Chapter 1053

"Chen Kexin's *Li Na* has started filming? He really is low-key enough."

"I heard he hesitated for a long time and finally changed the title, using the name of Li Na's autobiography. So this film isn't called *Li Na* anymore; it's called *Solo/On the Court*."

"It's true that he's low-key, and the confidentiality measures are extremely strict. So far, the lead cast has hardly leaked out; I only heard that Hu Ge went to make a cameo again. Heh, he really is a 'cameo bottle'."

Ren Zhonglun couldn't help but tease. In his eyes, Hu Ge, a first-tier young male actor from the Shanghai circle, was undoubtedly a 'bottle', frequently making cameos and playing supporting roles in films by various big-name directors.

"It is indeed more mysterious than *American Dreams in China* back then, a big production." Han Sanping nodded and commented.

"That's for sure! Both the industry and the film market are very optimistic about this *Solo/On the Court*, believing it will definitely be more successful than *American Dreams in China* was."

"And the reason is simple: it's all because the prototype character of the former, Li Na, is more famous and has much greater influence—she's even renowned internationally!"

"Renowned internationally? Her achievements are indeed renowned, but I remember that her autobiography seemed to have caused quite a lot of objections from the higher-ups, right? Isn't this film by Chen Kexin just an adaptation of Li Na's autobiography?"

Han Sanping smiled with hidden meaning. Without waiting for Chairman Ren to react, he turned to his assistant on the side and instructed: "Let the next actor come in for the audition. Hmm? It's Jing Tian!"

That's right, the diligent 'Mountain Vulture' was helping his own daughter audition for a role in a unit module. As for Ren Zhonglun, he was just here to visit the set in passing today.

Before long, Chairman Ren reacted, his expression suddenly turning serious.

Not until Jing Tian finished her perfunctory audition and left after bowing did Chairman Ren speak solemnly: "Lao Han, do you mean that this film will run into trouble?"

"That autobiography of hers contains quite a lot of 'within the system' negativity. I heard that its sales abroad have been very good in recent years and it's quite sought after."

"So, do you think Chen Kexin will film those parts from the autobiography?" Han Sanping smiled pointedly, his eyes seemingly already seeing the ending.

"An autobiographical film, a prototype character who is unruly, rebellious, and individualistic, especially the naked conflicts with those 'within the system'—these are definitely award-chasing elements abroad, an award-chasing template..."

Chairman Ren analyzed with a gloomy expression, finally looking at his old friend beside him and affirming: "I'm afraid that even if he doesn't film anything else, he absolutely won't leave those parts out!"

"It's confirmed. We can let them reply over there today. Because the filming schedule is tight, Lin Dao and the others won't be attending this year's Hundred Flowers Awards ceremony."

"Me? I'll fly over on the morning of the day. As for the main creators of those few films, let them adjust their schedules in advance; of course, if they really don't have the time or don't want to go, then forget it."

On the set of *Mulan*, Guo Fan was on the phone with Yue Jun. The Hundred Flowers Awards organizing committee was already confirming the schedule status of all invited guests—that is, the guests' willingness to attend the awards ceremony—so they could arrange the red carpet and seating in advance.

"Alright, let's do it that way. But regarding the wedding in Austria at the end of this month, do Lin Dao and the two of them actually have a plan now? Are they going or not? I need to be prepared here."

Hearing Yue Jun's teasing question, Guo Fan couldn't help but look back and glance, only to see Lin Nan and Liu Yifei in the distance video-calling with Luo Jin and his wife.

"The wedding gifts you have to help bring on this trip to Austria are quite substantial, hahaha..."

"Oh, got it." Yue Jun smiled speechlessly. After a few words, he hung up the phone.

Looking at the rest area in the distance again, the great Lin Dao was already "solemnly" notifying Luo Jin in person:

"After careful consideration, I regret to tell you that Yifei and I cannot attend your wedding."

"But rest assured, the cash gift definitely won't be small, and there are other gifts as well. By the way, after the wedding, hurry over for a cameo; I'll give you a close-up of dying in battle."

"Producer Liu, listen to the wording of your great director. The first sentence was about the wedding, and the next was about dying in battle!" Before Luo Jin could complain, Tang Yan raised an objection with a smile first.

Sure enough, Liu Yifei also laughed until she was doubled over, teasing: "Haha... don't pay attention to him, he's doing it on purpose. But there really will be a surprise for you."

"What surprise?"

"I definitely can't say now, just wait at the wedding..."

"Stop chatting, hurry over for touch-ups." Han Jia nv shouted at the top of her lungs, roaring at Lin Nan and Liu Yifei from afar.

Well, Luo Jin and Tang Yan on the other end of the video call immediately hung up sensibly; chatting for too long had actually started to affect the crew's work.

