Reshaping the landscape of the Chinese entertainment industry

"Thank you so much for your understanding, Ms. Gong Li!"

He Yi'an was also surprised that Gong Li was so easy to talk to!

However, when he looked at Zhang Yimou, who was quietly eating his food and not saying a word, he seemed to understand why Gong Li was so easy to talk to.

Thinking of this, his gratitude towards Zhang Yimou deepened.

He even felt that he should find an opportunity to repay her properly.

Just as he was thinking this, Gong Li continued, "Xiao An, what are your plans regarding my salary?"

He Yi'an's heart skipped a beat. Gong Li's initiative in pointing this out made it much easier for him to continue.

When discussing matters, the worst thing is when you're the one who decides everything.

Since everything is entrusted to you, you need to worry about whether the other party will be satisfied with your arrangements, so you have to add endless layers of complexity on top of the original plan.

This feeling is actually very painful.

On the contrary, it is easier to resolve the issue when the other party takes the initiative to make some demands.

When discussing matters, you really shouldn't be afraid of others making demands; those who make demands are the ones who are truly willing to discuss things.

Of course, those who ask for an exorbitant amount are an exception!

He Yi'an was also pondering what kind of remuneration he should give Gong Li, which was not an easy task.

Because Gong Li is currently considered the highest-paid actress in China.

Even starting in 1993, after starring in "Flirting Scholar," the production company gave her a salary of HK$100 million (approximately US$12.8 at the time), which made Gong Li's salary surpass that of everyone else in the Chinese entertainment industry.

This salary was not low, not to mention in 1993, even in 2002 it was not low.

Furthermore, most of the films she starred in later have won awards, so her salary should increase further.

But how much the increase will be and how much will be given is another question.

According to He Yi'an's deduction, Gong Li's reasonable salary for a single film should be between 500 million and 1500 million RMB.

How much they pay depends on how much the production company is willing to pay.

Of course, this salary is for commercial films; art films certainly cannot be calculated this way.

Actors who want to star in art films, especially those aiming for awards, will definitely need to lower their fees reasonably.

Of course, considering that Gong Li had already taken great care of him and was willing to support him as a relatively new director, He Yi'an was unwilling to put too much pressure on him.

After thinking for a moment, he gave a number: "Ms. Gong Li, do you think 150 million is appropriate?"

In 2002, this figure was indeed not high for Gong Li's status, but it was definitely not low in terms of the proportion of her salary in art films.

However, after hearing He Yi'an's offer, Gong Li shook her head without even considering it.

This made He Yi'an's heart tighten, thinking that she was not satisfied and was about to raise the price when he heard her say, "No need to give so much, 50 will do."

"Huh?" He Yi'an's words caught in his throat, and he was completely stunned.

Where can you find someone who negotiates a lower price for themselves?

He thought he had misheard.

Unexpectedly, Gong Li repeated herself: "50 RMB will suffice."

"50 RMB?" Now He Yi'an was truly certain that he hadn't misheard.

"Yes, I've seen the detailed project planning budget you gave me. Yi Mou said that your film 'Fireworks in the Human World' cost around 400 million. Our film involves multiple scenes, so the requirements will probably be more. Even if we compress it further, it will still need six or seven million, right?"

"With a budget of six or seven million, taking only 150 million might affect the production quality. I don't want a good script to be ruined like this!"

After all, He Yi'an had already said he wanted to take this script to Cannes, and if it won an award...

Of course, Gong Li only thought about this in her heart and did not say it out loud to put pressure on He Yi'an.

Although they seemed to be having a good chat, Gong Li still regarded him as a child.

Besides, she really doesn't care about that little bit of pay. If she wanted money, she could just take on a few commercial films or endorsements and earn it back.

It's really not worth the trouble.

Moreover, He Yi'an was introduced to her by Zhang Yimou.

Based on her understanding of Zhang Yimou, if she couldn't truly satisfy him, or if she really had the ability, it would be impossible for him to personally recommend her or personally arrange the meeting.

Over the years, he's only ever done this for his daughter; for everyone else...

Moreover, besides these factors, there was another more important reason why Gong Li did this, but she couldn't say it directly because Zhang Yimou was there.

If her wish could be fulfilled, she would be willing to perform for free, even without any payment.

While Gong Li was pondering how to express her thoughts, He Yi'an was genuinely moved.

He had never had any contact with Gong Li before, and his decision to pursue her was for his own reasons.

Now that others are giving him so much face and supporting him so much, He Yi'an feels a little uneasy.

Is this what they call sincerity overcoming all obstacles?

But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. Gong Li has received enough honors in her life. As early as 1987, her film "Red Sorghum" won the Golden Bear Award at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival.

In 1992, she won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival for her role in "The Story of Qiu Ju," which also won the Golden Lion.

In 1993, she starred in "Farewell My Concubine," which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival.

They basically won all three major European titles.

She is the only Chinese actress to have starred in films that have won the top prizes at all three major European film festivals.

Truly one of a kind!

But for such an actor, he only received a token amount of payment. Apart from genuine support, He Yi'an didn't know how else to describe it.

While Zhang Yimou's influence certainly played a part, the favor ultimately fell on his own shoulders.

It's hard to repay favors!

