Chapter 106: Gao Yuanyuan: The Woman Competing for a Quarter of a Century

"How much do you think our movie's box office will be this time?"

Gao Yuanyuan, her face flushed and looking somewhat languid, lay on Wei Jin's chest and asked:

"Hmm, 150 million should be no problem, but it's hard to say anything beyond that."

Wei Jin was very confident in himself; his movies currently had that kind of drawing power.

After the premiere ended, Wei Jin arranged for someone to send Jing Tian home; she was just a cameo role, and she wouldn't be needed for the subsequent promotion.

Wei Jin hadn't really managed the publicity for this one either, leaving it all to the company to handle; otherwise, would all those people in the publicity department be getting paid for nothing? Wei Jin hadn't arranged many roadshows either, just a recording of *Happy Camp*; besides the lead actress Gao Yuanyuan, the other actors didn't have much fame, so roadshows might not necessarily have much effect.

"Then you have to compensate me later; she is a 378 million box office lead actress, after all."

Hearing Wei Jin's words, Gao Yuanyuan felt a bit unwilling; she couldn't beat him in awards, so was she not good enough in box office either?

"Yuan Yuanjie, didn't I just give you that extra hundred million or so just now?"

Wei Jin didn't want to get involved in the women's squabbles and teased with a wicked smile: "When— oh, you are truly wicked. I haven't even talked about you yet; what if I get pregnant..."

Gao Yuanyuan didn't react at first, but once she understood what Wei Jin meant, she felt a bit resentful.

Although Gao Yuanyuan also wanted to spend the rest of her life with Wei Jin, she wasn't ready to be a mother yet.

"It's no problem, I've been counting the days; you're in your safe period today."

As his status grew higher and higher, Wei Jin's boldness also increased, and his threshold gradually rose; when he was intimate with the women around him, he no longer used a condom.

Hearing that Wei Jin even remembered her safe period, Gao Yuanyuan was still somewhat moved; at least this man had her in his heart. Even if he was a bit of a playboy, so what? Wouldn't it be even more of an achievement to conquer such a man? "Alright, Yuan Yuanjie, get some sleep early; we still have to record the show tomorrow."

The next day, Wei Jin brought Gao Yuanyuan and Lei Jiayin to Changsha to prepare for the show recording.

Just as they entered the Mango TV building, they saw He Laoshi coming over from afar to greet them: "Yuanyuan, Wei Jin, Jiayin, welcome; you've had a hard journey."

"You're too kind, He Laoshi; we've caused you trouble this time."

Wei Jin felt a bit embarrassed; this was another case of cutting in line, recording today and airing tomorrow.

"It's no trouble; you're here to boost the popularity of our show. But there are some new games this time, Wei Jin, so watch out."

He Laoshi always spoke in a way that made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze, and he even teased Wei Jin.

The group chatted and laughed as they arrived backstage, where the script was handed to Wei Jin and the others; as usual, there were some questions to communicate with the guests beforehand.

After looking it over, Wei Jin indicated there were no problems, and Gao Yuanyuan and Lei Jiayin had even fewer objections.

Time passed quickly while waiting, and the show began recording.

After an awkward opening, the three of them were invited onto the stage. Many male audience members whistled from time to time, which showed how popular Gao Yuanyuan was among the male demographic.

"You are all old friends of our show, so let's not stand on ceremony; shall we chat?"

He Laoshi was very good at handling the relationship with different people; he would neither make you feel offended nor make you feel ignored.

"I'll go first. I have a question: Director Wei, why did you film *Time-Space Cohabitation*? I see many people online saying this is a love token between you and Yuanyuan? How do you explain that?"

Xie La looked full of gossip, as if the breakup with Liu Ye hadn't affected her at all.

The biggest piece of gossip in the entertainment industry this July was the breakup between Xie La and Liu Ye, which contributed to entertainment headlines for several days; their 6-year relationship had ended, and even many fans felt it was a pity.

Beside them, He Laoshi and Li Weijia also looked at Xie La in shock; was she really asking something so intense right off the bat? But then they looked at Wei Jin, clearly wanting to know the answer as well.

Seeing the hosts, the audience in the seats, and even Lei Jiayin looking at him with curiosity, Wei Jin had no choice but to speak:

"Ahem, let me explain. You might not know, but after I moved out of the Beijing Film Academy dormitory, the first apartment I rented belonged to Yuan Yuanjie."

Wei Jin's explanation caused a gasp. "Me and my beautiful landlady"—wasn't this a classic romance plot? "Counting it up, I've known Yuan Yuanjie for exactly three years. Once, when I was chatting with her about the topic of houses, I thought of this script. We are very good friends; it's not what everyone imagines."

Wei Jin's explanation was very clear, but everyone clearly didn't believe it; one could tell just by looking at the expression on Gao Yuanyuan's face.

"Yuanyuan, is that so?"

Xie La was still unwilling to give up and aimed her target at Gao Yuanyuan.

"What Wei Jin said is the truth. Counting it up, we really have known each other for three years. Time flies so fast."

