Chapter 433: Other People's Stories

On the evening of September 30, 2011, outside the Beijing Huaxing UME International Cinema, it was already bustling with noise and excitement. Although the weather was slightly cool, it couldn't stop the swarming fans and media personnel.

As the only domestically produced film produced this year, Huanxin Company also spent a large amount of publicity money on this premiere. Security lines were set up early on the perimeter, hundreds of fans and moviegoers, both real and fake, waited outside, and media reporters who had received red envelopes entered one after another starting from 4 PM.

Huanxin Company even specially built a "desert Gobi" set area, where an old off-road vehicle was parked on cracked land, surrounded by yellow sand and skull installations, where the audience could take photos as souvenirs.

After 5 PM, the red carpet area began to liven up. Stars from all walks of life arrived one after another, and camera flashes went off from time to time. At 5:15, a female star wearing a neatly tailored black gown slowly walked onto the interview area, triggering a stir among the media—it was Liu Liu Jialing who had arrived.

"Sister Carina, may I ask what you are wearing tonight?"

"Hehehehe, just very ordinary clothes. A Vera Wang gown, there's only one in the world. I chose it specially, feeling the color matches tonight's atmosphere, simple and comfortable. What do you think?"

"So beautiful~ Sister Carina, why did you enter alone today? Why didn't Brother Tony come with you?"

Liu Liu Jialing laughed: "Of course he has to be with his crew. I just had to walk alone."

While answering questions, she waved to several people passing by.

"Sister Carina, how does it feel to be here tonight?"

Liu Liu Jialing smiled and said: "Very happy, seeing many good friends."

A female reporter asked: "Then I heard that Chen Nuo won't come to the premiere today, has Sister Carina heard about it? Is it true?"

She shook her head: "I'm not clear about this, you have to ask people from their company."

The female reporter pursued: "Then didn't Brother Tony reveal a little to you?"

Liu Liu Jialing laughed: "You know him, he never tells me these things."

At this time, another male reporter from the media said: "Previously, 'No Man's Land' won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes. Did Sister Carina celebrate well with Brother Tony?"

"Of course I did."

"What exactly was it? Is it convenient to reveal?"

"Just eating, having fun together."

"If Chen Nuo doesn't come to the scene today, will you be disappointed?"

"Definitely." She heard someone calling her, turned her head, and waved to the back again.

"How is your relationship with Chen Nuo?"

"Very good. We met when filming 'Let the Bullets Fly' back then, and we often chat together. His personality is very good, we get along very well."

"Then have you seen his recent movies?"

"Yes~ I even booked a theater in Hong Kong to invite friends to watch."

"Then who do you think is better at acting, him or Brother Tony?"

"Both are very good."

"Have you been in touch recently?"

"Of course."

"Alright, let's stop the interview here, Sister Carina, please this way."

It must have been that they saw Liu Liu Jialing's expression starting to stiffen toward the end, so the on-site staff immediately stepped forward at this time, smiling and interrupting the media's questions: "Thank you, reporter friends, Sister Carina's interview time for today ends here for now. We have the next group of guests about to enter, please cooperate."

After speaking, they escorted her across the red carpet and into the cinema.

Liu Liu Jialing walked while raising her hand to smile and wave to the fans on both sides.

Although the second half of the interview was almost entirely about Chen Nuo, Liu Liu Jialing didn't really mind. She had seen such scenes many times. In Hong Kong, whether it was Leslie Cheung and Alan Tam in the 80s, or the Four Heavenly Kings in the 90s, under their brilliance, others naturally paled in comparison.

Overall, she was actually in a pretty good mood.

After all, according to the news received earlier, someone indeed wouldn't show up tonight. Although this might be a major loss for the domestic promotion of "No Man's Land," for other actors in the crew, it might not be a bad thing.

Before entering the cinema, she went to the VIP lounge first. At this time, there were still forty minutes until the screening, and many guests were already present, greeting, taking photos, and signing autographs. The promoters were also arranging seats and media interviews.

At the same time, the audience outside also began to enter one after another.

This time, Huanxin Company booked the largest cinema hall in Huaxing UME, and promotional brochures and small gift bags printed with the movie logo were placed on the seats in advance, including postcards, stills, posters, and even a simulated shell casing.

This was the first time in China in 2011, and many media people and audience members were quite pleasantly surprised when they saw it.

