Chapter 326: Saving Private Laomouzi

Hengdian, Zhejiang Province, Ming and Qing Palace Scenic Area.

This is the main filming location for "Curse of the Golden Flower" in Hengdian, and also the most expensive and largest scenic area in Hengdian World Studios.

Lu Kuan and Zhang Yimou stood together smoking and chatting; within their line of sight was a circular building 12 meters high and 28 meters in diameter, resembling the Temple of Heaven in Beiping.

The staircase, over 20 meters long, connecting it to the Hall of Supreme Harmony square, had also been completed, with the exterior of all structures decorated with golden chrysanthemum patterns.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony square was planted with hundreds of thousands of silk chrysanthemums, forming a vast, magnificent sea of flowers.

"Xiao Lu, you have always had extremely high standards for film sets; what do you think of this place?"

Zhang Yimou looked full of longing, infatuated with the grand scene he had arranged, wishing he could start filming this climactic sequence right now.

"Just think, when the time comes, the golden roof, golden pillars, and red walls will be exceptionally striking under the sunlight, and the sea of 600,000 chrysanthemums covering the square will be filled with blood and carnage, the setting sun like blood, the earth vast..."

"At that time, Zhou Jielun will lead tens of thousands of soldiers in golden armor to fight here against the silver-armored warriors of Zhou Runfa, and the 24 arrow holes on the bronze chariots will whistle with volleys of arrows..."

Boss Lu smiled and interrupted him: "Director Zhang, stop talking, you've got me itching to do it; I wish I could resign as chief director right now to go film a movie!"

"Hahahaha!" Zhang Yimou laughed upon hearing this; film fanatics like them understood each other best.

It was true that if they didn't touch the director's chair for a few days, they would feel restless, hoping to immediately set up a formation to try out a good inspiration or shot.

As time entered April, the twenty-plus members of the Olympic creative team followed Zhang Yimou's "Golden Flower" crew from Beiping to Hengdian, and then on to Wulong.

Zhang Yimou took Lu Kuan's advice and set up a meeting tent near the film set, ensuring he could film and discuss work without neglecting either.

"Looking at the current progress, 'Golden Flower' is expected to wrap up at the end of July, at which point the creative team will follow you to Jinling."

The young director nodded: "I spoke with Huo Tingxiao yesterday; the current progress of scene restoration and construction is normal. Tang Mu and Zhu Li are receiving professional training from our crew abroad, and Liu Xiao is also making intensive preparations."

"To be honest, I'm feeling a bit of 'fear of returning home' right now; the pressure is immense!"

Zhang Yimou's expression grew more solemn: "High pressure is inevitable."

"The day you held the project launch press conference in Jinling, Spielberg even told me he advised you to wait until you were over forty to film it."

"Even with his 'Schindler's List' being so thoroughly prepared, he still almost gave up halfway; the emotions and significance this film carries are too heavy."

"If it's filmed well, calling it a national hero wouldn't be an exaggeration, but if something goes wrong..."

Boss Lu exhaled a puff of smoke: "Yes, he told me that, and I have considered it carefully."

"But I want to use the Olympics and the large-scale scene coordination and circular narrative structure from this 'Sky of History' to make some breakthroughs and attempts."

"Bergman also told me that an artist only has works full of emotion when they are rooted in national culture and national sentiment."

"I think, when it comes to emotional immersion in various events of modern history, nothing makes us countrymen feel more indignant and tearful than the Jinling Massacre."

There was another reason he certainly couldn't mention, which was to save Zhang Chunru, who committed suicide in the original timeline in 2004.

Zhang Yimou didn't speak again; he believed in the level and attainments of this junior fellow student of his, and patted him heavily on the shoulder twice—this was encouragement from a senior friend.

As the two talked, the artists of the Olympic creative team gathered around, all full of praise for the grand and aesthetic scene.

Zhang Yimou playfully sang a segment of the Qinqiang opera "Visiting the West Lake: Ghost Grievance" in front of the sea of flowers.

