Chapter 167

"Wang Tianxiang is a villain in *The Message*, male, aged 30 to 50."

"As for *The Message*, it's a film my company is currently preparing. I haven't invested much in this film, just about my entire net worth."

"If it loses money, the consequences won't be too serious; Brother Wen, just remember to go to the bottom of Taiping Lake to fish me out."

Jiang Wen was eating breakfast, a bite of steamed bun and a bite of porridge; hearing this, he almost sprayed the food out of his nose.

The lost memories all came back.

It's just that the partner his new company found this time is too capable, keeping everything in perfect order, including taking over all cooperation with Huanran Yixin.

Leaving him, who had been fighting alone for years, suddenly with nothing to do.

Thus, recently, he has been obsessed with falconry and dog fighting, drinking tea and fishing, muddled and unaware of the days, quite feeling the joy of forgetting about film.

How could he still remember the puppet soldier leader Wang Tianxiang!

Hearing Chen Nuo's words, Jiang Wen, who always considered himself a man of loyalty, couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

"Haha, brother is joking with you! How could I forget, Wang Tianxiang, sigh, the name is so familiar."

This is the skill of a veteran Best Actor; the laughter is so hearty, the tone so natural, although he hasn't figured out how to smooth it over, in any case, rounding off the words first is never wrong.

Chen Nuo was half-believing.

Although he was suspicious, Jiang Wen's impression on him was quite good, and his performance was truly flawless. So he really believed it a little.

"Then what about the actor? Who did you find? Brother Jiang, Boss Jiang, if you don't give me a definite answer, I'm really going to jump in the lake. There's only one month left until filming starts, and I still can't find anyone to hand the script to!"

Jiang Wen was startled: "Nuozi, why so urgent? What were you doing earlier?"

Chen Nuo's heart sank, and he said gloomily, "Remember the Alphard at the entrance of Beijing Film Academy that noon? Didn't you say you'd take care of it?"

"... Haha, hahaha, how could I not remember that. Hehe, Nuozi, you wait; brother will give you an answer before noon, this little thing is definitely no problem!"

Jiang Wen wasn't joking either; after hanging up, he started contacting everyone.

However, no matter how wide his connections were, wanting to find someone who could pass muster in every aspect and wouldn't make him lose face in such a short time was truly easier said than done!

Mainly because there was only one month left until filming, what actor with any status would still have an open schedule?

"It's fine, it's fine, Brother Daoming, if you have arrangements, then definitely prioritize your arrangements... I asked over there, his *Ming Dynasty 1566* isn't finished filming yet... Hmm, okay, that's it, let's have tea another day."

Hanging up, Jiang Wen covered his forehead, truly feeling a bit worried. He had lowered his pride and asked a circle of people, but gained nothing.

So what now?

He truly handled this matter poorly.

The other party handled his affairs beautifully, yet he had boasted so grandly at the start—and what was the result?

Never mind letting the other party pick a role; right now, he couldn't even spit out a single name.

His younger brother Jiang Wu is free, but... that would really be a bit of a farce.

If he calls Jiang Wu, or any second- or third-tier actor, is he helping Chen Nuo, or is Chen Nuo helping him?

After thinking it over, Jiang Wen first called his business partner and talked for quite a while.

Then he called his assistant and chatted for a bit.

Following that, he dialed Chen Nuo.

Too lazy to keep acting, he said directly, "Nuozi, this time I've let you down, brother didn't handle your business well..."

Over the past half-day, Chen Nuo had already figured it out.

This brother of his had most likely forgotten all about his little request.

Although... but...

Sigh, what else could he do but let it go?

Let's see if he can go somewhere else to pick up the scraps now.

Hearing Jiang Wen say this, his suspicions were confirmed, so he replied quite calmly, "It's fine, it's fine, I'll go ask around myself..."

"Don't."

Before he could finish, Jiang Wen interrupted him, "I haven't finished yet. I actually do have someone here; I just asked, and his schedule can be cleared, as long as his scenes can wrap up before mid-August."

Wang Tianxiang's scenes are actually quite significant; in the latest script provided by Mai Jia, they are second only to the two female leads and Wu Tian.

If they really have to meet this deadline, the shooting schedule Ning Hao and Gao Qunshu have made might need corresponding adjustments, which is quite troublesome.

