Chapter 304: Goodwill That Cannot Be Enjoyed

Wu Yuchen sighed in his heart. It was really unexpected. This girl's acting skills are so good now. It's funny that he analyzed a long list for her just now...

The other party's goal was not Chen Kaige at all!

Wu Yuchen didn't care about Jiang Qinqin, who was shaking his arm, and sighed while shaking his head.

"Husband~ I really didn't pretend! I just thought of it temporarily..."

Wu Yuchen laughed: "Qinqin, what else is there to beat around the bush with me? Why don't you tell the truth?"

Jiang Qinqin heard this and stopped pretending to be innocent: "I just want to be your female lead. Which actress doesn't want to be your female lead?"

Wu Yuchen said: "Weren't you the female lead in *Brotherhood of Blades* last year? You were pushed to all parts of the world~"

"I..."

Jiang Qinqin paused and said with slight grievance: "I haven't had any decent awards until now. Not to mention winning any Best Actress, the movies I shot haven't won any big awards!"

Wu Yuchen finally understood Jiang Qinqin's real thoughts. The movies he used Jiang Qinqin as the female lead, excluding the short film *One and Eight*, from the initial *Comet*, *Classic Again*, to *Brotherhood of Blades*, were actually aimed at commerce and box office, and really hadn't won any big awards with weight.

The female leads of the art films that Wu Yuchen really won big awards with, *Donkey Gets Water*, *Love*, and *The Boy in the Striped Pajamas*, were all Gong Li. There was also *Run Lola Run*, which used Li Xiaoran and helped her win the Best Actress at the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan, which was also an honor that could be taken out in the Chinese-language film circle.

At this time, Jiang Qinqin continued: "I didn't force you to make me the female lead. I know you are busy now, so I was quite moved when I received Director Chen's invitation. Even if he can't compare to you, this is a good opportunity for me. However, you said his film is not good, so I won't act. That's why I remembered to mention it to you~"

Wu Yuchen pinched her face with a smile: "I didn't say anything about you, why are you aggrieved?"

Jiang Qinqin turned her head away: "I'm not aggrieved!"

Wu Yuchen hugged her and said: "Tsk tsk, look at your pouting mouth~ Alright, alright, smile one~"

Jiang Qinqin bared her teeth and smiled at Wu Yuchen, then turned her head away again.

Wu Y

Jiang Qinqin's ears perked up immediately upon hearing this, and she only heard Wu Yuchen sigh with emotion:

"But I'm exhausted from filming every day, the mental pressure is high, and the beautiful lady by my side is throwing tantrums at me. How can I have any desire to create like this!"

Jiang Qinqin immediately slapped his arm: "Who's throwing tantrums at you?"

"Mm-hmm, no one is throwing tantrums at me~ But I'm feeling miserable right now, I can't pull myself together at all. What do you think I should do?"

Jiang Qinqin twisted her little face in a coquettish manner again: "How would I know what you should do?"

Wu Yuchen then began to sigh and groan: "The leading lady, oh the leading lady! The big award, oh the big award! I don't even know who wants them!"

Seeing Wu Yuchen like this, Jiang Qinqin knew he was teasing her, but she still couldn't help but tug on his arm: "You, then what do you say we should do?"

Wu Yuchen leaned his head forward and pointed at his cheek with his finger. Jiang Qinqin naturally knew what he meant; she chuckled, hummed, and still stood on her tiptoes to peck him on the cheek.

However, Wu Yuchen wasn't finished yet; he turned his face and pointed to the other side. Seeing this, Jiang Qinqin stood on her tiptoes again and kissed him once more.

When Wu Yuchen pointed to his lips again, Jiang Qinqin couldn't help but punch him in the chest: "Hey! Are you ever going to stop~"

"Alright, alright! Hahaha~" Wu Yuchen laughed, stopped teasing Jiang Qinqin, and walked slowly forward while holding her.

Wu Yuchen said as they walked: "It definitely won't work this year, let's wait until next year. When the time comes, I'll make you the leading lady, and we'll go for a big award again!"

Jiang Qinqin's head was already leaning on Wu Yuchen's shoulder, a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. Now she could truly and confidently tell Director Chen that she refused; she wanted to be the leading lady in Wu Yuchen's new film!

Afterward, Jiang Qinqin smiled and said to Wu Yuchen: "Don't you go saying I forced you. Let me tell you, I'm very popular right now!"

Wu Yuchen asked cooperatively: "Oh? Besides Director Chen, there are others chasing you with offers?"

