China Entertainment 1997

Beijing, Fengtai

Every time Jiang Chang came home, he couldn't help but look up at the house number of the community.

Although he is a bit unpromising, for a poor boy from a small city, being able to buy a house and settle down in the capital is an important and glorious experience in his life.

Coming from his hometown, relatives and neighbors always praise him when they mention him - "Lao Jiang's boy is doing well. He bought a house in the capital and married a wife."

He's still far from being famous, but he still has a few words to talk about.

I took out the key and opened the door. The house was not big, only about 90 square meters. Although a lot of renovations had been done, it could be seen that it was an "old house" that had been lived in for at least five years.

There is no way, the housing prices in Beijing are too expensive, and they have been rising continuously in the past two years. Prices of more than five figures per square meter are now considered the norm. Housing prices in many areas are alarmingly high.

As for this second-hand house, Jiang Chang and his wife were afraid that house prices would rise during the Olympic Games, so they scraped together and bought it.

Although they have incurred hundreds of thousands of foreign debts for this purpose, the couple is still very satisfied. After all, it is an urban house within the fifth ring road of Beijing, and experts are very optimistic about the future appreciation space.

What, there are still experts who think the property market is about to collapse?

These are all fallacies and heresies. They are just idiots. How can they be experts? They are just like experts...

Jiang Chang and his wife are very realistic. Before buying a house, they were looking forward to the collapse of the property market every day. After buying a house, they were anxious about whoever said the property market would collapse.

Muttering in his mind about those fools who were advocating that the housing market was about to collapse, Jiang Chang changed his slippers. The proprietress who heard the noise in the bedroom came out of the room and saw her husband smiling brightly.

"Are you hungry? I just bought pig ears and heart meat."

"Fortunately, I'll check on my son first."

Jiang Chang ran to the bedroom and saw a two-month-old fat baby sleeping soundly on the bed. He couldn't help but kiss it: "This kid is fat again."

"Sleep after eating, eat after sleeping, won't you become fat?"

It's fragrant from a distance, but smells so close!

Jiang Chang has been working at Fanxing Film and Television City for a long time, and he doesn't have much time back. Naturally, he cares about his son. The landlady takes care of the baby every day, so she must be more disgusted than Jiang Chang.

"Daughter-in-law, thank you for your hard work."

Having worked with major film crews all year round, Jiang Chang has long since become a seasoned person. With his improved emotional intelligence, he will naturally not make mistakes at this moment and immediately start coaxing his wife.

The landlady looked arrogant and hurriedly invited Jiang Chang to eat. She knew the other person's temperament. In order to save money, she would definitely not eat when taking the bus. She would buy a steamed bun to cushion her stomach.

After all, I have also opened a snack bar. The proprietress is very skilled in craftsmanship, and she has four dishes and one soup.

Stir-fried pork heart, pig ears with cucumber salad, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, fried mushrooms with salt and pepper, plus a spicy and sour pimple soup.

"There's so much to eat."

"If you can't finish it, eat it hot tomorrow. Don't worry about it. Just eat it quickly."

Jiang Chang smiled, knowing that the landlady was setting up a small stove for him, and she didn't talk nonsense. She just filled a bowl of soup and started eating. The landlady looked at him with a smile, and occasionally asked him to pick up vegetables.

The two were married by their son, and the child was found out last year. Jiang Chang, who had been living together for several years, decisively obtained the certificate from the proprietress. He did not hold any wedding arrangements, but went home and held two small weddings.

It's not because the landlady is getting married for the second time. Jiang Chang doesn't care about this. Since his hometown doesn't know the details, he has no worries at all. The two of them mainly want to save money to buy a house.

Jiang Chang has always regretted this, but the landlady doesn't care. With a house, a family of three can live a down-to-earth life, which is more important than those rituals.

In early May this year, his son was born, but unfortunately, Jiang Chang did not have time to take care of the child at home.

Two years ago, Jiang Chang became one of the largest group leaders in Fanxing Film and Television City, and his career entered a period of rapid development.

This year, "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" started filming at Fanxing Film and Television City. Jiang Chang got an important opportunity and became one of the officially designated co-stars of the crew, which gained great momentum.

