Chapter 122: The Enchanting Beauty and Her Troubles
It wasn't just a few investors in China who questioned the casting of the thieves.
Even several authoritative Hollywood media outlets were not optimistic about the casting of the thieves.
Besides Charlize Theron, the biggest stars were Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Li Xuejian and Monica Bellucci.
However, there wasn't a single male star who could guarantee box office success in Hollywood.
The industry was unanimously bearish on the thieves, and Shaye of New Line Cinema, who didn't get the distribution rights, was naturally gloating.
But Richard of Warner Brothers, the distributor, was optimistic about the film.
He had read the script, found it very appealing, and Li Chen was The Golden Palm director who had surprised people many times before.
On the domestic front, Liu Yifei's Little Dragon Girl finally met the audience.
"The Return of the Condor Heroes Premieres Nationwide, Liu Yifei and Huang Xiaoming Walk the Red Carpet."
"The Return of the Condor Heroes Meet-and-Greet, Liu Yifei and Huang Xiaoming Lean on Each Other."
Early in the morning, The Return of the Condor Heroes was trending, and there were beautiful photos of Miss Liu everywhere, with all sorts of expressions.
Cute, playful, beautiful, and cool.
If it were in the future, she would probably be made into an emoji pack.
Especially one photo where she pouted with a peace sign, Li Chen felt like she was deliberately doing it for him.
"Xixi, when I look at your peace sign, why do I feel so annoyed? Were you doing it on purpose?"
Li Chen put the phone on speaker and looked at Miss Liu's beautiful girl peace sign photo on the computer screen.
"What? Jealous? Xiao Ming Ge told me to tell you that he couldn't help himself! Haha."
"I'll deal with you when you get back!"
"Hmph, it's not certain who will deal with whom!"
Recalling Miss Liu's fair body, Li Chen felt a bit restless.
"Come back quickly! If you don't come back, Director Li is going to have an affair!"
On the other end of the phone, Liu Yifei covered her mouth and laughed: "An affair? You try it and let me see!"
"It seems next time I go to do surgery for my little darlings, I'll have to bring you along too!"
Even over the phone, Li Chen felt a chill between his legs: "Alright, Dragon Girl is indeed a ruthless character!"
While Li Chen was flirting with Miss Liu,
Yang Siwei had brought Fan Bingbing to her home.
Fan Bingbing lazily hugged a white cushion and sat on the sofa.
Her long hair was casually tied up, and her two long legs were crossed, with her fair skin subtly revealed between her ankles and short socks, which was quite alluring.
Yang Siwei sat opposite her, tossing an apple in her hand.
"Not bad, it seems you haven't been defeated by the rumors outside," Yang Siwei said with a smile.
"Don't even mention it, it's so annoying. Help me analyze, who exactly is trying to get me?"
Fan Bingbing threw away the cushion, leaned forward, and looked serious.
Yang Siwei still didn't take it seriously: "I can't guess that. Haven't you offended enough people with your EQ?"
"Last time, you and that person even offended a paparazzi just by eating hotpot. Who knows how stupid you usually are!"
Yang Siwei's words made Fan Bingbing even more agitated: "Don't mention him, we broke up!"
Yang Siwei didn't seem surprised: "I always thought you two weren't suitable. Why did you break up? Is it because he wasn't among the three men mentioned in that article?"
Fan Bingbing said helplessly: "No, don't talk about him. What do you think I should do?"
"You're asking the wrong person. Is your company just a decoration? That article has been out for days, and your company hasn't made a move."
Fan Bingbing got anxious: "I called you here to help me brainstorm, not to add to my troubles!"
Yang Siwei laughed: "Alright, alright, you're getting anxious, really."
"If you were my artist, I would have acted already. Even if I want to help you now, I can't use my company's resources."
"Liu Yifei isn't from your company either, but I see you're more invested than anyone else!"
Fan Bingbing couldn't help but retort.
Yang Siwei rolled her eyes at her before saying: "In my opinion, this matter is definitely not over."
"Little Boss Wang avoids suspicion by not responding, and you're not speaking up either. It's hard to guarantee that they won't make more moves later."
"Anyone with a discerning eye can see that they are targeting you."
"Ruby Lin, Zhu Yin, Lu Yi, Xiao Yanzi, those people are just extras. Who told you to be so popular these past two years!"
"This is called 'being popular attracts trouble'!"
It turned out that a few days ago, an actor claiming to be a second-tier artist in the industry exposed celebrity privacy on a certain forum.
