Chapter 439: Shameless, Specializing in Infighting, Faithless

"What? You are in China?"

Hearing the words from the receiver, Chen Nuo immediately rolled off Liu Qi Yifei.

"Yep, hahahaha, yes, I just arrived. By the way, I applied for a long-term visa this time, up to a year. The visa officer at your LA consulate asked me why I wanted to stay in China for so long. I said I wanted to discuss a new movie with you. He stamped it immediately and even asked me to get your autograph for him. Hahaha."

It sounded like Quentin hadn't been affected, and his strange laughter was the same as ever. Chen Nuo couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and asked, "So where are you now?"

"Hu-Song Qian."

"... Fujian?"

"Yes."

"More specifically?"

"I don't know either. I got off the plane, got into a random car, and just found a small inn to stay in. This is a very small county town; no one speaks English, and no one recognizes me. There is a sea nearby, and on the road, I saw a small bookstore. It's quite good—quiet, suitable for writing things. I like it very much and plan to stay for a while."

Hearing this, Chen Nuo's mood was very complicated.

He actually had a lot to say, but listening to Quentin's chatter for half a day, he actually didn't know how to start for a moment.

It was Liu Qi Yifei who leaned over at this time, looking at him with curiosity. The clothes she had just taken off hadn't been put back on; her upper body was as smooth as jade, like a little white lamb that had just finished bathing, pink, fragrant, and soft, carrying a slight warmth.

Chen Nuo weighed his words, but his hand unconsciously touched the medium-sized white porcelain bowl on her body. By accident, he used a bit too much force, immediately earning a not-too-light, not-too-heavy punch from Liu Qi Yifei.

"Damn..." Chen Nuo gasped.

Damn, this woman's palm strike really hurts.

On the other end of the phone, Quentin didn't pay attention to his silence and continued on his own:

"The purpose of my call is actually to say sorry. I think... I might have messed things up."

Chen Nuo quickly replied: "Don't say that, this isn't a big deal, just wait for the storm to pass."

"No, no, no, you don't understand..."

"I understand!" Chen Nuo quickly interrupted, "What is there not to understand? To tell you the truth, I actually have some similar... hobbies. It's very normal, really, a small matter. Don't say sorry, it's just those people making a fuss."

"Oh?" Quentin's tone shifted, and he asked with interest: "You have them too?"

"Something like that, haha."

"Hahahaha, although I know you are talking nonsense, thank you for your comfort." Quentin's voice sounded very sincere. "But that's not what I want to talk about. It's another thing."

"What?"

"I... registered a Twitter account."

"Ah?"

Quentin's words were even more surprising to Chen Nuo than his sudden run to China.

Because they had been in contact long enough, he knew too well—like Nolan, Quentin was the type of person completely insulated from social media accounts.

In fact, it wasn't just the two of them.

From Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, to Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, and even Kate Winslet, these truly first-line directors and actors in the film circle mostly maintained an innate sense of distance from social networks. It wasn't a boycott, but rather they didn't bother to touch them at all.

Let alone now, even ten or twenty years later, they still had no traces of any social media accounts, going against the flow of the traffic era.

And for Chen Nuo—who had become the first super social media user in the world with 40 million followers two weeks ago—the attitudes of these people were quite different.

People like Nolan and DiCaprio were still tolerant, feeling that "since you already have one, using it occasionally is nothing," which was a pragmatic attitude.

But Quentin was the complete opposite; he belonged to the type of guy who would repeatedly urge you to delete your account whenever he got the chance, chattering incessantly.

He had said to Chen Nuo more than once:

"Social media accounts destroy the mystery of movies; works should be the way a filmmaker talks to the public."

"Stars should live on the silver screen, not in likes and comments."

"The more you see, the harder it is for a work to move people, because you put yourself in front of people too cheaply."

These were all reasons. Quentin could talk endlessly about any one of them for several hours, from Kurosawa to Godard, from Chaplin to Béla Tarr.

Ever since the two began collaborating on the script for "The Chinese Workers," Chen Nuo had been "brainwashed" by these remarks of his more than once, and he had indeed been somewhat influenced.

