Chapter 174

Liang Zhang Jiahui had previously starred in many Wu Xia films, such as *New Dragon Gate Inn* and *Water Margin: Heroic Spirit*, so he wasn't inexperienced with action scenes, but after reading the *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* script and hearing Li An's requirement for three months of pre-production training, he agreed without hesitation.

Li An finally breathed a sigh of relief—after Li Li Lianjie withdrew and Zhou Run's hesitation dragged on for months, the role of Li Li Mubai was finally settled, lifting a heavy stone from his heart.

To shoot *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* well, Li An planned to stay in mainland China for the Lunar New Year, training actors while overseeing the crew's preparations.

After securing Li Li Mubai, the only major role still undecided was Yu Xiao Jiaolong.

As Li An was weighing his options for Yu Xiao Jiaolong, Wu Wu Yuchen walked over and pulled him aside.

"Li Dao, I'd like to recommend another candidate for Yu Xiao Jiaolong."

"Of course, who is it?"

"Jiang Qin, the female lead in my film *If Love Had a Destiny*."

Wu Wu Yuchen sighed inwardly—Jiang Qin was nearly finished shooting *My Fair Princess 2*, and upon hearing about the *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* casting in Beijing, she'd called him these past two days, begging to audition for Yu Xiao Jiaolong.

In fact, Jiang Qin and Yu Xiao Jiaolong had a certain fate—back in his previous life, she'd portrayed Yu Xiao Jiaolong, though in the TV series version.

But this made Wu Wu Yuchen's teeth ache—he hadn't expected Li Li Xiaoran, Ceng Li, and Jiang Qin to all converge on this one role.

In this era, China's film industry was still in its infancy; annual film output was low, and roles offering female actors substantial screen time—especially standout roles—were scarce.

Actresses like Jiang Qin and Li Li Xiaoran, who'd already played leading roles in famous films, naturally sought more opportunities in cinema, so the sudden emergence of Yu Xiao Jiaolong was one they couldn't afford to miss—hence the current situation.

Li An naturally wouldn't refuse, but when he heard Jiang Qin's name, he didn't think of *If Love Had a Destiny*—he recalled her performance as the female driver in *Car 44* two years prior.

As Li An pondered Jiang Qin's image and personality, Wu Wu Yuchen leaned closer and whispered:

"Li Dao, choose Yu Xiao Jiaolong however you see fit—I won't interfere. But please keep an eye on Li Li Xiaoran, Ceng Li, and Jiang Qin during training. Don't let anything happen."

Li An paused, met Wu Wu Yuchen's gaze, and understood instantly.

As a director who'd won the Golden Horse, taken home the Jin Xiong twice, and directed several films in Hollywood, how could Li An not understand?

He'd walked through the glittering, tempting world of fame and fortune. Didn't his own *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*—with Li Li Mubai as the protagonist—also reflect his own midlife emotions and inner state?

He'd certainly encountered women like Yu Xiao Jiaolong, who tempted him—perhaps more than one. Even the bamboo forest fight scene, with its intimate choreography, hinted that he and his "Yu Xiao Jiaolong" had been together.

Li An loved his wife, who'd stood by him, but the industry offered too many temptations; after achieving fame, he'd inevitably been drawn in—how much more so for someone as young and successful as Wu Wu Yuchen?

In director circles, having several women around was nothing unusual—he understood Wu Wu Yuchen completely.

Li An instantly realized: these three women were all closely tied to Wu Wu Yuchen, now all gathered in his training camp, and Wu Wu Yuchen feared trouble—he wanted Li An to watch them.

"Wu Dao, I'll do my best to keep them apart," Li An replied cautiously.

Wu Wu Yuchen immediately smiled: "Thank you, Li Dao. I know you're skilled at training actors—push them hard. Even if they don't get the role, spending months under your guidance will benefit them immensely."

"Hahaha, you flatter me too much, Wu Dao!"

Li An was deeply satisfied with Wu Wu Yuchen's hands-off approach to casting—after all, Wu was the major financier; technically, he could have demanded any actress. Now, handing full casting authority to him was truly generous.

Seeing Li An agree, Wu Wu Yuchen also relaxed—he didn't want to endure the drama of three women on set!

His Zhu Yuanyuan was better—quietly studying at school, now on winter break, she'd occasionally come to kiss him, bringing warmth. That was the real comfort!

…

When Zhang Yimou first recommended Zhang Ziyi to the *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* crew, she thought her connection with Old Maozi gave her an edge over other actresses.

But upon arriving, she saw Ceng Li already in training—and immediately felt pressure and urgency. She knew full well what Ceng

But Zhang Zhang Ziyi simply couldn't accept defeat—she'd finally landed a role in Zhang Zhang Yimou's film and become a "Mao Girl"; why shouldn't she fight for it?

Moreover, she and Zeng Li were classmates and roommates, a relationship that only fueled her determination and ignited a competitive spirit.

Just a couple of days later, a new actress arrived at the training camp—none other than Li Li Xiaoran, the newly crowned Golden Horse Best Actress!

