Chapter 98

He Guanchang was very clear that Zou Wenhui had asked him to stay behind to find out if Wu Cheng's Eastern Dragon had any secret moves with the Shaw Brothers.

If Eastern Dragon were to collaborate with the Shaw Brothers again, then the days for Golden Harvest would be tough.

Given his understanding of Shaw Dahan, if he wanted to continue to embarrass and suppress Golden Harvest, it was not impossible for him to collaborate with Eastern Dragon again.

Did the Shaw Brothers want to suppress Golden Harvest? The answer was definitely yes. In recent years, when had Shaw Dahan ever given up on suppressing them? If it weren't for Li Xiaolong and Xu Guanwen, it would be hard to say whether Golden Harvest could have survived these years. They had originally been optimistic about Hong Jinbao, but in the end, Hong Jinbao was lured away by Wu Cheng, taking a large number of martial artists with him, leaving them somewhat unprepared.

Seeing Shaw Dahan's playful smile, Wu Cheng cursed the old fox in his heart.

"Uncle Six, what kind of cooperation are you referring to? Between Eastern Dragon and the Shaw Brothers, or between Eastern Dragon and TVB?" Wu Cheng also had a playful smile as he gently swirled the red wine in his glass.

Wu Cheng's confident demeanor was quite unbelievable to many people. Who at his age would dare to speak to figures like Shaw Dahan and Zou Wenhui in such a manner?

Even those who had already gained some status and reputation did not dare to act rashly in front of these two, even the scions of noble families were the same.

But in Wu Cheng's eyes, these two had almost no authority, and he could talk and laugh with them, which was almost unbelievable.

They did not know Wu Cheng's background, nor did they understand his pride. Of course, if they had Wu Cheng's background, they probably wouldn't be intimidated by these two either!

Perhaps at the beginning, Wu Cheng might have been a bit nervous, but as he got to know them better and his own strength grew, that nervousness had long disappeared.

What appeared instead was confidence and ease, and a carefree and unrestrained demeanor!

"You little monkey, you're thinking too much!" Shaw Dahan, seeing Zou Wenhui leave with a gloomy face, was in a great mood and couldn't help but laugh heartily, "My idea is that TVB has already decided to adapt your 'Return to Ming.' How about you being the screenwriter? We will definitely give you the highest price in the industry!"

Wu Cheng chuckled, "I'll pass on that, but I have a suggestion. The female lead should be at least three, otherwise, the adaptation won't have much appeal."

"Are you really not interested?"

Wu Cheng shook his head, "It's not that I'm not interested, but I don't have the time."

Shaw Dahan smiled, knowing that Wu Cheng was telling the truth. Moreover, while the original author's involvement in the adaptation could ensure the authenticity of the plot, it could also be a troublesome matter. If the screenwriters were to argue, whose suggestions would take precedence? The original author would be sitting on the side!

"Then, do you have any suggestions for the main cast?"

"For the lead, I think Chiu Kwan can continue. For the female lead, I suggest that Sister Chi play the role of Han Youniang, which was tailor-made for her. As for the other female lead, Cheng Qiyun, I suggest that Sister Wang Mingjuan play the role..."

Shaw Dahan smiled, "Although Han Youniang and Sister Chi have similar personalities, if they were to play these roles, wouldn't you be afraid that Sister Chi would be overshadowed by Sister Wang?"

Wu Cheng smiled slightly and shook his head. In fact, Wu Cheng knew that the role of Cheng Qiyun was more challenging. However, Cheng Qiyun's fate was truly tragic, and Wu Cheng did not want Zhao Yazhi to play such a role. In fact, Wu Cheng was somewhat reluctant to let Zhao Yazhi play these TV dramas. If it weren't for the fact that the novel had already been written with Zhao Yazhi's personality in mind, and Zhao Yazhi herself had wanted to play the role.

In comparison, the role of Han Youniang was less challenging, so it was normal for Zhao Yazhi to be overshadowed by Wang Mingjuan.

However, the role of Han Youniang was very likable, and the audience would definitely enjoy it, so the outcome was still uncertain.

"Uncle Six, there's something I need your help with!"

Wu Cheng mentioned the sale of his music album. Shaw Dahan had no reason to refuse and readily agreed.

This was also part of Wu Cheng's promotional plan for his album.

After chatting with Shaw Dahan for a while, the guests had mostly arrived. Sister Feifei went on stage, invited the main cast, and started the conversation.

"Ah Long, I heard that Director Wu is a tyrant on set. Is that true?"

