Chapter 687: Preempted by Lou Ye, First Collaboration

The next morning, Jet Li, who had not appeared in the country for a long time, showed up at the promotional press conference for *League of Gods*.

As a result, the first media meet-and-greet after the film's release date was set received attention from the entire film circle, the media, and even the whole internet.

However, what caused even more public discussion, and even astonishment and bewilderment, was this:

While Yu Dong, the three members of the Xiang family, Tony Leung, Fan Bingbing, Huang Xiaoming, and Louis Koo were all singing the praises of the film, Jet Li suddenly and very seriously steered the topic off course.

At the film's promotional press conference, he directly brought up politics and stated his stance, and the content had a kind of "the thief shouting 'I am not the thief'" and "muddled" illusion.

"When I went abroad at the age of 11, I began to come into contact with the values that would influence my life—whatever you do, you must uphold the dignity and territorial integrity of your country...

A long, long time ago, when I was very young, someone came to me and said: Have you heard of Mr. Xiang? Their story and family are quite legendary and highly controversial...

Here, I can use my own character to guarantee and tell everyone that the two of them are very patriotic! I can only say this much; many things cannot be said too deeply..."

At the *League of Gods* press conference, the media and guests were left completely baffled by this "Kung Fu Emperor."

All the main creators were talking about the film, but only he spent the whole time rambling about the character, values, and patriotic sentiments of the Xiang couple, speaking nothing but good words.

These scenes, falling into the lenses and the view of the guests, gave people the feeling that Jet Li was completely disconnected from the others, not on the same channel at all.

Just past 10:00 AM, when Lin Nan opened the news, the internet was filled with reports of "Zhongxing is back! Jet Li strongly supports Xiang Qiang and his wife," as well as a large number of netizens mocking this "Kung Fu Emperor."

They said he was whitewashing, that he had become obsessed with religion and was acting crazy, had long forgotten his roots, was doing charity business with a guilty conscience, and was suffering from karmic backlash...

"Good grief, this sickly appearance is getting more and more serious, isn't it? Jackie Chan is 9 years older than him, and Andy Lau is two years older than him, but those two are full of energy; you can't see a trace of old age.

Look at this one again, he's like a deflated ball, decrepit, wrinkled, and his spirit is listless. He really looks like a little old man!"

Lin Nan watched the live text and image broadcast on the internet and couldn't help but complain. The next second, he remembered another thing:

"Eh, it seems that a while ago, the internet said Jet Li also started some international Tai Chi health organization with Jack Ma?"

"Lin Nan, Xun-ge is almost here, I'm going to pick her up." At this moment, Liu Yifei's voice came, interrupting Lin Nan's train of thought.

He looked up, and the Liu girl who came into view had already changed her clothes and was coming downstairs:

On her feet were black canvas shoes, and on her lower body were faded straight-leg jeans with cartoon patterns, with the cuffs rolled up to reveal her fair ankles.

Her upper body was a pure white base shirt, covered with a dark denim shirt—hmm, the buttons were undone.

"Your outfit is really casual, natural, and good-looking.

But since she's coming anyway, why do you need to go pick her up?" Lin Nan handed Liu Yifei her sunglasses and asked curiously.

"She said she couldn't come empty-handed, so she asked me to go to the mall with her to pick something out, hehe."

Liu Yifei gathered her long hair over her shoulders, put on her sunglasses, and said with a giggle.

How could Lin Nan not hear it? This was clearly an excuse to get Liu Yifei out for a stroll for a while, and then the two of them would come back together.

"Suit yourselves, drive slowly on the road."

"Alright, we'll order lunch when we get back."

"Mm."

After watching Liu Yifei walk out of the villa with big strides, Lin Nan continued to flip through the news, and before long, he heard the roar of a sports car.

The premiere of *Xuanzang* had ended, and next was the premiere ceremony of *Finding Mr. Right 2* the day after tomorrow.

Also being released on the same day, the 29th, was *Dream Partners*, starring Yao Chen, Tang Yan, Hao Lei, Aaron Kwok, Li Chen, and others.

This film seemed to be a youth inspirational film directed by a South Korean director, but it was not taken seriously by Xue Xiaolu.

At exactly 11:00 AM, after nearly a month of casting, the final cast list for *Legend of the Demon Cat* was finally announced by New Classics Media.

The eyes of countless industry insiders in the film and television circle instantly turned toward it:

"Jointly produced by New Classics, New Classics Media, Kadokawa Corporation, and Emperor Motion Pictures, directed by Chen Kaige, the period, suspense, and fantasy blockbuster *Legend of the Demon Cat* officially announces its cast list:

Mainland popular young actor Huang Xuan will partner with young Japanese actor Shota Sometani to start the 'Great Tang Ghost Feast' legend; Zhang Yuqi, Sandrine Pinna, Hiroshi Abe, Ou Hao, Liu Haoran, Liu Peiqi, Keiko Matsuzaka, Xin Baiqing, and dozens of other Chinese and Japanese actors will participate..."

