Chapter 55

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other, all feeling that Wu Cheng was extremely arrogant.

However, the facts were indeed as he said: he was young and had the capital to lose. Young people should indeed be like him, daring to fight and strive, in order to have a chance to win.

For a moment, some of the reporters were a bit confused, falling into deep thought, but there were still some who felt that this young man in front of them was arrogant beyond measure. Who did he think he was!

"Mr. Wu, from what you said, can we understand that 'Drunken Fist' is just a spur-of-the-moment creation, and you are not really clear about its prospects, or even don't care much whether it will succeed, is that right?"

Wu Cheng pointed at him and said, "When I haven't given you permission to ask a question, you'd better not ask casually. This time it's fine, but not next time! I can answer this question very clearly: 'Drunken Fist' was not a topic I decided to shoot on a whim. In fact, when I was writing the script for 'Drunken Fist,' the script for the second part was already in my mind. In other words, I was preparing to shoot a sequel to 'Drunken Fist.' Do you think I wouldn't care?"

Upon hearing this, many reporters raised their hands again. Wu Cheng pointed to one, and the person immediately stood up and asked loudly, "Mr. Wu, what makes you so confident, even to the point of being arrogant?"

Wu Cheng laughed and said, "Confidence comes from within. When you are strong enough, your confidence will naturally radiate from the inside out. When a person puts aside all worries, ignores the outside world, and focuses all their energy on something, their confidence is something outsiders cannot understand. Like me now, you won't understand, you'll just think I'm arrogant! I don't want to argue about such misunderstandings; let the facts speak for themselves."

Wu Cheng answered many questions, but many people still felt that his confidence would lead him to a big fall. Some even thought he was too confident, too arrogant.

However, Wu Cheng did not focus all the questions on himself. After answering ten questions, he stopped answering questions about himself and instead directed the reporters' attention to the film 'Drunken Fist' and its main creative team.

Of course, someone also asked Zhao Yazhi about the rumored age-gap romance with Wu Cheng. Zhao Yazhi did not answer, which made the reporters even more speculative.

The next day, the newspapers were full of various comments. Of course, the most common was that Wu Cheng was arrogant and would surely fail. The outside world, except for 'Urban Entertainment News,' was almost unanimously pessimistic about Wu Cheng as a director.

Wu Cheng himself did not give any further positive responses, letting them argue, which indirectly promoted 'Drunken Fist.'

...

After the Q&A session, the production team started filming directly.

The first scene shot was Huang Qiyin teaching his disciples martial arts, with the mischievous Huang Feihong and his brothers pranking the eldest brother.

The eldest brother was played by Shi Tian, who was still at Golden Harvest at the time and would later become one of the three major figures of New Cinema City. However, at the moment, he was just an ordinary actor.

At this stage, he was not very famous and was just a minor figure at Golden Harvest. Therefore, when Wu Cheng signed him, Golden Harvest did not make it difficult, and Shi Tian himself did not refuse.

Shi Tian knew very well what kind of company East Dragon International was. The first film had broken almost all box office records in Hong Kong since its opening, which was evident.

Joining East Dragon made Shi Tian very happy.

To be honest, this guy had some ambition and good investment insight. But these qualities had not yet appeared in him. He had spent seven or eight years at Shaw Brothers and had only recently left.

Wu Cheng knew that once 'Drunken Fist' became popular, he would definitely become famous too. His image was very suitable for comedy, and comedy films had a big market in Hong Kong.

Therefore, Wu Cheng signed him, and even if he wanted to go solo in the future, that would be fine.

"Cut!" Wu Cheng called out, and Shi Tian, Cheng Long, and the extras stopped their actions. Everyone looked at Wu Cheng in confusion, and he waved his hand, saying, "You guys are fine, keep it up. Ah Tian, your expression can be more exaggerated. This is a comedy, show more anger, be more relaxed... let's do it again!"

The first scene was quickly passed after Wu Cheng gave some pointers. To be honest, Shi Tian had a natural talent for comedy. The next scene was Zhao Yazhi and her mother's appearance.

Since the set was rented, Wu Cheng had to shoot all the scenes that took place there first and then edit them later.

"Cut!" As soon as filming started, Wu Cheng called out, shouting, "Ah Long, your expression shouldn't be so wooden and casual. Although this is a comedy, you need to show the appropriate expressions. Don't tell me you're a stone face; when you persuade everyone to go to the nightclub, your expressions are very good (everyone laughed, but seeing Wu Cheng's expression, they held back)."

Cheng Long looked embarrassed, his mouth twitching, and Wu Cheng said, "That's right, that's the expression!"

