Entertainment News: I'm Not a Scumbag After Rebirth!

Li Jun stopped and said to Chen Yongren:

"Rent it for two years. Find a trustworthy renovation team and modify it according to the sketches I gave you."

He handed over a simple layout diagram, which he had drawn up while staying up all night.

Chen Yongren took the sketch and looked at it, his eyes filled with complex emotions as he looked up: "Mr. Li, you're serious. But renting a place, decorating, hiring people... that's an expense. And are you sure the new people you hire will actually come? Even if they do, are you sure it's worth the investment?"

Li Jun walked to the window and looked down at the busy street below.

Workers pushed palletized carts, and minibuses kicked up dust. This is another side of Hong Kong: pragmatic, rough, and full of struggle and opportunity.

He didn't turn around:

"Believe it or not, some people are destined to shine, like diamonds. When they're buried underground, they look no different from stones. But once you've seen them shine, you'll never think of them as stones again."

"I believe in human potential, but I also believe in fate."

Chen Yongren said with a smile.

I don't believe in fate.

Li Jun turned around, his gaze calm and firm:

"I believe in foresight, in making early bets, and in knowing which stone contains diamonds while others are still busy digging for them, and having the tools ready to cut them."

He walked back to Chen Yongren:

"This money isn't an expense; it's an investment. Investing in their future is also investing in my own. They may not be worth this much now, but soon everyone will know that they are, and worth far more."

Chen Yongren looked at Li Jun, a mainland director twenty years his junior, with a kind of unwavering certainty in his eyes that was rare to him, almost arrogant.

Strangely, this arrogance is not off-putting; on the contrary, it has a strange persuasive power.

Perhaps it's because he just proved the basis for this "arrogance" with a TV movie and a few songs.

Chen Yongren finally nodded:

"I'll take care of it for you."

I know renovation teams; they're fast, good, and cheap. As for bringing the people on your list to Hong Kong…”

He rubbed his fingers together:

"That depends on your ability and sincerity, Mr. Li."

"I have them all."

Li Jun rested his hand on his leg.

Three days later, in Causeway Bay, at the restaurant "Bamboo".

The private room was extremely private, with bamboo curtains hanging low, and only the sound of flowing water and the delicate fragrance of incense could be heard.

Li Jun arrived ten minutes early, knelt on the tatami mat, and stared blankly at the dry landscape garden in the courtyard.

The door was opened, and Xie Tingfeng walked in.

He looked thinner and darker than he did on TV. He was wearing a simple black T-shirt and jeans, his hair was casually tousled, and he had a polite but distant smile on his face.

He had no assistants surrounding him, only himself.

"Director Li, I've heard so much about you."

Nicholas Tse extended his hand and shook it firmly, but only for a short time.

"Mr. Xie, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Li Jun gestured for him to sit down.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, a lady dressed in a kimono came in to serve the dishes, and one exquisite kaiseki meal after another was brought to the table.

The two chatted about some trivial matters:

Hong Kong's weather, changes in mainland China, and recent interesting news from the film industry.

Nicholas Tse didn't say much, but he listened very attentively.

Li Jun could sense a force within him, a suppressed power that wanted to break free from something.

This subtly overlaps with the image of him later in "The Informant," where he was beaten black and blue, and in "Bodyguards and Assassins," he was covered in blood and biting a razor blade.

After a few rounds of drinks, Li Jun put down his glass and got down to business.

"What has Mr. Xie been busy with lately?"

"I just finished filming a romance movie and am taking a break."

Nicholas Tse spoke calmly:

"I'm also looking at some scripts, but there's nothing in particular that I want to film."

"Is it a business transformation?"

Li Jun asked directly.

Nicholas Tse looked up at him, his gaze sharp for a moment, then relaxed again:

"That's what everyone in the industry says. After singing for a few years and filming a few idol dramas, the audience got tired of it, and I got tired of it myself."

"It's not that the audience is tired of it."

Li Jun said:

"It's because there's a fire in your heart, but you can't contain that fire by playing talented and handsome men or singing love songs."

That's a direct statement, even a bit offensive.

But Xie Tingfeng wasn't angry. Instead, he leaned forward slightly and stared at Li Jun:

"Director Li, what role do you think I should play?"

"Be yourself."

Li Jun met his gaze:

"To portray that indomitable spirit that's inherent in you."

Nicholas Tse's fingers tightened slightly as he held the wine glass.

"I have a story to tell."

Li Jun said slowly:

"The setting is Hong Kong in 1905. A nobody from the lower class is forced into a life-or-death struggle to protect an important figure. He is not a born hero, and is even a bit selfish and afraid of death. But in a series of betrayals, sacrifices and desperate situations, his true nature is forced out. What he has to fight is not only the guns and knives on the other side, but also his own cowardice and limitations."

He didn't mention any specific character, but rather described a state, a character arc.

Nicholas Tse listened silently, his eyes shifting. After a long while, he asked:

Why does Director Li think I'm suitable?

"Because I've seen you fight."

Li Jun suddenly said.

Nicholas Tse was taken aback.

