Chapter 178: The Counterattack Begins

1:00 PM, September 5, 2003, Western United States time.

"Hello? Washing Machine, why can I never get through to your phone?!"

Boss Lu was furious: "Who are you calling Washing Machine? Have some respect."

He checked the time and told A-Fei to go get the car.

"It should be 1:00 AM in Beiping, right? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I..."

Liu Liu Yifei looked at her smashed keyboard; it was a mess left behind after a brutal online argument.

"I'm reading a script. I'm going to the Magic City in a few days to audition for *Kung Fu Hustle*. Do you think I can do it?" (Note 1)

"Zhou Zhou Xingchi is a very strange person. You don't just need good acting skills; you also have to..."

Liu Liu Yifei was puzzled: "What?"

"You have to sign with his company. Otherwise, why would he promote you?"

"You're being sarcastic. Are you implying something, Seeing Lu Kuan?"

Boss Lu laughed: "How about this, I'll give you another chance. Come to Wenjie."

"Thanks for the invite, but no."

"Then why are you calling me? Hurry up and say it, I'm about to go find Leonardo."

Liu Liu Yifei was excited: "What? Leonardo is so handsome! Can you help me get an autographed photo?"

"He's probably slightly inferior to me, isn't he? Why are your legs thick and your eyes failing you?"

"Get lost!"

"I wanted to tell you that Xu Xu Xiyuan posted a video online reporting you. Deal with it quickly! Hanging up!"

Liu Liu Yifei felt irritated just mentioning this matter and didn't want to say another word to him.

The image of Xu Xu Xiyuan tearfully recounting her story on the computer screen was paused; this time, even people close to him like Liu Liu Yifei and Zhou Xun were starting to lose "confidence."

If it weren't true, why would an idol drama star willing to ruin her own future report him under her real name?

If even they thought this way, let alone the online mob and self-proclaimed righteous crusaders.

However, Boss Lu had received a call from Zhuang Xu immediately and had already arranged for it to be handled.

Seeing Lu Kuan and Emil walked into Taylor's casting office, where Leonardo was chatting and laughing with her.

"Lu, you're here. Let me introduce you!"

"The genius director from the East, the youngest Golden Lion winner and Cannes Best Director, Lu."

"Leonardo, whom everyone loves; no need for further introduction, haha."

Xiao Xiao Lizi was wearing a casual jacket, holding a cup of coffee, and extended his right hand to shake Seeing Lu Kuan's.

"Lu, I've seen your film *Whiplash*. It's truly a masterpiece. That Chinese teacher made me feel terrified!"

"Thank you, I will convey your affirmation to him."

"But Leonardo, you also often make us Chinese directors feel terrified."

Xiao Xiao Lizi was stunned.

Seeing Lu Kuan laughed: "Your *Titanic* grossed nearly 359 million in China. Every one of us Chinese directors is straining to break your record, but we're still working on it!"

Leonardo burst into laughter; he was very pleased to hear that.

"You should go find Cameron, that's all his fault!"

"Lu, I've read your script. It's very brilliant, but I'm sorry, I'm more interested in playing roles with depth right now."

Seeing Lu Kuan wasn't discouraged: "Then why did you come over today?"

"I was chatting with Scorsese, the director of *The Aviator*. He's seen your *Whiplash* and *The Thief*, and he can't stop praising your narrative technique and lens language!"

"I was curious. In my impression, Chinese films are all about rural life and small-town stories, so I came to see you."

Boss Lu understood immediately. Scorsese and Harvey were close friends; Harvey must have shown him the two films he was representing.

"Lu, it's a pleasure to meet you, but I'm very sorry I can't work with you this time."

Leonardo was under thirty, at the peak of a man's looks; even the way he shrugged was handsome.

Thinking of the tone in which little Liu had excitedly asked for an autographed photo over the phone, Seeing Lu Kuan had the urge to punch this handsome guy down!

"Wait, Leo, I have another script here. I think you'll be interested. This will be a subversion of your acting career!"

Boss Lu took *The Revenant* from A-Fei and handed it to him.

It was the very film that would win him an Oscar in the future.

Admittedly, Seeing Lu Kuan wanted to use this script, which would win him a Best Actor award in the future, to attract Leonardo.

There were many theories in the future about how he ended his 22-year streak of nominations with this film, and there was no shortage of views that it was "rewarding hard work rather than talent."

But this film won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor at the Oscars that year; its quality itself was beyond reproach.

