Chapter 176: Premiere Day

At the Beijing International Film Festival center, flashbulbs along both sides of the red carpet lit the night sky like broad daylight. The moment Xiang Sheng stepped out of the Mercedes, dozens of microphones were shoved in his face.

"Mr. Xiang! Did you fly in all the way from Xiangjiang this time just to support your nephew's new film?"

Xiang Sheng straightened the cuff of his Armani suit and flashed his signature business smile. "It's Ah-Fei's first monster movie — of course his uncle has to come show support." He paused, deliberately lowering his voice. "But don't tell him — I'm really here to steal some VFX techniques."

The reporters burst into laughter, and the shutters clicked even faster. Just then, Wang Qianyuan and Alyssa Chia happened to pass by and immediately stepped forward to greet him.

"Hello, Mr. Xiang! I'm—"

"Wang Qianyuan, of course!" Xiang Sheng warmly shook his hand. "You acted brilliantly in the film!" He turned to Alyssa Chia. "Miss Jia, you're even more beautiful in person than on TV!"

Standing three steps away, Zhou Xun couldn't help muttering under her breath, "Weren't you saying you can't recognize anyone? That's some memory you've got..."

Inside the VIP lounge, Xiang Sheng had just loosened his tie when Jackie Chan pushed the door open and walked in.

"Sheng-ge! Still so handsome!" Jackie Chan spread his arms wide, going in for a hug.

Xiang Sheng nimbly dodged to the side. "Cut it out! Last time you said you'd introduce me to a beauty, you brought a martial arts choreographer instead!"

Amid the laughter, Xiang Fei entered gracefully on the arm of Zhou Huimin. Zhou Huimin wore a Chanel haute couture gown, while Xiang Fei was dressed in a sharp Tom Ford suit.

"Uncle," Xiang Fei said with a smile, handing over a cigar. "How many reporters did you trick this time?"

Xiang Sheng took the cigar and raised an eyebrow smugly. "I told them I came to steal VFX techniques. Tomorrow, Yongsheng's stock price will jump at least three points."

Zhou Huimin covered her mouth and giggled. "Uncle still knows how to do business."

Inside the theater, the lights gradually dimmed. When the megalodon first burst through the water, the entire auditorium was filled with gasps.

"Holy shit!" A young viewer in the back row grabbed his companion's arm. "Those teeth look way too real!"

Jackie Chan's underwater fight scenes drew wave after wave of exclamations. When he spun nimbly in the water and landed a roundhouse kick right on the shark's snout — though it did absolutely nothing — the theater erupted in thunderous applause.

"Jackie Chan is so cool!" a viewer shouted.

The most spectacular scene was the shark pack attacking the cruise ship. On the massive IMAX screen, a twenty-meter-long megalodon bit the cruise ship clean in half, and seawater mixed with fire exploded skyward. Several viewers in the front row instinctively leaned back, as if trying to dodge the splashing water.

Xiang Fei noticed a young man in a baseball cap in the third row who had been sitting ramrod-straight since the film began. When the shark opened its bloody maw and lunged toward the screen, this guy actually stood right up, waving his arms and shouting, "Run! To the left! There's a gap on the left!"

When the end credits rolled, the entire audience rose spontaneously and applauded. The applause lasted a full five minutes and still hadn't stopped by the time the main cast and crew took the stage to give thanks.

Han Sanping excitedly shook Xiang Fei's hand. "Ah-Fei, this film is going to make history!"

Xiang Sheng was secretly wiping the corner of his eye nearby when the sharp-eyed Jackie Chan caught him. "Sheng-ge, why are you crying now?"

"Bullshit!" Xiang Sheng stuck out his neck. "The flashbults got in my eyes!"

At the press conference, the first question came from a reporter from Movie World, whose voice was trembling. "Director Xiang, how long did it take to create the VFX for that final shot of the shark leaping up and swallowing the helicopter?"

Xiang Fei gave a slight smile. "The New Zealand team handled it, but..." He paused deliberately. "The most time-consuming part was getting Jackie Chan to hold his breath underwater for the shoot."

Jackie Chan immediately picked up the joke. "That's right! My lung capacity right now could qualify me for the Olympics!"

A reporter from The Hollywood Reporter pressed on. "Miss Alyssa Chia, I heard you were actually chased by a mechanical shark during filming?"

Alyssa Chia nodded, still shaken. "That thing could hit thirty kilometers an hour — I nearly broke the women's 100-meter record!"

During the Q&A, an excited college student in glasses asked, "Why did the sharks attack Mr. Jackie Chan first? Is it because his action scenes look the best?"

Jackie Chan grabbed the microphone. "Wrong! It's because I'm the most expensive!" Amidst the laughter of the entire audience, he added, "Just kidding. Actually, I requested it myself — being eaten by a fifty-million-dollar VFX shark is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

At that moment, the young man in the baseball cap who had stood up during the screening finally managed to grab the microphone. "Director Xiang! I noticed that when the shark was tearing into the cruise ship, there was one shot that was clearly a tribute to Titanic. Was that intentional?"

Xiang Fei nodded approvingly. "Very observant.

As the event wrapped up, Han Sanping pulled Xiang Fei aside for a private chat. "China Film has decided to increase the promotional budget. We're going to plaster shark posters all over the country!"

Xiang Sheng also leaned in. "Yongsheng has already locked down distribution rights in twelve Southeast Asian countries!"