Chapter 45: Movie Watching

The elderly man sitting next to Third Master Han was none other than the Director of the National Museum.

He had not expected Cheng Sheng to invite him as well; this was truly beyond his expectations.

One must understand that the Director of the National Museum was no small figure; even Third Master Han would have to speak with deference upon meeting him.

"There are some things you should not say in public, lest you offend those who should not be offended."

Director Zhang turned his head and looked up at Cheng Sheng on the stage, his voice drifting slowly into Zhang Weiping's ears.

"This brat? Am I incapable of handling the offense?" Zhang Weiping said disdainfully.

Director Zhang smiled faintly. He had already warned Zhang Weiping; whether his old friend listened or not was entirely up to him.

Moreover, he actually harbored some resentment toward this old friend.

Once, their relationship had been excellent. Zhang Weiping had even publicly referred to Director Zhang as his "iron brother," a sentiment Director Zhang had tacitly accepted, leading the outside world to hail them as the ultimate duo.

The "Double Zhang" combination had once represented the gold standard of domestic cinema.

However, as their collaboration grew longer, their individual differences gradually began to surface.

Their relationship also slowly grew distant.

As for why this happened, it was because they held fundamental disagreements regarding their views on film.

Director Zhang pursued artistic excellence in cinema, while Zhang Weiping remained, at his core, a businessman.

He pursued profit and money.

In the beginning, their conflicts were within a controllable range, but after the success of *Hero*, the rift between them widened.

Although Zhang Weiping had opened his own New Vision Film Company, he was not a wealthy man himself. As a businessman driven by profit, he feared losses when investing in films and hoped to earn even more money.

The success of *Hero* showed Zhang Weiping the opportunity for profit, so he began to interfere in Director Zhang's films, hoping to inject more commercial elements into the productions.

This series of actions touched Director Zhang's bottom line. Although he possessed a quiet personality, he was a man of extremely strong convictions.

Out of respect for their old friendship, he maintained a friendly facade with Zhang Weiping, but if his old friend interfered in his films again, their collaboration would come to an end.

"Big Brother, this kid has won the Golden Lion at Venice and has the fame now. Should we find him to help us film a movie?" Young Master Wang turned to speak to Big Master Wang, who was sitting beside him.

Hearing this, Big Master Wang said without hesitation, "That is indeed feasible. Even if the kid doesn't come personally, he can just be credited as an executive producer. We can find two powerful assistant directors to shoot it, then hire a Hong Kong star as the lead, and the money will be ours. I just don't know if the kid is sensible enough to take the opportunity."

Once a person becomes famous, it is perfectly normal to seek them out for a film. Even if the person is unwilling to appear, they can be credited, allowing the film to use the name for hype.

Many in the industry did exactly this, accurately reflecting the pervasive "profit-chasing and opportunism" found in the entertainment circle.

"If Director Cheng is directing, I can act for free," Li Shuangbing said with a beaming smile.

"We'll test the waters after the premiere," Big Master Wang said to Young Master Wang.

"Understood, Big Brother."

If there was money to be made, they had to go after it.

Coincidentally, it was Zheng Guolin's turn to speak on stage, which sparked an idea in Young Master Wang's mind. He whispered, "He's a Venice Best Actor winner. Big Brother, should we..."

Big Master Wang immediately understood his brother's intention: he wanted to poach him!

A Venice Best Actor, and Zheng Guolin was so young; if they could poach him to Huayi, he would definitely become the pillar of the company.

"Which company does he belong to?" Big Master Wang asked.

"It seems to be Era Star Source," Young Master Wang said after a moment of thought.

Era Star Source—Big Master Wang didn't seem to have heard of it.

That meant it was a small company.

Big Master Wang did not answer immediately. To poach someone, one had to consider what kind of offer would make them move.

Huayi had top-tier male artists, but they were all older, like Director Chen Ming. If they had a young top-tier star like Zheng Guolin, Huayi would have its own face for the new era.

Sitting in the fourth row, Ning Hao's neighbor, Xing Aina, whispered, "Once the movie ends, are you really going to ask Cheng Sheng for 'alms'?"

"What else can I do? Are we just going to let *Green Grassland* sit there without filming it?"

Ning Hao and Xing Aina had come to the premiere primarily to seek investment from Cheng Sheng. After all, Cheng Sheng had earned so much in Venice; even a fraction of his earnings as an investment would ensure *Green Grassland* wouldn't lack funding.

At that moment, the stage interaction concluded. As the time arrived, Cheng Sheng and the main crew descended from the stage, and the film began to play.

The film opened with a scene of Emperor Yang Guang hosting a banquet for his officials in the palace, followed by his absurd and debauched behavior.

"Whoa! Fu Dalong's acting is incredible!"

The film's title was *The Great Tang Dynasty—The Origin*, so the end of the Sui Dynasty was an unavoidable topic. It made sense for Yang Guang to be the protagonist, as his screen time was much higher than Li Shimin's.

In a standard film, Yang Guang would be considered the villainous boss, but in a historical drama, he couldn't simply be labeled a villain.

Since his screen time exceeded that of the lead, Li Shimin, Cheng Sheng had opted for a dual-protagonist structure.

"This acting..."

As the plot progressed, Director Zhang stared intently at the screen, his heart shaken with profound emotion. This actor was simply divine!

From the start of the film, whether it was a supporting actor, a lead, or even a mere extra, the acting was comparable to Gong Li's.

In Director Zhang's mind, Gong Li's acting was top-tier; otherwise, she wouldn't have won the Venice Best Actress award.

For a film to have actors—both leads and supporting—with the acting caliber of Gong Li was a terrifying prospect.

Director Zhang could not understand how Cheng Sheng had managed to find so many people with such immense talent.

Furthermore, he recognized some of the actors.

Especially Fu Dalong.

He didn't deny that Fu Dalong was a good actor, but he had never been *this* good.

He also knew Zeng Li. He used to think her acting was only suited for television, but now it seemed she performed excellently on the big screen.

She had truly brought Empress Xiao to life.

When Zheng Guolin appeared as Li Shimin, Director Zhang's eyes widened. Was this really Li Shimin? Had Cheng Sheng actually found the real Li Shimin?

No director dislikes actors with great skills, especially a grand director like Zhang.

Good actors are rare.

When casting, he placed great emphasis on an actor's skill and inner quality rather than simply relying on a star's traffic or looks.

Director Zhang believed that an actor's skill was the decisive factor in the success or failure of a work; appearance could add points to a character, but the deciding factor was always solid acting.

This was also why the "Mou Girls" that Director Zhang sought were always actresses with incredibly powerful acting abilities.

(End of Chapter)