Chapter 321: Don't Provoke Anyone, But Especially Don't Provoke This Kid

February 15th, Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong Disneyland.

At 9:30 AM, the stage in front of the park had already been set up, decorated with classic elements and adorned with balloons of cartoon characters like Mickey and Minnie, creating a cheerful and lively atmosphere.

A red carpet wound from the entrance to the stage, with exquisite flower baskets placed on both sides, filling the air with fragrance.

Tourists from Hong Kong, Taiwan, the mainland, and Southeast Asia were as thick as weavers, packing the scene so tightly not even a drop of water could pass through.

The park was set to open at 10:00 AM, and choosing this time made it exceptionally bustling; plus, with Liu Yifei’s organized fans from Hong Kong Island there to show support, the atmosphere before the signing ceremony was very vibrant.

As a burst of classic, cheerful Disney music played, Liu Yifei walked out from the red carpet in a purple pleated skirt, her lotus steps light as she skillfully waved and posed for photos with her fans.

Mr. Lu stood before the signing truss as a guest of honor, watching her from afar.

With eyebrows like distant mountains and eyes like autumn water, the graceful curves outlined by her elegant attire were fully revealed, vividly interpreting the two distinct celestial beauties of purity and allure.

The enthusiasm of her fans left her mired in the crowd; signing autographs, taking photos, and posing, she made her way through "laboriously," shaking hands and greeting the guests who had arrived for the event.

The host took the opportunity to introduce several heavyweight figures in crisp suits.

"Let us welcome with applause, Mr. Iger, President of The Walt Disney Company!"

"Director Guo of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Special Administrative Region!"

"Mr. Li Shoucheng, Chairman of Emperor Entertainment in Hong Kong!"

"Mr. Lu Kuan, President of Wenjie Holdings!"

The personal attendance of the Walt Disney President killed the long lenses and short cannons of countless reporters at the scene; having a figure of the six major Hollywood studio president level show support was a symbol of Liu Yifei’s status!

This news would likely drive the countless little flower imitators in the mainland entertainment industry, such as those at Huayi and Cheng Tian, to despair, right?

Or rather, by today, companies like Huayi, Cheng Tian, and Rongshengda had indeed realized clearly that it was absolutely impossible to overtake her on this track.

You couldn't smear her; this time, aside from the Taro father and son being bewitched by Gexi Xiong and daring to jump out because of their own sufficient profit expectations, no one else dared.

Huayi had been beaten into submission after the fall of the Zhou Army, remaining honest from beginning to end, and finally participating in the backstabbing of Lu Chuan.

Cheng Tian’s Wu Kebo was sneaking around behind the scenes plotting and colluding with external enemies, but on the surface, he absolutely dared not show his face.

You couldn't fight her either; everyone had finally understood that this Liu Yifei was destined to be red-hot.

The Yifei Incident at her birthday banquet was a case of suppressing before elevating; her reputation didn't collapse in the slightest, but instead created the image of a young girl who dared to love and hate.

Then there was the setting things right on a world-class media stage, a live reversal filled with the plot of a Chinese heroine, sacrificing herself for love.

This kind of top-tier grand show was objectively also top-tier hype; how could other little flowers easily imitate that?

Since that was the case, the various entertainment companies just had to see if they could take advantage of the situation to drink some soup.

You take the Pepsi endorsement, we take some domestic beverages; that’s acceptable, right?

You take top-tier luxury jewelry and clothing, we take some international second-tier brands; that’s not too much to ask, right?

Capital creates top stars; what made Liu Yifei famous was Wenjie, this hybrid of film industry capital and internet capital that had transcended the development of the era.

But from an outsider's perspective, these mainland little flowers were not without opportunities.

It just depended on whether they could become trendsetters when the black gold of coal flooded into the mainland entertainment industry in a year or two.

At worst, the chaos of gods and demons in the era of internet capital entering the mainland entertainment industry would also be an excellent booster for Red Star Manufacturing.

Amidst the sky-filling applause, cheers, and camera shutter sounds, Liu Yifei shook hands with the guests one by one with dignified poise, causing the onlookers to jeer when she reached Mr. Lu at the end.

Fortunately, neither of them were the type to care about outside commentary; the washing machine had long been subjected to public mockery and entertainment, and Liu Yifei also had all sorts of self-deprecating maneuvers.

To walk in this circle, one must first have a strong heart.

