[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu":3,"chapter-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-51":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from Stealing the Role in 1995 Huayu",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2321040,4540,"Chapter 51","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-51",51,"\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen didn’t really care much about this edited MV, since all the footage came from martial arts films—he was just an editor. Twenty years later, any amateur could do this on their phone, though maybe not as well as him, or with such smooth transitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When pulled into the room, Wu Yuchen had thought of just agreeing outright, treating it as a simple favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before he could speak, Tu Honggang named the figure: 20,000 yuan—it genuinely startled him. And the man had even thoughtfully labeled it as lyric and composition fees, eliminating any lingering concerns. Had people become this considerate now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen looked at Tu Honggang before him and was reminded of rumors about his several disastrous business failures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tu Honggang cared about face, valued brotherhood, spent generously, never chased overdue payments, ran things like a man of the Jianghu—and naturally failed every time. Later, realizing he wasn’t cut out for business, he quietly returned to family life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But you had to admit, being friends with old Tu, who radiated generosity and righteousness, was truly enjoyable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Teacher Tu…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, call me Brother!” Tu Honggang waved his hand dismissively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being interrupted, Wu Yuchen changed his tone:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, I need to warn you: you can see these clips were all cut from movies. We can use them in a documentary without issue, but if you use them commercially, you might trigger copyright disputes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though 20,000 yuan was tempting, he didn’t immediately agree—he thought it better to clarify upfront.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tu Honggang burst out laughing, clapping Wu Yuchen on the shoulder:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, you’re too naive. It’s just Hong Kong and Taiwan movies—do you think they’ll sue us here? Let me tell you straight: mainland China doesn’t play by those rules!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Look at that singer—she covered dozens of Hong Kong and Taiwan pop songs back then, released countless compilation tapes, and yet two years ago, she was signed by Taiwan’s Fung Mao Records. Who ever sued her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tu Honggang didn’t say it, but he himself had started by covering Hong Kong and Taiwan male singers—Qi Qin, Wang Jie, Fei Yuxing—all of them. His live gigs and tapes were all covers; at his peak, he contributed to 40 to 50 compilation albums per year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone played this way—who ever paid a single cent in copyright fees? If you mentioned copyright, would they care?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen knew this was true: no company in this era would come to the mainland to pursue copyright claims. Not even if they won—they’d get pennies, maybe a few hundred yuan. All the effort, no real gain, and you’d just end up angrier than before. Not worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mainland was currently in a wild growth phase, providing fertile ground for all kinds of piracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Hong Kong, Taiwan, even Western entertainment companies simply gave up on pursuing copyright—treating it as cultivating potential customers. In a way, this strategy worked: twenty years later, many faded Hong Kong and Taiwan stars leveraged nostalgia and filters to make money on the mainland—wasn’t that thanks to this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Tu Honggang himself didn’t care, Wu Yuchen said nothing further. He’d already warned him properly; if questioned later, he’d simply say he’d edited it for the documentary—whether Tu used it commercially was up to the production team’s approval.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone just passed the buck, all silently understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wu Yuchen returned from the side room, he heard several people inside laughing and chatting merrily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The theme song was done, the documentary nearly finished—it was almost complete. Wasn’t that worth celebrating?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We got this film done so fast thanks to Xiao Wu—he deserves credit. Otherwise, we might not have made it through the New Year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Speak of the devil—he’s back. Xiao Wu, with the quality you delivered today, when you make a movie someday, I’ll be your first audience member!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Wu Yuchen’s mind stirred—he replied directly: “Teacher Luo, I’ve actually already made a short film.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in the room looked startled and asked: “Xiao Wu, didn’t you say you’re just a freshman?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s like this…” Wu Yuchen recounted the entire process of filming “Car 44” again, in full detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group understood at once, but their gazes toward Wu Yuchen now held extra admiration. Though he spoke simply, they knew well: a freshman leading a group of fellow students to make a short film must have faced countless difficulties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen didn’t just do it—he succeeded. This proved he had leadership, organizational, and collaborative talent. For a director, such abilities were sometimes more vital than cultural or artistic mastery. And over the past month, they’d all witnessed his talent and flair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined, these two qualities made everyone highly optimistic about Wu Yuchen’s future as a director.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Wu, we’re genuinely curious about your short film. Bring it next time—we want to watch it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wouldn’t dare call it worthy of appreciation. I happened to bring a VHS tape—shall I show it to you all now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, what a coincidence! Quick, let’s see it!” they all laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t coincidence. Wu Yuchen had spent over a month here—he’d learned the identities of these veterans, since they hadn’t hidden anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So for the past few days, he’d carried the VHS tape with him, waiting for a chance to screen “Car 44” before the documentary was finished, to gauge their reactions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen casually glanced at Elder He—his main target, since he was the former head of the editing team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen inserted the tape. Everyone watched the screen with interest, eager to see what this freshman and his student crew had produced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eleven minutes later, the entire hall fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These elderly men, decades older than youth, couldn’t react with youthful outrage—but they were still shaken by the short film, especially that final smile—completely unexpected!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you really make this?” Jia Leilei turned to ask. All eyes fixed on Wu Yuchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that it was bad—it was too good. Could a freshman really have made this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, if they hadn’t already seen Xiao Wu’s talent, they’d never believe anyone claiming a freshman led a group of students to make this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wu Yuchen nod in confirmation, everyone silently marveled again—this kid was talented. Calling him a potential Chen Kaizi wasn’t an exaggeration!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Wu, your short film is deeply thought-provoking. Tell us—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally followed a lengthy discussion on the film’s content, which Wu Yuchen handled calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>",1062,"2026-06-20T16:09:29.273Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","465fa083e8633d9500ebce9bcf6353247b8718e13b84c49f77472e7ed8f4526e","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-52","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-50",335,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-cover.jpg"]