Chapter 15: A Great General

Ever since "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" premiered at the end of last year, Cai Yinong had been thinking about signing Liu Yifei.

But Liu's Mother remained unyielding, no matter how eloquently Cai Yinong spoke.

In Liu's Mother's heart, Tangren Media was not yet qualified to sign Liu Yifei.

During the Spring Festival, his parents returned to Beijing for a family reunion.

Li Chen also took the time to get his driver's license.

He also ordered a Volkswagen Phaeton in the company's name, but it wouldn't be available in China until April.

The post-production editing for "Stone" took four months and was finally completed by the end of February.

Li Chen took a look, and it was quite good.

At least compared to the "Stone" of later generations, the handling of the camera work, especially the non-level shots, was smoother and more realistic.

Li Chen submitted the finished film and asked Han Dong to help find a way to get it approved as soon as possible.

Li Chen also added one million yuan for publicity and distribution costs.

In the "Stone" QQ group, Li Chen sent a message.

"Everyone, the finished film has been submitted for review. Get ready, the next period might be quite tough, but don't complain about being tired."

"Haha, Director Li, don't worry. All Black Leather is good at is enduring hardship."

"Received, Director Li."

"Okay, Director Li."

On March 7th, the first Wanda Cinema Line in the country grandly opened in Tianjin.

Wanda Cinema Line was about to be born.

Han Dong was indeed effective; in less than ten days, the screening license was issued.

Actually, there weren't any major issues; it was basically consistent with the sample film.

On March 15th, Li Chen led the "Stone" crew to begin promotions in major cities across the country.

Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Chengdu were the top priorities, and Li Chen also didn't plan to miss the four major academies this time.

Among the four major academies, he didn't have anyone familiar at Communication University of China.

The other three major academies all had acquaintances acting as insiders.

His own school, of course, was home turf.

Central Academy of Drama had Tang Yan and Tang Yifei, the two Tangs.

Shanghai Theatre Academy had Wan Qian.

With the boost from "lost in thailand," at least Li Chen was no longer an unknown.

The first stop was his own school.

The students in the audience were packed, and when the host asked him why his three films had no public auditions.

Li Chen smiled and said, "I wanted to, but my strength didn't allow it."

The students in the audience burst into laughter. Li Chen finally bowed and asked all his classmates to go to the cinema on May 1st to support "Stone."

The students were very supportive and expressed their determination to support it.

The two Tangs from Central Academy of Drama also tried their best, and the atmosphere was lively.

However, the host still didn't let him off, asking him a sharp question.

"How do you evaluate Beijing Film Academy's great directors, who prefer Central Academy of Drama students when casting actors?"

Li Chen teased the host, "You're digging a pit for me."

The students in the audience had already started to jeer.

"That's right, Director Li, is it because our acting skills are superior?"

"Director Li, don't beat around the bush."

Tang Yan also laughed and joined in the teasing.

Li Chen smiled and took the microphone, "Alright, I'll talk about my views."

"Actually, in my opinion, who to use is determined by the role."

"Good directors have no sectarian bias; there's only suitability, no preference."

The next day, Li Chen's answer made the news.

"Director Li Chen states that good directors only consider suitability when casting, with no personal preference."

Tian Zhuangzhuang and Teacher Li from Beijing Film Academy both saw this news.

During a meeting, the school leaders even joked with Tian Zhuangzhuang, saying, "This student from your department has a future."

Zhang Yimou and Poet, both graduates of Beijing Film Academy, also saw the report.

"Hmm, he's an interesting young man with his own ideas."

"Heh, a good director? He's only made one movie and already thinks he's made a name for himself?"

The last stop among the three academies in Beijing was Communication University of China.

Perhaps it was due to the popularity boost from his words at the second stop, the students at Communication University of China were even more enthusiastic.

Students asked questions one after another, especially those from Communication University of China's Director Department, whose eyes were filled with passion and yearning.

As fellow Director Department students, the other party was only a sophomore and was about to start filming his third movie, which was a big blow to Communication University of China's Director Department.

No wonder they all said Beijing Film Academy for directors, Central Academy of Drama for actors, and nothing for Communication University of China.

Students in the audience eagerly competed to ask questions.

The host smiled and gave the opportunity to a fair-skinned, plump girl in the first row.

The girl stood up, holding the microphone, and excitedly said, "Hello, Director Li, I'm a sophomore in the Director Department, and my name is Yang Siwei."

Yang Siwei, such a familiar name, why did it feel like he had heard it somewhere before, Li Chen wondered.

The plump girl's voice interrupted Li Chen, "Director Li, you handle directing and producing, and you also write the script. Won't this affect the quality of the film?"

Li Chen looked at her a few more times. She had a very likable appearance, and her question was on point.

Li Chen smiled and said, "You're right, juggling all three roles inevitably leads to oversights."

"This is quite common in China, but in Hollywood, separation of directing and producing is the norm."

"I personally believe that separation of directing and producing is the most vital film model."

Yang Siwei pressed on, "Then why do you take on all three roles?"

Li Chen smiled, "I won't in the future."

As expected, his words at Communication University of China spread again the next day. He had certainly been in the spotlight these past two days.

It also gave "Stone" a good start for its promotion.

When Ning Hao filmed "Stone," he was constrained by funding, so it was basically released quietly.

It relied on word-of-mouth to achieve nearly seven times its cost at the box office, initially only showing in Chongqing, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Beijing.

Later, seeing its success, more copies were added, and other cities gradually began to show it.

Li Chen's statements over the past two days received mixed reviews from the major directors in the industry.

But in the eyes of outsiders, Li Chen already had the demeanor of a great director.

His statements had a prophetic quality, discussing development trends and casting rules—all grand topics that sounded very important.

Trends, rules—they just sounded high-end.

The next day, the "Stone" crew was scheduled to appear on the "Entertainment Live" program.

"Entertainment Live" was the first and most authoritative large-scale entertainment news program in China, founded by Enlight Media.

The newspapers were full of news about Li Chen these past two days, and Liu Yifei also saw it.

A QQ message popped up.

"The crew has been talking about you these past two days."

Li Chen, sitting in the car, took a look.

"Talking about what?"

"All sorts of things. I won't tell you."

"Hmm, I'm about to go on a show, so I'll talk to you later."

Liu Yifei put down her cell phone and saw Cai Yinong walk over.

Cai Yinong smiled, "Yifei, will Director Li's 'Stone' promotion come to Zhejiang?"

Liu Yifei was startled, then smiled, "I'm not sure."

Cai Yinong smiled, "It's okay, then I'll ask him."

Seeing Cai Yinong leave, Liu Yifei sent another QQ message.

"General Manager Cai just asked me if you guys would be coming to Zhejiang for promotions."

At Enlight Media's "Entertainment Live" program.

The host's questions were much gentler than those from the hosts at the three major academies.

He asked about some bloopers and interesting anecdotes during filming.

Li Chen particularly revealed Huang Bo's dedication.

To play the role of 'Black Leather,' he smeared himself with dirty, smelly sewer mud and starved for several days straight.

The smell, don't even mention how invigorating it was.

The atmosphere on the show was harmonious, with everyone smiling at Huang Bo.

After the show, as soon as they stepped out, they were met by a middle-aged man in his forties, exuding an elegant aura.

He wore a tasteful beige suit, and his whole demeanor exuded maturity and confidence.

Friends who like it, please give some encouragement. It's not easy for a newbie. Collections, recommendations, comments, and likes are all motivation for a newbie's creation.

This book has a single female lead.

The protagonist's character setting: I won't offend anyone unless they offend me. He doesn't reject any means and doesn't claim to be a righteous gentleman.