I came to the place where the chief met with guests, only to see the chief's personal guard and core bodyguard standing at the door, wearing a black suit with a collar flower on the suit - this is the identification mark, which is changed every hour or so, so it is difficult for outsiders to imitate.

If the person who did not wear the identification mark correctly (at the required time, the correct marker) approached the chief, he was immediately taken down by the Central Security Bureau and even killed.

In short, the chief's security work is composed of a system, and it is even more difficult to break through this system than to ascend to the sky!!

Entering the living room, Chen Xuanting and Andy Lau finally met the national leader - the chief himself!

On a simple rattan chair, the old man was sitting peacefully, his face was full of wrinkles, but his eyes were full of energy. He held a cigarette in his hand, and the smoke was swirling, setting off him more steadily and atmosphericly.

Looking at the old man in front of him who was famous for forbearance in modern China, Chen Xuanting couldn't help but feel an indescribable excitement.

Looking at Andy Lau beside him, he was already trembling slightly from nervousness at this moment.

Chen Xuanting couldn't help but feel funny when he saw him like this, a dignified superstar, there are times when he is nervous. Instead, I calmed down because of this.

Without speaking, the chief simply waved for them to sit down.

After sitting down, the own security guard helped bring tea.

Andy Lau didn't dare to drink it cautiously, but Chen Xuanting took a sip and asked, "I don't know what you want us to come over, chief?" ”

The chief smiled and said, "You're very young. ”

This sentence has a profound meaning, not because I know whether it is because I am young and fearless, or because I am young and promising.

Chen Xuanting didn't speak. Because he knew the chief had something to say.

Sure enough, I saw the chief take a puff of cigarette and say: "You did a good job in the previous financial crisis in Hong Kong. ”

"Then thanks to the help of the political axe, otherwise I would never have been able to defeat those financial predators by myself!"

"Well, victory is not arrogant, this is what the victor does."

"Thanks for the compliment!"

"Don't be too happy, do you know what I called you this time for?"

"I don't know." Chen Xuanting replied very simply, which made the chief a little stunned.

"Hehe, you are quite straightforward, okay, I will tell you, your prestige in Hong Kong is very high, which is not very good for the return of Hong Kong."

"I'm sorry, chief, I don't quite understand what you mean."

"You are a smart person, you should understand that the issue of Hong Kong's chief executive has become the top priority before the handover, and I hope you can understand that Hong Kong needs stability and prosperity, and we don't want any unexpected factors to appear."

"The element of the unexpected? Is that me? ”

"It can be said that now your wealth is rivaled by the country, if you hand over Hong Kong to you to take care of, I don't think it will be a good thing, we need a good spokesperson, who can govern Hong Kong's affairs on behalf of Yanjing, instead of looking for a person with high prestige and a very special identity, you are not suitable for our choice!"

"In other words, I belong to that kind of unstable factor, and I am not suitable to be the chief executive of Hong Kong?"

"So to speak."

Chen Xuanting suddenly smiled.

"Actually, I didn't think about being the chief executive from the beginning." Chen Xuanting said, "That kind of life of rationality is not suitable for me. ”

"It's a pity that Hong Kong people don't think so, you have already surpassed Hong Kong itself in their hearts, become a miracle, a legend, but we don't need this strong personality cult, we are atheists with Marx's idea, and we are most opposed to the emergence of personality cults!"

"The people of Hong Kong trust me and like me, and I can't do anything about this -- it seems that you are a little overly careful, chief!"

If anyone in the world dares to talk to the chief like this, the guard who serves the chief next to him immediately showed a warning look. That kind of look is definitely chilling, at least Andy Lau is a little restless. Chen Xuanting didn't see it. In fact, he was extremely nervous in his heart, but he was taking a risk, taking a risk to negotiate terms with the chief.

"Haha, newborn calves are not afraid of tigers, Chen Xuanting, I appreciate your courage - but judging from your information, you should be a particularly cautious person, I would like to know why you are doing this?"

Chen Xuanting took a deep breath and said: "The chief is worthy of being the chief, or has been seen through by your old man, yes, I can give up the position of Hong Kong chief executive, but I hope your old man can promise me an unconditional!" ”

"Presumptuous, how dare you negotiate terms with the chief?!" The guard next to him couldn't hold back any longer, and scolded Chen Xuanting.

Andy Lau was also stunned, and said: "Ah Ting, don't talk nonsense, this is Zhongnanhai!" ”

Seeing that the person next to him was so nervous, Chen Xuanting also broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead, looking at the chief.

