Chapter 84: Shaolin Football Press Conference (2) Volume 1

  After this incident, everyone didn't have the heart to discuss together again. Except for Zhou Xingchi who still had to pick someone up, all the others headed towards the back stage without saying a word.

  According to what Zhou Xingchi just said, before they became famous, they couldn't come out.

  The staff led them into the hall, which was very quiet, with no one in sight. It seemed that there were no special cases of advance entry for this big report.

  A huge poster with the words "Shaolin Football" written on it, overall layout similar to that of the Kangxi Dynasty. And on each table, the name tags were indeed covered with red cloth.

  Behind the poster stand, nearly twenty chairs were placed in two rows, and everyone sat down without hesitation.

  What just happened was like a fleeting cloud, no one mentioned it, and each agent began to brief their own artist.

  Cami once again repeated the old saying, Lin Xiao nodded in agreement, her ears almost numb from hearing it so many times.

  Not long after, there was another commotion outside, with Chow Heung's greetings, a male voice in Cantonese, and a female voice.

  "Guess who's here?" Cami asked, looking at her own fingernails.

  "We can hear the noise inside, it must be a big shot. Only a few men and women have collaborated with Zhou Xingchi, and they are typical Hong Kong dialects. I think the man is Ng Man Tat, and the woman might be Miao Qiaowei." Lin Xiao replied calmly.

  Cami raised an eyebrow "Not bad, I think so too. Zhou Xingchi's first film, how could it be without a big star joining?"

  However, the commotion soon passed and the newcomers did not go behind the poster board. Others didn't mind either, as most of those seated here were new people.

  At 10:00 sharp, after the staff announced that the promotional event was about to begin, the sound of footsteps and machinery moving could be heard immediately.

  The auditorium was two or three times larger than the one used by the Kangxi Emperor for his lectures, but Lin Xiang had no doubt that it would be packed when they came out.

  Then came Zhou Xingchi's voice, apparently his mood was good, and even a little excited.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I suppose you all know me, so I won't introduce myself. Welcome to the press conference of my new film, Shaolin Soccer, which I wrote, directed and starred in. The title is not a secret, so I'm sure you're all aware of it."

  "This time, I'd like to make a slight change to the proceedings. The first step is a free interview session, and only after that will I reveal the actors. Don't worry, they're all already here. So, please keep your interviews brief."

  Newcomers sat behind the poster board, outside was a crazy shutter sound like fire, inside was an icy silence, everyone was thinking about how to respond when they went out.

  Lin Xiao heard a man's voice ring out "Excuse me, Mr. Zhou, where did the idea for this play come from?"

  "It's a coincidence." Zhou Xingchi's voice was filled with amusement. "I had been racking my brains for a long time to come up with an idea for the new film, and it wasn't until I happened to be passing by the stadium while taking a walk to clear my mind that I saw many children playing soccer, and that's when the inspiration struck."

  The sound of "sha sha sha" writing can even be heard from behind the poster board.

  "Director Zhou, how much box office do you predict this film will reach?"

  "How can we know about this now? The audience's preferences change every day, and the film hasn't been shot yet. Who can make a judgment call? I only dare to guarantee that I will do my best to produce the desired film."

  "Director Zhou, will your new film still be in the familiar Zhou style that everyone knows?"

  "There will be some new attempts."

  "Zhou Dao..."

  It took a full half hour for the interview to quiet down, and it was not Zhou Xingchi who suggested that the free interview had ended, but rather the reporters themselves who gradually fell silent.

  "It's about to begin." Lin Xiao said in a low voice, and everyone who heard him involuntarily straightened their backs.

  Zhou Xingchi's voice laughed and said, "It seems that everyone is more interested in the cast of actors than me, the director. Well, I won't keep you all in suspense, let's take a look at the mysterious Shaolin Soccer cast lineup."

  Even if he can't see what's ahead, Lin Xiao can imagine the reporters being on high alert, their pens gripped tightly with tension.

  After a silence of two seconds, suddenly, a wave of sound like a tsunami, as if to capsize the roof of the hall, burst out violently from the front!

  "Zhao Wei?!" "I'm not seeing things, am I?! It's really Zhao Wei! Little Swallow Zhao Wei?!" "Heavens, Zhou Xun is filming a comedy with Zhao Wei! This is too unbelievable!" "Unimaginable, unimaginable!"

  Behind the billboard, the flash of the shutter was invisible, but suddenly a flash of lightning that lasted for five seconds burst forth in front, illuminating the background as if it were daytime.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Zhao Wei! Miss Zhao!"

  The sound of the stool moving, obviously Zhou Xing got up and left.

  About two seconds later, the flashbulbs burst again and a soft female voice sounded from the front stage.

  "Hello everyone, I am Zhao Wei."

  "Miss Zhao! How did you come up with the idea of starring in Director Zhou's movie?"

  "Miss Zhao! I'm a journalist for Contemporary Film, was it you who approached Director Zhou or was it him who approached you?"

