Chapter 246

【Rebirth Begins in Chinese Entertainment 2002】【】

After more than half a month of seclusion, Cheng Chen had fully mastered the role of Yuan Xiang.

Later, Lao Mou Zi invited Cheng Chen again for a screen test, and this time the scale was much larger.

Producer Zhang Weipin and Screenwriter Cao Yu were both present; Lao Mou Zi, as the main evaluator, oversaw the entire session.

Each of these individuals, taken alone, was a household name.

For example, producer Zhang Weipin—he had collaborated with Lao Mou Zi for years, the kind of iron brothers.

Together, they had worked on films like Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower, Three Musketeers, and The Flowers of War.

Lao Mou Zi's early works such as Keep Cool, Not One Less, My Father and My Mother, and Happy Times were all funded and produced by him.

But later, something happened, causing them to fall out—even ending up in court…

Their first collaboration began in 1996 with Keep Cool.

When Lao Mou Zi was preparing to direct Keep Cool, financial difficulties had stalled the film's production.

During a conversation, Lao Mou Zi mentioned his financial troubles to Zhang Weipin.

At the time, Zhang Weipin knew nothing about film, but with his businessman's sharp instinct, he proactively offered to collaborate with Zhang Yimou.

Behind every successful man is a woman who silently supports him.

But behind Zhang Yimou's success stood the support of businessman Zhang Weipin.

From then on, their collaboration lasted sixteen years, totaling over a dozen works.

Each film achieved tremendous success and won countless fans.

Their partnership was unstoppable in the film market.

At one point, they reached an unmatched height; outsiders even abbreviated them as "The Two Zhangs."

Originally, to demonstrate their complete trust and closeness,

they operated without any contract or agreement.

This lack of contractual restraint later planted the seeds for their endless legal battles.

As Zhang Weipin thrived in business, his conflicts with Zhang Yimou in their later collaboration

or rather, their growing disagreements over the artistic direction of their films, gradually surfaced.

In more artistic terms, the divide between "make money" and "make art" became the core conflict between The Two Zhangs.

Zhang Weipin had served as chairman and producer of Jingcheng New Picture Film Company.

This dual role meant that for every project, Zhang Weipin's only requirement was to make money.

After all, this was an investment—profit naturally came first.

So Zhang Weipin began interfering in the films, whether in casting or plot.

If earlier, Lao Mou Zi had been the undisputed master of the set, brooking no interference in his domain,

then later, as commercial hype overwhelmed everything, those making the films lost their original purpose.

Lao Mou Zi gradually declined; his control weakened, or rather, commercial interests took over.

In his place came Zhang Weipin's forceful intervention.

Until the release of Three Musketeers—a film condemned by countless fans as proof of Lao Mou Zi's creative decline—this directly pushed The Two Zhangs' conflict into open warfare.

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【Rebirth Begins in Chinese Entertainment 2002】【】

In 2011, during the promotion of The Flowers of War, netizens noticed that The Two Zhangs no longer appeared together on promotional events.

Rumors spread that the two had broken up.

In 2012, Zhang Weipin officially announced via media and the internet that he had no further relationship with Zhang Yimou, with whom he had collaborated for sixteen years.

This officially marked the end of their sixteen-year partnership.

Later, the two began publicly feuding online.

You report me for running a shell company? I'll sue you for film profits or unpaid salaries.

You expose me as the father of the Little Hulus? I'll sue you for harming the company's creditors.

The final result was a complete and irreversible rift between The Two Zhangs—their conflict deepened further…

Watching the two men on stage laughing and chatting, Cheng Chen sighed inwardly.

He recalled a line Tong Da Wei had delivered in The Partners:

Never go into business with your best friend.

The Two Zhangs were the perfect example…

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Cheng Chen staring intently at him, Lao Mou Zi touched his face and asked with a smile:

"Nothing. It's just that The Two Zhangs are standing right in front of me—I'm a little excited."

Hearing this, Zhang Weipin chuckled and said:

"The Two Zhangs? Hahaha, that's a fresh nickname—my daughter's a loyal fan of yours.

She bought every one of your albums, says she's collecting them, hahaha, impressive!"

Zhang Weipin gave Cheng Chen a thumbs-up.

But Cheng Chen thought to himself:

The last guy who said his daughter was my fan is now under my command—Boss Zhang, you'd better be careful.

