware of Lao Xie's concerns. Back when he was still in Yanjing, he had received quite a few calls from Lao Xie.

The most frequently mentioned issue is that the entire movie has too many minefields, especially a kissing scene, which is a fatal minefield.

Since Cheng Xuemin didn't come to support him, Xie Jin really didn't dare to film.

So the kissing scene was left unfinished for a while, with the plan to carefully consider it after Cheng Xuemin came over.

"That's right!" Old Xie gave a bitter smile.

"Old Xie, back when you were competing with our old factory director for the script, you weren't as restrained as you are now. You made a big promise back then."

Cheng Xuemin retorted to Lao Xie, saying that Xie Jin had made a solemn promise to film the entire script in order to win the role.

But what's wrong now?
They're actually stopping filming altogether, afraid to continue?

"I didn't think that much at the time; my first priority was to get your script!"

"How was I supposed to know that there was such a huge bombshell in this script!"

Xie Jin gently punched Cheng Xuemin, then led Cheng Xuemin to a brief meeting with the main members of the production team.

"Xuemin, I...I...I'm a little nervous!"

They're men!
Upon meeting, they went straight to the point, so bluntly bringing up that kissing scene. This made Gong Xue, who had just been overjoyed and excited to see her "Huangtu classmate," blush instantly, and she even took a half step back behind the pine tree while holding the script.

Moreover, the leaders of the General Political Department's Cultural Troupe specifically instructed them before their departure: "Be mindful of the impact."

But Gong Xue didn't expect that there would be a kissing scene in this movie.

Imagine if she were to kiss a strange man, and it happened on the big screen, shown nationwide.

One can imagine the enormous impact that would have.

“It’s right to be nervous!” Cheng Xuemin nodded to Gong Xue, completely understanding her. He then opened the script and marked the scene where “Zhou Yun kisses Geng Hua on tiptoe”.

Suddenly, he looked up and asked Gong Xue, "Do you remember how the last line of 'Night at the Military Port' goes?"

"The waves gently rocked the warship..." Gong Xue subconsciously added, her voice still carrying the melodious tone of the song.

“That’s the feeling.” Cheng Xuemin shoved the script into her hands. “Zhou Yun grew up overseas and has a passionate streak in her bones.”

Geng Hua is the descendant of a military family and possesses a stubborn streak.

This kissing scene wasn't about being indecent; it was two young people expressing their innermost feelings in the most direct way.

He crouched down to adjust the monitor angle, so that the screen perfectly reflected the sea of ​​clouds over Hanpokou. He continued, "Think about it, when the audience sees this, won't they think of the person they hold dear in their hearts?"

Xie Jin nodded vigorously beside him, only jumping up when his cigarette burned his fingers, and said, "I knew it! Xuemin's words hit the nail on the head. What we're filming isn't about indecent behavior, it's about art and the human heart!"

Gong Xue's fingers, gripping the script, turned white, and her lips were clenched so tightly that the words "kissing scene" on the script seemed to bleed.

As she watched Cheng Xuemin squatting on the ground gesturing, she suddenly recalled a border guard who, during a performance to comfort troops in Northeast China, held her hand and said, "Comrade Gong, 'Night at the Military Port' reminds me of my boyfriend."

“If it’s really difficult…” Cheng Xuemin’s voice softened, “we can use camera angles to fake it, with the camera passing over the shoulder, so that it looks real to the audience.”

"No need!" Gong Xue suddenly spoke, her voice softer than the mountain breeze, yet it silenced everyone.

She took a deep breath and handed the script to Xie Jin. "Director Xie, Xuemin is right. Zhou Yun won't hide."

indeed!

Zhou Yun didn't dodge, but Geng Hua did!

The actor playing Geng Hua this time is Guo Kaimin from Shanghai Film Studio. He was not originally a student actor, but an educated youth who had been criticized.

So after experiencing those difficult years, he wasn't as carefree in nature.

Therefore, he was even more resistant to this kissing scene than Gong Xue.

Gong Xue has finally taken this step, but Guo Kaimin would rather quit the show and leave the production than film this kissing scene.

