Chapter 124

In the Beijing headquarters office of *Bigstar* magazine, the atmosphere was deathly silent.

The short-haired editor-in-chief stood with his back to Zhuo Wei and Feng Ke, who were on the sofa, smoking one cigarette after another in front of the blinds.

The two employees could only hold their breath, listening to the editor-in-chief's helpless sighs.

The magazine wasn't exactly a large enterprise; apart from the editor-in-chief's office, which had a window, the "cattle and horses" in the cubicles had to endure the torture of the bathroom's foul odor for long periods.

The working environment wasn't very good.

But Zhuo Wei was already quite content; from being swept out of the *Daily News* in Jinmen to a brief transition at an advertising company...

And now to this professional entertainment magazine, he continued to contribute his exceptionally gifted gossiping abilities as always.

Feng Ke was Zhuo Wei's photography partner; the two of them often had one driving while the other took secret photos, or one keeping watch while the other snuck in.

In short, they hadn't known each other long, but they had already become the best of partners.

Zhuo Wei inexplicably felt this atmosphere was somewhat familiar, mentally counting the classic battles of his career to date:

The first was in 2000, when he broke into Jackie Chan's birthday party and captured the steamy scene between the popular actress Zhang Zhang Ziyi and the big brother.

The second was soloing the big boss Jiang Wen; the details cannot be written, readers can check for themselves regarding the "Japanese toilet" incident.

In short, one thing after another, the small magazine could no longer contain him, and under pressure from all sides, he could only be suspended indefinitely.

The editor-in-chief sighed and fiercely crushed the cigarette butt on the floor.

He turned back to the two and said: "Little Han, Little Feng, going back to rest is fine too. Don't worry, I will try my best to fight for you."

Feng Ke was about to argue a few words, but Zhuo Wei pulled his partner's arm and smiled at the editor-in-chief: "Thank you, leader. We'll leave first and wait for your notification."

The two walked out of the company facing the mocking gazes of the "cattle and horses" in the cubicles. Only then did Feng Ke complain indignantly: "Brother Han, you shouldn't have stopped me just now!"

"We are the ones working ourselves to the bone to find material, and we are the ones being chased by security and bodyguards every time!"

"It's one thing for the company not to help us block them, but to just sweep us out the door like this after using us up?"

The photographer spat out a stream of complaints and sat on the curb, sulking. Zhuo Wei looked at the young man who still lacked social experience and smiled: "Little Feng, actually, my pen name wasn't originally Zhuo Wei."

Feng Ke was stunned, looking at his companion who had also sat down on the curb, not knowing what he wanted to say.

"Because I reported the first two big news stories, I changed my pen name from Hanjiang to Shi Yu, and then from Shi Yu to Zhuo Wei—it's just splitting 'Han' apart."

"This time, I don't want to change my name anymore. I want the name Zhuo Wei to truly establish itself in the entertainment industry, so that people see it and fear it!"

Feng Ke stared at him blankly, remembering the countless times they had been chased, belittled, and caught in the awkward position between the subjects and the company, and he slapped his thigh: "Brother Han, tell me how we do it!"

Zhuo Wei handed him a cigarette: "In the second half of next year, the *Xin Jing Bao* will be launched. Their Southern-affiliated media is the most daring to speak. We'll set up a studio and affiliate with them. If they are still this cowardly, we'll do it ourselves. Let's screw them!"

"But... the thresholds for these big Southern newspapers are all high. Why would they want us?" Feng Ke was somewhat hesitant.

"Submit a letter of intent!"

"What?"

"Two directions!

"One is the current hottest young director, Lu Kuan. I suspect he has improper relationships with multiple actresses."

"The second is Liu Liu Xiaoqing's prison release photo!"

Jiang Wen's old flame didn't know at this time that she had already been targeted by the number one paparazzi of later generations.

On August 17th of next year, she would complete her 422-day prison sentence. In later generations, Zhuo Wei became famous overnight precisely by lying in ambush at the gate of Qincheng Prison.

It's just that due to the flapping of Lu Kuan's butterfly wings, this shocking piece of gossip in this life would clearly have no connection with *Bigstar*.

On the evening of October 2, 2002, Mountain City, Hongyadong Pier Old Hot Pot.

*Crazy Stone*, fully funded by Wenjie Culture, officially started filming today.

Taking advantage of coming to Shancheng for the roadshow, Boss Lu also took the opportunity to inspect the crew.

Ning Hao cautiously sent someone to pick him and Huang Bo up to the dining location; the latter would also join the crew after the Shancheng roadshow.

As soon as he entered the door, everyone stood up to greet him.

