Chapter 4: Beautiful and Eloquent

August 26. With the new junior year semester just around the corner, Li Wenyu had accumulated three points of attribute value but hadn’t used them yet. He was waiting to settle his leave of absence and secure a longer-term pass before deciding when to meet with Fan Bingbing again.

Back in his dorm, after changing clothes and taking a shower to calm down, he received a call. “Is this Director Li Wenyu? I’m Fan Bingbing. If you have time, can we meet? You choose the city and place.”

It had been less than 48 hours—Fan Bingbing, as impressive as ever, had landed a great project during her career peak. Even mainland actresses nowadays would pay out of pocket for such an opportunity; it was standard practice.

Zhang Guorong’s personal outreach was remarkably efficient.

Li Wenyu thought for a moment, then replied, “I just got back to the capital. You choose the place—I’m not familiar with the area.”

He wasn’t bothered about being secretly photographed or caught up in rumors. As a behind-the-scenes director, it was inevitable, but once famous, scandals could alarm his circle of classmates, teachers, and family. There was no need for such high-profile drama at the start of his career.

Fan Bingbing, excited, named a restaurant and then asked, “Director Li, is it true you’re directing the new film, with Brother Rong and Xian Jie or Min Jie helping with supporting roles, and me as the female lead? I’m not doubting you—I just can’t quite believe it.”

“I’ve heard you’re a mainland director, but right now, even the top young actors and actresses, including international stars like Zhang Ziyi, wouldn’t get that kind of treatment. The mainland and Hong Kong-Taiwan entertainment scenes are on different levels…”

Li Wenyu nearly laughed out loud. In "Shatan," Zhang Guorong had decided to take a supporting role himself—the driver who escorts the heroine to the beach, plus a few brief appearances at the end. All told, there were only about ten human supporting roles in the entire film.

The film mainly focused on the female lead, the ocean scenery, and sharks.

Xian Jie or Min Jie were retired veterans who had surfaced briefly after the millennium. It depended on who Zhang Guorong had invited. Zhang had initially had 21 health points but shot up to over 60 after this, happily invigorated.

He had even generously given the rookie director 200,000 yuan plus 10% of the profits.

If Li Wenyu were still in the late stage of feeling life was meaningless and just going through the motions, occasionally suicidal, none of this would have happened.

…

Night fell.

Li Wenyu took a taxi to a hotel. After getting out and walking, his phone rang. After a brief chat, he saw a figure rushing towards him, heavily disguised with a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. “Are you Director Li? So young… really a Beijing Film Academy director?”

“Director Li, you’re amazing. You’re the most talented person I admire. My agent, Sister Hua, is in the private room, the food and drinks are ready, just waiting for your arrival. I never dreamed Brother Rong would personally call me, inviting me to a film project.”

In the world of fame and fortune, many spoke sweet words.

Li Wenyu smiled wryly, exchanging compliments, then followed Fan Bingbing to a certain floor. A woman in her thirties guarding the elevator was also impressed. She glanced at Li Wenyu twice, then came over to offer professional praise.

The flattery was so intense Li Wenyu felt numb—he was still a transparent figure in the industry.

After entering the private room, as Fan Bingbing poured drinks, Li Wenyu explained, “This is an experimental project. I got the chance to direct the second script because Brother Rong appreciated my first script.”

“To be clear, it’s a female-centric film, with the lead actress carrying over 80% of the screen time alone, shouldering the entire box office. Brother Rong’s cameo is just a few minutes as a minor character.”

“Even if Xian Jie, Min Jie, or Brother Hua join, it’s only a brief friendly cameo. When the film is completed and promoted, they will use the names of Brother Rong, Brother Hua, Xian Jie, and others to draw in fans.”

“But the lead actress really carries the box office single-handedly. If Bingbing improves her acting and the film makes 10 million yuan domestically, she’ll skyrocket in status.”

Fan Bingbing, pouring the wine, was stunned. Such a film existed? Her agent, Sister Hua, was also speechless for a few seconds before quickly raising her glass. “Director Li, this is your second script? Brother Rong is well-known in the industry for mentoring juniors.”

“But the circle is so vast… to be noticed and appreciated by him already proves you’re outstanding. Your Beijing Film Academy alumni really are a remarkable generation. Are you classmates with Ning Hao?”