Originally, he was an internet celebrity who made his name through social media, and subconsciously, he always felt that "having many fans is a good thing," so he would naturally and instinctively want to maintain a certain level of activity to keep the heat from dying down. But recently, that had changed a bit.

Especially after securing shares in Facebook, let alone daily interactions, he hadn't posted a single status update on Facebook in over a month, and the same went for Weibo—his last Weibo post was still the "@Liu Qi Yifei Happy Birthday" he sent months ago.

Last month, "No Man's Land" was released, and he was too lazy to even post a poster, let alone write a caption to promote it.

Fortunately, he was the boss, and no one dared to say anything about this state of lying around and not working.

If it were anyone else, the management would have jumped out long ago to demand he "exert influence," "mobilize fans," and "build word-of-mouth." After all, in this day and age, a Weibo account with tens of millions of fans that doesn't post "long articles," talk about "reflections," or show off set photos and behind-the-scenes footage is practically a war criminal level of resource waste.

However, in the end, the 405 million box office for "No Man's Land" was considered quite good; it was just 1 million short of tying with "The Founding of a Party." Chen Nuo didn't know if Han Zong's current situation had any influence on this, but he would find out when he asked.

Therefore, at this moment, Chen Nuo was truly quite surprised to hear Quentin say he had registered a Twitter account.

He asked in disbelief: "What? You must be joking with me, right?"

"Haha, no joke. After I finish this call with you, I'll throw away this number, hahaha, and then no one in the world will be able to find me. I plan to spend a year polishing the current script again. I've actually never been satisfied with it before. I can't lie to myself; the current script is not my best work. Just like you said, do I understand China? I don't. Then how dare I say I can write a good story about the Chinese people?"

……

After hanging up the phone.

Chen Nuo felt a complex mix of emotions.

It was clearly his own failure to handle things properly, yet he let Quentin take the fall for him, which meant he owed Director Quentin a favor. At the same time, he was secretly impressed by this foot-licking freak's ability to let go.

No wonder people say Quentin's greatest strength is his scripts.

And no wonder this man has said since his debut that he would only make ten movies in his life.

The former is ability; the latter is mindset.

With the ability in place and a good mindset, willing to spend time polishing and studying, how could he not succeed?

Knowing that the most Chinese people working in the US are from Fujian, he decided to take this opportunity to simply pause his film career and spend a year collecting first-hand material along the Fujian coast to re-solidify the script and bring the characters to life.

If he could learn this spirit, his achievements wouldn't be limited to this. Sigh. At the very least, after finishing Iris Chang's book back then, he wouldn't have given up the chance to continue studying, and he might have become some kind of historian by now. When Quentin mentioned it, he wouldn't have been completely clueless. It's truly shameful, sigh.

Liu Qi Yifei asked: "What's wrong? Did he come to China?"

"Yeah, he's here. I'll tell you later, let me check Twitter first."

Chen Nuo opened the Twitter app on his phone.

There was no need to search at all. As soon as he clicked in and refreshed, a tweet from ABC News immediately caught his eye.

"Breaking News: Our station's latest sources claim that the suspected account was indeed registered by Quentin Tarantino himself. The Hollywood director, mired in a private life scandal, chose this flamboyant and impolite way to respond to outside accusations, which caught everyone by surprise. His talent agency was unaware of this beforehand."

Below this news was a censored photo of a middle finger.

A very large man's hand, with distinct knuckles. Chen Nuo had reason to believe it wasn't a stock image, but that the man had taken a photo of his own hand.

Liu Qi Yifei also poked her head over to watch with him, then exclaimed: "Wow, he posted this? Isn't he afraid of being scolded to death?"

"Afraid of what? He's already run off to China, with such a thick wall standing there, who can scold him?" Chen Nuo's emotions were truly complex; even his Sichuan dialect came out.

This buddy Quentin is truly fucking awesome.

Come to think of it, this is the style of a protagonist: the world is drunk while I alone am sober, here's a middle finger for you. If this were ten years later, Chen Nuo would definitely send him a rocket.

