A Peculiar Train of Thought

Emotional quotient was a subtle, mysterious thing. Before the term became popular, people usually described it with phrases like "tactless," "lacking eyes to read the room," "kissing ass," or "a smooth talker"... It was not necessarily a bad thing. To survive in the tangled web of social relations, one needed this skill. Unless you were capable enough to do whatever you pleased, or completely checked out and lying flat so that you simply didn't care about anyone else, you had to mind others. Zhen Zidan was the textbook example of low emotional intelligence. Some people had only one flaw, but he seemed to have gathered them all: self-centered, devoid of empathy, utterly heedless of other people's feelings, tactless with his words, and possessed of a perverse, stubborn streak. So when he said those words, he didn't think there was anything wrong with what he had said at all. It wasn't that he wasn't allowed to object, but his manner of expressing himself made it feel as though he were deliberately looking for trouble. "Sure!" Chen Qi beamed, taking a step aside. "It's great that you're using your head. Why don't you show us?" "OK!" Zhen Zidan showed no stage fright at all. He strode forward, faced the crowd, and spoke with sweeping confidence: "First of all, Nalan Yuanshu is very young. To be a general at such a young age, he would definitely be arrogant and look down on everyone. And he's highly skilled in martial arts, so every move he makes should radiate raw power." He threw his head back, puffed out his chest, and paced across the stage. "I designed a move for him myself. He witnesses an injustice, draws his blade to help, and blows the guy's head off with a single punch! That would be..." "A load of shit!" Those words came straight out of Chen Qi's mouth. Zhen Zidan froze in disbelief. He had thought he would be praised. Chen Qi figured the guy had a screw loose, and barked, "Did you even read the script? Nalan Yuanshu is a fallen Bannerman and a low-ranking military officer! What does he have to be arrogant about? He betrayed his friends and captured Tan Sitong just to secure a stepping stone for his own promotion! "And blowing someone's head off with a punch? Who do you think you are—American Superman?! "Every character serves the film! Where there are heroes, there must be villains; where there are champions, there are cowards! You're gilding the lily and completely distorting the character. You haven't respected the script, nor have you respected everyone here! I have no use for a conceited prick who has zero sense of teamwork! "Get out! Don't bother coming back tomorrow!" "I..." "Get out!" "..." Zhen Zidan was dumbfounded. He had walked onto the stage brimming with confidence, fully expecting applause, only to lose his job on the spot. He didn't dare raise a hand. His mouth worked soundlessly for a moment, and then, completely deflated, he slunk out in disgrace. Even after being kicked out, he still couldn't comprehend what he had done wrong. "Class resumes!" Chen Qi wasn't angry—it wasn't worth getting worked up over Zhen Zidan. He just found it utterly bizarre. Did people who truly believed the earth revolved around them actually exist? The two young girls, He Qing and Tao Huimin, were scared out of their wits. It turned out Brother Xiao Chen had a terrifying side, too. Li Jianqun also tilted her head, shielded her face with her hand, and whispered, "When he loses his temper, it's pretty scary." "It's not that bad. You should have seen him scolding those reporters in Hong Kong. He looked terribly handsome." "Losing his temper looked handsome?" "Well, he wasn't losing his temper at me," Gong Xue said with a smile. Li Jianqun blinked. That actually made a lot of sense. ...... Zhen Zidan was outside. He didn't want to go back to the martial arts team and didn't know what else to do, so he could only squat by the studio gates. After waiting for a full half-day, the Yuen Brothers finally arrived. "Dan-zai? What are you doing here?" "I was kicked out. Brother Qi didn't like my acting choices, so he kicked me out." Hmm? Hearing this, Yuen Woo-ping was taken aback. Ah Qi wasn't usually so petty. But for his elder sister's sake, he had to intervene. He went to find Chen Qi, and once he learned the truth, he was left speechless. "Replace him. Having him in my crew is like keeping a time bomb around. I can't afford that." "He's young and doesn't know any better. Give him another chance." "There's something wrong with his head. Seriously, have him see a doctor!" As Yuen Woo-ping pleaded for leniency, Chen Qi kept up appearances and said, "Master Yuen, I'm doing this out of respect for you! Bring him in, but you must guarantee there won't be a second