Chapter 125: Cocktail Party, Making Enemies
Hong Kong's exclusiveness has a long history.
Actresses like isabella, Zhang Ziyi, and Liu Jialing, who came from the Mainland in earlier years, were often looked down upon because of their Mainland origins.
Liu Jialing was even called 'Northern Girl' by Hong Kong Island.
Now, these few have finally woken up and returned to the Mainland en masse.
Wang Fei married Li Yapeng, Liu Jialing followed Wang Jinghua, and Zhang Ziyi returned to the Mainland to work behind the scenes.
But Hong Kong, these past few years, has still been immersed in the golden age of the 80s and 90s, holding itself in high regard.
In their eyes, only they could produce big-budget films, and the male and female leads for such productions should naturally be played by them.
Even Mainland actresses like Gong Li and Zhou Xun, who had already made a name for themselves in the Mainland, were not held in high esteem by them.
The famous scene at the Golden Horse Awards ceremony five years ago.
Anita Mui and Chow Yun-fat, as presenters, chatted idly on stage.
They started by talking about how to be a good actor, then moved on to how to succeed in Hollywood.
First, they gently teased Hong Kong actors, which was somewhat benign.
But then Anita Mui changed her tone and asked Chow Yun-fat how Mainland actresses should fare in Hollywood.
What did Chow Yun-fat say? “Obedient and teachable.”
Anita Mui: “And what else?”
Chow Yun-fat: “Willing to do anything.”
Anita Mui: “Anything else?”
Chow Yun-fat: “Also, catching grapes.”
The anecdote about 'catching grapes' was known to all discerning people as a jab at Zhang Ziyi.
But Anita Mui's question was about how to view Mainland actresses!
Chow Yun-fat and Anita Mui's clumsy double act on stage.
It condemned all Mainland actresses with one stroke.
It was exactly like Wong Jing's recent promotion of 'Savage Mode' where he ridiculed Zhang Ziyi as cheap labor in Hollywood.
At its core, it was all a sense of superiority that Hong Kong believed it held.
Li Chen also disliked Zhang Ziyi.
But he disliked those self-important Hong Kong big names even more.
At the time, the live broadcast showed the guests, and female stars, including Yang Ziqiong, were all laughing heartily.
In the shot, only Qin Hailu, also a Mainland actress, was isolated, her expression stiff, unable to force a smile.
It was said that Zhang Ziyi had a dark expression throughout, but she didn't appear on camera.
But just thinking about it was humiliating.
Looking back at today's banquet hosted by Xiang Huaqiang, it was even clearer, with a distinct divide.
Hong Kong artists were clinking glasses, while the 'those years' crew, including Zhou Xun, formed their own group, largely ignored.
Li Chen, The Golden Palm director, probably benefited from Xiang Huaqiang's influence.
Otherwise, apart from a few artists who sought opportunities in the Mainland and proactively greeted him, everyone else still exuded a strong sense of superiority.
For example, the stout man in front of him, Zeng Zhiwei, the host of this year's Golden Horse Awards, who, without understanding the situation, came forward to 'champion' Sammi Cheng.
Zeng Zhiwei, holding a goblet, seemed to have drunk quite a bit, his face a bit flushed as he leaned forward: “General Manager Xiang, Hua Zai, Li Chen, don't bully Sammi!”
“Sammi, don't cry, Brother Wei will help you get justice.”
Xiang Huaqiang and Andy Lau could tell at a glance that Zeng Zhiwei was drunk again; Xiang Huaqiang and his wife ignored him.
Andy Lau smiled but said nothing.
Li Chen was not familiar with him and would certainly not bother to respond.
Instead, Sammi Cheng quickly defended herself: “Brother Wei, don't talk nonsense, no one is bullying me!”
Li Chen did not want to say another word to a drunk person.
“You all chat, I'm going to talk to Director Chen for a bit.”
