Chapter 1321: The Wolf is Coming

The first snow of 2022 came later than in previous years.

When it snowed in the past, Miss Luo Quan would still go out to enjoy the snow with Wen Xia and the others.

Actually, she quite wanted to have a snowball fight, but unfortunately, it was already difficult enough for it to snow at all here in Shanghai; there wasn't nearly enough for a snowball fight.

But now, even enjoying the snow was out of the question.

Her mother and the others were terrified that if she went out, she would slip on the icy ground and fall flat on her back.

Although the probability of such a situation was very small, they felt that anything with a hidden risk was not worth the worry.

This wasn't just being overly anxious; it was mainly because the roads were indeed prone to being slippery after it snowed.

A normal person could fall while walking, let alone a pregnant woman with an unbalanced center of gravity.

Moreover, so that Miss Luo Quan wouldn't be left just watching longingly, they didn't go out to enjoy the snow either.

This included setting off fireworks at night.

Ever since the fireworks ban was lifted this year, young people seemed to have become unusually reckless, as if they were trying to make up for all the cravings they had suppressed over the past few years.

In the past, when setting off fireworks, people would at most hold them and point them toward the sky.

Now, it was intense: they would ride motorcycles directly toward residential buildings to set them off, and even engage in a "Fast and Furious" chase with police cars; those who didn't know better would think it was a live-action version of Grand Theft Auto.

Besides that, there were those who set off fireworks without regard for the occasion, accidentally igniting nearby woods and nearly causing forest fires, which was heart-stopping to watch.

And similar situations were happening all over the country, which was truly speechless and infuriating.

When they couldn't set off fireworks, they all acted as if they had suffered a great grievance, clamoring and making a scene about wanting to set them off.

Now that they were finally allowed to, they ended up pulling this kind of stunt.

If things continued like this, Miss Luo Quan felt it would be better to reinstate the ban to avoid causing even greater chaos.

Fireworks are beautiful, but if they only lead to a series of troubles just for the sake of viewing, then Miss Luo Quan would rather not watch them.

With a thousand thoughts in her mind, after watching the snowflakes drifting down for a while, Miss Luo Quan sat back down in front of her computer desk.

After a few clicks, Miss Luo Quan uploaded the song "Counting Stars" (original artist: OneRepublic).

This was the theme song prepared for "The Wolf of Huaerjie," and it would also appear as an insert song in the plot.

The original MV for this song told a story about a Ponzi scheme, and the lyrics also contained hints, making it a perfect match for "The Wolf of Huaerjie."

And even without being tied to "The Wolf of Huaerjie," it was a catchy masterpiece, so after its release, it quickly climbed onto the hot search lists and the hit song charts of major music apps.

Of course, such results were still slightly exaggerated for an English song; even for an English song released by Miss Luo Quan, usually only Chinese songs could achieve such speed.

It could only be said that the traffic bonus brought by pregnancy was simply too great.

In the past, when Miss Luo Quan livestreamed, the viewership was around ten million; if it wasn't a major holiday, the fluctuation wouldn't exceed two million.

But now, whenever she started a stream, the heat was at twenty million regardless of the time.

Sometimes Miss Luo Quan herself didn't know why so many people came to watch her stream after she got pregnant; could it be, as some fans said, that there were a large number of hidden "Cao Thieves" on the internet?

If that were really the case, it would be a bit hard to handle.

"Minna-san, the movie theme song that everyone has been longing for has been released. Remember to go and listen to it."

After Miss Luo Quan started the stream, her first sentence was to promote the song.

To be precise, it was to promote the movie, since the song and the movie were tied together now.

"Already listened to it, it's good, love it, release more."

"This should be the first song since Luo Bao got pregnant, right? The quality is even higher than imagined. It would be great if she could strike while the iron is hot and release an album."

"Standard 'give an inch and take a mile,' but actually, I think so too."

"Luo Bao, you know what everyone is truly longing for: it's that New Year classical music you mentioned. What everyone wants to hear most is actually that."

"Don't be impatient, good food is worth the wait. Since Luo Bao said its excellence would exceed your imagination, then spending more time waiting will double the joy when you finally get it."

"There's a lyric that goes well: 'Those who cannot be obtained are always restless~~~'"

"That's how it's said, but this really makes people's hearts itch."

