Chapter 30: Even Fatty Bing Looks Like He Has Been Reborn

After a while, Li Wenyu arrived at Professor Zhang’s office. He found that it wasn't just Old Zhang who was there; teachers from the directing, acting, and other departments were all gathered together. Among the many teachers, the one most familiar to the general public was undoubtedly Huang Lei.

After a round of polite pleasantries, Li Wenyu presented the teachers with tickets. Regardless of whether they intended to go or not, these were prime stall tickets for Leslie Cheung’s concert, and gifting them was a convenient way to build rapport.

After chatting with the teachers for a while, those who were just there to watch the commotion dispersed. Li Wenyu smiled and said, "Professor Zhang, could you help me set up a meeting with Gong Li or Xu Qing? I have a new project with a character—a woman in her thirties, charming, wealthy, and generous."

"She’s not the proper female lead, but she has far more screen time than the lead and is very likely to leave a deep impression on the audience. It’s not an award-bait film, but if played well, it could become a career-defining role. It’s a major commercial blockbuster, similar to *The Shallows*."

Professor Zhang took a sip of tea and remarked in surprise, "You are ridiculously prolific."

At this point, those well-informed in the industry already knew about *The Shallows* and the project sold to Andy Lau, *Miracle Boy*, which had already been filming for nearly ten days. Li Wenyu’s Hong Kong-style script, *Let Me Embrace Happiness*, had also been handed over to Leslie Cheung, who indicated that while it was 90% localized, a few minor details still needed tweaking. It was yet another high-quality, award-contending project.

If he didn't have to run around once *The Shallows* finished its theatrical run, he could start filming quickly and wrap up, then use *The Shallows* to compete at the Berlin International Film Festival next year, followed by the new script for Cannes in May.

When this news reached the Beijing Film Academy, who knows how many teachers were left stunned! How could he be such a fast shooter? *The Shallows* was still in the midst of massive publicity and hadn't even been released, yet he already had a new project?

After a moment of exclamation, Old Zhang nodded. "I’ll ask around. I heard Gong Li just finished an art film and is resting. Xu Qing is easy to reach, but her acting skills are far behind Gong Li's, right? She was decent in *Laughing in the Wind*, but the big screen versus the small screen..."

He was, of course, aware of the rumors about Li Wenyu’s ability to coach actors. He had heard that even Fan Bingbing’s improvement felt like a rebirth—how could he not be formidable? But Xu Qing was turning thirty-three; could she also be "reborn" to improve her acting?

Li Wenyu paused for a second. "I need that kind of ruthlessness—a woman who smiles to your face while plotting to kill you. Someone who could kill her husband with her lover and then calmly dispose of the body, shed a few quiet tears to mourn his 'accidental' death, and then turn around and handle the aftermath without a hitch. If she can pull that off, I actually think she’d be more suitable than Gong Li."

Through the momentum built by *The Shallows*, he now had the leverage to choose his actors. Professor Zhang pondered for a few dozen seconds and suddenly said, "Generous and wealthy? Damn, you really have a way with words."

He finally understood what "generous and wealthy" meant. From Gong Li and Xu Qing to Vivian Chow and others—well, certain rumors within the academy didn't hold much weight because there were too many people muddying the waters.

Old Zhang frowned again. "I remember Xu Qing’s boyfriend plays with some 'ancient books,' claiming they rival the *Yongle Encyclopedia*, and a single set sells for sixty or seventy thousand RMB. Do you think that’s reliable?"

Li Wenyu went numb for two seconds and slapped the table. "Damn, never mind Xu Qing then. Help me look for a young actress around fifteen; it’s a very small supporting role." He had almost forgotten that at this time, Xu Qing was being swindled by a con artist. It wasn't clear if they had broken up yet, but that fraudster was going to be exposed in a massive scandal next year.

Professor Zhang nodded. "What’s the title of the new project?"

Li Wenyu handed out cigarettes. "The Piano Tuner."

He had thought about his next film back when Fan Bingbing first visited the set. He had considered the *Crime City* series, *Veteran*, and even *Slumdog Millionaire*. However, when trying to adapt *Slumdog Millionaire* for Hong Kong, he found that with his current abilities—even with his screenwriting and directing stats pushed to 80—localization was extremely difficult. The original was too successful and involved too many complexities regarding children, sectarian conflicts, and faith. If he changed it to focus on triads, it would lose its profound critical theme. Furthermore, the original plot where police torture the protagonist with electric shocks just because a game show host suspects he’s cheating felt like a smear on the Hong Kong police of 2001 or 2002.

The original film’s success lay in its deep, raw exposure of the filth and social hierarchy of India. Once weakened, it would lose its power to contend for awards. Li Wenyu ultimately abandoned *Slumdog Millionaire*, not giving up on it, but planning to visit India in 2002 to experience the culture firsthand. He intended to write the book before autumn, let it stir up global interest, and then film it whenever he liked—even with drastic changes. As long as he got it done before the original author's inspiration struck in 2003, he would be secure. He could simply hoard attribute points to push his writing skill to 90.

Now, Li Wenyu had settled on an Indian-style *The Piano Tuner*. This was not the short film that won the César Award, but the feature-length version. It was a classic thriller full of reversals, requiring intense acting and dark humor—a film where everyone was a villain. Once the script was set, filming would rely entirely on the performances of veteran actors, making it very fast.

He still needed to use *The Piano Tuner* to hit the box office and make some quick money. Currently, whenever he returned to Beijing, he either stayed at Fan Bingbing’s place or a hotel, and in Hong Kong, he stayed in hotels with her as well. This windfall wasn't for reinvesting in NetEase, but for buying property and cars in both Beijing and Hong Kong.

After leaving the teaching building with a list of phone numbers, Li Wenyu started making calls on his way. For the lead in *The Piano Tuner*, he wanted Leslie Cheung or Andy Lau; at the very least, Tony Leung Ka-fai. For the main villain—the corrupt cop—he needed someone who looked strong and ruthless. He went through a list including Xu Jinjiang, Jiang Wu, and Ding Haifeng.

He didn't invite them to dinner immediately; instead, he called as a director, asking if they would be willing to audition for his new film, provided they hit the gym first and bulked up. The villain in his new film needed to be a muscular guy who looked like he could knock a normal person out with one slap while shirtless. Upon learning that the most popular director of the moment, Director Li, was the one calling, the actors were all incredibly excited, promising to work hard in the gym and wait for his summons.

After making a few more calls, Li Wenyu walked out of the Beijing Film Academy campus, satisfied, and put his phone away while considering where to eat. The original *The Piano Tuner* had grossed 500 million Hong Kong dollars globally. Even though it didn't win many major awards because it was an adaptation of a short film, it was critically acclaimed. If he handled it well, it would be a success in both fame and fortune. With proper marketing, it could explode just like *The Shallows*.

The film was particularly suited to Chinese audiences; of the 500 million global box office, 320 million RMB came from the mainland, even with Indian actors who had no star power there.

Just as he was deep in thought, his phone rang. He pulled it out to see it was Jiang Wu. He answered, curious, "Brother Wu, what’s up?"

Jiang Wu laughed, "Director Li, my brother Jiang Wen heard you’re giving me an opportunity and wants to treat you to a meal to thank you. Do you have any time?"

Li Wenyu was surprised. "Isn't your brother off filming *The Missing Gun*?"

Jiang Wu coughed twice and whispered, "Director Li, you’re joking. My brother is just helping a friend by acting as the lead; he’s not the director, and it hasn't officially started filming yet."