No wonder he said he ran to China and planned to spend a year fixing the script. Having done something like this, he indeed needs a year or so to let the storm blow over.

Chen Nuo suddenly felt he should ask if this tactic was learned from him.

But when he picked up the phone to call back, the other side was already turned off. Well, now it's truly impossible for anyone to contact this psycho director. Quentin had made it very clear just now that he would take the initiative to contact him if there were any follow-up matters, and not to disturb him.

Liu Qi Yifei asked again: "Then what about your movie, are you not filming it?"

Chen Nuo sighed, "What else? The director is like this, how can we still film?"

"Really!?" Liu Qi Yifei looked pleasantly surprised, "That's great! Then can't you rest for a long time this time? Good, good, then you can accompany me to Changchang's birthday party next week."

"Why would I go? I wasn't invited, wouldn't it be awkward? My skin isn't that thick."

"What are you talking about! It definitely won't be. I've known Changchang for a long time, she won't say anything if I bring you."

"Not going, I still have to invite Han Han Sanping to dinner, no time."

"It's not now, it's December 1st, it's still early."

"Hey, we'll see, we'll see. Come here, we're not done yet."

"I won't. If you don't promise me, I won't let you do it."

"Oh, then I'm putting my pants on... holy crap, you're hitting people? You get over here... don't move."

Slap, slap!

"Are you wrong? Will you hit people again in the future?"

"Ahhhhh, you actually dare to hit me, I'll fight you!"

Facts proved that Liu Qi Yifei is different from Fan Fan Bingbing—she really will fight back when she gets hit. The two rolled and wrestled on the bed for three or four rounds, until finally, Chen Nuo twisted her arm with a backhand and pinned her underneath him.

"Ah—!" She was still unconvinced, struggling while screaming.

Her body was soft, fragrant, and her butt was fleshy, just like a meat cushion, twisting back and forth under Chen Nuo's crotch. "Stop messing around." Chen Nuo's hand reached down, kneading it like a steamed bun.

"You actually dare to hit my butt!" Liu Qi Yifei said indignantly.

"You hit me first."

"Then you still can't hit back!"

"What kind of logic is that?"

"This is—this is—ah!"

Liu Qi Yifei suddenly let out a startled cry, and then, as if she had been acupunctured, her body suddenly went limp.

Her face was buried in the pillow, and her expression couldn't be seen clearly.

Chen Nuo didn't speak, and Liu Qi Yifei didn't make a sound either; the only sound left in the room was the squeaking of the mattress. After a while, Liu Qi Yifei's legs spread a little wider, and her butt tilted up a bit.

……

Chen Nuo knew that Shu Chang was Liu Qi Yifei's friend, the kind of old friend of many years.

Not long ago, on Liu Qi Yifei's birthday, Shu Chang sent her a "Happy Birthday" WeChat message right at 12:00 AM on August 25th, and just like Chen Nuo, she posted a public blessing on Weibo, which made Liu Qi Yifei extremely happy.

Not just Shu Chang, people in the circle like Jane Zhang, Hu Ge, and Ariel Lin also had good relationships with Liu Qi Yifei, plus some friends outside the circle who often visited, most of whom were her classmates from different periods, both Chinese and American. Among them, many also had a very solid relationship with Liu Liu Xiaoli, and even people like Xu Qing were already best friends with Auntie Liu for over a decade.

But Chen Nuo, on the other hand, had almost no intersection with these people. Usually, when the two were together, Liu Qi Yifei basically didn't mention things between her and her friends. Chen Nuo couldn't say what she was thinking; his own personality made him too lazy to ask much.

However, this time, Liu Qi Yifei rarely took the initiative to say she wanted him to accompany her to Shu Chang's birthday party. Although he laughed and joked about it, he was actually too embarrassed to truly refuse. After coaxing little Liu into submission and letting this girl who claimed to be a germaphobe willingly "serve" him once, he nodded along.

Then, Shu Chang was truly frightened by this news.