"That's right! There are so many! Let me tell you, after 'My Fair Princess 3' aired last month, everyone was crying and begging me to go back and play Ziwei! Even Aunt Qiongyao called me, wanting to beg me to go back and save the 'My Fair Princess' series~"

Wu Yuchen couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. The impact caused by the first two parts of 'My Fair Princess' was too great. As a result, by the third part, the main cast had been completely replaced. Whether it was Huang Yi's Xiao Yanzi or Ma Yili's Ziwei, neither could compare to Zhao Yanzi and Jiang Qinqin, thus causing an outcry from the audience, and the reputation hit rock bottom. A group of viewers shouted that they would rather watch 'My Fair Princess' 1 and 2 a hundred times than take another look at 'My Fair Princess 3'.

Wu Yuchen asked with a smile: "Then what are your thoughts?"

Jiang Qinqin had no interest in saving the 'My Fair Princess' series. She had only agreed to act in the second part because of the sincerity shown by Qiongyao and Mango TV, who had visited her home multiple times. Now, she wouldn't go back to being Ziwei again.

"I'm not going! Never mind Qiongyao, even Director Zhang came to find me before and I rejected him!" Jiang Qinqin said coquettishly.

"Director Zhang? You mean Zhang Jizhong?" Wu Yuchen asked.

"That's right! He came to ask if I was willing to play the Zheng Xiaolong Maiden, and I said I have no interest in TV dramas right now~" Jiang Qinqin said with her chin held high.

Previously, the Huang Rong she played in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' had gained the love of a vast number of fans. She had already experienced this Jin Yong drama once and didn't want to repeat it a second time.

As for the traffic of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' and the Zheng Xiaolong Maiden, to put it bluntly, with the TV roles of Ziwei and Huang Rong, she didn't lack the traffic of the Zheng Xiaolong Maiden at all. Moreover, she wasn't just a TV actress; she was a film star, and her works had spread across the globe!

For the current Jiang Qinqin, her greatest pursuit wasn't traffic or box office; she just wanted to win some honors in film. Even if she didn't win Best Actress herself, as long as the film could win a big award, that would be enough!

Hearing Jiang Qinqin say this, Wu Yuchen also found it amusing. In his past life, the 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' project was marketed by Zhang Da Huzhi using actors from the entire circle, including Jiang Qinqin. Netizens voted her the top candidate for the Zheng Xiaolong Maiden, yet it was of no use; she was just a tool for the Big Beard's hype, and she had no way to stop being toyed with by him.

But now, the situation had completely reversed. The Big Beard had sought out Jiang Qinqin the first chance he got, wanting her to play the Zheng Xiaolong Maiden, but instead, Jiang Qinqin didn't think much of it anymore. This really made Wu Yuchen find it interesting.

"No, no, no, it's not simply enlarging the squid. I need you to make it more ferocious and more terrifying. After it opens its mouth, it should have monster-like teeth, that kind of dense, packed sharp teeth that make people want to shiver the moment they see it!"

At this moment, Wu Yuchen rejected the design for the sea monster Kraken provided by the designers and explained his requirements in greater detail.

This great sea monster, the legendary Kraken or Norwegian sea monster, would bring quite a bit of visual impact and shock to the audience. It was one of the highlights of this special effects work, so the special effects team was also constantly communicating and adjusting with Wu Yuchen to meet his requirements.

After Jiang Qinqin entered the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' crew and watched by Wu Yuchen's side, she realized just how busy he really was. Filming during the day, and discussing various matters at night.

Other staff members only needed to do their own jobs well, but Wu Yuchen, as the director, had to oversee the whole situation. He had to inquire about problems in every department—photography, special effects, action, etc. —and he had to care about and communicate with them all. Therefore, the time he actually had to leisurely accompany Jiang Qinqin was actually very little.

This also made Jiang Qinqin feel a bit more heartache. He was so busy now, yet he still specifically set aside time to pick her up and accompany her. She had thrown tantrums at him before, but he never lost his temper, accommodated her as much as possible, and even promised her the leading lady role...

Thinking about it now, she really hadn't been considerate enough of Wu Yuchen!

Thinking of this, a sense of guilt couldn't help but well up in Jiang Qinqin's heart for Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen had no time to consider Jiang Qinqin's thoughts now; after all, the work at hand was the most important. And he didn't just have to worry about these things; he also had to receive some transoceanic calls periodically to listen to the development and reports from Miracle Film and Television.

For example, at this very moment, he was taking a call from Cai Yinong:

"What, Cai Zong, are you saying that Chen Kaige has reached out to you?"