The chief suddenly laughed, "Okay, don't scare the children!" Then he looked at Chen Xuanting with interest and said, "I want to know, what are your conditions?" ”

Seeing that the chief was not angry, Chen Xuanting breathed a sigh of relief, and he also felt that what he had just done seemed to be a little too bold, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat on his back.

Stabilizing his mind, Chen Xuanting said: "It's very simple, I hope you can open up the mainland film market and let Hong Kong films enter!" ”

"Open market?" The chief was slightly stunned, he didn't expect Chen Xuanting to put forward such a "condition".

"Can you give me a suitable reason? You must know that Chinese mainland does not reject foreign culture, but foreign culture is sometimes like a flood beast, which will bring a lot of bad influences and corrode the minds of the people! The chief said indifferently.

Chen Xuanting bit his lip and said, "I have also taken this into account, after all, the doctrine of taking it is very particular about taking its essence and removing its dross." We will not deliver dross to the masses of the people in the interior. ”

"It seems that you have also read Mr. Lu Xun's writings."

"Lu Xun is a great man in culture, and many of his ideas are worth discussing."

"Then you should understand that your commitment alone does not mean that there will be no serious consequences in the future!"

"I also thought of this, so I listed an audit plan-" Chen Xuanting said and touched something in his arms.

The guard immediately became vigilant, but the chief waved his hand to signal him not to mess around.

After a while, Chen Xuanting handed the plan he had written to the chief.

The chief extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray, took the plan, and looked through it carefully.

Chen Xuanting explained: "I know that it is very difficult for you to agree to open up the mainland film market, after all, as a medium, film carries a very important significance, and if used well, it can become a tool for entertainment and inducing people to create a better life, and if it is not used well, it will have the opposite effect." Here, I don't want to use movies to advocate the liberalization of Western capitalism, but I just want to use a means of entertainment to tell people what is really cherished, what is worth having, what is beautiful, and what is ugly -- culture [***] cannot completely restrain people's thoughts of seeking knowledge. At the same time, it can also better enrich the cultural life of the people and contribute to the harmony and development of society! ”

The chief listened to Chen Xuanting's explanation while flipping through the information.

"Of course, the most important thing is that as long as you agree to open up the mainland market, we Hong Kong filmmakers will absolutely respect the laws and systems of the mainland, and the films to be released will also be reviewed according to your requirements, and only after the review is completed, can they be released in major theaters, so as to ensure that the so-called dross will not flow into the mainland cultural market."

In fact, when Chen Xuanting said this, he himself felt a little against his conscience, because as a fan of Hong Kong movies, in his previous life, he hated this kind of "radio and television censorship" system the most. If you have surgery, you can do it, and you have cut out the best highlights. In addition, mainland films also put an end to "ghost films", such as "New A Chinese Ghost Story" takes the route of fox demons and the like, and there can be no "ghosts", the reason is that those high-level radio and television officials said that the people in the mainland have low discernment ability, and they will believe you when you say that there are ghosts, but China is an atheist country and does not allow ghosts to appear - as for monsters, Journey to the West has been broadcast seventy or eighty times, of course I am not afraid. Such a paradox simply makes people laugh off their big teeth, it turns out that the Chinese people only believe in ghosts, not demons.

But there is no way now, all Chen Xuanting can do is to make a gap in the open film market first, as for how to change such a self-deceptive censorship system in the future, it depends on the efforts in the future.

After about three or four minutes, the chief gently put the plan aside. Then he said: "The idea is good and can be practiced!" ”

These eight words seem light, but in fact they are as heavy as Mount Tai.

You must know that Hong Kong films have always been worried about opening up the mainland, although the mainland has been surging in recent years, but it is not as active as the economy in terms of cultural introduction. The most important reason is that the political axe has imposed a relatively strong ideological imprisonment on the masses of the people. Fear of the impact of foreign culture on the mainland. After all, if a big country needs to be governed, it needs to be cohesive, and if the thinking is too divided, it is not conducive to social stability and unity. Especially those in the West who are clamoring for open-boiled freedom. But China's national conditions determine that China is not very suitable for this too bright boil and too free system, the reason is very simple, there are too many Chinese, one person and one thought, if everyone pursues open cooking, then how should these billions of people be governed? This is for these reasons, the country is more cautious about the import of culture, and generally the films that can be released in China have a certain "educational significance", such as France's "Tiger's Mouth", the United States' "The End of the World", Yumoto's "Izu Dancer", Pakistan's "Caravan" and so on. It can be said that in this era, there are very few Hong Kong films that can be released in China, and even "Shaolin Temple" can only be released under the banner of co-production.

