Chapter 1557
The Strongest
"Eight hundred million! Eight hundred million!"
"You could never spend it all in a lifetime!"
……
At this time in China, the crew of "Painted Skin 2" had already started their nth celebration banquet.
Although he, the male lead, didn't come, the banquet was never short of male leads!
Producer Pang Hong used a champagne knife to forcefully scrape the bottle of champagne, which cost several thousand yuan, and sprayed it onto the naked, swaying bodies of the young models around him.
Fame and fortune can drive people crazy, and at this moment, Pang Hong is undoubtedly the most famous and wealthy person in the Chinese film and television industry.
He's been in such a frenzy lately with people wanting to cast him in movies!
Directors and actors were begging them.
They all pledged their loyalty like lackeys, saying they would give any opportunity to produce a new film by Producer Pang, even without pay.
You are my godfather, godfather, godfather!
Many cultural organizations in smaller cities have proactively contacted him, politely inviting him to consider their locations for future filming.
This made the guy incredibly arrogant.
It should be noted that just a few years ago, when he first took over as deputy director of Ningbo Film Studio, he was a young man who had nowhere to turn in the capital and was in debt everywhere.
Now people from all over the country are inviting him to hold seminars to share his success stories.
This guy is even more arrogant than Li Lianjie, who finally achieved some success in Hollywood back then.
Of course, he wasn't the only one who was arrogant.
"Hoo... Hey!"
523 took the microphone and started performing throat singing.
This old guy has become quite popular lately; he used to struggle to attract investment for his films.
Women who are expected to take care of their bosses for a few million... like Wang Xiaofei and Zhang Yuqi.
Now it's all good!
I did it!
A director whose films grossed 8 million yuan; investors threw banknotes at his face.
The two female protagonists watching from the sidelines were also smoking and clapping, completely lacking their usual artistic and kind demeanor, looking quite worldly.
Having two faces, one in public and one in private, is the norm.
In this jubilant atmosphere, the song ended, and everyone cheered.
At this moment, Xun Ge, wearing large-framed glasses, said something that broke the atmosphere.
"I wish our male lead were here."
"It would definitely be more fun if Zhang Yuan were there."
Just that one sentence changed the expression of producer Pang Hong, who had just sprayed several bottles of champagne without hesitation.
"It doesn't matter whether he's here or not."
"He's just a small-time actor."
"Would this production team be where it is today without me?"
With a crash, under the influence of alcohol, Pang Hong stomped on the glass coffee table and shattered it.
There are several reasons why she gets so angry at the mere mention of Zhang Yuan.
I'm now the producer of a film that grossed 8 million at the box office. Aren't you coming to the celebration party?
They said she was filming a movie with Sylvester Stallone overseas...
You're awesome!
Actually, several celebration banquets have been held; this person likes to create hype.
But he felt that Zhang Yuan was not giving him face.
Furthermore, many people believe that the film's record-breaking box office success was due to the lead actor, Zhang Yuan.
He doesn't agree!
He felt that all the credit belonged to him.
The main issue was that Zhang Yuan had taken away some of his power during filming, which spurred this now greedy producer.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have used his diva-like behavior to create hype.
And most importantly... money!
Zhang Yuan can receive 3% of the total profit.
The remaining investors shared the money, with Pang Hong himself taking a substantial amount, amounting to tens of millions.
But he refused to accept it.
My money!
If I take ten million and he takes one hundred million, do I have to thank him?
My brother made me so angry.
Why get so angry?
Xun was startled by the sudden commotion.
"Could it be that she's jealous that he's more handsome than you?" she muttered to herself.
Yiping, who was standing to the side, rolled her eyes.
What an idiot.
However, the discomfort wasn't limited to this area.
Xun Ge's former employer, Huayi, which he just broke up with, is having a meeting.
They are also planning to boost year-end performance.
A large number of films are scheduled for release in a concentrated period, with new films being released almost every month.
Internally known as the "Return" plan.
The goal is to regain the top spot on the annual box office charts.
The year's plan hinges on the Lunar New Year film season.
Therefore, the importance of promotion and distribution for several films to be released at the end of the year was repeatedly emphasized at the meeting.
However, the king noticed that the enthusiasm of the attendees was not very high.
The audience responded with "uh-huh," but it sounded somewhat perfunctory.
The king understood that the entire company had been affected by "Painted Skin 2".
Let's just call it quits.
They broke records right from the start, how can we catch up?
Our highly anticipated film, "Tai Chi," only grossed a fraction of what others did.
Garlic bird, garlic bird, indifferent to fame and fortune, calm and peaceful.
