Chapter 243 As long as you can win...

"You Yinghuang have a group of great musicians, all of them are masters, so why do you need me?"

Du Sheng was a little tipsy, but not confused. He just smiled and dealt with it.

"Ah Sheng, come on, I don't believe you can always win!"

Zhang Baizhi looked at him with a smile and picked up the dice cup again.

I don’t know what his mentality was, or maybe he really wanted to win back a game, so he simply teamed up with TWINS.

The result was still tragic.

She didn't encounter much fire, but the TWINS were drunk and dizzy.

If Gu Juji hadn't helped to block it, the two women would have lost consciousness long ago.

The five of them had their meal until the early morning, and most of them were helped away by their assistants.

Zhang Baizhi didn't drink much because she had to film early the next morning.

She parked the car at the hotel where Du Sheng was staying and helped him into the room.

Du Sheng wasn’t actually drunk, he just felt a little dizzy.

He was lying on the bed, and pulled Zhang Baizhi, who was about to get up to close the door, onto him.

"Well... wash first..."

The next morning, Du Sheng was woken up by a phone call.

Ye Jingzhi called:

"Ah Sheng, attend the 'Kung Fu School' Hong Kong new product launch in the morning, and don't forget to rehearse at the Hong Kong Coliseum in the afternoon."

"Don't worry, nothing will go wrong."

Seeing that it was already past seven o'clock, Du Sheng got up and did some boxing at a leisurely pace.

Pak-Chi Cheung also wanted to sing, but because she was filming the movie "One Nite in Mongkok", she couldn't spare much time.

Early this morning, she got up resentfully and went to work.

Last night she was struggling to hold on, and finally she just let him hold her and go with the wind and waves.

Despite this, the wind and waves were so strong that she almost couldn't get up in the morning.

A little after 1pm, Hong Kong Coliseum.

"Brother Hua, when will the filming of Infernal Affairs 3 start?"

"In early September, when the tour was about to end..."

After Du Sheng met Liu Dehua and Gu Juji, they got together to chat.

After more than ten minutes, the rehearsal began.

Liu Dehua was the first to appear and sang "The Days We Spent Together".

It was Du Sheng's turn to go on stage and he sang a song called "Pray to Buddha".

Because it was not a formal occasion, everyone competed with each other in singing, which made the staff present very excited.

Although Du Sheng's singing skills are not as good as Zhang Xueyou and Chen Yixun, the song "Pray to Buddha" is not difficult, and he is the original singer and can easily handle it.

After the rehearsal, Gu Juji put his guitar on his back, walked up to Du Sheng and said with a smile:

“Your live performance is simply amazing. People who don’t know the situation would think the sound has been edited.

Especially your song "Pray to Buddha", the sad and graceful melody still lingers in my ears..."

"Haha, Brother Ji, you're too kind. The experience you talked about last night about singing on the spot is great. I'm just learning and applying it now."

After the two of them praised each other for a while, Du Sheng left the Hong Kong Coliseum and prepared to go shopping in Mong Kok Shopping Mall.

Just as he was about to leave, Liu Dehua stopped him.

He said he would take him to Eucalyptus Pictures for a meeting later.

Although the details were not given, Du Sheng vaguely guessed the meaning behind it.

"Give 'Em a Chance" directed by Herman Yau and starring Andy Lau was released in June this year and suffered a box office failure.

If Infernal Affairs had not been taken off the screen at that time, and if it had not helped him to recover the situation, I am afraid that some of the investors who came to him would have backed out again.

Of course, this does not include Eucalyptus Pictures.

Although the boss Jiang Zhiqiang is a low-key person, he created the blockbuster era of Chinese-language films.

The global success of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero" is inseparable from the boost of his overseas distribution capabilities.

Not long ago, it was rumored that he had contacted Liu Dehua and was preparing to join forces with the New Huamian Company to create a new blockbuster.

If nothing unexpected happens, it will most likely be "House of Flying Daggers," which is expected to gross 1.5 million yuan in China and 7.6 million yuan worldwide next year.

