Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 48 A Minor Aftermath

The uproar surrounding "Little Miss Sunshine" and Zhang Jun's minor public opinion storm ultimately ended with Feng Xiaogang displaying his power and several writers and media outlets associated with Lu Chuan's father remaining silent.

In summary, this media storm was at most a minor gust of wind. Apart from a small number of people who pay attention to the film and cultural circles, the vast majority of Chinese people continued with their lives as usual.

Especially the young people who are the main audience of the movie, are even less concerned about what bad things the old men said about Zhang Jun in the newspaper.

This is the advantage of being a director at the beginning of the century. Even though Zhang Jun's experience is legendary, and even though he has become popular online because of his handsome face.

However, without further hype or promotion from entertainment companies, the hype quickly faded.

These days, Taiwanese idols are constantly entering the mainland market, and South Korean boy bands are also starting to enter the Chinese market.

With so many handsome men around, Zhang Jun, a director who doesn't engage in hype, has lost much of his popularity after the initial buzz died down.

When some ordinary viewers saw the criticisms of Zhang Jun in the newspapers, their first reaction was: Who is Zhang Jun?

Upon learning that Zhang Jun was the director of "Little Miss Sunshine," the second reaction of viewers who had seen the film was: "This movie is quite good! It's not that bad, is it?"

Later on, I stopped paying attention to it. After all, most people have to deal with the realities of life and don't have time to deal with minor storms in newspapers and online.

During this process, Zhang Jun did indeed accumulate some fans who are looking forward to his next work.

Although this group of movie fans is still small now, it will gradually grow and expand over time as Zhang Jun continues to produce new works.

Taking advantage of the weekend holiday, after finishing up this small media storm, Ye Xiaoyi flew directly to Xiamen to visit the crew of "About Time".

At this time, "About Time" was not affected by external public opinion at all and continued to be filmed in an orderly manner.

Ning Hao, holding a megaphone, directed people around: "Lights! Lights! Warm lights! The director said your color tone is too cold."

"Camera, camera number two is over there, using tracks. Production crew, pick up the trash on the beach, the director said we need to protect the environment."

The actors were reading their scripts and rehearsing their lines, while Zhang Jun, holding the storyboard, conveyed the feeling he wanted to convey to several assistant directors.

When Ye Xiaoyi entered the film set, she immediately sensed that the set was busy but orderly.

She had experienced something similar on the set of "Little Miss Sunshine," but she didn't pay much attention to it at the time.

However, the recent online storm made her realize how extraordinary Zhang Jun was to have achieved this level of success, and that there were too many unfathomable mysteries surrounding this senior.

"What brings you here?" Zhang Jun asked, putting down the script in his hand.

"This is my company's investment, so of course I have to check on it to prevent you from messing things up and ruining my investment." Ye Xiaoyi glanced at Fan Pangbing without leaving a trace.

The other person happened to be looking over as well, and their eyes met in mid-air as they assessed each other.

Ye Xiaoyi knew that Fan Pangbing and Zhang Jun were having an affair, and Zhang Jun didn't intend to hide it from her. Now that she saw it in person, the beauty that Zhang Jun had his eye on was indeed quite attractive.

And Gao Yuanyuan, standing next to Fan Bingbing, is equally stunning, exuding a fresh and approachable girl-next-door charm that inspires admiration.

Ye Xiaoyi guessed that Zhang Jun would probably make a move on Gao Yuanyuan soon. This guy's mind was always on women and movies; he had probably forgotten all the knowledge he learned in the astronomy department.

Fan Pangbing also sized up Ye Xiaoyi, assessing her figure and appearance, and finally concluded that she was not as pretty as him, nor did she have a better figure.

But the fact that she is Zhang Jun's investor is extremely threatening.

Fan Bingbing still hadn't given up on the idea of ​​becoming Zhang Jun's life partner. She had tried to test the waters several times, but Zhang Jun's answers were always very straightforward.

