Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 121: Eagle King's Gamble and Concubine Liu Yi's Gossip
Midnight, Peking Rose Garden.

After making love, the two of them breathed calmly and talked while lying on the bed.

The beautiful girl was afraid that her long hair would scratch Boss Lu, so she simply tied her hair up and leaned in his arms, her delicate hands rubbing circles on the man's chest.

"Bingbing, did you eat hot pot today?"

"what?"

"Hmm... a little spicy."

Fan Bingbing felt his big hands reaching deeper into his abdomen and patted him with a smile.

"You're like a salted duck egg! So yellow it's greasy!"

"Weren't you out promoting? Why are you back so suddenly?"

"Director Feng has a movie that's almost ready for production and they're casting. Sister Hua asked me to come back and give it a try."

Lu Kuan didn't stop lighting the cigarette, but he had a vague guess in his heart.

"You rejected their hype request, and the company didn't respond?"

Fan Bingbing also put his hand into the quilt.

"Sigh~"

Boss Lu shuddered.

"Why are you pinching it? You'll need it later."

Fan Bingbing rolled his eyes at him and said, "This is how I feel right now!"

"Your destiny is entirely in the hands of others."

"I heard from Sister Hua that the role chosen for me is the supporting actress in Director Feng's next Lunar New Year film, but..."

She gritted her teeth and said unwillingly, "The two bosses still haven't given up on designing a mistress route for me. This role doesn't seem to be that positive either."

After stealing a glance at the indifferent Lu Kuan, Fan Bingbing choked up and said, "Lu Kuan, can you help me..."

Boss Lu glanced at her misty eyes with amusement.

It’s really good. He can act as soon as he says he will.

If he doesn't respond, tears might start to flow.

A mature man will not let tears flow from a girl's eyes.

If you want to stream...

Boss Lu was confident: "Don't worry, I'll start the next movie after I finish the roadshow. You can use this excuse to refuse then."

Bingbing supported himself on the bed with his hands: "Really? Then I'm waiting for it!"

It would be a lie to say that she didn't feel aggrieved.

Liu Yifei's red carpet photos in Venice have gone viral, and the crazy growth in the number of her fans can be seen from the comments and views on her blog.

What is missing now is just a character that the public can remember.

And what about yourself?

In June, she risked her life and went to a hotel in Jiangsu Province, devoting herself inside and out to Lu Kuan.

During this period of time, I have been willing to give whatever I want and try to please others, which can be said to be my utmost dedication.

But Lu Kuan seemed to just let her stay in Huayi with peace of mind, without any advice or hints.

Are you, the Venice Golden Lion Award winner, trying to get laid?

Boss Lu naturally has his own considerations.

In view of the shadow of Wang Xiaolei behind Liu Zeyu's previous attempt to intercept "Chinese Paladin" and acquire shares in Red Star Studio;
And the little tricks he and Lu Chuan played against Whiplash at the Venice Film Festival;
Then there is the competition between the two companies in film and television productions that is expected to occur frequently in the near future.

Cooperation within the industry may be the norm, but Lu Kuan has to be prepared for struggle in advance.

Fan Bingbing's lurking will last at least until the listing.

And in this life, relying on Boss Lu's cooperation and support from the outside world, I want to get as many Huayi stocks as possible.

He had an idea that was far-reaching and had hidden threads...

On September 2002, 9, the crew of "Whiplash" held a premiere ceremony at the New Dong'an Cinema in Wangfujing, Beijing, which was the first stop of their roadshow.

Before "Hero" truly opened the glorious curtain for domestic films, the roadshow process for film distribution was actually relatively simple.

For general domestic films, the inland regions are Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, followed by Shenzhen and Chengdu, as well as Jinling, Suzhou, Lin'an and other places in the Yangtze River Delta.

These places can basically provide more than 80 percent of the votes.

But this time, Lu Kuan has arranged a very tight roadshow schedule for Whiplash.

Not only does it cover the above-mentioned first- and second-tier cities, but some provincial capital cities with strong consumption power in central and southern China are also included in the list.