Walt Disney President Iger delivered a brief speech, congratulating, recognizing, and appreciating Miss Liu Yifei for serving as the Hong Kong Disneyland spokesperson and Disney culture ambassador.

This was a win-win for both Disney and Liu Yifei.

For Liu Yifei, as of 2006, there were only two Disney parks in Asia, Tokyo and Hong Kong, and it wasn't until the future in 2016 that a Shanghai Disney was added.

And the Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened last September, could radiate across the entire Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, mainland, and Southeast Asia regions.

Conventional publicity, soft ads, and the videos and materials featuring Liu Yifei inside Disneyland were all symbols of status in the eyes of tourists who came specifically to visit.

Added to the Pepsi China region endorsement, these were already top-tier resources for her age.

And for Disney, it was undeniable that the deeper reason for this cooperation was the conspiracy between Iger and Mr. Lu.

But objectively speaking, looking at the entire Greater China region, if Disney wanted to find a young girl spokesperson with a playful and cute image and explosive popularity and reputation, they couldn't bypass Liu Yifei.

Offstage, Lu Zheng looked at the envious Jing Tian and comforted her: "Tian Tian, don't worry, in the future you will definitely be this famous too, perhaps even surpass Liu Yifei."

"Ah? Oh!" Jing Tian was stunned for a long while, then remembered him comforting her last night, pursed her lips and said: "Sister Yifei is quite nice."

Lu Zheng laughed: "Miss Liu is nice, but that has nothing to do with your competition; the entertainment circle is similar to the business and official worlds, where ranking is very important."

The "human wealth flower" nodded and said nothing more, her pretty face wearing an unreadable expression, not knowing what she was thinking.

In the crowd, a tall Asian woman watched the young man and woman on stage with a blank expression.

Seeing Iger present in person, she had a greater understanding of the BBC's purpose in forwarding the News Corporation scandal.

Disney, which had already joined the competition for local television station resources, seemed to have also played an unflattering role.

Thinking of the several phone calls her husband had made in the night, the indescribable roaring and anger, Deng Wendi gritted her teeth and, just like she had hardened her heart to walk into her teacher's room over a decade ago, she approached the stage from the side.

Liu Yifei, having just finished signing, was standing up to shake hands with Iger and pose for a photo.

The security guards at the scene weren't paying attention, and Deng Wendi had already walked onto the stage; apparently, the huntress's luxurious attire and temperament had caused them to lose their vigilance.

"Madam! You cannot go up there!"

The reporters and audience offstage were already buzzing with heated discussion.

"Isn't that what's-her-name, Deng Wendi?"

"The one that's been all over the internet recently... how do they put it? A gold digger?"

"Right, it's her. It's said that Sisi was forced onto the show by the News Corporation behind her back, disgusting!"

"She's a hundred times uglier in person than in photos!"

Liu Yifei’s fans instantly wanted to attack in a group, but the entertainment reporters were overjoyed, their fingers never leaving the shutter buttons, waiting to watch this good show.

Deng Wendi was unscrupulous in her actions, skilled at seizing opportunities, and could always make the best choice to complete a life transition.

This time, things were not going well; if the investigation into News Corporation's domestic industries could still be slowly negotiated, the BBC scandal and the chain reaction it triggered forced her to bow her head.

With her husband Murdoch secretly pressuring her from within, and Wenjie and Disney relentlessly seeking her life from without, this North American "big heroine" had no choice but to stand before the still-young Chinese "big heroine."

"Miss Liu, it was my presumption before, I am sorry!"

The huntress, wearing high heels, reached 1.8 meters, her slightly burly body temporarily cowering and stooping for the sake of her future.

She bowed her waist for a moment, glanced at Liu Yifei and Lu Kuan, and turned to leave the stage.

Liu Yifei was stunned, immediately turning her head to look at the young director.

The latter was still watching Deng Wendi’s departing back, lamenting that this woman really had a big heart; no wonder she could complete such a legendary class transition.

A small interlude of less than a minute, a seemingly casual accidental footnote, brought the day's signing ceremony to a perfect conclusion.

The news from the scene spread rapidly, causing a huge uproar on the internet in Hong Kong and the mainland.

Countless rumors emerged; one person claiming to be an employee of the News Corporation Beijing office broke the news that all content production business in the company was currently at a standstill and was undergoing an audit by the relevant authorities.

A blogger on Blogcn who called himself the "Know-it-all of the Entertainment Circle" posted an article detailing the connection from "The Bun," "The Joint Letter," to the Manhattan live broadcast, as well as the Taro father and son and today’s bowing apology from Deng Wendi after Mr. Lu returned to the country.

