It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 4 was a success? Or is it too early to celebrate?
Han Sanping made a cameo appearance as the police chief in "Looking for a Gun".

Jiang Wen plays "Ma Shan," who is his subordinate.

He was also the first person Lü Rui had ever met who could suppress the powerful Jiang Wen in the "Looking for a Gun" crew!
"There are three bullets in the gun?"

"Yes, three bullets."

"Never had a single injection?"

"Yes……"

"There are three bullets in the gun, which means three lives! If it's a professional killer, it's six lives, six lives!"

Whether it's the delivery of lines or the character's aura, Han Sanping consistently outmaneuvered Jiang Wen in this pivotal scene at the police station.

In contrast, Jiang Wen, who is usually decisive and serious on set, appeared unusually reserved in front of this senior colleague, acting cautiously and politely.

If it were any other actor, Jiang Wen would definitely be strict and find fault with them.

But when it came to Han Sanping, he didn't find any fault at all, and the filming was done in one take.

"As expected of the future leader of China Film Group, his demeanor is truly domineering."

Watching Han Sanping talk fluently on set, even explaining his scenes to Jiang Wen, Lü Rui secretly pondered and gained a deeper understanding of him.

People who hold high positions, are decisive, and have an intimidating presence often have very high demands on their subordinates!
But once they approve of someone, they will spare no effort to give them their trust and support...

Thinking about this, Lü Rui had even more to ponder.

On the other hand, Lu Chuan, who was sitting behind the monitor, was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

He was overjoyed that someone could finally keep Jiang Wen in check!

But he soon realized that he had been happy too soon.

"Is your directing in this production incompetent? The camera work is terrible, and the lighting is completely haphazard. Is this how you create suspense?"

Han Sanping's sharp and unsparing comments instantly froze Lu Chuan's smile, made her nose sting, and almost brought her to tears.

Damn it!
Before, it was just Jiang Wen suppressing him, but now there's another one.
Who the hell can I complain to?

They'll be sidelined and killed next!
It's important to know that Han Sanping is a graduate of the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy, with a very solid professional foundation. He's not a complete novice.

"Ignore him. I'll show him the storyboard later and let him shoot it like that."

Jiang Wen pursed his lips, then waved towards the perimeter of the film crew and called out, "Lu Rui, come here."

"Hey! Here they come!"

Lu Rui sprinted over, stopping precisely a meter away from Han Sanping. He bowed deeply at a 45-degree angle, his back ramrod straight, and said in a clear voice, "Hello, Director Han!"

Han Sanping paused, holding the thermos cup, and his gaze swept sharply over the young man in front of him.

He had a very handsome appearance, with a fierce and indomitable spirit in his eyes and brows. Even when he spoke, it was as if his chest was filled with wind, and his whole body was radiating youthful vigor.

He then glanced at Lu Chuan beside him. Lu Chuan was hunched over behind the monitor, looking timid and listless.

The two of them standing together looked like wilted vegetable leaves next to tall bamboo shoots, a stark contrast!

"Is this the talented young man you were talking about?" Han Sanping turned to look at Jiang Wen.

"Yes."

Jiang Wen nodded, and without saying much, directly ordered, "Come on, Xiao Lü, show Director Han what you've got."

Lü Rui understood what he meant and immediately took out paper and pen.

Jiang Wen crossed his arms and glanced at the unfolded drawing paper: "Let's draw the alleyway battle scene where they're looking for the gun, focusing on the suffocating feeling when Ma Shan discovers the suspect..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lü Rui's pen flew across the paper, making a rustling sound.

He first sketched the outline of the narrow alley with a few strokes, with the crooked telephone pole and the overturned garbage can creating a distorted and oppressive perspective. Then he used shadows to intensify the darkness of the corner, turning the half-closed iron gate and the half-open window into symbols of potential danger.

When he was about to depict the figure, he suddenly stopped, pondered for a moment, and then moved Ma Shan, who was originally standing in the center of the picture, to the lower right corner, presenting him from a tilted, upward angle.

This unconventional composition caused Han Sanping, who was watching from the side, to unconsciously raise his eyebrows.

Lu Rui, however, remained oblivious, continuing to use sharp lines to depict Ma Shan's taut neck and the hand gripping the baton tightly, while in the distance, only half of the suspect's blood-stained clothing was visible, creating a dangerous echo with the bullet casings swaying under the nearby streetlights.