"Then see you next month." After waving and hanging up, Lin Nan and Liu Yifei got up and walked toward the makeup area.

The upcoming scene was a breakup scene where the "woman is strong and the man is weak." In Mulan's eyes, it was a final farewell!

Half an hour later, the crew was ready.

"The reason Mulan uses to convince her family is: if she goes to join the army in her father's place, the possibility of returning alive is the greatest."

"But that's only a possibility. Mulan's inner monologue is exactly the opposite; from the moment she made up her mind to join the army for her father, she was already prepared not to return."

Lin Nan, in makeup, emphasized to Liu Yifei. The latter looked up at Lin Nan, said nothing, just nodded, and continued to brew her emotions, her eye sockets already red...

"Tsk tsk tsk, another 'life and death' scene. I just love watching them in these tortured scenes; compared to reality, the contrast is amazing, hehe..." Han Jia nv sat behind the monitor and teased Guo Fan in a low voice.

Guo Fan was also speechless—what kind of twisted taste was this? He picked up the microphone, looked at Lin Nan and Liu Yifei, and whispered: "Ready... action!"

In the lens, when Mulan smiled with tears suppressed in her eyes and told Lin Muzhi that she had made the decision to join the army for her father, the latter staggered, unable to stand steady...

His face was filled with terror and inability to accept it. He knew Mulan wasn't lying to him, nor would she lie to him; he could only uncontrollably demand to know why.

In this shot, Mulan's performance was excessively calm and mature: "Because Father is already old, only if I go can he enjoy his old age in peace..."

When Lin Muzhi, played by Lin Nan, excitedly said the line "I'll go with you," he was rejected by Mulan once again.

"Uncle Lin and Big Brother, they won't let you go. And I don't want... I can't bear for you to go..."

In the slow-motion close-up, both of them had tears streaming down, but Mulan was clearly taking the initiative. She gently cupped the other's face with both hands, foreheads touching, and whispered with a choked voice:

"I'm sorry, I should have married you next year or the year after... just like we often said before, to be your bride, to protect you, to bear your children, but... Lin Lang, I'm really sorry... if, if... you don't need to wait for me, don't wait for me... don't delay yourself..."

On the monitor, Mulan, played by Liu Yifei, turned and walked away resolutely, staggering, faster and faster... In the close-up, her face, turned away from Lin Nan, was already streaming with tears...

In place, only the dazed Lin Nan/Lin Muzhi remained, as if he had lost his mind, only muttering to himself, "I will wait... I will wait... I will wait for you to return safely..."

He walked back with a stumbling gait, falling several times along the way.

"Cut! Perfect. I have to say, it's really a bit torturous." Han Jia nv's mood was a bit low, she sighed.

Looking at the staff, they were already surrounding Liu Yifei and Lin Nan with tissues. Although both were still immersed in the scene, there were already smiles on their faces, and they were coming out of character.

"But after this scene, it'll be fine. What follows is the 'overpowered' heroine plot, the legendary growth experience of this legendary heroine Mulan!"

Lin Nan smiled and affirmed. Hmm, his slightly red eye sockets were very obvious. Of course, Liu Yifei was in an even worse state than him; after all, she was the main actor in that shot, making it easier for her to empathize and easier to go deeper.

"Can I take off my makeup now?" Liu Yifei walked to the monitor in a few steps, asking the three directors while wanting to watch the playback.

"You can take off your makeup, but Brother Lin can't. He has to keep this look for lunch; he still has to film the scene of him returning home in a daze this afternoon." Han Jia nv nodded.

"Yifei can focus on preparing for the first fight scene. You can't be idle while Lin Dao films the drama scenes this afternoon; you need to practice and spar." On the side, Yuen Heping reminded.

"No problem, Director Yuen. Big Brother has been waiting for this scene for several days." Liu Yifei smiled and nodded, then looked at Jackie Chan in the distance, who was tasting fruit wine and eating snacks with Teacher Hui Yinghong, Liu Yan, and Shu Chang.

"Rest assured, although this action scene isn't my usual comedic style, but rather a traditional martial arts sparring scene, I guarantee I can do it okay!" Jackie Chan held his cup and gave a gesture.

"Hmm, it leans towards the ancient costume fight style of Meng Yi in *The Myth*." Teacher Hui Yinghong smiled and joked.

A series of statements responding to the tax evasion allegations made the first listed company in the film and television industry—a leader among private enterprises—the target of the entire industry by the afternoon, and also the focus of the entire internet.

Question: Under what circumstances would a person or a company desperately and defensively deny certain things publicly?