Then came Hong Kong and Taiwan, and of course at that time we needed the cooperation of professionals from Emperor Entertainment Group.

The crew and the distributor basically have to maintain a tight schedule of 1-2 days per city, which is a test of the professional ability of the distribution team and the physical and mental state of the crew.

Why does Lukuan do this?
Friends over the age of 30 should have seen or heard of the movie "Warm Spring".

"Warm Spring" itself is famous for its tear-jerking theme, but it also created a small miracle in the field of film distribution.

In 2003, the crew of "Warm Spring", which cost only 200 million yuan, adopted the tactic of surrounding the cities from the countryside, and almost visited all the first- and second-tier cities in the country during the roadshow.

In the end, this film with no stars, no famous director and no background grossed 2000 million at the box office.

It's a miracle!

It can be seen that domestic film practitioners of this era have not yet truly realized the emerging domestic box office potential.

Boss Lu’s distribution strategy is a bit tiring, but for the sake of box office and profit, the Berna distributor led by Yu Dong is naturally happy to do so.

A large number of fans have gathered outside the cinema, and 80% of them are here for Jay Chou.

His album "Octave Space" was released in July and has currently sold a total of 7 copies, topping the charts in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

This album would become the best-selling album of 2002, and even more terrifyingly, it was just the beginning.

From 2002 to 2009, Jay Chou's album performance won eight consecutive championships in Greater China.

This is also the reason why Boss Lu chose him to join, for the box office, it’s not shabby.

The main creators were preparing for the premiere event on the spot, and Lu Kuan and Jay Chou, who had become familiar with him, were arm in arm in an unrefined manner.

"Jaylen, you said you're not as handsome as me, so why do so many fans like you?"

The little star looked him up and down with feigned disdain: "Where do you get your confidence from?"

Boss Lu pretended to be angry and called over Huang Bo who was reading the manuscript.

"Old Huang, who do you think is more handsome between us?"

Huang Bo has always been a person with high emotional intelligence and never offends anyone.

"Boss Zhou is cool, Boss Lu is handsome!"

Liu Yifei quipped, "The road is wide, Jay Chou's fans are almost blocking the theater entrance, how come there aren't any of your supporters in sight?"

Boss Lu was a little depressed. Not only did he not see any of his fans, but there were also quite a few crazy fans of Nicholas Tse and others who came to ruin the party. It was so disgusting.

"Xiaolu, this is quite a scene!"

The familiar drake voice belongs to Zhou Xun, who knew Boss Lu from humble beginnings and is also his consistent supporter.

"Xun'er, you're late!"

Zhou Xun looked at Lu Kuan and pretended to be unhappy. He said with a smile, "I came here in Chen Kun's car. His driving skills were not good, so we took a detour!"

As he was speaking, Chen Kun also walked in, with a high-spirited male actor beside him.

This is Huang Xiaoming.

As the host, Lu Kuan of course gave a warm welcome and took the initiative to shake hands and greet Chen Kun and Huang Xiaoming.

"Welcome, Senior Brother!"

This is based on the foundation of Beijing Film Academy.

Huang Xiaoming was surprised at the easygoing nature of Lu Kuan, the young Golden Lion Award winner, and politely said, "Sorry to bother you, Director Lu, by dropping by uninvited!"

Most actors who have made their way in the entertainment industry have high emotional intelligence.

The two people with the surname Huang present here today are both very experienced in dealing with people, and each one is more capable than the other.

"No, it's my honor that you can come and support me. Brother, change your number later and keep in touch!"

Huang Xiaoming smiled so much that his mouth almost reached his ears. He came here today for this purpose.

Even if the film market is in decline right now, which TV drama star doesn’t want to perform on the big screen?
"Director Lu, congratulations!"

Lu Kuan turned around when he heard the voice and saw Gao Yuanyuan in a long dress.

The actress, who is only two years older than Fan Bingbing this year, is in her prime and walked over gracefully.

He glanced around. Where was Zhang Yadong?

Boss Lu wanted to shake hands with her enthusiastically, but unexpectedly she hugged him naturally.