The unique rhythmic patterns of Qinqiang made the melody both melodious and winding, like weeping and complaining, while also having passages where the emotions gradually became impassioned and strongly lyrical.

This improvisation by Zhang Yimou actually looked quite convincing!

Everyone laughed and took out their phones to record, treating it as a way to relieve stress from the increasingly heavy work on the Olympic proposal.

Zhang Yimou's personality was actually very cheerful, which could be seen in his later documentary "Zhang Yimou's 2008."

When the creative team encountered obstacles and hesitated, or when certain proposals were repeatedly criticized by leaders and everyone's morale was low, he was usually the one to take the initiative to adjust the atmosphere.

For example, just now during the discussion, upon learning that the budget had been cut again, everyone on the creative team looked gloomy, which was why Boss Lu and Zhang Yimou came out under the pretext of smoking to discuss countermeasures.

Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya also walked over to greet them, both nodding and smiling at Boss Lu.

After spending this time together, to say that Lu Kuan had truly shocked them into submission, making these two high-level artists within the system bow down, would be bragging.

But in daily work, whether it was the big picture, aesthetic attainments, or the use of high-tech means, these two dance troupe leaders, who were not easily convinced, found it hard to pick out any faults or omissions in him.

In short, relations on the surface had normalized.

Lu Kuan suddenly smiled: "Director Zhang, your Qinqiang is quite good, but I heard that Troupe Leader Chen Weiya is also quite skilled at recitation?"

"Troupe Leader Chen, would you like to show everyone?"

The crowd chimed in: "Give us a performance!"

"Weiya, give us one!"

Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya could both see that this was the young director actively extending goodwill, and they couldn't afford to be the ones who didn't know the gravity of the situation, otherwise they would be looked down upon.

"Alright, borrowing Director Zhang's venue and at the invitation of Director Lu, I will make a fool of myself."

Chen Weiya graduated from the choreography department of the Beijing Dance Academy and had been in the art industry for decades; his powerful and resonant recitation was well-known in the industry.

Pulled onto the chrysanthemum stage by Zhang Yimou, with the sea of silk flowers before him, he couldn't help but blurt out:

When autumn comes on the ninth day of the ninth month, my flowers will bloom and all others will die.

The sky-piercing fragrance will reach Chang'an, and the whole city will be covered in golden armor.

"Good!"

"Full of spirit!"

"The Central Song and Dance Troupe is indeed the Central Song and Dance Troupe; such emotional expression and infectious power!"

Everyone applauded and cheered, finally diluting the oppressive atmosphere in the tent just now.

Zhang Yimou and Boss Lu exchanged a glance and smiled tacitly.

People within the system like Chen Weiya and Zhang Jigang had their deep thoughts, but they also possessed the uninhibited and spontaneous nature of artists.

During the first meeting, Boss Lu first used the righteousness of the nation to suppress them, and in daily life, he treated them like coaxing children, feeding them little sugar cubes every now and then, praising them a little to satisfy their vanity and self-esteem.

Arrogance and prejudice were often dissolved in this way, and it even made you have to admire the person's methods.

Zhang Yimou sighed inwardly; no wonder Zhang Weiping always told him that this junior fellow student of his from the Beijing Film Academy had a depth of character deeper than the Mariana Trench!

The "Golden Flower" crew's assistant director Cheng Xiaodong took everyone to film the supporting roles, and the creative team returned to the tent to continue the previous discussion.

Boss Lu presided over the discussion, signaling everyone to look through the materials in their hands.

"Regarding the budget, Director Zhang and I just called Director Zhang Heping again; there is currently no room for negotiation."

"Not to mention the budget for our opening and closing ceremonies, even the original 4 billion budget for the Bird's Nest has now been cut to less than 2.4 billion, and the sliding roof for the opening ceremony that everyone was looking forward to has also been cut, which shows that the higher-ups have made up their minds."

"Everyone needs to have a sense of scale; Athens' budget was 81 million euros, equivalent to 900 million yuan. The Beiping Olympic Organizing Committee promised us that the budget would not exceed Athens, tentatively set at around 820 million, and we must accept it."

Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya looked at each other; compared to Chinese artists from New York like Ma Wen and Cai Guoqiang, they knew better that within the system, what is said is final.

This wasn't a case where you could just write a report to the higher-ups for money because you had a good idea.

Increasing the budget required the final signature and approval of the leaders; who would go ask for it? You?

Zhang Yimou sang along: "Comrades, don't be discouraged; it's just like filming a movie—1 billion has a way of being filmed, and 800 million has a way of being filmed."

"At worst, don't we have the richest man in the mainland in our creative team? He's so good at doing business, we'll just ask our Director Lu to go bargain with those suppliers!"

Ma Wen was the most lively, clapping and laughing: "That's why they say the leaders are far-sighted; they sent us a chief director known as the best businessman in China, and it turns out they had already thought of this!"

Liu Heng was a veteran screenwriter and was also familiar with Boss Lu, so he joked: "Wherever there are poisonous snakes, there must be an antidote within seven steps; that is the principle."

Cai Guoqiang was amused: "That's right, Director Lu Kuan is our antidote."

Boss Lu smiled and pointed at Ma Wen; this visual artist from New York was the life of the crew, and she was the one who could joke the most in daily life.

With this bit of banter, the atmosphere of the creative team relaxed.

"Director Zhang, everyone, I think the budget figure is not something that cannot be disclosed to the media; what do you think?"

Lu Kuan's intention was simple: to relieve everyone's pressure.

"From the success of the Olympic bid until now, there has been a misleading fallacy both at home and abroad that we are engaging in massive construction and extravagance for the Olympics, and covering up the truth to create the illusion of all nations coming to pay homage."

"When I was interviewed in the United States in February, a foreign reporter even asked how we planned to spend the 10 billion Olympic budget; it was simply ridiculous!"

Everyone smiled, but they all knew this was the truth.

Whether it was Western hostile forces or paid public intellectuals at home, there were plenty of people setting the narrative.

"Don't underestimate the international public opinion war; as the Olympic Games approach, all kinds of absurd rhetoric will become rampant."

"If our Olympic opening and closing ceremonies are a great success, they will say it was all piled up with money, using taxpayers' hard-earned money to satisfy the surface vanity of a donkey's dung."

"If the effect is mediocre, then there will be even more pretexts for criticism."

"Anyway, we are dancing in shackles now; as long as the organization agrees, disclosing a rough range of the budget to the outside world will be beneficial for our work. What do you think?"

The various press releases in later generations were simply showing the bottom line; during the London Olympics, they boasted that it was much more elegant and atmospheric than Beiping, with a budget only a fraction of Beiping's, and then they brought up the old story again in Rio in 2016.

But in fact, according to the Olympic financial data released by the National Audit Office in 2009, the four opening and closing ceremonies of the Beiping Olympics and Paralympics cost a total of only 831 million yuan.

If you don't promote some things yourself, don't blame others for labeling you.

Just like when Deng Wendi wanted to use photos to smear him, if you wait until the dirty water is on you to wash it off, it's very likely that the mud will end up in your pants.

Lu Kuan's suggestion resonated widely, and everyone discussed it animatedly.

In fact, no one felt that the money was particularly tight; they just couldn't accept the future possibility of outsiders questioning them for spending over 10 billion to pull this off.

Over 10 billion—that would be enough to pave the Bird's Nest with gold bricks; how absurd.

"I agree!"

"I agree too!"

"It should be published to accept social supervision; it's no big deal."

Boss Lu's proposal was passed unanimously, and the clouds of doubt regarding the budget vanished, with everyone accepting the reality of dancing in shackles.

In fact, everyone present, whether they were directors, dance troupe leaders, artists, or designers, had to consider the budget in their daily work.

It was just that at the beginning, they thought this was a centennial Olympic event and a national grand occasion, so the budget should be extremely sufficient.

Not to mention being able to do whatever they wanted, at least they should have been well-prepared.

It was just that the country was obviously considering sustainable development, and couldn't just focus on surface appearances, leaving behind a pile of bad debts and messes after the Olympics, which would have a very bad impact.

