Chapter 1599
This Child Is Like Me
Where there is wine, there are stories.
At this moment, there were four empty Wuliangye bottles on the table, and two empty Remy Martin bottles as well.
In this situation, Yu Minhong felt as if he had met his match today.
We didn't even finish a third of the dozen or so dishes, but we drank several pounds of alcohol.
Old Yu then looked at the small cart filled with all kinds of alcoholic beverages.
When he first came in and saw this thing, he thought the other party was showing off and trying to scare him.
I'm not easily intimidated!
You young man, why are you trying to pull this on me?
I've been to more drinking parties than you've eaten meals.
But now, he's starting to have some doubts.
Is the other person not a very honest person?
Are you really planning to drink this whole carload?
"Mr. Yu, how about some red mouthwash?" Zhang Yuan picked up two bottles of Latour: "Just imported from France."
"Red wine has a low alcohol content, which is perfect for us to drink and chat at the same time."
Without saying a word, he opened two bottles of red wine and placed one whole bottle in front of each person.
This was the first time Lao Yu had ever seen someone drink red wine so boldly.
He is the only one of the three driving forces of New Oriental who has never spent an extended period of time abroad.
Even after his wife and children settled in Canada, he would still visit them every week.
I don't go to Europe very often.
In fact, in places like France and Italy, which are famous for producing wine, the wines people drink are not expensive; they are just ordinary table wines.
Moreover, they bring whatever they like to drink and open whatever they like, one bottle per person.
After pouring drinks for the two of them, Zhang Yuan also served some food to Lao Yu.
"Mr. Yu, is it to your liking?"
"It's alright." Old Yu smacked his lips a few times.
Zhang Yuan went to great lengths to invite this person out for a private meal and chat!
First, we contacted Xu Xiaoping, who had invested in the film "Tiny Times".
But the original screenwriter of "American Dreams in China," who is also an old friend of Yu Minhong, simply couldn't get things done.
Old Yu was uncooperative; as soon as he heard it was about filming and actors, he repeatedly made excuses.
I don't like you guys making this kind of content.
And what's there to talk about with an actor?
Who is qualified to play me!
Old Yu is actually very proud, after all, he is the undisputed leader of Huaxia Education Group, and believes that no one can define him.
Trying to schedule an appointment with China Film Group is even more difficult.
He then asked Jun'er to help him, hoping to get in through Jinshan and his connections.
He knows many people in the business world.
They were able to get in touch, but the other party still refused.
He stated that he doesn't meet with celebrities, as there's no need for it.
There was a lot of resistance.
Finally, Zhang Yuan had no choice but to remember Feng Lun, a business tycoon he had met when Ourpalm went public.
He wasn't very familiar with the other person; they had only met once.
But Zhang Yuan thought that although this person started out as a middleman and later got into real estate, he was a top tycoon in the Southern Group of China Real Estate.
But now he has stepped back from the front lines and is making moves in the cultural and social media industries to try and regain his reputation.
A typical example is someone who, after making enough money in their early years, starts to act like a saint.
I reluctantly contacted this person, and they were quite polite and willing to help make the connection.
He and Lao Yu are both key members of the China Federation of Industry and Commerce.
Furthermore, one of them is from Jiangyin and the other from Jiaxing, so their ancestral homes are not too far apart, and they have a good relationship.
After Zhang Yuan owed Feng Lun a favor and Feng Lun spoke up, Yu Minhong finally couldn't resist and agreed to meet him.
At the same time, while feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I also felt a bit curious.
What kind of actor can get wave after wave of people to come to me?
Moreover, the lobbyists who came were all of increasingly high rank.
They include film, business, and investment firms.
They sensed that his connections were extraordinary.
But they remained cautious and their attitude was rather cold.
Now that he's had too much to drink, his attitude has softened.
When people interact, it all comes down to whether their strengths are equal.
Drinking capacity is a valuable asset in social situations, and now that Zhang Yuan has demonstrated some of his strength, the other party has naturally raised his level in their minds.
"Mr. Yu, I've heard about it from other people."
"You're not very satisfied with the film that China Film Group is going to make."
"I can understand."
"After all, if I were a self-made entrepreneur who had gone through hardships to achieve success, I wouldn't want my story to be dramatized or made into entertainment."
In fact, many bosses would be happy to have their stories filmed and turned into a blockbuster movie.
After making compromises, The Godfather gained the support of the Mafia.
Lord of War was sponsored by arms dealers.
"Life Against the Grain" is still paid for by Meituan.
Movies are the best advertisements!
But Lao Yu still had the same problem: he was petty, and he felt ashamed that the media had reported the inside story back then.
In reality, it was Lao Yu's inherent inferiority complex and lack of self-confidence that made him unwilling to share his story before his success with the audience.
But what Zhang Yuan wanted to tell him was that his passive resistance was useless.
“The only way to stop China Film Group from making a film is to file a complaint with higher authorities, such as the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, or even the Ministry of Culture.”
"Otherwise, no one could stop them."
"It's like a high-speed train; to force it to stop, you need a very strong external force."
"And even if it stops, there will be a cost."
Zhang Yuan spoke with utmost sincerity.