He was the investor, and even more so an exceptionally gifted director; who wouldn't want to leave a good impression on him at their first meeting?

"Director Lu!" These were the actors meeting him for the first time.

"Director Lu!!" This was Wang Wang Baoqiang.

"Director Lu!!!" This was Zhang Zhang Songwen.

Lu Kuan and Ning Hao walked into the private room chatting and laughing. Seeing the actors stand up one after another, he hurriedly pressed his hands down and politely asked everyone to sit.

Everyone who came today was a key creator.

Guo Tao, Liu Hua, Lian Jin, Zhang Zhang Songwen, Xu Zheng, Wang Xun, and Wang Wang Baoqiang, who played one of the security guards—in later generations, he would play a foolish migrant worker.

Among them were actors like Guo Tao, who had just transitioned from stage plays to film and television and already had some fame.

There were also powerful actors from the Central Academy of Drama like Liu Hua, who debuted in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.

And even more so, Xu Zheng, the Magnolia Best Actor who had already become popular because of *Sunny Piggy*.

But upon seeing the young director who was already famous and had just won the Golden Lion, everyone still stood up in unison to greet him.

Wang Wang Baoqiang and Zhang Zhang Songwen were especially loud.

Ning Hao also politely helped him pull out a chair, saying courteously: "Director Lu, we were just waiting for you to order."

Lu Kuan glanced at Ning Hao's fawning appearance and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

When facing women, power and money are the best aphrodisiacs for men.

And when facing this group of big and small stars in the entertainment industry, power is like a thick, solid suit of armor.

It can better protect oneself and highlight status, but it also inevitably makes people look on with awe and creates a class barrier.

"Everyone sit! Don't be so formal, we're all our own people."

The people present had heard this many times; in different situations, hearing different people say it, no one would take it seriously.

"Okay, Director Lu!"

Wang Wang Baoqiang was the first to sit down. Lu Kuan, who was standing, was stunned for a moment, then sat down with a smile.

There really was someone who took it seriously.

Xu Zheng was a worldly-wise person; he took the initiative to pick up the kettle and walk around to Lu Kuan's side to fill his tea.

Lu Kuan wasn't a person who put on airs, so he thanked him repeatedly, and only then did everyone relax a little.

This was a person who dared to slap Emperor Group in the face in front of the whole country; who knew if they would be caught if they didn't do some small detail well?

Lu Kuan suggested drinking some white liquor. No one present was a coward when it came to alcohol tolerance, and they enthusiastically began to toast each other, and the atmosphere finally became a bit lively.

Liu Hua smiled and said: "Director Lu, you really are the best!"

He had a drink with Lu Kuan and excitedly gave a thumbs up: "That matter with Emperor Group was done so beautifully! It was absolutely superb!"

Although the gossiping masses couldn't observe the details of the whole event up close, this move of first showing weakness and then choosing the right moment to counterattack was still something that made people applaud.

Other young people might not feel it, but industry veterans like Liu Hua knew it too well—the mainland had suffered under the Hong Kong and Taiwan film industry for too long!

Xu Zheng chimed in: "Old Liu, you're so indignant, it seems there's a story here!"

"Yeah, tell us, Teacher Liu!"

Those who loved watching the excitement joined in the teasing.

Liu Hua was "Brother Dao" in *Stone*; he sighed and put down his glass.

"I was demoted at 17 and went to work at the Beiping Oriental Chemical Plant. Because I always liked acting, I often hung around the Beijing Film Studio. Sometimes I could get a job as a stagehand, sometimes I could get a bit part, and I'd be happy for half a day."

Everyone present listened intently; Wang Wang Baoqiang was probably the one who felt it most deeply.

"In 1983, Director Li Hanxiang came to Beijing to film *The Burning of the Old Summer Palace*. I pestered him until I got a job as a stagehand, but I ended up suffering terribly!"

"Our mainland staff and actors were discriminated against. Their meals were pushed over in carts, clean and tidy, while ours were just steamed buns placed on the ground, covered in dust. If you picked them up to eat, you'd get a mouthful of dust, and you couldn't waste them!"

"Not to mention where we stayed; that was the difference between a grand hotel and a public toilet."

Liu Hua frowned: "Wang Xun, don't laugh, I really did sleep next to a toilet!"

"Alright, alright, are we going to eat or not?"

Xu Zheng was afraid Lu Kuan would be unhappy, so he interrupted him with a smile.

Liu Hua was a bit carried away: "I'll tell you one thing, no one knows, and don't you go telling anyone else."

The familiar tactic naturally aroused everyone's curiosity, and even Ning Hao urged him to hurry up and tell it.

