Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 69 Who Will Ultimately Take Over?

After visiting the set of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," Zhang Jun said to Huang Xiaoming before leaving, "I have a role in a movie, but the pay might not be much."

I've convinced Zhang Ziyi to play the female lead. Are you interested?

In reality, Zhang Ziyi hasn't agreed yet, but that doesn't stop Zhang Jun from using her name to deceive people. However, even without using Zhang Ziyi's name, Zhang Jun could hire most actors.

Sure enough, Huang Xiaoming's eyes lit up: "Can I?"

"Of course, it's a period drama with lots of action scenes, so you should be mentally prepared," Zhang Jun said.

Huang Xiaoming quickly assured him, "Director Zhang, don't worry, I have experience filming action scenes, I definitely won't let you down."

That was settled. Zhang Jun gave Huang Xiaoming the role of Zhang Renfeng, which is Jiang Asheng before his disguise.

As for the role of Jiang Asheng, Zhang Jun decided to find a male actor who was more in line with Zhang Ziyi's aura. Huang Xiaoming was too inexperienced and could not compete with Zhang Ziyi.

Actually, the story of "Reign of Assassins" is somewhat like a Chinese period drama version of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," where the couple are both masters of concealing their identities.

Zhang Jun will definitely improve upon the original film, retaining its essence, and create an even more exciting movie.

After returning from Jiuzhaigou, Zhang Jun also met his younger sister, Zhang Linwan. The girl had flown to Beijing by herself, and Zhang Jun's assistant, Gao Yan, picked her up at the airport.

Her university acceptance letter arrived. Although she didn't get into Tsinghua University like her brother, Beijing Normal University is still a pretty good university.

Upon seeing Zhang Jun, Zhang Linwan was extremely excited and punched him as soon as she threw down her luggage.

"I'm telling you, are you trying to murder your brother?! Can't you act a little more ladylike? This doesn't suit your name at all," Zhang Jun complained.

"Hmph, this is revenge for the pressure you put on me. Do you know how much pressure I felt living in your shadow? You have to compensate me for the emotional distress I've suffered over the past three years," Zhang Linwan said coquettishly.

Indeed, having an older brother who got into Tsinghua University puts a lot of pressure on me.

Fortunately, Zhang Linwan is a girl. If she were a boy, she would probably have a lot of complaints about her brother right now, and their relationship wouldn't be this good.

"Alright, alright, brother, I'll make it up to you. We'll have a big splurge in Beijing." Zhang Jun agreed.

He bought Zhang Linwan the laptop she had always wanted, upgraded her to the latest mobile phone, and also bought her a camera.

Then the two of them got up early in the morning to watch the flag-raising ceremony, went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and ate a bowl of very bad ramen outside the Yonghe Temple.

I experienced the joy of antique hunting in Panjiayuan and then ate hot pot at a restaurant in Dongsi.

Then the two climbed the Badaling section of the Great Wall together, and Zhang Linwan was inspired to write a poem: "He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true hero. Brother, what's the preceding line?"

Zhang Jun complained, "Seriously? The college entrance exam hasn't even been over for a few days, and you've already forgotten?"

After a week of fun in Beijing, Zhang Jun enrolled Zhang Lin in a driving school so she could learn to drive during the school term.

Zhang Linwan asked expectantly, "Brother, will you buy me a car if I get my driver's license?"

"no,"

Zhang Jun shook his head and said, "I'm worried that you won't be able to find a job in the future. With a driver's license, you can be my driver or something."

"Ew~" Zhang Linwan said with disdain.

During her time in Beijing, Zhang Linwan has broadened her horizons considerably, as many big stars she used to only see on television have appeared in person before her.

Gao Yuanyuan knew that this was Zhang Jun's sister, so she was very enthusiastic towards her, even to the point of being ingratiating.

Zhang Jun is too shrewd, but Zhang Linwan seems naive and easier to fool. So she tries to get closer to Zhang Jun by acting like a younger sister.

