Chapter 23 The Zhao Family

Su Yun sat obediently on the sofa, waiting for the evaluation of the two big guys who were once far away and out of reach.

Yesterday, she accidentally rescued Zhao Rifu's little son, and then was taken to Zhao's home by the driver. She had already thought of using this favor to achieve her goal of joining Zhao's film studio.

So, after the taxi driver happily left with a stack of cash, she refused the so-called "thank you fee" that the Zhao family gave her, which was actually "hush money", and instead honestly said that she wanted to be a star and appear on TV and in movies.

For smart people like Zhao and Fang, telling the truth is more pleasing than being sneaky and cunning.

At that time, Zhao and Fang said very readily that they would train her to be a child star. As soon as there was a child role suitable for her in Zhao Studios and TBB Studios, they would notify her and arrange her to join the crew directly.

However, what Su Yun wanted was not those insignificant roles with a childhood in parentheses, or minor supporting roles like a daughter or a sister.

Just like there are no rubbish professions in the world but only rubbish players, Su Yun’s age disadvantage can be turned into an advantage. All it requires are two catalysts: krypton gold and technology.

No suitable child roles with major roles?

Although the outrageous practices in the entertainment industry are not as numerous and common as in later generations, for Su Yun, who has been accustomed to the ups and downs of modern society for many years and is no longer surprised by them, it is not difficult to customize with capital.

However, the Zhao family is now wealthy and powerful, and probably will not accept customized products with capital. We can only hope to impress them with personal connections and stories.

"Why do you want to shoot such a story?" Zhao Rifu asked after he finished reading the script and the stickman storyboards and pondered for a while.

"Because... I am actually one of the twins." Su Yun lowered her eyes and said what she had prepared long ago, "I should have a twin sister..."

"My mother gave birth to my sister and me when she went to Singapore for further studies... However, I have never seen my father since I was born, and my sister left us very early, and then it was my mother..." Su Yun slowed down her speech and slowly explained the Su family's affairs with a sad tone, "Although my family now only has me and my mother-in-law to depend on each other, I have always hoped to see my mother and sister again, even if it's just once!"

"I felt, I felt that they didn't leave me, but just went to a very, very far place, so I thought, if I could meet them by chance... that would be great."

"It turns out that your life story is so pitiful..." The two elder sisters of the Zhao family sighed.

"Were you born in Singapore? When were you born? What year, month, and date?" Amidst the sighs, Huang Misheng, who had been looking at Su Yun lovingly, suddenly asked.

Fang Mona and Zhao Liming were stunned for a moment, and then looked at Huang Misheng in surprise.

Seeing Huang Misheng's anxious look, Su Yun answered her question honestly, "October 1, 1964, although she didn't know the reason."

As she answered this, the fire in Huang Misheng's eyes faded visibly.

As if the thing he was looking forward to did not come, Su Yun looked at her and sighed, then clenched the Buddhist beads in his hand and muttered silently twice, then stood up with an apologetic look on his face: "I'm sorry, I was anxious and thought too much, and I feel a little uncomfortable. I'm going back to my room to rest first."

"Mom, let us help you go back." Zhao Suwen and Zhao Suyun hurriedly followed.

After watching Huang Misheng being helped out of the hall by her two daughters, Zhao Rifu turned his gaze back to Su Yun: "Your name is... Su Yun, right?"

"Yes." Su Yun nodded.

"The story is very interesting. It is already remarkable that you can write such things at your age." Zhao Rifu affirmed the content of the story, but his expression did not show much surprise. "However, this story is not suitable for the Zhao family."

The Zhao Films under his control has developed from the pursuit of pure commercial production in the beginning to the present, and has taken the path of catering to the audience and winning in a stable manner; it is different from the Jiahe Films next door that escaped from his control. Because it is a newcomer with new meat, it can only take a different approach and blaze a new trail.

Zhao's martial arts films, costume films, and palace films have long since captured the preferences of the audience of this era, so when reviewing scripts and talent, the main consideration is whether the film can perform at the box office.