"Producer Chen Hong accepted an interview with the media and stated: *Legend of the Demon Cat* will start filming by August at the latest. Director Chen Kaige has already led the team to Xiangyang Tang City Film and Television Base today to station there. All staff will take two to three months to prepare for the film's start and do all the pre-production work..."

Huayi.

Although Feng Xiaogang had been mentally prepared for a long time, the pressure at this moment still made him feel faintly suffocated.

The 1.05 billion obtained in advance through the gambling agreement was like a "drug" he had taken; after the physical excitement, there was infinite emptiness and burden.

His film plan had to be one after another. It would be fine if there were no problems in the middle, but once there was a problem, it would be a "big problem"!

"Zhang Yimou's film, Lin Nan's film, Chen Kaige's film, Jiang Wen's film... This year, next year, and even the year after, in the rapidly developing and prosperous film market, the fierce and bloody competition is completely foreseeable! Xiaogang, how is the preparation for your new film going?"

Looking at Feng Xiaogang, who was a bit distracted, Wang Zhongjun asked.

"Mm, the new film? I've picked it out. I chose that novel by Yan Geling that was just finished, hasn't been published yet, and is being proofread. She also agreed to come over and serve as the screenwriter herself."

Feng Xiaogang replied. Under the gambling contract, the fast-paced filming and the need to consider the market inevitably led to difficult choices regarding subject matter and scripts.

In this situation, big screenwriters and novels by well-known writers were the top priority.

Although *I Am Not Madame Bovary* had not been released yet, he was already considering the film after next. This was the "pressure," "motivation," and "trouble" brought to him by the double-edged sword of the gambling agreement!

"Mm, it's good that it's decided. Also, since you've decided to go for awards, don't miss any of them. For this year's Golden Horse and next year's Golden Rooster, prepare for *I Am Not Madame Bovary*."

"Okay."

One tall and one short, Liu Yifei and Zhou Xun returned wearing sunglasses, carrying quite a few snacks. And the person delivering the meal from the restaurant happened to arrive at the same time as them.

Taking advantage of the time while the dishes were being set, Zhou Xun dragged Liu Yifei into the wine cellar—this female alcoholic!

"Lin Dao, enjoy your meal, we'll be leaving first."

"Mm, thank you."

Just as Lin Nan sent them to the door, his phone on the table rang. The note only had two words: Teacher Gong Li.

Before Zhou Xun mentioned *Marriage Story* yesterday, that is, the morning of the day before yesterday, Lin Nan had already sent an invitation email to Teacher Gong Li's agency.

He had originally wanted to call directly, but considering that Teacher Gong Li had an agency, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he finally chose to go through the formal invitation process.

Calling back at this time, it was undoubtedly about this matter.

"Sister Teacher Gong Li?"

Lin Nan sat on the sofa and answered the phone.

"Lin Dao, I'm sorry, I've been in France shooting commercials for the past two days. I just flew back last night and have already seen the email and script forwarded by the company. It's a very good story, very suitable for the three major film festivals..."

"What does Sister Teacher Gong Li mean?"

Lin Nan asked. The next second, he heard Teacher Gong Li's rather helpless tone:

"Lin Dao, I'm really sorry. Because it was your script, I couldn't help but read it. As for the acting contract... I'm afraid I can't take it."

"Is that so? Where is it not suitable?" Lin Nan asked back. This answer was completely beyond his expectations.

"Lin Dao misunderstood. There is no subjective reason; it's objective. Actually, I really hope to cooperate with Lin Dao.

But at the beginning of the year, after I attended the premiere of *The Monkey King 2*, Director Lou Ye approached the company and me. We just finished discussing the film there these past two months.

As for the start date, it can't be set yet, but the earliest is the second half of this year, and later it might be next year. My current frequency of taking roles is not high; I just want to rest while waiting, and by the way, read scripts and ponder characters. These things are very time-consuming. In addition, my schedule for the first half of the year is full—commercials, Cannes, Shanghai Film Festival..."

Teacher Gong Li's voice was magnetic, unhurried, and she explained very sincerely.

"Director Lou's film? Sister Teacher Gong Li, can I ask what film it is?"

Lin Nan asked curiously. It was really bad luck to be preempted by Lou Ye!

"It's adapted from a mix of two novels. The script is still being polished, but when we were talking at the time, the film's name had already been set. It's called *Saturday Fiction*..."

A few minutes later, after Teacher Gong Li politely said several times that they would definitely cooperate next time, Lin Nan hung up the phone.

The atmosphere in the villa's living room was a bit eerily quiet. Lin Nan turned his head abruptly and saw Liu Yifei and Zhou Xun standing a few steps away, staring at him.