Many Chinese spend their movie entertainment life in a video hall for a dollar watching a day. At that time, piracy was rampant, but it indirectly instilled the culture of Hong Kong into the mainland, so that the Chinese people knew that it was called kung fu films, martial arts films, gun battle films, and of course, tertiary films!

Hearing the chief's answer at this moment, Chen Xuanting was overjoyed, "Chief, do you really think it's feasible?" ”

On the contrary, the chief smiled and said: "I said, it can be practiced, but as for whether it can be successful, it depends on the results after practice, and without practice, there is no right to speak, right?" ”

Chen Xuanting nodded: "Hmm!" I hope that this proposal can be passed, and I hope that the people in Chinese mainland can watch wonderful Hong Kong movies as soon as possible! ”

"Hehe, kid, as a filmmaker, you're very persistent. But I also like movies, but that was when I was younger, and now I'm older, and I occasionally watch Soviet movies—"

"You old people can also watch Hong Kong movies-" Chen Xuanting hurriedly said, "Hong Kong movies also have a lot to pay attention to!" ”

"Hong Kong movies? There are too many bans, such as the "Painted Skin"! The chief smiled and said no more.

Chen Xuanting was surprised, and he didn't know why he proposed the play "Painted Skin", because it was said by chance, or because it had a deep meaning - just when Chen Xuanting wanted to ask tentatively, the chief waved his hand and signaled that they could leave

Leaving the living room, Chen Xuanting was thinking about the chief's words all the way, "There are too many banned Hong Kong movies, such as "Painted Skin".

In 1965, Bao Fang, director of the Great Wall and Phoenix Pictures Company of Hong Kong's leftist Hong Kong, put "Painted Skin" on the screen, and the plot is basically in accordance with the original work, telling that Wang Chongwen met Mei Niang by chance, was fascinated by her beauty, and divorced his wife. His younger brother Wang Chongwu returned home from his studies and found that Mei Niang was pretending to be a ghost. Mei Niang was annoyed and angry, and disemboweled Wang Chongwen out of her heart. Wang Chongwu invited the Taoist priest to fight with Mei Niang and subdue the monsters. The Taoist priest thought that Wang Sheng was to blame, and he couldn't bear the pleading of Wang Sheng's family, and finally saved Wang Sheng's life.

After the film was released, it did well at the box office in Hong Kong, and Bao Fang was invited to Zhongnanhai for an internal screening, and Bao Fang still remembers this plot vividly, mentioning it in the "Hong Kong Film Oral History Series" - Chen Yi admired it very much after watching it at that time, and commented that "Painted Skin" was "very well filmed, with artistic surnames, ideological surnames, and educational surnames".

In the face of praise, Bao Fang regretted a little: "There is a scene in the back that describes the protagonist tearing off the painting skin and turning it into a hideous ghost and fighting with the master, that scene is too simple and not terrifying enough." ”

Chen Yi smiled and said, "Why are you so terrifying? You don't engage in terrorism! ”

Around 1979, Bao Fang's "Painted Skin" was released in mainland cinemas, and became the focus of the street for a while, and the rumor that has been circulating to this day is: an old lady watched "Painted Skin" and was scared to death on the spot.

It is rumored that there are noses and eyes, and some people even say conclusively that the old lady died in the theater of the Yanjing Workers' Cultural Palace, and "Painted Skin" was banned and locked in the China Film Archive.

Shan Wanli, a researcher at the China Film Art Research Center who works at the China Film Archive, has never heard of anyone being scared to death when he watches "Painted Skin", but even if he is scared to death, he is not surprised: "In 1961, China held the 26th World Table Tennis Championships for the first time, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, He Long, and Peng Zhen also attended the opening ceremony. It is said that five listeners in Yenching alone died of a heart attack while listening to the radio. ”

Only one thing is certain, the China Film Archive does have a film of Bao Fang's "Painted Skin", but this is by no means the only film.

Later, before Chen Jia released "Painted Skin", Ouyang Chong, the planning director of Nanjing Jinling Workers' Cinema, rented "Painted Skin" filmed by Bao Fang in 1965 and starring Zhu Hong from the film library of Nanjing Film Company. The rental fee is 100 yuan per day.

Ouyang Chong originally only planned to show 1 old version of "Painted Skin", which was screened on the 25th, and then the new version of "Painted Skin" premiered at 0:00 on the 26th. After getting a copy of the old version of "Painted Skin", the studio found that the effect was not bad, so it temporarily changed its mind and started to screen it on the 19th. The screening is scheduled for three screenings in a small hall that can seat more than 50 people. As a result, everyone wanted to come and see the "Painted Skin" that "scared people to death", and the hall of 50 people was full.