Of course, as a filmmaker and creator of Eastern Hollywood, Zhao Rifu, who watches more than 700 movies a year for his work, has also long been in touch with the international community. The scripts submitted by Su Yun have both storytelling and fun. If they were produced by foreign companies for Europe and America, they might have set off a new genre.

However, if the film was handed over to Zhao Films, which targets markets in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and other countries, firstly, the biggest plot point, the swapping of twins, would be cumbersome and troublesome to produce; secondly, the story is too novel and the audience positioning is completely different from before, making it a very risky subject matter.

In other words, it costs money and time, and the box office still depends on gambling.

Win the gamble and you will reach the top in one step.

If you lose the bet, you might as well throw the money into a sea of ​​salt water. At least you can hear something.

Seeing Zhao Rifu's performance, Fang Mona, who had a tacit understanding with him, immediately understood his thoughts: Zhao Rifu was not as generous as he was in charity work, but when it came to the film industry, he was notorious for being "stingy".

Perhaps because several generations of his family have been engaged in film production, Zhao Rifu has developed a personality that regards movies as a special kind of commodity and that film creation is nothing more than a special kind of business. He puts profit first and pursues box office success, making him a typical commercial filmmaker.

Someone once asked him, since he made so much money from making movies, would he make ten profitable commercial films and at the same time make an art film that might lose money but had depth and connotation? Zhao Rifu flatly refused on the spot and said that he would only make eleven profitable commercial films.

It is good to be able to take into account both artistry and commerciality, but when artistry and commerciality conflict, the person in front of you will definitely choose the latter without hesitation.

Moreover, this year, Zhao and TBB are concentrating their resources to allow their director Chu Xian, whose films have always been box office and well-received, to take advantage of the resurgence of Cantonese films and adapt the story of an old drama into a comedy film with an extremely strong cast, using social satire as the theme.

A number of actors from Zhao's films and TV artists from "Happy Tonight" have already entered the shortlist. The goal is to unite the actors and TV artists to use the majority to encircle Jiahe, which is dominated by Lu Shaolong's kung fu films.

Lu Shaolong's "Enter the Dragon" has not yet been taken off the screen when it was released, but according to current statistics, the box office has already broken Lu Shaolong's own previous record again.

Not to mention that “Enter the Dragon” has been an unprecedented success since its release on December 30 last year. It was so popular that the police had to be dispatched to control the crowds. Some theaters were even forced to suspend screenings because of the popularity…

Otherwise, the box office record of this movie would be even more terrible.

Of course, in fact, Lu Shaolong and Zhao's films have been destined to be together but not to be together many times: he had played roles in Zhao's films from his childhood until he went to the United States; after returning to China, he had already become famous and chose Zhao's film company among many companies vying to sign him. However, because the salary level in Hollywood was inconsistent with that in Hong Kong, he failed to reach an agreement with Zhao Rifu and was signed by Chia-Ho, Zhao's current biggest rival.

From "The Big Boss" to "The Way of the Dragon", Lui Shao-lung has broken box office records time and time again, and Chia Ho is also gradually approaching the Zhao family... If the Zhao family does not make another move, the new Chia Ho will sooner or later shake the Zhao family's hegemony in the Hong Kong film industry.

Zou Yunhua of Jiahe is a well-known marketing genius, and he has been a gambler all his life. Back then, Zou Yunhua recruited Lin Lai, the top actress of Dianmao Film Group, for Zhao's company, which enabled Zhao to defeat Dianmao and become the industry leader. Now, Zou Yunhua, who has left Zhao to start his own business, has signed Lu Shaolong, which has also enabled Jiahe to gradually catch up with Zhao.

He won both of the two major turning points, but it was really a matter of timing and fate.

Seeing the two big guys opposite her fall into silence, Su Yun, who was sitting in front of the sofa, didn't know the grievances between these people and the company, but she understood that both Zhao Rifu and Fang Mona were not optimistic about her script.

Forget it, just take the money and leave.