The Liu girl made small expressions at Lin Nan, pouting her lips, signaling him to look at Zhou Xun's face... That's right, Zhou Young Master's face didn't look very good, like an expression of "catching an affair in bed."

"Big Lin Dao, so I'm just a backup plan?"

Zhou Xun rolled her big eyes and said sarcastically, in a very bad mood.

"So, do you think you can take down 'Empress Gong' head-on, Zhou Young Master?"

Since he had been "discovered," Lin Nan simply started joking. Now, the "spare tire" had to be promoted to the main role!

"How would I know if I haven't tried?" Zhou Xun held her head high, quite stubborn.

"Eat, eat, Xun-ge, sit down quickly."

Liu Yifei pushed Zhou Xun to sit in front of the dining table. The latter was still holding the red wine Tom had given her. She really knew how to pick.

"Come, I'll pour you some wine."

Lin Nan pulled several times before he "snatched" the red wine from Zhou Xun's hand.

"Hmph, you've hurt my feelings today. If there aren't a few films as compensation, this matter won't be over!" Zhou Young Master snorted coldly and immediately negotiated the terms.

"Let's not talk about this for now. I just want to ask, I heard from Xixi before that you took a TV series, which also starts in the second half of the year. Do you have time to film my movie?"

Lin Nan decisively changed the subject. Promises? He wouldn't make promises, especially promises of "a few films." He had only made promises to Liu Hanhan!

"The TV series won't be until after August. Before then, it's no problem to team up with Yifei and shoot a movie. Or are you saying you want to drag this *Marriage Story* from May until after August?" Zhou Xun rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.

Hearing this, Lin Nan shook his head immediately, "That won't happen; we can start filming next month."

"That's amazing!

If it weren't for Yifei, I wouldn't easily play a supporting role for anyone else; back when I wasn't yet a 'Triple Crown' Best Actress, I only played a supporting role for Zhang Ziyi once in *The Banquet*."

Zhou Xun was very proud and haughty; at this moment, she was exactly the same as Liu Yifei when she was being haughty.

"Alright, then thank you very much. Let me fill your glass."

"Who pours this much red wine? It hasn't even breathed yet..."

The dining table suddenly became noisy with chatter, and Liu Yifei laughed until she was doubled over.

Before long, the three of them started chatting about the movie while they ate.

"Why not let Auntie Liu play mother and daughter with Yifei again in *Marriage Story*? She has a Cannes Best Supporting Actress award, after all. You don't know how envious the actresses in the industry are—they could die of envy, including me..."

Hearing this question from Zhou Xun, Liu Yifei felt very smug, her eyes glancing toward the helpless Lin Nan.

"That time in *The Fault in Our Stars*, we took advantage of the script. The plot happened to allow real-life mother and daughter to render the true emotions between them to the extreme in the movie with half the effort—or even dozens of times the effect—because they really are mother and daughter, and the daughter has a terminal illness!

But it won't work this time. In *Marriage Story*, my character, after being married for several years, has become accustomed to blindly sacrificing and overdrawing her daughter's career, love, ideals, and spirit. She only knows how to accept the love from the character played by Liu Qianqian and her contributions to the family, while being completely unaware of mutual giving and consideration; she is cold, perfunctory, and only cares about her own career and work, to the point of breaking her daughter's heart. In the end, she becomes disheartened, even collapses, and embarks on the path of parting ways...

I don't think my mother-in-law could control her emotions well enough this time to play the image of a very rational mother..."

Following Lin Nan's explanation, Zhou Xun nodded in realization, while Liu Yifei had been glaring at him fiercely the whole time!

"Hmph, if it were my mom, she'd kill you! No, she doesn't need to; I'll kill you myself!" Liu Liu Qianqian warned through gritted teeth.

"Liu Qianqian, in reality, that would absolutely never happen."

Lin Nan hurriedly tried to appease her, and then received a "roll of the eyes" in return.

During this time, Liu Yifei would intentionally or unintentionally bring out the emotions from the script to "beat up" Lin Nan.

However, speaking of having Zhou Xun play a supporting role, Lin Nan was truly a bit embarrassed.

"Sister Xun, we are preparing to take this movie to the three major film festivals, but it seems they have all reformed now; there are no supporting actor awards."

"It doesn't matter. As long as I can outshine Yifei, a supporting role can also compete for Best Actress!"

Zhou Xun joked casually, which immediately made Liu Yifei laugh until she collapsed into Lin Nan's arms.

"You really dare to think!"

"Well, there's no other way. Why don't you find me some more movies later? Hmm, it's a deal then!"

Alright, facing Zhou Xun's "barbaric demands," Lin Nan ultimately didn't refute her immediately; let's see what fate brings later.

"Alright, alright, let's hurry up and eat lunch. By the way, this should be my first time being a partner with Sister Xun, right? Hmm, I'm actually a little expectant!"

Liu Yifei smiled, swinging her ponytail, and raised her wine glass, "Come on, let's celebrate."

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

…………