With the mental burden lifted, the subsequent creative discussion for the art performance went relatively smoothly.

Just like they had done over the past month, everyone began a frantic brainstorming session.

Propose creative concepts, consider feasibility, and pass the filing.

Three days later, completely rejected, tear it down and start over...

It can be said that, apart from the scroll and reel concept Lu Kuan proposed at the first meeting to carry and connect the entire show, no other creative idea or thought has survived for more than three days to date.

A program that everyone dances around like madmen to pass unanimously and raves about today might be discarded like worn-out shoes the moment they wake up the next day.

At 6:30 in the evening, at the Hengdian Dongci Building, Jiang Zhiqiang, on behalf of the production crew, invited the members of the Olympic creative group and the main cast to dinner.

Dongci is the first four-star tourist hotel in Dongyang, with decor that is solemn, elegant, exquisite, and luxurious; it is one of the few decent places to eat in Hengdian right now.

Of course, this has nothing to do with how the food tastes; for adults, dining is mainly a matter of status.

The "Curse of the Golden Flower" crew set up twelve tables in the main hall, and there was a large round table in a private room that could accommodate over twenty people, reserved for the creative group and the lead actors.

As soon as Jiang Zhiqiang arrived, he pulled Lu Kuan aside to chat.

"Director Lu, congratulations on 'Tangshan' winning Best Visual Effects."

Lu Kuan smiled and teased: "Not worth mentioning. I should be congratulating Boss Jiang on winning the Oscar for Best Director instead."

Jiang Zhiqiang was stunned for a moment, then realized that the Best Director he was referring to was Li An, and "Lust, Caution" was primarily invested in by Edko Films.

He laughed heartily: "I heard from Li An that he was lectured by you at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. He is someone who ignores everything outside his window; other than filming, everything else is handled by his wife."

"Don't blame him; he didn't know about your relationship with Miss Liu."

Boss Lu chuckled and said nothing; of course, there was no need to explain his relationship with Liu Yifei, as this served as a protective camouflage for her.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Jiang Zhiqiang got to the point: "Director Lu, what do you think of the future market performance of 'Curse of the Golden Flower'?"

Just like Li An, old Jiang had come to seek wisdom.

It was just that Li An asked about the way of art, while Jiang Zhiqiang asked about the way of making money. Lu Kuan was puzzled: "'Curse of the Golden Flower' has something to do with you, old Jiang? Isn't it a New Pictures project?"

This he truly did not know.

Since arriving in Hengdian, Zhang Weiping had been the one handling everything from top to bottom, and this was the first time he had seen Jiang Zhiqiang.

"No, 'Curse of the Golden Flower' is primarily invested in by Edko Films, it's just that the mainland distribution was handed over to New Pictures."

Boss Lu found this even stranger: "What distribution capability does New Pictures have? Aren't you just handing food to Zhang Weiping on a silver platter?"

Jiang Zhiqiang glanced at Zhang Weiping, who was chatting and laughing with Zhang Yimou not far away, and let out a long sigh.

"Yimou... trusts Zhang Weiping very much. As long as it is his film, it must involve New Pictures, and they must be the production and distribution party."

"As for whether he has distribution capabilities, Zhang Weiping won't be too reckless; he will also subcontract it out."

Boss Lu smiled and shook his head; Zhang Yimou was truly being eaten alive by this Zhang Weiping.

In fact, not just "Curse of the Golden Flower," many of Zhang Yimou's films operate in this mode.

Zhang Weiping uses his popularity and influence to pull in investment, takes a stake in the operation himself, must be listed first on the domestic production list, and also holds the distribution rights.

The reason for this involves some past events.

Zhang Weiping is indeed a man who is wealthy and good at business; Zhang Yimou can partner with him and not worry about anything, focusing solely on artistic creation.

His wife's work, his children's schooling, the care of his elders, and the daily social obligations are all arranged perfectly by Zhang Weiping.

Furthermore, during the preparation for "Keep Cool" in 1996, friction grew between the great director and the first-generation 'Yimou Girl' due to emotional issues, eventually leading to an unhappy parting.