Another person was also here for this screen test with Cheng Chen; when he stepped out, Cheng Chen was startled.

Zhou Dong was here too…

Then again, it made sense—Zhou Dong had portrayed Yuan Jie in the original timeline; though he didn't stand out, he wasn't bad either.

It could only be called average, but the character he portrayed was particularly likable, and with his fanbase being especially large, the reaction it sparked was exceptionally strong.

"It's been a long time, Jie Lun."

Cheng Chen said with a smile.

"Indeed, it's been a long time—haven't seen you since the Spring Festival Gala."

Zhou Dong smiled, but he looked listless, his face pale.

At this moment, he had just broken up with Miss Hou and was still in a state of dejection.

To be honest, the Zhou-Hou relationship was something many found deeply regrettable.

Even after Zhou Dong later married Miss Kun, people still occasionally sighed online:

"Miss Kun isn't right for Zhou Dong."

After exchanging greetings, they began makeup and rehearsal.

Only two people were auditioning; the other three in the room were "interviewers," so the audition process wasn't complicated.

Cheng Chen simply needed to perform Yuan Xiang's lines and movements, and Zhou Dong the same.

Their auditions took place one after the other, lasting about half an hour; Lao Mou Zi rubbed his eyes, and the other two interviewers either lit cigarettes or picked at their ears.

Uh… what's going on here?

Cheng Chen and Zhou Dong exchanged glances.

"Cough, cough… um…"

Director Lao Mou Zi spoke first:

"Jie Lun, who taught you to act like this?"

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【Rebirth Starting from Chinese Entertainment 2002】【】

"Ah, I… I figured it out myself."

Suddenly called out, Jie Lun answered like a primary school student.

In truth, he hadn't entirely figured it out himself—he'd been preparing for this role since accepting Lao Mou Zi's invitation.

He'd even hired a acting coach along the way, but judging from the reactions of the three just now, Jie Lun decided not to reveal his teacher.

Otherwise, his acting coach would surely regret having taught him to act.

"Uh… never mind, it's not important. Once you join the set, you'll learn properly. Cheng Chen has no major issues. Both of you go back and prepare—report for filming in a week."

Lao Mou Zi waved his hand.

That's it?

They just dismissed us like that?

Cheng Chen wanted to say something, but turned to see the three senior figures already puffing smoke.

He exchanged a glance with Zhou Dong, and both decided it was best to leave.

…

"Where do you live?"

"Hotel."

Outside the door, Cheng Chen said to Zhou Dong.

Both wore sunglasses, fully covered up; Cheng Chen spoke first:

"Got any plans later? How about we grab a meal? My treat—I'm basically at home in Jingcheng. Try some local cuisine?"

Cheng Chen smiled.

Hearing this, Zhou Dong laughed:

"Back at the hotel is just sitting around. Show me what a Jingcheng native can get me to eat."

"Let's go."

Cheng Chen drove Zhou Dong to the same restaurant where he'd once hosted Liu Tianxian and her daughter.

Mainly because both were entertainers—public appearances would inevitably cause unnecessary commotion.

Choosing this restaurant offered excellent privacy and dining ambiance.

"This place operates on a membership system—no need to worry about paparazzi sneaking photos; privacy is very high."

As they entered, Cheng Chen introduced it to Zhou Dong.

A server immediately came over to greet them—just as Cheng Chen said, the environment was excellent.

Moreover, the server, seeing Cheng Chen and Zhou Dong together, showed brief surprise but quickly replaced it with respect.

"Hello, did you make a reservation?"

"No, just take us to an empty private room."

Cheng Chen spoke with ease.

"Of course, please follow me."

The server smiled.

"The ambiance here is quite nice."

Zhou Dong sat down, looking around—the architecture was Chinese-style, and expensive sandalwood incense burned in the room.

The scent made one feel mentally relaxed and emotionally calmer.

Cheng Chen gazed at the man before him, who would later sweep across Jiangnan and beyond.

In fact, since the past two years, his songs had already become wildly popular across Jiangnan.

Of course, if Cheng Chen hadn't freely borrowed those classic Chinese-style songs from him, he might have been even more popular.

Since meeting Zhou Dong, Cheng Chen had never been this close to him before.

Of course, that time backstage at the Spring Festival Gala doesn't count.

It was said that Jie Lun showed extraordinary musical sensitivity around the age of two.

He would excitedly sway to the rhythm whenever he heard music.