"It's not many days left, only one month remains."

"The day after tomorrow, 'The Wolf of Huaerjie' will be released; half a month later, 'Prehistoric' will be released; then it's the Little New Year. Actually, there's something to look forward to every week, and with anticipation, time passes very quickly."

"This way of thinking about the problem is actually quite good."

"I've already bought the movie tickets. This 'Wolf of Huaerjie' actually has a label saying it's not recommended for those under 18. Is the scale that large?"

"I feel like many movies now are starting to use posters to classify themselves. Although it doesn't have official authority, it can be considered a kind of progress."

"Indeed, once classification is truly implemented, it will definitely be a big step forward for domestic movies."

"I don't know about others, but ghost movies will definitely be able to come back to life."

"Where are there any ghost movies now? They're all just dreams of mentally ill patients."

"Classic of classics."

"To be reasonable, I already saw this so-called 'not recommended for under 18' warning once last year, and in my opinion, it was simply one of the two biggest scams in the movie market last year."

"'Crossing the Angry Sea' and 'Empty River Blue,' right? One said it was large-scale, but there wasn't a single scene unsuitable for children; the other said it was a suspense drama, but there wasn't a single suspenseful scene."

"The trailer fraud is too serious now. I believe in Luo Bao's level, but for this kind of publicity, it's really hard to trust."

……………………

Seeing someone questioning the scale of the movie, Miss Luo Quan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "If everyone is afraid of being scammed, then this movie will definitely not disappoint you."

"Actually, the current scale is already the product after I made a certain amount of cuts."

"The originally planned content was even more yellow and violent, but considering the domestic environment, it was finally toned down a lot."

"Of course, if everyone wants to see a serious restricted-level movie, then it's estimated that you won't see much of it in 'The Wolf of Huaerjie'."

"After all, the restricted content of this movie is only in the characters' lines."

Miss Luo Quan's words didn't have any exaggerated components.

First of all, the original work of "The Wolf of Huaerjie" indeed had an exaggerated scale; not to mention being restricted for under 18s, it was at a level that absolutely could not be released in China.

So Miss Luo Quan made some modifications to it, replacing meaningless nude scenes with a different way of expression, and some language was also adjusted to be more subtle.

Simply put, it was to retain its flavor as much as possible while making the taste not so strong, letting everyone know it was restricted-level, but not to the extent that it couldn't be released.

And after hearing Miss Luo Quan's explanation, the fans finally felt relieved.

Generally, as long as it was something she promised, there wouldn't be any major problems.

Time quickly arrived at the day of the release.

Although it was approaching the Spring Festival, all walks of life didn't have the relaxed atmosphere before the holiday at all; instead, they became increasingly busy and tense.

Some streets had already started to be decorated with lanterns, red New Year goods were placed in prominent places in shopping malls, and songs of "Gongxi Facai" were played non-stop on the radio.

However, outside the movie theater, the song being played was the theme song of "The Wolf of Huaerjie," "Counting Stars."

Although it was a song used for movie promotion, the popularity of the song itself had already surpassed the movie many times over.

For no other reason than the melody being dynamic and catchy, making it impossible to forget after listening to it once.

The movie poster was a close-up of Gao Liang's face with a fierce smile; despite being handsome and stunning, in the movie, he looked like he had gained thirty pounds, appearing a bit bloated in the cheeks.

That is not even the main point; the point is that the overall styling has also become quite greasy, making it impossible to recognize the dashing, heart-stoppingly beautiful young man from the Titanic.

It seems that this time, in order to challenge a new role, Gao Liang made a great sacrifice.

However, this also made many of Gao Liang's looks-based fans who walked into the theater worried, fearing they wouldn't be able to see Gao Liang's magnificent beauty on the screen.

Unlike many big-budget movies, Miss Luo Quan did not choose to have a preview screening.

The so-called preview screening is to show the movie in a certain area.

Doing this is mainly to see the market's reaction; if the response is good, it will be released nationwide immediately.

If the response is not good, then it is estimated that the release will be delayed, and the movie will be modified before making further plans.

Generally, film crews that do this are those with relatively large investments who want to make money but are not particularly confident in the content.

However, Miss Luo Quan had never performed such an operation. It wasn't that she didn't want to make money, but because she was very confident in her work, so she didn't need these cautious operations.