In fact, this method was stolen by Huanxin from the premiere of Warner's "Inception." Warner's data showed that if the audience received gifts at the premiere, the probability of leaving positive reviews on social media and rating websites could increase from 10%-20% to 50%-60%, so the cost-effectiveness was extremely high.

Huanxin was also following the pattern this time.

Liu Liu Jialing walked into the lounge, and staff immediately handed her water and guided her to her seat. As soon as she entered, she saw Johnnie To chatting with Xu Ke.

Earlier on the red carpet, Johnnie To greeted her, and she was a bit surprised. At this moment, she smiled and stepped forward to ask: "Du Sir, why are you here?"

Johnnie To turned his head and also laughed in Cantonese: "Came over to support Tony."

Liu Liu Jialing didn't quite believe it. After all, Johnnie To, as the company boss, was a very busy person. Although Tony Leung had a good relationship with him, it was really unlikely for him to take the initiative to come north to support without even saying hello.

However, before this, she indeed hadn't heard of Johnnie To having any contact with Huanxin Company or Chen Nuo.

Could it be because of Xu Ke?

But immediately, Xu Ke revealed the answer: "They at Milkyway are cooperating with Nuo Zai and the others now, of course he has to come."

"Cooperation? What is it?" Liu Liu Jialing asked curiously.

Johnnie To smiled without saying a word, and Xu Ke also laughed happily.

Pursuing the question further, Johnnie To finally revealed that they were cooperating on a TV series. Asking in detail, it turned out that Milkyway Image's two major ace screenwriters—Yau Nai-hoi and Wai Ka-fai—recently cooperated with Huanxin's Pang Ho-cheung and had just finished the script, and now all three had flown to the United States.

He refused to say more details.

Liu Liu Jialing listened, feeling incredibly itchy.

You know, Milkyway Image had never been involved in TV series before, and Huanxin hadn't produced its own TV series either. Now that the two companies were joining forces, if this got out, I'm afraid the entire Hong Kong TV circle would be shaken.

And for her? Was there any opportunity?

How exactly, she would have to wait until she returned to Hong Kong to find relevant people to inquire about it properly.

Not being able to ask Milkyway Image didn't actually mean no one else would know. At least in Hong Kong, there should be a girl who was very well-informed.

Around 18:50, Liu Liu Jialing walked into the cinema and sat in the middle-back position. At this time, she noticed that the artists of Huanxin Company had also taken their seats.

Fan Bingbing, Liu Yifei, and several mainland actors she couldn't quite name, but there was no name she had just flashed in her mind.

The premiere ceremony officially began, and Liu Liu Jialing also put away the thoughtful expression on her face and watched the stage intently.

First, a cinema representative went on stage to give a welcome speech, followed by a short speech by Huanxin Company's CEO Li Jing, thanking the crew, partners, and all the audience friends who supported the movie.

Next was the segment where crew members appeared on stage.

Ning Hao took the lead, and her husband was also in a dark gray suit, going on stage accompanied by Huang Bo and Ma Su.

After the speech ended, the creative team and guests returned to the VIP seats to sit down.

At 19:15, the lights dimmed, and the cinema hall became quiet.

Subsequently, a bouncing cartoon character appeared on the big screen.

Liu Liu Jialing had also seen the same animation in the opening of "Inception," only that one was in English.

And this time, it was the block characters of Huanxin Film Co., Ltd.

Subsequently, a depressing story lasting more than 2 hours also kicked off, taking the audience in the entire cinema hall back to that No Man's Land filled with yellow sand.

On Douban that night, there was a short review, which should have been left by an audience member who got a small gift at the premiere, otherwise it wouldn't be so sycophantic.

In just one night, it received over 500 likes, ranking first in the short review area.

It wrote:

"The second best movie of the year, another Huanxin production. After watching it, I believe that the four words 'Huanxin Production' will become the pride of Chinese cinema in the future, will become the pride of the Chinese people! Come on!"

"Damn, really damn. Xiang Zai, have you been here before?"

"Do you think I look like I have?"

"Xiang Zai, you aren't that bad, you're just fat."

"Shut up!" Pang Ho-cheung said angrily.

But his agent Zhang Xin ignored him, turned back from the passenger seat, and continued to say: "Look, look at this belly of yours, and you still want to pick up foreign girls? I think it's very hard to have any prospects."

