[Mainland star Lu Chen shoots new film with zero salary, genuine commitment or publicity stunt?]
[Lu Chen publicly backs Ma Rongzhen. Can yesterday's flop king make a comeback?]
[Industry insiders predict mainland actors will struggle to adapt in Hong Kong. Future looks bleak!]
[Confidence or arrogance? Will the 30 million investment go down the drain?]
[The former box office poison returns to the big screen!]
---
The day after 'A Chinese Ghost Story' officially began filming, many Hong Kong newspapers ran entertainment stories about the production. Aside from a handful of paid promotional pieces, most of the coverage was openly skeptical.
Something like this would rarely happen on the mainland. Hong Kong was small, with a limited market but a huge number of media outlets. Since local entertainment news wasn't endless, Lu Chen, who had recently become one of the hottest topics, naturally became a favorite target.
The public pressure he faced also reflected the attitudes of many Hong Kong residents. Quite a few believed that the influx of mainland companies and investment would intensify competition and take jobs away from locals.
Although Lu Chen's "catfish" analogy on 'Entertainment Three Talks' had eased some concerns, the program's influence was limited. He still needed real results to prove himself.
To certain Hong Kong media outlets that thrived on stirring controversy, Lu Chen had become the symbolic representative of the mainland film industry's push into Hong Kong. They dug up every possible angle to keep the story alive.
The most aggressive among them was 'Bolo Daily'. The paper published three separate entertainment articles in one issue, questioning Lu Chen's claim of taking no salary, mocking Ma Rongzhen's "box office poison" reputation, and confidently predicting that 'A Chinese Ghost Story' would fail. One of the articles even listed pages of statistics, quoting so-called industry experts before concluding that the mainland camp, represented by Lu Chen, would never establish a lasting foothold in Hong Kong's entertainment industry.
There was plenty of criticism, very little praise, and almost no neutral reporting. Ironically, all the attention given to 'A Chinese Ghost Story', which had only just started filming, gave it plenty of free publicity.
---
Meanwhile, the film crew had no time to worry about the outside noise. Everyone was busy shooting at Lion Rock Film City, working at full speed in hopes of wrapping production before the New Year.
"Cut!" Wan Xiaoquan frowned deeply and waved his loudspeaker. "What's going on with the lighting over there? Fix it immediately. We're doing the scene again!"
Once he was back in the director's chair, Wan Xiaoquan seemed like a man reborn, overflowing with energy.
His position on the crew was rather unusual. Officially, he was only the assistant director.
When the film was eventually released on the mainland, his name wouldn't appear in either the opening or closing credits, nor would he receive any publicity. The reason was obvious: for at least the next two years, Wan Xiaoquan had to keep a low profile.
Officially, Lu Chen was the director of 'A Chinese Ghost Story'. In reality, Wan Xiaoquan was the one directing the entire film. It was simply a workaround to stay within policy regulations.
Because of that, Wan Xiaoquan cared even more about this movie than Lu Chen himself. Before filming began, he spent countless sleepless nights studying the script, discussing every scene and every character with Lu Chen, throwing his entire heart into the project.
Wan Xiaoquan had always excelled at directing period films. Several of his previous works had been both commercial and critical successes, and he was well known in the industry for his meticulous working style.
That was exactly why Lu Chen had chosen him to direct his first movie. With Lu Chen's complete support, a sufficient budget, and far fewer restrictions than he'd faced on the mainland, Wan Xiaoquan became a frighteningly capable director once he could fully focus on his work.
After only a few days of filming, everyone on the crew had been completely won over by this mainland director. No one dared to slack off or secretly resist his instructions. Of course, Jiayang Film Industry's support was also indispensable throughout the production.
---
Today's scene was Ning Caichen's first meeting with Nie Xiaoqian at the abandoned temple. Dressed as a poor scholar and carefully styled by the makeup team, Lu Chen looked like an entirely different person.
Because of the earlier lighting mistake, the reshoot went smoothly. By the time they finished, it was already past noon. Only then did Wan Xiaoquan finally let the hungry crew break for lunch.
The production assistants carried over insulated containers filled with neatly stacked lunch boxes. Although 'A Chinese Ghost Story' didn't have a particularly large cast, the crew itself was close to a hundred people strong.
That many staff members were necessary to keep filming on schedule. With so many people working on set, there was no way everyone could leave for a restaurant every meal. It would waste far too much time and disrupt the shooting schedule.
Whether on the mainland or in Hong Kong, film crews generally relied on catered boxed lunches. The production office simply arranged the order with a restaurant beforehand, specifying the quantity and price, and the meals would arrive on time every day.
"Lunch is ready!"
Everyone gathered around to grab a lunch box before finding a place to sit and eat. Even though Lu Chen was the investor, screenwriter, and lead actor, he ate the exact same boxed lunch as director Wan Xiaoquan and the rest of the crew. He never gave himself special treatment.
---
But today's lunch was different. The moment Lu Chen opened his lunch box, he frowned.
The quality was awful. The rice had turned yellow, as though it had been cooked from old, stale grain. The few slices of vegetables and cucumber were limp and no longer fresh.
The fried egg had completely disappeared. The two pieces of pork ribs contained almost nothing but bone. This lunch looked so bad that even a dog might turn up its nose at it.
"What the hell? Why's today's lunch so terrible? Is this even fit for people to eat?"
"What is this? It's already gone bad!"
"Haha, you guys go ahead. I'll just look at mine."
"Damn!"
It wasn't just Lu Chen's meal; every lunch box was the same. Complaints immediately erupted throughout the crew.
Seeing the situation, Lu Chen couldn't remain seated. His face darkened as he stood up and waved over one of the young production assistants who was still handing out lunches. "Could you come here for a moment?"
The assistant quickly put down the lunch boxes, wiped his hands, and hurried over. "Brother Lu, what's wrong?"
Lu Chen held up the lunch box in his hand. "What do you think?"
The assistant looked at the food, then at Lu Chen, and said awkwardly, "I... I don't know either..."
The corner of Lu Chen's mouth twitched slightly. Then he said calmly, "In that case, please ask Old Jia to come over."
Old Jia was the production manager assigned to 'A Chinese Ghost Story' by Jiayang Film Industry, an experienced veteran of the Hong Kong film business. Under normal circumstances, something like this should never have happened under his supervision.
There had to be something suspicious going on.
(End of Chapter)
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