Those below them have no shares and therefore no motivation, but the leaders don't see it that way.
Even if the stock price falls further, they're afraid shareholders will come knocking on their door and behead them.
Therefore, the king angrily slapped the whiteboard filled with plans.
"The Lunar New Year film season has seen nearly twenty large-scale battles over the years."
"Right and wrong are difficult to discuss."
"But film critics have all noticed that it is precisely in this main battlefield of Chinese cinema that the rise and fall of countless film and television companies has been determined."
"Therefore, there has always been talk of aiming for the top spot in the Lunar New Year celebrations."
"Back then, Xiao Gang led his team to achieve tens of millions in box office revenue with a budget of a few million, a resounding success!"
At this point, the king's eyes shone brightly.
Looking back on those glorious years, in the early days of commercial cinema, Huayi truly stood out from the crowd, unmatched by anyone.
But then he glanced at the lifeless crowd.
This group of people lost their courage because of a young man.
He was furious at their lack of ambition, and a fire raged in his heart, so much so that his voice became octaves louder when he spoke.
"I don't know!"
"Why is everyone talking about Xiang Yu being trapped at Gaixia?"
"It seems that we are destined to face more danger than good in this main battlefield of filmmaking."
Some of the people below nodded secretly.
Ah, right, right... let's be the first company to prepare for next year's Spring Festival film season.
"Twenty years ago, I embarked on this journey with Xiaogang."
"Our films are warmly welcomed by audiences wherever they are shown!"
"It can be said that it has dominated the box office."
"That vibrant scene of life, where everything flourishes, is still vivid in my mind."
"In just twenty years, has this place really become our burial ground?"
No one answered.
The king watched and felt that if this round didn't go well, the people's morale would collapse.
A hint of resentment rose in my heart towards that brat who was filming thousands of miles away. Why couldn't you fail once and give us a chance?
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan had just filmed a few dialogue scenes.
It's basically the banter between team members during battles, a standard American action movie formula.
Because he continued the character he played in the previous cameo, he also had to act as the cook for the group.
Just as we were taking a break, new people joined the crew.
Theoretically speaking, he's not a newcomer; he's been in the industry for several years.
It's just that it's not very famous.
The man who arrived was tall and handsome, a typical blond Caucasian.
"What do you think of his looks?" Zhang Yuan asked Jiang Yilang, who was standing next to him.
"His appearance is alright, but he doesn't have any particularly distinctive features."
"You have a good eye for people," Zhang Yuan praised.
The man who came was named Liam Hemsworth.
Not many people are familiar with this name, but some people will find the surname Hemsworth familiar.
Because this person's older brother is named Chris Hemsworth.
This refers to Chris Hemsworth, who had already become a huge star at this time thanks to Marvel's "Thor".
Therefore, this person is usually called Hammer Brother.
Actually, the three brothers are all actors.
A family of Australians.
Australians' appearance and physique are closer to the common image of white people.
Blonde hair and fair skin, the men were muscular, and the women were curvaceous.
This place was originally a colony and served as a penal colony for serious British criminals.
Serious offenders are generally physically strong, which is why Australians are physically and combat-ready.
The only drawback is that many serious offenders have mental health issues, so the rate of mental illness in Australia is higher than in other places.
In summary, he's physically healthy, but not very bright.
Miss Jiang has a good eye; she said he's handsome enough, but lacks distinctive features.
The three brothers look quite different.
The eldest brother was short and stocky, and looked the most rugged.
The youngest brother is tall and thin, and looks the most delicate.
Only Thor, positioned in the middle, perfectly blends the ruggedness and elegance of the family, achieving a perfect balance.
The three brothers stood in a row, and it was obvious why the second brother was the most popular.
The entertainment industry still relies too much on talent.
"Hi, nice to meet you." Zhang Yuan stepped forward and greeted him.
Although I have no intention of joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I still need to show basic manners.
I know you!
This guy was very enthusiastic; he hugged me the moment we met.
Because Zhang Yuan and his sister-in-law acted together in a movie, the one in "Fast & Furious 5".
My older sister has already married her brother.
When my friend got home, she told me about an Asian guy who was hitting Vin Diesel with a hammer on set.
It's quite a sight; I've never heard of anything like it anywhere else.
"Yes, Elsa and I are friends. Your family members are all excellent, kind, and cheerful."
Zhang Yuan and the other party exchanged compliments for a while.
With his sister-in-law's connections, plus Zhang Yuan's good English, and compared to the other older folks...
The youngest of the remaining guys was almost 40, so the two of them got along quite well. This guy had actually acted in quite a few well-known films, but he just wasn't destined for big stardom.