They separate as soon as they touch, which doesn't look abrupt.

"Sister Yuanyuan, welcome! Today is so beautiful!"

Gao Yuanyuan still had a bright and sunny smile: "Thank you, Xiaolu. I haven't congratulated you on winning the award in Venice yet. That's awesome!"

"what!"

The actress's heels were a bit high today, and she tripped on the red carpet, causing her body to lose balance.

Boss Lu was quick-witted and quick-handed. He held her slender waist and forearms just right, and the touch was delicate and smooth.

He then let go of her hand with ease, and looked at the gentle and somewhat shy face of Gao Yuanyuan with a smile.

The other stars were greeting each other, only Liu Yifei was observing coldly from the side.

Jiang Qinqin, Dong Jie, Fan Bingbing, well, now it is very likely that Gao Yuanyuan will be added to the list.

"Thank you, Sister Yuanyuan. Why didn't Yadong come today?"

Gao Yuanyuan's expression was a little unnatural: "He was delayed by something, so he might be late. Let me tell you."

Boss Lu understood in his heart, has the relationship between these two people changed?

Could it be that when Zhang Yadong was helping Xu Jinglei compose the theme song for "Subway to Spring"...

Guests arrived one after another, and familiar and unfamiliar actors came one after another.

It was not until the appearance of Gao Chengsheng, Jiang Zhiqiang, Zhang Yimou and others that the stars who came to support the show felt that the trip was worthwhile.

Gao represents China Film Group, Jiang represents Hong Kong film capital, and Zhang is currently the undisputed great director in China.

Unknowingly, Boss Lu’s connections and status in the entertainment industry have become very impressive.

"Director Zhang, thank you so much for coming!"

"Haha, Xiaolu, you've grown so fast. I was planning to ask you to help me look at the script, but now I'm afraid I can't afford you at your current price!"

The sedan chair was carried by people, and Lu Kuan said modestly, "No, no, I will definitely cooperate if Director Zhang needs me."

"By the way, Director Zhang, your film has quite a lot of choreography. I wonder if I could come and observe and learn from it?"

This is not flattery, but Boss Lu really feels that he needs to improve in some areas.

There are many things that can be learned from textbooks and film screenings, but there are also many directing techniques that must be acquired through practice and personal participation.

Putting aside other aspects of Zhang Yimou, his ability to direct large-scale movies is absolutely second to none.

Looking at his movies like "Hero" and the Olympic opening ceremony, it is no exaggeration to say that his ability to direct is at the level of Han Xin.

This is also the aspect where Lu Kuan, who has only made small moves in his two lives and has only filmed one low-budget movie in this life, lacks.

Zhang Yimou was stunned when he heard this. He felt that this young man was very measured in his actions and his words were appropriate.

It is very rare for someone to win the Golden Lion Award at such a young age and still maintain such a humble attitude.

"No problem, Xiaolu, the crew welcomes you to visit and provide guidance at any time!"

Soon the premiere officially began, and the host was Jin Wei from the movie channel.

"Welcome everyone to today's premiere of Whiplash. Let's first invite the film's creative team to come on stage!"

Lu Kuan accompanied Feng Yuanzheng, Jay Chou, Liu Yifei and a group of supporting actors to the center of the truss set up on site.

Behind him was a giant movie poster, featuring Jay Chou wearing his signature peaked cap and clutching drumsticks. Suddenly, the fans erupted in screams, and countless flashbulbs blazed towards the stage, creating a scene reminiscent of an execution. The primary target, of course, was Jay Chou.

First is the interview session.

[Peking Daily]: Director Lu, what is your box office forecast for "The Drummer"?
Lu Kuan smiled: "The more the better."

This is a common trap. If you say too little, it means you are not confident about the box office and the quality of the film. If you say too much, you will be ridiculed for not being able to do it.

Apple Daily: "Director Lu, everyone has heard about the conflict between you and Hong Kong Eagle King. We recently interviewed Eagle King's Mr. Zhang Jianting, and their film "Heartstrings" is also scheduled for September to October. Are you afraid?"