After all, I took the risk to save people, I can't do it in vain.

So Su Yun, who was confirmed to have received the money, received a bundle of large banknotes, totaling 10,000 yuan...

Excuse huh?

Your little son is only worth 10,000?!

Su Yun, who was sent away by the servant, stood in the aisle in a daze, with the lingering thought of "the richer the people, the more they get richer, the more they get richer" in her mind...

Su Yun sighed and continued walking forward. Suddenly, she saw the four children of the Zhao family sitting on the sofa in the side living room, watching TV. All of them had drowsy and ecstatic expressions.

This is an extremely familiar look!

Su Yun, who once took on the post-production of countless bad dramas in order to make a living, immediately reacted: Isn't this exactly what she looked like when she forced herself to watch bad dramas N times for the sake of work?

No wonder Fang Mona took over TBB in the future. It turns out that none of the four Zhao children like to engage in the entertainment industry.

But it's no wonder. As the saying goes, everyone has their own way. No matter how good a movie or TV show is, after you have watched it thousands of times and have to worry about its returns for a long time, the fun of watching the show will be gone.

"Oh, it's you? How did the talk go?" Zhao Liming, the oldest, looked over.

Su Yun shook her head to indicate that the negotiation had failed, and then took out the bundle of money in her hand: "I got a reward of 10,000 yuan."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Liming, Zhao Suwen and Zhao Suyun all subconsciously glanced at Zhao Lizhong who had crashed on the spot.

"I, I'm only worth ten thousand?!" After realizing what was happening, Zhao Lizhong almost jumped up from the sofa, "Brother, back then you were worth... um!"

Zhao Liming, who knew that family matters should not be made public, covered his brother's mouth, smiled at Su Yun, and turned to his two sisters and said, "Do you have any cash or valuables? Lend it to me, and I will pay you back when I get my salary later."

Knowing that their kind-hearted elder brother was going to pay for their father's meal out of his own pocket, Zhao Suwen and Zhao Suyun quickly stood up and walked out: "What are you talking about borrowing? We'll go back to the room and get it. This is what our little sister deserves."

"Then wait for me for a while." Zhao Liming also hurriedly walked out of the side hall, leaving Su Yun and Zhao Lizhong looking at each other.

After a while, Zhao Lizhong's eyes rolled, and with a funny expression he picked up the remote control, opened a black and white screen and started watching it with relish.

Su Yunbai glanced at it out of boredom and was immediately attracted by the handsome man in a suit in the picture.

During this period, Chinese people were always psychologically insecure and always had a fearful mentality of being inferior to foreigners. However, the handsome man in a suit who was probably auditioning in the picture not only spoke fluent English, but also had a self-confidence from the heart and a mentally powerful spirit that was even more eye-catching.

Seeing the handsome man in a suit answering the questioner that his major in the United States was philosophy, Su Yun immediately nodded in understanding: No wonder he has such a rare self-confidence in this era, it turns out he is a philosophy expert.

However, as Su Yun looked on with interest, the philosopher and handsome man in a suit in the picture started practicing Kung Fu in a suit, and he talked incessantly: "But in Kung Fu, the movements are always very fast. When someone grabs your hand, you don't need a lot of movements. Just step on his foot and he will let go..."

Thinking of the method of escape that she had remembered in a flash before, Su Yun was startled when she finally found the source. She turned to look at Zhao Lizhong and said, "Who is he?!"

Zhao Lizhong was stunned for a moment, then he looked around to make sure there was no one else around, then he came over and said, "It's Lu Shaolong..."

"But my dad and Mona don't like his appearance very much, but they often watch his movies and his audition clips when he was abroad. I had a lot of trouble to copy them..." Zhao Lizhong stared at Su Yun with a serious face, "You have to keep it a secret for me!"

Good guy, no wonder I always feel that this handsome guy is full of energy and confidence, as if he is full of strength psychologically...

It turns out that he is already physically full of strength!

