Chapter 00143: I Want to Make Movies
# I Want to Make Movies
Chapter 143
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 143: I Want to Make Movies
Early the next morning, Gong Xue brought Gong Ying over.
Yang Jie chatted with her for a bit and thought her image was quite good.
Not wanting to be rude, she figured giving her a small supporting role would be fine—something like a princess's maid or a townsperson.
Gong Ying was over the moon, practically bouncing with joy.
Gong Xue hadn’t slept well and was feeling a bit off, but she didn’t want to dampen Chen Qi’s enthusiasm.
She didn’t bring up what was on her mind and instead smiled, saying, “You know, if we’re going to Hong Kong or abroad, shouldn’t we prepare some nice clothes?”
“Oh, you’re right! I completely forgot about that!”
Chen Qi slapped his forehead.
They had been conservative in their dressing back home, but going abroad meant they had to dress up a bit.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “We’ll have to trouble Uncle Fu Qi to bring some clothes the next time he comes. For us men, a shirt is enough, but you’ll need to dress up a bit more. Otherwise, those guys in Hong Kong will really give you a hard time. They’ll mock you for days over a single outfit.”
“It’s not that bad, is it?”
“That’s what Uncle and Auntie told me. The media over there can be ruthless.”
“Uncle and Auntie, huh? You’re really getting close with them. Fu Qi and Shi Hui are veterans, and you’re already climbing up the ladder. And you’re always teasing that little girl.” Gong Xue pouted.
“That’s not fair! First of all, that was days ago. Second, the girl is only ten years old. I’m not some creep.”
Chen Qi scratched his head.
She had never shown this kind of “jealous” attitude before.
Gong Xue herself didn’t even realize it.
…
The schedule was tight, and there wasn’t much time for romantic distractions.
That same day, Chen Qi, Yang Jie, and Wang Chongqiu went to Zhejiang to meet the “Two Beauties of Jiangnan”: He Qing from the Kunqu Opera Troupe, who was 16 years old, and Tao Huimin from the Yue Opera Troupe, who was 14. There was no need to describe their appearances—they were both stunning.
Yang Jie was particularly regretful.
He Qing was cute with her chubby cheeks, but Tao Huimin had that naturally delicate and pitiful aura, making her even more suitable to play Qin Xianglian than Li Jianqun or Gong Xue.
The only problem was that she was too young!
Still, they exchanged contact information, and Chen Qi noted it down in his little notebook.
These were talents to keep in reserve.
Even if Yang Jie didn’t use them now, he might need them in the future.
They didn’t get to meet He Saifei.
She hadn’t joined the Yue Opera Troupe yet and was probably still in some village.
That woman was something else—she never seemed to age, always looking the same from the moment she debuted.
Over the past few days, Chen Qi and Yang Jie had been discussing and drafting a preliminary cast list: Gongsun Ce would be played by Chen Daoming, Zhan Zhao by Wang Qun, Chen Shimei by Wang Bozhao, Qin Xianglian by Li Jianqun, and the princess by Zhou Jie.
As for Bao Zheng, they hadn’t decided yet.
They needed to be careful with that role and would wait until the actors tried on their costumes before making a final decision.
With that, they parted ways and went about their own tasks.
…
Winter in Jiangnan was damp and cold.
In Hangzhou, at the filming site of *Shaolin Temple*, Chen Qi sat by a small coal stove, enjoying the dry warmth.
He stood by the door like a teacher catching truant students, waiting for the actors to finish their scenes.
“Jet Li, come here!”
“Huh? When did you get here? You didn’t even let me know.”
Jet Li, still bald and wearing a hat and thick coat to ward off the cold, was happy to see him.
But Chen Qi’s face turned serious as he asked, “Are you injured?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking if you’re injured.”
“What do you mean by injured? I don’t have any major injuries, but I get small bumps and bruises every day.”
“Do you have any bruises or marks on your neck, arms, or legs? Show me!”
Jet Li was confused but still showed him.
Chen Qi examined him closely and said, “These bruises can’t be visible. Luckily, there’s nothing on your neck. Alright… next, Ji Chunhua!”
