Chapter 713

Dinner was prepared by Hua Ruzhen herself.

Chinese food.

To be precise, there was Northeast-style sweet and sour pork, Sichuan-style sliced beef and ox tongue in chili sauce, as well as home-style dishes like sweet and sour spare ribs and boiled fish.

Chen Siqi was amazed and said, "Sis, how is your cooking so good?"

Lu Yan He smiled and said, "Back when I was filming my first movie, *The Mist*, Sis rented a house with Mu Ken. They often invited me over for dinner. I got used to it; she seems to be able to cook anything."

Chen Siqi: "I admire you so much!"

Hua Ruzhen brought out a pot of creamy mushroom soup, her face full of smiles.

"It's just a bit of home cooking, don't exaggerate your praise," she said.

Mu Ken now uses chopsticks just as skillfully; you wouldn't notice any of the awkwardness typical of a foreigner.

"When is the sequel to *The Mist* scheduled for release?" Chen Siqi asked. "Is it the same release window as the first one?"

"It should be," Mu Ken said. "D19 hopes to release it by the end of next year."

"Is there enough time for that?"

"That depends on the post-production situation," Mu Ken said. "Normally, it should be possible."

Hua Ruzhen asked, "Then what is Yan He filming next?"

"Liu Bige's *Storm Calmer No. 1*," Lu Yan He replied.

Hua Ruzhen nodded.

"It seems you'll basically be on set for the whole year again?" Hua Ruzhen laughed.

Lu Yan He nodded. "It feels like every year is just a constant cycle of rotating between different film sets."

"It's like that when you're young, basically being pushed forward by work," Hua Ruzhen said. "This is also quite good; although it's tiring, it's all accumulation."

Chen Siqi: "I hope he can still relax a little. For the past few years, he has basically been in a high-intensity work rhythm."

"Actually, this year is much better. I film one movie, then I can rest for a period before joining the next set," Lu Yan He said. "In the first two years, there wasn't a moment to breathe. At that time, I had to record many shows and attend events between filming. Now, that part of the work has been reduced by more than half, so it's okay."

Mu Ken: "You have indeed filmed a lot. I feel like every few months I see news of a new project of yours coming out, and it's not just movies, but also quite a few series."

"Before he filmed the sequel to *The Mist*, he had just finished the final season of a series," Chen Siqi said. "*Seventeen Layers*. Mu Ken, have you seen this show?"

"Oh, I have," Mu Ken nodded. "I like this show. It's very interesting; it's the genre I like."

Hua Ruzhen said, "This show seems to be quite popular in Europe and America too, right?"

"That's because after *Squid Game* exploded, since it's the same type of genre, *Seventeen Layers* saw an increase in viewership," Lu Yan He said. "In reality, *Seventeen Layers* is only particularly popular in Asia. In Europe and America, it can only be said to have a certain level of recognition and a group of viewers."

Hua Ruzhen nodded.

"I've read the script you gave Mu Ken. It's written really well, exceeding my expectations. How did you think of writing a story like this?" Hua Ruzhen asked in surprise. "To actually use Black slavery as the creative background."

"When *The Mist* was released, the audience's reaction gave me the inspiration," Lu Yan He said, noting that it was indeed the rare marketing route of 'Asian revenge' that reminded him of that film. "And, if we're talking about social issues, in the United States, this theme is definitely more mainstream."

"That's right," Hua Ruzhen nodded. "I even think that if this movie sparks significant social discussion, it could become a hot contender for the awards season."

"That's exactly what I envisioned," Lu Yan He said bluntly.

Hua Ruzhen was a bit surprised and asked, "Are you preparing to aim for the Academy Awards?"

"In the coming years, not just the Academy Awards, I want to focus my efforts on English-language films," Lu Yan He said.

Hua Ruzhen asked, "And what about yourself?"

"Myself?"

"Green Valley has been releasing signals to the public that they are pushing for your performance in *Tropical Rainy Season* to compete for this year's Best Supporting Actor."