He was particularly merciless towards Fan Bingbing, directly stating that Fan Bingbing's widespread popularity was entirely due to three men.
Netizens had never seen a real 'actor' expose industry insiders online.
Immediately, a swarm of people rushed in, and the click-through rate quickly exceeded 100,000 in a short time.
Especially the revelations about Fan Bingbing, which truly shocked everyone.
This second-tier actor said that Fan Bingbing was very familiar with unspoken rules.
She had a lot of 'insight' into investors and big bosses!
With the kind of bad scripts she took, yet she could rise to the level of a super-first-tier star, it was inseparable from the support of these three people!
Netizens began to speculate about who these three were.
Soon, Wang Zhonglei, Jia Yun, and Hong Jingbao were identified by netizens.
Ironically, her boyfriend, Wang Xuebing, was not mentioned by anyone.
"You're asking me for advice, but the problem is I can't control your company, so it's useless to say anything."
"Unless you are sure you really want to transfer to our company next year."
"Perhaps I can talk to my boss and use our company's resources to help you operate," Yang Siwei said with a smile.
"Go to your company and eat Liu Yifei's leftovers?" Fan Bingbing lowered her gaze and immediately retorted.
"Then I can't do anything. Xiao Fan, I need to remind you, some things are destined."
"If you insist on comparing yourself to Yifei, then you're just looking for trouble for yourself. The process is important, but the result is even more important!"
"Even with Yifei's presence, our company still has what you want to achieve."
"Look at the choice Zhou Xun made, think about it carefully."
"As for your current trouble, if you need me personally to speak up for you, I will not shirk my responsibility."
"But if you want me to use company resources to help you, then I'm afraid I can't help."
Fan Bingbing raised her eyes to look at Yang Siwei.
She hadn't expected that Siwei had seen through her intention of inviting her over today from the very beginning.
After seeing Yang Siwei off, Fan Bingbing fell onto the soft big bed in her bedroom, angrily hitting it hard.
"What's so bad about me compared to Liu Yifei? Why don't I meet a good person!"
"But Yang Siwei's words are also right. Maybe if I join Rongchen Film and Television, these backstabs will be less."
"At the very least, Rongchen Film and Television wouldn't play deaf and dumb."
Yang Siwei drove away from Fan Bingbing's apartment. After some thought, she still called her boss.
"Boss, I just came from Fan Bingbing's house. She seems to have other plans and might not come to us next year."
Yang Siwei hung up the phone. Her boss had simply replied, 'I know.' She thought about it, and indeed, Xiao Fan was just an artist in her boss's eyes.
Being popular or not wasn't important to her boss.
As long as they joined Rongchen Film and Television, being popular was commonplace.
After hanging up with Yang Siwei, Li Chen didn't take Fan Bingbing's matter to heart.
It was her choice whether to come or not. He wondered if she had contacted Mu Xiaoguang yet.
If she chose Mu Xiaoguang, then she was beyond saving.
He could only wish her good luck.
Back at the company, Yang Siwei called Tang Yan and Yang Mi.
She handed two copies of scripts to them.
Yang Mi received painted skin 2, and Tang Yan received genius gunner.
"Tangtang, this is your first time playing a female lead. Boss wants you to start practicing being left-handed and learning piano from today. This female lead not only plays the piano but is also a left-handed top student!"
Tang Yan smiled and hummed in agreement, her joy practically overflowing from the corners of her eyes.
Finally, she didn't have to play supporting roles anymore. First, she supported Zhou Xun, then Yifei, and now it was finally her turn to play the female lead.
"When can I play a female lead..." Yang Mi was very envious.
But getting painted skin 2 wasn't bad either.
"No need to ask, I'm replacing Tangtang as a supporting role for Sister Xun."
"That's enough, you. Playing a supporting role for a Venice Film Festival Best Actress, do you think every newcomer gets this opportunity?" Yang Siwei scolded with a smile.
"Remember, the script must be kept confidential."
Tang Yan and Yang Mi left the company and returned to their apartment together.
The two read through the scripts. Yang Mi suddenly said, "Tangtang, the male top student in this could totally be Jin Ge."
"I don't think that's a good idea, and we don't even know when it will be filmed, who the director is, or if it will conflict with the schedule of the thieves."
“Oh, that’s right, I forgot about the thieves. You really have a face that brings good fortune to your husband. How is Jin Ge’s soldiers sortie coming along? Have you visited the set yet?”