When Gao Yuanyuan answered, she seemed to recall that summer three years ago, and a slight smile appeared on her face.

"Then Yuanyuan, what are your criteria for a partner?" Seeing that Gao Yuanyuan was the most popular person on set, Li Weijia naturally passed the topic to her.

"There aren't any specific criteria. Tall, talented—if he could be a bit more handsome, that would be even better."

"Ooh!"

Hearing Gao Yuanyuan's words, the audience let out a collective "wow." Wasn't this just describing Wei Jin?

The hosts were also amazed at Gao Yuanyuan's boldness, thinking to themselves that the ratings for this episode were going to explode again.

In fact, before coming, Wei Jin had already communicated with Gao Yuanyuan; during the movie's release, popularity was the most important thing.

Spreading rumors between the two of them was only to be expected; as long as neither side made an official announcement, a little ambiguity was perfectly normal.

"Then Jiayin, does Gao Yuanyuan fit your aesthetic? Did you ever feel a heartbeat while playing lovers with her on set?"

Seeing that Lei Jiayin was being left out, He Laoshi quickly passed a topic to him.

"Hmm, Yuan Yuanjie is so beautiful, of course she fits! When we were on set, I often couldn't let go, and I had several NGs; the director scolded me quite a bit. But Yuan Yuanjie is a very professional actor, and it was very pleasant to act with her."

Facing the camera, Lei Jiayin appeared much more cautious, and he showered Gao Yuanyuan with praise.

"Then Director Wei, what kind of girl do you like? Or rather, do you currently have a girlfriend?"

Xie La, after her breakup, seemed a bit hysterical; it looked like she wouldn't be satisfied tonight unless she dug up some juicy news.

He Laoshi, standing to the side, already looked displeased; this question was not on the script given to the guests.

"I like girls who are gentle, kind, filial, and beautiful. As for my private affairs, it's not convenient to disclose them here."

Although he was caught off guard by the unexpected question, Wei Jin still answered.

However, his answer was more like a standard response; almost every man's view on choosing a partner could fit into it. As for the girlfriend matter, Wei Jin played tai chi.

This made the audience, whose fires of gossip had already been ignited, grit their teeth. Wei Jin was too cunning; if you have a girlfriend, you have one; if you don't, you don't. This ambiguous answer made everyone suffer—it was like having their hearts scratched by a hundred claws, and they wished they could lock Wei Jin in a small room and interrogate him under torture.

Gao Yuanyuan was also guessing; although Wei Jin had said he liked her, he had never admitted to a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.

Thinking of this, Gao Yuanyuan couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. Wei Jin was born in '83; the older post-'75 generation could be rivals, and the younger post-'85s, post-'90s, and even potentially post-'00s could also be rivals. This was a woman who had to compete for a quarter of a century.

For a moment, Gao Yuanyuan actually felt a sense of despondency.

Afterwards, the group started playing games again. It must be said, the production team really listened to advice; quite a few fresh ways to play made Wei Jin's eyes light up, though overall, it was still too backward and the version was too low.

"Why did you leave halfway through dinner tonight? It couldn't be because of Xie La, could it?"

In the hotel room, Gao Yuanyuan, with a face flushed from exercise, asked:

"Hm? I wouldn't go so far as to get angry with a woman; it was a few senior executives from Mango TV who wanted to discuss some matters with me."

Wei Jin, temporarily in a state of post-coital clarity, answered somewhat absent-mindedly:

After the recording ended, the group from the production team was originally going to eat with He Laoshi, but unexpectedly, Wei Jin received a call from Station Master Ouyang and had to apologize before heading off to the appointment.

After some conversation, Wei Jin finally understood that Mango TV had taken a liking to *The Temptation of Going Home* and wanted to take the opportunity to secure exclusive broadcast rights.

It was no wonder the Mango TV executives were anxious; having seen the massive profits brought by the exclusive broadcast of *My Love from the Star*, they understood that a single television station likely couldn't afford such a high price, so they played the emotional card.

According to the agreement for *My Love from the Star*, Mango TV had to pay a purchase fee of 78 million. Of course, Station Master Ouyang clearly stated that the payment would be made in the near future and would absolutely not be delayed. Just kidding—if they soured their relationship with Wei Jin over a little bit of profit, that would be a loss that outweighed the gain.

However, Wei Jin, having tasted the sweetness, was naturally not satisfied with the simple revenue from selling the film and still proposed a gambling-style agreement. If Wei Jin guessed correctly again, Mango TV would have to give up quite a bit of profit; Station Master Ouyang was probably having a headache right about now.

Not bothering with the follow-up matters, as the post-coital clarity passed, Wei Jin became full of vigor again: "Yuan Yuanjie, our promotional tasks are over, shouldn't you reward me, this great contributor?"

"Are you an ox? How can you never get enough?"

"Yuan Yuanjie, don't blame your little brother for being too impulsive, blame yourself for being too beautiful."

"Be gentle, mmph."

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(End of this chapter)