Chapter 168: Fatty Fan Seeking Connections and Misunderstandings
A private restaurant in Beijing.

As the capital becomes more and more prosperous, various high-end restaurants emerge one after another.

But for some people, they like to go to private restaurants converted from courtyard houses.

Not only is it quiet and suitable for talking, it also gives people a very classy feeling.

Such restaurants were indeed very classy in the past, but now such private restaurants have become more and more prevalent.

However, the one that Liu Zhou and Han Shanping are staying at now has been open for a long time among these private restaurants and is quite popular.

The decoration here is not luxurious, but the food in this restaurant is delicious.

I heard that this is a family craft that has been passed down for three generations.

In the private room, Liu Zhou poured a cup of tea for Han Shanping and said:
"Boss Han, even though this place is not big, the food here is really delicious, and it's no worse than Fengze Garden's."

"I just looked at the menu, and the prices here are no cheaper than Fengzeyuan's."

"You get what you pay for, right? And the chef's skills are also valuable."

After a while, four dishes and a soup were served.

Han Shanping picked up a piece of sea cucumber and put it in his mouth. He chewed it briefly and his eyes lit up slightly:
"The mouth is quite correct."

"If you think it's delicious, come more often. The chef's cooking skills will never disappoint you."

"It's okay to come once or twice, but I can't afford to come often."

Liu Zhou greeted him with a smile without saying much. Han Shanping's words "I can't afford it" were just for reference.

There are no eight regulations these days. Besides, with his status, he doesn't have to pay for meals when he goes out. He has no way out even if all the major companies and film producers are vying to treat him.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the two began to talk about business.

"Liu Zhou, don't be so anxious. They just said they would study it, and they didn't just kill the script."

“Boss Han, you have to be impatient. I have already started casting. I plan to finish filming before June and then join the crew of Red Cliff.

Now the review is stuck, which has disrupted all my plans."

"Who told you to set such a tight schedule? Can't you finish the Red Cliff project first?"

"Boss Han, I had planned this project a long time ago. It was Director Zhang who insisted that I play a role in Red Cliff. Otherwise, I could have done it easily."

Han Shanping sighed and said:
"It's not that I won't help you, but your script is too bold, even involving the return of Hong Kong. It's been less than 10 years since the return of Hong Kong, so be steady!"

"I didn't destroy the stable plot here. I feel like I'm making a big fuss over nothing. Besides, I wanted to make the hero evil, but this won't pass the censorship."

"You also have to understand that if the senior members of the Hong Kong police force are stirring up trouble and intending to cause damage, this may lead to resistance."

"Wasn't it okay that Hong Kong movies used to portray the Hong Kong police force in a more bleak light?"

"This time is different from that time, your identity is different after all?"

"Boss Han, what you mean is that if a Hong Kong director were to direct this movie, it would pass review?"

"You wish. Actually, you are stuck here, not only because the subject matter is sensitive, but also because the boss is leaving. Many people don't want to cause trouble at this time. By the end of the year, when everything is completely stable and everyone feels at ease, many things will be different."

After listening to Han Shanping's words, Liu Zhou suddenly felt enlightened, but what confused him was that his project could not wait!

Han Shanping obviously also knew Liu Zhou's situation, and continued:

"In your situation, you can only work it out slowly, and many things can be worked out through hard work.

Besides, you have left a very good impression there now, so you can go and try to build some connections yourself, and I can also try to make some efforts here. With a two-pronged approach, maybe your script will be approved.”

"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Han." Liu Zhou said with a smile.

"Thanks for nothing. Actually, you know everything, but you just don't bother to do it. If you could bend down like Fatty Yu and the Wang brothers, you would have left them behind long ago."

Liu Zhou neither confirmed nor denied Han Shanping's words, but just smiled.

"I'm still young, I'll learn slowly."

"This is not a good thing either. You don't need to learn it. There are many people who stoop in this circle. I watched you grow up. I hope you can keep standing and make money."

"Boss Han, you think too highly of me. To make a living in this industry, how can I stand all the time? I still have to bend down when I need to."

If he was really so noble and upright, he would have retired and traveled around the world long ago. Why would he continue to hang around in the entertainment industry when he has nothing better to do?

Han Shanping smiled and said no more. He and Liu Zhou had different standards for looking at certain things.

He has seen too many bad things in the entertainment industry, and Liu Zhou is the most self-disciplined person so far.

Compared with Liu Zhou, those colleagues naturally made Liu Zhou stand out in his eyes like a lonely white lotus in the mud.

The next day, Liu Zhou started looking for connections.

It has been seven or eight years since Liu Zhou debuted, and he has been famous for five or six years.

Liu Zhou had never sought connections specifically for something before, this was the first time.

But this does not mean that Liu Zhou's network is weak.

Liu Zhou has been building his own network of contacts, and with his current status, his connections are stronger than those of the Wang brothers in any aspect.

Many of the people who review the scripts are from the Central Academy of Drama or the Beijing Film Academy, so it is easiest to smooth out the relationship in this regard.

Afterwards, Han Shanping took Liu Zhou to visit some people, and the two were busy together for nearly half a month.

Finally, I got all the connections connected, made some minor revisions, and the script passed the review smoothly.

After receiving the news, Liu Zhou also breathed a sigh of relief and immediately rushed back to Hong Kong.