When she heard Liu Qi Yifei say "Chen Nuo is coming to your birthday party" as if it were nothing, she was stunned, and it took a long while before she stammered back: "Are you, you, you serious? Don't tease me, Xixi."

"Why would I tease you? He even said to let you add an invitation card." Liu Qi Yifei rolled her eyes, "But don't take it seriously, he's just like that, talking in a weird way."

"I..." Shu Chang opened her mouth, unable to speak, and it took a while before she came back to her senses, "When did he come back? There's no news on Weibo at all."

"Came back the day before yesterday. He takes a private jet everywhere now, so it's not that easy to be discovered."

"No wonder..." Shu Chang nodded, then asked: "But didn't you say before that the plane he ordered wouldn't be delivered until next year?"

"Yeah, that's next year, that one was bought. This one is rented. He still says I spend money recklessly, I think he's the one, splashing it around, not frugal at all."

"Haha..." Shu Chang gave a dry laugh, still unable to fully recover, "How does he have time to come to my little party... Isn't "Let the Bullets Fly" going to the Golden Horse Awards? Is he not going?"

"What would he go for!" Liu Qi Yifei took a sip of juice, "Did you forget about what happened last year? His Golden Horse Best Actor trophy is still lying in Taipei. With his temper, do you think he'll still go?"

"Oh, right, right, right, I forgot..." Shu Chang said with a bitter smile.

Liu Qi Yifei sighed, "I thought he could finally rest for a while this time, but he ended up taking on a TV series. After your birthday is over, he has to fly to Hong Kong to film a TV series."

"A TV series? He's still going to film a TV series? What TV series?"

"Yeah, I'm not clear on the specifics, but it's a collaboration with a company in the US. From production to filming, it's all in Hong Kong. He's going over there this time to do some pre-production preparation."

"Then are you going with him?"

"Why would I go?"

"No, you forgot, that someone... isn't she in Hong Kong? Aren't you worried, ah?"

"I... it's okay... I heard that his TV series will need a lot of actors this time. Are you going to go when they hold auditions? Do you want me to sign you up?"

"Yes!" Shu Chang said without hesitation.

Liu Qi Yifei smiled and said: "It just so happens they need people who can speak English, which is your strong suit. I think you might have a chance if you go."

Shu Chang was a little excited, "Really?"

"I'm not lying to you, he's collaborating with a DVD rental company in the US this time, so the actors all have to speak English."

Shu Chang said: "Good, then it's a deal. You must tell me when the time comes."

"Hehe, then you're treating me to this meal?"

"No problem. If I really get selected, I'll treat you to a luxury feast."

"Hahaha, good."

The two girls laughed for a while, and Shu Chang asked: "By the way, can Auntie come back this time?"

"No, she's busy as hell in Japan, she told me to wish you a happy birthday and said she'll make it up to you next time she returns to the country. Also, she bought you a birthday gift, it'll be mailed back in a couple of days."

Shu Chang said sincerely: "Thank you, Mother Liu, I'll send her a text message in a bit. Xixi, I have to say, the Japan branch of Huanxin has your name on it, and she even let Mother Liu manage it. It seems he's really good to you, not treating you as an outsider."

Liu Qi Yifei pursed her lips and smiled, then snorted and said: "He's just using me... what's so good about that."

"Don't worry about what a man says, look at what he does. He's handed such a large family business over to you, he really treats you as family. Have you two talked about when you're getting married?"

"Ah? Getting married? No, no, what are you talking about."

"Hehe, that's not necessarily true. He loves you so much, maybe he'll propose to you one day."

"Impossible, impossible." Liu Qi Yifei's face was a little red, and she shook her head: "Impossible, he's not that kind of person."

Shu Chang said: "How is it impossible? You're so cute, kind, and virtuous. If I were him, I'd definitely marry you back early, otherwise I wouldn't be at ease."

"Heehee, it's not that exaggerated."

Seeing that Liu Qi Yifei finally seemed truly happy, Shu Chang couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief in her heart. She really shouldn't have been so talkative just now, sigh.

Afterwards, she couldn't help but feel a little excited.