Taking advantage of this momentum, Jiang Chang has doubled the number of long-term group performers he has collaborated with.

To a certain extent, it can be regarded as inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people.

Although Jiang Chang's "above" is very fictitious, and is actually a puppet supported by the Stars Film and Television City Base.

Fanxing Film and Television City needs the formation of extras, but there are some things that the base official is not able to come forward with.

After all, as a film and television city, it is more important to stand in a neutral position and safeguard the interests of all parties.

If the crew exploits the extras, the base will take care of it, but if the extras band together to cause trouble for the crew, the base won't be on the wrong side.

So to a certain extent, the base exists as a management and referee, handling disputes between the two, but for normal cooperation, the base will not take care of it.

However, it is generally difficult for the crew and extras to have effective direct contact and cooperation, so some group leaders are needed to act as intermediaries between the extras and the crew.

Although Fanxing Film and Television City cannot directly participate in the cooperation between the crew and the extras, Cao Xuan is a group performer after all, so he still takes care of his colleagues, that is, trying to avoid the group leaders from squeezing the extras.

The group leader is regarded as the "agent" of the extras. He goes to the crew to negotiate business, and then gets a notice, which is distributed to the extras, and he gets a share of the extras' remuneration.

It seems very simple, but in fact there are many tricks. Simply asking for a larger share from the extras is considered to be finicky.

Many group leaders directly receive kickbacks from the production crew, or simply work for themselves. The crew earns 100 a day, and they give others 30 a day.

That's all. Some of the extras are dead. Even if they know they are being drank by the leader of the group, they will admit it. One is willing to be beaten while the other is willing to suffer. Outsiders can't say much.

The key thing that is disgraceful is that some group performers are unwilling to drink blood, and these group leaders try their best to suppress and exclude them, and even adopt some illegal methods.

What's even more disgusting is that these group leaders use their power to dominate and even do some unspoken things.

In addition, there are all kinds of tricks. Cao Xuan suffered several losses in the past. In recent years, each generation has become stronger and has more tricks and tricks.

Of course, there is no denying that there are many good leaders, but there are also many black sheep mentioned above.

Although Cao Xuan is an entertainment giant, under the general environment of the industry, it is difficult for him to fundamentally improve the treatment of group performers. It can only be said that in his own territory, anyone who dares to do this will be told to "get out" if found out.

It is precisely because of this that the active group leaders of Fanxing Film and Television City, especially those with many group performances under their command, are basically agents supported by the base.

Cooperate with the base obediently, make money in a proper way, have meat and soup, and even have welfare policy support

Without cooperating with the base, the base can support one agent and another, and the group leader can return to his original shape in just two sentences.

To put it bluntly, the group leader is an intermediary and has a loose cooperative relationship with the group performers, which is not reliable.

Taking advantage of the power of other parties and collaborating with a few losers to bully the extras is okay, but if the film and television base personally suppresses them, the consequences can be imagined.

Except for a few die-hards, most of the extras will never cause trouble with this "good big brother". The first thought is to switch to other group leaders. If there is a conflict, they may have to step on it a few times.

So even though Jiang Chang has thousands of extras in his hands, he is often called "Brother Jiang" or even "Mr. Jiang" at the film and television base, but he knows that he is just an errand boy.

Because he has been at the base for a long time, he is regarded as the oldest group leader in the film and television city. He is kind-hearted, fastidious in work, and has a good reputation among the group performances, so he is regarded as a model support by the base.

If you really feel that you have become a powerful boss in Fanxing Film and Television City, and you are awesome and coaxing, I am afraid that you will have to go back to work in front of the Beijing Film Studio within two months.

But no matter what, today Jiang Chang can be considered to have achieved some success. Not only is his wife and children a hot bed, but he has also settled down in the capital.

Compared to the hard-working extra who lived in the basement a few years ago and ate pork head meat as if it were a festival, Jiang Chang would wake up laughing from his dreams at night.

However, Jiang Chang was not satisfied.

The family still has foreign debts, and after the birth of a child, money is required for food, drink, and schooling, so he has to work harder.

"Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff" is a rare opportunity for him. The film is very large and requires many extras.

Although China Film helped the crew of "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" contact the troops, it was impossible for the troops to wait for rehearsals every day on the crew. Except for some important clips and shots, the rest had to rely on ordinary group performances.

A rough estimate is that during the six months of filming of "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff", at least no less than 100,000 people visited.

Some big scenes may take several days or even longer to shoot. This does not include the time for assembly and rehearsal. This also requires money for the group acting.

For people like Jiang Chang, "Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff" is definitely a big piece of meat. After finishing this movie, I dare not say that it will directly pay off the family's foreign debt, but it will definitely make a lot of money.

More importantly, with this big project, Jiang Chang gained popularity in group performances and expanded his customer base. With more resources at hand, he will earn more in the future.

Jiang Chang is full of longing. Maybe in a few years, his family will be able to get a bigger house...

After spending half a day at home, Jiang Chang had little time to spare. He was busy, settled everything, and was ready to return to Baoshi the next day.

He has too much business on his hands to be away for too long.

The landlady didn't say anything, just made him something to eat in a lunch box, and Jiang Chang left in a hurry.

Unexpectedly, not long after I left the community and was about to take the bus, the sky, which was not bright at first, suddenly became overcast and started to rain.

Being careless, Jiang Chang, who did not have an umbrella, had no choice but to hide under the archway, but he did not expect that the rain was getting heavier and heavier.

I took a look at the return ticket I had already bought in my hand. If I waited for a while, I might not be able to catch the train, and more importantly, it would delay the work of the crew.

Jiang Chang gritted his teeth and rushed into the rain, planning to find a taxi and take a taxi to the station.

The sky was so gloomy and the rain was so heavy that Jiang Chang couldn't even open his eyes. He could only rush forward, but he didn't expect a car to suddenly drive out of the intersection next door.

squeak!

There was a screeching sound of brake pads and tires scraping against the ground. The car stopped a dozen centimeters away from Jiang Chang. The door opened and the two people in the car rushed out.

"Dude, are you okay?"

Only then did Jiang Chang realize what had happened. When he saw the front of the car, which was only a fist-sized distance away from him, his legs went weak and he collapsed directly on the ground.

"It's broken, Lao Zhu, help me get into the car and go to the hospital."

His situation didn't matter, but he scared the other two people so much that they touched Jiang Chang a few times and realized that he was not seriously injured before he dared to help him in the car.

After entering the car, without the interference of the heavy rain, Jiang Chang came back to his senses and heard clearly the conversation of the other two people in the car.

"Which hospital is closest nearby? Go there quickly."

"Boss, do you want to avoid this?"

"...No, our car was going too slow and we braked early. This guy shouldn't be seriously injured. There's nothing wrong with him. What should I do?"

Jiang Chang, who was gradually waking up, raised his hand to wipe the rainwater on his face. He was just about to signal that he was fine and ask the driver to take him to the station.

Then he looked up and saw the person sitting next to him in the back seat, with his hair falling down from the rain and a miserable face, and his eyes instantly straightened.

"What the hell, Cao Xuan?!"

Cao Xuan, who was rummaging through towels in the cabinet in the car, heard this and looked at the dumbfounded Jiang Chang. He quickly supported him and asked with concern.

"Brother, are you okay? Where did you hit? Does it hurt? Don't worry, this is the hospital..."

The stimulation Jiang Chang received at this time was no less than when he was almost hit by a car just now. He was stunned for a few seconds before he reacted.

"I'm fine, you didn't hit me just now."

"No collision?"

Cao Xuan was stunned, and Jiang Chang hurriedly gestured: "I really didn't hit him. I stopped just ten centimeters away. My feet were weak and I couldn't stop. There's nothing wrong with me."

"Is everything okay?"

Cao Xuan was still a little hesitant: "You don't have to worry about the medical expenses. No matter who is responsible, I am responsible. Our health is the most important thing."

"I really didn't hit it. I didn't even get a scratch. I was just scared. There's no way I would joke about something like this."

Jiang Chang persuaded Cao Xuan to believe that he had not been hit. However, for safety reasons, he went to the hospital for a checkup and found that he was indeed fine. In the end, he only took some anti-shock medicine.

