Chapter 00078: Stealing the Show
# Stealing the Show
Chapter 78
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 78: Stealing the Show
Yu Hai, a native of Yantai, was a martial artist of such caliber that he had performed abroad.
He now served as the head coach of the Shandong martial arts team.
The training facilities for the Shandong martial arts team were somewhat lacking, as these things were tied to performance—the more gold medals won, the better the resources.
Take Li Lianjie, for example.
He started counting his working years at the age of 11. Each time he went abroad, he received a subsidy of 500 yuan.
Last year, he won five gold medals at the National Games, and his salary shot up five levels, reaching the maximum of 88 yuan per month.
Then there was Wu Jing, who enjoyed special treatment in the martial arts team.
While others ate from the communal pot, he got to drink milk.
Why? Because he was a champion.
When the three of them entered, the team was in the middle of training.
Yu Hai assumed Li Wenhua was the one in charge and kept introducing things to him.
Li Wenhua, holding a small notebook, jotted down notes from time to time.
Chen Qi, however, was busy scanning the team.
The familiar faces here were far fewer than those in Beijing.
After looking for a while, he suddenly spotted someone.
The man was tall and lean, with a long face, thick eyebrows that resembled Crayon Shin-chan's, and unusually large nostrils.
His appearance was rather peculiar, but it was clear he had skill.
He was wielding a single saber with such vigor that it seemed to roar through the air.
"Coach Yu, can you call that guy over?" Chen Qi asked.
"That's Sun Jiankui. He's the national runner-up in saber techniques and is also quite good at fist fighting," Yu Hai explained.
Yu Hai called Sun Jiankui over.
The man looked puzzled at first, but when he heard that the visitors were from the Beijing Film Studio, his eyes lit up.
"Director Li! And... Chen, Chen the planner?"
"Just call me Xiao Chen!" Chen Qi said with a smile.
"Xiao Chen, hello! Are you interested in making a movie?" Chen Qi asked.
"Absolutely! I love watching movies. Are you making a martial arts film?" Sun Jiankui replied eagerly.
"Yes, we are. I saw your saber skills, and they're impressive. Do you know how to use a staff?" Chen Qi asked.
"If you need me to, I'll definitely learn!" Sun Jiankui said firmly.
"Alright then, we'll talk more about it later," Chen Qi said with a chuckle.
Sun Jiankui wasn't particularly skilled with the staff, but he had a natural talent for it.
In Shaolin Temple, he played the role of Monk Sekong, wielding a dazzling drunken staff.
After gaining fame from Shaolin Temple, he went to Hong Kong for a while and even played the eunuch in The Tai Chi Master.
Chen Qi planned to cast him as the Miaojiang Staff King in the third level of the pagoda.
His unique appearance made him perfect for the role.
After selecting Sun Jiankui, Chen Qi didn't bother looking at the rest of the team.
He spent some time half-heartedly accompanying Li Wenhua before they moved to an office.
Yu Hai served them tea and said with a smile, "Personally, I don't want you to take away our best talents. They're here to win gold medals. But if they're not the best, you probably wouldn't want them either. So, it's up to the leaders to decide."
"Coach Yu, do you think it's a distraction for martial arts team members to act in movies?" Chen Qi asked.
"Well, how should I put it?" Yu Hai thought for a moment and then answered honestly, "I don't oppose making movies. In fact, movies are a great way to promote martial arts. I've been to dozens of countries, including the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. They absolutely love Chinese martial arts. But relying solely on performance troupes to visit each country is too cumbersome. If we make a movie, it can be shown everywhere, and everyone can watch it. I don't know much about making movies, so forgive me if I say something wrong."
"Not at all, you're absolutely right. Movies are indeed a great medium for spreading culture," Chen Qi said before falling silent, letting Li Wenhua take over.
Although Li Wenhua was a bit annoyed, he had to admit that Chen Qi had a knack for spotting talent.
The two people Chen Qi had chosen were also the ones he had his eye on.
"We think Sun Jiankui is a great fit. There's a role that suits him perfectly. There's also another person we're interested in, but we're not sure if he'd be willing."
"Who is it? I can help persuade him. Acting in a movie is a great opportunity. Anyone who turns it down is a fool," Yu Hai said boldly.
"You said that yourself, don't go back on your word," Chen Qi said with a laugh.
"A martial artist always keeps his word!"
"Then it's settled. We'll take that as your agreement!"
"Who is it? Just tell me!"
"It's you!"
"Me?" Yu Hai's small eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're not picking team members, but the coach? Back in my youth, I was quite the handsome fellow in the martial arts world, but now I'm old. How can I act in a movie?"
"We want you to play the master of the male lead. It's a very important role, the second lead."
"No, no, I've never acted before!"
"A martial artist always keeps his word. Are you going back on your promise now?"
"Well..."
Yu Hai was torn.
On one hand, he was hesitant, but on the other, he felt a stirring of excitement.
He had already achieved all the honors he could in his career.
Now in his middle age, he didn't have any particular ambitions left.
Trying something new was tempting.
"What if the leaders don't agree?"
"That's our problem. Just tell us if you're willing or not."
"If you don't mind having me, then I'll do it!"
"Great, it's settled then. You're part of our Tai Chi crew now. Once we've chosen you, we'll start preparing. If anyone else comes asking, remember that we got to you first."