Fan Bingbing also finished filming "A Battle of Wits" and returned. She saw Gao Yuanyuan circling around Zhang Jun and thought to herself, "Just as I thought."

While I was away, this guy took advantage of the situation and sneaked in.

However, Fan Bingbing had already prepared herself mentally, so she didn't do anything excessive and even greeted Gao Yuanyuan in a friendly manner.

Gao Yuanyuan was somewhat embarrassed, after all, she had taken advantage of the situation and made her move when the other person was not around.

Looking at the two cross-eyed celebrities, Zhang Linwan quietly tugged at Zhang Jun's clothes: "Brother, are these two your girlfriends?"

"How could that be? They're just my good friends," Zhang Jun replied.

"good friend?"

Zhang Linwan expressed doubt, saying it didn't seem quite right.

After sending Zhang Linwan to driving school, Zhang Jun continued with his work. Gao Yuanyuan and Fan Bingbing, as one of the lead actors, naturally had to participate in some promotional work.

While Zhang Jun was away, the two women engaged in a tense conversation.

"You've got a good eye! You're quite adept at taking advantage of weaknesses and poaching people!" Fan Pangbing said sarcastically.

Gao Yuanyuan retorted, "Everyone likes an outstanding man, especially since you and Director Zhang aren't officially a couple."

Love between men and women is a natural and legitimate thing.

Fan Bingbing's face was terribly stiff: "What a self-evident truth! If Director Zhang didn't have this status, you probably wouldn't even give him a second glance."

Will she continue to try to please him like she does now?

Gao Yuanyuan didn't back down at all: "Aren't you just like me? We're all the same kind of people. Don't laugh at a pig for being black!"

The two agreed that neither was willing to back down or suffer a loss. Similarly, neither could do anything about the other, and such a situation was not something to be proud of.

Rather than saying they're fighting over a man, it's more accurate to say they're vying for resources, with Zhang Jun representing those resources.

Since neither side is willing to back down, let's just leave it at that for now!

Fan Bingbing and Gao Yuanyuan quickly reached an understanding: while each relying on their own abilities, they also had to prevent new women from joining the fray.

However, this is quite difficult, given the abundance of all sorts of alluring and despicable women out there. Zhang Jun himself admitted that he lacks willpower, and if another one were to appear, there wouldn't be much they could do.

That's the current state of the entertainment industry. The problem is that good directors are much scarcer than actors; they're all highly sought after.

Although Zhang Jun is a womanizer, he has an advantage that no other director can match: he is handsome, young, and very capable.

This is also why Fan Bingbing and Gao Yuanyuan are so eager to give up; youth represents everything, and no one will say anything about it.

If you marry Zhang Jun, people will say you're a perfect match. But if you're with that old, decrepit director, people will say you're willing to do anything to become famous.

They might even accuse you of being a mistress who took your place, since you're an old director, and very few directors remain single in their old age.

If you want to rise to the top, you have to become a mistress.

Therefore, even Zhang Ziyi, an international star, was captivated by Zhang Jun, which shows just how alluring his potential and advantages are.

Of course, while she was tempted, Zhang Ziyi was still hesitant about Zhang Jun's new film.

As we entered mid-July, "About Time" began its preview screenings, preparing to launch a word-of-mouth marketing strategy.

This time, they didn't go to universities, since most universities would already be on summer vacation by mid-July. However, theatrical previews need to guard against piracy, so the distributor, China Film Group, strictly controlled the scope of the previews.

The film only had limited preview screenings in a few cinemas in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and other cities.

Based on Zhang Jun's suggestion, the preview screenings were by invitation only, inviting some media reporters and veteran film fans to watch the movie.

These people are quite famous, so they wouldn't do something to ruin their reputation for piracy.

With strict security measures in place, piracy can be prevented to the greatest extent possible.

However, this is not 100% safe. If someone really takes the risk and manages to sneak in the recording equipment without going through security, the production company doesn't have much of a solution.

In addition, when Zhang Jun met with the distribution department of China Film Group, he emphasized one thing in particular: the act of stealing box office revenue and concealing box office figures.