Leonardo winning with this role, even if there were non-artistic factors, still had a certain effect due to his self-destruction, playing the victim, and making himself look ugly.

Seeing Lu Kuan using this script to attract him couldn't be considered pure deception...

Leonardo was curious about why this Chinese director had the confidence to say such things.

He sat in the conference room and opened the script.

Emil and Taylor looked at each other, neither knowing what magic Seeing Lu Kuan wanted to cast to change his mind.

The fur trapper Leonardo's team flees after being attacked by Indians, and on the way, he is attacked by a grizzly bear and suffers severe injuries.

The leader leaves two men to take care of him, but unexpectedly, the two abandon him and steal all his weapons.

Then follows Leonardo's journey of survival fueled by a desire for revenge.

Seeing Lu Kuan used extremely exaggerated language to describe the protagonist Leonardo's bloated, rugged appearance, which was worlds apart from his current god-like looks.

Then he looked at the plot he had designed for himself: fighting a giant bear, eating raw liver, using a horse carcass for warmth, falling off a cliff...

In all fairness, it was a good story, but Leonardo didn't think there was anything special about it; it was just a plot that tortured the protagonist to an inhuman degree.

"Lu, can you explain your intention to me?"

Boss Lu looked mysterious: "Leo, do you want to win an Oscar for Best Actor?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor at 20 because of *What's Eating Gilbert Grape*. Another decade has passed, Leo. How many more decades do you have?"

Leonardo was stunned. He admitted that he had been tirelessly pursuing this title.

But what did that have to do with you, a Chinese director, and this bloody script?

Does a Chinese director like you still have dreams of the Oscars?

Seeing Lu Kuan began to bewitch him.

"Although I am a Chinese director, I am currently working on a 70-million-dollar Hollywood project. My understanding of Hollywood is much deeper than you imagine!"

"Please continue."

"Your biggest obstacle is your appearance. Your appearance makes you miss out on ninety percent of good roles, just like the roles with depth you mentioned earlier."

Leonardo fell into deep thought. The protagonists and supporting roles he played were all dashing, wealthy, and handsome figures.

As for the subversion of character image, this film really did achieve that.

He imagined the scene of himself transforming into a bloated savage in his mind...

"And this is precisely your biggest obstacle in chasing the Oscar! Just like how we directors don't like to use big-breasted women in art films."

"A big-breasted woman makes the audience and judges focus their eyes on a certain part of her body. A big-breasted woman is effectively objectifying and vulgarizing herself, which is a great disadvantage in character development."

Leonardo was somewhat tempted and picked up the script again, flipping through it a few times.

"Lu, if I were to play this film, how would you shoot it?"

The fish had taken the bait. Boss Lu leaned forward and pointed at the script, explaining it to him in detail.

"The biggest feature of this script is that the narrative and lens language are all locked onto you."

"It brings the audience infinitely close to the character; events revolve around the character, and reversals stem from the character."

"You've acted in both genre films and art films; you should know that the space for a character to extend inward is limited."

Leonardo nodded in agreement.

An actor only has one pair of eyes and one mouth, plus the use of limbs and expressions; the internal emotions and explosive power he can express are limited.

If used too intensely, expressions will fly everywhere; if used too shallowly, the audience and judges won't understand, which is a disadvantage in awards.

"So, the character I've designed for you, besides internal extension, will constantly demand that you expand outward!"

"Look, the beginning is a memory dream of yours. Your inner world is complex and contradictory: an Indian wife, a mixed-race son, a burned village—all revolve around your dreams. There will be a very long close-up here."

"Immediately after your son comforts you, you look up from the stretcher; in the towering forest is a bright moon. The pain of losing your wife makes you sad."

"These are the parts for your inward extension, followed by the six fantasies later. Each progression is an interweaving of dream and reality."

"The long take of eating raw fish in the middle, surviving the rapids, being wrapped in a horse hide, killing enemies with your own hands, etc. —it's torture for both body and soul."

"Right up to the open ending at the end, you show a confused and empty look at the camera, and the screen freezes..."

Leonardo was completely immersed in the scenes described by the script's author. His familiarity with film shooting allowed every lens arrangement to be imprinted in his mind as he listened.

Compared to his previous roles that were extremely luxurious, flamboyant, wealthy, and high-IQ, this savage-like character was indeed too subversive.

"Lu, this final shot of yours reminds me of the master Truffaut's *The 400 Blows*, that child at the end."

Boss Lu laughed: "Exactly, the same design concept."