"If it's going to rain, it's going to rain; if a mother wants to remarry, you can't stop her."
"I truly believe that since we can't stop it, we might as well make this work better."
"Just like a person can't change their birth, they can only work hard to maximize their strengths."
When Zhang Yuan said this, Lao Yu's mind, which was less tense under the influence of alcohol, was somewhat stirred.
Because of his poor background, and because he was not considered a "genius" by ordinary people.
Comparing them in terms of their works is like comparing Xu Sanduo, played by Wang Baoqiang, and Cheng Cai, played by Chen Sicheng, in "Soldiers Sortie".
In the eyes of ordinary people, only those who achieve success are considered talented or geniuses.
Xu Sanduo is just a silly boy.
But Lao Yu is Xu Sanduo.
His distinguishing feature is that he is not particularly intelligent, but he has an excellent memory.
He is particularly good at "rote memorization" and, like Xu Sanduo, has a memory that will last until his death.
At the same time, like Xu Sanduo, he possesses a perseverance that is difficult for ordinary people to match.
In terms of intelligence, he was far inferior to the other two partners.
Seeing the other person's eyes flicker slightly, Zhang Yuan understood that he could move on to the next step.
This indicates that the other party agrees with his statement and understands that filming cannot be stopped.
"Actually, you may not be very familiar with me."
"About ten years ago, I was not yet 20 years old. I would film whenever I had a role, and otherwise I would work as an assistant on set."
"I can earn a few dozen yuan a day, enough to survive on a boxed meal."
"If you happen to be filming a night scene and working overtime, you can get an extra 2 or 30 yuan plus a boxed lunch. That's considered a good day."
"That's why I especially cherish my life now."
"Mr. Han from China Film Group recommended me to audition for the role of yours, also because of my experience."
"Those who are born into wealth and privilege and grow up in luxury can hardly understand the feeling of climbing out of the mud step by step."
"And I now have my own film company, which is preparing to go public."
When Lao Yu heard this, he looked incredulous.
He couldn't be bothered with the film and television industry, so he never bothered to learn about him.
"To be honest, the salary for a movie is not a lot of money for me."
"But after reading the script and your story, I felt a deep connection with you."
"From a penniless young man, he built his career little by little with his own hands, and eventually achieved what those with far better conditions than him could hardly attain."
“I feel that this is not only your story, but also my story.”
"That's why I came to you, because I want to be in this movie."
"Not for the money, but for our similar experiences," Zhang Yuan said, raising his glass.
Old Yu also silently raised his glass, lightly touched it to his lips, and seeing that he had finished drinking, he also tilted his head back and drank it all down.
"You're not lying to me, are you?"
"You're a big star, I've heard of you."
"How could it be so bitter?"
Most entrepreneurs still have prejudices against celebrities.
They think they've made their fortune and succeeded because of their brains and skills, while you artists rely on your looks and take shortcuts.
"The true path of life is full of vicissitudes. Others may not know, but that's how I feel."
"That's why I'm very serious about my work now, because it's not easy to get to where I am today."
"Before filming any movie, no matter how many pages the script is, I will memorize it all before filming begins."
"You also need to do careful research and investigation on the people, and write down your thoughts. You learned all of this from the older generation."
He spoke eloquently, but Lao Yu still wasn't entirely convinced. The stereotype was that celebrities all just coast through life.
But the next second, Zhang Yuan suddenly spoke, leaving him stunned.
"Today we met again, but now we're a bit drunk and have run out of wine."
"Boss Yu knows that my plan to make a movie is not like messing around."
Despite the flaws, Lao Yu's eyebrows instantly rose.
what?
He recognized that the other person was speaking his hometown dialect, which was Jiangyin dialect!
Jiangyin City is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of WX City in Jiangsu Province.
Jiangyin dialect is a branch of the Wu dialect system.
However, Jiangsu is a region known for its diverse dialects; although it speaks Wu dialect, the dialects vary from county to county.
The dialect of Jiangyin is even more diverse, varying from district to district.
Shanghai is actually like that too; there are different accents in the city center, and the accents in Pudong and Puxi are different.
The JS, SJ, and JD districts each have their own distinct Wu dialects, so different that people in the city can't understand the suburban dialects.
Therefore, promoting Mandarin is truly a great thing that benefits the present and future generations.
How can you manage over a billion people without a shared language?
Lao Yu is from Huqiao Village, Xiagang Subdistrict, Jiangyin, and his accent is different from that of the neighboring village.
So he could tell that Zhang Yuan was speaking Jiangyin dialect, but not the Jiangyin dialect of their village; the intonation and vocabulary were slightly different.
Zhang Yuan's meaning is roughly as follows.
I came out to have drinks with you today so you would know that filming isn't about messing around.
Old Yu had an idea and immediately spoke up.
"This fish tastes like a saltwater fish, but looks like a freshwater fish."
"This meat isn't sweet enough, and it's a bit tough."
Instead of continuing Zhang Yuan's line of conversation, he started talking about the dishes.
But his eyes weren't on the food.
He wanted to try it.
What if you deliberately memorized a line to seduce me?
If you're just pretending, you won't understand what I'm saying, and you won't know how to respond.