Answer: When all public opinion and the public question it and firmly believe it has done those things; or, to be more vicious, when it has nowhere to hide and is desperate; or even, when certain problems have already been uncovered...

That's right, several giants in the industry were suddenly investigated without regard for professional ethics, which also meant that the major investigation had officially begun.

It was clearly notified before that it would start on the 10th, but the relevant units moved it forward, and didn't even say a word, truly catching the film and entertainment industry off guard!

"No response, the stock price falls; response, the stock price plummets. This is really interesting. Clearly, they have already lost their footing."

At 2:30 PM, on the set of *Looking Up*, Wang Changtian and Li Xiaoping were teasing a certain company in the industry with ill intent. Hmm, it was also an eyesore and rival they had openly cursed at before.

Why use the word "before"? Because from every aspect right now, the other party was no longer worthy of being a rival to Enlight Media.

"Chairman Wang, looking at this posture, let alone returning to over 20 billion, I'm afraid their market value will accelerate to fall below 10 billion!"

"Heh, isn't this to be expected?"

"According to the hints from above, even if problems are found, they won't be publicly announced; they will only be handled privately. So I'm very curious about one thing right now: how much will they be fined?"

Old Wang was very sure, very sure, that the people from the relevant units would definitely find something over there; after all, it was too unclean.

"This, it's hard to ask." Li Xiaoping shook her head helplessly; in fact, she was also very curious.

"Chairman Wang, Director Deng seems to have been quite busy these past two days. Especially today, we all came to visit the set, but he keeps hiding in the lounge to make phone calls alone, and each one lasts for quite a while!" Li Xiaoping changed the subject and pointedly brought up the scene before them.

Wang Changtian's expression was calm, and he didn't respond.

He was as clear as a mirror in his heart, very aware: 99% of the big shots in the industry were probably in this state these past two days! It can only be said that it's never too late to mend the fold after the sheep are lost.

Lin Nan naturally knew about the company being investigated for taxes in advance. Of course, the reason he didn't take it to heart and remained calm and composed was entirely because he had the confidence—after all, he was clean and innocent.

But it had to be admitted that there were ultimately too many problematic companies in the circle, making clean companies seem like anomalies.

Therefore, this film and television winter was undoubtedly the result of the self-inflicted sins of more than half of the film and entertainment industry—they deserved it!

In front of the lens, Lin's father, played by Tian Zhuangzhuang, looked at his youngest son with pity, sadness, and love, unable to help but sigh.

Empathizing, he indeed understood the feelings between the father and daughter, Hu and Mulan, and understood the latter's determination to join the army for her father. But this ultimately caused suffering for his own youngest son, who had bitterness he couldn't speak of.

Looking at Andy On, who was the eldest brother, he had an indignant but helpless look, only able to press his hands on his own younger brother's shoulders, letting the latter, who was out of his mind, pull himself together.

He lowered his voice, warning sternly, his tone revealing his reluctance, but he had to be realistic and resolute:

"Dismiss the thought of wanting to join the army with her, and take good care of Father at home."

"Listen to Mulan. If you meet a suitable woman, marry her into the family, don't wait for her in misery... Life and death on the battlefield are determined by heaven; no one knows how long the fighting will last, and no one can guarantee they will return alive, let alone that she is a woman..."

"Our family can't afford to wait, and you can't afford to wait either. If... if she doesn't return in a year or two, remember never to hesitate again, don't wait anymore... marry a wife and have children, let Father enjoy his old age..."

After the instructions, the eldest brother played by Andy On didn't care whether his younger brother had listened or would listen. He immediately looked at his father and said solemnly:

"Father, after our batch leaves, you keep an eye on things. For Muzhi... when the time is right, arrange a marriage for him again."

"This, sigh..."

In the lens, Lin's father, played by Tian Zhuangzhuang, sighed heavily. And Lin Muzhi, played by Lin Nan, didn't say a word, just walked into the room in a daze, and then heard a "clatter"...

"Younger Brother!"

"Muzhi..."

Two roars sounded almost simultaneously.

"Cut! Let us congratulate Lin Dao on finishing filming with only two or three shots left, hahaha..."

Han Jia nv laughed loudly, not caring at all whether Lin Nan was in pain from the fall in the last shot. Hmm, Lin Dao made a mistake and didn't fall on the mat, but the effect of the fall was naturally better!

"Lin Dao is finishing filming so soon?" Liu Yan smiled and said in surprise.

"You too." Han Jia nv raised an eyebrow at Liu Yan.

Once the early scenes were finished, among the actors in this part, except for Liu Yifei, the others had almost completed 80-90% of their scenes.

In other words, it was no different from finishing filming. Their remaining shots were mainly appearances after Mulan's triumphant return, and a small number of shots of missing relatives far away on the battlefield at home.

