The Best Director

On the lush green field, a Greek named Vassilios Skountis, dressed in a yellow referee’s uniform, blew the final whistle. With both hands spread out, pointing in opposite directions, the match was over! China’s first World Cup match had ended! The score on the big screen at the stadium was frozen at China 0:2 Costa Rica. Players on the field, drenched in sweat, wiped their foreheads and exchanged jerseys, with the Costa Rican players all beaming with the joy of victory; while some of the Chinese team were expressionless, and quite a few others were smiling.

The stands had only scattered applause, with the Costa Rican fans naturally overjoyed; fans with the five-star red flag painted on their faces all had a vacant look, glancing at each other, covering their faces with their hands… Everyone found it hard to accept the reality. After all, the Costa Rican team was supposed to be the weakest, and Milu had said before the match that the Chinese team would start scoring goals, aiming for the quarterfinals, but in the end… Why?

Why did Milu change formation and tactics at the last minute? Why did Sun Jihai get injured and leave the field like that? Why did Fan Zhiyi seem like a wandering spirit, making continuous mistakes? Why could they still laugh and joke after losing the match? Why, why?

Even if they could draw with Turkey next, they couldn’t possibly beat Brazil. And is the Turkish team that weak? The dream of scoring goals, winning matches, and getting points, the dream of over a hundred million fans, can it still come true?

Whoo, Whoo, Whoo…” Many fans in the stands began to cry out loud, with tears surging from the eyes of both male and female fans, slowly dissolving the words “I Love China Team” and “Go China Team” painted on their faces.

Wang Yang, watching the players from both teams walking back to the locker room through the tunnel and hearing the sad cries of the surrounding fans, couldn’t help frowning and sighing, saying, “It’s really regrettable; we didn’t seize the opportunities in the match.” Jessica, standing beside him with hands tightly clasped, also felt quite sorry and nodded, saying, “Not very good.” As the two stood up, they picked up empty drink cups and other trash and started to leave, chatting along the way, “Maybe they feel just making it to the World Cup is enough,” “Yang, every player wants to win, but that’s the game,”…

Damn it, are those bastards involved in match-fixing!” Similar curses rang out all over China; whether watching TV at home or cheering with friends in a bar, all Chinese fans were both angry and unwilling to accept the loss!

With a loud bang! it wasn’t much in the bustling, noisy bar. As a football fan of many years, Zhang Jun could not contain his anger. He punched the bar counter heavily and cursed angrily, “Such a disgraceful loss! They played the entire match with no clue, damn it, I would’ve played better than those bastards if I were on the field! Someone must be involved in match-fixing, damn it!”

His good friend Yang Pan was also gasping with anger, grabbed a beer and took a few gulps, glanced at the TV screen above, where Han Qiaosheng and Huang Jianxiang were still analyzing the reasons for the defeat. He couldn’t help but curse, “Can analysis produce a champion? Infuriating. The whole night, the only good thing was that beauty!” Upon hearing this, a big-eyed stranger sitting beside chimed in with agreement, “Yeah, right! What’s that beauty’s name?”

This question was on many young fans’ minds, for in those short two-plus hours, the most memorable thing seemed not to be the terrible match, but the “sweet as a flower” brunette beauty that appeared multiple times on the camera scanning the audience. Was she part of the Costa Rican friends and family group? A local celebrity in Korea? And who was that dark-haired man hugging her? Huang Jianxiang seemed to have mentioned some American Chinese film director?

Seems like his name is Wang Yang? That name sounds very familiar!” Similar murmurs arose among many fans across the country, then the search volume for “Wang Yang,” “Wang Yang,” and “Wang Yang” suddenly surged dramatically. Who was that guy? And more importantly, who was that beauty?

