Chapter 392: Yi

In early April, Zhang Yimou’s “Love in the Hawthorn Tree” began filming in Yichang, Hubei Province, with the male and female leads appearing at the opening ceremony.

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

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

Once the leads were announced, it sparked massive controversy, with Zhao Liying, the new “Mou Girl,” becoming the target of criticism.

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

Unlike typical Mou Girls, “Love in the Hawthorn Tree” has an original novel with considerable influence, so people already had their own image of Jingqiu.

Most importantly, in the novel, Jingqiu is curvaceous; even if not picking the best, there was no need to pick the worst.

But Zhang Yimou had his own thoughts on this.

The novel is text, offering readers imaginative freedom; film is a visual art—he wanted a naive, pure, fragile yet resilient Jingqiu, one who could contrast with the taller 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, fitting the era’s aesthetic, securing the role was still fraught with twists.

One key issue was her age—Zhang Yimou wanted someone young, ideally 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 baby fat, not just youthful-looking—she could convincingly play a minor without any mismatch.

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

Zhao Liying had been in the industry for years, and her personality was ambitious; pretending to be pure was no problem. But claiming she was genuinely pure? That was deception.

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

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

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

When opportunity is nearly ripe, a push 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 Qian had met Zhao Liying a few times before and remembered the girl, establishing a basis for cooperation.

Fan Xiaopang stated that if Zhao Liying landed the role, she would sign with Yi’an directly, not her own studio, 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, artist agency business held low status at Yi’an; Jia Qian had long sought to cling to a powerful ally and stand shoulder to shoulder with Fan Xiaopang.

Thus, Jia Qian agreed to have Yi’an’s artist agency department formally express support for Zhao Liying.

Yan Li always believed in promoting his own people; in casting for Yi’an’s film and TV projects, the artist agency department had considerable influence—though not decisive, it couldn’t be easily ignored.

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

At this dinner, Fan Xiaopang, after a brief introduction, didn’t mention Zhao Liying once, instead chatting merrily with Mrs. 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 sway Zhang Yimou; the key was that Fan Xiaopang had Yan Li behind her.

Zhang Yimou could disregard Fan Xiaopang and withstand pressure from several Yi’an executives, but he couldn’t ignore Yan Li.

Yes, Yan Li claimed he wouldn’t interfere in casting and never showed up in person.

But as long as Zhang Yimou hadn’t lost his wits, he knew that without Yan Li’s tacit approval, Fan Xiaopang wouldn’t have made such a public push.

Zhang Yimou wasn’t stubborn by nature; 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 won the role, the public generally held a skeptical view, with some even criticizing her.

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

Though negative voices were numerous, for Zhao Liying, it was 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.

Remember, this was only the start of filming; if the film performed well upon release, Zhao Liying could become an overnight sensation, and if she delivered a strong performance, she could turn criticism into support, boosting her popularity dramatically.

Many actors face intense scrutiny before filming begins; some sink to rock bottom, while others soar to the top.

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

With Zhao Liying elevated as a Mou Girl, her status rose; Fan Xiaopang also increased her level of attention toward her.

If Zhao Liying shone in “Love in the Hawthorn Tree,” Fan Xiaopang would further increase investment.

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

Don’t pretend Fan Xiaopang had no ulterior motives—she isn’t her mother; having no motives would be strange.

Zhao Liying gained Fan Xiaopang’s support with almost no cost, and she’ll continue to rely on Fan; naturally, she’ll do whatever Bingbing asks—follow orders without question.

Notably, Huayi didn’t learn Zhao Liying had become a Mou Girl until the “Love in the Hawthorn Tree” filming announcement.

But by then it was too late; to facilitate her exit, Zhao Liying had already terminated her contract with Huayi before signing “Love in the 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.

After Zhao Liying was confirmed for “Love in the Hawthorn Tree,” Yi’an outright waived the debt as a gesture of goodwill and welcome.

A 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 talent under cultivation.

Her file was circulated among Yi’an’s senior executives, even drawing some attention from Boss Yan.

Yu Zheng also noticed Zhao Liying, but didn’t take it too seriously—compared to a newcomer, his current priority was filming his new drama “Palace: Heart Jade.”