  "Miss Zhao! I'm a journalist for Tomorrow's Star News, what role will you be playing in the film?"

  "Miss Zhao..."

  In an instant, the reporters almost went crazy!

  Star transformation is a very worthwhile news to write, and Zhao Wei, who has always been known for being lovely and considerate, actually went on to star in Zhou Xingchi's comedy film!

  All the reporters started speculating, Zhao Wei is a famous name in palace dramas, could it be that Shaolin Soccer is ancient? Hmm, saying it like this also makes sense, after all, Shaolin does give people an ancient and elegant feel.

  Their pens began to quickly take note, releasing press conferences, Zhou Xingchi would absolutely not spoil. But how to write is the reporter's business, as long as they can pique the reader's interest, even if they fabricated this as an ET script, it doesn't matter.

  "Everyone, please be quiet. This is not a free interview time." Zhou Xingchi's voice sounded again "Next, let's take a look at the second actor."

  This sentence was like a magic spell; in an instant, the front desk fell silent once again.

  But in less than two seconds, a volcanic eruption of heat burst out, accompanied by flashes of lightning-like flashlights!

  "Mo Wenhua is here! Indeed, it's Mo Wenhua!" "Master Sing has had her in several movies! I guessed she'd be in this one too! And indeed she is!" "For Master Sing's first film with a three-in-one concept, he would naturally invite someone trustworthy. That means Wu Mengda should also be here!" "Stop arguing! Let's see who else is behind!"

  Mo Wenwei's appearance wasn't as surprising as Zhao Wei's. After all, she had collaborated with Zhou Xingchi many times before, and they knew each other inside out, so it was both unexpected and expected at the same time.

  The commotion quickly subsided and there were no immediate questions asked.

  "Huh." Lin Xiao deeply exhaled, he was sixth in line, it would soon be his turn.

  "Should be Wu Mengda next?" Cami guessed.

  "It shouldn't be." Lin Xiao chuckled and said, he wouldn't tell Cami that Xie Yan, Hong Kong's renowned "Fourth Brother", was also on set. According to his speculation, Xie Yan and Wu Mengda should be making a grand appearance as the final performers.

  Wu Mengda is just like Mo Wenyu, an actor whose performance can be guessed, but Xie Yan's appearance is absolutely earth-shaking.

  "Relax." Cami reminded.

  "Uh-huh."

  As expected, the third one to appear was He Wenhui. This time, the comments and camera flashes were not as intense as the first two times.

  The next two people were actually Huang Bo and Mo Meilin.

  The front stage, apart from the sound of writing, the shutter sound, and occasional coughs, was almost silent, revealing the actors in a way that felt like solving a mystery, making the reporters feel fresh and excited.

  "Next is an actor who plays a very important role in the play."

  "It's up to you," Cami said.

  Lin Xiao didn't answer, stood up, adjusted his suit tie, and took a deep breath.

  "And you're all very familiar."

  "Director Zhou, are you a superstar?" A reporter finally couldn't help but ask.

  Lin Xiao heard Zhou Xingchi laugh and say "No, but I believe he has this potential."

  He didn't continue explaining and immediately pulled open the curtain. Suddenly, a loud shout erupted from below, much louder than when Huang Bo and Mo Meilin went out.

  "Lin Xiao! It's him!" "Just a few days ago, Director Zhou personally went to his promotional event to show support, looks like the two of them have a good relationship!"

  "Please come in, Lin Xiao. Mr. Lin."

  Lin Xiao walked out steadily and as soon as he came out from behind the poster board, his eyes narrowed slightly.

  Everything in front of me is completely unclear, it's just a vast expanse of dazzling white light, almost without pause. The shutter sound is especially piercing under the intense illumination.

  However, his footsteps didn't stop at all. After identifying the location, he sat down in front of his own seat and smiled into the microphone, saying "Hello everyone, I'm Lin Xiao."

  "Mr. Lin, may I ask how you joined the Shaolin Soccer team? As far as I know, you were previously filming a play about Kangxi, wasn't it? Was it arranged by your company?"

  "Mr. Lin, there have been a lot of news about you recently, is it intentional hype from the company?"

  "Mr. Lin..."

  The journalist crowd was in an uproar. Recently, Lin Xiao has indeed been a controversial figure, stirring up too many topics and receiving too much attention.

  Zhou Xingchi waved his hand, and the flash finally stopped. Lin Xiao's eyes took several seconds to adapt to the scene in the conference hall, which was packed with at least 60 or 70 reporters. The aisles were lined with cameras, tripods, and other equipment, leaving no empty space.

  Zhou Xingchi smiled and said, "You can ask him other questions later, but I can satisfy your curiosity first. Lin Xiao didn't come to find me, nor did I go to find him. It was Zhao Wei who introduced us."

  "Wow!" His words were like throwing a huge stone into a lake, and in an instant, the reporter group went crazy.

  "How did he know Zhao Wei?" "Is Zhao Wei introducing newcomers?!" Almost all the reporters looked at the two with a gaze that smelled of dog's blood.