"It wasn't a real fight."

Li Jun smiled:

"It's behind-the-scenes footage from when you were filming action scenes in your early years. When other people get hit, the pain is acted out. But when you get hit, there's a genuine, primal rage in your eyes, a wild, animalistic urge to pounce and bite back. That kind of thing can't be acted out."

The private room fell silent, with only the soft dripping of a bamboo water clock.

Nicholas Tse looked down at the ripples of sake in his glass, and suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with self-mockery:

"I didn't expect that anyone would still remember those things."

"I remember."

Li Jun said:

"And I think the audience would also want to see that side of you..."

"You have the script?"

Nicholas Tse asked.

Li Jun spoke the truth:

"I can show you the character biographies and the core plot first. The preparation period for this film will be very long, and I need the actors to get into character in advance, and even participate in some physical and skills training. Not just for show, but the kind of training that really involves sweating and bleeding."

"It doesn't sound like filming a movie, it sounds like risking your life."

Nicholas Tse said.

"Filming is inherently risking your life."

Li Jun looked at him:

"It's just that some people play with other people's lives, while others play with their own. I want to play with the latter."

Nicholas Tse leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

He looked at Li Jun, a director younger than him, whose eyes held a shrewdness and certainty that he rarely saw in his peers.

"I need time to think about it."

Nicholas Tse finally said:

"It also depends on the script."

"certainly."

Li Jun took a thin folder from his briefcase and pushed it over:

"This is a brief biography of the character and a summary of the first third of the story. After you've read it, we can talk more."

Nicholas Tse took the folder, but didn't open it immediately. He just ran his fingers over the cover.

He suddenly asked:

"Did you contact me because you think I can act well, or because I'm cheap and easy to negotiate with right now?"

This is a very pointed question.

Li Jun smiled:

"Both. I believe you can act well, so I'm looking for you. You're cheap now, so I can invest the greatest sincerity and resources I can give you, not just the salary. When everyone sees that you can act well, there will be a long line of people looking for you, but at that time, they will only be giving you money. What I gave you was the opportunity to turn you from cheap to expensive."

Nicholas Tse smiled too, and this time his smile was much more genuine.

"Director Li is very good at speaking."

I'm stating the facts.

Li Jun raised his glass:

Whether or not we cooperate is up to you. But in any case, thank you for your time.

The two clinked glasses and drank the sake in one gulp.

It was late at night when we left the ryotei.

Causeway Bay remains brightly lit and teeming with people.

Nicholas Tse drove himself here. Before opening the car door, he turned back to Li Jun and said:

"I will read the script carefully. I will give you an answer within a week."

"Waiting for your message."

Watching Xie Tingfeng's car merge into the traffic, Li Jun stood on the side of the street and lit a cigarette.

The night breeze was cool, dispelling the effects of the alcohol.

The first step has been taken.

Nicholas Tse is one of the most important big fish in this net.

His involvement not only enhances the project's commercial value and action quality, but also sends a signal that even a star of his caliber is willing to bet on Li Jun, a new director, and a project with an uncertain future, which will greatly increase its appeal to others.

Next comes the more tedious and patience-testing part:

He will bring those "rising stars" scattered across the country, one by one, onto his track.

He took out his phone and sent a text message to Yuan Tao: "Contact Hu Ge, Deng Chao, and Sun Li's teams and send them official invitations to the actors' studio in the name of 'Shengying Workshop' and mine."

"The time and location are yet to be determined, but it is emphasized that it will be a closed, high-intensity performance and action training program that is in line with international standards. The mentor lineup will include senior Hong Kong filmmakers. The program will be free of charge, but a confidentiality agreement and a preliminary letter of intent for cooperation will be required."

Soon, Yuan Tao replied:

"Why the rush? What reason do you have to invite them? Especially Hugh, he's got a ton of film offers right now, he might not even bother with us."

Li Jun thought for a moment, then typed:

"The reason is—breakthrough. Tell them that if they want to break free from their current stereotypes and see more of their potential, then come. If they don't come, it's their loss."

After sending the text message, he stubbed out his cigarette and hailed a taxi.

The Hong Kong night view outside the car window rushed past, neon lights shimmering and colorful.

Li Jun leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

In my mind, the scattered images are no longer forming, but rather a gradually clearer network diagram.

Actors, behind-the-scenes personnel, funding, distribution channels... one by one, these elements are being activated and slowly connected.

Tang Yan's gentleness, Zhang Liangying's passion, Xie Tingfeng's sharpness, and the talents and ambitions of those yet to be met but destined to intersect...

All of these will become the cornerstones upon which he builds his film and television empire.

He knew this road was fraught with thorns. Huayi's counterattack would not stop, industry rules would not be easily broken, and maintaining emotional balance was like walking on thin ice.

He was given a second chance at life, not to repeat the past, nor to be overly cautious.

It's to stand there before the tide of the times arrives. It's to personally embrace those stars we once looked up to.

It's to create stories that make your heart tremble and to love those who stir your soul.

As the taxi passed through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, the dazzling lights of Hong Kong Island came into view.