The scene was silent, and everyone was waiting to see Lu Kuan's reaction when faced with difficulties and provocations.

"'The Drummer' won the Venice Golden Lion Award and the Best Actor Award. It will definitely become a critically and commercially successful movie. We don't care about other people's situations."

It is not appropriate to mention them at this time, and there is no need to criticize them, as that will only increase their popularity.

But Apple Daily didn't want to let him off so easily.

"Award-winning films don't necessarily do well at the box office. This isn't without precedent. Isn't Director Lu being a little too confident?"

Boss Lu glanced at the scabby mouthpiece media and became a little angry.

"That reporter is being too serious. We're all in the same business, each relying on our own abilities. There's no question of fear or intimidation."

"but!"

"Since you brought up this topic, I'd like to say something on behalf of the film's producer, Wenjie Culture."

"'The Drummer' is a Golden Lion Award-winning film, and compared to 'Heartstrings' that's bullying."

"I heard that Eagle King will release a big production called 'Dragon' next year in collaboration with Hollywood. If we want to compare, let's compete with 'Dragon'!"

Apple Daily was of course ecstatic. Their goal tonight was to stir up the feud between the two companies, otherwise how could they write the article.

But I didn’t expect that what Boss Lu said next was even more shocking.

There was an uproar in the audience, and countless reporters flashed their cameras at Lu Kuan who was "speaking nonsense"!
Jiang Zhiqiang, Gao Chengsheng and others in the guest seats frowned.

Isn’t this a bit too crazy?
"Back to the Future" is a blockbuster production in which Eagle King invested HK$3.74 million in collaboration with Hollywood, starring Fang Long, Christy Chung, Anthony Wong and many Hollywood stars.

The producer of this film is Zhang Jianting, the Eagle King director who had previously conspired with Liu Zeyu, Nicholas Tse and others to start a new business, and is also Li Shoucheng's son-in-law.

Compared with low-budget movies like "The Drummer" which are almost all indoor scenes, the gap is huge.

Apple Daily was really excited: "Director Lu, how do you compare?"

Boss Lu laughed and said, "The Drummer's budget was only tens of millions, so it can't be compared with 'The Legend of Mir'. Let's just compare the box office in mainland China!"

The reporter from Apple Daily was overjoyed and took notes quickly, which would be on the headlines for tomorrow.

Boss Lu didn't want to let him off so easily: "Reporter from Apple Daily, do you dare to make a bet with me?"

All the guests and reporters in the audience were stunned, including the beautiful host Jin Wei.

What kind of director is this? Is he just putting on a monkey show?

The reporter from Apple Daily is here tonight to cause trouble, so of course he is not afraid.

"How to bet?"

"If Whiplash loses at the mainland box office, I'll run a headline in your Apple Daily for a month saying 'Lu Kuan is a director who only knows how to brag.'"

"On the other hand, could you please give me a headline for a month in Apple Daily to promote my next movie?"

"A word is settled!"

The bespectacled reporter from Apple Daily felt that Lu Kuan was already courting death, and how dare he try to infringe on "Rebirth of the Dragon"?
Although he was just a reporter stationed at the Beijing News Agency, what was wrong with him doing it for the company in such a clear-cut game where he was sure to win?
Lu Kuan naturally didn't care whether he could make the decision or not; the key point was hype.

Jiang Zhiqiang in the audience seemed to be hesitant to speak, but it was not appropriate to interrupt him in this situation.

Of course, Boss Lu is not stupid.

Despite the high total investment in "Back to the Future", the film ultimately grossed only over 3400 million US dollars worldwide, making it the biggest loss in Hong Kong film history!
The box office in mainland China is less than 2500 million. Compared with this number, Boss Lu still has some confidence in "Whiplash".

Let's take a step back and talk about it. So what if we can't win?
"Heartstrings" wants to ride on the popularity of the Golden Lion Award-winning film "Whiplash", why can't I ride on the popularity of your Hollywood blockbuster?