This sentence made Yau Nai-hoi, who was sitting in the seat next to Pang Ho-cheung, and Wai Ka-fai, who was in the row behind him, laugh. It made Pang Ho-cheung furious on the spot.

Ignoring this idiot agent anymore, he turned his head and looked at the scenery outside the car window.

Blue sky, white clouds, blue sea, silver sand.

The coconut trees on both sides of the road were tall and straight, standing as neatly as a military column, swaying in the Atlantic sea breeze.

He had been to Palm Beach, but he indeed hadn't been to this Palm Beach.

"South Sea Lake District," the Gold Coast belt in Palm Beach, one of the most expensive and rare locations in all of Florida.

Without an invitation and confirmation call from an owner here, ordinary people couldn't even cross that bridge.

But only after entering this community would one know why it was guarded layer by layer and isolated from the world.

Needless to say, when ordinary people saw those rows of exquisite seaside villas and those extremely luxurious mansions, the jealousy in their hearts would surely spread like a wildfire.

If something happened by then, it wouldn't matter if ordinary people were injured or died, but if an owner here got a bump or bruise, I'm afraid the police chief would have to hold a press conference.

How could it not be heavily guarded?

"Fai Gor, you know real estate better, how much does it cost to buy a house here?" Yau Nai-hoi asked.

Wai Ka-fai didn't know why, but he was in a daze and didn't answer for a while.

Yau Nai-hoi asked again, and the chief screenwriter of Milkyway Image, also recognized as one of the most talented screenwriters in Hong Kong, finally came back to his senses and said: "Tens of millions, I guess."

"Hong Kong dollars?"

"Hong Kong dollars? You're dreaming, of course it's US dollars." Wai Ka-fai smiled, "However, even with money, you might not be able to buy it. Those who live here are either rich or noble, either inheriting assets for generations or top players in the capital circle. Ordinary people don't even have the qualifications to get close. This place is for 'people above people' to live, not for 'people' to live." Yau Nai-hoi was amused and teased: "How come it sounds quite like our script?"

Wai Ka-fai felt refreshed and nodded: "Class cage, where in the world isn't it? I was just thinking about this point. Ah Hoi, no wonder Boss Chen is young, yet he can make a name for himself in Hollywood, and now the whole world calls him the pride of the Chinese. High, really high! Isn't the core of our drama just talking about this kind of thing? Beyond borders, no translation needed, everyone understands at a glance."

"I just thought that the plot of the previous place could actually be like this, like this..."

Pang Ho-cheung listened to Wai Ka-fai while frowning and thinking carefully.

Subsequently, the three of them discussed the script that had already been written in the car.

Without realizing it, the car suddenly stopped.

The discussion in the car also stopped.

Several people were looking out, only to see a black iron gate slowly opening in front of the car.

A driveway paved with white stones led to a picturesque beach backyard. Facing the sea breeze, coconut shadows swayed, and a modern-style white villa came into view. It faced the sea on the outside, and one could see an infinity pool and a private beach. White canvas lounge chairs and umbrellas were placed by the pool, the Atlantic Ocean was sparkling in the distance, and rows of green tropical shrubs were nearby.

A man in a black T-shirt was standing on the balcony of the second floor of the villa, looking toward them. By the garage on the first floor, a beautiful girl in cool clothes was waiting there with a smile.

Pang Ho-cheung looked at this scene and really couldn't find words to describe his mood, but felt like a fishbone in his throat, unable to spit it out, and could only mutter a low curse: "Damn."

Clearly, he wasn't the only one thinking this.

Behind him was Yau Nai-hoi's faint voice: "When writing the script, I thought I was telling other people's stories. But now I know, what I wrote was simply myself."

"'Eagle Catches Chicken (Tentative Title)'. Screenwriters: Wai Ka-fai, Yau Nai-hoi, Pang Ho-cheung."

Chen Nuo looked at the thick script in front of him and then at the three Hong Kong compatriots who had come from afar, and said sincerely, "Thank you for your hard work." Then he turned his head and urged: "Nazha, go urge them, let them prepare the guest rooms quickly, and take the three of them to rest first."

"Yes." The girl's crisp voice came.

Wai Ka-fai hurriedly stopped her: "Hey hey hey, no rush, it's fine."

Chen Nuo shook his head: "Brother Fai, long journey, and a night flight, adjust the jet lag first. I know you've all worked very hard during this time. Don't say anything, don't think about anything for these two days, just have a good time playing here for a few days."