"I'm not a very strong-willed person, and I can't resist the temptations of so many beautiful women in the entertainment industry. But I also have a strong sense of responsibility; if I were to get married, I would be committed to it."

I don't want to be that miserable. This is for the best; neither of us feels burdened.

Fan Bingbing felt she had broadened her horizons. She had met many directors and male stars, all of whom were willing to put on an act on the surface, but Zhang Jun didn't even bother to pretend.

Zhang Jun explained, "I never use sweet talk or coercion. I like beautiful women, but only if they are willing."

"You see, Gao Yuanyuan didn't come voluntarily, and I didn't force her, did I?"

Fan Bingbing secretly thought that Gao Yuanyuan didn't come because she was a little shy.

Furthermore, her blatant public display of her intimate relationship with Zhang Jun left her confused, which is why she didn't take any action.

Few women in the entertainment industry are innocent, and Gao Yuanyuan was also attracted to Zhang Jun, her perfect partner!

When she saw Ye Xiaoyi arrive, Gao Yuanyuan's eyes flickered. She glanced back and forth between Fan Pangbing and Ye Xiaoyi, acting as an observer.

Zhang Jun seemed oblivious to the women's thoughts and warmly invited Ye Xiaoyi to sit down.

"Thank you for your hard work these past few days. I've been filming here, and I'm so grateful that you've been managing things for me in Beijing."

"You're welcome. You're an important director in our company, and I can't just stand by and watch you suffer undeserved injustice."

Ye Xiaoyi looked at Fan Pangbing and Gao Yuanyuan not far away: "I originally thought you would be very unhappy after being scolded for no reason, but I didn't expect you to be living a pretty good life."

"What's there to improve? We're sick of eating the same boxed lunches from the crew every day. Now that you're an investor, how about we treat ourselves to something better?"

"Sure, sure!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Ye Xiaoyi finally got down to business.

"I've made some minor adjustments to your proposal. I feel that escalating the conflict isn't quite appropriate, so I'll use examples of directors like Feng Xiaogang to prove that you're not an isolated case."

Ye Xiaoyi said, "It looks good now. My dad even asked me to check on you, worried that you might have been wronged."

Zhang Jun laughed and said, "If we're talking about who's most wronged, Lu Chuan is probably the one right now."

However, I understand his thinking. He still has some childish tendencies; he's been too well protected by his family.

After a pause, Zhang Jun asked again, "By the way, what did the school say?"

Ye Xiaoyi shrugged, mimicking Zhang Jun, and replied, "Because Feng Dapao unexpectedly stepped forward, he shifted the focus of the conflict, making the school's side unnecessary."

However, the school's Youth League Committee also asked me to convey to you that Tsinghua University will always be your support, as long as you continue to do the right thing.

This can be considered a promise. After Zhang Jun demonstrates his value, Tsinghua University will naturally evaluate this value and whether it is beneficial to Tsinghua University.

The leaders and students of one of China's top universities are not all bookworms; on the contrary, it is one of the most intelligent places to gather.

Both the Tsinghua University Youth League Committee and Zhang Jun understand that they need each other. Currently, it seems that Zhang Jun needs Tsinghua University's network of connections more, but Tsinghua University values ​​Zhang Jun's potential.

If Zhang Jun were to become an internationally renowned director like Zhang Yimou in the future—no, a director even more prestigious than Zhang Yimou—then he would be able to give back to Tsinghua University in even greater ways.

Therefore, this is an investment by the Tsinghua University Youth League Committee after Zhang Jun demonstrated his potential, betting on Zhang Jun's future.

Zhang Jun expressed his gratitude.

He said to Ye Xiaoyi, "Now it seems that my identity as a director is unique. It's a good thing I didn't go to the directing department of Beijing Film Academy."

Ye Xiaoyi strongly agreed: "So you have to show your true abilities and convince the school and the public with your works to prove that you are the best."

Zhang Jun confidently pointed to the film set that was being set up: "I'm already on the path to proving myself."