“Brother Qi, you’re here? I’ve been missing you!”
Ji Chunhua, looking a bit silly, came over.
Chen Qi asked him the same questions—whether he was injured or if it would affect his movements—and then called for Yu Hai and Yu Chenghui.
Everyone was puzzled.
Zhang Xinyan, who was watching nearby, asked, “Xiao Chen, what are you up to? A health check?”
“You’ve been so focused on filming that you haven’t heard the news! Things have been happening on our side—big changes, the likes of which haven’t been seen in a hundred years. I’m telling you, you’ve got a chance to go to Hong Kong!”
He then explained everything that had happened recently.
“Really? We’re going to Hong Kong?”
“I was 20 when I first went to the provincial capital, and now I’m going abroad?”
“Hey, hey, it’s not abroad. Hong Kong is still part of China!”
Except for Jet Li and Yu Hai, who often performed abroad, everyone else was excited.
Zhang Xinyan, however, wasn’t pleased. “If you take them all away, how am I supposed to finish filming?”
“You should be ashamed of yourself for saying that!”
Chen Qi didn’t hold back. “We’re going to Hong Kong during the Spring Festival. Are you planning to film during the holiday? You’ll be going home for the New Year, and you won’t be back for at least a month!”
Zhang Xinyan’s mouth twitched.
Damn it, it was during last year’s Spring Festival that this kid had poached his people.
Just thinking about it made him angry!
Old habits die hard.
He knew he had to speed things up, but it wasn’t that easy.
This version of *Shaolin Temple* was already progressing better than before.
Historically, Zhang Xinyan had been so slow that he would stop filming in the winter and resume in the spring.
“Listen up, everyone. When we go to Hong Kong for promotion, we’ll be doing some activities.”
Chen Qi tapped the table.
His authority had already been established during the filming of *Tai Chi*. “Since we’re all martial artists, the activities will naturally involve martial arts. There are many martial arts practitioners in Hong Kong, so we might have some exchanges. Be prepared for that. We’re going in February, so there’s still over a month left. Make sure you don’t get injured. If you miss this opportunity, don’t blame me.”
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
His words only made everyone more excited.
Yu Chenghui, in particular, was fired up.
He was young and full of energy, eager to promote his two-handed sword techniques.
The thought of meeting martial arts masters in Hong Kong had him itching to go.
He had heard that they favored southern-style martial arts there, and there was a guy named Liu Jialiang—a pervert, no, a master…
In Zhang Xinyan’s plan, *Shaolin Temple* would be finished by next summer, slightly ahead of schedule.
But it didn’t matter much, as *Tai Chi* had already beaten it to the punch and would reap the first rewards of the martial arts film craze.
In truth, the leftists hadn’t expected *Shaolin Temple* to make money.
It was a political task.
But after seeing the final cut, they realized it had potential and decided to promote it heavily.
*Tai Chi*, on the other hand, was always meant to be a money-maker.
Every aspect of it had been shaped by Chen Qi.
That night.
The room was damp and cold.
Chen Qi didn’t even feel like taking off his clothes, just wanting to get through the night and leave early the next morning.
He was drinking some hot water when he heard a knock at the door.
Jet Li came in.
“You’re still up?”
“What do you think? I’m sleepwalking and drinking hot water?”
“Heh, I wanted to talk to you about something…”
Jet Li paused, afraid that Chen Qi would think he valued his opinion too much, and added, “It’s not like I had to come to you. It’s just that you’re here, and you have news from outside, so I thought I’d ask.”
“Alright, alright, spit it out!”
“After filming *Tai Chi* and *Shaolin Temple*, I feel like movies are something special. I don’t know how to explain it, but I really enjoy being on set. I want to experience more and more…”
“So you want to make movies and not go back to the martial arts team?”
“Uh…”
Jet Li hadn’t expected him to be so blunt.
He was a bit embarrassed but nodded. “Yeah! I want to make movies. I don’t want to be an athlete anymore!”
(End of chapter...)