Chen Nuo is coming to her birthday party; she should tell her agent about this news as soon as she finishes eating. If handled well, maybe this matter is more useful than her acting in two "Palace 2" dramas!

Shu Chang asked casually: "By the way, Xixi, you came to eat with me, where did he go?"

Liu Qi Yifei said: "He went to find Han Zong."

"Han Zong? Which Han Zong."

"Han Han Sanping."

Shu Chang was a little surprised: "Ah? Isn't it rumored that they've already had a falling out?"

……

It was exactly as Shu Chang said.

The falling out between Han Han Sanping and Chen Nuo is actually an open secret in the entire mainland entertainment industry today.

Why can't it even be called a secret?

Because, although major media have never reported it, in the articles of some entertainment accounts on Weibo, there are always gossip rumors, mysteriously recording some scattered, unverified, seemingly true or false news.

For example, how difficult the start of "Inception" was, not favored by anyone, and originally a large domestic film and television company promised to invest, preparing to create a domestic masterpiece to let Chinese cinema hold its head high in the world, but eventually broke its promise.

Or for example, it was precisely because of this incompetent person who is in a high position but whose words are as worthless as farts that Brother Nuonuo had to mortgage his properties and borrow money everywhere, betting his entire net worth on the movie "Inception," which can be said to be life if successful, death if failed, a desperate gamble, a narrow escape from death.

Also, for example, when "Inception" was released, as a Sino-foreign co-production, especially one where Chinese capital held the majority, it should have been released simultaneously with the world, but it was nearly half a month later than South Korea. The reason for this is not because Huanxin Company discriminates against Chinese audiences, nor because there are any problems in the review, but because that bastard who broke his promise earlier is against all the "Nuo-rice" (fans) and movie fans in China, and also against Brother Nuonuo, wanting this movie to fail miserably in China to save his own face.

So, who is this shameless, incompetent person who only knows how to fight internally, is untrustworthy, and specializes in holding people back?

Sometimes, these writers call him Han X-ping.

Sometimes, they call him Han San-X.

And at other times, they refer to him as X-Han Sanping.

Besides that, there is also a more obscure way of calling him, which is to only refer to his position and nickname, calling him the "Zuo Shan Diao" (Vulture) Chairman of China Film.

In short, that's how it is.

I don't know what happened, but netizens seem to have guessed this person's identity, saying he is the helmsman of China Film, Mr. Han Han Sanping. And they spontaneously expressed their condolences to Mr. Han's ancestors for eight generations. One can only praise the netizens in the Weibo comment section; their average IQ is indeed 130.

And this is part of the pressure in Han Han Sanping's words.

As for the last part of the pressure, it has to do with the IPO wave currently rolling into the Chinese film industry.

So far, there are already three listed film and television companies on the A-share market: Zhejiang Huace, Beijing Enlight, and Hualu Baina. At the same time, Poly Huayi, New Classics, Shanghai Film, and China Film are in the review and listing preparation stage.

It can be said that the Chinese entertainment industry is currently fully welcoming the arrival of the capital era.

As the national team in the film market, China Film certainly cannot miss this.

This is not the first time China Film has planned to go public. It had plans as early as 2004, but it was suspended due to policy.

And this time, China Film Group, together with 7 companies including China National Radio Media, Jiangsu Broadcasting, China Unicom, and China International Television Corporation, jointly invested to establish China Film Co., Ltd., in which China Film Group holds 93% of the shares, and the other companies each hold 1%, and they are preparing to submit China Film Co., Ltd. to the IPO preliminary review list in December.

Unexpectedly, in the process of submitting the prospectus, they suddenly suffered pressure from within.

"Xiao Chen, I apologize to you here."

Han Han Sanping slapped the table indignantly and said bitterly: "If it weren't for the villains around me at that time who made me believe their slander, I would definitely not have gone back on my word, and I wouldn't be talked about like this today. Believe me, I, Han Han Sanping, consider myself to have done some insignificant things. I even dared to invest 200 million in Red Cliff, am I afraid of this?"

(End of chapter)