"This is what sturgeon look like."
"As for meat, how about I ask the waiter to bring me a plate of braised pork, the Jiangnan style?" Zhang Yuan was having a bit of trouble understanding.
Old Yu's accent is too heavy!
But he still understood and slowly replied in Jiangyin dialect.
I'm not familiar with it, so I have to think before I speak.
But that's still amazing!
Old Yu: No... you really know how?
It's rare to hear people speaking in their native dialect.
Furthermore, when he first arrived in the capital and entered Peking University, Lao Yu was not very confident in his accented Mandarin.
So he found it very strange.
How come you can speak Jiangyin dialect?
"I learned it on purpose; it took me a little effort," Zhang Yuan replied with a smile.
"As I told you before, I study the characters carefully when I'm filming."
"Through years of work, I discovered something."
"Language is a key to understanding a person's thought process."
"To understand the logic of North Americans, you have to learn American English."
"To understand the French, you have to understand French."
"It's not just about communication, but also about finding the thought patterns of people from different regions through language logic."
There is no such thing as a China expert who doesn't speak Chinese.
Many people think that learning foreign languages is useless, or even hate it, and think that our great country should not have to learn foreign languages.
That makes some sense.
However, if you want to understand the world, mastering a foreign language is essential.
Not to please foreigners, but to better understand the "enemy".
The same goes for dialects.
Every dialect embodies the local history.
Just as the Beijing dialect has many Manchu derivatives, the Shanghai dialect has many loanwords from English and French.
Old Yu never expected that this kid could be this serious when he said he was serious.
As a northerner, learning southern dialects requires a lot of effort.
Actually, it didn't take that much effort.
On the set of "Painted Skin 2", Chen Yanjia, who played the Queen of Tianlang Kingdom, was from Jiangyin. Zhang Yuan took advantage of her and teased her relentlessly.
He spends all his time chatting and eating with this girl.
This woman thinks he's interested in her.
Unfortunately, although this woman was from Jiangyin, she was from the urban area of Jiangyin.
Therefore, his accent is slightly different from Lao Yu's.
But this actually increased credibility!
As a native of Jiangsu, Lao Yu knows all too well how fragmented the local dialect is.
The fact that Zhang Yuan's words weren't perfect makes them seem more real.
They have it tough, even though their studies were a little off-track.
Yu Minhong was greatly shocked.
So filming is really that hard for actors?
So much preparation is needed in advance.
He hadn't considered this aspect.
It completely changed his understanding of filmmaking.
He thought it was just playing house.
I never imagined filming would be so complicated.
Actually, no, the strategy was already decided before Zhang Yuan arrived.
Old Yu is a difficult person to deal with; he came here to get close to him and gain his approval.
To play someone else's role requires the original owner's approval.
The question is, how do we gain recognition?
We need to start from the characteristics of Lao Yu himself.
After analysis, Zhang Yuan extracted several key elements.
He has an exceptionally high alcohol tolerance.
They work exceptionally hard.
We need to start from these two points.
In addition, dialects help to bridge the gap.
As for understanding a person through language, he wasn't just making things up.
After studying it, he found that the Jiangyin dialect was a bit... crude.
Compared to Shanghai, Yuhang, and Suzhou and Hangzhou, which are affluent areas where Wu dialect is spoken, Jiangyin Wu dialect is more colloquial and uses many less elegant terms.
When it comes to people, it's vulgar, but practical.
Old Yu's personality, especially in his work, namely English teaching, has always maintained this characteristic.
After he started speaking in his dialect, Lao Yu became very interested and asked him in detail about his learning methods and the usual procedures for filming.
His interest in movies has clearly increased considerably.
Previously, I had absolutely no interest and was very resistant to it.
Old Yu has only one thought right now.
This child is like me!
He worked hard, climbed up from the bottom, and also had an exceptionally high alcohol tolerance.
It looks much better than when I first arrived.
Biographical films are essentially derivative works based on imitation.
If the other party thinks you resemble them, you've already won half the battle.
But half wasn't enough for Zhang Yuan.
He has to do things to the absolute best!
So after chatting for a while in a much better atmosphere, he called his assistant.
Two more bottles of Wuliangye were opened.
Seeing this, Lao Yu pursed his lips and dared not speak.
He was starting to feel it; his head was spinning.
But we can't lose face.
I said I couldn't drink anymore, I couldn't drink anymore, it would be embarrassing.
If I told my business friends, they would laugh at me for not being able to outdrink even a child.
I just gritted my teeth and accepted the newly opened bottle of baijiu.
Besides the wine bottle, Zhang Yuan also gave a wink, signaling his assistant to take an envelope out of his bag.
"Here, Mr. Yu, let me show you something."
"I just received it."
"What?" Old Yu took the envelope, his fingers somewhat unresponsive.
It took several tries to tear open the envelope.
He thought it would contain some treasure, but it turned out to be just a piece of paper.
"Ok?"
Moreover, upon closer inspection, the paper looked quite familiar.
After letting out a burp, I rubbed my eyes and put my glasses back on.
He realized that what he was holding was clearly a TOEFL score report… (End of Chapter)