"Xiao Guo, what's wrong with you? How can you just say you won't film anymore?"

"With so many people in our team, so many days of hard work, and the support and investment from the country, do you think you can just say 'we're not filming anymore' and call it a day?"

Xie Jin never expected that the biggest challenge in this kissing scene wouldn't be the female lead, Gong Xue, but rather the male lead, Guo Kaimin.

Damn it!

This is the result of Lao Xu's insistence on using more actors from his own production studio!

Now look what's happened! When the time comes, this kid doesn't dare to film anymore, afraid of being scolded for being immoral!
Hey!
Xie Jin was truly speechless. If he had known what kind of person this kid was, he would have preferred to wait another year or two, determined to get Cheng Xuemin, the best 'Geng Hua,' before starting to film 'Romance on Lushan Mountain.'

After all, Xie Jin and Cheng Xuemin had a very easy, pleasant, and successful collaboration in their previous film, "The Herdsman."

Originally, Xie Jin wanted to recast the cast of the newly acquired "Romance on Lushan Mountain," with Cheng Xuemin playing Geng Hua and Zhu Lin playing Zhou Yun.

However, Cheng Xuemin felt that Gong Xue was more suitable for the role of Zhou Yun, so he recommended Gong Xue.

Now that Xie Jin has used it, he knows that Gong Xue is indeed very capable.

Unfortunately, Cheng Xuemin has other, more important tasks at hand and can't find the time to play Geng Hua right now. Originally, Xie Jin suggested he could wait!
Just like with "The Herdsman" in the first half of the year, wasn't he waiting for Cheng Xuemin to join the crew, which took almost half a year?
So, he could actually wait for "Romance on Lushan Mountain"!

However, Xu, the old director of his own factory, felt that the previously wildly popular film "The Herdsman" used actors from Yan Film Studio, which meant that their Shanghai Film Studio did not achieve much success.

This time, the female lead in "Romance on Lushan Mountain" was taken away again, so the male lead insisted on having someone from his own factory come to play the role.

Due to these considerations and pressures, Xie Jin had no choice but to use Guo Kaimin.

Now, although it's far inferior to Cheng Xuemin's, it's still passable, which makes Xie Jin feel a little better.

But little did Xie Jin know that in this crucial scene, after finally getting Cheng Xuemin to help Gong Xue, Guo Kaimin from their factory wanted to quit and refused to film anymore.

What the hell is going on here?!

"Is misalignment, as Xuemin said, not acceptable either?" Xie Jin asked Guo Kaimin with a gloomy expression.

If even a misalignment isn't acceptable, Xie Jin is determined to change his approach; he might as well replace him.

"Director Xie, you have to understand my difficulties!" Guo Kaimin still refused to back down, trying to get Xie Jin to understand his predicament.

"What the hell are you struggling with!"

"Did you even try to understand the difficulties your entire crew faced?!"

"Alright, you can get the hell out of here. I really don't believe that I can't make this movie without you!"

"You, Guo Kaimin, go back to Director Xu and make a self-criticism!"

Xie Jin was truly enraged. No matter how much he pleaded, it wouldn't work. "Fine, I'll just replace him then!"

"Old Xie, you've already filmed almost everything. If you change the actors now, wouldn't the loss be too great?"

"Let's try to persuade them further!"

It was an internal conflict at the Shanghai Film Studio, and Cheng Xuemin, as an outsider, certainly couldn't interfere. He simply sat in front of the camera and looked through Lao Xie's filming progress over the past few days.

I discovered that, apart from the scenes with Gong Xue, almost all the other scenes had already been filmed.

Just like when we filmed "The Herdsman," we filmed all the other scenes first, and then waited for the male lead, Cheng Xuemin, to join the crew so we could reshoot his scenes.

The same goes for "Romance on Lushan Mountain"; it's time for reshoots after Gong Xue, the female lead, enters the set.

So apart from his scenes with Gong Xue, the rest of the scenes were almost finished filming, and Lao Xie's movements were still very fast.

However, the scenes that are left most of now are those of the male and female protagonists.

If that actor named Guo Kaimin really goes on strike and refuses to film, then filming really won't be possible.

