Chapter 33: Feelings, that sort of thing

The promotional tour across seven cities had already been completed, leaving only Ludong Island. Li Xiaoran returned to the capital, intending to head to Ludong Island together with Cao Yang.

The spring water trickled in a continuous stream, singing the tranquility of the mountains into the most beautiful song.

After a long while, the singing stopped abruptly.

Li Xiaoran nestled in Cao Yang's arms, saying in a soft voice, "If I had known you would start a new film so quickly, I would have declined the National Master's audition. Now the momentum has grown too large, and I'm riding a tiger—it's hard to get off. If I can't compete with International Zhang later, I'll definitely be mocked."

Currently, International Zhang and Li Xiaoran were either tearing each other apart or on the way to doing so.

As the box office for *On the Beach at Night Alone* climbed higher and higher, Li Xiaoran, who was essentially carrying a one-woman show, was stealing the spotlight.

International Zhang had already gone to the US to conquer the Oscars. Perhaps fearing that the domestic media would only report on Li Xiaoran during the period before the ceremony, she had started the tug-of-war all over again.

The domestic media was happy to see it; two actresses at the peak of their popularity, tearing at each other across the Pacific Ocean—it was quite interesting.

Cao Yang was very clear: Li Xiaoran was building momentum, and International Zhang was doing the same. It looked like a bitter rivalry, but in reality, it was a tacit mutual elevation of their status.

Li Xiaoran felt that being tied to International Zhang wasn't a loss; after all, the other party was now considered to have truly broken into the international market.

International Zhang also felt it wasn't a loss. Li Xiaoran was not only a Berlin Best Actress winner, but her domestic box office was also excellent. *On the Beach at Night Alone* had recently started screening in Europe, and it was said that the box office was good and the response was excellent.

Both sides' agents were thinking that by tying the two of them together, they could stand in a league of their own, shaking off the other so-called "Three Huadan" and suppressing those three.

Both had great ambition.

"Once your momentum is up, others will naturally place you in the same tier as International Zhang for comparison. Even if the National Master chooses International Zhang later, it's no big deal. Everyone knows International Zhang rose to fame relying on the National Master; they are old partners, so it's normal for the National Master to favor her."

"But I still want to win."

Li Xiaoran tugged at Cao Yang's arm, acting spoiled in a delicate tone: "Darling, can you talk to that woman of yours and have her help me? I can call her 'big sister' and am willing to be the minor wife, is that okay?"

Cao Yang sighed. He knew it would be like this; she had really fallen for this dynamic.

But what was this faint excitement in his own heart? Why was there a sense of guilt?

Did this count as a disguised form of cheating?

Forget it, just follow his heart.

Ludong Island was the filming location for the movie and also the final stop of the promotional tour.

On this day, almost all the main actors had arrived. Everyone gathered on Ludong Island. Everyone was happy that the film could be a big hit, as everyone had gained something, more or less.

After the event, a dinner was inevitable.

After three rounds of drinks, Sun Honglei brought his glass over to toast: "Cao Dao, thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in such a classic film. I'll toast you; I'll finish this cup, you drink as you please."

Cao Yang took a sip and said, "Honglei, your acting is good. I'm quite optimistic about your future."

"Thank you, thank you for your kind words, Cao Dao. With your words, good things come in pairs; I'll toast you again."

Cao Yang took another sip, looking at the other man's hesitant expression. Was there something going on?

Ding Jiali, standing nearby, pushed Sun Honglei and said directly, "What's so hard to say? There are no outsiders here."

"Cao Dao, I'll toast you too." Ding Jiali filled her glass and was about to drink it when Cao Yang pressed his hand down on hers.

"Sister Jiali, if you have something to say, say it. Don't pull that on me; you said it yourself, there are no outsiders here." "Alright, Cao Dao, I'll be direct."

"Director Sun Zhou is currently preparing a film. Someone recommended Honglei to him, and Director Sun is quite satisfied, but there are a few competitors, which makes Director Sun hesitate. Since Director Sun is also a Beijing Film Academy graduate, we were wondering if Cao Dao could help put in a word and ask about it."

At this moment, Liu Shan leaned over and whispered in Cao Yang's ear: "Director Sun is from the 1984 Director Department cadre training class. He has a classmate who is the head of our Youth Film Studio, Hou Keming."

Cao Yang instantly understood. They must have known about the relationship between Sun Zhou and Hou Keming, and they also knew very well that Hou Keming valued him highly, so they wanted to use this connection.

It looked complicated, but it was actually very simple: they just wanted him to build a ladder for them, to give Hou Keming a heads-up so that Hou Keming would keep this matter in mind.

Ding Jiali was truly thoughtful.

Cao Yang was a bit curious about what the film was, so he asked.

"The film is called *Zhou Yu's Train*. Director Sun said it might start filming in July," Sun Honglei explained from the side.

Huh?

Cao Yang didn't know what to say. As far as he knew, the female lead of this film was Gong Li, and because of this film, rumors of an affair with Sun Honglei had spread, and reporters had even snapped intimate photos of the two.

The key was that Gong Li was already married at the time, and Sun Honglei had a girlfriend.

It was also because of this incident that Sun Honglei left Ding Jiali, but Gong Li didn't divorce... and in the end, the two of them didn't end up together either.

!

After a moment of silence, looking at Ding Jiali, who was staring at him expectantly, Cao Yang sighed. This kind of thing couldn't be stopped. Even if he didn't call Hou Keming, they would find other ways, and they would still succeed.

What a pity.

"I'll call Dean Hou later and mention this."

Ding Jiali was full of joy. She insisted on raising her glass, clinking it lightly against Cao Yang's, and drank it all in one go.

The next day, Cao Yang followed the production manager, Cheng Jianye, to check out several filming locations.

Cheng Jianye was very serious in his work; the locations he found all met Cao Yang's requirements, and this time, the filming had received the support of the local government.

This kind of support wasn't just verbal; there were not only policy incentives but also financial support.

Of course, the financial support came with conditions—for example, how many awards the film won or how much box office it achieved would determine the amount of bonus funding received.

Cao Yang thought of another thing. He always subconsciously ignored that he was no longer a nobody. Filming this kind of award-chasing movie was very attractive to some advertisers.

For example, the digital camera that the male lead takes a group photo with every time he enters a house.

Digital cameras in this era mostly had 3 to 5 megapixels, and they were already starting to encroach on the market for traditional film cameras.

"Teacher Cheng, contact digital camera brands like Canon, Fuji, Olympus, and Leica. Ask them if they want to do product placement. Tell them we can give them more screen time, close-ups, and the film will be going to Europe to chase awards."

Cao Yang thought for a moment and added: "We can make it a kind of betting agreement. For example, what the base advertising fee is, how much for being shortlisted in the main competition section of the three major European festivals, and how much for winning an award—these can all be negotiated."

"Also, the motorcycle the male lead rides and the cars in the movie, etc. You should organize a list and try to approach major brands for those too."

"Alright, I'll contact several more and let them compete." Cheng Jianye rubbed his hands, ready to show his stuff.

He had figured it out: Cao Yang's ambition was not small. He had just been to Berlin and now wanted to go to Venice. Could it be that the Beijing Film Academy was about to produce another great director?

Who wouldn't envy a great director's fixed crew?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 34 =====