"This—isn't quite right, Boss?" Pang Ho-cheung said with hesitation.

Zhang Xin said from the side: "If you want to laugh, just laugh, Xiang Zai, you're about to burst."

"... You! Can you shut up!"

"Hahaha."

Chen Nuo laughed.

He had discovered before that Pang Ho-cheung got along extremely well with the company's agent, and now it seemed it was indeed so.

Next, he spent two days reading the 13-episode script that Pang Ho-cheung and the other two had spent almost 5 months writing.

He read extremely carefully, comparing it with the "Squid Game" in his mind while reading.

The conclusion was that this Hong Kong version of "Eagle Catches Chicken" shouldn't be inferior to the original version.

At least in his eyes, it was so.

After all, in Hong Kong, the wealth gap was one of the top in all of Asia, and the Gini coefficient even ranked first in all of Asia many times. When Hong Kong screenwriters wrote about this topic, they had even more feeling than Koreans and could also grasp the core very well.

Also, Pang Ho-cheung had always had the nickname of a genius screenwriter, and Yau Nai-hoi had always been known as the "Demon Blade" in the Hong Kong screenwriting circle, plus the highly logical Wai Ka-fai, the entire script not only inherited the original absurdity but also added some black humor.

At least from the script, the readability was very high.

Another thing was the game of Eagle Catches Chicken; there was a similar one in Europe and America, called "Fox and Geese." Although the rules were different, it also had the strategic meaning of chasing, surrounding, and counter-surrounding, which was easier for Western audiences to accept and understand than Squid Game.

Besides these good things, there were also concerns.

In Chen Nuo's view, this "Eagle Catches Chicken" was like the movies Johnnie To used to film, such as "The Mission," "Sparrow," where the character lines were very exquisite, the structure was very complex, and the rhythm was very fast. This was a good thing in movies, but in TV series, he was a bit worried about causing audience fatigue.

After all, TV series were different from movies. If the plot of each episode was too urgent and dense, it was actually not suitable for binge-watching.

Of course, this was just his opinion, and the script was only the first version; there was still time for adjustments later.

He invited the three screenwriters over this time, not to change the script. The purpose was to get both sides to meet. Especially Pang Ho-cheung, who was the director, should meet with the investors in person anyway and have a chat. Anyway, Hong Kong people, speaking English is no problem at all.

Three days after Pang Ho-cheung and the others arrived, the other side, the Netflix team, came.

Led by Reed Hastings, there was also Rory Eisner, including several men and women he didn't know. The previous Legolas didn't follow this time, which made Chen Nuo a bit surprised.

But as soon as they met, noticing the look Rory gave him, Chen Nuo immediately understood. This woman, it was estimated that she finally had the upper hand in the company's internal struggle this time.

Sure enough, before the formal meeting started, Rory found a gap and pulled him aside, talking about Netflix's inside story, including this matter.

"I have convinced Reed to temporarily shelve that political drama and prioritize a 100 million USD budget to shoot two seasons of your show directly. He agreed. This time we came, if the talk goes smoothly, we can sign the contract on the spot."

"Well done." Chen Nuo gave a thumbs up.

Rory smiled. In the sunlight, her light blonde hair was as soft and bright as melted honey. This woman could be said to be fairer than Theron's skin, and her pores were finer. Her facial features were three-dimensional, matching the summer clothes she was wearing, which were between formal and casual. Under the blue sky of Florida and the tropical sea breeze, it was particularly heart-pounding.

"I should thank you," she blinked lightly, "If it weren't for your 'Inception' leaving Reed speechless, I wouldn't have been able to convince him so easily."

"Hehe, it has nothing to do with me." Chen Nuo waved his hand.

Rory pursed her lips and said: "Really. So, Reed hopes you will star in this TV series."

"What? Me?" Chen Nuo was shocked and shook his head, "No, nonono, where would I find the time."

"Really no time?"

"Yeah."

Rory sighed lightly: "Sigh, then what to do?"

Chen Nuo said: "No way."

"Really?" Rory looked up, "Can't you think of a way? Chen, please~"

Damn.

Chen Nuo couldn't help but step back three steps. If it weren't in broad daylight, he really wanted to roar: Where did this banshee come from?

Damn it, having known each other for so many years, this was the first time he knew that Rory Eisner, who played for both teams, could actually act cute?

