Chapter 374: Old Bull, Fresh Grass, Kept Man?

Some things, everyone in the circle knows perfectly well, but no one ever speaks of them—because that's the unspoken rule for surviving in the circle.

But once entertainment reporters break the story, it usually delivers a serious blow to the public's sensibilities.

Especially when it involves matters between men and women—calling the entertainment circle a mess would be putting it mildly.

Admittedly, Lin Nan had long suspected as much, and was even mentally prepared.

But seeing this news in the top entertainment headline right now, his expression was still a touch unnatural. What kind of nonsense is this!

Jiang Teacher Wenli and Huang Dong Xuan have gotten themselves into trouble.

"During the filming of 'Women Gang,' Jiang Teacher Wenli suddenly demanded Director Liu Xingang add over a hundred romantic scenes with Huang Dong Xuan. The crew was forced to add more than a hundred scenes…"

"Afterwards, Huang Dong Xuan terminated his contract and signed with the agency the actress belongs to…"

"At the end of last year, when the film 'White Elephant' began shooting, Jiang Teacher Wenli strongly recommended Huang Dong Xuan for the male lead, playing a couple… during a break in the night shoot, the actress was in high spirits…"

"In early April, Huang Dong Xuan quietly flew to the set of 'The Most Beautiful Love' to 'visit.'"

"In the few candid shots captured, the actress was all smiles, radiant and glowing; the actor was gentle and refined, staying by her side, the two exchanging flirtatious gestures."

"Although it was billed as a set visit, the actor never actually went to the crew—over the three-day, two-night trip, he mostly 'holed up' in the hotel. Reported by Fengxing reporters."

"According to insiders, the two have been secretly dating for over a year."

"Photos taken abroad show the two on a date in Paris…"

"Produced by Lin Nan Pictures, 'Red Sorghum' has a massive investment and a luxurious main creative team. With such a lineup, how did Huang Dong Xuan land the second male lead?"

"Old bull, fresh grass, kept man? No contradiction!"

……

Under the official Weibo post for 'Red Sorghum,' it was all netizens there to watch the drama.

One after another they were asking whether the second male lead had gotten in through connections—and whose connections those were.

Online was full of all kinds of gossip reports, mockery and ridicule; by contrast, inside the circle it was dead silent.

Over there, Director Gu and Zhang Zhang Jingchu were still in that on-again-off-again state, and now over here Jiang Teacher Wenli is stirring up trouble again. These two couples sure know how to keep things lively.

The 'Taking Mount Mount Weihu' crew.

After everyone finished the night shoot and came back, they really hadn't expected to hear such explosive gossip.

They were all people in the circle, and this kind of thing really wasn't easy to openly discuss.

Han Han Sanping, on the other hand, quipped: "They haven't even divorced yet—shameless!"

"Senior Lin, is it true or not?"

Han Jianu asked with a look of curiosity, ignoring the glare her own father shot her.

How should one answer this question? Quite a few actors around them instinctively looked toward Lin Nan.

"What true or not?" Lin Nan asked knowingly—he didn't know a thing.

"The casting, of course. Did someone pull strings to squeeze him in?"

"The casting for 'Red Sorghum' is handled by Director Zheng Zheng Xiaolong, with Jiang Jiang Xuerou assisting on the side.

Apart from Zhou Xun and Zhu Zhu Yawen, every other actor was personally decided by Director Zheng."

Lin Nan gave what sounded like a very definitive answer, and delivered it in all seriousness.

But he only said the decisions went through Director Zheng Zheng Xiaolong's hands—he never said they went through Director Zheng Zheng Xiaolong's hands alone.

Only Liu Liu Yifei looked at Lin Nan, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curving into a faint smile, a glint of understanding flashing in her eyes.

With anyone else, she didn't know them well enough, and might have been a bit naive.

But when it came to Lin Nan, Miss Liu would stake her life on it—she understood him better than he understood himself.

That expression, that tone—he was putting on quite a convincing act.

On top of that, before going to Hollywood for the dubbing, Lin Nan had taken a phone call, and when she'd asked him about it, he'd said it was about the casting for 'Red Sorghum.'