This sent alarm bells ringing in Zhang Zhang Ziyi's mind—her own film, *My Father and Mother*, hadn't even entered post-production yet, while Li Li Xiaoran was already world-famous, her film *Run Luo La Run* sweeping the globe; how could she possibly compete?

What to do? Only hard training! Zhang Zhang Ziyi had nothing else—but she had ambition, and the ruthless determination to do whatever it took to achieve her goal!

When Zhang Zhang Ziyi got fired up, Ceng Li was swept up by her energy too—they were in the same class and even shared the same dormitory; how could she let herself be outdone?

Seeing how fiercely these two trained, Li Li Xiaoran was taken aback. She'd never been diligent; relying on her natural talent, she'd slacked off throughout school yet still graduated at the top of her dance academy class and was immediately recruited by the Eastern Song and Dance Troupe. The most effort she'd ever put in was during the filming of *Run Luo La Run*. But now, *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* wasn't Wu Wu Yuchen's film, and she didn't love Jade Fox the way she'd loved Luo La—she couldn't fully commit.

But two weeks later, when Li Li Xiaoran saw Jiang Jiang Qinqin join the cast, her mindset shifted instantly: No, she absolutely couldn't lose to Jiang Jiang Qinqin!

On the other side, Zeng Li, upon seeing Jiang Jiang Qinqin, felt the same urge—she trained even harder than when competing against Zhang Zhang Ziyi.

Zhang Zhang Ziyi was already under immense pressure; now, with the superstar Jiang Jiang Qinqin joining the competition and both Zeng Li and Li Li Xiaoran training relentlessly, her stress skyrocketed, leaving her anxious and overwhelmed.

One was a Golden Horse Best Actress, another was the hottest actress in the past half-year, dominating both big and small screens, and yet another had ties to Wu Wu Yuchen—Zhang Zhang Ziyi, among all of them, felt like the weakest and most helpless one!

The overwhelming pressure, however, unleashed even greater energy within Zhang Zhang Ziyi.

Train! Train like crazy—even if it breaks her!

The intensity of these women's training shocked Jiang Jiang Qinqin, who had just joined the cast. In Wu Wu Yuchen's productions, she'd always been handed roles on a silver platter; even on *My Fair Princess*, life had been easy. Why was *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* so different?

Jiang Jiang Qinqin thought to herself: So this is how fierce the competition among actresses really is in major productions?

Li An had been closely observing the dynamics within the training camp.

When Zeng Li was brought in, he immediately thought she didn't photograph well, but training her in the camp wouldn't hurt.

He'd initially focused most on Li Li Xiaoran, but after watching for a while, he realized she lacked drive—she no longer had the fiery spirit she showed in *Run Luo La Run*, falling short of his vision of a rebellious, wild Jade Fox.

Surprisingly, it was Zhang Zhang Ziyi, whom he'd originally been dissatisfied with, who now demonstrated remarkable resilience and won his admiration.

With Jiang Jiang Qinqin's arrival, the women trained even harder, and Li An watched it all with satisfaction. He wasn't in a hurry to choose—there were three months of training, and he wanted to carefully select the most suitable candidate.

Moreover, Li An needed to observe how each actress interacted and synced with Liang Zhang Jiahui, since the male lead was already locked in; to achieve the best results, he had to pick a female lead who complemented him perfectly.

While the women were locked in fierce competition within the training camp, Wu Wu Yuchen had already boarded a flight to Berlin with his team.

This time, *The Donkey Gets Water* was selected for the Berlin Film Festival, and Wu Wu Yuchen fulfilled his promise from the wrap party by bringing the entire main cast along to attend.

But Li Li Xuejian didn't come. After filming, he followed Wu Wu Yuchen's advice and went to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a serious condition. He immediately halted all work to undergo treatment. Fortunately, it was caught early and wasn't yet severe, but the long journey was impossible—he could only send his best wishes, hoping the crew would achieve great success.

On the plane, seeing Sun Sun Honglei constantly pressing his face against the window to gaze outside, Zhou Xun asked: "Sun Da Sha, have you never flown before in your life?"

This was Zhou Xun's nickname for him—because his character was a simpleton and he was a head taller than her, once they became close, she started calling him "Silly Big Guy," or "Sun Da Sha."

Sun Sun Honglei turned his head, feigning disdain: "What's so special about flying? Back when I was in Northeast China…"

Zhou Xun immediately cut him off: "Hey, don't dodge the question—have you never flown before?"

Sun Sun Honglei was caught off guard and, embarrassed, gave up pretending: "In China, we mostly take trains and buses—who flies every day?"

"I've flown—once even holding an award trophy on the plane. Hehehehe~" Zhou Xun stuck out her tongue teasingly.

She was referring to her recent win for Best Actress at the 15th Paris International Film Festival for *Suzhou River*.

Sun Honglei didn't believe her and turned to ask the passenger behind him, Fu Dalong: "Da Long, have you ever flown?"

Fu Dalong chuckled: "I flew when we shot *Run Luo La Run* two years ago."

He then glanced at Gong Li and Wu Wu Yuchen in the front row—these two frequently traveled overseas, so they must have flown.