Gong Li then resolutely withdrew from "Keep Cool," and the investors also decided to withdraw their capital due to her departure and other reasons.

A series of negative news hit Zhang Yimou, who was already a failure in both his career and his love life, leaving him dejected.

Zhang Weiping offered help in a time of need, pausing two of his own real estate projects to invest 26 million, but due to improper operation, it eventually lost over 18 million.

Zhang Yimou felt very guilty about this and swore to help him earn back the losses. Zhang Weiping also took the opportunity to enter the film industry on a large scale, injecting 10 million to establish New Pictures.

From then on, the two began an even closer cooperation, which has continued to this day.

Therefore, Jiang Zhiqiang's helplessness is actually the helplessness of many investors who intend to invest in Zhang Yimou.

Zhang Yimou is quite loyal and righteous in this regard; "Keep Cool" is his Achilles' heel.

Jiang Zhiqiang asked for his evaluation and expectations of "Curse of the Golden Flower," but Boss Lu intentionally avoided talking about it, knowing it would be useless.

But Jiang Zhiqiang persisted: "Director Lu, we are so familiar with each other, and you have such a good relationship with Yimou, wouldn't it be fine to talk about your views?"

Lu Kuan was helpless: "'Curse of the Golden Flower' is just an art film packaged as a commercial film. You plan to release it during the New Year period and Christmas Eve; many of the viewers will be couples on dates."

"And you, of all things, have the film end with lovers turning out to be siblings; that is too depressing."

"Zhou Xingchi was the King of Comedy in the nineties; it can be said that the last fig leaf of Xiangjiang was his 'Shaolin Soccer' and Media Asia's 'Infernal Affairs'."

"But what about 'A Chinese Odyssey'? What about 'Out of the Dark'? 'A Chinese Odyssey' directly caused the Taiwan film distributors to jump off buildings; it's the same logic!"

The young director used himself as an example: "For this year's 'Tangshan', the preliminary work was almost done to the extreme, yet the first-day box office was only over 18 million; everyone in the company was desperate."

"If it weren't for the audience spillover from the collapse of 'The Promise' later, and the marketing roadshows in North America, no one would know what the result would have been."

In fact, just like in web novels, depression and abusing the protagonist are the patents of famous authors; the film market is the same.

Works with a depressing tone are not mainstream and cannot capture the largest traffic.

The producer of "Million Dollar Baby," which won an Oscar two years ago, who was also the producer of "The Godfather," ran all over Hollywood to pull in investment, but not a single company offered an olive branch.

It was just because of the film's subject matter.

Later, the producer exhausted all his efforts, emphasizing that it was directed by Eastwood and starred Morgan Freeman, only then did he get investment at the Cannes Film Festival and secure it through pre-sales after completion guarantees.

Even though "Million Dollar Baby" eventually won an Oscar and Eastwood himself won Best Director, if such an opportunity were placed in front of the Big Six again, they would still refuse to invest.

"Curse of the Golden Flower" is undoubtedly such a subject.

With a total investment of 350 million RMB, a domestic box office of 291 million, and a global total of around 612 million, based on a rough revenue-sharing ratio of about 35%, the overall loss is nearly 140 million.

Of course, this is a judgment based solely on box office figures.

Jiang Zhiqiang sighed deeply, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Is there any way?"

Jiang Zhiqiang regretted asking this question; it had already been filming for over a month, what could possibly be done?

However, he felt that Boss Lu had a unique eye for the art and marketing of films, so he just asked out of reluctance.

Lu Kuan was also a bit hesitant; in fact, there really was a way.

Change the script.

Without changing the main plot, making some commercial modifications to the script—the results might not be outstanding, but at least it could be considered a qualified commercial film.

"How about this, old Jiang." The young director deliberated: "You go and talk to Director Yimou, just tell him what I just said, but don't mention me."

Jiang Zhiqiang looked at him in disbelief, his face showing joy: "Director Lu, this..."

