Chapter 82: The Trade

Seeing him speak so directly, Liu Bei stopped hiding things: "Director Lu, it's our child, Ruoyun. He wants to learn some skills from you and stay with your crew for a while."

"If there's a role, as long as he can show his face and have an expression, it doesn't matter if it's for one second or one minute, just let him experience it."

Upon hearing this, Lu Kuan glanced at Zhang Ruoyun, who was eating his food in small bites to the side. The latter immediately wiped his mouth and sat upright, though his darting eyes betrayed his little secret of stealing glances at Lu Kuan.

"I am a director. If your son wants to learn acting, he can just take the exam for the Beijing Film Academy or the Central Academy of Drama in two years. Why come to me and ask the blind for directions?"

Lu Kuan refused with his mouth, but inwardly he sighed at these princes of the Beijing circle represented by Fan Xian, who were truly born in Rome.

In the 2017 "Hu Run Original Literature IP Value List" of later generations, the works *Nightfall*, *Fighter of the Destiny*, and *Joy of Life* by the Qidian author Mao Ni were all on the list.

Two of these three dramas were carved up by the princes of the Beijing circle, among which Chen Kaige secured *Nightfall* for his son, Arthur.

The shareholder list of New Classics Media, the producer of this self-made drama, included Chen Kaige, and he also had a long-term director cooperation agreement with New Classics. Later, China Literature, a subsidiary of Tencent, acquired New Classics in full.

Sounds a bit dizzying, right? In fact, going around in circles, everyone is one big family, lifting the sedan chair for each other.

And Zhang Ruoyun, who took away the other drama, *Joy of Life*, had started acting in TV series as early as 15.

15 years old—does that sound familiar? It seems like the same starting point as our little Liu, but actually...

The TV series he appeared in at 15 was called *The Promise of the Sea*. His father was the screenwriter, the producer was Wu Xiubo, and the leads included Chen Xiaodong, Li Bingbing, and Gao Yuanyuan.

It is worth mentioning that the later-banned Wu Xiubo and Zhang Ruoyun's stepmother, Liu Bei, were both children who came out of the diplomatic compound in those years.

In short, this group of people all have you in me and me in you. Today I helped you, and later, when it comes to my child, you will definitely have to take care of them too.

A circle is just a circle, that's how it is.

Returning to Lu Kuan's current situation, a tentacle of the Beijing circle background had extended an olive branch to him, and the people in the Beijing circle were all observing this young director who seemed to have suddenly appeared in everyone's field of vision.

Seeing Lu Kuan refuse directly, Liu Bei tried to persuade him with kind words again: "Director Lu, we have inquired about your affairs. I am also an actor, and to speak without false modesty, I have also won the Golden Eagle Award and the Hundred Flowers Award. I know best the importance of a good teacher."

"We have all asked Old Feng. You have trained two actors who only had a rough understanding of acting exceptionally well in the crew, and even Feng Yuanzheng has improved under you."

Liu Yifei's *The Noble Family* aired on CCTV in March 2003, and *Whiplash* would definitely be released within the year.

Audiences who don't know the inside story might wonder, how did Liu Yifei go back after acting? The later TV series wasn't as outstanding as the previous movie.

"Little Zhang should only be fifteen this year. Is he not going to school?"

Liu Bei smiled: "Isn't summer vacation coming soon? Besides, as you said, he can just take the exam for a performance school according to his own wishes. It's nothing."

Lu Kuan pondered for a while and said: "How about this, Ms. Liu. Little Zhang can stay with my crew, but don't you worry about how he's taught."

"As for the adaptation rights of *Chinese Paladin* in Yongyule's hands, the price should be what it should be. How about that?"

Liu Bei understood his meaning. This was wanting to keep things separate, so they wouldn't owe each other favors.

Lu Kuan subconsciously didn't want to get too entangled with the Beijing circle. There were many factions in the literary and art circle, and once you were tainted by cause and effect, there was no guarantee you wouldn't be constrained in everything you did.

"Fine, Director Lu, then I'll trouble you. The child will come to report to you this afternoon."

Liu Bei thought she couldn't ask for too much, so she would just leave it at that for now.

Lu Kuan had no more words and rose to take his leave.

Liu Bei politely saw him to the door and immediately called Zhang Jian: "Old Zhang, I've done my best this time. We're divorced, and I didn't delay our son's affairs. I've been decent enough, right? Unlike you!"

Zhang Jian laughed on the other end of the phone: "Alright, Son, I'll remember your kindness, okay? Stop picking on me all the time."

The emotional line between these two was also quite tortuous. Liu Bei was Zhang Jian's second wife.

At the end of 2002, the two divorced again. Liu Bei married Zhang Li, the director of *Young Marshal*, which starred Wen Zhang. Later, a third party intervened, and the two divorced.

In 2004, Liu Bei married for the third time, eating the "returned grass," and it was still with Zhang Jian...

Thus, she became Zhang Ruoyun's second-round stepmother.

This woman, who was said to have undergone eye surgery without anesthesia, truly had a tough personality. It was no longer so strange that she could come straight to Lu Kuan's door today to get things done.

Lu Kuan called Sun Wenwen and asked her to directly find the contact person provided by Liu Bei to handle the *Chinese Paladin* adaptation rights.

It was at this time that everyone didn't realize the value of IP; otherwise, who would be willing to let go of this golden mountain held in their hands? It was precisely starting from this *Chinese Paladin* that a new genre appeared in the domestic TV series field—Xianxia dramas.

When Lu Kuan arrived at the set after his lunch break, Zhang Ruoyun was already playing around behind Zhou Jielun like a little tail, making it hard for Lu Kuan not to suspect he was here to chase a star.

Lu Kuan picked up the walkie-talkie: "Colleagues, a new intern has joined the crew. Everyone, meet him. Later, just keep busy with your own work; don't worry about him."

He then handed the walkie-talkie to Zhang Ruoyun, signaling him to introduce himself.

This child might really have a bit of social butterfly syndrome. He smiled and bowed to everyone: "Hello, uncles and aunts, my name is Zhang Ruoyun. It's an honor to be able to..."

"Alright, you go to the side and watch first. Watch for the afternoon and then we'll see."

The inaugural speech of the Kyoto Inspection Institute's official was interrupted, and he was quite depressed.

Lu Kuan said to the cinematographer: "Ning Hao, you keep an eye on it first. I'll be over in a moment."

"Okay, Director."

Lu Kuan led Zhang Ruoyun to find Huang Bo, who was waiting for his scene, and introduced them to each other.

"Old Huang, this is the child of a friend of mine. You coach him on the basics. Later, when Teacher Feng is performing, you explain the ropes to him."

He then instructed Zhang Ruoyun, who was looking around: "Little Zhang, this is Senior Brother Huang from the Beijing Film Academy. Watch carefully and learn earnestly."

"I'll give you a week. If it works, I'll give you a role. If not, you can go home. Deal?"

In *Whiplash*, there were plenty of roles for bar waiters and background actors showing their faces in the audience when the protagonist Xu Huan was performing. This trade had no impact on him at all.

Zhang Ruoyun looked somewhat unconvinced, but seeing Lu Kuan acting like a local tyrant on the set and not being very polite to his stepmother, he could only droop his head and agree first.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 83 =====