After greeting Xiang Huaqiang and his wife, as well as Andy Lau, Li Chen intended to speak with Chen Jiasheng.
Li Chen ignored him, which greatly embarrassed Zeng Zhiwei.
Earlier, when Zeng Zhiwei criticized Chen Kaige for not being magnanimous enough, Li Chen had subtly accused him of kicking someone when they were down.
Today, in front of General Manager Xiang and Hua Zai, he was treated as if he were invisible, which, with some alcohol in his system, was intolerable.
He was, after all, a big shot in Hong Kong; normally, he would even casually tease the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong.
You, a young man from the Mainland, won a few awards and directed a few films, and now you think you can be so arrogant?
Zeng Zhiwei reached out and grabbed Li Chen's arm, causing Li Chen to freeze.
“That's a bit too disrespectful, isn't it, handsome boy!”
Li Chen's face darkened, and he snorted coldly, glancing at Xiang Huaqiang, the host, beside them.
Before Li Chen could speak, Xiang Huaqiang's face changed: “Wei Zai, let go!”
At the same time, he stepped forward and gripped Zeng Zhiwei's pulse point, causing Zeng Zhiwei to reflexively release his hand in pain.
Xiang Huaqiang's eyes were icy: “You've had too much to drink. Go back and rest early.”
Andy Lau couldn't interject, and Sammi Cheng hadn't reacted for a moment.
Once she came to her senses, she quickly went to help Zeng Zhiwei away.
“Brother Wei, you misunderstood, no one is really bullying me!”
If Zeng Zhiwei and Li Chen were to clash because of her, she truly wouldn't know how to resolve the situation.
Zeng Zhiwei glared at Li Chen with a sour expression.
Li Chen scoffed: “I'm not familiar with you, so there's no need for me to show you respect.”
With that, Li Chen no longer paid him any attention, and again greeted Xiang Huaqiang and Andy Lau.
“General Manager Xiang, Hua Ge, I'll take my leave now.”
Many artists from Hong Kong nearby witnessed this scene and clearly heard Li Chen's words.
They were all astonished; everyone was accustomed to Zeng Zhiwei's drunken antics.
But those who dared to openly embarrass Zeng Zhiwei in Hong Kong were few and far between.
Hong Kong artists had only seen Li Chen's sharpness online in their daily lives.
Witnessing it in person today, they realized that this young Mainland director, The Golden Palm director, was exactly as rumored.
Not far away, Liu Yifei and Zhou Xun, among others, had received Li Chen's instructions from Yang Siwei before the cocktail party began.
They didn't need to actively socialize with the Hong Kong crowd; if the Hong Kong people approached them, it was enough to simply be polite.
As a result, throughout the evening, only a few people proactively came over to exchange pleasantries with them.
Except for this Golden Horse Awards host, who came over in a familiar manner, started joking with them, and even teased Liu Yifei about whether she was dating Li Chen.
He truly spoke too freely with someone he barely knew, completely unaware of his impropriety.
Everyone was mortified, yet Zeng Zhiwei either didn't notice or simply didn't care.
There were also a few Hong Kong artists from Shiba Culture who came to exchange a few words with Yang Siwei.
Fortunately, Xue Xiaolu didn't come, and the young people were happy to have some peace.
“Yifei, Director Li is making enemies in all directions. Your future days will probably be difficult. You'll have to help Director Li clean up his messes constantly!”
“Look at Director Chen Kaige's capable wife, Chen Hong, his firefighting team.” Zhou Xun said with a hand over her mouth, laughing.
“Sister Xun, your worries are unnecessary. Can Chen Kaige compare to the boss?”
“Besides one Golden Palm, in what other aspect can he be compared to the boss?” Yang Siwei retorted on behalf of Li Chen.
Liu Yifei didn't speak, smiling as she watched Li Chen approach.
“Back to the Peninsula Hotel.” Li Chen said to the group with a gentle expression.
Zhou Xun and the others smiled, pursing their lips, and followed Li Chen, leaving the banquet.