Sometimes, while watching TV, he would put on sunglasses and imitate Gao Ling Feng singing.

At age three, he learned to record his own voice using a tape recorder.

Seeing his talent for music, his mother unhesitatingly used all their family savings to buy him a piano.

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【Rebirth Starting from Huayu 2002】【】

That year, Jie Lun was only four years old.

His talent was indeed astonishing; within just four years, this prodigy rose to become a master-level figure in the Chinese-language music scene.

He was even more likely to become the next leader of the music industry after Luo Da You—though, naturally, this refers to the Tai Sheng music scene.

In 1997, Jie Lun appeared on Wu Zong Xian's show and caught Wu Zong Xian's attention.

Afterwards, Wu Zong Xian invited him to join his music company as a full-time songwriter.

His initial position was "Music Production Assistant."

Of course, this job required him to do all kinds of odd tasks besides writing songs, including buying lunch boxes for colleagues.

Wu Zong Xian noticed Jie Lun's devotion and diligence to music, and finally one day assigned him an office so he could focus solely on songwriting. Wu Zong Xian sensed Jie Lun had great musical talent, but his compositions always felt strange and unappealing.

Despite this, Jie Lun never gave up on himself; he began writing one song every day.

Until one day, Wu Zong Xian called him into the office and said:

"I'll give you ten days. If you can write fifty songs, I'll pick ten of them to produce your debut album."

At that moment, Jie Lun could hardly believe his ears; a surge of desperate passion rose in him. He bought a large box of instant noodles and locked himself in the composition room.

He composed song after song, dozing off when exhausted, then waking to keep writing.

After ten straight days, he produced fifty songs. After more than half a year of production, his first album was completed.

《Jay》.

It exploded upon release, sold out instantly, and won three major awards.

From then on, every one of his albums swept through the music scene uncontrollably…

Look, this is the true protagonist template. If not for Cheng Chen, the guy with the cheat system, one might genuinely suspect he was the one who had been reborn.

"What are you looking at?"

Jie Lun noticed Cheng Chen staring at him and said oddly,

Could this guy have some ulterior motive toward me?

"What are you thinking? I'm not interested in men."

Seeing Jie Lun watching him warily, Cheng Chen shrugged and said,

"Good, neither am I."

"Of course I know—you just broke up with Miss Hou."

Cheng Chen smirked.

"Hey, I just realized you're really nasty. Why bring up someone's wound?"

Hearing Cheng Chen's words, Jie Lun protested.

Cheng Chen shrugged and said:

"Sure enough, women are always the topic between men—whether to break the ice or build closeness."

"And alcohol!"

Jie Lun grumbled.

"Oh, how about we have a drink?"

Young man, you want to drink? I'll join you!

Jie Lun instinctively felt Cheng Chen's suggestion had ill intent, yet he always felt a deep bitterness bottled up inside.

He had thought coming from Tai Sheng to Jingcheng would clear his mind, but suddenly it felt useless.

Why not…

"Then let's drink!"

Jie Lun said firmly.

"Waiter! Bring me the wine I stored."

That's exactly what I wanted to hear!

Soon after, the waiter brought the wine over.

"Have you tried this? Maotai!"

"Uh… liquor? Fine!"

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【Rebirth Starting from Huayu 2002】【】

Thus, two men who barely knew each other began drinking because one of them carried hidden sorrows.

…

"What do you think she was thinking?"

Jie Lun held the wine decanter, shaking the clear liquid, his eyes already hazy.

"Who are you talking about?"

Cheng Chen picked up a bite of food and asked.

"You're not… asking just to hear yourself talk! Who else could it be?"

"Oh, I get it. Isn't there an old saying that a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea? So don't bother asking what a woman thinks—it's pointless."

Cheng Chen raised his cup and spoke to Zhou Dong.

"Mmm… sss, this liquor is really strong!"

Zhou Dong drank another small cup of liquor, his eyes vacant as he stared ahead and said:

"She walks… right through my mind every day, just walking forward, and I chase after her, but no matter what I do, I can't catch up…"

Before he finished speaking, there was a Duang! —Zhou Dong collapsed onto the table, completely drunk and unconscious.

"Hey, Old Zhou, wake up! Which hotel are you staying at? Hey!"

After shaking him for a while and getting no response, Cheng Chen resigned himself to it.

Well, he got Zhou Dong drunk!

……

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