Sure enough, as Rory said, in the following meeting, Reed Hastings' attention didn't focus on the script, the director, or the screenwriters as he had imagined before.

This man had been focusing on him all along.

Damn.

"... Next?" Chen Nuo avoided Reed Hastings' gaze and said: "I'm very, very busy next, very busy. I'll be a frequent flyer for a long time. Attending premieres all over the world, it's a movie produced by my company. Speaking of which, if you Netflix are interested in this movie, you can also talk to me about the copyright. Western suspense violence film, dark style, absolutely fits the appetite of your members."

Reed Hastings didn't answer and asked seriously: "How long will you be gone?"

Chen Nuo was snubbed and said sheepishly: "A month, at least."

Subsequently, he subconsciously glanced at Rory Eisner.

If it weren't for this woman's genius idea, he wouldn't have been able to think that he could actually take that Silk Road Alliance he mentioned casually to sell movies and turn it into a distribution network path.

This time, Qi Yuntian went to LA to hold a profit-sharing meeting with Warner and the others, and the news he brought back made him realize even more the importance of establishing his own distribution channels.

Perhaps for other movies, that 10%-15% "distribution service fee" wouldn't be heartbreaking, but for "Inception," the 15% Warner Bros. wanted was simply killing him.

Speaking of which, his "lying flat party" was only expected ten years later.

But now?

To gather 200 million USD, he was still carrying a loan of over 100 million USD from the Bank of China! To say he was poor, he was actually at his poorest since his rebirth, urgently needing the box office share of "Inception" to fill his deficit.

However, according to the current global box office of 2.36 billion for "Inception," after deducting the 50% theater share and the 110 million P&A (promotion and advertising) cost, there was about 1.1 billion in net box office revenue remaining.

15% of 1.1 billion was about 160 million USD!

What kind of joke is this.

Not to mention that he and Qi Yuntian couldn't accept it, Hengdian couldn't accept it, and Christopher Nolan's side couldn't accept it either.

Several parties were currently arguing in Los Angeles, demanding in any case that Warner charge 10%, don't be blinded by money and talk nonsense.

Listening to Qi Yun, Warner's attitude was firm at first, but Nolan's wife brought up the matter of "Batman 3," meaning don't do things too absolutely and cut off everyone's future relationship, which made that animal Michael Slane soften his attitude.

But this also showed how profitable distribution was.

Even if Warner didn't invest a penny and just hung a distribution name, they could still rake in over 100 million USD in the end. A true money-printing machine.

Although Huanxin Company was still very, very far from the realm of Warner Bros. and couldn't produce any global distribution blockbusters for the time being, this was today. As for the future, who knows?

Only by holding this weapon in one's own hands would one not be slaughtered.

Just like Bong Joon-ho, this top Korean director and CJ's new film "Snowpiercer" also needed to rely on Harvey Weinstein to have the ability to distribute in the United States, and would eventually be pitted so badly that his mother wouldn't recognize him.

He didn't want to end up in this situation in the future, so he had to open up territory himself and turn the Silk Road Alliance into a true Silk Road.

Rory Eisner, a talent.

This glance of his was appreciation, thinking this woman had foresight.

Reed Hastings also followed him to look at Rory, not knowing why, and then turned back to him and said: "Nothing else after that?"

"No, there is. I took on a new movie, Quentin's, which will start filming around next March."

"And after filming?"

"After filming, in the second half of the year, I need to prepare for the Shanghai Film Festival. I will serve as the jury president next year."

"... Wow." Reed Hastings exclaimed hypocritically and said: "Congratulations."

Chen Nuo also gave a fake smile: "Thank you."

Hastings' smile disappeared immediately and asked: "And after the film festival?"

Chen Nuo finally looked at this big shot who would be in a high position in the future and known as the "Godfather of Streaming," sighed helplessly, and said: "Reed, please, don't be like this. From the beginning, I never thought about acting in it myself."

Reed Hastings also sighed and said: "Chen, don't be like this, I really need you. Look at Netflix's stock price, falling from over 300 to over 100 now, rushing down like a roller coaster. Our company's board of directors is almost crazy."

"I can take out 100 million USD to shoot a TV series, but this isn't a time when just anyone will do. What I need is someone who can boost market confidence, someone who can attract Wall Street's attention, someone who can save us in this damn quagmire."

"And this person, you tell me, in the whole of Asia, besides you, is there anyone else?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 434 =====