Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 84: Cross-Strait Media Confrontation, Liu Yifei's Little Fat Pig
In late January, the capital city was cold and snowy.

Wu Chen stayed in the dormitory. The bare branches of the old locust tree were swaying outside the window, and the radiator in the room was buzzing.

He leaned back in his chair, holding a cup of hot water in his hand, the water scalding his fingertips red. On the table was the unfinished script of "Black Swan", the corners of the pages were slightly curled where he had turned them.

"Brother Chen, don't you plan to buy a car?

I remember you said you got your driver's license during the summer vacation after the college entrance exam. Seeing you running around all day, it would be much more convenient to have a car, right? "

Park Song-il leaned lazily against the head of the bed, fiddling with an old magazine in his hand, and asked casually.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Zhuo and Chu Tianshu stood up as if a fire was ignited, their eyes shining as if they had discovered a treasure.

"Brother Chen, I understand this. If you want to buy it, just ask me, I'm an expert."

Xiang Zhuo patted his chest and recommended himself.

"I have considered it." Wu Chen smiled when he heard that. He was indeed too busy recently and had been delaying the purchase of a car.

Although he doesn't have much money, he can still afford a car worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Xiang Zhuo immediately became excited, his eyes narrowed, and he spoke incessantly:

"If you want to be more low-key, I recommend the Audi A6L 2.4L, the benchmark official car.

Of course, if you want to look young and elite, the BMW 530i is also a good choice. It will turn heads when you drive it around the streets.

Xiang Zhuo's recommendation was very reasonable. Pu Songri and Chu Tianshu both uttered a "Pooh" sound and said in unison:
"Is the Audi A6L considered low-key now?"

Xiang Zhuo was stunned by the choking and scratched his head awkwardly: "Well, I'm just speaking relatively."

"You know what, the A6L is really good. I'll find someone to fix it up and use it as a transportation."

Wu Chen smiled faintly and said that although he preferred cars like Maybach and Bentley, he didn't have enough money, so he had to start with Audi.

At this moment, the phone rang suddenly. Wu Chen glanced at it and saw that it was Ning Hao calling. He picked up the phone casually:
"Hello, senior brother?"

"Junior, have you read the email I sent? The cast for Crazy Stone has been finalized, and I'd like us all to meet and get to know each other.

Are you free tonight? It's cold, let's have some hot pot to warm ourselves up."

Wu Chen pondered for a moment, glanced at the snowflakes outside the window, and thought that he had no plans for tonight, so he simply agreed: "Okay, send me the address."

"Okay!" Ning Hao laughed heartily and hung up the phone.

At the same time, in Ning Hao's rental house, the room was small but crowded with people, and the air was filled with the faint smell of cigarettes and tea.

Everyone in the crew has gathered. Guo Tao is leaning against the wall smoking, Liu Hua is looking through the script, Huang Bo is slumped on the sofa like a salted fish, and Xu Zheng and screenwriter Yue Xiaojun are chatting together.

Several people stared at Ning Hao eagerly. When they saw him put down the phone, they immediately surrounded him and asked:
"How's it going, Director Ning? Director Wu agreed?"

"I agree. The producer sent by China Film Group will also come tonight. This is the first meeting of the crew." Ning Hao said happily.

"Wow, I'm finally going to see a living person!" Huang Bo jumped up from the sofa, squinting his eyes and sighing, "To be honest, when I was in my twenties, I was still singing for money.

Director Wu started making movies in Hollywood at the age of 21."

"Hahaha"

Huang Bo's sentiment made everyone laugh, but also made them feel a lot.

Apart from Ning Hao, if we talk about the one who has had the smoothest journey, it is probably Liu Hua. The rest of them have their own ups and downs.

Ning Hao glanced at him and couldn't help but sarcastically said, "Bozi, don't tell me, you're still Director Wu's senior brother, you cheap senior brother."

Huang Bo didn't get angry, he just smiled and said, "Just tell me if I'm from the 02 class."

"You're from a vocational school, how dare you compare yourself to someone with a bachelor's degree!"

"Just tell me whether I am from Class 02 or not, don't talk to me about that nonsense." Huang Bo stiffened his neck and insisted on arguing.

"." The two of them chatted back and forth, and there was laughter in the room.

Yue Xiaojun and Xing Aina didn't say much. They just sat on the side listening and laughing from time to time. The atmosphere was as lively as a boiling pot.

At this moment, Xing Aina was fiddling with her cell phone and suddenly said "Huh!", and everyone looked over.