Even if many details were still off, it finally satisfied the general public's desire to pry into the lives of big shots.

Mainland’s number one little flower Liu Yifei, young director Lu Kuan, the wife of the North American news tycoon, Golden Palm director Chen Kaige, and of course, the Taro father and son who had already disappeared from the scene.

According to the screenwriting logic of the Chinese people for legendary stories, isn't this just a story of a young couple fighting against the Axis of Evil!

Deng Wendi’s face-to-face apology was the grand finale.

Rarely, Zhuo Wei liked this blog post and left a comment:

The North American Ms. Deng and the traitor Taro have both had their endings of being judged by justice, is there one missing?

The one who is missing is currently frowning and sighing with his wife Chen Hong in the Sihe Academy!

"Kaige, I’ve pulled a connection who can talk to Leader Liu, why don't you see if you can ask him to mediate..."

The Golden Palm director wailed in his heart about the injustice of the world, sighing incessantly: "His position as the Olympic chief director was guaranteed by Leader Liu; can he speak in our favor?"

Chen Hong was also too worried to apply makeup, a few strands of hair floating messily on her forehead; the biting cold after the beginning of spring froze the couple in the small courtyard to the bone.

Director Kaige closed his eyes and thought of the miserable state of Lu Tianmin being chased and scolded by patriotic masses with disheveled hair, and thought of Deng Wendi being forced to humble herself before so many reporters and media.

Sigh...

If he were really to be humiliated like that, it would truly be more painful than death.

The poet’s gaze inadvertently swept over his alluring wife, a pair of phoenix eyes looking at the pomegranate tree in the courtyard with a worried expression; seen from the side, she had quite the charm of a desolate beauty.

She was simply even more tempting than when she was twenty.

Director Kaige swallowed his saliva, pondered for a few seconds, and then spoke with extreme pain:

"Hmm... Chen Hong?"

"Hmm?"

Chen Kaige avoided eye contact with her, took the only remaining pottery pot and sipped some tea, letting the tea fragrance swirl in his mouth before saying cautiously:

"How about... you go talk to Lu Kuan?"

Chen Hong’s charming cheeks suddenly turned pale, and she looked at her husband in disbelief.

The last time she wanted to go to the United States to mediate, Chen Kaige scolded her for not knowing self-respect on the grounds that Lu Kuan was a flirtatious man; what was the meaning of this now?!

She pointed a finger at her cowering husband, stepped forward, snatched the pottery pot from his hand, and smashed it fiercely on the ground.

"Chen Kaige! You are truly a beast!"

——

"Chen Hong?" Mr. Lu listened with a confused face: "What does she want with me?"

Dong Shuangqiang laughed: "How would I know? It must be something like admitting a mistake and yielding."

The young director, who had just returned from Hong Kong yesterday, was on his way to the Olympic Building; today was the first meeting of the opening ceremony creative team.

"Tell the Chen Kaige couple, I don't have time." Mr. Lu paused: "Tell them not to overthink it, this matter ends here."

He certainly did not know that he had become the root cause of this couple's falling out, or rather, he had long since cast them both aside.

*Tangshan* has already replaced *Wuji* to participate in the Oscars in March; even if it is just a formality, receiving a nomination will still be beneficial for subsequent DVD sales.

Chen Kaige is just a bit too stubborn and self-opinionated, still immersed in the past glories of *Farewell My Concubine* and *Yellow Earth* and unable to extricate himself, lacking a natural sense of awe for the audience and the market.

Compared to the painstaking villainy of the father and son, the poet is at most just foolish and lacking in judgment; where is he worth the effort of concocting a scheme against?

There are not many directors in the country who can be considered top-tier; if Director Chen can correct his course sooner, there is still a chance to win back the favor of the audience.

Entering the creative group meeting room on the fourth floor of the Olympic Building, the personnel had basically all arrived.

After exchanging some modest pleasantries with Lu Kuan, Zhang Yimou deservedly presided over today's work: "Comrades, today is the first time our team has gathered together."

"The main task is to build upon the two proposals that won the bid, and together review and discuss the artistic achievements of the other twelve teams to add bricks and mortar to the final plan."

"Alright, no more nonsense; the staff has already prepared the materials, so let's split up and begin."

Chen Weiya and Zhang Jigang exchanged a glance, both cooperating with the work with expressionless faces, and the scene was orderly.