Although he didn't understand why a philosophy master would suddenly become the king of kung fu, Su Yun had no time to find out now - Zhao Liming and the Zhao sisters came back with the things.

Su Yun was flattered to receive a bag of mixed money and two handfuls of silk jewellery. She felt a little embarrassed: "This, this is too much, it's enough to buy two floors..."

"You are young, do you know how to buy a house?" Zhao Liming immediately changed his expression to "If you talk about this, I won't be sleepy anymore", and nodded in admiration, "You are right, the real estate industry will definitely have a future in the future, buy a few more floors while you have money, so that you don't have to do anything in the future, just sit back and wait for appreciation!"

Su Yun said goodbye to the younger generation of the Zhao family with a smile and tears in her eyes. She carried the backpack given to her by the Zhao sisters as a kind gift and looked back one last time as she was going down the mountain.

In fact, in this era, Jiahe's "creative platform" system, where actors can open their own studios and affiliate with Jiahe as long as they have the ability, and share profits with the actors through cooperation, is far more suitable for her than Zhao's management monopoly system.

In addition, the boss of Jiahe is very daring. In the 1970s, he dared to challenge and explore overseas markets and enter Hollywood.

As for why she stuck with Zhao for so long, it was probably because of the favorable impression she had from the TBB filter in her childhood, and some articles she had read about the rise and fall of Zhao's films.

The pictures in the article show abandoned sets, dusty objects, and piles of scripts, which left an indelible regret in the heart of Su Yun, who grew up with TBB.

But after all the trouble till now, regret, maybe it can only be a regret.

She currently does not have the strength to fight against the wheel of time.

Su Yun was sighing here. In the Zhao family's small Buddhist temple, Huang Misheng was staring at the tablet on it and also sighing.

"Sister, I heard that you took some jewelry and asked Su Wen and Su Yun to give it to Su Yun?" Fang Mona pushed the door open and said softly.

"Looking at her, I always think that if Nannan were still alive, she would be as tall and big as her..." Huang Misheng sighed: Fang Mona is much younger than Zhao Rifu, and she is a few years older than Zhao Rifu. According to their age, this child can actually be her granddaughter.

That era was full of decadence and decadence, but also chaos and war. It is not worth mentioning the emotional past of their generation, but it is a pity for the child - they later searched all over Singapore and even traveled all over nearby Malaysia and Thailand, but could not find the information they wanted.

It should have been clear long ago that there was no hope.

But, seeing Su Yun’s age and the fact that she was born in Singapore, I couldn’t help but…

What else are you thinking about? I am one of twins, and I was born on the first day of October, so I am almost three months older than the girl who was born on December 31st.

Besides, it was impossible to transfer such a small baby from Singapore to Hong Kong.

After silently praying for a while, Huang Misheng turned to look at Fang Mona and asked, "How is the child named Su Yun?"

"Teacher Zhao thought her script was not suitable for the Zhao family, so he sent her away," Fang Mona replied.

"Please take better care of her... After all, she saved Li Zhong." Huang Misheng thought for a moment and said.

"Don't worry, this girl is very smart. I think she will invest in more than one company..." Fang Mona laughed, "After companies like Shijiahe, Ronghua, Fuguo, and Xieli have rejected her one after another, I will invite her to act in movies again, let her start from the bottom, and slowly move from a supporting role to a leading role--"

"As for now, I still need to temper my temper, otherwise I will make trouble sooner or later."

She had her eyes on Su Yun from the beginning, but unfortunately she was too smart.

But it doesn't matter. Jiahe has the golden signboard of Lu Shaolong anyway, and is not likely to support newcomers to compete with him; and the other film companies are not as good as Zhao's, and are unable to produce Su Yun's script, which is already far ahead of the times.

Being half a step ahead is a genius and a pioneer; being one step ahead is very bad.

It was a great pity to lose Lu Shaolong; but Mary Sue was still too young to cause much trouble.

Due to the limitations of the times, Fang Mona could never have imagined at that time that what Zhao had let go of again today would become such a terrible epoch-making box office bomb in the future.