Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 515: Zhuang Hongyiʼs Intended Script — ”Dragon”

Beijing, Ning Jiaqiʼs home.

During this visit by Xiao He and the others, they discovered Director Zhuang, Zhuang Hongyi, was also here.

Seeing Xiao He, Ning Jiaqi, who had been chatting with Zhuang Hongyi, stopped mid-sentence and gestured for Xiao He to sit with a smile on his face.

”Just visiting Beijing casually this time. Donʼt worry about the awards. Whatʼs meant to come will definitely come.”

Ning Jiaqi tapped the coffee table, crossed his legs, and for once exuded a sense of coolness and openness that came from being back on home turf, completely free of the anxiety and uncertainty he felt while abroad.

Xiao He knew Ning Jiaqi had prestige in Beijing and couldnʼt possibly have no connections with the judging panel behind the scenes. He followed the topic with a smile and said, ”This time, itʼs all thanks to the collective efforts of the entire production team. I hope everyone can achieve a satisfying result.”

Liu Rulan also smiled and added, ”ʼNo Baitʼ is an outstanding work. We believe its hard skills will definitely earn the corresponding achievements.”

Both sides spoke flawlessly, but their underlying attitudes were already clear to each other.

Only after Xiao He and his party bid farewell and left did Zhuang Hongyi retract his gaze and say to his teacher, ”Xiao He is indeed a worthwhile investment. It was truly a wise move for you, Teacher, to give him that final push.”

As everyone knows, most awards require balancing.
For example, Best Actor and Best Actress, in most cases, wonʼt go to actors from the same production team. Similarly, Best Screenplay and Best Director are usually awarded to different productions.

While there might be some bias occasionally, nothing comes for free, basically.

Judging by its story content, ”No Bait” indeed isnʼt very suitable for Best Picture or Best Screenplay. The female lead was essentially a cameo, lacking competitiveness. Therefore, the most suitable major awards it could realistically contend for were Best Director and Best Actor.

This time, Ning Jiaqi had the judges fully support Xiao He for Best Actor, without fighting for his own Best Director award, which sufficiently demonstrated his stance.

The purpose of ”No Bait” being shortlisted this time was precisely to help Xiao He win an award!

Xiao He deserved it anyway!

In response to Zhuang Hongyiʼs words, Ning Jiaqi neither confirmed nor denied them. Instead, he picked up the cup on the table and said calmly, ”Things are different from before now. The fact that ʼNo Baitʼ passed censorship is enough to show that the higher-ups are wavering. Liu Rulan spent a considerable amount of time and energy in Beijing not long ago. Itʼs possible they could have gotten this award even without our hint.”

Now that he could go with the flow and gain an extra favor, he naturally wouldnʼt refuse.

And clearly, Xiao Heʼs side consisted of smart people as well.

Zhuang Hongyi, however, felt a bit of regret for his teacher. ”But Xiao He is still young. Heʼll always have opportunities.”

When Ning Jiaqi said he was retiring, he truly meant it. ”No Bait” was basically his final work.

If he could end his directorial career with an award, wouldnʼt that be a kind of perfect closure?

Ning Jiaqi just smiled. ”Iʼve already walked out of Cannes and won there. These domestic awards now, I donʼt really care about them anymore.”

He already had box office success and awards. He wasnʼt about to snatch opportunities from the younger generation.

”You should bring out your good script sooner and lock him in,” Ning Jiaqi said with earnest concern.

Speaking of which, Zhuang Hongyi and Xiao He had only collaborated twice, for the first and second seasons of ”The Phantom Thief Alliance,” and even those were just cameos. To this day, Xiao He still hadnʼt played a major role in any of Zhuang Hongyiʼs projects.

Even for ”Corner Also,” his involvement was primarily as an investor, with Yan Shaohan being the main director.

So, logically, Zhuang Hongyi was the first to discover Xiao He, watching him grow project by project. Yet now, when Xiao He is on the verge of becoming an Award-Winning Actor, Zhuang Hongyi and Xiao He still havenʼt properly collaborated.

”I want to observe a bit longer,” Zhuang Hongyi said. ”Besides, the ʼPhantom Thief Allianceʼ series has great future potential. My main focus is still there.”

As long as ”The Phantom Thief Alliance” keeps filming, their relationship with Xiao He can be maintained.

Ning Jiaqi shook his head. ”Looking at you, I suspect you want to go out and film something else?”

Zhuang Hongyi wasnʼt the type to dawdle. If he had his eye on Xiao He for a long time, he shouldnʼt have been so slow to make a move.

Unless Zhuang Hongyi also wanted to film something ”strange and unusual.”

Sure enough, Zhuang Hongyi let out a long sigh. ”Although ʼNo Baitʼ has been successfully released, given the current policy environment, there are still many scripts that canʼt be filmed. So, I plan to collaborate with Hong Kong.”

”You mean ʼDragonʼ?”

As soon as he heard about filming in Hong Kong, Ning Jiaqi pretty much guessed which script Zhuang Hongyi had in mind. He immediately felt exasperated. ”You have so many scripts on hand. Why are you fixated on having Xiao He film those kinds of things?”

As renowned major directors, they naturally had a lot of scripts, but there would always be a few particularly special ones.

For example, ”Dragon.” This script was something Zhuang Hongyi conceived himself after being stimulated by certain events three years ago. He secluded himself for several months to develop it. However, due to its sensitive subject matter and the unsuitable broader environment, he ultimately chose to shelve it, not intending to film it.

As Zhuang Hongyiʼs teacher, Ning Jiaqi had naturally read that script before. While not exactly stunning, its subject matter was now extremely rare domestically. Meanwhile, neighboring countries were eagerly attempting to film (or steal) similar stories, doing quite well with them.

”I naturally have good suspense scripts too, but I donʼt think Liu Rulan is the type of agent who would let Xiao He be typecast in a specific role or genre forever.”

Zhuang Hongyi analyzed, then shook his head. ”Although I donʼt understand why they lean towards character settings with villainous colors when selecting scripts, overall, these roles are still different from each other.”

They are all villains, all brilliant, but each is distinct.

Plus, with Xiao Heʼs current achievements, there arenʼt many scripts left that can impress him and Liu Rulan.

And Zhuang Hongyi believed that ”Dragon” was one of them!

Ning Jiaqi shook his head, seeming to carry a hint of sighing and melancholy. ”Difficult, difficult, difficult.”

It was unclear whether he meant it would be difficult to get Xiao He and his team to accept this script, difficult for the ”Dragon” script to pass censorship, or perhaps both.

In any case, Ning Jiaqi was not optimistic about this matter.

”You should just keep filming your series movies. Donʼt go messing with other young people.”

Ning Jiaqi waved his hand, trying to shoo Zhuang Hongyi away.

Zhuang Hongyi stood up helplessly. ”Teacher, I genuinely love this script. It even promotes traditional culture. Since youʼre retired and have nothing to do, you have to help me pull some strings for this!”

Ning Jiaqi didnʼt even lift his eyelids, letting out a cold laugh. ”Feudal superstition, and youʼve elevated it to cultural heights? I donʼt have that much capability. Get out, get out—”

Back when the ”No Bait” script first appeared, they were just one step too late, failing to get it approved and filmed before the change in the wind.

And now this kid Zhuang Hongyi is great, just had to create a script that absolutely cannot be filmed at this critical juncture. Isnʼt that just asking for it to be banned?

What, does he want me to go throw a tantrum at the relevant government officeʼs doorstep?