He appears in the very famous looping horror film "Triangle," which is well-known both domestically and internationally.
He was also involved in the adaptation of the wildly popular novel, The Hunger Games.
But once Thor was released, his identity was forever fixed as Chris Hemsworth's brother.
The film gave him the role of a sniper named Billy, a rookie in the Expendables, who was tragically killed by the villain.
The protagonist group's desperate actions require logic, just as people need both "external motivation" and "internal motivation" to do things.
The external driving force for the suicide squad is commission, but they also need internal driving force.
That is to avenge the team members.
That's why a character was designed to exist solely for the purpose of dying.
Zhang Yuan glanced at his script and knew it wouldn't get any better.
The character's premise is that he plans to go home after finishing this month's work.
His girlfriend is waiting for him to come back so they can get married.
Making money is for my future family and children.
I'll play "SEE YOU AGAIN" again, and you'll be completely satisfied.
The flags you've raised are so high, even if you went to play an old general on the Peking Opera stage, they'd think you had too many flags.
After chatting for a while, this person expressed some envy for Zhang Yuan's character because he had a lot of action scenes.
Liam Hemsworth, who plays a sniper, has virtually no action scenes.
Archers can't really engage in melee combat.
Zhang Yuan thought to himself, "If you want to film action scenes, you should at least know how to do them."
According to this guy's own account, after receiving Stallone's call, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night.
Rambo asked me to act in a movie!
I immediately went to the gym to lift weights and signed up for a bunch of training courses, including karate, boxing, and wrestling.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan started rubbing his temples.
Still too young!
When beginners are learning anything, the worst thing they can do is to want everything on a whim.
When she got excited, she insisted on gesturing at him a few times.
But he was past the age of youthful impetuosity, and getting into trouble abroad would be very troublesome.
"COME!"
"Come and give it a try."
"I promise I won't use too much force."
I want to hit you with a stick... Zhang Yuan glanced at him sideways.
They're really pushing their luck.
His symptoms clearly indicate that he thought he was well-trained, but when he arrived on set, he found himself with nowhere to use his skills, resulting in excessive energy and a constant desire to practice with others.
I can understand your feelings, but I don't really want to understand them.
And there were even people egging them on.
“Mon chéri”.
Ms. Jiang came forward with her camera.
"If you beat him up, I'll film it for you."
"Go away."
"The martial arts world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social interactions, you know?"
Just when things were getting complicated, a "savior" appeared.
"Liam, that guy's looking for you again." Liam's assistant called him with his phone.
Upon hearing this, Hammer Brother's expression darkened.
When he returned much later, he had lost all interest in mentioning the competition.
"Women are such a hassle!" he complained without any apparent reason.
After overhearing a bit, Zhang Yuan chose to leave quietly, wanting to avoid getting involved.
Because he remembered that this man's girlfriend was extremely famous, much more famous than him.
That's the famous Miley Cyrus.
A top Hollywood child star, and a top female singer in adulthood.
Compared to the same period last year, this is equivalent to the sum of Yang Zi, Yang Mi, and Li Yuchun.
The sitcom "Hannah Montana," which she starred in at the age of 14, earned Disney over $10 billion, including the show and related merchandise!
So her early image was that of a sweet girl with big eyes, sunny and cheerful, and also very good at making money.
Of course, her ability to become a child star was mainly due to her family. Her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, holds a position in the North American music scene equivalent to that of Wang Feng in the Chinese music scene.
Then, after this girl entered puberty, she started to rebel and suddenly "went crazy"!
Let things get as chaotic and crazy as possible.
She insisted on going against her established image, suddenly transforming into a short-haired, wild, and androgynous woman, and frequently taking off her clothes and making shocking remarks at concerts.
It's clearly the kind of illness common among white people: someone who is living a happy life but suddenly has a mental block and starts pursuing freedom and self-expression.
For this kind of patient, hanging a plow on 20 acres of land will cure the disease.
Hammer Bro hangs out with girls like that.
I would call him whenever I had nothing to do, and I would make a fuss if he didn't answer my phone, no matter what he was doing.
Do whatever you want, get drunk at a party and think it's none of your business.
A tragic love story.
Zhang Yuan remembered that the two broke up and got back together many times, and even got married once, but divorced again in less than a year.
After they parted ways for the first time... he glanced at the distance again.
This girl later got together with Schwarzenegger's son.
Anyway, the entertainment industry is very chaotic.
Moreover, this girl always picks up a "new habit" every time she and Liam Hemsworth separate.
After the first breakup, she suddenly became a vegetarian.
