Chapter 1674
Love or Not
"Welcome Mr. Xu Xiaoping for your guidance. Everyone, please feel free to speak your mind."
Chen Kexin led the applause, thus beginning the exchange meeting.
“I suggest it,” Zhang Yuan said immediately.
He glanced at Tian Pujun and asked, "Why are you still here?"
This is none of your business; you're in the way.
Zhang Yuan was really afraid that she would follow him around every day from now on.
But thinking about it, this woman was just putting on an act, enjoying the feeling of being fawned over and flattered by the actors and staff as a producer.
Back when she was in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, she was the one who would coax staff and directors into giving her roles.
Now that things have "successfully" gone, they must retaliate.
Deng Chao and Tong Dawei cooperated with high emotional intelligence, while Zhang Yuan was too lazy to say much.
“We should also give the female lead a round of applause,” he said, leading the way.
Then I looked at the female lead of the play, Du Juan.
A former model, this person has never acted before.
This film marked her first experience on the big screen.
Although the name sounds like a stage name, it is actually her real name; she has been called this since she was a child.
Like Deng Chao's wife Sun Li and Tian Pujun, Du Juan is also from Shanghai.
I started learning ballet in elementary school.
I originally planned to pursue a professional career, but I was already 1.8 meters tall at 16, so how could I possibly jump around like that?
She was a head taller than the other girls in a crowd, and she couldn't find a male partner for a duet dance.
Her height is suitable for playing basketball.
Ultimately, he chose a modeling career, which suited him better.
In the modeling industry, her height is just right.
Moreover, this face also meets the requirements of "high-end".
The concept of "sophistication" is rather unethical; it's actually a standard established by a small minority.
Moreover, most of the people who establish these standards are not "normal people".
Therefore, the appearance that these people like is destined not to be considered beautiful by ordinary people.
High cheekbones, wide-set eyes, sunken cheeks, and a sharply defined jawline.
In fact, Zhang Yuan has always felt that if Jack Ma were to have a gender swap, it would fit the Western "high-class" aesthetic.
The Western world has long since been transformed into a form that is incomprehensible to most people.
Similarly, Zhang Yuan didn't think the azalea was particularly beautiful, at least not to him.
He still prefers the traditional Chinese beauty look.
A model by profession, with no acting experience, yet she landed a top-tier big-budget production right away—can she be an ordinary person?
Besides her achievements in the modeling industry, her main reason for success was her powerful connections.
She works for the Beijing New Silk Road Group.
The "emperor circle" isn't just the film and television industry; it also includes the fashion and modeling industries.
New Silk Road is the top choice in Beijing's modeling industry, and more than half of the country's top models are under its management.
Furthermore, they also gained access to the Miss World pageant.
Years ago, if you weren't part of my company, you couldn't even dream of being shortlisted.
Later, capital rose in various places, and its influence shrank slightly.
Then, around 08, Du Juan had a falling out with this well-known company in the entertainment industry!
This incident is quite famous in the modeling industry; this person has found a new backer, a big shot.
They even helped her get appointed as an Olympic torchbearer.
New Silk Road wasn't going to take this lying down; they sued her directly, not just for the money, but also to prevent her from becoming a torchbearer.
In the end, the big shots were all dealt with; their strength is considerable.
It was so strong that when Tian Pujun saw Zhang Yuan praising her, she pretended to smile and clap, even though she was very unhappy inside.
So this woman may look plain, but she actually has quite a lot of ambition.
"You don't seem to talk much, so there's no need to be nervous."
“If you encounter any problems during filming, you can ask them anytime,” Zhang Yuan said, pointing to Deng Chao and Tong Dawei standing to the side.
"Why don't I ask you?" Deng Chao muttered under his breath.
“You two are both married, but I am not.” Zhang Yuan deliberately kept his distance to avoid unnecessary trouble.
It's China Film Group again, and it's Sister Tian again. Stop causing trouble on set.
Du Juan smiled and said that things would be troublesome later, and asked not to find her annoying.
Actually, this model had a good impression of Zhang Yuan because he had helped Zhang Yuan out of a little trouble at Wang Xiaofei's wedding.
"Let's talk about your understanding of the role first," Chen Kexin said, looking at Du Juan.
"Our big-star male lead is telling you to be brave, why don't you go first?"
"Ah, me?" Du Juan took out her notebook, which contained her own notes and the analysis her acting teacher had done for her.
Everyone gets nervous the first time, everyone feels anxious the first time, and everyone is afraid of not performing well the first time.
This person is now very nervous and flustered; visibly, their lips have turned quite pale.
“I think my character, Su Mei, is a very goal-oriented woman.”
"She is also very ambitious and eager to see more of the world."