Xiang Huaqiang really wanted to kick Zeng Zhiwei to death! He had ruined a perfectly good banquet.
Since Li Chen, the main character, had left, there was no need for the banquet to continue.
Xiang Huaqiang and his wife greeted the stars and left first, while Andy Lau left after socializing with everyone.
Zeng Zhiwei's face was ashen; his dignity was completely lost now.
Even though Sammi Cheng explained the entire situation to him, it didn't appease him.
Even if he had lost his composure a bit, Li Chen, you are too arrogant!
I hope you're still this arrogant at the Golden Horse Awards ceremony!
On the way back to the Peninsula Hotel, Zhou Xun turned around and said, “Director Li, you've offended Zeng Zhiwei today. There's no guarantee he won't make things difficult for you at the awards ceremony.”
“This one is famously unrestrained in his speech!”
Liu Yifei, holding Li Chen's arm, said, “Don't be afraid, Sister Xun, we are all attending as guests. At most, you'll be an award recipient, and you won't even talk to the host.”
Li Chen dotingly flicked Miss Liu's nose: “Naughty!”
Yang Siwei laughed: “What's there to be afraid of! The boss has never been afraid. I bet if Zeng Zhiwei dares to make trouble for the boss, he'll be the one looking bad!”
Zhou Xun, however, was a bit worried: “Director Li, by constantly confronting everyone and everything like this, you could easily incur public wrath and be isolated.”
Li Chen chuckled: “Do these people I'm confronting even count as 'everyone and everything'? Whether they're loyal or treacherous, good or bad, you'll find out later.”
“All of you, put your minds at ease. My foundation has never been in Hong Kong!”
“The entertainment industry speaks with strength, unless I go bankrupt someday.”
“Otherwise, you all hold your heads high out there. Don't be like Zhang Ziyi five years ago, who was ridiculed by Chow Yun-fat and still pretended to be deaf and dumb!”
“As long as you're not stirring up trouble for no reason, don't be afraid to cause a stir. If it blows up, I'll handle it for you!”
Li Chen's words were bold and grand, instantly enlightening the people in the car.
That's right, their boss's foundation was in the Mainland, which was simply incomparable to the declining Hong Kong.
Although he had confronted many big names in Hong Kong, such as Wong Jing, Zeng Zhiwei, Chen Kexin, Wu Junru, and so on.
However, several big shots in Hong Kong, like the bosses of Emperor Entertainment and China Star, as well as Big Brother Long, were still on good terms with the boss.
Yang Siwei immediately interjected: “The boss is right. From the moment I moved into Splendid Diamond, I had this awareness!”
“He who wears the crown must bear its weight! If you want to be NO.1, don't be afraid of open and hidden attacks. Let the storm rage even more fiercely!”
Zhou Xun nodded: “Alright, with you two, one my boss and one my agent, I'll be able to walk sideways in the Mainland entertainment industry from now on!”
Tang Yan interjected: “Sister Xun, when we encounter Yifei, we still have to walk straight!”
Yang Siwei burst into laughter: “Tangtang is right, don't provoke the boss, and definitely don't provoke the boss's wife!”
Liu Yifei felt smug, a smile spreading across her face: “No, when you meet me, let's all walk sideways together!”
Li Chen shook his head and chuckled softly, 'They're all so young!'
The incident of Li Chen openly embarrassing Zeng Zhiwei at the banquet quickly spread within a small circle.
Chen Kexin and Wu Junru were good friends with Zeng Zhiwei.
Wu Junru called Zeng Zhiwei, saying that if she weren't currently pregnant, she would definitely support him!
Zeng Zhiwei just said, “No need, we'll see.”
Although Wen Jun received Xiang Huaqiang's message, he could at most influence the official staff.
As for big-name artists like Zeng Zhiwei, who was also a host.
If he spontaneously said something inappropriate during the live event, it would be beyond his control.