Boss Lu knew that he had become a focal point again these past two days, but ignoring everyone's inquisitive and curious gazes, he went about flipping through the other teams' proposals on his own.

He read at a relatively fast speed because many of them were proposals that would be made public in later generations, and some had even been selected for the final Olympic cultural performance program.

In fact, the content was more or less the same; the cultural elements were nothing more than a series of representative cultural totems such as the Four Great Inventions, the Yangtze River, the Great Wall, the Yellow River, the Terracotta Warriors, bronze ware, martial arts, and the Silk Road.

In terms of technological innovation, almost all teams used LED technology, especially the bidding teams led by directors like Chen Kaige, Lu Kuan, and Zhang Yimou.

To them, rectangular LED light strips were easy to associate with movie screens, possessing a natural sense of familiarity.

Lu Kuan focused on looking at the works of Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya's teams, evaluating their strength in his heart.

Zhang Jigang led the People's Liberation Army team and had a creative idea called "White Jade Plate," which could serve the dual effect of being a performance venue and an LED screen; it appeared in the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in later generations.

In addition, they also adopted Barco's water mist projection technology, which could be considered unconventional at the technical level.

Boss Lu clicked his tongue in praise as he watched.

He belonged to the group that used a forward-looking perspective to discover the technical elements of Barco, drones, and LED light strips, but many artists of this era also had vision that had already stepped beyond the country's borders.

Zhang Jigang was the discoverer and chief director of *The Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva*, and his other major creative programs included *The Road to Rejuvenation* and *Holy Water Bodhisattva*; his artistic attainments were very high, and in later generations, he had also served as the chief director of the gala commemorating the War of Resistance.

Compared to Zhang Jigang, the team of Chen Weiya, who had always presented himself with a bearded image, was slightly weaker, with almost no highlights; the entire proposal, apart from his old profession in the song and dance department, was unremarkable.

Among all the teams, only Wenjie and Zhang Yimou's Jack Morton team had a core logical thread, connecting all programs through a core cultural and philosophical route.

The works of other teams were mostly scattered and pieced together, but that could not be considered a bad thing.

At the very least, everyone had more choices when "picking and choosing" now; if there were programs with genuine creativity and potential, they could be taken out and modified for use.

Just like Cai Guoqiang's fireworks footprint proposal.

What was described in the current bid was far from the giant footprints of later generations, but rather small footprints of one step every 150 meters from Tiananmen to the Bird's Nest, which lacked the shock factor in terms of visual effect for the audience.

Lu Kuan was looking at other teams, but most people picked up Wenjie's proposal first.

For instance, Chen Weiya and Zhang Jigang were extremely curious about what kind of proposal could make the Organizing Committee defy all opposition and support such a young person to get on the horse and help him along the way.

Hearing is believing, but seeing is reality.

The young Lu Kuan in their eyes was full of arrogance, but hadn't this group of old artists, who prided themselves on their seniority, also been carrying their own biases?

Whether it was the core philosophical logic construction of harmony between heaven, earth, and man, or the perfect fusion of advanced technology and national culture.

Especially the shocking scene of the Phoenix Returning to the Nest at the end, which fully demonstrated the artistic intent of grand spirit, grand romance, grand scale, and grand vision.

Just in terms of the opening and closing ceremony bid and proposal, it was indeed on par with the proposal of Zhang Yimou's Jack Morton team.

Zhang Yimou was also truly fascinated by what he saw.

He naturally had no doubts about the ability of Lu Kuan, this junior fellow student from the Beijing Film Academy, but to be able to produce a work of this quality in the mere eight or nine hours left after the final proposal was leaked was truly somewhat mind-boggling.

The only explanation was that the Wenjie team had come up with a wide variety of proposals during the team discussions over the past half year and had finally selected the best.

Therefore, they were able to quickly organize a set of opening ceremony cultural performances that were in no way inferior when caught off guard.

This young man, hey! This young man.

Two hours later, the meeting continued.

Zhang Yimou said in a deep voice: "We are very lucky to have so many excellent proposals and programs to learn from and absorb."

"But I think the most important thing at the moment is to first find a core image, such as the water imagery that was ubiquitous in Athens."

Zhang Jigang hesitated and said: "Director Zhang, I think, is it enough to have one philosophical logic running through the whole thing?"

"After all, our national cultural elements are much more numerous than those of ancient Greece in Athens; if we only find one core image, how do we make the trade-offs?"