Lu Yan He said, "Because I won Best Actor at Xitu'er, Schmidt thinks I have a great advantage, but he also told me that whether there's any hope depends on the feedback from critics after it's released in North America."

Hua Ruzhen asked, "Will you be investing your own public relations funds this year?"

Lu Yan He: "There is no such plan for now."

"The movie *Tropical Rainy Season* definitely doesn't have that kind of budget," Hua Ruzhen said. "Actually, if there had been an investment quota for me when this movie was first made, I would have invested."

"Don't even talk about you, they didn't even give Yan He an investment quota," Chen Siqi explained with a smile. "Yan He just went to help out by acting for a few days."

"At the time, they probably didn't expect this movie to achieve such results, right?"

"Indeed, I didn't expect it," Lu Yan He said. "If anyone had told me when I received the script that this movie would win me Best Actor at Xitu'er, I definitely wouldn't have believed it."

Hua Ruzhen: "If you really want to run this awards season this year, I can help you organize a few cocktail parties."

Why is it said that the awards season often requires public relations funds?

Where do these public relations funds go? Are they used to bribe judges with voting rights?

Actually, among the public relations expenses, there is an expenditure that is exactly what Hua Ruzhen mentioned.

Organizing cocktail parties.

What are these cocktail parties for? Inviting media, film critics, influential figures in the industry, etc., to promote the movie *Tropical Rainy Season* and Lu Yan He's performance to them.

This is very expensive; a single cocktail party costs at least over a hundred thousand US dollars.

Hua Ruzhen means she can cover the costs of a few 'public relations activities.'

"Thank you, Sis," Lu Yan He thanked Hua Ruzhen.

Hua Ruzhen looked at Chen Siqi again.

"Didn't you always want to take *Jump Up* overseas? The record book of the International Film Critics Film Festival you made last year actually had a pretty good response in Europe and America. Maybe you can continue doing it this year," Hua Ruzhen said. "You can also hold a book publishing launch here then."

Hua Ruzhen is actually providing some 'public relations ideas' for Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi.

Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi understood and nodded.

"Oh, and *Tropical Rainy Season* must come to Berlin for the German premiere," Hua Ruzhen emphasized without room for argument. "In Germany, there are also many Academy members."

Academy members are the people who have the right to vote.

Lu Yan He said okay.

After dinner, Lu Yan He and Mu Ken went to his study to look at his collection of film discs.

Chen Siqi and Hua Ruzhen stood on the balcony catching the breeze and chatting.

"Although I told Yan He before that I hoped he would have a suitable opportunity to help Mu Ken write a horror script that could bring him into the mainstream, I didn't expect Yan He to be able to come up with the script for *Get Out* so quickly. His creative talent truly amazes me."

Hua Ruzhen held a wine glass, her other hand resting on the balcony railing. The light spilled out from the room, hitting her on one side, making her look as charming as a scene from a movie at this very moment.

"Even in Hollywood—where the most talented filmmakers in the world basically all come—I have never seen a screenwriter with more creative passion than him."

Chen Siqi nodded.

"He is very sensitive," she smiled. "Although he himself is unwilling to show that he is very sensitive most of the time, this might be the source of his creative passion. Perhaps, just the fact that we are sitting here eating together tonight has made a story pop into his mind."

Hua Ruzhen shook her head.

"A genius's brain always makes us feel incredible," she smiled. "But I've known him for so long, and I'm actually a bit relieved today. I originally thought that when I talked to him directly about the US awards season PR, he would avoid the topic."

"He used to be very afraid of the secular world, but now he's slowly getting better," Chen Siqi knew what Hua Ruzhen was talking about. "He's actually not afraid of the secular world; he's unwilling to let many things be covered by a very utilitarian purpose, because that wasn't his original intention."

"However, there has never been an era where an artist's status was not achieved because of utilitarian purposes," Hua Ruzhen said. "The artist himself may not have utilitarian purposes, but the act of the era bestowing this status upon him is inherently utilitarian."

"Yes, I agree."

