Advance Notice

"Where are the Hundred Flowers Awards being held this year?" "Xi'an, I think. They're holding the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers together again. Huh, what script is this?" Zhang Jinling spotted *The Bao Father and Son*. She moved to pick it up, then hesitated, but Gong Xue thrust it straight into her hands with a smile. "Director Xie Tieli came to see me. He wants me to do a guest cameo in a small role." "And did you agree?" "I haven't read the script yet. Honestly, if it's not much screen time, he could ask just about anyone." "Silly girl, how could that be the same?" Zhang Jinling was cautious; she latched the door before lowering her voice. "You're the most popular actress in the country right now. Those people talk on and on about art and ignoring the market, but who doesn't actually want to sell more film prints? Even if Director Xie doesn't care, his creative team does. If you appear in it, they can announce it to the world—wow, a new Gong Xue film! You think people won't go see it?" "Well..." Gong Xue paused. "I should still read the script first. If it's suitable, I'll do it." "Forget it, let's not talk about that!" Zhang Jinling flipped open *Popular Cinema* to the ballot page. "Li Xiuming is all fired up to compete this year. You need to put in some effort and win another Hundred Flowers Award." "She really gave a wonderful performance, though." "So do you want it or not?" "I..." Gong Xue felt a bit sheepish, but told the truth: "Personally, I think I have a shot at the Hundred Flowers. The Golden Rooster is a long shot, though—they'd never give a Golden Rooster to *Tai Chi*." "You're a major actress now, you need some confidence. Come on, write it in yourself!" "Who votes for themselves on a ballot?" "You've got the talent, what's there to be afraid of? Come on, come on! Let's fill it out together." Ever since getting married, Zhang Jinling—though still known as one of the Golden Flowers of Beijing Film Studio—no longer had much career ambition. She had always been a caring elder sister to Gong Xue, and of the few people Gong Xue was close to at the studio, she was the closest. Right then and there, the two filled out a ballot. For Best Feature Film, they wrote down *In-Laws*, *Tai Chi*, and *Legend of the White Snake*. For Best Actor, they jotted down a random name, and for Best Actress, they wrote Gong Xue. "When is Xiao Chen coming back?" "He didn't say. He has to go to France in May, too." "Now that he's started a company, he spends half the year in Hong Kong. The two of you are basically living apart in different cities." Zhang Jinling was genuinely concerned for her. "Xiao Gong, seriously, everyone knows what's going on between you two, even if nobody says it out loud. It's time you sorted things out." "..." Gong Xue lowered her head. After a long silence, she murmured softly, "I'm several years older than him. How can we sort it out?" "What's wrong with being a few years older? You're outstanding too. Did you win your Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers for nothing?" "There are Golden Roosters and Hundred Flowers every year, but in the entire country, there's only one Ah Qi. A wave of his hand brings in millions of US dollars—who else could ever do that?" With those words, Zhang Jinling had no counterargument. "Fine, I can't persuade you. I'm leaving." Gong Xue saw her out, then returned to sit on the sofa. She wanted to read the script, but her mind wouldn't settle. Walking over to the desk, she ground some ink and began practicing calligraphy with a brush. *** When Chen Qi arrived at Beijing Film Studio, he headed straight for the main building. Since setting up his own shop, he hadn't seen Wang Yang as often and surprisingly missed him. Reaching the director's office, he barged right in. "Old Man, I'm back!" "You little brat, you don't even call me Director anymore!" Wang Yang scolded with a stern face. "Aiyoh, if my dad hadn't objected, I'd have called you Grandpa by now." That single quip broke Wang Yang's composure. Beaming from ear to ear, he personally brewed him a cup of broken jasmine tea and asked, "Weren't you busy in Hong Kong? Why the sudden trip back?" "I submitted a script to the Ministry of Culture. There's huge disagreement, so they called me back for a meeting." "What script?" "During the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, a Chinese couple and their child are thrown into a concentration camp..." Chen Qi gave a broad outline. Wang Yang listened with a deep frown and said, "Since the founding of the nation, we've filmed countless resistance war movies. Most are solemn and serious, though some have lighter tones, like *Tunnel Warfare* and *Landmine Warfare*, which have a lot of comedic elements. But presenting the war against Japanese aggression like this? It's the first of its kind in the whole country. No wonder the Ministry of Culture summoned you back. You boy, you're the Monkey King incarnate—miserable unless you're stirring up trouble." "I've already been recruited into the fold to fetch the scriptures! At the very least, I should count as the Victorious Fighting Buddha!" "Then what did you come to see me for? Want me to put in a good word for you?" "No, no, how could I keep bothering you? That would make me look completely useless. What I mean is, if this film gets made, I'll need to borrow a lot of Beijing Film Studio's personnel and equipment, which might disrupt normal productions for some people. I wanted to touch base with you beforehand." "How much is 'a lot'?" "Take cameras, for instance. I'll need at least three, which means three cinematographers, not to mention makeup and props." "..." Wang Yang weighed it for a moment, then said, "Pass the script hurdle first. Even if I want to mobilize resources to back your film, I still have to win everyone's agreement." "Fair enough, consider yourself notified!" With that, Chen Qi stood up and suddenly leaned in to give the old man a hug, grinning cheekily. "I came back in a hurry this time and didn't bring you a gift. I'll make up for it next time!" "You brat, get out of here!" *** At present, Eastern Depot still lacked independent production rights. It had to put Beijing Film Studio's name on projects and utilize their resources. There was no other way; film industry personnel were all within the state system, with zero freelancers. This was precisely why building his own team was so difficult. Producers, directors, assistant directors, cinematographers, costume, makeup, props, sound, editing, and so on—every single post required recruitment. On top of that, there were administration, Party affairs, the labor union, the cafeteria, security... Setting up a studio in this era was like establishing a miniature country. Unlike the future, where film and TV practitioners were a dime a dozen and fiercely competed to the death. Besides, in the future, what film company would care about a labor union or provide housing? You were lucky if they even paid you your final invoice. At this stage, Chen Qi still had to rely on Beijing Film Studio. Yet deep inside, he harbored a grand plan: building a studio from scratch was too much trouble, so why not just swallow up Beijing Film Studio? Just like how China Film, Beijing Film Studio, Children's Film Studio, the Movie Channel, and eight other entities were later merged into China Film Group! By then, he wouldn't just be a division-level cadre—he'd be a bureau-level cadre. Above that was minister-level, climbing step by step by step all the way to the top, and then burning Daoist green petitions to sacrifice to Heaven! Inside the tongzilou. Gong Xue had just finished writing out "Prelude to the Water Melody" in clerical script. She left the sheet spread out on the desk to dry, the emotions stirred up by Zhang Jinling having already settled. She had few hobbies in her spare time; her favorites were tending flowers and practicing calligraphy and painting. Apart from mandatory studio events, she rarely showed her face, spending her time reading in her small room or heading over to Lechunfang to tidy up. She never felt bored in the least—in fact, her life felt thoroughly full. *Knock, knock, knock... knock, knock... knock...* Suddenly, a peculiar knock sounded at the door. Gong Xue froze, her mouth falling open in surprise. She hurried over to open the door, and standing outside was none other than the scoundrel she longed for day and night. "Ah Qi!" Her disbelief turned into sheer joy, her voice suppressed with delight. "Why are you back? Why didn't you tell me?" "Something came up unexpectedly. I had to rush back, only arrived in Beijing this morning." The moment Chen Qi stepped inside and shut the door, Gong Xue threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I thought it would be another two months before you came back. I missed you so much..."