After coming out of the hospital, Cao Xuan couldn't help but look at Jiang Chang, not only feeling that there are still many good people in this world.

Comparing myself with others, if I had been "hit" by a big star and a rich man, my first thought would have been to figure out how to lay out the courtyard house...

As a result, when I met this guy, I had no idea at all. If he hadn't forced me, I wouldn't even come to the hospital.

No, this guy is not a fugitive, right?

An idea suddenly came to Cao Xuan, and he winked with Zhu Jiang. The two quietly "surrounded" Jiang Chang, and Cao Xuan asked with a smile.

"Brother, we are destined to be together. I know your name is Jiang Chang, but I still don't know what you do."

"Then what? I'm traveling with you, and I can be considered as having dinner with you."

"?"

"I am the group performance coordinator of Fanxing Film and Television City. I am the group leader. I just wanted to go back to the film and television base, but I bumped into you."

Jiang Chang was afraid that he wouldn't believe it, so he took out the pass for Fanxing Film and Television City from his pocket. It had his name, photo and identity on it. These things were all sealed in plastic and were not afraid of water.

Good guy, Cao Xuan is really convinced.

He went home yesterday and returned to Fanxing Film and Television City today. There happened to be a nanny at home who planned to come to Fengtai to visit relatives, so Cao Xuan sent her over. As soon as he turned around the intersection, he ran into Jiang Chang.

it's fate!

"Okay, it just so happens that you can go back and take my car with us. If there is any trouble then, I will help you to say something."

"Thank you, Mr. Cao."

"You're welcome."

The two got in the car and headed to Baoshi. It was still raining. After the lesson just now, Zhu Jiang drove very slowly.

Cao Xuan simply chatted with Jiang Chang, who was cautious and a little excited.

"Actually, I have always been your fan, Mr. Cao, and you are even my idol in life."

"Yeah?"

"Don't believe me, everything I said is true. In fact, when I first came to the capital, I worked as a group performer. I was miserable and had no time to run. I wanted to go back to my hometown at that time, but then I heard your song "Your Answer" ", so I gritted my teeth and persisted."

Cao Xuan nodded: "I believe you, I'm not bragging. Several people have told me what you said, but it's not necessarily "Your Answer", but also "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky" and "The Ordinary Road" wait."

"This just shows that the songs you wrote, Mr. Cao, touch people's hearts."

Jiang Chang flattered him. He was excited to be able to communicate closely with his idol and his immediate boss this time. He was also a little selfish, hoping to leave more good impressions, which would be good for his career.

Cao Xuan didn't mind the other party's caution, because he now had a good impression of Jiang Chang due to the scene just now.

The two were chatting happily. Jiang Chang's phone vibrated and he took it out to answer the call. It was the boss's wife who asked him if he had gone somewhere and if he had been caught in the rain.

Jiang Chang was afraid that his wife would be worried, so he didn't dare to talk about what happened just now. He just said that he took a taxi to the station and had a safe trip, and asked her to take care of the child at home.

"Married? How old is the child? Boy or girl?"

Cao Xuan asked curiously. He had just become a father and was now more sensitive about children. Jiang Chang did not hide it. He felt a special sense of satisfaction when he could chat with his idol about daily life.

"My son was born on May 2, just over two months ago."

"What a coincidence?"

Cao Xuan was stunned for a moment, then realized what he was doing and added: "I also have a friend who just became a father in June."

"What a coincidence."

Jiang Chang had no doubts. After all, no one had ever thought that Cao Xuan had children. Cao Xuan himself was particularly interested in the comparison.

"Be happy to be a father."

"Happy."

Jiang Chang smiled brightly and scratched his head: "I didn't know what father's love was before, but now that I have a son, I want to give him all the good things in the family and work harder to let him live a good life."

"Yes, he looks like a father."

Jiang Chang smiled and breathed a sigh of relief: "It's just a pain for my wife. I can only take care of the children at home."

"No one is home?"

"No, my wife has a normal relationship with her mother's family. She came over to see the baby after the birth. My mother's family has a lot of things to do. She can only help with the confinement period, but she cannot stay here for a long time."