It is already mid-April, and Liu Zhou cannot waste any time in the next month or so.

Fortunately, Liu Zhou is no longer alone, but has an efficient team.

Although Liu Zhou was delayed in the mainland for half a month, the preparations for the "New World" project did not stop at all.

When Liu Zhou came back, Zhong Lifang had already signed contracts with all the actors and confirmed the schedules, and the production team had also confirmed the filming locations and locations. Everything was ready, just waiting for Liu Zhou to come back and start filming.

Liu Zhou also had to admire that the Hong Kong filmmakers were really efficient. No wonder they were able to complete a movie in just seven days.

There aren't any script reading sessions in Hong Kong, and actors come according to their schedules. If they don't have their own scenes, actors rarely come to the filming site.

Liu Zhou also followed the local customs and did not force them to come and read the script.

As long as they can deliver the performance Liu Zhou requires during filming, there is no problem.

"Mr. Liu, when are you going to start the machine?"

"It's better to do it today than tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll arrange it later."

"By the way, are the actors' salaries expensive?"

"It's cheaper than I thought. Andy Lau got 7 million, Leung Ka Fai 3 million, Simon Yam 1 million, and Wu Zhenyu 1 million. The rest of the people's pay added up to less than 2 million."

"So, this movie could be completed with around 20 million?"

"Almost. If we can finish the filming within a month, it's totally possible."

"Ok, then I'll try to finish the filming in one month."

After learning that everything was fine with the crew, Liu Zhou also left the company and went to the Peninsula Hotel.

The Peninsula Hotel is also in Kowloon, less than 20 minutes’ drive away.

Liu Zhou rang the doorbell of a presidential suite, and the door was opened soon, revealing a young and beautiful figure.

If someone saw it, they would definitely recognize that the person opening the door was the popular mainland actress Fan Xiaopang.

When Fatty Fan saw the person coming, he couldn't help but smile brightly and said:

"You came?"

"Well, here we come."

Although the two were standing at the door, when they looked into each other's eyes, they could see the raging fire burning in each other's bodies.

Liu Zhou Yi pushed Fan Xiaopang against the wall and kissed him fiercely. At the same time, he hooked his foot and slammed the door shut.

Not long after, the two seemed to have returned to the time when they were filming "The Sword of the Immortal", racing like crazy on the Akina Mountains.

The race ended only when the driver's legs were shaking, the car was a little overwhelmed, and the engine sounded hoarse.

After a long while, Fatty Fan regained some strength and said with a smile:

"Liu Zhou, you are still as amazing as ever."

"Xiaopang, you are just as smooth as ever!"

At this time, Fatty Fan suddenly arched his body, leaned his head on Liu Zhou's arm, and hugged his waist, and said slowly:
"Liu Zhou, thank you this time."

"No need to thank me. Since you have joined my company, of course I have to train you well."

"I'm not just talking about this movie."

After hearing what Fan Xiaopang said, Liu Zhou immediately understood what she meant.

Fan Xiaopang's contract with Huayi will not expire until 2007.

This time, Fan Xiaopang left Huayi and joined Liu Zhou, which can be said to be a breach of contract.

Like Huang Xiaoming, she had communicated with Liu Zhou in advance about coming here, and did not decide to come only after Wang Jinghua left with the artists.

At that time, Fan Xiaopang didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that this kind of thing would happen in Huayi when she left.

So Huayi was very angry when he knew that Fan Xiaopang had left.

In fact, Fan Xiaopang had a choice at that time. When Wang Jinghua left, he tried his best to invite her.

But she refused just like Li Bingbing. She wanted to stay in Huayi and be the top star, while Fan Xiaopang chose to join Liu Zhou.

To be honest, if Fan Xiaopang followed Wang Jinghua, he wouldn't stand out so much.

Fan Xiaopang originally thought that it would be difficult for him to pay the penalty and leave this time, and he even felt that Huayi would always target him.

But she found that things were going very smoothly, and Huayi didn't even have any intention of making things difficult for her.

Fan Xiaopang thought that it was Liu Zhou who personally took action to deal with the Wang brothers, which allowed her to leave so smoothly this time.

In fact, Liu Zhou didn't do anything at all. The Wang brothers were worried that Liu Zhou would take advantage of the situation, so they not only invited Han Shanping to mediate, but also handed over Fan Xiaopang's contract.

Liu Zhou was also prepared to protect Fan Xiaopang and Huang Xiaoming at that time, but he did not expect things to be so dramatic and were easily resolved.

Since Liu Zhou had kept this matter secret, Fan Xiaopang must have thought that he had helped her.

"You don't have to be so polite. Since you came to me for help, I will definitely help you solve your worries. Besides, we have such a close relationship."

Liu Zhou said this with a smile as he rubbed the car lights a few times with his hands.

Seeing that Liu Zhou was not being honest, Fatty Fan rolled his eyes at him and said:

"You think you're okay again?"

"Hey, I have a bad temper. It seems that you are still unconvinced just now, right?"

"What do you think?" Fat Fan gave Liu Zhou a charming look.

Liu Zhou said no more, immediately opened the car door, and then said to Fatty Fan:
"I'm getting in the car!"

After saying that, Liu Zhou sat firmly in the driving seat, stepped on the accelerator, the engine made a high-pitched roar, and the car rushed up the Akina Mountain again.

(End of this chapter)