If I win, it's my awesomeness; if I lose, it's just my due. It hypes up the film without causing any major adverse consequences.

There was a noisy discussion in the audience.

Lu Kuan was very satisfied with the reporters' discussions. What he wanted was hype, to ride on the popularity, and to use the name of Eagle King to let everyone know about the movie "Whiplash".

This is a common tactic used by Xiao Gangpao. Every time before the Lunar New Year box office battle, he would make bold statements against his competitors of the same period to attract the attention of the media and the audience, which often achieved good results.

Now that the reporter from Apple Daily has maliciously offered Lu Kuan a knife, wouldn't it be a waste if he doesn't seize the opportunity to stab the Eagle King in the heart?
"it is good!"

"We support you! Guide!"

Most of the people applauding and cheering in the audience were mainland media and Jay Chou fans.

On the one hand, they can't bear to see mainland filmmakers being bullied, and on the other hand, they are just stirring up trouble. Whoever watches the fun thinks it's a big deal.

Gao Chengsheng initially thought Lu Kuan was steady and prudent beyond his years, but he didn't expect that a young reporter would goad him into saying such nonsense. He frowned and said to Jiang Zhiqiang beside him:

"Is Director Lu too young and impulsive? Compared to 'The Legend of Mir', isn't he a bit too arrogant?"

Jiang Zhiqiang smiled helplessly and said, "Young people are like this, aren't they? We went through that time too, so let him be."

Zhang Yimou had his own judgment: "I think this path is unusual. He must be quite confident to say such a thing."

Yu Dong pursed his lips and said nothing. He and Lu Kuan were now tied together, and they were sure to win this battle!
Many film and television media from all over the country came specially to see Jay Chou and Liu Yifei and began to ask questions to the young actors.

"Hello, Jay, how did you come up with the idea of ​​making a movie, and working with such a young director?"

Jay Chou took the microphone and said, "Director Lu and I have known each other for quite a while. I really admire his pursuit of art and film. We are not far apart in age, so we get along very well in all aspects!"

The little star has now learned to flatter his boss: "Director Lu is also a very good songwriter. My album next year, 'Ye Huimei', will include the songs he wrote for me."

There was another uproar in the audience, and all the reporters felt that today's trip was well worth it.

From now on, I must actively respond to any news related to Lukuan. I can accumulate several articles by attending a movie launch conference.

Lu Kuan glanced at the little star helplessly and took the initiative to take over the conversation: "Reporters, please pay more attention to our film. Come, please ask this friend from Bigstar to ask a question."

Zhuo Wei took the microphone excitedly. He had been following Lu Kuan for some time on someone's behalf.

He started with actresses who seemed to have close relationships with him, such as Jiang Qinqin, Dong Jie, and Fan Bingbing, but didn't gain much.

He was ready to become famous today, and his breakthrough point was the harmless girl next to Lu Kuan.

"I'd like to ask Ms. Liu Yifei, you were just an amateur before. How did you get into the crew of 'The Drummer' and then participate in the Venice Film Festival?"

He hardened his heart and pressed the issue, "Excuse me, do you and Director Lu have a relationship beyond work?"

Liu Xiaoli, who was sitting in the audience, frowned. Where did this reporter come from? Asking such irrelevant questions!
Lu Kuan's heart sank. Most of the interviews Liu Yifei had accepted before were arranged interviews, and the questions and answers were fixed templates.

Inexperienced artists can easily fall into the trap of such malicious questions.

The little girl was not stupid. She looked at the paparazzi with hope in her eyes, determined to play a trick on him.

Concubine Liu Yi replied innocently, "Yes!"

"what?"

"How could this be?"

The noise in the audience was no quieter than when Lu Kuan and the Apple Daily reporter made a bet just now.

Treasure crew, this is definitely a treasure crew!

Zhuo Wei finally suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and asked in a gentle and persuasive manner, "Excuse me, what is the relationship?"

He had a premonition that he would become famous today!
"We were classmates at the Beijing Film Academy, and Director Lu also taught me acting on the set."

