Chapter 392

In early April, Zhang Yimou's "A Love of Hawthorn Tree" began filming in Yichang, Hubei Province, with the male and female leads appearing at the launch ceremony.

The male lead is Dou Yao, a complete newcomer studying at Beijing Film Academy, recommended to Zhang Yimou by someone—this film is his first.

The female lead is Zhao Liying, who has been in the industry for several years but has little fame, having only played minor supporting or extra roles; after multiple rounds of auditions and with Fan Xiaopang's strong advocacy, she secured the lead role.

Once the leads were announced, it sparked massive controversy, and Zhao Liying, the new "Mou Girl," became the target of public criticism.

Why choose someone with no figure and a plain face to play Jingqiu?

Unlike typical Mou Girls, "A Love of Hawthorn Tree" has an original novel with considerable influence, so people already have their own concept of Jingqiu.

Most importantly, in the original novel, Jingqiu is curvaceous; even if you don't pick the best, there's no reason to pick the worst.

But Zhang Yimou had his own thoughts on this.

The novel is a book, offering readers textual imagination; film is a visual art, and he wanted a naive, pure, fragile yet resilient Jingqiu who could contrast with the tall male lead.

So from the start of casting, Zhang Yimou leaned toward slender, slim candidates; Zhao Liying's breakthrough was tied to her physique.

For example, Yang Mi, who also auditioned, was immediately eliminated due to her fame and figure.

Of course, even though her figure matched and her appearance was delicate and sweet, aligning with the era's aesthetics and temperament, securing the role was still fraught with twists.

One key issue was her age—Zhang Yimou wanted someone young, preferably at the tail end of adolescence, with a touch of childishness.

Fortunately, Zhao Liying was only in her early twenties, with a baby face and still some baby fat—not just youthful-looking, but convincingly able to portray a minor without any discomfort.

Zhang Yimou was still unsatisfied, because he wanted that unpolished, instinctive naivety and innocence.

Zhao Liying had been in the industry for years and had a strong personality; pretending to be pure was no problem. But claiming she was genuinely pure? That would be lying.

So by the later stages, Zhao Liying was nearly discarded by Zhang Yimou.

But since she wasn't perfect and Zhang Yimou still hadn't found anyone he was truly satisfied with, he eventually chose a senior high school student—only barely acceptable.

At this point, the importance of having powerful backing became clear.

When the opportunity is nearly ready, a push from someone can secure success; without support, even a step away feels like an impassable chasm.

Fan Xiaopang first took Zhao Liying to meet Jia Qian, head of Yi'an's artist agency business.

Jia had met Zhao Liying a few times before and still remembered the girl, establishing a basis for cooperation.

Fan Xiaopang stated that if Zhao Liying secured the role, she would not sign with her own studio but with Yi'an, to gain support from the artist agency department.

Jia Qian was very interested in Yi'an signing a Mou Girl; although if Zhang Yimou agreed, the high school student could also sign with Yi'an, there was still Fan Xiaopang involved.

As previously mentioned, the artist agency business held low status at Yi'an, and Jia Qian had long wanted to cling to a powerful ally, to stand shoulder to shoulder with Fan Xiaopang.

So Jia Qian agreed to have Yi'an's artist agency department formally express support for Zhao Liying.

Seeing Yan Li always believed in promoting his own people; in casting for Yi'an Production's film and TV projects, the artist agency department carried considerable weight—perhaps not decisive, but not to be lightly ignored.

Besides the artist agency department, Fan Xiaopang also enlisted a senior executive from the film department to help, then invited Zhang Yimou and his wife to dinner, with Zhao Liying accompanying.

At this dinner, Fan Xiaopang mentioned Zhao Liying not once after the initial introductions; instead, she chatted merrily with Lady Zhang.

But Zhao Liying's presence at this dinner already proved her stance.

Fan Xiaopang was currently at the peak of her influence, but that alone couldn't intimidate Zhang Yimou; the key was that Fan Xiaopang had Seeing Yan Li behind her.