Many creative personnel agreed with Zhang Jigang's point of view.

Their perspective was that of letting a hundred flowers bloom, but Lu Kuan and Zhang Yimou's line of thinking was that the form could be scattered, but the spirit could not be, otherwise it would look like a pile of flowery language and be disorganized.

"I agree with Director Yimou's idea." The young director made the decision immediately.

"The Aegean Sea is the cradle of ancient Greek civilization; in the Greek mythological system, water is a symbol of life and gestation."

"The seawater of the Aegean Sea nurtured ancient Greek civilization, just like the significance of the mother river to a nation."

"The Athens Olympic opening ceremony used water imagery with the intention of showing the world the roots and profound heritage of Greek culture, using water to evoke people's memory and reverence for ancient Greek civilization; it was a high-level manifestation of their own culture." He paused: "Then what about us?"

"I have had a lot of contact with Western audiences abroad, and everyone cannot take it for granted that all the cultural elements we display in the Olympics will be accepted by them in their entirety."

"The total duration of the opening ceremony from the countdown to the cultural performance to the lighting of the torch is less than 100 minutes; it is already very remarkable to be able to leave three to five memory points for the audience."

Chen Weiya smiled: "We all know that Director Lu is an international director who has won the honor of an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, but I think the starting point of the opening ceremony proposal should still be based on the local culture first; how can we accommodate the preferences of Western audiences right from the start?"

"That's right, that's exactly the point!" Zhang Jigang chimed in without delay.

There was a burst of low murmuring and discussion in the office; clearly, the first topic of the day had created a disagreement.

Zhang Yimou glanced at the junior fellow student beside him and saw his face was gloomy, thinking to himself that this was not good.

He hoped he wouldn't just throw a tantrum and cause trouble right from the start, as that would really make the work difficult for everyone.

Furthermore, the way Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya were singing in harmony, setting aside specific facts and viewpoints to engage in some sophistry and stalling, was truly annoying.

But Zhang Yimou, who was used to dealing with government departments, knew that this was an extremely normal phenomenon.

Even Leader Liu had pointed out during his conversation with him that he should do a good job of unity among comrades and cooperate closely with Lu Kuan.

It seemed that they had already considered the possibility that the high-level artists underneath might be dissatisfied.

Zhang Yimou thought to himself that this wouldn't do; he had to be the one to play the bad guy.

If he really let his junior fellow student lose his temper, the scene would become ugly.

Old Yimou was just about to say something harsh when he didn't expect Lu Kuan to take the initiative to gently brush it aside: "The two of you can also talk about your thoughts; it's better for everyone to pool their wisdom."

Chen Weiya had been Old Yimou's assistant director from *Turandot* in Florence in 1997 all the way to the Athens Eight Minutes, and he respected Zhang Yimou in his heart.

His contempt for the overly young Boss Lu was one thing, but more of it was the feeling that he had sat in this position of chief director by relying on his own propaganda merits in foreign programs.

This was unfair to Zhang Yimou.

"I do agree with what Director Zhang said about finding a core image, but there are too many cultural elements to choose from."

"My opinion is to design a piece of performance art to run through the whole thing; for instance, if Mr. Cai Guoqiang's firework footprints are in the sky, can we design a footprint performance art in the stadium, to be drawn together by athletes from all over the world, echoing each other?"

Zhang Jigang returned the favor, flattering Chen Weiya's "stinky feet": "This idea is really good!"

"Weiya, you're still the one who's capable, unlike some comrades who can only follow Director Zhang's lead and ramble on about useful nonsense."

Without waiting for others to react, Zhang Yimou immediately tapped the table, his tone neither light nor heavy: "Jigang, what kind of talk is that!"

"Discuss the matter as it stands, do not speak of other things!"

The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly became tense.

Among those present, Zhang Jigang, Chen Weiya, and other political artists from the National Song and Dance Troupe counted as one faction;

Ma Wen, Cai Guoqiang, and the absent Spielberg counted as the faction of overseas personnel and overseas Chinese artists;

The largest remaining group was Old Yimou's old partners: Wang Chaoge, who was responsible for stage art, Fan Yue, who was responsible for dance design, Liu Heng, who was responsible for script and cultural creativity, and composer Chen Qigang.

There were also Yu Jianping, who was responsible for technology, Sha Xiaolan, who was responsible for lighting, Chen Yan, who was responsible for art, and others, who did not have much of a leaning.