'isabella' and 'buried' were released on the same day, April 6th.
The box office was nothing to brag about; 'buried' was mediocre, and 'isabella' was even less than mediocre.
Li Chen and Andy Lau had anticipated this; the film returned from Berlin empty-handed, and the entire cast consisted of only one actor, Andy Lau.
Watching the movie was like watching a compilation of Andy Lau's facial expressions.
Hong Kong Island's gossip magazines reported that Li Chen ridiculed Zeng Zhiwei's drunken antics at the cocktail party, showing him no respect whatsoever, causing the banquet to end early.
This caused gossip media to flock to the story.
However, neither Xiang Huaqiang and his wife nor Andy Lau, nor Li Chen and Zeng Zhiwei, would comment on the matter.
Reporters could only scratch their heads and rack their brains, trying to get information from other artists who were present that day.
Huo Wenxi arrived at the Peninsula Hotel early, hoping to see Li Chen but couldn't.
She could only settle for finding Yang Siwei.
Upon meeting, Huo Wenxi, dressed in a white knee-length skirt professional suit, went straight to the point.
“Siwei, is Director Li still bothered by the last misunderstanding?”
Yang Siwei poured a glass of water for Huo Wenxi and handed it to her: “Why would Sister Mani ask that?”
Huo Wenxi put down the water glass: “The matter of 'genius gunner' is now common knowledge. My boss threw a fit at me early this morning.”
“You and I both work for others, it's not easy for either of us. Give me a straight answer, has Director Li decided to give up on cooperating with Emperor Entertainment?”
Yang Siwei smiled: “Sister Mani, what are you talking about?”
“The bosses' ideas are all the same, just like your boss also cooperates with Huayi Brothers and Bona Film Group in the Mainland, right?”
“This is very normal, all normal business behavior. You shouldn't overthink it.”
Yang Siwei found it rather amusing internally; such a question was too naive.
It seemed Emperor Entertainment was also getting anxious, otherwise, Huo Wenxi wouldn't have lost her composure like this.
Huo Wenxi understood Yang Siwei's words.
Li Chen still minded what happened last time, which is why he found another spokesperson, China Star, in Hong Kong.
But at the same time, he would not give up cooperation with Emperor Entertainment.
The strategic intentions of big bosses are all the same.
Emperor Entertainment has recently been cooperating with Shanghai Film Group, Orange Sky Entertainment, Huayi Brothers, and Bona Film Group in the Mainland.
But among these partners, her boss valued Rongchen Film and Television the most.
However, Emperor Entertainment did not highlight the importance of Rongchen Film and Television!
Huo Wenxi left the Peninsula Hotel feeling somewhat helpless.
Yingyi Entertainment, from a struggling, almost defunct company, suddenly became involved in co-producing two projects related to Rongchen Film and Television.
Suddenly, many people started asking Andy Lau about casting matters.
Especially for several character roles in the novel 'so young'.
This made Andy Lau laugh and cry, so he immediately called Li Chen.
Yang Siwei immediately announced to the public.
“The 'so young' script has been submitted for review. Once approved, casting information will be released.”
“Some roles in 'genius gunner' will undergo open auditions. Please pay attention to the upcoming announcements on the Rongchen Film and Television official website.”
As soon as the news was released to the media, Yang Siwei and Wu Bin's phones went into super long standby mode again.
Wang Zhonglei was greatly disappointed; he had originally thought about buying 'so young', but he didn't expect Li Chen to use the script to support Hua Zai's so-called New Director program, which was truly extravagant.
One should know that Li Chen's scripts have now risen to 25 million RMB.
For example, why does 'genius gunner' cost fifty million? It's because Li Chen's script is too expensive.
Last year, Lionsgate in Hollywood wanted to buy 'the conjuring', offering three million US dollars, but Li Chen didn't sell it.
Many domestic film and television companies also considered buying scripts from Li Chen, but each time they were rejected by Rongchen Film and Television.