"Liu Liu Xiaoqing was pretty big back then, right? Even she was so hungry every day that her heart felt faint. One night, she stole Tony Leung's meal ticket and was scared. It just so happened that I was sleeping outside that day."

"She wasn't careful and stepped on my hand, revealing the secret. We called a few others who could keep their mouths shut and split the meal ticket. Only then did we have a few good days!"

Everyone laughed out loud at his reminiscing, and couldn't help but sigh that the status and treatment of mainland actors in that era were indeed too low.

Lu Kuan thought it was funny; never mind 1983, even today, twenty years later, the situation hadn't changed much.

If you don't believe it, go ask Wang Bozhao two years later?

Wang Wang Baoqiang listened with indignation. He had tasted all the hardships of life on his journey, and he said to Lu Kuan with a bitter face: "Director Lu, we are all compatriots and in the same crew. Why do those Hong Kong and Taiwan people always bully others, even bullying actors like Liu Liu Xiaoqing?"

For a moment, the whole room was silent. Everyone looked at Lu Kuan, not knowing what answer he would give.

"Just like a country, we often say that a weak country has no diplomacy; the same goes for an industry."

"The mainland's film and entertainment industry lags far behind Hong Kong and Taiwan, so their directors, actors, and crews have more say in the mainland."

"Just like Jackie Chan can get a 10 million salary in Hollywood, but now Zhang Zhang Ziyi and Jet Li from the mainland don't have that market value when they go there, and they can't play the leads."

Guo Tao chimed in at the right time: "Then what should we do?"

"The improvement of this situation depends on the comparison of the power of the cultural industries of the two places. For example, if I, Lu Kuan, have a 300 million blockbuster today and want to go to Hong Kong to pick actors, can they still look at me with such arrogance?"

"In other words, when Hong Kong people also need to come to the mainland to find a living, and must cooperate closely with the mainland to maintain their previous income and save their increasingly withered film industry, this situation will naturally change."

Except for Wang Wang Baoqiang, everyone present had worked on several crews and understood this logic. Lu Kuan looked at everyone's serious expressions, smiled, raised a glass of wine, and turned the topic to *Crazy Stone*.

Xu Zheng's expression was somewhat blank; he was more touched by Lu Kuan's words than anyone else present.

He was from Shanghai, and his ancestors had been wealthy, but the capitalist's garden villas were all distributed to the brothers of the proletariat as dormitories. As a child, he was indignant and was often pointed at and scolded to be sensible.

After entering the stage play industry, he had learned steadily from many powerful actors, such as acting with Xi Meijuan and He Zheng Army at the Lyceum Theatre.

It wasn't until 1998, at the age of 26, that he left his hometown for Beiping to embrace the wave of mainland entertainment. After many twists and turns, he deeply realized the coldness of human relationships and the difficulty of getting ahead.

He looked at Lu Kuan, who was so young yet already had honors and money, and was chatting and laughing at the table, and secretly made a resolution.

Under Lu Kuan's deliberate guidance, the meal was a happy one, and everyone dispersed laughing and joking.

In the crew hotel, Ning Hao, Lu Kuan, and Huang Bo were smoking and chatting about the many filming matters of *Crazy Stone*.

Ning Hao said with a bitter face: "Director Lu, I really don't have any confidence in my heart!"

The crew had been preparing for so long; it could be said that everything was ready.

He himself had just finished filming *Whiplash* with Lu Kuan, so it should be the time when his creative desire and inspiration were bursting. Lu Kuan didn't know what he was worried about.

Huang Bo smiled: "Director Ning is worried about wasting your investment!"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what I mean!"

Ning Hao was flushed from drinking, and he nodded repeatedly.

*Crazy Stone* had a budget of 6 million, 2 million more than in later generations, but Lu Kuan wasn't worried about spending this money at all.

The crew's actors were basically the original cast, and Ning Hao had already filmed a movie with him.

The script was also personally polished and refined by him, and the budget was sufficient. In all aspects, it would be a small-budget dark horse.

"You're afraid of 6 million? Don't talk until you're doing a 60 million project!"

Lu Kuan tossed him a cigarette: "Go ahead and film with confidence. I will watch the rushes you send over, and if there are problems, I'll point them out to you."

Lu Kuan required strict filming discipline according to the Hollywood crew system. As a producer, he had to regularly check the details of the rushes to ensure the film's creative direction and quality were under his control.

Ning Hao gritted his teeth and stomped his foot: "Fine! I'll go all out! If I lose money, I'll sell myself to pay off your debt!"

In his previous life, Ning Hao really did take out over 100,000 of his own money to participate in the filming when the budget wasn't enough. This was all the money he had from filming commercials and music videos, and it was his final gamble.

(End of chapter)