Concubine Liu Yi glanced at Lu Kuan, who had an expressionless face, and winked at him imperceptibly.

I'm hiding it well, right?

The road is wide and there is nothing to say. You are hiding something. We don’t have that kind of relationship anyway!

Zhuo Wei was stunned in surprise and was greatly disappointed.

Lu Kuan took the microphone and interrupted the spell at the right time.

"Liu Yifei is a very good actress. Although she is very young, she is very dedicated. She is only 15 years old. Please ask our media friends to protect her and stop asking specious questions. Thank you."

Jin Wei was a quick-witted host and immediately took over the conversation.

"Thank you for your questions, friends from the media. Now we will move on to the premiere."

The reporters and audience at the scene soon quieted down and were absorbed in the ups and downs of the plot.

Constant drumming, constant reversals, constant chicken soup and anti-chicken soup.

When Feng Yuanzheng said in the movie: There is no evaluation more harmful than the word "not bad", everyone felt the same way.

Until the last spotlight froze, the collaboration between the master and the apprentice reached its final climax.

The film has been screened twice, in Venice and at the Beijing Film Academy, and both times were very good, but...

Lu Kuan and other main creators felt something was a little weird when they saw the silent audience.

There was neither cheering nor scolding, the silence was frightening.

“Pah…Pah pah pah…”

I don’t know who in the darkness gave the first round of applause, but then cheers and greetings came like a tide!
The film viewers at Venice Film Festival and Beijing Film Academy are all semi-professionals or professionals. They look at the narrative, technique and structure.

Except for some film critics and film media, those present today are all ordinary audiences.

Although the movie had just ended, their attention was still immersed in the fast-paced plot and they couldn't get out of it.

Lu Kuan, Jay Chou, Liu Yifei and others smiled at each other and it worked!

The subtitles were almost finished, and the bespectacled reporter from Apple Daily had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

He also attended the premiere of "Heartstrings". Comparing the two films, the quality is completely different!

If the Golden Lion Award-winning film is a classic work full of suspense, then "Heartstrings" is no different from a children's book full of chicken soup.

Is this still an art film?
Jin Wei walked to the front of the stage and began to use the host's words to stimulate the atmosphere.

"Dear audience, was the movie good?"

"nice!"

"Wonderful!"

“I’ll have to watch it again when it’s released!”

The question was given to Feng Yuanzheng.

"Teacher Feng, you portrayed a domestic violence man in 'Don't Talk to Strangers,' and won the Venice Film Festival Best Actor Award for this portrayal of a violent teacher. What was the opportunity that led you to join the filming of this film?"

"When Director Lu approached me, he hadn't even started college yet. I was very resistant at first."

Everyone in the audience laughed.

"Later, Director Lu told me that this role would definitely help me shed the image of a domestic violence man, and that his and my acting techniques were similar, which would help me continue to improve myself. I thought about it and agreed."

Jin Wei: "Did you achieve your goal?"

“Of course, Director Lu is not only a talented director, he is also very insightful when it comes to acting.”

"As for the image of me beating my wife, it will probably be replaced by the image of me beating my students."

The audience burst into laughter and then applauded.

It’s just that the male and female stars present today looked at Lu Kuan with even more eager eyes.

After the premiere, Lu Kuan and the crew members saw off the guest leaders one by one, then they breathed a sigh of relief and stood at the door of the cinema with Fatty Yu to smoke.

"Old Yu, we won the first battle."

Yu Dong said excitedly: "Director Lu, you are very skilled!"

He wasn't talking about how good the movie was; that didn't need to be proven.

This evaluation is entirely a compliment to his ability to control the situation and create hype.

"Whiplash" is of high quality, with a tight roadshow schedule, coupled with the "bumping into porcelain-style marketing" of a wide road tonight.

Whether it is black or red, word of mouth and popularity are bound to explode.

Boss Lu has already arranged the preheating and promotion of the blog network, and its popularity both online and offline is foreseeable.

The two men smoked a cigarette and then left. Tonight was just the beginning of a long journey, followed by an intensive roadshow of nearly a month.

(End of this chapter)