Jiang Chang guessed that he usually suppressed his temper too much. He didn't have time to complain at work, and he couldn't talk about it at home to avoid his wife thinking too much. Now he took a chance and poured the beans into a bamboo tube.

With no one to rely on at home, the young couple had to carry the burden on their own.

The filming task of "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" is heavy, and Jiang Chang is inseparable from the daily group performance coordination. If you want to win this job, you must stay with the team for a long time.

But he couldn't really leave his wife and son at home, so he could only squeeze out one day a week and take a few hours' bus ride back.

Buy all the daily necessities and take care of everything so that your wife can stay at home, have food and drink, and take care of the children in peace before leaving.

In this way, daily life is fine. Although the landlady is a bit boring, she can still go out for a walk when Jiang Chang comes back.

I'm just afraid that my child will get sick, and the landlady is too busy by herself. If I encounter relatives and friends in the capital who are free, I can reluctantly invite them to help. If I can't find anyone, I can only bite the bullet and do it myself.

Jiang Chang talked about the bitterness and bitterness of life, while Cao Xuan listened quietly.

Suddenly, at this moment, he saw his own shadow in Jiang Chang.

He was also a group performer. If he didn't have golden fingers, would he have become a paparazzi like "Cao Xuan", or would he be like Jiang Chang, who found a pretty good job and worked hard to support his wife and children? Even worse than Jiang Chang. Chang, standing at the end of the year, covered with cumin......

"Jiang Chang, if you were me, what would you do?"

"I am you? How can I be you? I can't write songs."

"Hypothetically, if you were me, what do you think you would do?"

Jiang Chang lowered his head and pondered for a long time before shaking his head: "I don't know, but I think I'm pretty good now. Although it's a little difficult sometimes, I'm already better than many people.

His career is booming, he has a house in the capital, his wife and children are here, and he has hope for life.

I can't be you, I don't want to be you, it's good to be content and happy. "

Cao Xuan looked at him, said nothing, and snapped his fingers: "Old Zhu, play a song and listen."

Zhu Jiang turned on the radio and heard the voice of the Beijing radio host.

"Now we play the title song of Super King Cao Xuan's new album "Passing Through the World". As soon as this song was released online, it performed well in major charts and was loved by countless fans..."

The host read out a long list of introductions before starting to play the song. After the prelude, Cao Xuan's clear voice sounded in the carriage.

"Hey, no surprise

Her back is so light

Hey gotta understand

People come and leave

…”

The song "Passing Through the World" is the theme song of a TV series in Taiwan. There are many meanings behind this song.

Some talk about love, some talk about family affection, some talk about life, separation and death. Like many excellent songs, everyone can hear their own thoughts in this song.

Cao Xuan's previous song is suitable for family, friendship, and love. He is a person with considerable experience. He tells you about gains and losses in this world, both beauty and loss. Seize the fleeting moment, put down your baggage, and live bravely.

But today he heard something different again.

"Passing through the world is nothing more than a moment.

Every time we are side by side, it is just a passing of shoulders.

………

Passing through the human world, this reincarnation continues

If you're lucky, maybe you won't owe anyone anything in the end.

…”

Passing through the world is not a practice, but a real life.

The beauty is real, and the waste is also real. Embrace the beauty, face the waste, don't think about the gains and losses, and care about everything you own and love.

I am not passing through the world, but I am in the world...

Cao Xuan suddenly couldn't help but laugh. He had compiled so many songs and he didn't know how many people had written reading comprehension essays for him, but this time he did one of the questions himself.

It doesn't matter whether it fits the title of the song or not. Cao Xuan doesn't know how many days he can remember this sentiment.

But at least at this moment, Cao Xuan felt that his soul had been greatly satisfied and comforted. Listening to "his own song" moved him. This was not the first time, but it was indeed rare.

Cao Xuan meditated quietly, but Jiang Chang didn't know why he stopped talking. He thought he had said something wrong and was restless.

This situation continued until the three-person "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" crew got off the bus, and Jiang Chang mustered up his courage.

