NABC Chapter 24 What Jackie Chan could do at his peak
Chapter 24 What Jackie Chan could do at his peak
"Sister Zhixi, when will Director Sicheng and Brother Baoqiang arrive?"
"The Baoqiang wall is blocking the road; it'll be a while. Sicheng..."
Chen Zhixi glanced at his phone and said softly, "He'll be there soon."
Gao Huan didn't speak, his gaze fixed on the script.
The cover has five words printed on it: "Detective Chinatown".
Chen Zhixi followed his gaze and pushed the script towards him.
"Take a look first, this is the first draft, it's not finalized yet."
Gao Huan turned to the first page.
The story takes place in Bangkok and revolves around two men framed for murder: one with a stutter and the other greasy and slovenly. They search for the truth while on the run.
He read very slowly, turning the pages one by one, not in a hurry to move on.
Chen Zhixi didn't urge him. He picked up the cup of cold tea, took a sip, frowned, and put it down again.
Yangyang Jin sat quietly to the side, glancing at her phone every now and then.
The private room was so quiet you could hear the central air conditioning humming.
When I turned to page ten or so, the door was pushed open.
Chen Sicheng walked in, wearing a dark gray jacket and a baseball cap, with a brown paper envelope in his hand.
"Sorry, sorry, the road is completely jammed."
As he spoke, he took off his hat, his gaze sweeping around the private room before settling on Gao Huan.
"This must be Professor Gao, right?"
Gao Huan stood up and extended his hand: "Director Chen, you can just call me Xiao Gao."
Chen Sicheng grasped his hand, smiled, and there was a hint of scrutiny in his smile.
"When I was your age, I was still working as an extra on film sets. You've already single-handedly carried 600 million yuan at the box office, that's impressive."
"Good luck."
"luck?"
Chen Sicheng released his grip, sat down opposite him, and placed the kraft paper envelope on the table. "I've seen the movie 'The Coffin in the Mountain.' What you did wasn't luck, it was skill."
He spoke sincerely, but Gao Huan sensed something else in his voice.
Sincerity is sincerity, and business is business.
Two different things.
Chen Zhixi poured Chen Sicheng a cup of tea and got down to business.
"Sicheng, Wanda attaches great importance to the 'Detective Chinatown' project."
The filming schedule for "The Treasure Wall" has been set; filming will begin next March.
"We need to decide on the role of the juvenile detective today."
Chen Sicheng picked up his teacup, but didn't drink it; he just turned it around.
"Zhixi, what's the rush? We're still looking at the candidates."
"How long have you been watching?"
Chen Zhixi looked at him, her tone neither hurried nor slow.
"It's been more than three months since August."
You met one after another, but didn't commit to any of them.
If this drags on any longer, you'll ruin Baoqiang's schedule.
Chen Sicheng smiled, put down his teacup, and looked at Gao Huan.
"Teacher Gao, let me tell you something first."
It's not that you're bad; quite the opposite, you're wonderful.
"The Coffin in the Mountain" grossed 600 million, "The Left Ear" will be released next year, and "Swords of Legends" was a hit this year. You are now the number one celebrity in the Chinese entertainment industry.
If you're going to play this role, that's doing me a favor.
Gao Huan didn't reply, waiting for him to say "but".
Chen Sicheng indeed said so.
"However, I've been thinking about one question."
What is the role of this young detective? He's not an idol; he's just an ordinary high school student—smart, a bit handsome, and perhaps even a little nerdy…
Chen Zhixi chimed in from the side, "The script didn't say 'just a little handsome...'"
"I didn't write it down, but I know what I'm talking about."
Chen Sicheng glanced at her and said, "Traffic is a double-edged sword."
With Teacher Xiao Gao's arrival, the show is sure to attract a lot of attention, but will the audience be distracted?
Did they see Gao Huan, or the detective?
The private room fell silent for a moment.
Yangyang Jin's pen remained motionless on the notebook.
Chen Zhixi picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and put it down.
"Sicheng, I can't respond to that."
"What's wrong?"
"Wanda's investment accounted for 60% of your production."
You said you're making a series, and if the first one doesn't hold up, the rest will be a waste. So we need to find an actor who can both carry the box office and carry the role.
She paused, glanced at Gao Huan, and said, "Gao Huan, 'The Coffin in the Mountain' has reached 5.8 million and is still rising."
It cost 170 million.
Tell me, who else in the Chinese entertainment industry has ever done this?
Only Jackie Chan at his peak, with his most profitable films, could reach this standard!
Chen Sicheng didn't speak, but tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.
Chen Zhixi continued:
"You're worried that the audience will be distracted from the story? Then tell me, did the audience feel distracted while watching 'The Coffin in the Mountain'?"
Who would think of Baili Tusu when they see Xiao Zongyao's face?
Gao Huan is a popular celebrity, but first and foremost, he is an excellent actor.
Chen Sicheng was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.
"Zhixi, you brought Teacher Gao here today, is it to give me a lesson?"
"I'm settling accounts for you," Chen Zhixi's tone softened. "Sicheng, in your heart, is Liu Haoran still the one?"
Chen Sicheng did not deny it.
"Indeed, Haoran is an actor in my company, and I have high hopes for him!"
This child is bright and the age is just right. He and Baoqiang will have a great chemistry.
"But can his fame carry a movie? Can it be the opening chapter of a series?"
Chen Zhixi stared straight at him. "Sicheng, Wanda invested 200 million in this project! 200 million, not 20 million."
Chen Sicheng picked up his teacup and finally took a sip.
The tea has gone cold.
He put down his cup and looked at Gao Huan.
"Teacher Gao, what do you think?"
Gao Huan leaned back in her chair, looking at him, without rushing to answer.
The warm yellow light in the private room shone on his face, making his beauty mark appear and disappear.
"Director Chen, you just said that the detective in your mind is just a little handsome, and even a little silly."
"right."
"But when audiences go to the cinema, they're there to see detectives solving cases, not to see good-looking people."
Aside from my fans, Zhixi didn't mention this just now, but I readily admit it.
The box office success of "The Coffin in the Mountain" owes a great deal to my fans.
Of course, there's also the system's slight support—Gao Huan thought to himself.
"right."
"So what are you worried about? Is it that the audience will be distracted by my face, or by my previous roles?"
Chen Sicheng thought about it and concluded that it was because choosing Liu Haoran would allow him to earn more money and have greater control over the potentially successful film series.
He didn't say that, of course; he just nodded seriously: "Yes, I have both."
Gao Huan nodded without refuting, but said something that surprised him.
"Director Chen, the issues you're worried about are also issues I'm considering."
Chen Sicheng raised an eyebrow.
"After receiving each script, I kept thinking about how to play the role so that the audience would forget Gao Huan."
Gao Huan said calmly, "Later I realized that the key wasn't in my face, but in how I spoke."
Chen Sicheng raised an eyebrow.
"It's written in the script that this boy stutters."
Gao Huan looked at him and asked, "How do you act like a stutterer so that the audience feels from the bottom of their hearts that this is the rhythm of how this person should speak."
He wasn't trying to overcome his stutter; he'd lived with it for years, it was part of him.
Chen Sicheng's eyes lit up.
"How are you going to act?"