"Given my relationship with Director Yimou, if I can help him with a simple effort, I certainly won't be stingy with my words."

"But every director has their own artistic pursuits and creative habits. Even if I have good intentions, I cannot directly interfere; that's not how things are done."

Boss Lu smiled: "Old Jiang, this matter still depends on you. If Director Zhang is willing, I will offer some suggestions, and you can deliberate on them."

"Good, good, good!" Jiang Zhiqiang was overjoyed, holding the young director's hand tightly: "Director Lu, if you have any need in the future, I am at your command!"

"Oh! No need, why be so polite."

Is that what you said?

Boss Lu is not usually a meddlesome person, but seeing Zhang Yimou heading for a certain failure in front of him, given their relationship, he wouldn't be stingy about lending a hand.

You stand on the bridge watching the scenery, and the person watching the scenery is also watching you from the bridge.

Old Jiang and Lu Kuan were talking about Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping, while Zhang Weiping and his old partner were also talking about him not far away.

"Yimou, it's a real pity. If it weren't for Lu Kuan, you would be the sole director. By then, with 'Curse of the Golden Flower' hyped up under this name, it would definitely have exploded."

"Don't say that. Xiao Lu being the chief director is well-deserved; don't say this again in the future."

Boss Lu was thinking about helping Zhang Yimou, and this senior brother of his from the Beijing Film Academy was also leaning towards him in his heart; it could be considered a two-way journey.

Zhang Weiping knew he was a 'good guy' and felt he was speaking up for his junior brother, but he refused to admit defeat: "You just suffer from being too dull; you don't know how to show off or hype things up."

"Look at that guy, the richest man in the mainland. He went around North America under the guise of selling a video website, and everywhere he went, he talked about the Olympics, Chinese culture, and faith. How could the leaders not like that?"

"I think saying he is the best businessman among directors is an understatement; this kid would also be a master at navigating officialdom!"

Zhang Yimou looked at his old partner with a somewhat stern expression: "Hey, do you think I'm joking with you?"

"Do you know what the leaders said during the talks?"

"If it weren't for the fact that the final ignition plan for the opening ceremony was too bold and lost points due to technical issues, Lu Kuan's plan would have been the undisputed first."

"Although the leader didn't say it explicitly, I could tell that if it weren't for his young age and lack of seniority, for fear that he wouldn't be able to convince the masses and affect work, maybe I wouldn't even have had a turn at this chief director position..."

Zhang Weiping was shocked: "Really? You are Zhang Yimou! What does he have to rely on?"

"What does he have? He hasn't won fewer awards than me, his artistic attainments are no lower than mine, and his international influence goes without saying."

Zhang Yimou smiled bitterly: "Actually, just from the contact over these two months, I think the leaders were overthinking it."

"Look at Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya; regardless of their major general ranks or department-level status, do they dare to get angry in his face now?"

"Saying they are convinced might not be entirely true, but on the surface, they are obedient."

"I really don't know where he gets so many methods at such a young age."

Zhang Weiping gave a heavy snort; no matter how much Zhang Yimou valued him, it was not pleasant to have his money-making and hype-building affected.

When he gets angry, this guy is someone who even dares to scold the industry hegemon Han Shanping; he can be considered a reckless person.

As the two were chatting, they saw Jiang Zhiqiang walking over.

"Yimou, old Zhang, you've been working hard lately."

Zhang Weiping smiled: "Chairman Jiang, what are you saying? It's just everyone working diligently together on a career, how can we talk about hard work."

Jiang Zhiqiang sneered in his heart; you are the one clinging to Zhang Yimou, working diligently to suck his blood.

"Yimou, I came today because I want to talk to you and old Zhang about the film again."

Zhang Yimou looked at him in surprise: "Okay, please go ahead."

"It's like this..." Jiang Zhiqiang glanced at the calm Zhang Weiping and laid out all the arguments and evidence from the young director earlier.

The two Zhangs frowned, wanting to refute but not knowing what to say.

If it were any other matter, Zhang Weiping would definitely have pushed back immediately; even if you are the investor, so what?

But these words sounded...