Moreover, he was a typical "white vegetarian".
At first, I didn't eat any meat, eggs, or dairy products. Later, due to malnutrition, I switched to being a "fish vegetarian."
This is a vegetarian breed unique to Western white people.
It means eating only vegetarian food, but you can eat fish.
If you ask her why fish isn't considered meat, she can come up with a hundred ridiculous reasons for you.
Fish: Give me peanuts.
According to them, Zhang Yuan is a vegetarian (referring to a vegetarian diet consisting of pork, beef, and mutton).
I'm a vegetarian, but pork, beef, and lamb don't count as meat.
The West is still better at defining terms.
That's not all. After getting back together with Liam Hemsworth, they married and divorced, and he contracted another disease.
It's called gender identity disorder.
She defines her gender as "fluid".
Attention, this is where you'll learn something new.
This fluid is neither a liquid nor a non-bovine fluid.
When I think I am a man, I am a man; when I think I am a woman, I am a woman.
It allows one to switch psychological gender identity at any time, flowing between gender cognition, like a gender fluid.
In the West, it's considered an "epidemic".
I can be whichever gender I want to be, and that's what they call "freedom."
Anyway, they want their freedom, and we want our economic development, social construction, people's welfare, and a bright future for everyone.
Zhang Yuan sighed as he thought about this.
Both Sisi and Jiang Yilang have lived abroad for a long time, but compared to those white girls, they are still too mentally healthy.
He strongly suspects that the genes of the Chinese people play a role in mental stability.
It seems that white people are genetically predisposed to have particularly weak mental and willpower.
They can only cultivate their bodies and cannot follow the proper Golden Core or Nascent Soul advancement paths, unless they become demonic cultivators.
After traveling around, Zhang Yuan felt more and more that Chinese women were better.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?"
At that moment, three dark figures pressed down beside him.
When I looked up, I realized it was those three old geezers.
She was smiling at him with a simple, honest expression.
Moreover, he keenly observed that these three guys didn't look like good people when they smiled.
Stallone is cunning, Schwarzenegger is evil, and Bruce is both cunning and evil.
What are you going to do?
In other words, Zhang Yuan's gender identity is stable. If he were also a gender fluid and currently recognized women, he would assume that these three would fill his own space.
The atmosphere became somewhat tense as the three men surrounded each other, creating a feeling of men on top of men.
"I'm thinking about action sequences."
"How can we make the visuals more appealing?" he asked dismissively.
“Aha!” Schwarzenegger spoke first.
"I've said it before, Zhang is the best Chinese actor I've ever seen."
“No, you’re wrong,” Stallone chimed in. “First of all, I was the one who brought Zhang here.”
"Because I think he is the best action actor, not just in China."
“His movements even surpassed Jet’s.”
“Yes, I think so too.” Schwarzenegger nodded.
Bruce Willis: "Me too."
Zhang Yuan thought to himself, "So you're saying my movements surpassed Li Lianjie's?"
Really? I don't believe it.
In this world, when it comes to the aesthetic appeal of his movements, Li Lianjie is virtually unparalleled, both before and after him.
It's not just strong, it's strong to the point of making people despair.
So when the action actors stood in a row and performed the same set of punches, Li Lianjie was not only the first to learn it, but also performed it the best.
Moreover, Lao Li wasn't a very generous person, so Zhang Yuan got a fair amount from him, but not that much.
So I don't believe any praise he receives!
Something unusual is bound to happen; there's definitely something wrong.
As soon as he reacted, he began to perform.
"Hahaha, no way." He chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head as if he were thoroughly enjoying himself.
“Absolutely, and your acting skills in dramatic scenes surpass those of any young actor I’ve ever seen,” the governor said.
“Yeah, I think so too,” Stallone chimed in.
Bruce: "Me too."
"But what I admire most is your action scenes."
"And I know you know real kung fu, right?"
“It’s real kung fu like Bruce Lee’s,” the governor gestured.
"Yes, I've seen him. His coordination and speed are simply terrifying."
“Unlike us, we all rely on steroids to stay afloat,” Stallone added.
Bruce: "I'm different!"
Bruce Willis has not used steroids much.
But the "Die Hard" guy immediately said, seemingly asking but actually boasting.
"So, Zhang must be the best fighter in our crew."
"It's not just action scenes on screen, but real fighting and combat skills."
"Of course!" Schwarzenegger nodded with absolute certainty, a cigar dangling from his lips.
At this moment, Sylvester Stallone, the "leader" of the crew, shook his head with a deep expression and made a short and powerful denial.
I don't think so.
"After all, he's still here..." (End of Chapter)