"I'm very happy that he can accept this point so quickly at his age," Hua Ruzhen said. "To be honest, we aren't exactly kindred spirits, but there is an unexpected compatibility. Not long after we met, I felt that he needed my care, and he was also willing to care back. It might be related to the fact that it was his first time filming in a foreign country. We two Chinese suddenly had that feeling of being fellow countrymen."

Chen Siqi laughed.

"He is a very sincere person, and until now, this point of his hasn't changed at all," she said. "Even many times I feel that his tolerance is too high; he is always willing to think about others' difficulties and then forgive. However, it's strange that at the same time, he is a person with very high internal defenses. There are very few people who can truly walk into his heart, so I was quite surprised when I found out you were genuinely respected and liked by him from the bottom of his heart, just in the time it took to film one movie."

Hua Ruzhen: "It's probably because he let me put down my guard and was willing to talk to me a bit more. After talking, he gave me more sincere feedback, making me willing to continue talking to him a bit more. Just like that, bit by bit, we could say more and more."

Actually, if you really think about it, Chen Siqi also feels it's very magical. Chen Bige has collaborated with Lu Yan He so many times; logically speaking, the two of them should be more familiar and closer, but Chen Siqi feels that if one day Lu Yan He encountered some things and needed to find someone to help, Hua Ruzhen would definitely be ahead of Chen Bige on Lu Yan He's list.

The compatibility between Chen Bige and Lu Yan He is still as actors, in the matter of performance.

However, Lu Yan He and Hua Ruzhen can talk about more private matters.

This is Chen Siqi's feeling.

Hua Ruzhen said: "If Yan He really has hope of aiming for the Academy Awards this year, I will use all my power to help him. I'm just afraid he won't be attentive himself."

"He is attentive, but he is more prone to appearing inattentive," Chen Siqi laughed. "He used to want to win awards in his heart, but he kept saying that awards were not the most important thing. Now, he says he is very willing and wants to win awards, but in his heart, he really doesn't put awards in the first place."

Hua Ruzhen: "Hmm, my meaning is, artists, he himself may not have put utilitarian purposes in the first place, but as a friend by his side, when I can give a push, I don't have that many thoughts; I should push when I can. In Europe and America, winning an Oscar and not winning an Oscar are two completely different things. If you win an Oscar, those people, no matter how much they don't want to acknowledge you, must acknowledge you, because they have to maintain the reputation of the Oscars."

Chen Siqi nodded, understanding Hua Ruzhen's meaning.

"I can roughly guess what Yan He wants to do, and I also hope to be able to help him," Hua Ruzhen smiled slightly at Chen Siqi. "So, if there is anything I need to know, you contact me at any time; I don't count on him."

Chen Siqi also laughed.

Mu Ken Zorge is a heavy enthusiast of thriller and horror movies.

He loves to film them because he loved watching them when he was a child.

He has watched almost every thriller and horror movie in the world.

Lu Yan He looked at the film discs in his study, including a bright, human-sized skeleton in the room, and many decorative paintings and posters on the walls—

Okay.

Lu Yan He thought to himself, at least he isn't the one living here.

He actually doesn't like thriller and horror movies that much.

People who like this type of movie are essentially pursuing the thrill of the moment when their adrenaline spikes, just like some people like roller coasters or drop towers.

However, Lu Yan He himself cannot really get pleasure from this feeling.

Of course, Lu Yan He has many thriller and horror movies that he likes himself.

*Get Out* doesn't really count; he just watched this movie purely as a drama. In comparison, he even likes the director's other film, *Nope*, more.

Among the films of this type he has watched, his favorite is actually Alfred Hitchcock's *Rear Window*—

But this doesn't involve horror or supernatural elements.

Okay, he admits, he actually hasn't watched many horror or supernatural movies.

However, the current production trend for horror and thriller movies in the entire film industry is that this type of movie is slowly decreasing. It has been a long time since masterpieces like *Orphan*, *Triangle*, or *The Texas Chain Saw Massacre* have appeared.

The last one to cause a frenzy worldwide was *It*, the movie adapted from Stephen King's original work.