On the 20th, the studio moved the "scared to death" "Painted Skin" to the hall of 110 people, and the venue was full; On the 21st, it was moved to the largest hall in the cinema, which could seat more than 400 people, and the attendance rate was 80% -- the film was put on the 25th, and finally had to be released because of age, film wear and tear, etc., according to the statistics of the studio, in less than a week, three to five thousand people came to see "Painted Skin" -- this time it is certain that no one was scared to death.

Just when Chen Xuanting's thoughts were flying, Andy Lau next to him touched him and said, "Okay, Ah Ting, we have left Zhongnanhai, and the atmosphere there is really too depressing." ”

Chen Xuanting came to his senses at this time, and after a closer look, he was sure to be outside. Looking back at the mysterious center of power, for some reason, a cold sweat broke out of my heart.

"Hey, Ting, what are you thinking, why can't you give up?" Andy Lau saw that his expression was different and asked.

Chen Xuanting took out a handkerchief and wiped the corner of his forehead and said, "It's nothing, maybe it's not suitable for the climate here." ”

Andy Lau did not doubt him, and said: "Yes, it's too cold here!" "I don't know if it's Zhongnanhai cold or Yanjing cold.

Chen Xuanting didn't answer, just nodded.

When the two returned to the hotel, Chen Xuanting and Andy Lau separated, and suddenly remembered something, so they asked the waiter at the hotel, "Do you have "Strange Tales from Liaozhai" here?" ”

The waiter was stunned for a moment and said, "Are you talking about Pu Songling's book?" ”

Chen Xuanting nodded, and the waiter said, "There should be, I'll help you find it." ”

Large hotels like this usually have in-house shops that sell souvenirs and supplies, and there are also many books such as the Four Great Chinese Classics. So soon the waiter sent a beautifully bound "Strange Tales from Liaozhai", Chen Xuanting of course did not forget to give the waiter a large tip, and the other party left super grateful.

Chen Xuanting took the book, found the table of contents, and carefully flipped through the original book "Painted Skin". Looking at it, he was suddenly attracted by the warning in the novel--Yi Shi said: "Stupid, people in the world! It's a monster, but I think it's a beauty. Foolish, stupid man! It's obviously a word of loyalty, but it thinks it's nonsense. However, they will love other people's beauty and possess her, and their own wives will also eat people's spit and think that they are sweet. The way of heaven pays attention to retribution and retribution, but stupid people and confused people don't wake up. What a tragedy! ”

After reading this paragraph, Chen Xuanting suddenly realized.

True and false, false and true.

Hong Kong films can actually take another path. As long as the mainland market is open to Hong Kong, a win-win situation will definitely be achieved in the future. Now it's only a matter of time, because there are too many stupid people in the world!

After figuring out these truths, Chen Xuanting only felt relieved, exhaled deeply, intuitively felt tired, and fell asleep after washing

The next day, as soon as Chen Xuanting got up, he heard a knock on the door.

Who was it so early? Could it be that Andy is in trouble?

With doubts, Chen Xuanting opened the door, but saw a person standing outside, not Andy Lau who lived next door to him, but Chen Kaige, a mainland director who had won glory together in Cannes, France!

"Veuve Clicquot, why are you here?" This was Chen Xuanting's first sentence after seeing Chen Kaige.

Looking at Chen Xuanting's stunned expression, Chen Kaige looked very proud, and said with a smile, "Unexpectedly, Boss Chen, I am quite well-informed, as soon as I heard that you came to Yanjing, I asked around about your residence, and finally found out that you live here through the relationship between the Ministry of Culture!" ”

Chen Xuanting really admires this Chen Kaige, if he knows that he has only been in Yanjing for a day, he actually found himself, and he found it so accurately, it seems that this Chen Kaige is quite famous in Yanjing's cultural circle.

Chen Xuanting didn't know that the current Chen Kaige has been so bullish since he won the director award in Cannes, France!

As soon as he returned to China, he was like a hero triumphant, and he was cheered by everyone. And received the highest standard reception from the top management of China's political axe, after all, it won an international award, this is the first time for a Chinese film!

Chen Kaige has climbed to the peak of his life in fame and fortune, but he has not forgotten that his benefactor is Chen Xuanting, and he has not forgotten that if he wants to continue to climb high, he must keep in touch with Chen Xuanting.

(To be continued)