time!" "OK! OK!" A moment later, Yuen Woo-ping escorted Zhen Zidan back in person and slapped him across the face right in front of Chen Qi. Zhen Zidan knew his mother wanted him to apprentice under Yuen, so he didn't dare resist. "Brother Qi! Manager Chen! It was my fault. I shouldn't have said that." "Do you even know what you did wrong?" "I... I shouldn't have spoken like that." Chen Qi rolled his eyes. The guy had no idea what he had done, had no grasp of the core conflict, and didn't even truly believe he had made a mistake. There was simply no communicating with someone wired like this. Whatever—as long as he was usable. "What if there's a next time?" "I'll pack up and leave on my own!" "Do you know how to play Nalan Yuanshu now?" "I do, I do! Look at people out of the corner of your eye!" As Zhen Zidan spoke, he immediately straightened his spine, turned his head, and fixed Chen Qi with a sideways forty-five-degree glare, tilting his chin up slightly. Combined with his sharp, hawk-like visage, the vibe was instantly there. See? That was all it took! What a waste of time! After he left, Chen Qi remarked, "Master Yuen, getting involved with him is going to bring you quite a few headaches down the line." "Can't be helped. His mother wants him to study under me. Once we finish *Tai Chi 2*, I'll just have to show him the ropes. He's got a decent look, and young people's tempers can be ironed out over time." "Then I wish you good luck!" Chen Qi knew how history played out. Try as he might, Yuen Woo-ping would never successfully launch Zhen Zidan's career to superstardom in this era. It wouldn't be until Jackie Chan and Li Lianjie grew old and left the field without successors that Zhen Zidan finally broke through. Chen Qi had no interest in the man; he'd rather admire Joey Meng's legs. ...... Work on *Tai Chi 2* progressed steadily, on track to begin shooting in July. The budget was between 1.5 and 1.8 million yuan. Calculating by the 1.8-million mark, the company's capital of 4.32 million would leave 2.52 million remaining. If *Tai Chi 2* wrapped up smoothly within the year, it would likely hit the screens during next year's Spring Festival slot. Then it would be taken to film festivals to sell international distribution rights; waiting for those funds to return would take the better part of a year. Of the remaining 2.52 million, 520,000 would be reserved for daily operations and running the magazine. The remaining two million he would use as seed money for heading to Hong Kong. *Tai Chi 2* had a long production cycle, and he didn't want to shadow it the entire time. In the second half of the year, he'd take the funds and run, transferring through Hong Kong to run off to the United States. How many donuts could two million buy? Enough to make the donut crowd die of envy... 'But before that, I'll need to write that story for Sister Xue first!' Inside Room 302, Chen Qi spun his pen in contemplation. Truth be told, he had never believed Gong Xue's acting skills could reach extraordinary heights. Mastering the celebrity style of performance was about her ceiling. When it came to acting, talent really was everything. The career trajectory Chen Qi had mapped out for her was to maintain her status as the most popular actress in the country, and then, riding on a few strong productions, break out across Asia. She might not win acting awards herself, but the films had to win awards—those would be her signature works. At this stage, his target was still the Hundred Flowers Awards. The Golden Rooster Awards depended on luck, and they were unlikely to hand the prize to the same person multiple times in quick succession. For next year's Hundred Flowers, her role as Chen Shaomei in *Tai Chi* was practically a sure thing. For the Hundred Flowers the year after that, he wanted Gong Xue to win as well, but her screen time in *Tai Chi 2* was limited, so her chances were slim. He needed to shoot another project for her. A three-year winning streak at the Hundred Flowers would cement her status as unshakeable, after which she could branch outward. 'In that case, I shouldn't worry about artistic depth—I just need to cater to audience votes... The films that sold the most prints in the eighties were all martial arts pictures: *Deadly Fury*, *South Shaolin Master*, *The Cotton Kasaya*, *Young Heroes*, and so on.' 'Right now, all the film studios are eyeing this track, so the competition is bound to get cutthroat. If I make a female-led martial arts flick? That probably won't cut it.' After mulling it over repeatedly, Chen Qi decided to go against the grain: 'If the whole country is screening martial arts, I'll do a tearjerker instead. I'll show you all what it really means to stand out from the crowd!'