“Palace: Heart Jade” was Yu Zheng’s pet project; he brought in the popular leading actress Yang Mi as the female lead, but hadn’t found a suitable male lead.

He initially wanted Yan Kuan, but Yan refused to shave his head; he then considered Qiao Zhenyu, who had already accepted Tang Ren’s “Blossoms in the Mist.”

That was one key point causing tension between Yu Zheng and Tang Ren.

Originally, Yu Zheng had wanted to film “Blossoms in the Mist,” but Tang Ren snatched the rights.

Yu Zheng approached Tang Ren to buy the rights; Tang Ren, confident in the script, refused outright, and the negotiations ended badly.

Yu Zheng then poached several key staff from Tang Ren; backed by Yi’an with abundant projects and resources, he held a clear advantage over Tang Ren’s limited output.

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

Poaching staff was wrong; Tang Ren had been a long-term partner of Yi’an. Yan Li gave Yu Zheng a mild reprimand, and the matter was quietly dropped.

But Yu Zheng was Bufu ; he dared not challenge Yan Li, so he pushed Yi’an’s TV department to produce an original Qing-dynasty drama he had written—“Palace: Heart Jade”—to compete directly with “Blossoms in the Mist.”

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

Originally planned to co-produce “Blossoms in the Mist,” Tang Ren ended up giving Yi’an no share; had Qiao Zhenyu’s role not already been locked in, they might have replaced him.

Now, some in Yi’an’s TV department felt Tang Ren was being unfair.

Over the years, Tang Ren’s growth relied on Yi’an’s support; Yi’an also profited, and overall, their cooperation had been mutually beneficial.

Now that Tang Ren had grown strong, they were “stealing” projects and hoarding profits—if they weren’t reined in, who would still respect Yi’an?

Thus, the hardline faction in the TV department aligned with Yu Zheng; “Palace: Heart Jade” was greenlit, and Yu Zheng subtly fired a few verbal shots at Tang Ren.

But the male lead issue remained stuck; eventually, he dug up a candidate.

Cui Peng, a 2000 graduate of Beijing Film Academy and classmate of Dong Xuan, had previously played the monk Wuhua in “The Legend of Chu Liuxiang,” enjoying decent fame; crucially, he was handsome and could handle the bald look effortlessly—even enhancing his appeal.

Additionally, Yu Zheng had a personal motive: he wanted to pit Cui Peng’s Wuhua against Qiao Zhenyu’s Chu Liuxiang from “Blossoms in the Mist.”

Not only would this be a reunion of Cui Peng and Qiao Zhenyu, rivals from “The Legend of Chu Liuxiang,” but also a showdown between Yang Mi and Liu Shishi, close friends.

“Palace: Heart Jade” vs. “Blossoms in the Mist”

Yang Mi sided with Yu Zheng; though this could be explained as an actor following company orders, it created distance with Tang Ren, affecting her close friend Liu Shishi and boyfriend Hu Ge to some extent.

But Yang Mi didn’t waver; compared to her close friend and romantic interest, she now needed to seize every opportunity to climb higher.

Yi’an’s IPO offered many opportunities; Chairman Qin was now bolstered by his child’s influence, increasing his authority.

With two supporters, surpassing Wang Ou and catching up to Fan Xiaopang, ascending to first-tier status and becoming Yi’an’s next top actress was within reach; a few friends and a man were a price worth paying.

…

Yan Li knew about Yu Zheng and Tang Ren’s feud but didn’t take it seriously.

Internal conflicts were common within Yi’an, let alone between companies.

The entertainment industry was a battlefield of fame and profit; behind-the-scenes rivalries and covert struggles were endless; Yan Li wasn’t a babysitter, playing peacemaker every day.

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

To Yan Li, both Yu Zheng and Tang Ren were getting a bit arrogant; a little mutual reprimand was healthy; if things went too far, he could always step in to stabilize the situation.

Moreover, Yan Li had no time to deal with Yu Zheng and Tang Ren’s conflict—Yi’an’s IPO had reached its final stage.

Shenzhen, a luxury hotel

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

Afterward, Fan Xiaopang led the way, with celebrity shareholders Ning Hao, Deng Chao, Wang Ou, Huang Bao, Yu Zheng, and Lin Jiachuan also appearing at the venue.