If they really change the male actor, then all the scenes that have been filmed before will have to be scrapped and reshot.

Otherwise, we'll have to use AI face-swapping, but where can we find AI face-swapping technology in this day and age?

"I don't care what kind of work I do, let him film me or not, it's up to him!"

Xie Jin remained furious, never expecting that the chain would break here.

"Then what should we do? Really replace the actor?"

"This is no joke. Do we have to tear everything down and start all over again?"

"Does your film studio provide you with such a large supply of film?"

Cheng Xuemin went straight to the point: these days, film stock is the scarcest resource. Generally, a film that's around 100 minutes long requires roughly the same amount of film.

If it exceeds the limit by a little, you can submit a report and it might be approved. But if it exceeds it by too much, although it will still be approved, the director will insist on a written explanation.

These days, everyone knows what writing a self-criticism means.

But Xie Jin wasn't just going to exceed the limit by too much; he wanted to scrap everything, rendering all the film used up earlier useless.

This isn't a question of whether or not to conduct a self-criticism; it's a question of whether or not the "Romance on Lushan Mountain" project should continue.

Originally, after evaluation by their Shanghai film studio inspection team, they were not very optimistic about launching the project.

It was the old factory director Xu Sangchu and veteran director Xie Jin who jointly decided to produce it.

So if this happens again, and the other party seizes on it once more, can the Lushan Love Project still continue?
“Perhaps there are indeed difficulties. Lao Xie, you should try to persuade them again!” Cheng Xuemin added.

"What difficulties could he possibly have!" Xie Jin's momentum plummeted, and he cursed dejectedly, "Isn't it just because he's afraid of his wife?"

"He was afraid this scene would be shown on the big screen and his wife would see it..."

I understand now, I have a tigress at home who's henpecked!
However, this is actually understandable. After all, these days, it's unthinkable to kiss another woman in public.

Even something as simple as holding hands or whistling at a woman can get you imprisoned if it's serious.

"If Xuemin really can't do it, I think you'll have to step in!" After taking another deep drag on his cigarette, Old Xie finally made up his mind and suggested to Cheng Xuemin.

"Huh?! Me?" Cheng Xuemin was taken aback. He was just there to visit the set. Old Xie, is it really okay for you to just conscript people like this?
"You're the one who goes!" Xie Jin added, "Okay, we won't change the scenes that have already been shot. We don't have enough film, so we'll scrap them all and start over!"

"But Xuemin, you have to help with the later scenes! You don't want our Lushan romance to be cut short halfway through because of that bastard, do you?"

Cheng Xuemin, of course, didn't want the Lushan Romance, which he had placed so much hope in, to be cut short and unable to continue filming. However, if he were to take over directly, where would he find the time to stay on Mount Lu and film Lushan Romance?

He could only shrug and say miserably, "Old Xie, I have a wife at home too!"

Lao Xie, your people were afraid of their wives at home, which is why they didn't dare to film this kissing scene, which was then made into a movie. But Lao Xie, didn't you ever think that Cheng Xuemin also has a wife at home?

If Cheng Xuemin really falls into Lao Xie's trap and accepts this kissing scene, how will he explain it to his wife when the movie is officially released and she sees it?
His wife had already mentioned to Cheng Xuemin that he had chosen the foot of Mount Lu as the location for filming the movie "Tai Chi".

The question was whether it was because Gong Xue was filming "Romance on Mount Lu" on Mount Lu, and he deliberately chose the location for the actual filming of "Tai Chi" at the foot of Mount Lu for easy movement.
At the time, Cheng Xuemin admitted that the location at the foot of Mount Lu was chosen because it would be convenient for people to move around together.

However, it wasn't to facilitate interaction between him and Gong Xue, but rather at Xie Jin's invitation, to make it easier for the two production teams to communicate and interact.

Now look what's happened, Xie Jin has dug such a huge hole for himself.

If he accepts this kissing scene, his wife will definitely say that he's not doing it to make it easier for him to get along with Xie Jin, but purely because he's after Gong Xue's kissing scene.

Cheng Xuemin was wrongfully killed!
……

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