Tangtang shook her head, “How could I have time recently? I’m about to start promoting those years, and I still have my graduation thesis. I wish I could split myself in half.”
“That’s true, you and your senior are both graduating from university this year. Maybe this film of yours will be your senior’s graduation project.” Yang Mi blinked.
Yang Mi guessed wrong. Li Chen didn’t plan to direct genius gunner himself; he still designated Chen Jiasheng to direct it.
He took one painted skin from someone and returned two, Father’s Love Is Like A Mountain and genius gunner, so it was a fair exchange.
This was agreed upon by Xiang Huaqiang and Li Chen when Xiang Huaqiang came to the mainland at the end of last year.
Given the current situation in China, genius gunner would definitely not pass censorship.
Rather than that, it would be better to release it in Hong Kong, co-produced by China Star and Rongchen Film and Television.
Xiang Huaqiang didn't make any other requests at the time, only hoping for a role for his son.
Li Chen nodded in agreement. His son might be able to play the role of the rich second generation authentically.
As for Misjudgment 2 with Emperor Entertainment, Li Chen decided to put it on hold for now.
Since the morally ambiguous Boss Yang treated him like a fool,
there was no need for him to be sincere with him.
There were many people in Hong Kong lining up to cooperate with him.
Media Asia and Andy Lau’s Yingyi Entertainment were both candidates.
In Li Chen's eyes, among the people in Hong Kong, he only considered Andy Lau a friend.
Everyone else was either a business partner who could be replaced at any time or an artist he could collaborate with.
For no other reason than Andy Lau's New Asian Shooting Stars program, he deserved special attention.
Inside the Xiang family's villa in Hong Kong, Chen Jiasheng and Mr. and Mrs. Xiang Huaqiang sat opposite each other.
Chen Jiasheng read the script for genius gunner and was genuinely curious how Li Chen's mind worked.
Good scripts were like wholesale, one after another.
This genius gunner not only broke the traditional campus theme of romance but was also closely related to exams that everyone experiences. It might even be a huge hit.
What made him even more curious was that the other party seemed to think highly of him. father's love is like a mountain was specifically assigned to him to direct.
This genius gunner was also specifically assigned to him to direct.
“Xiang Sheng, I’ll take this film. I believe that when it’s made, it has a very good chance of winning Best Picture at next year’s Golden Horse Awards.”
“May I ask, have the roles been cast?”
Xiang Huaqiang didn't speak. Xiang Tai smiled and said, “The female lead is Tangtang, the second male lead is A Zuo. Director Li has cast the other roles, and we will announce them.”
“Jiasheng, if you have someone to recommend, you can also bring it up. I believe Director Li will still give me this much face.”
Xiang Huaqiang added.
Chen Jiasheng nodded. When filming father's love is like a mountain, he had a good impression of Tangtang.
Although her acting was still a bit green, she already had two box office hits, painted skin and father's love is like a mountain, under her belt.
He just didn't expect that Xiang Sheng couldn't even secure a male lead role for his son.
Xiang Huaqiang then remembered something else: “Jiasheng, I’m sorry about the Golden Horse Awards this time.”
“Xiang Sheng, what are you talking about? Election was also ‘what everyone wanted!’”
Xiang Huaqiang nodded, “Give Wen Jun a message, don’t cause trouble. I don’t want Director Li to be embarrassed at the Golden Horse Awards.”
Chen Jiasheng was startled, then quickly understood: “I will deliver Xiang Sheng’s message.”
After Chen Jiasheng left, Xiang Tai smiled and said, “Husband, you’re giving Li Chen so much face. I hope this young man appreciates it.”
Xiang Huaqiang frowned, “He’s a smart person. Not responding to Guan Jinpeng is quite impressive.”
“But I am very curious why he suddenly distanced himself from Emperor Entertainment. I heard Emperor Entertainment even sent him a box of Romanée-Conti, but it didn't improve his relationship with them.”
“Shall I call Hua Zai and ask him to find out?”
Xiang Huaqiang raised a hand, “No! There’s no need. The reason isn’t important. What’s important is that he’s currently distant from Emperor Entertainment and close to us. That’s enough.”
Although Xiang Huaqiang said that, privately, Xiang Tai still went her own way and called Andy Lau.
Since her husband cared so much about cooperating with the other party, she couldn't just let things be.
