Chapter 155: The Fairy Descends to Earth and the Celebration Banquet

"Brother Wei Jin, are you really the boss of Golden Harvest now?"

Although she had already read the news many times, Liu Yifei still wore an expression of disbelief; that was Golden Harvest, after all.

Founded in 1970, it had produced and invested in over 600 films in more than thirty years, once becoming the largest production company in Southeast Asia and a rival to Shaw Brothers—had it really changed hands just like that?

"It's true, haven't you asked that many times already?"

Today was Liu Yifei's 20th birthday; the young girl had called many times over the past few days, and seeing that matters at Golden Harvest were basically sorted out, Wei Jin had not lingered in Hong Kong.

"It's just hard to believe, Brother Wei Jin, you're so impressive now."

Liu Yifei's words drew agreement from Liu Xiaoli nearby, and the latter's gaze toward Wei Jin had changed somewhat.

"That's right, Director Wei, you're only 24, right? Such a young boss of a listed company, it's truly impressive."

In Liu Xiaoli's eyes, Wei Jin was now the chairman of a listed company, worthy of being called a Big Shot.

"That's right, Brother Wei Jin, I was planning to celebrate your birthday a few days ago, where did you run off to?"

Mentioning Wei Jin's birthday—this year was his zodiac birth year—Liu Yifei had been preparing a gift ever since her film wrapped, but when the time came, Wei Jin had disappeared.

"Ahem, I was invited to South Korea. Besides, men don't really like celebrating birthdays that much."

Wei Jin made up his mind to never celebrate his birthday again, then immediately changed the subject.

"Alright, today is your birthday, let's see the birthday gift I prepared for you."

Wei Jin had prepared this rather hastily this time, and he didn't know if Liu Yifei would be satisfied.

Filled with anticipation and curiosity, Liu Yifei opened the box; feeling the weight, she had a slight guess—it was likely Wei Jin's consistent style.

"'Cat Dance'? What is this?"

Looking at the song title at the top, Liu Yifei was a bit curious; she continued reading, hummed along, and looked a bit embarrassed: "Brother Wei Jin, isn't this song too strange? Why does it feel so childish?"

"Ahem, this isn't childish, it's cute. I think it suits you very well."

Wei Jin didn't have the heart to say that this was prepared on the fly on the way over, as he had been busy educating young models in Hong Kong these past few days and had forgotten about it.

"Xixi, you have to trust Director Wei's eye. I also think you could try going for a cute style."

Liu Xiaoli felt that her daughter had been too exhausted while filming The Forbidden Kingdom, and the action-star route was not easy to walk; trying a sweet style was a good choice. There were so many sweet-voiced starlets from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and she didn't think her own daughter was any worse.

"By the way, Director Wei, in Now You See Me..."

"Mom, aren't you busy in the kitchen? Hurry and go."

Liu Yifei interrupted her mother; she didn't want Wei Jin to think she was being calculating on a day like this.

"Oh, right, I forgot. Director Wei, you two chat..."

Seeing Liu Xiaoli walk into the kitchen, Liu Yifei felt a bit embarrassed: "Brother Wei Jin, don't mind her, Mom was just asking casually, you know how she is..."

"It's fine, Yifei, Auntie is just concerned about your career development."

Wei Jin didn't think much of it; it was human nature. There had been no shortage of people calling him to pull strings lately, but he had rejected them all, stating outright that it was a project for Summit Entertainment.

"This project is mainly an ensemble piece, the female roles aren't particularly prominent..."

"But, Jing Tian is going to participate, right?"

Liu Yifei interrupted Wei Jin, her eyes holding an inexplicable meaning as she just looked at Wei Jin quietly.

"Yifei, this..."

Just as Wei Jin was about to explain, Liu Yifei seemed not to care at all, and with a smile, she issued an invitation: "Brother Wei Jin, would you like to see my room?"

Wei Jin:?? Why does this routine feel so familiar? Inside the pink, girlish room, Wei Jin saw many photos, among which the wrap-up photo of Those Years was particularly eye-catching.

There was also the manuscript of "Amour" that Wei Jin had given her, which had been framed, and even photos from his recent set visit were there.

Wei Jin understood Liu Yifei's intentions, but he still suppressed his inner impulses; he knew that one must endure for a moment to gain a lifetime.

Seeing that even such an environment couldn't make Wei Jin speak his mind, Liu Yifei felt a bit frustrated, but she would never give up easily; this time, she would take the initiative.

"Brother Wei Jin, I like you."

Liu Yifei wrapped her arms around Wei Jin's waist, her small face pressed against his chest, as if trying to hear the true voice of his heart.

"Do you like me?"

"I do, but..."

"That's enough, leave the rest to me!"

Liu Yifei only heard the word "like" and was filled with joy; she interrupted Wei Jin and offered a sweet kiss. At this moment, she was like Athena possessed, full of fighting spirit from head to toe. No matter who stood in her way—whether it was the external competitor Jing Tian or her mother who might cause internal obstacles—Liu Yifei was not afraid of any of them.

Feeling the young girl's clumsy kissing technique, Wei Jin had no choice but to exercise his fine tradition of helping others, teaching Liu Yifei slowly, move by move.

The young girl's aptitude was lacking, and this kiss went on a bit too long.