In fact, there was no need to search, as the World Cup special sections of portal sites like Sina and NetEase already had this sideline news story, “Miraculous Yang and His Sweetheart Girlfriend Appear at the China-Costa Rica Match”…

Fans and followers of Hollywood movies and the entertainment industry naturally know who Magic Yang is, and fans have always been attentive to his latest movements; however, those who don’t really care about movies and entertainment or only follow films from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China, or even those who watch Hollywood movies without caring about who directed it or its production information… Many of these people, after searching and reading some information, exclaimed, “Wow, there’s actually someone this incredible?!”

At 18, he used a DV camera and a budget of 10 thousand US dollars to create “Paranormal Activity,” which, through some viral marketing with Lionsgate, raked in 323 million US dollars, making him the youngest multimillionaire; at 19, he revived the teen musical genre with “High School Musical,” which had an 8 million dollar budget and grossed 411 million globally, making him the youngest billionaire; at 20, “The Pursuit of Happyness” with a 32 million dollar budget saw Will Smith ascend to the Oscars throne as Best Actor, grossing 385 million.

In the same year, “Juno” with a 15 million dollar budget landed Natalie Portman an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, and girls all over America rushed to imitate Juno’s speech and mannerisms, even resulting in a trend of teen pregnancies, and the box office hit 375 million…

Is this guy even human?!” Countless young people who had just discovered Magic Yang were amazed in front of their computer screens, and numerous girls screamed excitedly for a long time before declaring, “This guy is so cool! I’m going to be his fan!”

Of course, movie fan clubs had long since established some “Magic Yang Chinese Fan Websites,” compiling all sorts of information about Wang Yang, and places like Tianya Community and Xici Hutong also had heaps of new posts. Amidst the buzz, new fans could easily get a comprehensive understanding of him, realizing just how formidable he is and why he could break Hollywood’s arrogance and prejudice toward Chinese people.

Hollywood can be said to be a place where ability truly matters, because with plenty of money, people, and movies, the audience has a myriad of viewing options. It’s both simple and difficult to earn their money, which just requires the exchange of a good movie. Why can a movie with a 100 million dollar budget cause investors to go bankrupt, but a movie with a 1 million dollar budget create miracles?

Because viewers won’t blindly flock to see a movie just because of promotion or a star-studded cast and crew; all of this can only first have an effect on the opening week box office, and if the public and critics give good reviews, then the success continues; if, on the other hand, the movie is just a pile of garbage, then prepare for the box office to drop 60% the following week. Good movies stay, bad ones get booted, and capable talents get praised and pursued; those without ability get weeded out automatically.

Especially when it comes to the role of director, which holds the life or death of a movie, production companies don’t care about skin color. If you’ve proven you can make good films, earn money and win awards, then don’t worry, you’ll have contracts for new movies handed to you; that’s why John Woo could direct “Face/Off” with an 80 million dollar investment, “Mission: Impossible 2” with 125 million, and “Windtalkers” with 115 million; Ang Lee was able to direct “The Incredible Hulk” with an investment of 137 million. However, the step of “proving oneself” before making a name is influenced by skin color.

But just how amazing is Magic Yang? What makes the whole of America affectionately call him “Magic Yang”? Why is his popularity as though he were a huge movie star?

His charming physique, good looks, humorous and witty conversation, and sunny disposition are basic reasons; nobody chases after someone who’s fat and short or dull and sluggish, unless they’re a comedy star. However, the core reason is his age and his achievements. At only 22, he has unbelievable, disproportionate accomplishments, which is precisely what drives people wild.

An enthusiast on Xici Hutong posted a special feature from “Empire” magazine titled “Their Big Screen Debuts,” which introduced the backgrounds and first big-screen works of great directors and well illustrated all of this.

Where was Steven Spielberg at 22? Working as an unpaid intern at the photography studio of CSULB (California State University, Long Beach), he made his first cinema-screened 24-minute short film “Amblin'”; it wasn’t until he was 28 that he made his feature film debut on the big screen with “The Sugarland Express,” taking in 7.5 million US dollars at the box office; at 29, “Jaws” made a huge splash, grossing 470 million worldwide.

