Chapter 32: Hurry Up, Hurry Up!

Time marched on. On December 17, 2001, as Li Wenyu arrived to meet Leslie Cheung’s flight, he was immediately intercepted by Fan Bingbing, who was surrounded by bodyguards and entourage staff.

It was only natural for Leslie to arrive early, with his concert in Beijing officially opening the following day.

Feeling the intensity of Fan Bingbing’s affection, Li Wenyu couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Is it really necessary to act like this after just two or three days? We’re in public..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Leslie Cheung not far away. His health score remained at 65, which eased his mind. With 17 free attribute points accumulated, he wasn't worried about any accidents.

Since he intended to preemptively adapt the story of *Slumdog Millionaire* into a book, he knew he needed to improve his writing ability. His screenwriting skill was already at 83, which had naturally boosted his writing, but at 51, it still had a long way to go—much like how his directing skill skyrocketing to 84 had pulled his acting ability up to 52. Even so, he lacked the confidence to expand the original film into a novel that could replicate its global success and critical acclaim without pushing his writing skill past 90. The good news was that as long as he didn't waste any points over the next 23 days, he could reach that 90-point threshold.

Fan Bingbing, wearing a mask, pressed her face against his several times and grumbled, "With you, a 'Tang Monk' meat, walking around outside, who wouldn't be anxious? I even wanted to ask Andy Lau to concentrate my scenes so I could finish early and come back to be with you, but I was too shy to ask."

"Your skin still isn't thick enough," she added. "I suspect Ah Zhi is acting sluggish on purpose, dragging out the filming schedule just to torture me."

She was well aware of how many shameless little vixens—and older ones, too—in the entertainment industry were drooling over a modern "Tang Monk" like Li Wenyu. Even though she and Ah Zhi were on the same set, she couldn't stop the siren from trying to ambush him, though thankfully, Li remained unmoved. If Li Wenyu were left alone in Beijing for too long, she knew women would be lining up to get him drunk and make a move. She "remembered" that his alcohol tolerance was average, unaware that after his fitness attribute hit over 100, he could easily drink the Jiang brothers under the table without even feeling dizzy.

In the Chinese and Asian entertainment industry of 2001 and the preceding years, if one were to ask who was the luckiest, Fan Bingbing would humbly claim second place, for no one in all of Asia dared to claim first. She was simply playing the game alongside "Big Brother Li" every day! And the experience was explosively satisfying.

From dominating *The Shallows* to landing the third female lead in *Miracle Boy*—and that wasn't all. She was guaranteed the female lead in *Forget Me Not*, the female lead in Stephen Chow’s next film, and a female supporting role in Director Zhang’s next project. Stephen Chow’s only suggestion was that she slim down to a lean, aesthetic figure, and the *Kung Fu Hustle* production team was even scheduling filming around her availability. How many veterans and newcomers alike were green with envy?

Even the future "Big Sweet" couldn't keep up with this level of resources. Fan Bingbing felt increasingly exhausted—often needing support to walk—but she still refused to give anyone else a chance.

As the crowd left the airport and boarded the motorcade, Fan Bingbing, ignoring the faint clicking of tongues from the female driver and assistant, took off her sunglasses and mask to whisper to Li, "You sent an invitation to Gong Li and got rejected? Is she really that big of a star to not give you face?"

He had asked Teacher Zhang to reach out to Gong Li two days ago, and she had declined.

Li Wenyu glanced at Fan Bingbing with surprise and shook his head with a smile. "It seems Brother Rong didn't mention it to you. If *The Shallows* becomes a hit, I definitely won't start shooting in the short term."

"Even if it’s a massive success later, with potential release extensions aiming for 100 million or more at the box office, it might run until late January, and the Berlin International Film Festival opens on February 6."

"Gong Li has been asked by Brother Rong to help campaign for the Berlin awards, so she won't have the time."

These years marked a meteoric rise for Gong Li’s status in the festival circuit. She had been the jury president for the Berlin International Film Festival in 2000 and would be the jury president for the Venice International Film Festival in 2002—the first Asian ever to hold that position. In 2003, she would chair the Tokyo International Film Festival.