"The media in Taiwan seem to be uneasy. I thought the news from Berlin had put them down these past few days."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone understood that it must be Wu Chen's business.

A while ago, some Taiwanese media ridiculed Wu Chen because Hollywood called him "the next Ang Lee."

"What's new?" Ning Hao leaned over, narrowed his eyes, and stared at the phone screen.

The headline on the website was quite eye-catching: [Wu Chen's "Buried" was shortlisted for the Berlin Film Festival, while Li An is still the benchmark. How far is the gap?]

The following text is even more sarcastic: "Although Wu Chen was shortlisted for the Berlin main competition with 'Buried', which he shot in 15 days, Li An has won the Golden Bear twice. Wu's win this time was just a fluke. He is still far from being a master. Don't be complacent."

At the end, he added sourly: "Mainland filmmakers should be less impetuous and learn more from the calmness of Taiwan."

"Bullshit! Do we even need to learn from them?" Ning Hao slammed the table in anger, sending ripples through the water in his teacup. "Do we even need to learn from them? Besides Li An and the others, what else can Taiwan's younger generation boast?"

Everyone in the room was stunned for half a second.

Huang Bo leaned on the sofa, squinting his eyes and continued:
"Actually, those media outlets in Taiwan are just jealous. Director Wu has really slapped them in the face this time, so they can only use Li An to save the situation. What was the name of the movie that Li An won the Golden Bear for the first time?"

Guo Tao held up the teacup and took a sip slowly. "It was The Wedding Banquet in 1993. If I'm not mistaken, Li An was 39 years old at that time."

"If we really compare, director Zhang Yi started school at the age of 28, won the Golden Bear Award for "Red Sorghum" at the age of 37, and is two years younger than Li An." Liu Hua nodded in agreement.

Yue Xiaojun didn't say anything. He pushed his glasses, lowered his head and browsed his phone, and said softly:

"The mainland media fought back, and this time they were quite united."

Everyone gathered around and saw a few headlines on the screen. Each word was as sharp as a knife, poking directly at Taiwan's soft spot.

The entertainment section of the Beijing News was the first to speak out: [The sour taste is too strong, justice is in the hearts of the people, and the road ahead is long!]

Southern Metropolis Daily followed suit: [Wu Chen = the next Li An? Filmmakers don't need to live in the shadows of their predecessors!]

"I didn't expect that Southern Metropolis Daily would help this time. Before, it would make fun of whoever it caught." Everyone was amazed.

"Don't forget, Director Wu is from Foshan, Cantonese. How could Southern Metropolis Daily forget that? If Director Wu returns to Zhuhai Film Studio, he might even become the boss after gaining experience." "That makes sense. Hey, why is Guangguang's 'Entertainment Live' publishing so many news stories?"

"."

Just as they were puzzled, in Wu Chen's dormitory, several people were sitting around the table staring at the computer screen.

Wu Chen's "Buried" was shortlisted for the Berlin Film Festival. Are some people anxious?

【Masters are not meant to "praise to death" the younger generation! 】

"Brother Chen, are you related to light?" Xiang Zhuo turned his head and asked, his face full of curiosity.

Wu Chen frowned and shook his head: "It doesn't matter."

"It's strange, the most positive one seems to be "Entertainment Live"!" Chu Tianshu muttered.

"Who cares? As long as we speak up for Brother Chen, it'll be fine. Let's quickly see the next one. Damn, can Taiwan's media be more numerous than us?

They are not even as big as our province, yet they are so capable."

Wu Chen glanced at the time, grabbed his coat and walked out.

The heating in the dormitory was too strong, making him sweat on his forehead. When he opened the door, a cold wind blew in, carrying snow particles with it and hitting his face, making him shiver and quickly wrap his coat tightly around him.

At six o'clock in the evening, he rushed to the old shop that Ning Hao mentioned. When he pushed open the wooden door, the aroma of mutton mixed with the smell of charcoal fire hit his nose.

The store was steaming hot, the window glass was covered with white mist, and an old-fashioned radio in the corner was playing music.

In the private room, Ning Hao and his companions gathered around the table, the lamb bones in the pot were bubbling, and the soup was bubbling.

Seeing Wu Chen come in, Ning Hao was the first to shout, standing up and greeting him, "Junior brother, you're here, come and sit down, the pot is boiling!"

Huang Bo and others stood up one by one and introduced themselves.

"Director Wu, hello, I'm Huang Bo from the 02 Vocational School Dubbing Class."