After thinking for a moment, He Yi'an said solemnly with a serious expression, "Teacher Gong Li, I will remember this favor. I will definitely continue to seek you out if I have a suitable script in the future."

He Yi'an wasn't just saying this casually; he was serious.

Given the current state of the Chinese entertainment industry, it will take many years to make money by making movies in China.

However, if you want to grow the company into a leader in the Chinese entertainment industry, or even surpass Huayi Brothers as the top private company in the Chinese entertainment industry, you certainly can't rely on this alone.

Then he had to break the deadlock from other places, and Hollywood was a good choice.

And movies filmed in Hollywood...

He glanced at Gong Li, his eyes filled with gratitude, but he didn't voice his thoughts.

Some things can only be considered a true exchange of gifts when the time is right.

Hearing He Yi'an's gratitude, Gong Li smiled, then waved her hand and said calmly, "Let's talk about the future later. Right now, I just want us to work together well on this film. Also..."

"Does Ms. Gong Li have any other requests?"

Gong Li put down her chopsticks, glanced at Zhang Yimou, and then picked up her wine glass and took a sip.

"A good script also needs good actors to complement it. If I were the female lead, who would you choose to play the male lead?"

He Yi'an keenly noticed the slight change in Gong Li's tone just now, and also noticed the fleeting glint in her eyes.

She's definitely expecting something!

He then looked at Zhang Yimou, who was standing to the side, and listened without saying a word.

At this moment, Zhang Yimou seemed to have become a complete outsider, not caring about their discussions at all. Instead, he picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and slowly chewed it, savoring the taste.

He Yi'an suddenly remembered at this moment.

From the moment they entered the room until now, Zhang Yimou and Gong Li have not exchanged any additional words.

There was no catching up, no small talk, and even eye contact was rare.

But that tacit understanding, that peaceful ease in the same space, wasn't something deliberately maintained; it was a trace left after years of getting along.

This reminded him of a saying...

Some people don't need to speak; just sitting together is a beautiful sight.

Their teamwork is truly remarkable...

He Yi'an suddenly thought of the male protagonist's suffering, his simple and honest nature, and a thought of someone came to mind.

This person should be the male lead that Gong Li was looking forward to!

If news of their collaboration were to spread, who knows how much more buzz it would generate.

Thinking of all this, a barely suppressed smile appeared on He Yi'an's lips.

He looked directly into Gong Li's expectant gaze and slowly said, "Ms. Gong Li, what do you think about casting Zhang Yimou as the male lead?"

Gong Li looked at He Yi'an's face and listened to him directly say the answer she wanted most in her heart. She almost failed to control her facial expression.

She raised her eyes, first glancing at He Yi'an with a complicated expression, then fixing her gaze on Zhang Yimou, who had been silent until now but was suddenly called upon.

The look in her eyes had never been so complex since she entered the room.

A smile that wasn't quite a smile, a frown that wasn't quite a frown.

"Zhang Yimou?" She stared at the old master, repeating the name again, her tone carrying a hint of amusement.

"This casting is excellent, I agree!"

However, Gong Li agreed, which surprised Zhang Yimou. His reaction was a mix of astonishment, fleeting joy, and then anger!

Okay, okay, He Yi'an, is this how you play the game?

You made me the matchmaker, and now you want me to be a part of your game, right?

"Xiao He, shouldn't you explain this to me?"

Zhang Yimou's voice was low and unreadable.

He Yi'an met his gaze calmly, without backing down: "Director Zhang, you've read the script yourself, don't you think you're the most suitable person?"

"Besides, the female lead is none other than Gong Li, don't you want to...?"

"Xiao He!!!" Zhang Yimou interrupted him directly. He wanted to refuse outright, but noticing that Gong Li was still watching him, he opened his mouth but didn't say the words "I don't want to".

"Nonsense! This is utter nonsense! I'm a director, not an actor!"

"But Director Zhang, your acting skills are absolutely more than capable. After all, you won the Best Actor award at the Tokyo International Film Festival for your performance in 'Old Well'!"

"That happened a long time ago!" Zhang Yimou was still trying to deflect the question.

But He Yi'an played his trump card directly: "Director Zhang, don't you want to work with Gong Li again?"

"I..." Zhang Yimou's tone was somewhat irritated. He stood up and walked out of the private room.

He Yi'an stood up, wanting to chase after her, but then he looked at Gong Li standing to the side.

She appeared quite calm.

Seeing He Yi'an looking at her, seemingly wanting to ask her opinion, Gong Li thought for a moment and smiled, "Xiao An, if you can get him to act alongside me, I'll owe you a favor!"

Upon hearing this, He Yi'an's spirits lifted!

"Don't worry, Ms. Gong Li, wait for my good news!"

After saying that, He Yi'an chased after Zhang Yimou who had left.

Of course, he didn't forget to pay the bill; he couldn't possibly skip out on the bill at a time like this and leave Gong Li to pay...

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P.S.: Please continue reading on Tuesday! Today's word count is over 6500, which is practically three chapters! Please keep reading! And please give me your recommendation votes and monthly tickets!

Also, something happened at home. My mom had surgery, so I rushed back to my hometown yesterday to take care of her. We still farm, but my mom can't do it now, and my dad is out of town, so I'm doing it all by myself. I dug all day today and I'm exhausted. I finished typing this and went to take a shower, so I forgot to post this...