Among them, except for Liu Heng, who had had contact with Lu Kuan because of *Tangshan*, the others probably only knew his name but had never met him.

In the eyes of the outside world, Boss Lu's films indeed had outstanding achievements internationally, but it was also a fact that his various personal reputations were poor and his style was arrogant and domineering.

Regarding the selection of the Olympic chief director, both Zhang Yimou's faction and the high-level officials of the song and dance troupe represented by Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya were very dissatisfied with this joint director.

In their hearts, the young Lu Kuan was, to some extent, usurping a high position.

Perhaps only Ma Wen and Cai Guoqiang, who were looking at each other, had some understanding of his influence overseas because they had lived in New York for a long time, and they did not think Boss Lu was fishing for fame.

Old Yimou's remark of "discuss the matter as it stands, do not speak of other things" was of course well-intentioned, indicating his stance and helping Lu Kuan out of a tight spot.

But in the eyes of those who supported him, this was tantamount to blindly shielding the young director for the sake of the big picture, further confirming that the latter was actually unworthy of the name.

Zhang Jigang did not want to show too much, and he grasped the scale quite well, immediately smiling: "Let me talk about my thoughts."

"I think we can use Tai Chi as the core image; first of all, Tai Chi is a philosophical image with relatively high dissemination in the eyes of Westerners."

"Moreover, Tai Chi culture has gone through thousands of years of inheritance and development, integrating various cultural elements such as Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, and is a typical representative of the inclusiveness of Chinese culture; we can integrate it into all programs and modify it."

"In this way, the problem of being difficult to make trade-offs that was mentioned before will not arise."

Visual Art Director Ma Wen from New York's eyes lit up: "This idea is good; there are white old men practicing Tai Chi in New York's Central Park every morning now, and Tai Chi culture indeed has a very high dissemination abroad."

Everyone discussed for a while and put forward their own points of view, but generally speaking, Chen Weiya and Zhang Jigang's creativity was better.

It was concise and easy to implement.

These two people secretly exchanged a glance, and Zhang Jigang lifted his chin to imperceptibly signal toward Lu Kuan, who was sitting at the head of the table beside Zhang Yimou.

Since Old Yimou helped him out of the tight spot, this young director had hardly said a word.

Chen Weiya was the deputy director-general level deputy head of the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe, and Zhang Jigang was the head of the General Political Song and Dance Troupe with the rank of Major General.

These two, in addition to their own artistic attainments, were of course also proficient in the art of struggle within the system.

Obviously, looking at the current situation, they had already gained the upper hand.

Perhaps if they added some oil and vinegar, they could directly provoke this young man into slamming the table and standing up, and then it would be a good show!

As mentioned earlier, these types of artists within the system who hold golden rice bowls do not care whether you are the richest man or an international big director.

Furthermore, there are information barriers in different industries, and their prejudice against this overly young director also blinded them, attempting to use soft knives to stab him.

Just as Liu Yifei, the Olympic Organizing Committee, and the higher-ups predicted and worried, in terms of artistic attainment and practical utility, you, Lu Kuan, are indeed qualified to be the General Director.

But doing things domestically, there is a set of rules of its own.

Whether you can use your own strength, courage, and personal charisma to lead the team well and win over these high-level artists who are stirring up trouble, that depends on your own ability.

After everyone had basically finished speaking, Zhang Jigang smiled as if unintentionally: "Director Lu, would you also like to share your thoughts?"

"Yes! We are all listening attentively!" Chen Weiya chimed in.

Liu Heng knew the true substance of this young director and couldn't help but speak up: "Director Lu, tell us, we really want to learn."

He had been watching coldly from the sidelines for so long, wanting to see Boss Lu give these two a hard slap in the face.

One cannot let this kind of bureaucratic arrogance ruin the atmosphere of the creative group, otherwise, these two joint directors would not be living up to their names.

Lu Kuan frowned: "Oh, I do have some thoughts, but they aren't mature yet; let me think about it more."

"What's there to fear about them not being mature? Who among those present here isn't an artist with over ten years of fame? Why not pool our wisdom?"

Zhang Jigang pursued relentlessly; the mention of "over ten years of fame" directly pinned the label of being inexperienced on him.

Chen Weiya, however, felt that something was not quite right.

In all fairness, the Olympic proposal from the Wenjie side was extremely outstanding; even if Lu Kuan might have relied on his team to produce the work, surely he couldn't have absolutely no ideas of his own?