Thinking about it now—mm, ninety percent certain!

As their eyes met, that sly, teasing look—Lin Nan immediately knew he'd been seen through by Liu Liu Yifei, and he was utterly speechless.

Miss Liu's fiery golden eyes—do they only work on her boyfriend here?

How on earth is he going to get through the days ahead! Lin Nan had a headache.

After everyone finished their supper, they each went back to their rooms to rest—they had to get up early to shoot tomorrow.

…………

Lin Nan sat on the bed, continuing to scroll through the news and handle some matters.

Back when Director Gu had been caught in the act, it hadn't caused much of a stir.

This time, Jiang Teacher Wenli likewise lightly posted a rebuttal, then ignored it all.

The male party, on the other hand, posted several Weibo posts in succession denying and clarifying things. But those photos couldn't be explained away.

He couldn't exactly claim they were all stills from filming, could he? That doesn't hold up either!

Miss Liu beside him had just fallen fast asleep, drifting off into dreams.

Her glossy black long hair rested behind her head, and on her delicate, fair cheeks bloomed a bewitching rosy flush.

Lin Nan used one hand to tuck the blanket more snugly around her, then began replying to messages.

"No cast changes, no media visits to set, don't pay attention to those gossip stories—'Red Sorghum' just keeps shooting as normal."

The reporters couldn't find Jiang Teacher Wenli, couldn't reach Gu Gu Changwei, so they swarmed en masse to the 'Red Sorghum' set.

Whether someone was trying to fish in troubled waters or not, inside the circle and online there were even voices suggesting the crew replace the second male lead.

A reply popped up on his phone: "Understood, Director Lin."

…………

The next day.

On the non-action scenes side, Guo Fan was still in charge.

Little White Dove has feelings for Shao Shao Jianbo, but very subtly, and still has to express them indirectly through Little Little Shuanzi's mouth.

But when Little Little Shuanzi, innocent of the ways of the world, repeats the line Little White Dove had been muttering to herself:

"Sister also said: drink the thick porridge she made, and I guarantee the commander won't be able to sleep tonight," Tong Tong Liya's Little White Dove would, out of bashfulness, become flustered and clumsy, drawing a burst of laughter from the crowd.

Over at Mount Mount Weihu stockade, filming was also proceeding normally.

The previous shot was Zhang Zhang Hanyu as Yang Yang Zirong successfully passing the initiation ceremony and becoming the Ninth Vajra. But in truth, he hadn't been fully trusted.

At this moment, Lin Nan stared at the monitor screen, which showed Yang Yang Zirong feigning drunkenness being escorted back to his room by the Seventh and Eighth Vajras.

Fan Li Bingbing, in a stylish overcoat, walked in from outside with a cold, dark face. The Eighth Vajra, who had been about to pour hot water for Yang Yang Zirong, was so startled he immediately backed away.

Only to be grabbed by the collar, "None of your damn business, get out."

The Seventh Vajra also hurriedly whispered into the ear of the drunken-feigning Yang Yang Zirong: "The Third Master's Lady — you mustn't touch her."

The Eighth Vajra, trembling: "Sister-in-law, leave Old Nine a way out, will you?"

Fan Li Bingbing pressed close to the Eighth Vajra's ear: "Scram."

She then looked at the Seventh Vajra: "Seventh, you get out too."

"Old Nine, be careful," the Seventh Vajra warned once more before leaving.

"Seduction, cuckolding, making Zuo Zuo Shandiao kill in rage… or was it also partly Zuo Zuo Shandiao's deliberate intent?" Han Jianü muttered to the side, eyes burning bright.

In the secondary shot outside the room, the Seventh and Eighth Vajras, the moment they stepped out, actually saw Zuo Zuo Shandiao squatting right at the door — nearly scared to death!

The strip-and-seduce shot — Fan Li Bingbing handled it very well; Lin Nan even subconsciously swallowed hard, earning himself a punch from the person beside him.

Zhang Zhang Hanyu's Yang Yang Zirong, while countering her, kept talking to throw the people outside off the scent.

Hearing the other party tell him to call herself Ma Qinglian, he instantly thought of Little Little Shuanzi's mother, who had been missing for half a year.