Zhang Yimou could ignore Fan Xiaopang and withstand pressure from several Yi'an executives, but he could not disregard Seeing Yan Li.

Yes, Seeing Yan Li claimed he would not interfere in casting and never showed up at all.

But as long as Zhang Yimou hadn't lost his wits, he understood that without Seeing Yan Li's tacit approval, Fan Xiaopang would never have made such a public show.

Zhang Yimou was not an obstinate person; although Zhao Liying wasn't his ideal choice, she was acceptable.

Thus, after intense competition, Zhao Liying ultimately succeeded in securing the role.

Though she secured the role, the public generally held a pessimistic view of her, with some even criticizing her.

Don't forget, Zhang Yimou had just finished "Three Musketeers," and was now at his lowest point of prestige; Zhao Liying's lack of acceptance was partly due to his influence.

Although negative voices were numerous, for Zhao Liying, this was still excellent exposure.

Artists aren't afraid of being criticized—they're afraid of not becoming famous!

From her debut in 2006 until now, Zhao Liying finally gained some fame, even appearing on multiple trending topics, with her Weibo followers growing significantly.

Keep in mind, this was only at the start of filming; once the film was released and performed well, Zhao Liying could become an overnight sensation, and if she delivered a strong performance, she could turn criticism into positive support and skyrocket in popularity.

Many actors have faced intense scrutiny before filming began; some sink to rock bottom, while others soar to the heavens.

Fan Xiaopang specifically met with Zhao Liying to encourage her to gather her spirits, focus on filming, and seize this rare opportunity.

With Zhao Liying successfully promoted as a Mou Girl, her status rose, and Fan Xiaopang increased her level of attention.

If Zhao Liying shone in "A Love of Hawthorn Tree," Fan Xiaopang would further increase investment.

Zhao Liying was deeply grateful for Fan Xiaopang's help.

Don't think Fan Xiaopang had no ulterior motives—she's not her mother; having no motives would be strange.

Zhao Liying gained Fan Xiaopang's support with almost no cost, and will continue to follow Fan; without question, she will do whatever Bingbing asks—do anything, for anyone.

Notably, Huayi didn't learn Zhao Liying had become a Mou Girl until the news of "A Love of Hawthorn Tree"'s launch.

But by then it was too late; to facilitate her exit, Zhao Liying had already terminated her contract with Huayi before signing "A Love of Hawthorn Tree," and immediately signed with Yi'an.

The termination fee was paid by Yi'an, to be deducted later from Zhao Liying's earnings.

Once Zhao Liying was confirmed for "A Love of Hawthorn Tree," Yi'an outright waived the debt, as a gesture of goodwill and a welcome gift.

The title of Mou Girl still carried weight, and with Fan Xiaopang's attention, though Zhao Liying had only recently joined Yi'an, she was already a key cultivation target.

Her dossier was circulated to Yi'an's senior executives, even drawing some attention from Boss Yan.

Yu Zheng also noticed Zhao Liying, but didn't pay much attention yet—his current priority was filming his new drama "Palace: Heart Jade."

"Palace: Heart Jade" was a project Yu Zheng strongly pushed, bringing in the popular leading actress Yang Mi as the female lead, but he hadn't found a suitable male lead.

He initially wanted Yan Kuan, but Yan refused to shave his head; he then approached Qiao Zhenyu, but Qiao had accepted Tang Ren's "Step by Step."

The latter was one of the key points causing tension between Yu Zheng and Tang Ren.

Originally, Yu Zheng had wanted to film "Step by Step," but Tang Ren snatched the rights.

Yu Zheng discussed with Tang Ren about buying the copyright, but Tang Ren, confident in the script, refused outright; the two sides parted on bad terms.

Even Yu Zheng poached several key staff from Tang Ren; backed by Yi'an, he had more projects and resources, giving him a clear advantage over Tang Ren, whose output was limited.

This move angered Cai Zong of Tang Ren, and the dispute escalated to Seeing Yan Li.