"Guo Tao."

"Yue Xiaojun"

Wu Chen smiled and greeted everyone one by one, glanced at them, and sighed in his heart, Ning Hao always has this kind of style when selecting people.

Moreover, if the cooperation starts, it will be almost impossible to see Ning Hao choose new people.

This is both good and bad, but every director has different habits and it cannot be forced.

As he was speaking, the door creaked open and Zhang Qiang, a producer of China Film Group, pushed the door open and came in. He was in his thirties, wearing a pair of black-framed glasses and had a very friendly smile.

He walked quickly forward and shook hands with Wu Chen and Ning Hao first: "Director Wu, Director Ning, I'm sorry, I'm late!" Then he greeted everyone.

"The crew is almost all here. Before we start eating, I have to thank my junior fellow apprentice, Director Wu Chen." Ning Hao stood up and bowed slightly. "Without him, we wouldn't be gathered here."

"Senior brother, don't be so polite." Wu Chen also stood up and hurriedly supported Ning Hao, smiling a little helplessly.

Ning Hao didn't say anything, Xing Aina said first: "You should thank me! Without you, Junior Brother, Ning Hao doesn't know when he can put this script on the screen!"

"And President Han and Producer Zhang from China Film Group." Ning Hao continued, "President Han didn't come tonight, but I'm grateful to him from the bottom of my heart.

Producer Zhang has helped me a lot these days. I had to work with a makeshift crew and a shoestring budget when I shot those two films before. It was only with Producer Zhang that the crew got back on track. I'll have to rely on you for more support in the future."

Zhang Qiang stood up and waved his hand: "Director Ning, you are too kind, too kind!"

"Let's scald the meat, let's scald the meat. I'm hungry." Wu Chen smiled and tried to smooth things over. He picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of mutton into the pot. He gasped because it was so hot. "This soup base is delicious. The cooking skills of this old shop are impeccable."

Everyone started to pick up their chopsticks. The mutton slices rolled in the pot for a few times, then they took them out, dipped them in some sauce, and ate them while they were hot.

Thousands of miles away, at the base of the "The Return of the Condor Heroes" crew in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the weather was as cold as an ice cellar. The wind was howling outside, making the tent rustle.

The room was warm and the hot pot table was steaming.

Liu Yifei sat around the hot pot table, wrapped in a red down jacket. The plush collar made her face look like a freshly peeled lychee, white with a hint of pink.

She was wearing light blue jeans and a pair of fur boots. Her hair was casually tied into a ponytail, with a few strands hanging by her ears, slightly curled by the heat from the hot pot.

The beef and mutton were piled up on the table like a small mountain, and the soup was bubbling. She picked up a piece of beef and put it in her mouth. It was so hot that she sipped her lips, and the corners of her eyes curved into crescents.

The phone screen lit up, and she looked down. It was a message from Wu Chen: "Senior Sister, we're having hot pot tonight!"

Hearing this, her eyes lit up and she replied with a smile: "Coincidentally, I am too."

Watching Zhang Jizong, Yu Min, Huang Xiaoming, Wang Luoyong, Kong Lin and others eating beef and mutton, everyone talked about their own things and laughed one after another.

Liu Yifei suddenly had an idea and typed:
"Junior brother, why do we have little fat beef and little fat lamb when we eat hot pot, but no little fat pig?"

Wu Chen paused, looked at the mutton in the pot, his eyes turned, and he couldn't help laughing, and replied:
"Because the little fat pigs are sitting around the table eating the little fat cows and the little fat lamb."

"puff!"

Liu Yifei couldn't help but burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking and tears almost coming out.

Everyone in the crew looked over. Liu Xiaoli put down her chopsticks and asked curiously, "Xixi, what are you laughing at?"

Liu Yifei covered her mouth and said quickly, "Nothing, nothing, I just saw a very interesting reply."

Under everyone's gaze, Liu Yifei raised the question.

Everyone was also a little confused.

"You know what? Iffy's question is really interesting. Why?"

"Pork tastes bad when it's overcooked, that's for sure. But, Iffy, what's the answer? Tell us all."

"Then I'll tell you what I'm saying." Liu Yifei looked at everyone with a strange expression and said slowly, "Because the little fat pigs are all sitting around the table eating the little fat beef and little fat lamb."

"puff!"

"Hahaha, who is so talented to come up with this answer?"

The room erupted in laughter.

Liu Xiaoli smiled and took a deep look at Liu Yifei's phone.
(End of this chapter)