"I could wait for her to start filming in late February, but Brother Rong wants to hit two targets at once. He wants to use a fast-paced team to finish *Happy Together* (a placeholder title) by April so he can aim for Cannes in May. He needs Gong Li, Wong Kar-wai, and others to help him exert influence."

"Fortunately, *The Shallows* made a decent profit, so investing money into the campaign is quite feasible."

"I'll take you there to hang out for a few days in February and May. If it comes to it, I'll just pause production."

Fan Bingbing gasped in excitement, clearly thrilled. "That’s more like it. I was saying, even if Gong Li is a senior, she shouldn't be putting on such airs. Director Zhang, Stephen Chow, and Andy Lau are all very willing to work with you."

"The Heung family also asked Ah Zhi if they could collaborate with you. As soon as they got wind of your new film, *The Tuner*, they wanted to invest. Emperor Group and Media Asia want in, too."

"Brother Rong said he could cover all the costs himself, but eating alone offends too many people, and others might resort to piracy to crash the box office. So he told the public to follow the old rules: 10% box office profit-sharing for you, 3 million in directing fees, and 500,000 for the script. The Heung family is also willing to accept these terms."

A director taking a 10% cut was a rarity even in Hollywood.

Li Wenyu wasn't surprised. "It's too early to say for the new film. As long as I use seasoned actors, the filming will be fast—no slower than *The Shallows*. It’s just that hiring more actors makes the investment costlier."

"Since Gong Li doesn't have the time, Sharla Cheung approached me to recommend herself, but I’m still hesitating."

Gong Li was helping with the Berlin and Cannes campaigns. If Brother Rong delayed his Venice bid by a few months, it would coincide with the year Gong Li was presiding!

As for why Leslie Cheung was in such a rush, Li Wenyu had his suspicions. Given his past health struggles and previous bouts of suicidal ideation, even if he hadn't acted on them, Leslie was likely living in fear. As a dual-threat superstar, his greatest fear was leaving suddenly without leaving more classics for his fans. If speed was the answer, he would move as fast as possible.

Leslie Cheung had no availability, and neither did Andy Lau. Someone suggested Tony Leung, but Li Wenyu didn't care for him. He had sent a script to Tony Leung Ka-fai and was awaiting a response. It was highly likely he wouldn't be rejected.

Tony Leung Ka-fai would be 44 when filming started. He would need makeup and styling to look younger—ideally around 30—a suggestion he had included with the script.

As for the first victim in *The Tuner*—an old star who tries to surprise his young wife on their anniversary, only to return home early and catch her with a brawny, corrupt cop—Li Wenyu had reached out to Sam Hui. That was a cost the investment company would have to weigh.

Fan Bingbing chuckled. "What are you hesitating for? Didn't Sister Sharla say the pay didn't matter? Her business failed and she got scammed; she just wants to come back and relax."

Li Wenyu remained silent. How could he say that while she was his first choice, he was afraid she’d heard the rumors about him being interested in older women and misinterpreted his intentions? Or that she would keep trying to play matchmaker with Vivian Chow? Or worse, keep praising him to Vivian as such a high-quality "new generation" talent? That would be too awkward.

He sighed, "If Sister Sharla doesn't have massive debt from her failed business, she just needs to rent out her villas in Guangzhou and her chain stores in Shanghai and wait it out."

"But if she's desperately short on cash, she really does need to make a comeback in the entertainment industry. If I hire her, I can't take advantage of her pay when she's in a bind. Besides, I'm only taking a 10% share, not the investor's role, so why should I be stingy with the budget?"

Sharla Cheung had opened many beauty salons and fashion boutiques in Shanghai and was building villas in Guangzhou; she wouldn't lose money if she wasn't in a rush to sell.

Fan Bingbing nearly burst out laughing. "It's not like she's Stephen Chow, losing tens of millions on several properties. How long would she have to wait? She’s been losing money for four or five years now."

Li Wenyu was once again left speechless.