"Do you know why your character's ending is dying on the battlefield?" At this time, Jackie Chan walked up to Andy On and teased abruptly.

"I really don't know this, is it required by the character?" Andy On smiled in confusion.

"The lines you just had with Brother Lin are the main reason why your character dies on the battlefield! Who told you to advise our great Lin Dao to be fickle and remarry? Hahaha..."

At this moment, Han Jia nv perfectly understood Jackie Chan's meaning and took it over smoothly. Sure enough, amidst the laughter of the crowd, Jackie Chan gave a thumbs up to little Han.

Rushing to 6:00 PM, the crew ended the day's filming.

The next important shot was the fight scene between Liu Yifei and Jackie Chan. It was also the last time the character Mulan "challenged" her father in her life.

For Hu, this was also the last time in his life, and the first time, that he tried his best to continue to win against his second daughter.

The next morning, two "heavyweight" news items topped the Weibo hot search one after another, suddenly focusing the attention of the entire internet. In general, they were both good news!

"At 8:00 AM this morning, China Film Group released a film withdrawal announcement:"

"The Sino-US co-produced historical war blockbuster *Air Strike*, originally scheduled for public release on the 26th of this month, has been officially withdrawn from domestic release due to special reasons. Whether it will be released in the future will be arranged separately."

"In addition, the release plans for the film in North America and other overseas regions will remain unchanged and will still be released as scheduled on the 26th..."

"The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games released an official announcement: Starting from today, creative proposals for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics are being collected globally; starting from today, the recruitment for the general director of the opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympics begins. We look forward to all professional directors at home and abroad actively signing up to participate in the Olympic movement of all mankind..."

Since 2005, the recruitment for the general director of the Olympic Games has begun again. That's right, the last recruitment was thirteen years ago.

Undoubtedly, the film and entertainment industry was indeed in an uproar again, especially the director circle, because the opportunity to leave one's name in history was once again in front of them.

However, unlike the liveliness outside, China Film Group was dead silent from the inside out.

Inside the chairman's office, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive at this moment.

Originally thinking of quietly withdrawing the film, but who knew that the film's withdrawal announcement would happen to collide with the Winter Olympics general director recruitment announcement;

Then the former was taken along to the hot search and headlines, cursed by the entire internet as deserving it, and cursed by countless netizens for losing money in the overseas film market...

"Chairman La, since the withdrawal announcement has already been issued, then this matter is over. Let's just pretend this film never existed."

"Where is it that simple?"

"Although Lionsgate chose to swallow its anger and admit its bad luck, the matter is far from over. This bad debt is ultimately a stain on our work, and in the year-end report... it can't be escaped!"

This sentence from the leader left the group of people in the office speechless, not knowing how to respond.

Because speaking truthfully, the first film to be targeted by the one surnamed Cui was indeed *Air Strike*, and this film was indeed a co-produced blockbuster controlled by China Film Group, and it ended up causing a huge mess.

"Now we can only look forward to the overseas box office. If the results are not bad, it might not be impossible to recover some... at least, it's easier to explain to the higher-ups."

An executive said a comforting word of "self-numbing," and many people around were echoing. This was the only hope for now; having a daydream was better than having none.

Sure enough, after Chairman La in the main seat was silent for a moment, he also nodded silently, "Pay attention to the overseas box office situation at any time and tell me at any time."

"In addition, hurry up and plan the promotion for *Shanghai Fortress* for the Spring Festival slot, and also reserve promotional resources for *The New King of Comedy*. Whether we can turn things around depends on this Spring Festival slot!"

"Okay, Chairman La."

"Chairman La, absolutely no problem!"

Action scenes are indeed not easy to film. Especially if you want to film impeccable fight scenes, it's even harder.

Plus, this type of scene is the most physically demanding; if one shot is slightly wrong, it has to be redone, and the actors' energy isn't enough to support filming fight scenes all the time...

Liu Yifei was fine; after all, she had practiced for half a year before joining the crew and was in the peak state of her spirit and physical fitness.

But Jackie Chan was not satisfactory; after all, he was already 64 years old. Although he was trying his best to cooperate and hold on, he was ultimately physically exhausted, which greatly affected the filming efficiency.

Therefore, this scene inevitably appeared in the crew: since *Mulan* officially started filming, this was the first time Lin Nan kept NG-ing for a scene.

One day, two days, three days...

In the eyes of Han Jia nv, Guo Fan, and Yuen Heping, only a director of Lin Nan's caliber could order Jackie Chan around like this.

And the latter had no temper either, resting and reshooting again and again, resting and shooting again... and from time to time, he had to apologize to everyone because of his own mistakes.

(End of chapter)