All the problems were solved in one stroke, thanks to Little Little Shuanzi.

Fan Li Bingbing's Ma Ma Qinglian, in coordination with Yang Yang Zirong, put on a whole act for Zuo Zuo Shandiao outside.

Fan Li Bingbing, tightly wrapped in her clothes, fled in panic with reddened eyes; Zuo Zuo Shandiao had already left even earlier.

The Eighth and Seventh Vajras rushed in, flustered and frantic.

"Old Nine, Old Nine, you alright?"

"Thanks to Seventh Master's warning, I got a life back."

"We're all brothers here — the fact you're still alive and in one piece, you've got some real guts."

"You know how many of our brothers that woman has ruined? Just with that one trick!"

The Eighth Vajra followed right after, also speaking with lingering fear.

"Cut!"

Lin Nan called out, and the Eighth Vajra's shot somehow even had a touch of comedy to it.

"Next scene, I'm the one who's in for it — getting tied to the bedpost and whipped by Director Han."

Fan Li Bingbing was really uninhibited, openly laughing and joking about it.

When filming on the Mount Mount Weihu side wrapped, the dramatic scenes at the village were also finished.

……

"Erta of the Fuchun Mountains" turned out exactly as Lin Nan had predicted.

Generally speaking, if a film's opening-day box office exceeds fifty million,

then its box-office trajectory over the first two weeks is bound to be very strong. Under normal circumstances, the total gross would head toward the 500-million mark or above.

But "Fang Tianji: Erta of the Fuchun Mountains" was not so.

After the first week, although it pulled in a total of 260 million, the daily intake had already dropped below five million — in just seven days, the daily box office had fallen to one-tenth.

Han Han Sanping and the others were now thoroughly convinced of Lin Nan's prediction that "Erta of the Fuchun Mountains"'s box-office lifespan would not exceed ten days.

"Three hundred million, tops. And that's only after seriously overdrafting the reputations and goodwill of actors like Liu Liu Dehua and Tong Tong Dawei. They'll probably never forget this film for the rest of their lives, hahaha…"

Hearing Lin Nan's words, the group all felt a bit wistful.

These past few days, Liu Liu Dehua had indeed had it rough — tagging along with the "Blind Detective" crew on promotion, he couldn't escape questions about "Erta of the Fuchun Mountains" no matter where he went.

In industry parlance, "Blind Detective" had already lost three-tenths of the battle before even drawing its sword — and it was Liu Liu Dehua who lost it!

In entertainment news, stories about Jiang Teacher Wenli and Huang Dong Xuan were still hanging in the top slots.

Director Gu Gu Changwei, from start to finish, didn't say a single word — calm as could be.

But Zhang Zhang Jingchu was quite active, posting three or four Weibo updates in a single day, all chicken soup for the soul about love.

Things like "If you like someone, go after them, don't have too many reservations," "If you love, be together; if you don't, let go," "When it's time to cut, cut — embrace a fresh start"…

In the eyes of plenty of industry insiders, this wasn't posting Weibo at all — she was waiting to climb up and become the great director's Lady!

"Counting the shooting progress, we're already halfway through. Coming up next is the first large-scale battle scene between the two sides — we'll also need explosives and shoulder-fired rocket launchers…"

Guo Fan flipped through the schedule as he spoke to Lin Nan.

"This scene is mainly handled by the Hu Bayi Studio people — especially with the explosive packs and such, be careful," Lin Nan instructed.

Although the explosive packs, rocket launchers, and the like were all props-grade for filming, with a low danger coefficient,

Lin Nan still specifically warned Liu Liu Yifei, Han Jianü, and the others not to crowd around this scene.

"Stay far away. If your luck's bad and flying wood chips or pebbles scratch your face — heh, that'll be ugly."

Lin Nan said this directly to Han Jianü — she was the one who loved crowding in most.

"I'll drag your Producer Liu along with me, and at the critical moment use her as a shield in front of me." Han Jianü was a touch provocative.

Hearing this, Lin Nan couldn't hold back his laughter:

"Hahaha, that's because you don't know her combat ability — at the critical moment, you'll only end up being Liu Qianqian's shield!"