Poaching staff was clearly wrong—Tang Ren had been a long-term partner of Yi'an—so Seeing Yan Li gave Yu Zheng a mild reprimand, offered a vague explanation, and let the matter fade away.

But Yu Zheng resented this; he dared not challenge Seeing Yan Li directly, so he pushed Yi'an's TV department to produce an original Qing-dynasty time-travel drama—his own script, *Gong Suo Xinyu*—to compete directly with *Bu Bu Jing Xin*.

On the other side, Tang Ren was dissatisfied because Seeing Yan Li had handled the matter lightly.

The *Bu Bu Jing Xin* project, originally intended for collaboration with Yi'an, ended up giving Yi'an no share at all; had the male lead role of Qiao Zhenyu not already been locked in, they might have recast it.

Now, some in Yi'an's TV department also felt Tang Ren was being unscrupulous.

Over the years, Tang Ren's growth had relied on some help from Yi'an; of course, Yi'an had also made money, but overall, their cooperation had been good and mutually beneficial.

Now that Tang Ren had grown strong, it was not only "stealing" projects but also hoarding them alone—if this wasn't reined in, who would still take Yi'an seriously in the future?

Thus, the hardline faction in the TV department aligned with Yu Zheng; *Gong Suo Xinyu* was greenlit, and Yu Zheng subtly fired a few verbal barbs at Tang Ren.

But the male lead issue remained stuck for Yu Zheng until he finally dug up a candidate.

Cui Peng, a 2000 graduate of Beijing Film Academy and Dong Xuan's classmate, had previously played the monk Wuhua in *Chu Liuxiang Legend*; he had decent fame, and crucially, he was handsome—he could handle bald hairstyles that other actors couldn't endure, even turning it into a slight advantage.

Moreover, Yu Zheng had a personal motive: he wanted to pit Cui Peng's Wuhua against Qiao Zhenyu's Chu Liuxiang from *Bu Bu Jing Xin*.

Not only would this be a reunion of Cui Peng and Qiao Zhenyu, the longtime rivals from *Chu Liuxiang Legend*, but also Yang Mi and Liu Shishi, close friends, would be pitted against each other.

*Gong Suo Xinyu* vs. *Bu Bu Jing Xin*

Yang Mi sided with Yu Zheng; though this could be explained as her following company orders, it still created a rift with Tang Ren, and by extension, affected her close friend Liu Shishi and Hu Ge to some degree.

But Yang Mi did not waver; compared to her close friend and her ambiguous lover Hu Ge, Yang Mi now needed to seize every opportunity to climb higher.

Yi'an was going public, offering countless opportunities; Qin Dong now had the added leverage of a child, boosting his influence.

With two supporters, she could surpass Wang Ou, catch up with Fan Xiaopang, ascend to first-tier status, and become a top contender for Yi'an's number one actress—this was a critical window; a few friends and a man were a price she could bear.

…

Yu Zheng's feud with Tang Ren was known to Seeing Yan Li, but he didn't take it seriously.

Internal struggles were common within Yi'an, let alone one involving Tang Ren, an outside company.

The entertainment industry was a battlefield of fame and profit; behind-the-scenes knives and covert rivalries were too numerous for Seeing Yan Li to act as a babysitter, mediating every dispute for his subordinates.

Let them fight—it was just two projects; who won or lost didn't affect Yi'an's overall interests.

To Seeing Yan Li, both Yu Zheng and Tang Ren had grown a bit arrogant; a little mutual reining-in was good. If things went too far, he could always step in to stabilize the situation.

Moreover, Seeing Yan Li had no time to deal with Yu Zheng and Tang Ren's feud right now—Yi'an's IPO had reached its final stage.

Shenzhen, a luxury hotel

Seeing Yan Li, dressed in formal attire, arrived at the IPO venue with several senior Yi'an executives.

Afterward, Fan Xiaopang led the way, and several celebrity shareholders—including Ning Hao, Deng Chao, Wang Ou, Huang Bo, Yu Zheng, and Lin Jiachuan—appeared at the venue.