Bao Jin immediately clasped his hands together and said, "Severing worldly attachments and achieving enlightenment, Mr. An's invention of this medicine is of immeasurable merit. May I ask if the formula is complicated?"
An Daoquan said somewhat awkwardly, "It's not complicated. Just mix arsenic with sesame oil, drink it while standing on your head, and you'll forget everything after just one sip."
I said, "Dead?"
An Daoquan said confidently, "He won't die, but he won't be able to move or think. He'll just be left with a breath."
Bao Jin muttered, "Can't move, can't think, just left with a breath? Damn, a vegetable!"
An Daoquan: "Hmm, this name is quite fitting!"
...
In the end, the heroes left Fangzhenjiang. Although they were 99% certain that it was their sworn brother Wu Song, they were powerless to stop it. As a modern person—even a worker with little education—wouldn't easily believe in reincarnation, even if he suddenly and inexplicably gained martial arts skills.
But you can't say someone was Song Yu in their past life just because they're handsome, you can't say someone was Zhang Fei in their past life just because they're dark-skinned, you can't say someone was a lecher in their past life just because they like taking revealing photos, and you can't say someone was Zhou Zhenglong just because they photographed a tiger from a New Year's painting...
That evening, an awkward dinner awaited me: Jin Shaoyan was inviting Li Shishi and me to dinner.
After the last negotiation broke down, I didn't expect to see him again. Kim Il-sung had already gone further and further down a different path. It was only later that I realized he and Kim II were, frankly speaking, completely different people. The root cause of this situation was that Kim II had experienced death more than him. Exceptional experiences can completely change a person. Qin Shi Huang became the fat Qin Shi Huang because of it, and Liu Bang became the tyrant Liu Bang because of it. So I didn't blame Kim Il-sung too much.
As for why he suddenly invited us to dinner, I'm still completely baffled. I can only guess that it was because Empress Dowager Jin had intervened. Li Shishi's drama was still being filmed in such a dismal way, and Jin Shaoyan showed no sign of repentance.
When Li Shishi and I entered the restaurant, Jin Shaoyan indeed stood up to greet us, which was quite unusual. Although he only took a small step forward symbolically, it showed his sincerity.
Jin Shaoyan, with a broad smile, offered us his seats and said directly, "It's a joyous occasion to have you two here today."
Neither Li Shishi nor I paid any attention to him.
Jin Shaoyan could only laugh awkwardly and say, "We have decided to increase our investment in 'The Legend of Li Shishi'."
I chuckled and said, "Are you planning to hire more extras to cover up the background better? I've seen your sample footage; there's even a statue of Zhan Tianyou standing in the royal garden. You can film it like that if you want, just change the title to 'Time Travel: I Am Li Shishi'."
Jin Shaoyan awkwardly picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth—he hadn't eaten anything yet.
He said, "We plan to add an additional 50 million in funding first."
Li Shishi's eyes lit up. 50 million was no small investment in China. She quickly asked, "Is it true?"
Jin Shaoyan then regained his composure and said with a smile, "This is all thanks to Miss Wang's superb acting skills. I and several film critics have seen the sample footage your crew shot, and we found that Miss Wang is truly a talented actress, not just..."
I interjected, "Not the kind of pretty face who's only after fame and clings to you."
Li Shishi kicked me under the table and said to Jin Shaoyan with a smile, "Thank you for the compliment."
Jin Shaoyan said, "However, the plot needs to be slightly modified."
Li Shishi said very seriously, "Oh, what's wrong with it?"
Jin Shaoyan said, "It's not that it's inappropriate. The storyline hasn't been changed much, it's just that some passionate scenes need to be added."
Li Shishi blushed and asked, "How much more should I add?"
Jin Shaoyan said, "About 30 minutes."
I asked Li Shishi, "How long did it take to make this movie in total?"
Li Shishi said with her head down, "Less than 80 minutes."
I held up eight fingers, bent three down, and asked Jin Shaoyan, "Are you planning to make a Category III film?"
Before Jin Shaoyan could speak, I bent down my five fingers as well and said, "Let's just shoot these fifty minutes without censorship, and give you the thirty minutes for the intro, and we'll make a pornographic film!"
Chapter Sixty-Nine: Viagra
Jin Shaoyan knew I was being sarcastic, and he looked at Li Shishi and said, "What does Miss Wang mean?"
Without looking him in the eye, Li Shishi blushed and fiddled with her teacup, saying, "I think the previous script was very good."
"The original script had no selling points at all. Our decision to increase investment was based on the experience of some classic erotic films, such as 'Basic Instinct' in the past and 'Lust, Caution' more recently..."
I said, "When Ang Lee directs, even porn can be called erotic films. If you get a second-rate director to direct, it can only be called pornography. Besides, you should know the domestic film censorship system better than I do. If you cut 30 minutes of footage, it's only one episode of a TV series. Do you see that?"
Jin Shaoyan said, "We've already decided to give up on domestic box office results. We can aim for major international awards, like the Palme d'Or, Cannes, or even the Oscars."
I said, "You're not planning to take the third Muto Ran Cup?"
Jin Shaoyan simply ignored me and asked Li Shishi, "Miss Wang?"
Li Shishi kept her head down and said, "But what I want to portray in the film is more about her sorrowful and turbulent life, as for anything else..."
Jin Shaoyan smiled and said, "I can understand Miss Wang's concerns. Many actresses might have some conservative ideas when they're filming for the first time. How about this, we can use body doubles for some of the nude scenes. Are you satisfied now?"
I said, "Satisfied my ass! You need to decide first whether it's a male or female body double, so you don't end up in the role when things are going well. You're planning to take the easy way out of porn without showing your face, right?"
Jin Shaoyan didn't even glance at me, and went straight to Li Shishi and said, "Miss Wang, we have already made great concessions. I believe that if this film is completed according to our plan, it will greatly benefit Miss Wang's future acting career."
Li Shishi said calmly, "I haven't thought about the future. I just want to focus on making this film well."
Jin Shaoyan pressed, "So you mean you agree?"
Li Shishi slowly shook her head: "I can only promise to be faithful to this character; I will not agree to what you said. Can you refrain from investing more funds and let me quietly finish filming it?"
Jin Shaoyan said, bewildered, "What do you mean? Don't tell me you're making this film for art?" He then chuckled, indicating that it was absurd even to say such a thing.
Li Shishi said firmly, "I am doing this for myself, and for Li Shishi."
Jin Shaoyan shrugged and said, "That's right, you know we're not making a film about Joan of Arc. Li Shishi was a prostitute, so what's the point of portraying her as so noble? You can't expect people who have been busy all day to watch a movie with an artistic eye, to appreciate your inner sorrow, or to analyze the deeper meaning of a scene transition. They just want to see pretty women taking off their clothes!"