Reshaping the landscape of the Chinese entertainment industry

One Second

Upon seeing the few words that came into view, Zhang Yimou's fingers, which were about to turn the page, paused slightly.

For some reason, he suddenly had a feeling that once he opened this script, there was no way to refuse anything.

But after seeing He Yi'an's two scripts, "Fireworks in the Human World" and "A Separation," Zhang Yimou had completely gained confidence in his scriptwriting abilities.

So when you ask Zhang Yimou to not even look at the script, he can't help but feel a little overwhelmed.

After a moment of silence, he didn't speak, but instead opened the script.

Page 1, Page 2, Page 3...

He Yi'an didn't make a sound to disturb him, but simply watched Zhang Yimou's changing expressions.

He noticed that Zhang Yimou's eyes were changing.

From initial resistance and wariness to focus, until he finished reading it and then turned back to the first page to read the script again.

An indescribable emotion welled up in his eyes.

After a long silence, Zhang Yimou finally closed the script and asked in a hoarse voice, "Xiao He, when did you write this script? Don't tell me you wrote it in one night!"

"How could that be!" He Yi'an shook his head and laughed.

Although he did write the truth in one night, he couldn't possibly admit it so openly.

Otherwise, some things simply cannot be explained.

"Director Zhang, actually, when my teacher thought I could join the crew last year, we talked about you. My teacher casually mentioned that I should maintain the original aspiration of a filmmaker, and even gave you as an example."

"I was very moved when I first heard this story and wanted to write it down, but I didn't put pen to paper. Later, I went to the set of 'Hero' and saw what real filmmaking required and what Director Zhang was really like, so I started to conceive of it."

"Besides, Director Zhang has helped me so much and personally taught me about directing and color theory. I should at least repay him, right?" He Yi'an said, half-jokingly. "So I've been writing, and of course, I only recently finished it."

Zhang Yimou looked at him with a complex expression in his eyes. Although he knew that He Yi'an was not telling the whole truth, he was still somewhat moved.

"Old Mu always tells these things to the younger generation. I'll definitely have to tell him next time I see him..."

Zhang Yimou expressed his feelings about Mu Deyuan, and then slowly said, "But I still want to thank you. You know, I've been thinking about this story for over ten years..."

He Yi'an knew that Zhang Yimou was about to start talking, so he remained silent and let him ramble on.

"...Ever since I was at the Western Guangdong Film Studio, I've wanted to make something about film, about the very origins of cinema..."

Zhang Yimou's gaze drifted into the distance: "Back then, when we made movies, we were extremely careful with every foot of film we used. Film was our life, it was everything..."

He paused, then looked down at the script in his hand again: "So your script is very well written. I understand the longing for film, the madness and obsession with film that you express."

"That's why I wrote it at this time, to repay Director Zhang." He Yi'an said with a righteous expression, "This script is my humble way of repaying Director Zhang for his guidance."

Zhang Yimou knew exactly what He Yi'an was thinking: "You little brat..."

He had been wondering how He Yi'an planned to persuade him today, but he never expected her to pull this stunt.

The refusal I had prepared was now difficult to utter directly.

"Xiao He, name your price. I'm prepared to buy this notebook!"

Ding is Dingmao is Mao.

He Yi'an saw through Zhang Yimou's scheme at a glance, so he didn't take the bait. Instead, he went a step further: "Director Zhang, I won't sell this script. It's yours!"

It's often said that what's free is the most expensive, and Zhang Yimou certainly felt that way at that moment.

He did want to agree immediately, but considering He Yi'an's purpose, he hesitated.

He Yi'an noticed his hesitation and was secretly pleased.

If you start to hesitate, it means your inner defenses are beginning to crumble; you just need to put in a little more effort.

After thinking for a moment, he stopped dwelling on the topic and went straight to talking about Zhang Yimou's performance and the characters in the script.

"Director Zhang, you've also read the script for 'A Separation,' so you should be able to understand the character Chen Yan. He's a middle-aged man who's overwhelmed by life. His anger, despair, and forbearance aren't acted out; they come from his very bones."

"It only erupts when you're at your most broken," He Yi'an said earnestly. "This requires someone who truly understands life, human nature, and acting to portray it."

Zhang Yimou was still a little awkward and resisted, saying, "There are so many good actors in China, you can find other people."

"No, no, no, Director Zhang, when I thought of you playing the role, I stopped considering anyone else. I've studied your acting." He Yi'an pulled Zhang Yimou to sit down beside him.

He insisted on getting this matter clarified today, no matter what.

"I don't know if you've noticed a characteristic of your acting... When you portray a character, you're not 'acting,' you're 'doing.' You can be Meng Tianfang, a scrap collector, or a farmer."

"Your performance isn't based on technique, it's based on instinct."

"And the male lead in my script needs this kind of instinct, a..."

Anyway, He Yi'an just kept praising him, saying that Zhang Yimou described the role as one that no one else could play.

Adding to the script and Gong Li's influence, Zhang Yimou kept smoking as he listened, and then He Yi'an lit another one for him.

During this continuous process of adding roots, Zhang Yimou remained silent for a long time.

After he finished smoking another cigarette, he stubbed it out and threw it into the trash can next to him.

"It's not that I don't want to act; you know my relationship with Gong Li." He lowered his voice, revealing his biggest concern.

"I know," He Yi'an nodded.

"Then why did you..." Zhang Yimou looked at him, his eyes full of reproach.

"Director Zhang, why are we back to this again? I asked you to act in the film not because of your relationship with Gong Li," He Yi'an said sincerely, meeting his gaze. "It's because you are the most suitable candidate."

"No one could play the role of Chen Yan properly."

"Only you can portray that feeling of being repeatedly crushed by life, yet still gritting your teeth and persevering."

Zhang Yimou stood there for a long time before finally speaking.

"You kid..." He shook his head, his tone filled with helplessness and感慨, "You can talk even more than I could when I was young."

He Yi'an felt a sense of relief: "Director Zhang, you agreed?"

"January." Zhang Yimou held up one finger. "I only have time after January. Right now, I need to finish the post-production of 'Hero' so it can be released at the end of the year. After that, I also need to prepare for new projects."

"No problem!" He Yi'an almost jumped up. "Then it's settled!"

After saying that, he immediately took out another actor's contract and asked Zhang Yimou to sign it.

Seeing how well-prepared he was, Zhang Yimou almost lost his composure, but since he had already made a promise, he couldn't immediately go back on his word.

Hey, that's exactly what He Yi'an was planning.

Sometimes decisions are made on a whim, and you'll definitely regret them once you calm down. He Yi'an wouldn't give Zhang Yimou a chance to regret it.

Faced with this series of combined attacks, Zhang Yimou had no choice but to sign his name.

Seeing that everything was settled, He Yi'an didn't linger: "Director Zhang, it's settled then, I'm leaving next January to tell Teacher Gong Li the good news!"

"By the way, Director Zhang, please keep this a secret and don't tell anyone else, especially Zhang Weiping. I don't want to publicize this project for the time being."

After saying that, He Yi'an ran away immediately, afraid of giving Zhang Yimou time to regret it.

"You..." As for keeping it a secret, Zhang Yimou definitely wouldn't have any problems.

Seeing how happy he was, and even wanted to share the news with Gong Li immediately, Zhang Yi'an regretted agreeing too readily. But when he tried to refuse, He Yi'an had already disappeared!

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P.S.: Tomorrow I'll be moving on to a new storyline; the progress is already quite detailed.