"Who said that? It's not true!" Cheng Long looked at Wu Cheng, somewhat guiltily denying it.

Sister Feifei smiled, "Lying is not good! Sister Chi has already admitted it!"

As a result, Cheng Long was quite embarrassed, looked at Wu Cheng, and said helplessly, "Actually, it's not that he's a tyrant. When we perform poorly and delay the shooting schedule, wasting everyone's time, it's normal for the director to be angry. But after that, the director corrects us bit by bit, and we learn a lot from it, which is the most important thing."

"That's consistent with what Sister Chi said!"

"Sister Feifei, it seems you don't believe me."

"Who made you lie in the first place? Liars are all cheats!"

Cheng Long looked embarrassed, covering his face, which made everyone laugh.

"Let's ask Sister Chi. Sister Chi, what kind of role do you play in the film?"

"Well," Zhao Yazhi paused, smiling, "I think this role plays a certain role in the film. However, because most of the scenes are action scenes, the presence of the female lead is a bit weak. But I think I did a good job, and I hope everyone doesn't overlook my presence! Hehe..."

Hearing Zhao Yazhi's words, Sister Feifei turned the topic back to Wu Cheng, "Director Wu, what do you think of what Sister Chi just said? The script is your creation, and the amount of the female lead's screen time should be under your control, right?"

Wu Cheng smiled, "Well, at first, I wanted to make this a pure action film for men. But later, I felt the plot was a bit thin, so I added a female lead. Of course, in the first part, the female lead's screen time will be less. In the second part, the female lead will have a surprise for everyone, and you'll see when the film comes out!"

"At this point, Director Wu, you're still keeping us in suspense!"

Wu Cheng laughed, "Spoilers are the worst! Isn't that right?"

Wu Cheng looked at the audience, who laughed and loudly responded, "Yes!"

"You see, so let's just wait and see the film!"

"Alright! Let's ask Director Yuan. How did you join this production? I heard that Golden Harvest was also inviting you to direct a film!"

Yuan Heping smiled, "I can only say that they were a bit late. At first, when I saw how young the director was, I hesitated. But Director Wu quickly put me at ease, making me think of the saying, 'Heroes emerge from the young!'"

"Oh? I think everyone is curious about how Director Wu put you at ease!"

"He only said one sentence!"

"What? What did he say?" Everyone couldn't help but be curious.

Yuan Heping looked at Wu Cheng, who smiled, "At that time, I said, 'Do you want to be a director? If you do, work with me! If your action design satisfies me, 'Drunken Two' will be directed by you! I only ask you, do you have the confidence?'"

Yuan Heping smiled wryly, "I've never met a director who, while directing his first film, was already thinking about the sequel. It seemed that in his eyes, there was no possibility of failure. This strong confidence made me agree without hesitation. Of course, besides being challenged, I also saw the opportunity to direct 'Drunken Two.' He had confidence, and I didn't lack it either! I'm a middle-aged man, I can't be looked down upon by a young man, can I?"

Everyone laughed again, appreciating Yuan Heping's frankness.

"Grandpa Yuan, I heard that your role in this film is also quite significant. What do you think of the film?" Sister Feifei, after laughing, turned the topic back to Yuan Xiaotian.

Yuan Xiaotian smiled, "I have nothing to say, except that I enjoyed acting in it. I'm also happy to see such a young director promoting our traditional martial arts culture!"

"It seems Grandpa Yuan also holds Director Wu in high regard!"

Grandpa Yuan smiled, "Don't look at his young age, but his seriousness as a director really makes us old-timers feel ashamed. I've been in the industry for so many years, but I've never seen a director in Hong Kong who is as meticulous as him, willing to shoot a simple scene dozens of times. You say he's a tyrant on set, and I agree with that..."

Grandpa Yuan's words made everyone laugh lightly.

He raised his hand and continued, "However, I think that actors who have worked under him are lucky. As the saying goes, 'Plum blossoms are fragrant after enduring the bitter cold.' Like forging iron, only through constant hammering can a good piece of iron be made. I think the entire crew should be grateful to have such a director. Especially our lead, Ah Long, his improvement is evident, all thanks to the director pushing him to his limits..."

Originally, he said he had nothing to say, but once he started, he couldn't stop.

However, his words made many actors think about finding an opportunity to work with Wu Cheng and experience the potential that this 'tyrant on set' could bring out.

An hour passed, and everyone finally bowed to the audience, and the film began.

...

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