But since Jiang Wen said so, Chen Nuo was quite curious.

To dare to make such a demand of a film crew, could that be an ordinary person?

Regardless, just agree to it first.

"That's no problem, these are all small matters..."

Two minutes later, Chen Nuo hung up the phone.

Sitting on the sofa to steady his mood, he immediately called Ning Hao, "Hao-ge, there's a matter..."

After hearing Chen Nuo's request, Ning Hao's tone was a bit depressed, "It's already more than half written. Changing it is no problem, as long as it's before filming starts. It's just a bit of extra work. So... who is this person? Such a big shot?"

"Jiang Wen."

When Chen Nuo heard Jiang Wen say he was coming to play Wang Tianxiang for him, he was first startled.

After that, his mind was filled with nothing but frame after frame of film footage.

He had seen the original film version of *The Message*, and he knew Wang Zhiwen had played the craftiness to the bone.

But what about Jiang Wen?

How would he interpret this role?

With his appearance and temperament, it was absolutely impossible for him to follow the same petty-villain style as Wang Zhiwen.

So from what angle would this number-one mainland actor, laden with countless honors, approach it?

At this moment, the identity of actor Chen Nuo overshadowed Chen Zong.

He didn't even think about the box office, Jiang Wen's fame, or any hype or gimmicks.

His first reaction was simply: how would Jiang Wen interpret such a traitor?

Thinking even deeper, in the process of acting opposite Jiang Wen, what could he give Jiang Wen, and what could Jiang Wen give him?

What kind of performance could the two of them offer the audience?

What could he learn from a top-tier actor like Jiang Wen?

Could these things help him go further on the path of an actor?

Hearing that Jiang Wen was joining, Chen Nuo was stirred, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Some were very realistic, some were very absurd.

But so far, Jiang Wen was the first acting-heavy superstar he had encountered who was truly at the peak of his state.

At this very moment, his desire to act opposite Jiang Wen outweighed his desire for money as a boss.

The identity of an actor returned to him.

After hanging up, he couldn't wait to start filming immediately.

At this moment, he seemed to have returned to the state of mind he had before performing as the Joker.

It was as if there was a mountain ahead that made him look up in awe.

And he would walk toward that mountain, reaching far and wide.

On the phone, when Chen Nuo mentioned Jiang Wen, Ning Hao's first reaction was that it was impossible.

But then, another thought immediately flashed through his mind.

Chen Nuo was already playing a Japanese invader, so why couldn't Jiang Wen play a puppet soldier?

He had been sitting in the chair in his home study, but he couldn't help but stand up abruptly.

It is no exaggeration to say that goosebumps had broken out all over Ning Hao's body.

This was Chen Nuo and Jiang Wen!

What director, no matter what they film, hasn't had this dream in their youth—

Sitting behind the monitor, watching several Best Actors and Best Actresses perform brilliant scenes under his direction, finally making thousands of viewers in the cinema swoon, then letting him walk onto the podium, holding a glittering trophy, thanking this person and that.

This dream is one every film student has, and they have it for many years, often remaining out of reach even when they are old, gray-haired, and retired from the industry.

Yet now...

It wasn't a cameo, nor was it a bit part. There were truly two international Best Actors playing important roles in his film!

Among all the directors in the Chinese-speaking world, who wouldn't be green with envy if they knew?

Who wouldn't want to take his place?

Ning Hao felt that if Ang Lee knew about this, he might even want to come and take his seat.

However, after the excitement, as a director, a sense of unease immediately welled up in his heart.

To be fair, this lineup is strong enough. Any film with these two joining cannot be called weak.

However...

Ning Hao thought for a while and decided to offer a reminder, "Chen Zong, with Jiang Wen joining, don't mention changing the shooting schedule; even if you wanted me to rewrite the script with Teacher Mai Jia, it wouldn't matter. But... once Teacher Jiang Wen arrives, given the current lineup, won't it be a bit unbalanced?"

Chen Nuo's heart stirred, and he asked, "Hmm, what do you mean? Go on."

Ning Hao said, "Chen Zong, with Jiang Wen set to play Wang Tianxiang, our main cast is now determined."

Looking at the list written on the paper, he said, "Liu Yifei plays Gu Xiaomeng, Fan Bingbing plays Li Ningyu. Huang Bo plays Wu Zhiguo. These three are the main positive characters."