"Mr. Cao, I just lost my mind and said the wrong thing. Don't be angry."

"Why am I angry? You are right. You are Jiang Chang, not Cao Xuan."

Cao Xuan called Zhu Jiang, whispered a few words in his ear, then took the key and patted it in Jiang Chang's hand.

"Didn't you say before that it was inconvenient to go home to see your son? I'll give you this car. You can give Lao Zhu your ID card and phone number later, and he will transfer the ownership to you."

"..."

Jiang Chang looked at the BMW brand on the back of the car, panicked, and hurriedly wanted to return the key to Cao Xuan.

"Mr. Cao, no, no, no, I really didn't hit him, and the hospital examination was fine. You really don't need to compensate."

"I won't pay you a BMW if I hit you. I saw it. It was your kid who ran the red light. The main responsibility is yours. Don't worry about it. Just treat it as what I gave to my child."

"For...the child?"

Jiang Chang was at a loss. He didn't expect that his fat son would get a BMW in two months without even riding in a stroller a few times.

He wanted to postpone it again, but Cao Xuan had already walked away. He looked at Zhu Jiang who stayed behind: "Brother, I..."

Zhu Jiang smiled: "Keep it, it's fate. Besides, the boss is a BMW spokesperson, and the manufacturer bought it half for sale and half for free. It doesn't cost much."

"It's not about money."

Jiang Chang murmured for a long time before holding back one sentence: "I don't have a driver's license, how can I drive?"

Zhu Jiang: "..."

………

Cao Xuan greeted the director, who was late this time, and then went to the dressing room to put on makeup.

His royal makeup artist's surname was Mei, who was four years older than Cao Xuan. Cao Xuan called her Sister Mei.

My resume is actually not very impressive, but I started following him in 1999. I have followed Cao Xuan on major film crews, concerts, award ceremonies, etc. I have also learned from many well-known makeup artists. Over the years, I have finally become a great makeup artist. Man, I'm so good at Cao Xuan's makeup and styling.

In the past two years, Sister Mei's children have also grown up, and sometimes they cannot follow Cao Xuan anytime and anywhere, so just in case, she also starts to take apprentices.

One of them, Sun Juan, was very talented and was trained by Sister Mei. She even started to do makeup for Cao Xuan.

Sun Juan is young, has a lively and noisy personality, and is not particularly afraid of Cao Xuan, the big boss. She immediately started yelling when she saw Cao Xuan today.

Cao Xuan also likes this girl very much and feels that her personality is very similar to that of Hu Jing when she was young, but her figure is just a few circles rounder.

"Boss, you are so awesome."

"what happened again?"

"I looked at the Baidu rankings this morning. Four songs from the new album broke into the top five. The first and second place are all yours."

Cao Xuan smiled indifferently: "Don't be stupid."

Sister Mei next to me was a little confused: "What does this sentence mean?"

"I know I know."

The young man's mind works very fast, and even if Cao Xuan doesn't explain, Sun Juan can guess the general idea.

"Basic operation, no need to make a fuss, boss, is that what you mean?"

"Smart, ask the production director to add chicken drumsticks to your lunch box tonight."

A chicken leg was served to the chubby Sun Juan. Sister Mei also sighed about the new album and said: "The songs you released this time are really good. They are all very tasty, especially the song "Old Boy". Everyone in my family listens to it." Cried."

"That's great. I hope my brother-in-law likes it."

"But he also made some comments, saying that you were too successful and that this song would be more interesting if it were sung by an ugly and decadent singer."

"Haha, since it is a tribute to youth, there is no difference between ugly and handsome. Besides, I am almost 32, so I am indeed an old boy."

"You're right, I think he's just jealous."

Sister Mei nodded in approval, and then added: "But personally, I prefer "Passing Through the World" and "Blooming Flowers Along the Way"."

"Well, I personally prefer "Passing Through the World"."

At least this song is purely original, while "Old Boy" and "Flowers Along the Road", although the quality of the songs is not bad, have both fallen into plagiarism scandals.

But now, the original versions of both songs have not appeared, and both have become Cao Xuan's "original" songs.

Passing by the world, he is just a traitor named Cao...