Liu Liu Yifei beamed at Han Jianü, raised an eyebrow at her, and even flexed her arm: "I practice martial arts and work out regularly."

Lin Nan paid no more attention to Liu Liu Yifei and Han Jianü's horseplay, but turned to look at Guo Fan and the others and instructed:

"Let's leave it at that. Tell the people at Hu Bayi Factory to prepare this scene as soon as possible."

……

The call from Guangxian reached Lin Nan.

"You picked Yang Mi?"

"Right, I had to tell you, after all she walked out of Shanhai Media. Besides, she really is the most popular among this batch of young actresses."

Lin Nan understood what Wang Wang Changtian meant—afraid he'd overthink it.

"For me, this is no big deal.

After all, she didn't do anything to betray Shanhai Media. The way you put it makes it sound like I'd hold a grudge against her, hehe…"

Hearing Lin Nan's words, Wang Wang Changtian also breathed a sigh of relief.

In the industry there were far too many examples of exes becoming enemies the moment they split, and the same applied to the relationship between artists and companies.

"That's good. When Deng Chao told me about the female lead choice, we were all worried about what you'd think. Now it's fine."

"Mm, then that's that."

"Oh right, Guangxian's *Erta the Divine Detective* is having its premiere. If you or Liu Yifei can come back, that'd be best. If it's really not possible, I'll just send the invitation to Yue Jun?"

"Give it to Yue Jun."

Lin Nan was completely done with Wang Wang Changtian—day after day, what was he thinking?

He was still filming here; go back specifically to attends attend a movie premiere? You must be joking! Besides, Liu Liu Yifei was even less likely to go back alone.

You know, Lin Nan had only done that kind of thing once.

That was when filming *Stellar Cruise*; he went midway to attend the premiere of *The Promise*, then returned to the set with his head full of mush, completely dazed.

……

The next day, the crew first filmed the scene of Han Han Sanping whipping Fan Li Bingbing.

Then came the scene of a band of bandits testing Yang Yang Zirong. Second Vajra had dozens of bandits disguise themselves as PLA soldiers to see if Yang Yang Zirong dared open fire. The gamble failed, and Yang Yang Zirong mowed them down clean with a machine gun.

Right after that was the scene of delivering intelligence in the snow—a "number two" scene.

Last was the scene where Fourth Vajra, played by Jiang Wu, ran into Fan Li Bingbing, who had stolen the secret passage map and wanted Zhang Zhang Hanyu to take her and escape to find her son.

As a result, Jiang Wu's Fourth Vajra was counter-trapped: a map was searched out on his person, along with the elder sister-in-law's personal belongings—a cuckold's horns, indeed!

Jiang Wu wrapped filming smoothly. Zhang Zhang Hanyu was strung up on the mast.

Zuo Zuo Shandiao ordered First Vajra, Fifth Vajra, and Sixth Vajra to take three hundred bandits down the mountain.

To see whether the eyes and ears in the village below had been wiped out by the PLA; if so, they'd limber up a bit and grab another haul…

The first large-scale battle scene was about to be filmed.

…………

"Senior-brother Jiang Wu, smooth wrap."

"Smooth wrap."

……

At the hotel, everyone prepared a simple wrap ceremony for Jiang Wu. He would stay one more night and leave the set the next morning.

At dusk, everyone gathered at the hotel to watch the live broadcast of the Magic City Film Festival's awards ceremony.

Still that same bland flavor, and even more to nitpick.

Most unbelievable of all was that Guo Guo Jingming's soon-to-be-released *Tiny Times* actually won the Best Film award in the Movie Channel Media Award section.

Along with it, Guo Guo Jingming also took home the Best New Director award in that section.

This was simply a joke.

Setting aside the worldview issues of *Tiny Times*, just look at a brand-new, non-film-school-trained director who, right out of the gate, wins both Best New Director and Best Film at a section of an international Class-A film festival.

This could only point to one thing: either this new director is a once-in-a-generation talent, or this film festival is absolute garbage!

As to which answer it was, the industry's and the media's collective mockery at this moment had already given the response.

…………

(End of chapter)