"The villains are Duan Yihong's Bai Xiaonian, Yu Hewei's Jin Shenghuo, plus the Wu Tian you're playing, and Teacher Jiang Wen's Wang Tianxiang... Uh, Chen Zong, what do you think? Looking at it this way, won't the gap between the two sides be too large? I'm afraid your and Teacher Jiang Wen's auras are too strong, and they... won't be able to hold their own."

Ning Hao spoke tactfully and didn't name names. But what was the implication of his words, and who were the "they" he referred to? How could Chen Nuo not understand?

From an acting perspective, the character of Wu Zhiguo is relatively simple; Ning Hao couldn't possibly be worried that his favorite actor, Huang Bo, couldn't handle the role.

What he was worried about was nothing more than the two female leads.

Chen Nuo even felt it could be said to be one of the two female leads.

That costume idol actress who hasn't won any awards, is only about 20 years old this year, and whose films are all forgettable.

Thinking of this, Chen Nuo also began to have a headache.

In his heart, the person being compared to Liu Yifei was Zhou Xun.

Although Zhou Xun's performance in this film wasn't particularly brilliant, that was only compared to herself. Compared to Liu So-and-so, it was still incomparable.

"Hmm, I see."

Hearing Chen Zong's tone seem somewhat displeased, Ning Hao didn't say anything more.

A young man several years younger than her was about to win the Berlin and Cannes double Best Actor awards; how could she still claim to be the number one young Chinese film star?

This film from casting to assembling the crew, he was just playing a supporting role; now that he had spoken up, he even felt a bit of regret.

What is the relationship between this woman Liu Yifei and Chen Zong?

Truly, no one can say for sure.

Previously, people thought it was just gossip hyped up by the crew during the filming of *The Return of the Condor Heroes*.

But now, everyone at Huanran Yixin Film Company feels...

Truth and falsehood are actually hard to tell.

After hanging up, Chen Nuo checked the time again.

After finishing his classes this morning, he had nothing to do in the afternoon.

Thinking of what Ning Hao said, he felt a bit uneasy.

Liu So-and-so, what is her situation now?

She's been at the farmhouse in Shunyi for over a week now for a "re-forging"; how much has she changed?

How about, why wait for another day, just go take a look?

Just as Chen Nuo decided to go and check on his artist's learning progress,

In New York, USA, which has a 12-hour time difference from Beijing, the midnight premiere of *My Blueberry Nights* had just ended.

Luo Jie Ebert walked out of the cinema with his assistant and waited at the entrance.

He is 65 years old this year, and since opening his first column in the *Chicago Sun-Times* in 1967, he has been on the path of a film critic for 40 years.

In these 40 years, he has published countless books, written countless film reviews, received countless honors, and became the first film critic to leave his handprints on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

His life has also undergone earth-shaking changes.

Yet, there is one habit he has never changed.

That is, after watching a film, to be the first to walk out of the cinema and wait at the entrance to hear what the ordinary audience members from the same screening are chatting about.

Luo Jie Ebert has always believed that these conversations are the core reason supporting him to walk step by step to where he is today.

They are like the string of a kite, guiding him not to fly too high or too far, so that he can no longer see the ground.

Perhaps because they came out too quickly, there were no audience members leaving yet, so he simply turned to look at his life assistant.

Luo Jie Ebert didn't speak, but his assistant Jeff knew what his boss wanted to hear, shrugged, and said truthfully, "I didn't understand it. I don't know what this director is filming, but he definitely isn't filming a story about New Yorkers. Luo Jie, I am a New Yorker, and the New York I know isn't like this. In the middle of the night, would that Asian waiter dare to stand on the street waiting for someone? And that girl actually dared to go under the overpass alone to watch trains? I just want to say, this kind of thing might happen in China, but it's absolutely impossible in New York."

"Also, as far as I know, no boss would let a working Asian student be responsible for the restaurant keys. Let alone let him be the last one to leave and be responsible for locking up. Unless he wants to see his own restaurant on CBS news one day, with the reason being that the waiter was brutally murdered and all the property in the restaurant was looted."

"Also, I didn't understand the plot either. This might be the poetic expression of an Eastern director, but, please, for a guy like me who dropped out in the ninth grade, the things it talks about are too profound..."

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and Luo Jie shivered violently.