This work is the masterpiece of Xinhuamian Company after "Hero", and is also the second of Zhang Yimou's "Costume Trilogy".

It is said that the investment is more than 100 million.

Zhang Weiping, the boss of Xin Huamian Company, admired Liu Dehua's perseverance and confidence and had long wanted him to perform.

The person in charge of negotiating the invitation was Jiang Zhiqiang, the boss of Hong Kong's Eucalyptus Pictures.

Liu Dehua brought Du Sheng along at this moment, and his intention was obvious.

Twenty minutes later, the two arrived at Eucalyptus Pictures.

After waiting for a while, Jiang Zhiqiang returned to the office and welcomed the two people in.

Liu Dehua stood up with a smile and gave a brief introduction:
"Boss Jiang, this is Du Sheng whom I mentioned to you."

Jiang Zhiqiang looked at Du Sheng twice, smiled and stretched out his hand:
"The young man is even more muscular and handsome than he is in the boxing ring. He is full of energy."

"Haha, Mr. Jiang, you're too kind..."

Du Sheng stood up as well and made a few polite remarks as well.

As an influential figure in Hong Kong's entertainment industry, the other party often appears in some Hong Kong media reports, so it is impossible for him not to recognize him.

After the greetings, Liu Dehua got straight to the point:
"Director Zhang Yimou is planning to make a new film recently. You should have heard about it, right?"

As expected, Du Sheng nodded and said:

"There are related reports in the country, but the details are not very clear yet."

And I don’t know if there was some problem with the preparations, the crew has not been formed yet, and it will probably take some time before the official filming begins.

"You can make a name for yourself in the entertainment industry and also become famous in the boxing world. I personally admire you more."

Jiang Zhiqiang smiled and said:

"If you have time in October, I can recommend you to go to Xin Huamian Company to meet with Director Zhang."

Du Sheng's popularity in Hong Kong and the mainland is obvious to everyone, and he is indeed very thoughtful. At least, between Du Sheng and Jin Chengwu, he prefers the former.

And this is actually what Liu Dehua meant.

Because the first person Zhang Yimou took a fancy to was Jin Chengwu.

If he were to take part in the film, he would most likely play a supporting role to this Japanese man who is known as one of the 'Four Heavenly Kings'.

Even if Liu Dehua himself doesn't mind, his seniority is there, and after the movie is released, people will most likely say that he is carrying someone else's shoes.

Especially when it comes to carrying shoes for a junior who is a small-time celebrity in Japan.

Although he has no rift with Kim Sung-woo, he is well aware of how fierce the other's fans are and that a fight would have a bad impact.

If it was Du Sheng who replaced him, so much controversy could be avoided.

Even if Du Sheng is the number one, given their relationship, it is still cooperation and support.

Moreover, the two parties have collaborated on two films together, and he played the same role in "Infernal Affairs", which naturally brought him a lot of popularity.

"The Chinese Paladin 1 has just started filming, and it will be finished by the end of October at the earliest."

Du Sheng thought about it and said thoughtfully:

"And Director Zhang seems to be optimistic about Jin Chengwu and has planned to invite him to star in the film, right?"

"In terms of time, about the same."

Jiang Zhiqiang glanced at Liu Dehua and nodded slowly:
“Director Zhang is indeed optimistic about Jin Chengwu, because if he is invited to star in the film, Japan will have a guarantee of box office success.

But you are quite popular in China and overseas, and you are no worse than him in terms of competition..."

As the first person to distribute Chinese-language films overseas, Jiang Zhiqiang is very clear about the mentality of most investors and directors.

Especially when investing in a blockbuster movie, most of the time they will invite well-known and guaranteed artists to star in it.

Why did Zhang Yimou take a fancy to Jin Chengwu?
It's very simple. This Chinese-Nigeo Japanese is very popular in Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

"Nikkei Entertainment" conducted a survey on the popularity of male actors in Japanese dramas last year, and Kim Sung-woo ranked first.

If he were invited to star in the film, the box office would be guaranteed to be tens of millions in both Japan and Bay City.