Looking down on his age and seniority is one thing, but no one would deny this young director's achievements in film art; those cannot be faked.

In officialdom, even the slightest trace of a lead is worth scrutinizing.

Chen Weiya felt that he had given him enough of a warning today; there was no need to be aggressive, lest Lu Kuan seize the opportunity to turn the tables and ruin all their previous efforts!

If they could provoke him into slamming the table, speaking without thinking, and destroying unity, the Olympic Organizing Committee would obviously reconsider the candidates, and wouldn't the two of them have a chance then?

Besides, everyone was discussing matters at the conference table; no one was playing dirty under the table, so it didn't violate any taboos.

He had just wanted to say a few words to gloss over it and keep the peace—after all, there would be plenty of chances to squeeze him out—but he hadn't expected Zhang Yimou to speak first.

"Director Lu? Don't be stingy with the ink in your belly; the comrades are all waiting eagerly!"

Zhang Yimou winked at him calmly; based on his understanding of Lu Kuan, he had guessed his thoughts before Chen Weiya even sensed that something was wrong.

These two fellow alumni from the Beijing Film Academy tacitly coordinated to suppress the discordant voices in the team, ensuring the authority of the two joint directors to carry out the subsequent Olympic work well.

Only Zhang Jigang was still somewhat oblivious, waiting to see Boss Lu make a fool of himself by stuttering.

At the first meeting of the Olympic team, more than twenty core members of the artist team gathered, and everyone looked in unison at this young director who had risen to fame.

Some supported, some questioned, some opposed.

In short, facing the relentless pressure from Chen Weiya and Zhang Jigang today, if he couldn't produce the appropriate attitude and response, he would have already lost half the battle in terms of momentum.

It seemed unlikely that he would be able to maintain his authority as General Director in the future and ensure his orders were carried out.

"Fine!" Boss Lu suddenly stood up from his chair and walked leisurely behind the backdrop.

Everyone was startled by his behavior; Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya watched him intently—was he about to quit on the spot?

This was just too unprofessional!

"My thoughts were actually already put into practice in 'Aftershock', which finished its theatrical run last month."

"But before I explain my train of thought, there are a few things I must say."

The young director rested his hands on the conference table, his expression stern as he faced everyone in the room, especially the two highest-ranking artists within the system.

"From the start of the Olympic bidding, through the two rounds of presentations, talks with leaders, and the Olympic Organizing Committee issuing the appointment letter, I have been surrounded by controversy."

"Lack of experience in directing large-scale events, too few years in the industry, and being too young are all points of criticism. I am aware of this, and I cannot control everyone's thoughts."

"However, the country and the people have entrusted this responsible position to me."

"Some of you here, whether you are convinced or unwilling in your hearts, I hope you can discuss matters as they are, just as Director Zhang said, and put your energy into the work!"

"Don't make it like the Donglin factional strife, where you must oppose what I support and support what I oppose, nitpicking and being aggressive!"

This ruthless outburst was aimed directly at Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya; they were old hands in officialdom and could not tolerate such an evaluation being pinned on them.

Zhang Jigang stood up, just about to speak, when twenty-some pairs of eyes in the conference room saw the stern and dignified young director suddenly reach out and slap the wall twice heavily!

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down; Boss Lu directly confronted him.

"Zhang Jigang! You are a troupe leader of the General Political Department; you are not only an artist but also a glorious soldier!"

"The interests of the motherland are above all else!"

"Do I need to teach you how to read these eight characters?!"

In the conference room, everyone watched the elegant young director suddenly lash out, staring sternly at the speechless Zhang Jigang.

The latter felt a wave of guilt under his gaze, and his thin face turned bright red in an instant.

He wanted to argue, but he was powerless to do so.

As a soldier, the interests of the motherland and the people are above all else.

At this moment, facing such a resonant and unassailable questioning, no matter what his starting point was, and no matter if he was truly ashamed or just pretending to evade,

he and Chen Weiya had lost this round.

The overseas artists present also nodded frequently as they heard this.

Like Lin Ying, they would pay for their own travel and accommodation whenever their motherland needed them, just to provide whatever help they could.

The Beijing Olympics was a grand event for the entire nation, and everyone's starting point was the same.

Boss Lu did not wait for them to react and directly began to explain his core creative idea.

"Alright, that's enough of the digression."

"As I just mentioned, I have already practiced this imagery or artistic form that runs through the whole event in my own film, 'Aftershock'."

