Results

Mai Chengliang had spoken with Liu Jiawei and learned that when Lu Heng had played the second male lead in Autumn Dew White, Fang Kaizhi had also made him write a character biography.

As long as he knew how to write one, that was fine.

Because of Lu Heng's outstanding audition, Mai Chengliang had subconsciously treated him like a seasoned actor and hadn't considered at all how unreasonable his demand was for a fourteen-year-old child.

Wang Zhen, who had acted opposite Lu Heng, also said with a smile, "I'm really looking forward to working with you!"

It had to be said that although Best Actor Wang had portrayed quite a few terrifyingly deranged classic villains on screen, outside the production crew, he was genuinely an understanding, kind, and approachable uncle next door.

Everything was ready; all that remained was signing the contract.

However, Mai Chengliang had never expected trouble to arise again on Huaxia Imperial Entertainment's side.

When Wei Linxuan learned that Lu Heng would be playing a drug addict and would even have to lose ten pounds, he instantly bristled!

"Is our Xiao Heng fat? Is he? Is he?"

"He's already so skinny, and you still want him to lose weight!"

"It's the New Year, and you won't let him eat meat! You're even making him eat one less bowl of rice every day! This is child abuse!"

"You're making a fourteen-year-old kid play a drug addict! He has to figure out how to act the part well! He even has to visit a rehab center to observe the real-life inspiration! Why don't you just have Lu Heng smoke some marijuana to get a feel for it? What kind of people are you?"

"No! I don't agree! Our Lu Heng can't play this kind of role!"

With his hair puffed up like a dandelion, Wei Linxuan made the final call. He absolutely would not allow those evil capitalists to mistreat his little partner like this.

When word reached Mai Chengliang, the great director was truly out of options. He could only seek out Liu Jiawei, Best Actor Liu, again. Same idea as before—

You brought him here. Now the person himself agrees, and I like him too, but his agency doesn't agree. Go persuade them!

Liu Jiawei: "..."

Author's Note:

Little skit—

Best Actor Liu: Who did I offend? ╮(╯_╰)╭

Wei the Bristling Top: You offended me and provoked me. You want our Hengheng to lose weight—if he gets skinny as a rack of bones, will he still feel good to hold??? Our hatred is as deep as the sea; we cannot coexist! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

Little Bottom Lu: So! You only love my looks!!! →_→!

,

Chapter 23: Results

Bearing Director Mai Chengliang's immense expectations, Best Actor Liu gritted his teeth and found out which hotel the Wei father and son were staying at in Hong Kong, then personally called to arrange a visit.

As it happened, Wei Zhanjie also had matters he wished to discuss with Liu Jiawei, so they set the meeting for noon at the rooftop restaurant of their hotel.

Hong Kong was small and densely populated, yet economically prosperous, with towering buildings packed closely together. Its pace of life was faster than that of the mainland, and naturally, the pressure of living was greater as well.

So being able to look out over the sea through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor was quite an enjoyable luxury.

Looking at the scenery outside, Wei Zhanjie said with a smile, "...I truly admire the hardworking spirit of Hong Kong's people. In just a little over a century, they turned such a tiny patch of land into an international commercial metropolis. That speaks to their wisdom and diligence. Of course, what I admire most is the professionalism and dedication of Hong Kong's filmmakers. They are absolutely a model for Huaxia's film industry."

At this point, Wei Zhanjie sincerely praised Liu Jiawei's acting skills and work ethic, naturally bringing up several films Liu Jiawei had starred in before. His comments were organized and substantive, not merely polite social pleasantries.

Wei Zhanjie's attitude surprised Liu Jiawei slightly, and he couldn't help smiling. "I never expected Mr. Wei, despite being so busy, to have watched my humble works."

Wei Zhanjie laughed heartily. "Everyone likes classics. I've loved watching films since I was young. It's no exaggeration to say that I watch at least a hundred movies every year."

Liu Jiawei smiled faintly and offered a small compliment. "No wonder Huaxia Imperial Entertainment's productions have always been recognized by both the market and audiences. Mr. Wei clearly has a discerning eye."

"You have to love what you do!" Wei Zhanjie waved a hand, then sighed. "It's just a pity. In recent years, Hong Kong films have declined sharply, whether in quantity or quality. The days when classics emerged one after another and ensemble films competed for glory have become rare."

His words struck a chord with Liu Jiawei, but he said nothing.

Wei Linxuan, seated beside them, seemingly remarked casually, "But there's nothing that can be done about it. Hong Kong is simply too small—small place, few people. The films made here can only be watched by these people. Even if a movie becomes a box-office hit, it can only earn tens of millions at most. In a few years, they probably won't even be able to afford actors' salaries and production costs. It's not like the mainland, where the population base is so large. Take Li Shimin and the Eighteen Arhats from twenty years ago. A ticket only cost one-tenth of a yuan, yet its cumulative box office still reached one hundred million. Hong Kong absolutely does not have that kind of audience base. Without profits, investors naturally won't invest. Producers are strapped for cash, and over time, Hong Kong films will naturally decline day by day."

Liu Jiawei smiled but said nothing.

Wei Zhanjie glanced at Wei Linxuan and smiled at Liu Jiawei. "Children don't understand such things. He always talks nonsense."

Liu Jiawei smiled. "Not at all. Young Master Wei has made a truly insightful observation. He summed up the current state of Hong Kong films in a single sentence."

Wei Zhanjie laughed. "Let's not discuss such dreary matters. I invited Mr. Liu here today simply because I admire both your character and your talent. I believe you need a larger platform on which to display that talent, and Huaxia Imperial Entertainment needs your talent as well..."

Wei Zhanjie's meaning was simple: he wanted to sign Liu Jiawei to a mainland agency contract. Huaxia Imperial Entertainment's artists had all been poached by Star Entertainment with huge sums of money, leaving the company in the awkward position of having a gap between old and new talent. Although the talent show Sing Into the Future could certainly cultivate rising newcomers, Huaxia Imperial Entertainment still lacked a major star to anchor the company.

Thus, the Wei father and son turned their attention to Hong Kong.

There were countless top-tier superstars here, with acting skills and popularity alike. Unfortunately, Hong Kong films no longer enjoyed the glory they had ten years ago. These people had both talent and fame, yet could only remain confined to the tiny patch of land that was Hong Kong. Wasn't that a terrible waste?