"A martial artist always keeps his word! Once I've agreed, it's done."
Yu Hai thumped his chest in assurance.
With that settled, Chen Qi didn't go looking for Li Lianjie directly.
Li Lianjie had already been reserved by Zhang Xinyan.
Instead, Chen Qi went to local teams to scout for supporting roles, aiming to snatch them up before Zhang Xinyan could.
He wasn't worried about Zhang Xinyan not coming, as Shaolin Temple would also be selecting actors from the martial arts teams.
The pool of candidates was the same.
After their discussion, Chen Qi added, "Coach Yu, we're still missing a main villain. We need someone around your age, with a strong presence and excellent martial arts skills. Do you know anyone who might fit?"
"Hmm..."
Yu Hai thought for a while, then suddenly looked up.
"There is someone! He's also from Yantai. The Ningxia martial arts team invited him to be their coach."
"So he's in Ningxia now? What's his name?" Li Wenhua asked.
"His name is Yu Chenghui!"
...
Chen Qi and Li Wenhua spent two days in Jinan before heading south to Zhejiang.
The Zhejiang martial arts team was also quite impressive.
Although Li Wenhua found Chen Qi's methods a bit unorthodox, he had to admit that they were systematically covering each province.
After spending some time with the team, they picked a man named Hu Jianqiang, who was skilled in saber, staff, and southern fist techniques.
He was also a national champion and had played one of the thirteen staff-wielding monks in Shaolin Temple.
He later starred in Shaolin Kids, North and South Shaolin, and Drunken Master 3.
However, Chen Qi was starting to panic because he hadn't found his primary target.
He was afraid that his interference had somehow erased the person from existence.
Fortunately, the coach mentioned, "We have a team member who was asked to leave. Would you like to see him?"
"Asked to leave? What happened?"
"He got injured once and was prescribed some traditional Chinese medicine. The kid was foolish enough to brew the medicine in an aluminum pot, and as a result, he lost all his hair and eyebrows. His appearance was so affected that we had to let him go."
"Can you call him over?"
"Of course!"
They waited another day.
The next day, they met a young man with an even more peculiar appearance.
Despite the cold weather, he was wearing an old, worn-out jacket, suggesting his family wasn't well-off.
He wore a hat that covered his head completely, and when they looked at his face, they saw that he indeed had no eyebrows.
Chen Qi couldn't help but chuckle.
Li Wenhua's eyes also lit up.
This kind of appearance was hard to come by!
A natural-born villain!
"Hello, director. My name is Ji Chunhua. I'm 19 years old."
"Do you want to act in a movie?"
"Yes!"
"Show us some moves. Anything will do."
Ji Chunhua took off his jacket and performed a set of punches with sharp, precise movements.
After he finished, Chen Qi turned to Li Wenhua.
"What do you think?"
"He's perfect. With that look, he can play any role, and the audience will definitely remember him."
"Alright, it's settled then!"
"Thank you, director! Thank you, Chen... Chen the planner!"
Ji Chunhua bowed repeatedly, tears welling up in his eyes.
After being asked to leave the martial arts team, he had been on the verge of giving up, even considering suicide.
But now, against all odds, he had been given a new opportunity.
Everyone struggled with Chen Qi's title, but he didn't mind.
"Just call me Xiao Chen. Wait for our news. We'll sign a simple agreement, and remember, you're part of the Tai Chi crew now."
...
That night, at the guesthouse.
Li Wenhua was washing up, while Chen Qi huddled in bed, wrapped in a thin blanket, shivering as he wrote.
The south had no heating, and the cold was relentless.
He didn't even dare to take off his clothes.
"Xiao Chen, why haven't you washed up yet?" Li Wenhua asked as he came in with a basin.
"It's too cold. I'm afraid I'll freeze to death if I get out of bed," Chen Qi replied.
"The first time I came south in winter, I felt the same way. You'll get used to it after a while," Li Wenhua said with a laugh.
Then he added, "How about a drink? It might warm you up."
"Do we have any alcohol?"
"I saw a small liquor store nearby. I'll go buy some, and maybe some peanuts too."
"Great, thanks!"
Chen Qi continued to huddle in bed, refusing to leave the warmth of his blanket.
Li Wenhua shook his head.
On one hand, Chen Qi seemed lazy, but he was also incredibly hardworking and professional.
On the other hand, he could be quite laid-back at times.
Before getting to know him, Li Wenhua had assumed Chen Qi was arrogant and entitled, relying on the factory director's favor.
But now, after spending time with him, he realized Chen Qi was just an interesting young man.
Left alone in the room, Chen Qi continued to ponder.
Zhang Xinyan's slow progress in filming had given Chen Qi the chance to swoop in and snatch up the talent.
So far, he had secured Yu Hai, Sun Jiankui, Ji Chunhua, and Hu Jianqiang.
Yu Chenghui was too far away in Ningxia, so they'd deal with him after the Spring Festival.
There was also Xiong Xinxin from the Guangxi martial arts team, who played Ghost Foot Seven.
Once they found a few more people from the Beijing martial arts team, they'd have all the main roles, supporting roles, and villains they needed.
The villains were crucial.
For the Seven Heroes Pagoda, they needed at least seven masters!
(End of chapter)