They actually made some sense! Who doesn't want to make more money?

In order to create hype and cater to the vulgar viewing demands of the market, he, Zhang Weiping, had even demanded that more detailed incestuous scenes between the prince and Gong Li be added to *Curse of the Golden Flower*.

This included the bed scenes between Bale and Ni Ni in the later *The Flowers of War*.

Therefore, these words from Jiang Zhiqiang also gave him pause for thought.

Zhang Yimou actually wasn't oblivious; he was just conflicted.

As mentioned earlier regarding a director's ability for self-reflection, Zhang Yimou is naturally a director with unique attainments in aesthetics and art.

So why would there still be so many terrible films or works with poor reputations?

Sometimes it is the fault of the investors, such as with *The Great Wall* and *A Simple Noodle Story*, and sometimes it is because he hasn't thought things through himself, failing to strike the right balance between artistic pursuit and market taste.

*Curse of the Golden Flower* is just such a work.

In terms of storytelling, since it was adapted on the basis of *Thunderstorm*, the work itself is superior to *Hero* and *House of Flying Daggers*.

It’s just that audiences with an entertainment-seeking mindset find it truly headache-inducing to watch spouses turning against each other, brothers feuding, fathers and sons killing one another, and siblings committing incest, so the reputation naturally couldn't be good.

Now that Jiang Zhiqiang, as an investor, has proposed hoping the work aligns as much as possible with market tastes to avoid poor box office and reputation, Zhang Yimou naturally has to consider it carefully.

He didn't give in too quickly: "Director Jiang, is there any way? Isn't it a bit late to make major changes now?"

"Yeah, Old Jiang, give us some ideas; Yimou will consider them carefully." Zhang Weiping was also getting impatient—this was all his money!

Jiang Zhiqiang spread his hands: "How would I have any ideas? But..."

He gestured with his chin toward Lu Kuan, who was greeting Gong Li: "How about we go talk to Mr. Lu?"

Before Zhang Yimou could speak, Zhang Weiping glared and refused; he naturally had to stand up for Zhang Yimou: "How can that work? Yimou is a director who has been famous for many years; how can he... with a junior..."

"Weiping!" Zhang Yimou looked at him with a serious expression: "Don't talk nonsense."

Zhang Yimou naturally didn't mind.

Not to mention Lu Kuan, with whom he had a deep relationship, as long as the advice was beneficial, there was nothing wrong with discussing artistic works.

Zhang Weiping sneered: "Director Jiang, our Yimou's script was crafted by the industry's top screenwriters, Wu Nan and Bian Zhihong, and has been revised four or five times."

"It's fine if you say we can have this Mr. Lu put in some effort on marketing and distribution, but the film has been shooting for two months; to say he could still have the ability to give it a makeover..."

"I don't believe it."

Jiang Zhiqiang felt disgusted looking at this boorish parasite; this boss of Anle Films was shrewd and naturally could see that Zhang Weiping was rough but calculating.

He had only invested a few million in the film and could still net a commission on distribution, so in the end, how much it earned didn't have much to do with him.

But Zhang Yimou was his living signboard for making money!

This prestige had to be maintained; how could he "humbly ask" a junior from the Beijing Film Academy?

Otherwise, he wouldn't have had such strong objections earlier to Mr. Lu serving as co-director with Zhang Yimou.

Zhang Yimou was his star product and had to be heavily promoted!

As for the impact on Zhang Yimou if the film flopped, there were ways to mitigate that; if Zhang Weiping had really cared so much about the reputation of Zhang Yimou's works, *A Simple Noodle Story* would never have been released in the future.

"Alright." Zhang Yimou didn't want these two to clash over this; it was just a matter of asking a question: "I'll ask Xiao Lu privately tomorrow; you two don't worry about it for now."

Jiang Zhiqiang nodded in satisfaction, knowing that Zhang Yimou was still reliable.

Zhang Weiping, however, was extremely unwilling, his eyes looking gloomily at Mr. Lu, whom he hated just as much, chatting and laughing with Gong Li not far away.

(End of chapter)