After listening, Zhang Yuan shook his head. "Are you trying to whitewash your character?"
That's right. Just like what Hou Tianlai, a national first-class and third-class actor, said, the worst thing you can do when playing a villain is to think you're bad.
The villain doesn't think he has any problems; he has his own logic that forms a closed loop.
I did all this out of necessity, out of desperation. It's not my fault, it's the world's fault... That's what makes a villain.
Du Juan plays Su Mei, and he plays Chen Dongqing, who are a couple.
When Chen Kexin rewrote the script, she made some very interesting changes to the love lines of the three main characters.
The three male protagonists, Chen Dongqing, Meng Xiaojun, and Wang Yang, represent three of the most common romantic relationships among international students.
Chen Dongqing and Su Mei were college sweethearts, but they broke up after one of them went abroad, after which she closed her heart and locked away her love.
Meng Xiaojun and his girlfriend are childhood sweethearts. They rely on and encourage each other while they are abroad.
Wang Yang met a white international student in college, but she dumped him after returning to her home country. After seeing through the illusions of the world, he stopped pursuing beautiful women and instead married an ordinary but down-to-earth woman who could manage the household and take care of him.
This conveniently created a control group consisting of the three male protagonists.
This drama is undoubtedly a male-centric drama.
The good thing is that it didn't cram too much female drama into a male-dominated story; it kept it brief and to the point.
After reading the script, Zhang Yuan believed that Chen Kexin had written the female lead as a "villain".
In the story, Chen Dongqing pursued her in school and eventually succeeded through persistent pursuit.
The other person went abroad immediately after passing the SAT.
Years later, when they met again by chance, Chen Dongqing thought to himself that he was now so successful, the boss of a company with tens of thousands of students and an annual income of over 100 million yuan.
The other party will definitely regret it, or at least look at you with new respect.
It aligns with human nature.
However, the female protagonist already had a mixed-race son at this time, who was obviously born to a foreigner.
During the meeting, the other party focused most of their energy on their child and didn't care about Chen Dongqing at all.
The male protagonist felt a sense of loss.
Actually, there's another part in the script.
The later theatrical version was cut due to censorship.
The female protagonist, Su Mei, breaks up with Chen Dongqing over the phone and then gets into a car driven by several foreigners.
She looks like a modern hippie, probably a friend of hers from abroad.
The group headed to the countryside for a camping trip. Along the way, the blond foreigner in the driver's seat would occasionally glance at the female protagonist through the rearview mirror.
After arriving at the destination, everyone started having a picnic and chatting.
After exchanging only a few words with the female protagonist, the blond man and the female protagonist started fighting on the lawn.
This section did not pass the review.
Zhang Yuan thinks the reason for not approving the story is probably to avoid upsetting some people. Because it's true, and it's very common!
You know, Chen Kexin really knows what she's got – he's lived abroad!
Zhang Yuan felt that, according to the original script, the female lead, Su Mei, was meant to reflect reality and at the same time highlight the male lead, Chen Dongqing, as a downtrodden young man from a small town.
Your goddess went abroad, was played with by many men, and even had a child.
That's exactly the kind of poignant feeling I wanted.
The emotional impact of this battle scene was significantly weakened after it was cut.
Therefore, the character Du Jue is actually someone who is arrogant and seems to have clear goals and be independent, but in reality, he doesn't know what he wants at all.
She went abroad simply because she disliked China, not because she wanted to pursue a career in North America.
Just like her having affairs with white men, it's not that she particularly likes white men, but rather that she idolizes the West.
This is an egoist.
This is called self-degradation, this is called self-abasement.
Yet, it is precisely these kinds of people who are regarded as role models of success by many Chinese people.
Yo!
They've become North Americans, and they don't even have to go to work. They can have fun just by staying home and taking care of their kids. How awesome is that!
You didn't see that when she got slapped by a white man.
North America, the island nation of Britain, was never Canaan, flowing with milk and honey, but rather Sodom, the sinful city in Western stories where not even ten good people could be found.
Sodom is a city known for its indulgence in male beauty and promiscuity, and for its uninhibited homosexual relationships, making it an exceptionally "open" city.
Just you wait and see.
Du Juan clearly did not understand Chen Kexin's full intention.
Zhang Yuan glanced at her and chuckled inwardly.
She was later dubbed a "white moonlight" specialist.
The so-called "white moonlight" also includes Su Mei from the movie "American Dreams in China".
Later on, there's the female lead from "Lost in Hong Kong," a female painter who abandons the male lead to study in Hong Kong, and then travels the world dating men and using them as artistic inspiration.
Including Wong Kar-wai's later TV series "Blossoms," where the male lead's childhood sweetheart is a bus ticket seller.