He glanced across the aisle at Zhang Zhang Guoli and Ding Ding Jiali. Zhang Zhang Guoli seemed to understand his unspoken question and, before he could speak, smiled and said: "I flew ten years ago with an Antarctic expedition team~"

Zhang Zhang Guoli had an incredible story: In 1988, he joined the Chinese Antarctic expedition team and filmed the documentary *The Great Wall Extends South*. During the mission, they were trapped by massive ice calving and ice floes.

Zhang volunteered, wrote his will, and took on the dangerous task of using explosives to blast through the ice, saving the entire research vessel. He was later awarded a collective First-Class Merit and an individual Second-Class Merit.

Honestly, this alone was enough to make him brag for the rest of his life—it was heroic!

Ding Ding Jiali, sitting beside Zhang Zhang Guoli, chimed in: "I flew to the Tokyo Film Festival a few years ago too~"

Sun Sun Honglei's jaw dropped—was he the only one on this entire team who'd never flown before?

Fortunately, He Bing placed his hands on Sun Sun Honglei's shoulders and patted them reassuringly: "Lei Zi, I've never flown either—no shame in that!"

Sun Sun Honglei gripped He Bing's hand tightly—he'd just saved him from embarrassment!

Berlin, Hotel Adlon.

The Hotel Adlon was Germany's official state guesthouse, Emperor Wilhelm II's favorite "palace," and a historic retreat for countless international celebrities and dignitaries. It also witnessed an iconic moment—later, Michael Jackson famously held his six-month-old son over the balcony railing to wave to the crowd below, creating an unforgettable image.

This time, Wu Wu Yuchen brought the *The Donkey Gets Water* crew to Berlin and was granted the festival's highest hospitality, with accommodations at the Adlon.

At the evening dinner, Wu Wu Yuchen raised his glass: "Thank you all for coming to Berlin to support *The Donkey Gets Water*. No matter the outcome, let's enjoy ourselves and celebrate a special Chinese New Year abroad!"

This year, Chinese New Year coincided with the Berlin Film Festival—getting everyone together was no small feat.

Zhou Xun smiled: "Wu Dao, being able to come to Berlin for free meals and stay in such a luxurious hotel—I'd love this to happen every year! Then I could travel the world for free!"

Zhang Zhang Guoli added: "New Year comes every year, but this is my first time at the Berlin Film Festival—I had to come!"

He Bing chimed in, wrapping an arm around Sun Sun Honglei: "Exactly, Wu Dao! Just for flying us two for the first time, this trip was worth it!"

Everyone laughed, and Sun Sun Honglei wanted to cover He Bing's mouth—why did he have to bring that up?!

After dinner, Gong Li approached Wu Wu Yuchen alone.

"Wu Dao, do you think *The Donkey Gets Water* has a real shot at winning a prize in Berlin?"

Others might lack experience, but Gong Li was a veteran of Europe's "Big Three" festivals and understood their inner workings. While film quality mattered, the judges' influence was crucial. She wanted to give him a heads-up.

Wu Wu Yuchen met her gaze and understood her implication, smiling: "When it comes to awards, you never have a 100% guarantee before the results are announced—it's all about doing your best."

Then Wu Wu Yuchen carefully analyzed for Gong Li: "For this Berlin Film Festival, we still have advantages—first, Judge Professor Xie Fei is on the panel."

A few months ago, the Berlin Film Festival had called to invite him to be a juror, but he declined since he was a competing filmmaker. He'd assumed they'd invite Yang Yang Ziqiong, as they had in his previous life—but this time, they chose Professor Xie Fei instead.

Professor Xie Fei won the Jin Xiong in 1993 for *The Story of Xianghun*, so his appointment as juror was natural—though in his previous life, he'd been invited in 2001 for the 51st edition; this time, it was two years earlier.

Professor Xie Fei's vote was guaranteed.

Wu Wu Yuchen added: "Also, Ken Adam on the jury—we just worked together. I hired him as art director for *The Sixth Sense*; he won't work for free."

This was part of Wu Wu Yuchen's early strategy. Winning awards doesn't start in Berlin—it began months ago. Hiring an art director? Who could object?

Though he was still a college student, he understood the awards system thoroughly—whether the Oscars or the "Big Three," PR is critical. The Oscars are overt; the others are subtle. If he did nothing and relied solely on film quality to impress foreign judges, he'd be foolish.

Gong Li's eyes lit up—the jury had eight members. If the film could win just one or two more votes, its chances of winning would skyrocket.

Wu Wu Yuchen didn't do much else—he already had full confidence in *The Donkey Gets Water*'s quality, and with Gong Li, a major star with strong influence at the "Big Three," now holding two votes, they were already ahead.

Gong Li exhaled in relief and smiled: "Good to know you're prepared. Foreign awards aren't always fair—it's all about the final result. I've met Angela Molina, the jury chair, a few times; maybe I can find a chance to visit her."

"That would be perfect—thank you, Sister Li!" Wu Wu Yuchen was delighted.

"It might not help, but networking never hurts," Gong Li said, now fully confident after hearing Wu Wu Yuchen's plan.

After this pleasant exchange, on February 10, the 49th Berlin International Film Festival officially opened.