In less than three minutes, a complete storyboard was completed.

Jiang Wen leaned closer to take a look, a smile playing on his lips. He took the A4 paper from Lü Rui and handed it to Han Sanping. "Take a look?" Han Sanping pulled out a pair of glasses from his pocket, put them on, and began to examine the paper carefully.

As he looked at the drawing, he ran his fingertips over the deliberately blurred bloodstains on the paper, his eyes filled with surprise.

When he received a call from Jiang Wen saying that he had discovered a promising talent, he didn't think much of it, assuming that the talent was just a little bit of genius.

Unexpectedly, Lü Rui's few strokes perfectly blended the suspenseful atmosphere with the characters' psychology. He even used the "vulnerable perspective" that he himself hadn't considered. This young man did it with ease!

"Good lad!" A rare look of admiration appeared on his face. "Interesting."

Just this one sentence filled Lü Rui's heart with joy!
"It's done!"

……

Three days later, on the afternoon of the same day that Han Sanping's cameo appearance ended, Lü Rui was summoned to his room.

Pushing open the door, the room was filled with smoke.

Jiang Wen leaned against the window, puffing on a cigarette, while Han Sanping sat upright on the sofa, stroking a notebook filled with the script of "Gone Girl".

"I'll take this notebook first." Han Sanping waved the notebook in his hand as he watched Lü Rui step in.

"Okay, Director Han, thank you..."

"Don't thank me yet." Han Sanping raised his hand to interrupt, his gaze behind his glasses sharp as an eagle. "Jiang Wen has been telling me that you are very talented. This script is indeed quite interesting. I can help you submit it for review and I can also contribute some of the investment."

He paused, put the notebook into his bag, and continued, "Of the 400 million budget you wrote in your proposal, China Film Group can approve 200 million after the script is approved. You'll have to figure out the rest yourself."

After these words were spoken, the room fell into a brief silence.

Jiang Wen stubbed out his cigarette, glanced at Lü Rui with a half-smile, his eyes seeming to say, "Kid, aren't you going to thank me?"

Han Sanping was willing to agree to this extent partly because of his relationship with Jiang Wen, and partly because he valued talent!

For a completely inexperienced new director, 200 million is already an exceptional amount!
Without Jiang Wen's endorsement, no matter how good the script was, Han Sanping might not have taken it on.

"Thank you, Director Han!"

Lu Rui straightened his back almost reflexively, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

He knew all too well what those 200 million meant!

His family only gave him a thousand yuan a month for living expenses, and he had to be very careful with his living expenses and food. Now that he suddenly had start-up capital, it was like finding an oasis in the desert!
"You can do post-production here at China Film Group. You can use any of the equipment you want."

After saying this last sentence, Han Sanping got up and left.

I managed to squeeze in some time to make this cameo appearance.

Zhang Yimou's "Hero" is about to start filming, and he still needs to go to Zhang Weiping to see if he can get some investment shares.

After seeing Han Sanping off, Jiang Wen put his arm around Lü Rui's shoulder and dragged him back to his room without saying a word.

As soon as the door closed, he brought Lü Rui a huge surprise: "I can invest 100 million for you here."

These words struck Lü Rui like a boulder crashing into a deep pool, startling him so much that his eyes widened in shock.

His Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes burned, and the thousand words stuck in his throat finally turned into a hoarse whisper: "Director Jiang... I..."

"Don't get too excited yet." Jiang Wen crossed his arms, his eyes revealing a sharp edge. "The remaining 100 million shortfall, and the actors, you'll have to find them yourself. I won't help you."

Lu Rui's excitement instantly cooled down, but when he met the faint expectation in Jiang Wen's eyes, he suddenly realized something.

This is clearly another test for him.

He wiped the thin layer of sweat from his palms along the seams of his trousers, and when he looked up, a blazing fire ignited in his eyes: "Director Jiang, don't worry, I can definitely handle it!"

He already had a plan in mind.

With Han Sanping and Jiang Wen's support, they can continue to deceive... no! They can recruit other actors!
"Then I'll wait and see."

Watching Lü Rui walk away with his chest puffed out, Jiang Wen became interested.

The kid had a wild, wolf-like spirit hidden in his eyes, which reminded him of himself when he was struggling to find a way to write the script for "In the Heat of the Sun."

He was very curious about how this kid planned to handle the remaining funding gap, as well as the actors and crew.

"Don't let me down!"

(End of this chapter)