Chapter 59: Replacing Him (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Xie Tingfeng agitated, "I know everyone has had a very hard time these past two weeks; not only do we have to practice jazz drums, but we also have to deal with that Lu Kuan and accept his unreasonable arrangements."

Chen Guanxi and Yu Wenle were both stunned; the latter was fine, but the former’s anger toward Lu Kuan had been building for more than a day or two.

This tyrant on set gave no one face; stars of Xie Tingfeng’s caliber were treated with privilege everywhere else, but on the *Whiplash* set, their food, clothing, housing, and transportation were no different from ordinary actors.

What embarrassed them most was that Lu Kuan would often bluntly point out their acting mistakes, reminding them not to steal the camera or the scene, and not to focus only on showing off or highlighting themselves while neglecting the construction of the overall frame.

Even shooting a dozen or twenty takes for a single shot had become a daily routine.

In the end, it was the gap in industry status and the difference between the film industries of Xiangjiang and the mainland that prevented them from seeing things on equal footing, always feeling as if they were there to provide "technical poverty alleviation."

This could be seen from the incident only a year later in the future, when Xie Tingfeng and Zhang Weijian beat up Xiao Bailong.

Just imagine, if it were Wang Jiawei, known for his slow pace in filming, making them shoot dozens of takes, would they still be this bristled?

Under the law of the jungle, the weak are the prey of the strong; that is about all there is to it.

Seeing the faint look of resentment on his face, Xie Tingfeng said with a hypocritical air, "Frankly speaking, I am very optimistic about this script and story; otherwise, I wouldn't have accepted such low pay to work in the mainland at the start."

He quickly changed the subject: "It’s just that after such a long time in contact, I have developed doubts about Lu Kuan’s directing ability. He doesn't understand actors, doesn't understand acting, and there are even many places in the script that need revision."

Xie Tingfeng looked at Zhang Jianting: "On this point, Director Zhang and I hold the same opinion."

Zhang Jianting adjusted his glasses; in fact, he was the only one who found the script astonishing and coveted it, while Liu Ze and Xie Tingfeng were merely like-minded opponents.

"Correct, A-Zai is right; this script has major flaws."

Zhang Jianting began to analyze with conviction: "The teacher's solemn image is too dark, which will not work in the East Asian region."

"The East Asian region, whether it is Xiangjiang or the mainland, has been influenced by Confucianism for thousands of years, emphasizing respect for teachers and the Dao."

"The shaping of this image should be guided from the perspective of encouraging and educating the protagonist, rather than using such despicable methods to destroy the protagonist."

In Lu Kuan’s *Whiplash*, the climax of the entire film is when the band teacher, Zhuang Zhong, tricks the hopeful drummer, Xu Huan, into going on stage to perform, intentionally giving him the wrong sheet music.

He wants to completely destroy Xu Huan’s career in front of a crowd of socialites and music industry veterans as punishment for Xu Huan secretly reporting him for abusing students.

Chen Guanxi, Yu Wenle, and the others fell into deep thought; they were professional actors, too, and all had their own ways of thinking.

Impressions and opinions of Lu Kuan were one thing, but when it came to actual work, they had to make judgments from their own perspectives.

Zhang Jianting was a senior executive within the Emperor Group. Aside from nepotism, *The Medallion*, which he directed and produced, would be released next year—a 40-million-dollar blockbuster starring Fang Long and made in cooperation with Hollywood.

One was a Xiangjiang director and son-in-law of a big shot who had been famous in the industry for a long time.

The other was a ghost-playing Daoist priest who had never even attended university and came from a background of nothing.

Added to the three men’s consistent dissatisfaction with Lu Kuan, the outcome was self-evident.

"Director Zhang, you tell us what to do, and we will follow suit."

Liu Ze swirled the crimson wine in his glass, looking smug; Xiangjiang people really had the means.

He had figured it out this time: why must he go to that whatever-it-was Beijing Film Academy? He could just go abroad for a spin, hang a degree from USC or NYU’s directing department on his wall, and with capital paving the way, what could he not have?

But he had to pull out the nail that was Lu Kuan from his heart first—a thorn that had been festering since the day of the fourth audition, a source of humiliation!

Zhang Jianting smiled: "It’s very simple. You just need to stall him on set. Wait for the contract to be terminated, and this new film invested in by Young Master Liu will sign you again."

He planned to find another gold-medal screenwriter from Xiangjiang to give *Whiplash* a major overhaul according to his own ideas, completely changing its face.

You play jazz drums, I can play the piano or violin; all roads lead to the same destination.

Because the core of the story was diametrically opposed—Lu Kuan wrote about reflecting on the darkness of human nature, while he followed the path of a feel-good, chicken-soup-for-the-soul piece, so the risk of plagiarism was very small.

"But... we all signed for triple the liquidated damages. If we voluntarily withdraw from filming..."

Yu Wenle spoke for the first time today; he did not have the deep family background of Xie Tingfeng and Chen Guanxi, so he had to consider his own risks before participating in these conspiracies.

Zhang Jianting laughed loudly: "A-Le, you are standing on Young Master Liu’s turf right now, are you still afraid of this kind of thing?"

Liu Ze stood up to clink glasses with him, then immediately checked his watch: "Everyone wait a moment, he should be here soon."

Chen Guanxi and Yu Wenle were both a bit confused. There was someone else?

"Young Master Liu! Director Zhang! Great stars, I am late!"

The heavy door of the private room was suddenly pushed open, and the voice arrived before the person. The few of them looked closely and saw a man with a buzz cut, a fierce face, and a big belly barge in.

It was exactly that thief who had clashed with Lu Kuan at No. 88 Sanlitun, Zhang Tianshuo!

There is an old saying that good news doesn't leave the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles.

Such a "Godfather of Rock," who could be called a relic of the ancient era, was also very famous in the Xiangjiang circle.

Although Xie Tingfeng, Chen Guanxi, and the others did not often come to the mainland since their debuts, they had heard rumors that to hold a concert in Beiping, one had to first pay respects at the door of Master Zhang.

His role in this game was very clear: the black glove.

Liu Ze smiled: "This Lu Kuan is a petty man who got lucky. Not long ago, he offended our Master Zhang of Jingcheng, and even had the audacity to let it be known that Master Zhang was fated to have a disaster this year."

The second-generation Liu said righteously: "Master Zhang is a man of justice; this time, it can be considered acting on behalf of heaven to clear out such a pest from the mainland entertainment industry!"

Zhang Tianshuo chimed in at the right moment: "That’s right! This matter is one part personal grudge, one part public duty. Young Master Liu has already thought of a foolproof plan for you all, guaranteed to work!"

What kind of damn plan was it? It was nothing more than imitating the tactics of local thugs to harass the crew.

First thing in the morning, send a dozen or twenty old men and women to just sit on your set doing nothing; you couldn't move them, and you wouldn't dare push them.

Then have some burly men go and threaten the employees of the Qingying Factory, so that Lu Kuan’s film would be impossible to shoot.

Zhang Jianting smiled: "I have read your contracts, and one of the clauses is written like this."

"Except for force majeure, if the capital or production side causes the inability to carry out normal filming tasks for more than a week, and there is no obvious improvement, the actor has the right to unilaterally terminate the performance contract and receive reasonable remuneration according to the length of work."

Zhang Tianshuo patted his round belly triumphantly: "Forget a week, I’ll make it so he can’t start work for a year!"

(End of chapter)