Jeff immediately shut his mouth and said, "Luo Jie, I'm not sure... I mean, shouldn't we go back to the car..."

Luo Jie Ebert shook his head, pulled up his mask, and still didn't speak.

In fact, after last year, he could no longer speak, nor could he enjoy delicious food.

He had previously suffered from three types of cancer: thyroid cancer, salivary gland cancer, and jaw cancer.

Because of this, he lost his chin.

How a person without a chin lives is hard for ordinary people to imagine.

The only motivation supporting Luo Jie Ebert to continue living and fighting against the illness is one thing, and that is,

Film.

So he persists in writing film reviews, not only for traditional media but also for his emerging blog.

His blog now has over 10 million followers, the most among all film critics and commentators.

Therefore, he was named the most influential critic in the United States by *Forbes* magazine earlier this year.

The audience in the cinema finally came out.

The audience who would come to an old-school art-house cinema like the Roxy Cinema should all be veteran art-film fans.

Although Luo Jie Ebert already had a basic judgment of *My Blueberry Nights* in his heart, he was still looking forward to hearing what they had to say.

He shrank his body into the shadows to avoid being recognized.

First, a conversation between two girls in their 20s caught his attention.

"... You're crazy, Jessica, you forgot he's an actor! Not every Chinese man looks like that!"

"Angel, of course I know, I'm not a little girl in her teens, how could I have such a dream. I just want to go and have some fun."

"Hope so..."

"Haha, don't worry, I just happen to have a vacation. I'll send you a postcard when the time comes."

"... Hmm, if, I mean if, you really meet that type from the movie, you can call me. I actually have a vacation too..."

"Hahaha."

The girl's voice was crisp and pleasant in the night, making Luo Jie Ebert want to laugh too.

The next pair passing by him was an elderly couple, looking to be in their 60s, with slightly graying hair.

They spoke very softly, and Luo Jie Ebert was old too, so he couldn't hear clearly like he could in his youth.

"This is Wang's usual style... it's just... too young... it really surprised me."

"I don't like it... the movie is too hard to understand. But I like that girl, her eyes are really beautiful... Elliot, this movie reminds me of the 70s..."

"Yeah, I was working in a restaurant back then too..."

"Oh, Rob, you weren't that handsome..."

"How could that be... but, Rose, honestly, you are still as beautiful as ever..."

The sweet words of this old couple made Luo Jie Ebert feel a bit dazed.

But the next pair, a grumbling middle-aged couple, made him wake up instantly.

"What kind of shit is this, what a waste of 15 dollars."

"Perhaps this is the style of that Hong Kong director."

"What kind of bullshit style, everything in this movie makes me feel sick."

"Actually, I think it's a pretty good romance movie."

"Oh God, don't talk about romance, that's a Chinese person..."

Luo Jie Ebert listened calmly.

For 40 years, he had heard all kinds of remarks; if there weren't any racist remarks at the entrance of a cinema, that would be the strange thing.

After this couple left, the flow of people coming out of the cinema also came to an end.

Luo Jie Ebert and his assistant turned and were about to leave when suddenly, a blonde woman walked out of the door.

Her light blonde long hair had clearly been meticulously styled.

She was wearing a simple but well-fitting black dress, the fabric was exquisite, low-key and luxurious. She wore a string of pearls around her neck, and one could tell at a glance that it was expensive.

She shouldn't be young, because there were already crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, and the nasolabial folds on her cheeks were somewhat deep.

It made Luo Jie Ebert immediately think of *Washington Post* editor-in-chief Isabella Montgomery.

Single, strong, stern, known as the "Devil Wears Prada" in the company.

At first glance, Luo Jie Ebert thought this woman had gone out without makeup.

But immediately, he noticed the mascara remaining on her under-eye bags.

Oh, she must have gone to the restroom to wash her face before coming out.

Then why would she go wash her face?

This woman glanced at the two of them with a slightly wary look and entered the parking lot.

Subsequently, Luo Jie Ebert watched the taillights of that beautiful red Ferrari in the parking lot light up and quickly disappear into the New York night.

After returning home, Luo Jie Ebert didn't rest; according to his habit, he began writing his manuscript overnight.

On his blog, followed by over 11 million people, he wrote: "*My Blueberry Nights*, recommended to all heartbroken people with regrets. Recommendation index: three thumbs up."

(End of chapter)