Lu Yan He listened to Mu Ken talk about his collection for over an hour, and many horror movies he had watched and forgotten also popped into his mind.

He asked Mu Ken for a piece of paper and a pen, and from time to time, he would write down a name on it.

Mu Ken didn't know what he was doing at first. When asked, Lu Yan He said: "In the process of listening to you just now, one idea after another popped into my mind, inspiration. Perhaps after I go back and organize them, I can write them into a script."

Mu Ken stared at Lu Yan He in shock and disbelief, uttering one "Fuck!" after another.

Hua Ruzhen knocked and came in, asking: "Siqi and I baked some cookies together. Do you want to come out and eat some?"

Then, she saw her husband holding his head and shouting "Fuck!" as if he were having a breakdown.

Hua Ruzhen stood where she was, blinking her eyes.

Lu Yan He didn't know what to say at all.

This scene looked as if Mu Ken had been stimulated and bullied by him.

Hua Ruzhen said helplessly: "Honey, calm down."

Mu Ken suddenly pointed at Lu Yan He, laughed in disbelief, and asked: "Do you know how perverted this guy is?"

Lu Yan He was full of confusion: "???"

Mu Ken picked up the paper from Lu Yan He's hand and gave it to Hua Ruzhen.

"While I was telling him about my collection, he had all kinds of story inspirations popping up."

Hua Ruzhen suddenly understood.

Mu Ken: "How can there be such a perverted person? Zhen, I am now filled with jealousy deep in my heart, and it is burning me."

Lu Yan He: "..."

Hua Ruzhen took his hand, "Alright, come out and eat some cookies first, calm down. Yan He, you come out too."

Lu Yan He followed them out, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

This was a night that made Mu Ken very broken.

He had been looking for good stories, looking for them almost every day, and then coming up with all kinds of ideas, trying to write them into scripts, among which, basically nine out of ten didn't work out.

However, in just one hour, Lu Yan He wrote four or five names on the paper, names of scripts.

Not only that, when Mu Ken pointed to one of the names and asked Lu Yan He what kind of story he had thought of, Lu Yan He could even tell him a complete story.

Mu Ken couldn't calm down at all.

Hua Ruzhen said helplessly to Lu Yan He: "You really stimulated him."

Lu Yan He: "Then what should I do?"

"It's okay," Hua Ruzhen said. "Although he looks like he's about to break down at any moment, his psychological endurance is much stronger than it looks. In the next few days, he will be stimulated by you to start writing scripts like crazy."

Lu Yan He: "... No way, right?"

"Hehe, just watch," Hua Ruzhen said. "I'll film a video for you then."

That night, Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi slept at their house.

The next day, after Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi finished breakfast, they had to catch a flight back to the country.

After one night, Mu Ken seemed to have calmed down a bit, but he didn't look like he had rested well at all, with two huge dark circles under his eyes.

Mu Ken punched Lu Yan He on the shoulder.

"You guy, you didn't let me sleep well all night."

Lu Yan He: "... You can't say it like that."

Chen Siqi laughed uncontrollably.

Hua Ruzhen twitched the corners of her mouth and pulled Mu Ken to the back.

She said: "The time you came this time was too short, come often in the future."

Lu Yan He nodded and said again: "Wait for you to come to Yuming."

Hua Ruzhen nodded.

"Let's keep in touch."

They hugged each other.

This was a clear morning, temporarily without sunlight, as crisp as a valley.

Zou Dong and Wang Biao had already packed their things and come over from the hotel.

The car they had booked was parked at the entrance, waiting for them.

"Then we're leaving," Lu Yan He said.

"Bye-bye," Hua Ruzhen nodded with a smile. "Have a safe trip, see you later."

Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi got into the car together.

After the car started and drove forward for a stretch, Lu Yan He looked back from the rear window. Mu Ken and Hua Ruzhen were hugging each other, turned around, and were returning to their house.

This scene was very mundane, but it made Lu Yan He feel grounded in his heart.

He held Chen Siqi's hand.