Zhang Yimou had just been considering his creative idea, and at this moment, a flash of inspiration hit him; he excitedly slapped the table: "Is it the scroll at the beginning of 'Aftershock'?"

"Exactly!" Boss Lu gave a thumbs up to the tacitly cooperative Zhang Yimou.

"In Chinese culture, the scroll carries thousands of years of history and artistic achievement. From ancient silk paintings to rice paper paintings, countless artistic treasures have been passed down through scrolls."

"The scroll at the opening ceremony is a tribute to and inheritance of Chinese classical art and the entire traditional culture, capable of showing the world the long-standing and profound nature of Chinese culture."

Lu Kuan picked up a marker and drew and demonstrated on the whiteboard behind him.

The professional director's superb drawing skills quickly helped the artists present understand his idea: "My inspiration comes from traditional Chinese painting, from the spiritual realm of the unity of heaven and man in traditional Chinese painting. As the scroll unfolds, cultural elements and stories from different historical periods are presented one after another. This is a leap of artistic elements from static to dynamic!"

"Why don't we design the entire stage as a large scroll?"

"The scroll will be laid out with LED, crystal clear and bright, which can greatly satisfy the color creation requirements of different programs."

Zhang Jigang, whose face had just been flushed red, and Chen Weiya, who had been trying to refute him, were both stunned.

Who among those present didn't understand traditional Chinese painting?

Who didn't know the style of ancient scroll paintings?

But through Boss Lu's description and his practice in the film 'Aftershock', a dynamic image appeared before everyone's eyes.

On August 8, 2008, the Bird's Nest, which could accommodate 90,000 people, was packed.

The opening ceremony's cultural performance began, and suddenly, shimmering points of light appeared in the dark, ignorant world.

A grand and exquisite scroll began to unfold slowly from the center with a steady and solemn posture, as if the great hand of history were slowly opening the long scroll of time.

Good!

Truly good!

Just thinking about it was enough to make the artists on the scene unable to stop themselves!

With this thread that could run through the beginning to the end, many cultural programs could be modified and processed with a goal, which was undoubtedly a huge benefit for the subsequent advancement of the work!

Ma Wen, a visual arts expert from New York, was the first to applaud: "I saw 'Aftershock' in New York; the opening scroll and the gradient from black and white to color left a deep impression on me."

"Director Lu, this creative idea of your scroll is a bit like the long take in the movie, isn't it?"

Boss Lu nodded at her: "Ma Wen is an expert; I actually got the inspiration when I was filming the first long take of Zhou Xun."

He combined it with the film to explain in detail: "The long take in the movie uses continuous camera movement and scene switching—pushing in, pulling back, panning—this can be completely replicated on the scroll."

"Whether it's the construction and composition of the scene, or the representation and meaning of color, we can completely treat the scroll as a movie screen!"

Zhang Yimou exclaimed: "And a dynamic, three-dimensional screen at that!"

"I saw 'Aftershock' at your 4K cinema in the World Trade Center; the shock of the visuals was astonishing. I think it can definitely be grafted onto the scroll on-site!"

Old Cai was a fireworks master, but he wasn't particularly expert in these flat visual arts. Hearing this, he laughed: "You two great film directors want to shoot a movie in the Bird's Nest for billions of people around the world to watch!"

Everyone in the conference room burst into laughter, and the atmosphere naturally transitioned from the previous tension to harmonious collaboration.

Chen Weiya let out a long sigh, and when he looked up again, he was smiling: "I agree with Director Lu's creative idea. This has already exceeded the flat visual effect of a movie; it's like putting on a 3D show on-site. It is very worth considering and digging deeper into the effects."

Zhang Jigang also nodded with a solemn expression: "Whether it's visual impact, artistic appeal, or watchability, the scroll is much better than an ordinary stage."

He looked bitterly at the calm young director: "Director Lu, I agree with the plan."

The lively Ma Wen was the first to stand up and applaud, and everyone excitedly echoed her.

This could be considered the biggest achievement of the creative group today, and it is believed that it will eventually be recorded in the annals of Olympic history.

Zhang Yimou also looked with relief at this graceful exit by his two old partners.

He knew that neither Chen Weiya nor Zhang Jigang had bad intentions or were determined to destroy anyone; it was just that they couldn't get over this hurdle in their hearts for a moment.

But to be honest, during the silent confrontation in the conference room just now, he was actually worried about these two old acquaintances.

You guys really...

Don't provoke this kid, no matter who you provoke!

(End of chapter)