They only separated when they heard Liu Xiaoli coming upstairs. Exchanging a look, Liu Yifei was certain that Wei Jin was the right one—Beijing, inside a five-star hotel.

"President Wei, you have guts. You took down Golden Harvest without a sound. Congratulations."

Yu Dong's tone carried a hint of emotion; this young man was going higher and higher.

As of August 26, Brotherhood of Blades had been in theaters for 24 days, with a box office of 318 million, already surpassing Transformers.

Before it even left theaters, Han Sanping had organized a celebration, the purpose of which was naturally obvious: to demonstrate to the industry that Hollywood blockbusters were not scary and that domestic films need not fear them.

"President Yu is joking. Golden Harvest is just a mess, only doing some distribution business toward Nanyang; it can't compare to Bona, which has the backing of Poly and is growing its distribution business."

After chatting with Yu Dong for a while, Han Sanping came over and pulled Wei Jin aside to talk about the North American project.

"Is there really no way for Now You See Me? I just took office this year, and the performance hasn't been too good..."

Han Sanping was an old fox who knew Wei Jin was soft-hearted, so he played the emotional card.

"Chairman Han, you're launching so many big projects, you can't expect me to bail out China Film Group, can you? My small frame can't carry that."

Wei Jin ignored Han Sanping's idea of a free ride; with his way of investing, no amount of profit would be enough to fill the gap.

"Besides, China Film Group already picked up a huge bargain with Twilight, not to mention I already sold you the domestic distribution rights."

China Film Group invested no more than 50 million, and the global box office exceeded 400 million USD; roughly calculated, it brought nearly 200 million in profit to China Film Group. This gift from Wei Jin was truly too large.

As for the domestic release, Wei Jin had originally refused; this film had no foundation in the country, and there was a high probability of it suffering from cultural incompatibility.

However, it could not be helped that China Film Group, as the investor, insisted on importing it, even offering twenty million directly to buy the domestic revenue share.

Twilight has been confirmed for domestic release on September 29th, aiming to grab a share of the National Day Slot; for this, Han Sanping was criticized quite a bit for his unsightly greed.

Wei Jin's words also shut Han Sanping's mouth, and he stopped mentioning the North America project; one must know how to be content.

"Han Dong, is there a chance for Lust, Caution to be released domestically?"

Venice is about to open, and several hit films have begun screenings, among which the most eye-catching is Lust, Caution.

This film was rated NC-17 in North America, meaning those under 17 are prohibited from watching.

When the news reached back home, the media was in an uproar; who knows how many netizens offered big money for resources, and there were even a few tech geeks at the company who went through the back door to ask Wei Jin for a disc—it hadn't even been released yet, so where would a disc come from? "What are you thinking, kid? The Film Bureau has already spoken; even if it can be released, it will definitely be censored."

"Then the domestic audience won't have the pleasure of seeing it; it's said to be the real deal. As expected of Liang Caowei."

"You should at least watch your image; you are, after all, the head of a listed company."

"You are a head of a state-owned enterprise yourself, yet you get all excited when talking about Lust, Caution."

"You kid, you won't let it go, will you?" — A celebration banquet naturally involves socializing; besides Han Sanping, many companies were also eyeing Now You See Me, and there was one right in front of him.

"President Wei, congratulations on the massive box office success. Is there any possibility for Huayi to invest a little in this North America project?"

Nowadays, Wei Jin's projects are truly fought over for investment; not to mention that Huayi had already made a huge profit following him before, just looking at China Film Group's returns this time, most companies were green with envy.

"President Wang, the funding source for this project has already been finalized; let's talk about it if there's an opportunity in the future."

Huayi can no longer produce anything of equal value; mere premiums are no longer enough to satisfy Wei Jin.

"President Wei, what about the roles?"

"President Wang, there are only two female roles in total; they can't both be Chinese, can they?"

Wei Jin felt a bit amused; does Huayi Brothers have something wrong with their brains? Is he, Wei, that easy to talk to? "It's a pity, Bingbing kept saying she wanted to collaborate with President Wei."

Wei Jin understood upon hearing this; Huayi is determined to push Bingbing, but unfortunately, no matter how much they push, they won't be able to keep her. — As a lead actor in the film, Huang Xiaoming was naturally present tonight; after signing with Huayi this year, he no longer had his previous caution, and he wore a confident expression wherever he went.

However, this is no wonder; as the saying goes, success breeds confidence. As one of the Four Young Dan in the country, Huang Xiaoming has indeed developed well over the past two years.

But seeing him, Wei Jin always felt a bit awkward; he had invested quite a bit in Yang Ying some time ago, and honestly, knowing who she would eventually marry, playing around with her was really exciting.

Chatting with him now, Wei Jin was a bit distracted, feeling that the two of them were cut from the same cloth, even though Huang Xiaoming didn't know Yang Ying yet.

"Director Wei, filming with you is just too satisfying; the time is short and the box office is high. What am I supposed to do when I collaborate with other directors in the future?"

Huang Xiaoming's words carried a bit of flattery, but the smile on his face was genuine; how many lead actors in the country have a three-hundred-million box office? "Don't say that outside; I certainly don't admit to it, haha."

The third update today, I earnestly request all book friends to provide subscriptions, follow-up reads, and collections. Please flip to the last page for the follow-up read, thank you everyone! (End of this chapter)