Chapter 00105: I Want to Open My Own Studio
# I Want to Open My Own Studio
Chapter 105
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 105: I Want to Open My Own Studio
"The house next door, No. 4, used to be Zhang Zongchang's private residence. No. 2 was occupied by an official before liberation, and after the founding of the country, it was assigned to me. In recent years, some students who came to connect were arranged to stay here, but there haven't been any other tenants."
"Have they all been returned now?"
"Yes, but this wasn't originally my house. It was assigned to me by the state. My children have long since started their own families and careers. When I die, I'll just hand the house back, no attachments."
"You have such a high level of detachment. I couldn't do that. I'd cling to such a nice courtyard until my dying breath."
In the small living room of the main house, Wang Yang and Chen Qi were having a pleasant conversation.
The soft early summer sunlight filtered through the pomegranate tree in the yard, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Chen Qi liked what he saw more and more, but unfortunately, it wasn't his.
"Speaking of which, I've been thinking about buying a house. If you hear anything, could you let me know?"
"You want to buy a house?"
Wang Yang's expression was subtle.
In these times, everyone was scrambling to get a house assigned by their work unit.
He hadn't heard of anyone wanting to buy a house themselves.
If someone wanted to buy a house, it meant two things: first, they had money, and second, they didn't fit in with the crowd.
Since meeting Chen Qi, Wang Yang had always found him a bit strange, but couldn't quite put his finger on why.
Now it suddenly became clear.
The most peculiar thing about Chen Qi was his attitude towards work units, especially good ones.
He didn't have the usual fervent desire that most people had.
He was very indifferent.
Take Zhao Qingli, for example.
Was he really slapping Zhao Qingli's face? Of course not.
He was slapping the face of the old employees!
A young man who hadn't even officially transferred yet, publicly scolding a senior employee like a child—even if the other party was at fault first, it still didn't make sense!
So Wang Yang had called him over today to have an open and honest conversation.
"Xiao Chen, I heard about what happened yesterday, but I'm not here to discuss that. I just want to ask, do you really want to join the Beijing Film Studio?"
"Of course!"
"Then what you did doesn't seem like someone who wants to join."
"..."
Chen Qi was silent for a moment, then said, "You've been very kind to me, so since you asked, I'll be honest. When a newcomer joins the studio, they start by doing odd jobs, then become an assistant. It takes at least ten years to stand on their own. That's the way the system works, and I won't comment on that. But for me personally, I absolutely can't accept wasting ten years of my life. Even with your support, it might shorten that time to five years? Three years?"
"Is three years not fast enough?"
Wang Yang was surprised.
He had indeed considered letting this kid gain experience for three years, which in his mind was already a leap forward.
"It's really not enough. Do you know what my goal is? I want to have complete control over a movie, from start to finish, from production to distribution, from directing to acting. Everything would be under my command!"
"That's impossible!"
Even Wang Yang, who was considered a radical, thought this idea was too extreme.
"Under the current system and policies, what you're describing will never happen. Even if you get the production rights, you still can't handle distribution. There's the China Film Group above you, the Film Bureau, and above that, the Ministry of Culture. If you want to go overseas, there are foreign affairs departments to deal with. How could you possibly have full control?"
"That's why I said it's a goal. I didn't say I wanted to achieve it right now."
Chen Qi smiled and added, "You have your difficulties in your position, and I don't want to make things hard for you. I do want to join the Beijing Film Studio, but not through the usual transfer process. It all comes down to 'Tai Chi.' It's too early now. Anyway, I'm grateful to you and will follow your reform efforts. You can rest assured of that!"
"Ah, you kid..."
Wang Yang felt like he was on a different wavelength, beyond his usual way of thinking, and could only sigh.
After clearing the air, Chen Qi got up to leave.
Wang Yang sat in the room for a while, then opened a drawer.
Inside were several letters: all written overnight by certain people in the studio after yesterday's incident, demanding that Chen Qi's temporary transfer be stopped and that he be kicked out.
As Chen Qi had said, even as the studio head, he couldn't act unilaterally.
He had to consider various factors.
"..."
Wang Yang silently glanced at the letters, then closed the drawer.
............
When Chen Qi returned to the Beijing Film Studio, everyone looked at him differently.
Zhao Qingli was universally disliked, so some were secretly pleased, while others found Chen Qi even more irritating.