However, due to her vanity, she married a man from Hong Kong in the 70s and pretended to be a wealthy wife. In reality, she had already been dumped and could only work as a waitress in a hotel after the divorce.
The characters Du Juan plays are all the same type of person, almost identical.
They were both the male protagonist's first love. After leaving for their so-called "goals," they lived seemingly glamorous lives.
Is this the white moonlight?
They all tarnish this word.
Zhang Yuan felt that the notes she made this time would be useful for a long time to come.
"I have a question for you," Zhang Yuan said, turning to Du Juan.
"Please speak."
"Do you think Su Mei loves Chen Dongqing?" Zhang Yuan asked.
“I feel love,” the woman replied.
“I think the opposite is true. I believe Su Mei never truly loved Chen Dongqing,” Zhang Yuan countered.
"I think that Su Mei is a woman who has never loved anyone; she only loves herself."
Egoists cannot love others.
"Then this..." Du Juan was a little confused.
Whom should I listen to?
She looked at director Chen Kexin.
"You asked a good question."
"But what if the two people have different understandings?" Director Chen threw the question back at him.
"I don't think it's a problem."
"I personally think that Su Mei never loved Chen Dongqing, but only pitied him or needed someone to accompany her, whether in her studies or in her relationship."
"But as the character Chen Dongqing, he must believe that Su Mei loves him."
"When I'm acting, I also tend to act in that direction."
"As for Du Juan, she'd better act as if she doesn't love him."
"That's how you create a gap between two people, just like the gap between East and West." He gestured with his hands.
"Very good!" Chen Kexin tossed her long hair: "Our male lead is quite capable."
"From the perspective of the characters' inner thoughts, your understanding is similar to mine."
"I also think that Su Mei at most likes Chen Dongqing, but she doesn't love him."
"Only the kind of unwavering, supportive relationship between Meng Xiaojun and Liang Qin in the film can be called true love."
“Yes, Teacher Wang Zhen’er’s character is named Liangqin, so it’s bound to be a harmonious match, like a beautiful pair of birds finding their soulmate,” Zhang Yuan chimed in.
At the same time, I looked at the second female lead, Wang Zhen'er, who was not a professional actress but had pretty good acting skills.
This actress later starred in "The Great Hypnotist" and "Shanghai Women's Guide".
Chen Kexin was even happier to see that he had even noticed the joke hidden in his name.
In comparison, Huang Xiaoming seemed a bit dull during his previous audition...
Du Juan was completely bewildered when she heard that there were people who loved and people who didn't.
Zhang Yuan told her not to worry.
Since you can't act out the feeling of love anyway, there's a natural sense of detachment from not loving.
Zhang Yuan suspected that Lao Yu's dissatisfaction with the show might be related to the fact that he was dumped in this romantic storyline.
His own experience and that of his wife are more like that of Meng Xiaojun and his wife in the film, where they support each other and grow together.
When Chen Kexin was working on the script, she disassembled and reassembled the experiences of the characters, which made the dramatic conflicts stronger.
For example, Meng Xiaojun's experience as an intern in a North American laboratory in the film is actually based on Wang Qiang, the real-life inspiration for Wang Yang.
After hearing what he had just said, Deng Chao gave him a look that said, "You're something else."
Otherwise, he would have won the Best Actor award.
He had never worked with either of them before, and Tong Dawei was witnessing his domineering presence for the first time, so he dared not utter a word.
These days, directors have to consult with Zhang Yuan before they can participate in any project.
What does it mean to be an international superstar...? Tactical lean back.
The meeting lasted for several hours, and everyone clarified their roles and goals before it ended.
It was already dark when the group went out.
"How about we have a meal together?" Deng Chao suggested to the other actors.
"After all, they've gone to eat."
He pointed to a few people standing to the side as he spoke.
Tian Pujun met with Xu Xiaoping, Lao Han, and several senior executives from China Film Group for dinner, including Zhang Yuan.
They are clearly divided, and their snobbishness is crystal clear.
"Remember to eat and drink well, I'll treat you another day." At this moment, Zhang Yuan patted him on the back.
"Hey...you didn't go to that dinner party over there?"
"I'm busy," he replied bluntly.
Mr. Hetian just said the same thing.
It's not that he's being disrespectful; he really has something to do.
"I have a multinational conference call tonight, for a project worth hundreds of millions of dollars." He waved with a smile.
"really?"
After he left, Tong Dawei asked weakly.
I'm not bragging, am I?
A project worth hundreds of millions of US dollars.
"You'd better not take what he says seriously," Deng Chao advised.
And that's exactly what he said.
This multi-hundred-million-dollar project is the upcoming film *Pacific Rim*. (End of Chapter)