Everyone couldn't take it anymore, and Zhao Yazhi led the rebellion, causing the entire set to burst into laughter.

With Zhao Yazhi around, Wu Cheng couldn't say much. He waited for everyone to calm down and then continued filming. At this point, everyone knew that Wu Cheng had more patience and affection for Zhao Yazhi than for others, which made many people secretly realize there was something going on!

During a break, Wu Cheng turned to Yuan Bay, who was not yet known as 'Bay' at the time, "Brother Ping, the action scenes are up to you. You should have seen 'Five Lucky Stars.' The actions I want are from there. Each move can be there, but they shouldn't be as choppy as before. They need to be smooth..."

"Don't worry! We've practiced many times, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

"Looking forward to it!"

...

After chatting with Yuan Bay, they continued filming, but soon Wu Cheng called out again, "Cut, cut, cut... Ah Long, can you not look so lecherous? The person opposite you is not just any woman. By seniority, Thirteenth Aunt is your elder. Even if you think she's beautiful, you can only sneak a few glances, not show such a lecherous look! Let's do it again!"

Cheng Long was completely subdued. This was not only his first leading role but also a director he couldn't fight, argue with, or scold. He could only obediently accept the criticism.

However, under Wu Cheng's guidance, Cheng Long's acting improved.

In fact, not just Cheng Long, almost everyone who appeared in Wu Cheng's scenes, including the extras, had been coached by him.

To ensure the quality of the film, Wu Cheng tirelessly explained the scenes to everyone, including the extras. This made the entire crew look at Wu Cheng with new respect.

After all, the script was created by Wu Cheng, and he knew exactly what kind of expressions he needed. Although he was not the original creator of the script and had not worked in the film industry in his previous life, the experience from 'Five Lucky Stars' and the changes he made to the script made him very clear about what he needed.

Even when he compared his work to his memories, he felt that his version was much better, which made him very satisfied.

Even if this extended the shooting time and cost more, he didn't mind.

He didn't mind wasting time or money because he wanted quality and a good reputation for the film. After all, this was his first true work.

In the following days, after finishing the indoor scenes, the production team moved to the outdoor set.

The outdoor set was still at Shaw Brothers, which was quite simple at the time. Wu Cheng had to spend some money to decorate it, but it was much cheaper than building a full set.

The budget for 'Drunken Fist' was two million, and the cost of hiring the entire Yuan family troupe and the old man was not low. This led Wu Cheng to privately suggest to Cheng Long that he form his own 'Cheng family troupe.' Since he would star in many films in the future, having his own team would be more convenient.

Cheng Long was naturally very happy about this. He had always liked Xiao Heizi (Kuo Shouliang) and wanted to recruit him because they both liked racing. However, he found out that Xiao Heizi had already formed a stunt team under Wu Cheng's direction.

So, he had to go out and recruit others, but that's another story.

'Drunken Fist' continued to be filmed.

Huang Feihong, hearing that the old man wanted to bring Su Huazi to bully him, was so frightened that he sneaked out of Baozhi Lin, not daring to go home. With no money, he had to eat without paying.

Thirteenth Aunt happened to encounter him and, seeing his pitiful state, wanted to help him. But Huang Feihong, with his macho pride, refused her offer, and so he continued to eat without paying.

This time, he was beaten very badly, and it would have been even worse if Su Huazi hadn't appeared.

"Cut!" When Cheng Long, playing Huang Feihong, refused Thirteenth Aunt's help, Wu Cheng called out, "Ah Long, your refusal should be firm, but your expression should show hesitation. Think about it, you have no money, and a kind person is offering to help you. Would you casually give up? Your refusal comes from not wanting to be looked down upon, especially by a woman. This is the macho pride of the protagonist, not because you are already full!"

"A Cheng, let me think for a moment!" Cheng Long smiled bitterly and held his head, thinking.

He was not worried about the action scenes, but this kind of drama was the biggest challenge for him. He was not from a film school, and this was his weak point. He had never realized how many shortcomings he had before.

He did not mind Wu Cheng coaching him, but he was afraid of disappointing Wu Cheng.

After a few takes, the scene barely passed, and Wu Cheng announced a break.

"Director, there are two little girls looking for you!"

At this moment, a production assistant ran over to Wu Cheng.

Wu Cheng was taken aback and looked at Zhao Yazhi, saying, "Bring them in!"

Soon, Zhong Chuhong and Lan Jieying followed the production assistant into the set.

Wu Cheng was puzzled. How did these two end up together?

Oh, Zhong Chuhong was not really a little girl; she looked like a young woman, but Lan Jieying was definitely a little girl!