It was still a global simultaneous release, and it was still packed on the premiere day.

Relying on the reputation Miss Luo Quan had accumulated before, "The Wolf of Huaerjie" had already obtained a global box office of nearly 300 million US dollars before the premiere.

This data was enough to beat 90% of the movies last year, which shows how high its popularity was.

If the word-of-mouth is good next, then "The Wolf of Huaerjie" will become the first blockbuster of the New Year.

However, what made movie fans slightly disappointed was that the content of the first part of the movie seemed a bit flat, without any particularly explosive highlights.

Although Gao Liang's acting was still top-notch, without the bonus of highlights, top-notch acting would also be greatly discounted.

What is a highlight? Dr. Hannibal's death stare is a highlight.

The Joker's solo dance on the stairs is a highlight.

A movie, as long as it has such a highlight, is enough to be called a classic.

And Gao Liang currently seems to be lacking that something.

However, just when everyone thought Miss Luo Quan was going to flip the car this time, the highlight they were looking forward to came.

The plot arrived at the part where Gao Liang gave a speech in the trailer.

"Let me tell you one thing: in this world, being poor is not glorious. I have been rich, and I have been poor, and every single time, I will choose to be rich."

Gao Liang's state at this moment was already like two different people compared to the rookie when he first entered the industry.

He had already been corrupted by money, becoming profit-oriented for the sake of interests, money above all else, and his whole state had become obsessed.

But as the old saying goes, if you're not obsessed, you won't succeed.

It was precisely because of his obsession with money that his state at this moment possessed a unique charm.

And the speech he gave this time was also destined to be recorded in history.

Facing the company's employees, Gao Liang, in order to motivate them, shouted while taking off his watch: "I will choose to be rich every single time, because at least when I have money, even if I face difficulties, I am sitting in the back seat of a luxury car, wearing a 2,000 US dollar suit, and wearing a 40,000 US dollar gold watch!"

Saying this, he threw his expensive watch into the crowd, as if he were just throwing an insignificant pebble.

And the employee in the crowd who grabbed the watch was soon attacked by other employees.

And he, who had already been stirred up, began to fight back to protect his property, while loudly cursing the colleagues around him.

Looking at these people who were intoxicated by money, Gao Liang smiled and continued: "If anyone thinks I am superficial, or worships material things, then go find a job at McDonald's; that's where you should go."

"But before you leave this room full of winners, I want you to take a good look at the people around you."

"Because in the near future, when you are driving a broken Santana, parked at a traffic light, and that person is driving a brand-new Porsche, parked next to you, with a beautiful wife with a broad mind sitting next to him."

"And who is sitting next to you? A disgusting old cow who hasn't washed her hair for three days, wearing a sleeveless shirt, and the car is full of vegetables bought from a discount supermarket!"

Hearing this, the employees went completely crazy, starting to raise their hands and roar with blue veins on their faces.

If a person finds it hard to endure hardship, then he will likely endure hardship for a lifetime.

No one is willing to endure hardship; if they have a choice, everyone would rather be that successful person sitting in a Ferrari, hugging a plump beauty.

Gao Liang's words directly poked everyone's pain point; simply put, it was to propose a price that no one could refuse.

"Listen to me, listen well..." Gao Liang's tone became serious, and his voice became increasingly high-pitched: "Can't you pay your credit card bill? Great, pick up the phone and start dialing."

"Is your landlord kicking you out? Great, pick up the phone and start dialing."

"Does your girlfriend think you're a useless piece of trash? Great, pick up the phone and start dialing. I want you to solve all problems with money."

"All you have to do today is pick up the phone and dial, say the words I taught you, and I can make you richer than most CEOs in the United States."

"I want you to go out, I want you to stuff Steve Madden stock down the customers' throats until they choke to death."

"Until they choke to death, buy 100,000 shares, that's what I want to do."

"You have to be brutal, you have to be cold, you have to be the terrorists who make phone calls!"

Hundreds of words were fired from Gao Liang's mouth like a string of firecrackers, and at this moment his emotions were even more manic than the employees.

After finishing, he twisted like a monster, roared, and finally rushed into the crowd.

And the employees, driven by their boss, began to make sales calls with passion.

Thus, this performance had become art. ===== CHAPTER 1322 =====