Opening the last page, a line of dialogue from the film *The Lover*, starring Liang Liang Jiahui, was written in English.

【I know you, I will always remember you.

At that time, you were still very young, and everyone said you were beautiful.

Now, I have come specifically to tell you that, to me, I think you are even more beautiful than when you were young.】

"Compared to when you were young, I love your current, ravaged face even more."

Appearance... subversion... breaking stereotypes...

Leonardo was deeply shaken; he had to admit he was persuaded.

"This movie is amazing, why didn't you film this first?"

Seeing Lu Kuan spread his hands: "Because of you, I want to break your 350 million box office record."

Leonardo knew Seeing Lu Kuan was joking, laughed and punched him once, his attitude much more familiar than when they had first met.

Boss Lu revealed his true intentions: "Leo, agree to star in *Foreign Lands*; this film will be your next legendary masterpiece!"

Leonardo asked expectantly: "Will you be directing it yourself?"

"No, no, no. I am a Chinese director, and your Oscars have always been exclusionary; I don't want to affect you."

"I also have a film company in the U. S. I can invest, and you can choose a director you like, for example, Scorsese. We can work together."

"You can bring it to Hollywood to film. Scorsese and Harvey have a good relationship, and you know his influence on the judges."

Leonardo's eyes lit up; this Chinese director had thought too thoroughly for him!

Just as he was about to nod in agreement, Seeing Lu Kuan suddenly scolded Emir, who was standing to the side, in a loud voice.

"Salary? What are you talking about salary for? Leo's status in Hollywood is right here; we cannot talk about salary!"

Emir opened his eyes wide in astonishment: "I..."

Leonardo reached out to interrupt him: "Lu, is the budget for *Foreign Lands* not enough?"

Boss Lu looked helpless and glared fiercely at Emir.

He turned back to Leonardo: "Sorry Leo, we are friends. I am a person with a bottom line; I cannot trouble friends with certain things."

Little Li smiled: "Lu, you are too polite. I like being friends with excellent directors like you; you and the directors in Hollywood have two different styles."

Not to mention he was still young, which was his greatest asset. How many famous directors in Hollywood were under forty?

Even the best actors must become talented under the training and guidance of a director, let alone this was already a genius who had been proven by two of the three major European film festivals.

"My salary is 20 million USD. I can help you negotiate with my agent, but it probably won't be much."

Boss Lu's devious plans kept coming: "Leo, how about this."

"I will have the company register the copyright and initiate the project for this *The Revenant* right now. I'll give you 20% of the shares. You can split the box office and DVD revenue according to this ratio when the film is released. Your salary and other income will be calculated separately. How about that?"

"I want to use it to offset 5 million USD of your salary!"

Leonardo pondered for a while before nodding in agreement. The deal was struck.

Boss Lu sighed and held the handsome man's hand: "Leo, you are a true friend. I feel honored to be able to work with you!"

Emir only then realized what happened and silently said "fuck" in his heart.

Taylor also had a shocked expression the whole time. Was this the mysterious Eastern wisdom and rhetoric?

Boss Lu expressed dissatisfaction with Emir's dullness just now and later told A-Fei to mail a recorded teaching session of Uncle Zhao Benshan from back home.

Selling crutches this time, he would sell a car sooner or later.

Seeing Lu Kuan let Emir follow Leonardo to finalize the contract. *Foreign Lands* only had the final casting for the female lead left.

A-Fei looked at his boss napping in the rearview mirror while driving. He had been exhausted from staying up late to write the script for the past two days, but fortunately, it had earned 5 million USD for the time being.

"Boss, your phone has been ringing."

"Oh."

Seeing Lu Kuan answered; it was Wu Dun from the Bay Province.

"Boss Wu, any news?"

"Director Lu, the matter has been handled, but on Wang Wang Weizhong's side..."

Seeing Lu Kuan's tone was stern: "Xu Xu Xiyuan signed with Yanda Huayi behind his back. He took the termination fee, and Xu Xu Xiyuan has nothing to do with him anymore."

"I will talk to him on the phone. You don't need to worry about Wang Wang Weizhong's side."

Wu Dun was stunned for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, then hung up without saying much.

"A-Fei, pack up and go to the airport."

"Yes, boss."

On September 8, 2003, the scandal involving mainland director Seeing Lu Kuan, which had been fermenting for more than a week, intensified.

The 10 million played a decisive role before Xu Xu Xiyuan's suicide-style attack, basically eliminating the rumors and slander on major platforms into nothingness.

