"Really?" Zheng paused in surprise. He'd had no idea about that. "Was the film produced by a private company? Was it promoted nationwide? Are his films kid-friendly? Was he nominated by one of the three top Chinese film festivals?"
The girl felt utterly defeated.
After his victory, Director Zheng announced the end of the meeting in a loud voice. Some suck-ups wrote down his instructions in their notebooks.
"He is only after personal fame. His works have nothing to do with other people's lives or any national policies. Xiao Liu, send a notice to his firm about the result of the meeting. An informal one would be okay. I heard that he has a big firm."
"Yes, most of his employees are models with international fame. Only Qin Guan is an actor, but everybody there is famous."
"Even though he has such a large firm, he has only produced a few films over the past year, all of them overseas. He should follow the rules now that he's back in China."
There were always people who tried to flatter directors. Soon, Qin Guan's firm received a notice from the SARFT. The notice was printed on a piece of paper in red ink. The secretary gave it to Sister Xue as soon as possible.
Sister Xue, who had been trying on wedding dresses designed by Yin, read the notice and burst into laughter.
"Just in time! Finally, an official document! I was afraid that domestic directors and producers would have forgotten about him after three months. SARFT is doing us a favor! Please put the dresses away, darling. Let's go to the China Film Group and grab some roles for Qin Guan!"
She was right. They had to get some roles for Qin Guan. Winter and early spring were a rush time for new scripts and films. Most actors would plan their schedule during that period.
Qin Guan had many scripts at hand, but dared not agree to any of them. His two awards in America had distracted him, so some directors had turned to other actors. Some good scripts had also not fit into Qin Guan's schedule.
Things were different now though. Thanks to this official support, Sister Xue was feeling much more confident. The Chinese language was rich and subtle in its expression. One could express two completely different meanings with the same words.
As a result, Sister Xue interpreted Director Zheng's demand that Qin Guan join the mainstream film circle as a government assignment.
When Director Yin Li was given the notice by an excited Sister Xue backstage, he was shocked.
"You found a connection for Qin Guan?"
"No, they issued this document especially for him. They said that the mainstream film circle is lacking talent, so Qin Guan got the job. What about the film we talked about before New Year's? Do you still need actors?"
"Of course! The China Film Group stressed this issue. We'll be cooperating with the Taiwanese. Have you read the script? It was adapted from a Taiwanese novel. If you don't want to commit to it, I'll have to find someone else."
Sister Xue looked nervous, "Qin Guan will be returning in February. There's only a few days left. His schedule matches yours really well!" she said, waving the notice before Director Yin again.
Yin, who was an experienced mainstream film director, scratched his head helplessly before nodding. "Okay. He needs to audition as soon as he returns though."
"What? He has to audition?"
Yin was always serious about work. He was no longer an easy-going man, but he gave the woman a fair lesson.
"I admire his acting skills, but most of his films were directed by foreigners. What if his acting is over-commercialized? What if he doesn't get along well with traditional Chinese filmmakers? What if he doesn't adapt to the hard environment of a Chinese film? What if he doesn't stay in China?"
"Could he portray a soldier, or can he only play ancient noblemen? All these questions are crucial for mainstream films. China Film Group was the cradle of the first Chinese film. It's still a state-owned company, unlike Fox, Dreamworks and Columbia. Talent can't solve everything in this case."
"I care only about the role, not the actor. Nobody can sway me!"
Xue Wanyi showed her respect for the man, shocking Yin Changtao, who couldn't understand the current situation in China. In his opinion, the man with the glasses was definitely a warrior!