Pan Yueming wasn't stupid; she followed suit.

Zhang Yimou smiled as he looked at the two of them.

"Don't rush to become famous. You need to hone your skills. Let's work together sometime. We're all from the same company, and I'll be thinking of you."

Huang Xiaoming and Pan Yueming expressed their gratitude repeatedly.

"Junior brother, why do you insist on the female lead? I already promised this role to Ziyi."

Shen Fang sneered, "You can't agree to that, senior brother. She's not one of our company's employees, and she's not exactly a peaceful person."

"Senior brother, what roles can Zhang Ziyi play that Zeng Li can't play, Dan Chen can't play, and Xiao Ran can't play? None of the three of them have a better image than Zhang Ziyi, and their acting skills are no worse than hers."

Zhang Yimou smiled wryly: "She's become my apprentice, and here I am."

Shen Fang was speechless: "Senior brother, she's supposed to be your apprentice? She's no pushover. She bothered me when I was filming Hero. I could tell at a glance she's a scheming person. If someone like that becomes famous, would she still acknowledge you as her teacher? If I remember correctly, she's already switched agencies. I'll provide the investment, the resources, and the distribution. I just want the female lead. I'll choose one of the three people you mentioned."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yimou frowned.

"You mean she flirted with you?"

Shen Fang nodded.

"Yeah, but Sisi got rid of her."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qianqian ran over immediately.

"Exactly, I don't like her at all. Humph, green tea. Ugly but demanding. Pah, dream on."

Shen Fang pinched Liu Qianqian's little face and couldn't stop laughing. Zhang Ziyi was definitely not ugly, but compared to Liu Qianqian, she was definitely much worse.

Zhang Yimou nodded upon hearing this.

"Alright, after all, you invested in this film, so your request isn't unreasonable."

Shen Fang smiled: "Senior brother, I believe we can become lifelong partners. I support whatever you want to film and won't make things difficult for you. If those three don't meet your requirements, you can change the actors anytime you want. I absolutely won't make any promises. Sister Lili, Sister Danchen, come here! Goodness, I'm trying to get roles for you, and you three are just sitting there without moving. Sorry about that?"

These words really touched me. "To be valued by my lord, I will do my utmost."

Just like Shen Fang, when he first collaborated with Zhang Weiping, Zhang Weiping supported him unconditionally. However, after he became famous, Zhang Weiping changed. Not only did he interfere in casting decisions multiple times, but he also secretly arranged numerous advertising deals for him. And to make matters worse, he interfered in his love life. This is a thorn in Zhang Yimou's side.

Although Shen Fang is young, he respects and admires him very much. He only needs to focus on filming and doesn't need to worry about anything else. This time, Shen Fang wants a female lead and is recommending actresses from his company. To be honest, he doesn't have much of an opinion on this. The main reason is that the actresses recommended by Shen Fang are all quite good, especially Zeng Li, whom he had wanted to work with before.

As for Zhang Ziyi, he could only apologize; if you take someone else's job, you have to work for them.

There was another, more important reason: he also knew that Zhang Ziyi was no pushover.

PS: It's said that after separating from Gong Li, Zhang Yimou met Chen Ting, who is 31 years younger than him, in 1998. She is now his wife. It was also that year, when he was casting for his new film "The Road Home," that he met Zhang Ziyi, a "Zhang Yimou girl." While Chen Ting was willing to forgo official recognition to have a child with Zhang Yimou, he and Zhang Ziyi filmed "House of Flying Daggers."

Although Zhang Ziyi is quite talented in acting, there are still many things she doesn't understand when she first starts acting in movies. As for whether she really doesn't understand or is just pretending, that's hard to say.

Zhang Yimou also appreciated Zhang Ziyi's ambitious attitude. Even late at night, he would take her to his room to study the script. The two discussed the details of the script and exchanged ideas.

It was late at night, and Zhang Ziyi was indeed very tired, so she lay down on the bed and fell asleep, while Zhang Ziyi sat on the bed alone, continuing to read the script. Zhang Ziyi was engrossed in her script when Chen Ting stormed into the hotel, bursting through the door. Zhang Ziyi was half asleep, but Chen Ting saw the two of them in the same bed. Regardless of what had happened, she was furious and could barely contain herself.

Seeing the situation was turning sour, Zhang Yimou quickly tried to explain, but before he could even speak, he was slapped. This incident caused Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi, who could have had a long-term collaboration, to completely sever ties. To give Chen Ting a sense of security, Zhang Yimou got married not long after. As a result, Zhang Ziyi's career, which had just begun to take off, was affected, and she had to go abroad to develop her career.

It's hard to define the truth of the matter, but if we go by this news, Zhang Ziyi was caught cheating on her husband.

Based on Shen Fang's understanding of her, this was something she was capable of doing.

Zeng Li, Yan Danchen, and Li Xiaoran quickly gathered around. There was a role to play, and it was Zhang Yimou's new film. No kidding, one film could make you an overnight sensation. This was an incredible opportunity.

"Senior brother, take a look at the quality of our company's female artists. Their looks, figures, and temperament are all comparable to Zhang Ziyi. Their acting skills are also excellent. Pick one."

Zhang Yimou was speechless: "What's there to be picky about? These are just ideas. Even if I were to make a film, I would wait until after 'Heroes' is no longer in theaters."

Shen Fang smiled and said, "You should all toast Director Zhang a few more times later."

Zhang Yimou waved his hand: "No, I can't drink. I need to take care of my health recently, I'm preparing to have a baby."

Shen Fang glanced at Zhang Yimou. There was one thing about Zhang Yimou that no other director could surpass: he could still have children at 70, and he could film for days and nights without sleeping, yet he was still full of energy. Most people couldn't compare.

"Senior brother, you're really amazing. You're 53 this year, and you're still having children. Wow, you're still going strong at your age. Do you have any secrets?" Shen Fang teased, giving a thumbs up.

Han Sanping, who was standing to the side, almost spat out his drink. What kind of talk was that?

Zhang Guoli, Wang Gang, and others almost laughed themselves to death.

Zhang Yimou...

Shen Fang laughed heartily.