However, Yanda Huayi, with Xu Xu Xiyuan in one hand and the complaints of old seniors in the other, completely pushed this young director who had debuted for less than two years into an abyss of public opinion.

Beijing Film Academy, President's Office.

Xie Xie Xiaojin knocked on the door symbolically and walked in. The room was filled with smoke, choking him, an old smoker, until he could barely breathe.

Looking at the ashtray in front of Zhang Zhang Huijun's desk, it was clear that Tian Tian Zhuangzhuang on the sofa had contributed more.

"President, I'm here."

"Old Xie, sit down."

"I just discussed it with Old Tian. Regarding this matter, the school is acting with the purpose of curing the sickness to save the patient. We cannot kill him with one blow, but we must also give the public an explanation."

Tian Tian Zhuangzhuang's calm face was full of indignation: "What explanation? It's all hearsay. Why isn't that Dong Jie talking anymore?"

"Relying on attacking Seeing Lu Kuan to please Emperor Motion Pictures, getting poached by them, and then stopping once the goal is reached—if this isn't shameless, what is!"

Old Tian, you really misunderstood. She didn't stop talking; she was silenced by Li Li Shoucheng...

Or perhaps her mouth was blocked by some irregular cylinder.

Xie Xie Xiaojin also chimed in: "I think Teacher Tian is right. I believe Seeing Lu Kuan is not that kind of person."

"Not to mention anything else, just take that little Liu from the 02 Acting Class. Now the internet says this and that about her and Seeing Lu Kuan, and I don't believe a single word of it."

"For *Chinese Paladin*, Seeing Lu Kuan asked me to come forward to help with the censorship, and I talked to Jiang Wei."

"This film was shot for three or four months, and Seeing Lu Kuan only came to the set once. Liu Liu Yifei was even scolded by him for not performing well. Does this look like there's an affair?"

"Besides, little Liu's mother follows her every step of the way. How heartless must these people be to frame an underage female student?"

Zhang Zhang Huijun was speechless. I called you, the department head, here to put out the fire for Tian Tian Zhuangzhuang, why are you fanning the flames!

"Hey, you two, do you think I don't know what the situation is?"

"This student left a deep impression on me during the fourth round of exams. He won the Golden Lion Award before he even enrolled. In all conscience, our Beijing Film Academy is proud of him, not the other way around."

"But now those people..."

Before he could finish, several old scholars arrived together, led by an ancient professor from the Beijing Film Academy in the 1970s, who was already eighty years old this year.

"Zhang Huijun, we old men are here again. This time you must give an explanation; it cannot go on like this!"

Xie Xie Xiaojin and Tian Tian Zhuangzhuang both stood up. No matter how much they disliked these people, their seniority and industry status were there.

"Little Tian is here too, that's perfect. This is your and Little Xie's student; you tell us what to do?"

"Our Beijing Film Academy has been established for more than fifty years, and we have never seen such a morally corrupt student!"

"No matter how many Golden Lion Awards or Golden Palms he has, they cannot outweigh the reputation of the people, nor the reputation of our Beijing Film Academy!"

"Zhang Huijun, don't think we old men are an eyesore. This is for your own good, and for the good of the Beijing Film Academy."

"This Seeing Lu Kuan must be expelled!"

A group of old-but-not-dead-is-a-thief followers chimed in: "Right! Must be expelled!"

"Making commercial films to poison the public, it's simply putting the cart before the horse!"

Zhang Zhang Huijun saw Professor Gu's white beard trembling with anger, his body shaking with excitement, and hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

This person was also a ruthless character who fought heaven and earth during those ten years, and most importantly, he retreated unscathed and became a professor at the Beijing Film Academy.

If you go back a few decades, he was a thorough cultural thief!

"Old Gu, don't be anxious. I will definitely convene a school office meeting as soon as possible, and I will definitely give..."

"President! Something happened!"

The school office secretary rushed into the office in a panic, but the expression on his face didn't look like a disaster.

Zhang Zhang Huijun looked at the secretary's recklessness with dissatisfaction, but he saw something on his face...

Surprise?

"Speak slowly!"

"President, quickly open your computer. Blog sites and several portal websites are live-streaming the press conference for the Wenjie car!"

Note 1: The real time was a secret start on a certain day in July-August. The media didn't know, and the news was released later. Many reporters flocked to Chedun, Shanghai, for interviews.

Here, the plot is modified to be delayed by one month.

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(End of this chapter)