And what about James Cameron at 22? He was still driving a truck. At 23, after seeing George Lucas’s “Star Wars,” he was determined to learn filmmaking, starting from the bottom until at 27, he directed his first work “Piranha : The Spawning,” which ultimately did not release due to a fallout with the producers; he made his big-screen breakthrough at 30 with “The Terminator, grossing 78 million worldwide.

What was “The King of the World,” George Lucas, doing at 22? He was studying at University of Southern California, debuted with “THX-1138” at 27 earning 2.4.3 million US Dollars, and at 33, “Star Wars” grossed 775 million and changed science fiction movies globally. At 22, Robert Zemeckis was studying at USC, made his screen debut at 26; Tim Burton at 22, debuted at 27; Michael Bay at 22, debuted at 30…

How awesome is Wang Yang? By 22, already a great director, global box office 1.5 billion US Dollars, one Golden Globe nomination for Best Director, and one little Oscar statuette, that’s all.” The post ended with some comments from Hollywood stars on Wang Yang.

Rachel McAdams: “It’s always a pleasure to be around him, every sentence he says is filled with humor and talent.”, Will Smith: “He really knows how to evoke your acting emotions, he’s a born director.” Anne Hathaway, who became famous across America with “The Princess Diaries”: “If he asked me to act in a movie, I’d do it for no salary, just provide me with food and lodging.” Natalie Portman: “He’s a monster.”…

Everyone loves superheroes, especially if they’re of Chinese descent!

Overnight, Wang Yang’s popularity on mainland China’s internet rocketed, and those who just got to know him were all searching for downloads of those four movies, to see what this guy had pulled off.

And ” District 9 “, which premiered globally in August, also became a hot search term on the mainland’s internet. Many fans discussed, “I want to watch ‘District 9’!”, “When will it be released here? It’s directed by a Chinese, so the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television shouldn’t cut it randomly, right?”, “If it’s badly cut, I’d rather watch the bootleg at home!”

In fact, this is something film fans and followers globally are paying attention to and looking forward to. From a lucky DV kid to a teenage prodigy director, and now universally recognized as likely to break the Oscar record for Best Director, this is the achievement of the magical Yang’s first four films. So, what about his fifth directed film? What will this R-rated sci-fi film, with a budget of 100 million, add to his profile at the age of 22? What will it bring to this world?

After watching the match between China and Costa Rica, Wang Yang and Jessica spent a night out in Gwangju, then headed to another Korean city the next day, Suwon, where they had fun until the afternoon and watched the USA vs. Portugal match at the Suwon World Cup Stadium. Amidst the cheering crowds from both sides, the USA triumphed 3-2 over Portugal.

Then, the two of them, along with Susan McCarthy, flew to Tokyo. After a day of sightseeing and shopping, they headed to Narita Airport, laden with several large suitcases, to start their journey back to Los Angeles.

In the departure lounge for the first-class cabin, which was decorated both stylishly and quaintly, scattered passengers were waiting for boarding: middle- aged Caucasian men in suits reading newspapers, women sipping red wine from goblets, Asian men appreciating potted plants… Wang Yang, and Jessica seated on comfortable rattan sofas, were each engrossed in their laptops, just like the week before when they had set out.

Wang Yang, while recalling the joyful moments of this Asian trip, typed rapidly on the keyboard, composing a new blog post. Before departing for Hong Kong, he didn’t anticipate that a blog would attract so many enthusiastic fans, but it turned out to be quite amusing now that he thought about it. He smiled happily and typed, “Hong Kong is a beautiful oriental pearl, Victoria Harbour is like a mirage from a dream, unforgettable.”

The Blogger website was developing well, with the number of registered bloggers about to break eight million. Although still unprofitable, it was participating in a “Fortune Magazine” award for “Coolest Website of 2002”, and Blogger was leading the race, earning more and more people’s love. So, he reinvested three million from his “The Hangover” fee into the site, to upgrade and further develop the site and to do more promotion, making Blogger even cooler.