"Yes! But it wasn't Chen Kaige himself; it was his wife, Chen Hong, who invited me for tea and talked about 'The Promise'. Oh, 'The Promise' is the name Director Chen just decided on; it's the project he's currently preparing."

Chen Hong? Ever since this woman married Chen Kaige and had children, she had become his virtuous helper. She was truly a virtuous helper; not only did she have to manage household affairs, but she also became Chen Kaige's producer, managing all matters of the crew. Therefore, Chen Hong stepping out could be completely seen as her representing Chen Kaige's own intentions.

To be honest, Wu Yuchen didn't quite understand what Chen Hong saw in Chen Kaizi.

Many people thought Chen Hong was marrying up by marrying Chen Kaige, but in fact, those who knew Chen Hong's family background knew that wasn't the case. Her grandfather's level was very high; it wasn't something Chen Kaizi's family could compare to at all.

Moreover, Chen Hong had never publicized it externally, unlike a certain Xue, whose press releases had been circulating for over a decade, wishing the whole world knew, and everyone was tired of it.

Thinking that Chen Hong was so beautiful and a proper third-generation descendant, logically she should be highly sought after and definitely wouldn't lack well-qualified suitors. Yet she was truly willing to be the third party to get on top, using children to force the issue, just to marry Kaizi. Could this be true love?

Wu Yuchen shook his head, cast aside his miscellaneous thoughts, and asked on the phone: "What is Chen Hong's intention?"

"Between the lines, she basically wanted to ask if we are willing to invest in Director Chen's 'The Promise'. She said that there are already quite a few investors looking for 'The Promise' now—from Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong—but they still wanted to give this opportunity to us first..."

"Heh! That's really giving us face!" Wu Yuchen couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

He thought about it; this shouldn't be Chen Kaizi deliberately provoking or acting arrogant, but rather that he really thought so. Kaizi was an extremely conceited person and naturally believed that 'The Promise', which he had spent great effort preparing this time, was excellent.

Therefore, whether it was giving the leading lady opportunity to Jiang Qinqin or having Chen Hong find Cai Yinong this time to ask if Miracle Film and Television was willing to take an investment share, Chen Kaige believed he was conveying goodwill to Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head. He hadn't intended to refuse Kaizi's willingness to bow to him this time, but this work of his was something Wu Yuchen truly couldn't accept!

'The Promise', also known as 'The Blood Case Caused by a Steamed Bun'. More than a decade later, even 'Hero' had its reputation reversed, yet 'The Promise' was still firmly nailed to the list of bad films, unshakable.

How could he, Wu Yuchen, accept this?

Wu Yuchen sighed; it seemed that he and Kaizi were destined to have no connection!

"Cai Zong, forget it. Since Director Chen and 'The Promise' aren't lacking investment, we won't get involved in this."

Actually, Cai Yinong had quite wanted to invest; after all, this was Chen Kaige, and nowadays the costume Wu Xia genre had excellent market response. With the examples of 'Brotherhood of Blades' and 'Hero' in front, logically the probability of success was quite high. However, Wu Yuchen was the big boss, and since he had already made the decision, it was impossible for her to go against it.

Kaizi's goodwill was something Wu Yuchen had no fortune to enjoy.

He and Kaizi actually didn't have any grudges, and of course, they didn't have any friendship either. Maintaining the current state was fine—well water doesn't interfere with river water, each going their own way.

At this time, Cai Yinong mentioned another director who was already quite famous in the country: "Feng Xiaogang also came to find me twice, asking me when you would be back and if you had time."

"Hmm? Why is he looking for me?" Wu Yuchen was a bit curious.

Feng Xiaogang had been pampered by the Wang brothers these past few years and had been living quite comfortably; he had had less contact with him in recent years. Of course, every time they met, it was still very enthusiastic, but Wu Yuchen had spent more time in Hollywood in recent years, so he rarely had the opportunity to deal with these people.

Cai Yinong said: "I heard he is preparing a new film, but the script had problems. It was sent back for revisions many times and still couldn't pass. I reckon he's looking for you because of this."

Once Wu Yuchen heard this, he basically knew what was going on. Wasn't this the encounter 'A World Without Thieves' had in his past life? Was Feng Xiaogang already starting to prepare 'A World Without Thieves'?

Wu Yuchen calculated the time; it was about right. He said to Cai Yinong:

"I won't be able to go back in the short term; I reckon it will be until the end of the year. But I am quite interested in his matter. Tell him to call my phone directly!"

"Okay."