At least, she wanted Hua Zai to find out exactly what happened between Li Chen and Emperor Entertainment.
They could also avoid making the same mistakes as Emperor Entertainment in the future.
Xiang Tai really posed a difficult problem for Andy Lau. He wasn't a gossipy person to begin with.
How could he subtly inquire about this, but he also couldn't refuse Xiang Tai.
He could only agree to try when he met Li Chen.
What Yang Siwei said at Fan Bingbing's house that day came true.
That second-tier 'star' indeed had another trick up her sleeve.
The information that was exposed this time was nothing short of a powerful explosive.
Such as a fake boss paying 500,000 to keep Fan for half a year.
Fan being involved in prostitution, selling a night for 100,000 to a certain boss in Zhejiang.
And having an illegitimate child with a Hong Kong artist, abortions, plastic surgery, and so on.
It was all said with such detail, causing a huge uproar in the entertainment industry for a time.
Aside from the fake boss, who was the party involved, coming out to offer a reward for the arrest of this second-tier 'star,' Fan's mother also stood up to refute each scandal one by one.
Fan even directly stated her willingness to undergo a public appraisal by a plastic surgeon.
Many celebrities and artists also began to speak out for Fan on their blogs.
Among them was Yang Siwei, who could be said to be worth at least ten people on her own.
Although a few people had spoken out for Fan Bingbing before, they were truly the kind of industry insiders where you wouldn't even know who they were if they didn't speak out.
Like Miao Haizhong, who also appeared in Princess Pearl; even after acting in Princess Pearl, his standing up to support Xiao Fan was more eye-catching.
Yang Siwei's blog post was very skillful.
“The cost of online rumors is very low, and it’s very easy to destroy a person. Shamelessness and immorality are all it takes.”
“Nameless and faceless, not needing to show up, claiming to be a second-tier artist, maybe not even a person.”
“Just a dog taking money to do things. I strongly urge netizens not to believe or spread rumors.”
“Xiao Fan, keep it up, Sister Wei supports you!”
“The above represents only my personal opinion and has nothing to do with Rongchen Film and Television. My boss doesn't even know about this yet.”
Yang Siwei's fans were no less numerous than those of first-tier artists.
Once she made her stance clear, Wang Zhonglei of Huayi Brothers also had to make a statement.
First, he mandated all artists under his company, including Li Bingbing, to publicly support Xiao Fan on their blogs.
Then, he publicly announced to the media that they would pursue legal action to the end.
Liu Yifei, who had just finished promoting The Return of the Condor Heroes, was now nestled in Li Chen's arms.
The two were spending their time together, full of affection and tenderness.
Miss Liu rested her head on Li Chen's lap and actually fell asleep from exhaustion.
It wasn't until Li Chen's phone rang that he quickly answered, and Miss Liu still woke up.
Seeing her open her eyes, Li Chen smiled, “Siwei, you’d better give me a valid reason!”
Yang Siwei was stunned. Had she interrupted the boss’s good time again?
“It’s nothing, Boss. I just posted a blog entry, and I’m just giving you a heads-up.”
Li Chen grunted twice, “You already posted it, and now you’re telling me? What did you post this time?”
Miss Liu had already gotten up, rubbed her eyes, opened her laptop, and pointed with her finger.
Li Chen leaned in to look.
“Boss, you’ll know when you see it.”
“I’ve already seen it. It’s fine that you posted it. It’s not bad, at least there are no loopholes in the wording.”
“Haha, Boss, I’m a professional, how could I let anyone pick— ”
Before she could finish the word “faults,” Yang Siwei froze because she saw that her boss had actually reposted her blog entry.
Li Chen looked at Miss Liu beside him in surprise, feeling a bit speechless.
Miss Liu tossed her head proudly.
“B-boss, I didn’t see wrong, did I?”
Before Li Chen could speak, Miss Liu snatched the phone away.
“Siwei, you didn’t see wrong. I think you’re right, these people are really too bad.”
“Ha, so it was you, Yifei! I knew it, this isn’t my boss’s style! Sure enough, the one who can call the shots for the boss must be the boss’s wife.”
Yang Siwei hung up after saying that, patting her chest and thinking to herself that she had indeed disturbed the boss’s good time.
It’s rare and precious that Yifei can empathize!
The work is done, and updates will still be at 6 AM every day. Any changes will be announced in advance. Thank you for your votes. Recently, the number of continuous readers has dropped back to over two hundred, which I blame on my inconsistent updates.