And what I’ll never forget are the fans from Hong Kong. Thank you all, your enthusiasm and love for me make me feel truly honored and happy!” Wang Yang was about to wrap up his Hong Kong segment when he suddenly remembered something, a woman who loved to laugh. He typed further, “Guys, remember to watch ‘A Date with Luyu’ this week. I’m the guest! I have a lot to tell everyone!”

Wang Yang picked up a piece of pastry from the box on the coffee table next to him and started nibbling on it as he continued writing, “Then we went to Beijing, an incredible ancient city… Unfortunately, this trip was too rushed, it was almost like a whistle-stop tour, but in the future, I will come back to this fascinating country and really enjoy myself.”

After finishing the blog post and clicking confirm to upload, Wang Yang closed his laptop and turned to Jessica, who was sitting across the coffee table, “Writing a blog?” Jessica turned her head to look at him and lifted the laptop screen towards him, laughing, “I’m looking at photos, check this one out!” On the screen, the two of them were reenacting the classic ‘Titanic’ flying pose against the mountainous backdrop of the Great Wall.

Eh!” Wang Yang immediately made a peculiar face and furrowed his eyebrows, then burst into laughter, hesitant to acknowledge the photo, laughing, “Looks ridiculous, and kind of boring! What were we thinking? Maybe we should delete it?” Jessica laughed sweetly and shook her finger, “No! I think it’s funny!” Wang Yang thought for a moment and said, “But their story had a tragic ending…” Jessica raised an eyebrow, “Delete it!”

No, no, no!” Wang Yang suddenly stopped her, changing his mind, “Being in love means doing silly things, it is indeed interesting, let’s keep it.” Jessica looked at him with unblinking eyes, slowly smiled, and bit her lip, “Yang! What am I going to do with you?” Wang Yang pushed the box of pastries towards her, and laughed, “Don’t speak, eat.”

With a roar, the plane took off from Narita Airport’s runway, soaring into the sky headed for North America. The moon and clouds outside the plane window slowly turned into blue skies and white clouds. After several hours in the air, the plane landed smoothly at Los Angeles Airport, and the two were back in the City of Angels.

Wow, all these gifts are for me?” Joshua looked at the several large boxes of luggage in the bright and spacious living room, rubbing his hands together with gleaming eyes. Wang Yang, reclining on the sofa with his eyes closed, feigned sleep and whispered, “Buddy, help yourself, take whatever you like. Joshua didn’t hesitate to choose his gifts while asking, “How was Asia? Fun?

Jessica was squatting in front of the sofa, trying on a World Cup pet soccer jersey on the tail-wagging Danny. The stars and stripes looked fitting, and she smiled satisfactorily, “Joshua, you took good care of Danny this time, well done!”

Hey, I was scared of Yang’s kung fu, too terrifying!” Joshua pretended to shiver with cold, then suddenly found something, picked up a pellet drum from a box, and asked curiously, “What’s this?” Glancing over, Wang Yang laughed, “A pellet drum, an ancient Chinese musical instrument, just shake it and you’ll see.” Joshua shook it vigorously, and the little drum made a clear, dong dong dong sound, which he found amusing, “Wow, cool! I want one!”

That’s for babies! Jessica rolled her eyes wordlessly. A few days earlier, she had seen some female fans at the football match playing with these pellet drums that had a Chinese flair; then she saw them for sale in the store, and Wang Yang had mentioned they were meant for babies, so she couldn’t resist buying many with different patterns and styles. As she continued dressing Danny in a Brazilian team jersey, she reminded, “Don’t take the one with the little child on it, that’s my favorite.”

OK, OK!” Joshua said nonchalantly while shaking the drum and continued to pick other items.

Wang Yang dialed a number on his phone, calling the editor Lee Smith. As the call connected, he laughed, “Hi, Lee! Yes, back now… Haha, not today!” He watched Danny now wearing an England jersey and said into the phone with a smile, “Yep, we’ll continue cutting tomorrow, we aim to finish this month. Yeah! The premiere is in two months.”