If we also take into account the support of Andy Lau in Hong Kong and the mainland, this film is unlikely to fail.

"Mr. Jiang, thank you for your praise. I know my own abilities, but I am not as good as the Four Heavenly Kings at the moment."

Although Du Sheng had some thoughts about "House of Flying Daggers", he still knew his own limitations and shook his head and smiled:

"What makes you think I can win?"

"Don't you know that after The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber was broadcasted in Hong Kong and Singapore, the ratings were very hot?"

Liu Dehua looked at Du Sheng in surprise and said:
"Not to mention, if you can make it to the semi-finals of K1 GP in a few days, your popularity will probably surpass Jin Chengwu."

I don’t know if it’s because of the presence of two female stars from Singapore, plus the appeal of Jin Yong’s big IP, but the ratings of “The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber” which was broadcast on Singapore Media Group’s Channel 8 (the Chinese channel) the night before yesterday were close to the highest level of the year.

Although Hong Kong is not as popular as Singapore, it is expected to rank among the top three in ratings in the second half of the year.

If we add "The Cat and the Mouse" + "Kung Fu" which will be released during the Lunar New Year holiday next year, the popularity will definitely explode!
All these combined are the reasons why they are optimistic about Du Sheng.

Jiang Zhiqiang smiled and nodded:

"It all depends on whether you can win. We have great confidence in you."

The overseas distribution of "House of Flying Daggers" involves his income, and he is also the producer, so he must be looking to move up the ladder.

Of course, this is also related to his conservative temperament.

In the 90s, he was labeled as a "traitor" by the eight major film producers, so he didn't like to use Japanese artists.

Having said that, Du Sheng naturally would not be ignorant of the situation and smiled:

"Thanks to Mr. Jiang and Brother Hua for their appreciation. If I can make it to the K1 semi-finals later, I will have no problem auditioning."

"Haha, easy to talk about."

Jiang Zhiqiang nodded with satisfaction and said:

"I'll call Mr. Zhang from Xinhuamian Company later. He's actually quite interested in you.

It’s just that he has worked with Director Zhang for more than ten years, so it’s not easy to change it casually.”

He knew that Liu Dehua and Du Sheng had to attend a performance in the evening, so he didn't delay any longer and ended the topic after a few words.

But he did what he said and called Zhang Weiping soon after.

Zhang Weiping put down his phone and watched his secretary find information about Du Sheng:
"Old Jiang is so optimistic about him. Is his popularity both at home and abroad really higher than Jin Chengwu's?"

Don't look at it, look at it!
Apart from anything else, if Du Sheng can really make it to the K1 finals and win applause, he will definitely crush Jin Chengwu in all aspects.

At seven o'clock that evening, at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

The lights are bright and the place is bustling.

Although this was Du Sheng's second time at this 12,000-seat venue, it was his first time to officially perform on stage.

His performance repertoire was ranked after Liu Dehua.

When Liu Dehua finished singing two songs, under the background of his enthusiasm,

Du Sheng smiled and waved, then walked out under the spotlight.

In an instant, sounds of surprise and screams rose and fell all around, boiling like a tide.

Especially those female fans who came for Du Sheng’s good looks, they shouted heart-wrenchingly.

"Woo woo, so handsome!"

"Ahhh! I want to get married!"

"Brother Sheng! Brother Sheng! I love you. I want to give birth to a baby for you—"

"There are more than a dozen crazy people around me. Where are the security guards? Get out of here!"

"Du Sheng, I'm going to Neon in a few days, can you let me make some money?"

"..."

The scene was full of enthusiasm, and when the song "Pray to Buddha" ended, the shouts continued.

Some female fans may not come just for the music, but this does not affect their appreciation of Du Sheng's looks.

"Brother Sheng! Brother Sheng, do you still remember that night by Lake Victoria? I am Cuihua~~"

Just when the venue was getting a little quiet, a male fan's sudden shout made the whole audience burst into laughter.

.........

(End of this chapter)