Most were just there for the show.
In everyone's eyes, he was already the studio's troublemaker, and a temporary one at that.
"Comrade Chen Qi!"
"Deputy Director Sun?"
Suddenly, someone blocked his path.
Chen Qi looked and saw it was Deputy Director Sun Wenjin.
Sun Wenjin had a look of finally catching him red-handed and said, "Come with me!"
"What for?"
"Don't play dumb. I'm in charge of studio discipline. I need to investigate yesterday's incident!"
"Oh, you mean Zhao Qingli? Did he report it to you?"
"That's none of your business!"
"He didn't, did he? The person involved didn't say anything or report it to you. What are you investigating me for? Even the police need both parties involved to investigate. Are you going to investigate me unilaterally? Our crew has already lost two days. I need to get back right away. Goodbye!"
Chen Qi walked right past him.
Sun Wenjin was furious, but he couldn't say he hadn't seen this kind of thing before.
The Beijing Film Studio had been around for decades, and there were all kinds of people.
For example, the famous Li Chunping, who claimed to have been kept by a Hollywood heiress, used to work in the studio's security department.
He got into a fight, was sentenced to three years, and was fired.
Sun Wenjin had personally signed off on that, so he was almost regretful that Chen Qi hadn't slapped Zhao Qingli or even beaten him up.
That would have given him a solid reason.
Chen Qi: Do you think I'm stupid? I come from an era where fighting back means mutual brawling!
A slap could cost fifty thousand yuan, with risks second only to helping an old lady...
Speaking of which, the reason he was so ambivalent about joining the Beijing Film Studio was because of people like this.
Once he joined and had an official position, he would inevitably be constrained at every turn.
Where would he find the capitalist time to fight with these people? This isn't a harem drama or a workplace novel!
Unless he could join in a very transcendent position, directly parachuting in, or simply starting his own studio.
"Xiao Chen! Xiao Chen!"
Just as he reached the entrance of the studio, Gong Xue, who had been waiting for who knows how long, rushed over.
"Where have you been?"
"Looking for me?"
"I heard about what happened yesterday. I wasn't there. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, perfectly fine!"
Seeing her anxious expression, Chen Qi couldn't help but tease her.
"What, worried about me? Should I turn into Xiong Xinxin and spend a few days in the hospital? Wouldn't you come visit me every day?"
"I'm being serious! Don't joke around."
Gong Xue frowned, stamped her foot, and tried to raise her voice, putting on an angry face.
But no matter how hard she tried, she still looked like a little rabbit.
"Alright, alright, I'm fine. I just scolded an old geezer. He deserved it!"
"But you shouldn't... Why are you swearing???" Gong Xue turned her head away.
"Huh? 'Old geezer' isn't swearing. 'Old' is a sign of respect for his age, and 'geez' is, well... never mind, let's go in!"
The two entered the studio, where everyone was waiting.
This was Chen Qi's first appearance since going to the hospital yesterday, and everyone greeted him like a hero.
The term "protective of one's own" is something outsiders hate, but everyone loves being the one protected.
"..."
Zhao Qingli was also there, but he was much quieter now.
He glanced at Chen Qi but didn't dare say a word.
Chen Qi didn't bother with him either.
He discussed the next scenes with Li Wenhua and Yuen Woo-ping.
Xiong Xinxin needed to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days, but the set was already built and couldn't be dismantled, so they had to wait.
Li Wenhua said, "How about we shoot some outdoor scenes first? Half of the street set is done. We can shoot half the street without a problem."
"That could work, but this scene needs a lot of extras, and there are several small roles with lines."
"Let's go to the film academy and find some. Tomorrow's a day off, so they can come for a day. We'll give them a one-yuan subsidy, and we can finish shooting in a day," Li Wenhua suggested.
"Alright, I'll go right away!" Chen Qi agreed.
When shooting at the Beijing Film Studio, extras were usually found on the spot.
Sometimes crew members would fill in, or studio employees would pitch in.
If that wasn't enough, they'd have to look outside.
So in the 1990s, there were always a bunch of aspiring actors hanging around the studio gates, waiting to be called in for a role.
It all depends on how you look at it.
If you're Wang Baoqiang, it's called chasing your dreams and striving for success.
If you're not Wang Baoqiang, it's called being unrealistic and daydreaming.
(End of Chapter)