Li Wenyu chuckled, “Yes, this year we’re classmates. He’s in cinematography; I’m in literature, specializing in screenwriting.”

He then opened his briefcase and took out two copies of the Shatan script.

Sister Hua hurriedly signaled Fan Bingbing to eat and drink while she herself began reading the script. What followed was a vivid lesson for Li Wenyu in high emotional intelligence, beauty, and eloquence. Small perks were given out step by step, but at most they held hands lightly during toasts.

Fan Bingbing noticed Sister Hua grew more serious and delighted reading the script, then made a bold move. “Director, what if I pay to buy a role?”

Having been praised by Zhang Guorong as a promising young talent, and looking handsome and properly trained at Beijing Film Academy, Fan Bingbing felt that to seize this super opportunity, she had to invest.

Her body… she didn’t mind small favors, but this major matter wasn’t something small favors could cover.

Big favors? She had just joined Huayi with Sister Hua. CEO Wang was pursuing her, Director Feng was persuading her—she hadn’t yet fallen into that pit but was wavering. The older men’s game scared her just hearing the precedents.

This was still benefiting from the golden age’s dividends, mingling in the circle, not yet fully evolved.

Big favors? She wasn’t so reckless as to throw herself into that.

Li Wenyu was flustered. “You’re my top choice now. As long as your acting keeps up, I’ll definitely want to work with you. Let’s just talk properly—no need to mention buying roles.”

Fan Bingbing had a strong tolerance for alcohol. Soon, she had drunk him, with his 58 health points from working out barely holding up. This was an era criticized by Aunt Qiong for having a servant’s fate all their life, and a post-Aunt Qiong era where lawsuits were common.

As they drank, he began to activate his system to observe.

Observation target: Fan Bingbing

Acting: 69/100

Singing: 66/100

Emotional intelligence: 81/100

Health: 92/100

…

A quick scan brought Li Wenyu a small surprise—Fan Bingbing’s acting was nearly a 7 out of 10?

A 69-point acting attribute was enough for a pretty face. Without adding points, just by enduring—like shooting dozens of takes for a single scene—she could maintain excellent film quality, no worse than the original. He was confident about casting his debut film.

At worst, with good development, he could boost her points by tens. Seventies or eighties in acting would be plenty. Zhang Guorong was only at 93 anyway. These points could be retracted anytime, like a small bank.

Amidst eating, drinking, and chatting, Fan Bingbing smiled even more brilliantly. “Director Li, are you saying that among all the beauties in ‘Return of the Pearl,’ I’m the best in your eyes? I must thank you properly. How about we go sing after dinner?”

In an era when she most desperately wanted to prove herself, being recognized by a big shot moved her deeply. The pressure from Aunt Qiong was completely released in that moment.

As for Director Li’s prestige, it was naturally backed by Zhang Guorong… Brother Rong was investing and supporting him as a director! If that wasn’t impressive, what was?

Li Wenyu shook his head. “No need. Don’t overthink it. Our cooperation’s success or failure is fifty-fifty. Even if you’ve signed with the Hong Kong side and joined the crew, you must be prepared for long-term pressure from swimming and surfing in the water, and your acting must keep up.”

Wang Jinghua finished reading the first script, closed it, and stood to toast, “Director Li, this script has a good chance of success. Hong Kong cinema’s decline still sees good films making 20 to 30 million yuan. Riding on Brother Rong or a few others’ hype, the chance of hitting ten million in Hong Kong is not small.”

“Small-budget production, quick turnaround, decent special effects. When’s the formal audition? Bingbing’s schedule will fully accommodate the script, including pushing back other film or TV projects.”

In 2001, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, mainland China, and South Korea’s island regions all had actors with naturally higher status than those in TV. The Asian sensation Wei Zhentian had just started in film with Shaolin Soccer.

During the toast, Sister Hua kept signaling Fan Bingbing. This opportunity was unbelievably good. Wei Zhentian was still early in her film career, and Fan Bingbing, a young servant girl, was getting a 90-minute film with over 80% of the scenes as the leading lady.

Zhang Guorong was eager to invest, and Sister Hua also believed it was an excellent popcorn movie script.