Chapter 230: The New President, Liu Yifei is Jealous

Wei Jin was unaware of what was happening domestically; at this moment, he was in the villa's garden, listening to Hunter report on work.

"Boss, the overseas copyright for *The Hunt* has sold a cumulative total of 31.6 million USD."

Although Hunter was reporting on work, he was still somewhat curious about Ceng Li, who was sunbathing nearby. Isn't she an Oscar Best Actress? How did the boss get her pregnant?

"In addition, the public relations team has already begun participating in various film festivals, and the North American release date has been set for December 4th."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin nodded. The copyright value of a Golden Bear film is indeed high; the film had already turned a profit before it was even released.

One must know that this film's cost was no more than 20 million USD, with the largest expenditure being the 10 million USD salary for the lead actor, Matt. Even this was a discounted "friendship price," as he was simply too popular.

Furthermore, the sooner the awards campaign begins, the better. Although it might be quite expensive, Wei Jin felt it was worth a try.

"By the way, how are the other projects doing?"

Wei Jin rarely asked about the projects at Summit Entertainment these days.

"*Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky* has already finished its theatrical run. Boss, you wouldn't believe how much North American audiences love this type of film; we've made quite a bit."

Listening to Hunter's introduction, Wei Jin nodded from time to time. It seemed the decision to remake it was the right one.

*Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky* was rated NC-17 in North America, meaning it could only be viewed by those 17 and older. This film focused on explosive gore, which really did pique the curiosity of many viewers.

After one month in theaters, it actually raked in over 60 million USD at the box office. Compared to the 8 million USD production cost, it could be called a great success.

"However, Boss, the results for *Insidious 3* haven't been too good, this..."

*Insidious 3* was released in March of this year. Its North American box office failed to break 100 million, with a global box office of 158 million. Although it was already very profitable, it was undoubtedly far behind the first two, and crucially, the word-of-mouth wasn't great. Whether the series could continue remained an unknown.

Hunter was somewhat worried. Summit Entertainment had been kept afloat by the three horror film series. Currently, the *Dead Silence* series had been paused, and *Insidious 3*'s performance wasn't ideal; he always felt there were some bad omens.

"That's normal. No one can guarantee that a film series will definitely be a huge hit, and besides, we haven't earned little, have we?"

Wei Jin remained calm and composed. With Summit Entertainment developed to its current state, the failure of one or two series was of no great consequence.

"Since the horror film series has weakened somewhat, then make sure to handle the others well. You can't rely on me for everything, can you?"

"Understood, Boss. In fact, the other series have already begun."

Following Hunter's introduction, Wei Jin learned more about the situation.

*Twilight 3* was scheduled for June 12th. This slot couldn't be called good; the week before had *Fast & Furious 4*, and also releasing in the same period was *The A-Team* produced by Fox. Both were powerful competitors.

More importantly, *Transformers 2* was scheduled for June 26th. That was a big one, but there was no help for it; the competition in the Summer Slot was just that intense. Fortunately, there was a two-week buffer, enough for *Twilight 3* to harvest box office returns.

*Now You See Me 2* was also preparing to start in three months. Wei Jin had already provided the script last year. This time, he gave Jing Tian more screen time; after all, she was his own woman.

As for the *Taken* series, Summit Entertainment unanimously agreed that it would be better to start next year.

"Very good, Hunter. You are already a qualified executor. Next step, perhaps the president of Summit Entertainment would be a good choice."

Compared to other high-level executives at Summit Entertainment, Hunter was undoubtedly the most loyal, and Wei Jin had the intention to promote him.

"Really, Boss?"

Hunter was overjoyed upon hearing this. After working so hard for all these years, was the boss finally going to promote him?

"Hmm, Friedman is getting old, and the other shareholders don't really manage things. I feel more at ease handing it over to you, but there is still one matter currently that you need to handle well."

Immediately, Wei Jin gave instructions regarding Ceng Li.

Although he had already made many arrangements, one always fears the "what if." Handing the public opinion issues over to Summit Entertainment was also a form of insurance.

"Boss, don't worry. I guarantee that absolutely not a single bit of news will leak out."

Hunter was incomparably confident. In Hollywood, Summit Entertainment still had a say.

"Hmm, the next time we meet, I should call you Mr. President."

"Haha... Boss, I can't wait." — Beijing, inside a villa.

"Xixi, are you just sitting idle like this? You don't like any of these? Tsk tsk."

Shu Chang flipped through the scripts on the coffee table and couldn't help but sigh; it really was a case of some starving to death while others had more than they could eat.

Shu Chang hadn't had an easy time these past two years. This had a lot to do with her career planning; she went to study during her peak period, and she studied English, which had nothing to do with acting. Now that she had graduated, she basically had no acting offers.

"I had two whole movies last year, what's wrong with resting a bit?"

Liu Yifei lay lazily on the sofa, holding a pure white cat in her arms, petting it happily.

"Besides, I don't really understand scripts and such. I'll just wait for Brother to come back and take a look for me."

"That's true, having him take a look is the right thing to do. You are now the head of the Four Dan Actresses; you can't star in a bad movie and ruin your reputation."

Shu Chang understood her best friend's lazy personality quite well. Without Liu Xiaoli's urging, Liu Yifei could stay idle forever and be perfectly content.

"What use are the Four Dan Actresses? At most, it's just an extra prefix when sending out press releases. I don't care at all."

Although Liu Yifei's expression was normal, the smile at the corner of her mouth betrayed her; she had finally surpassed Jing Tian.

However, thinking of Jing Tian's recent new album sales, Liu Yifei had a headache again. This EP, named *Tomorrow Hello* by Jing Tian, had been a huge hit as soon as it went online. Each of the three songs was more classic than the last, and now her voice was everywhere on the streets.

Especially the song *Wish*, which commemorated revolutionary predecessors; the theme was excellent, and it had already been selected by *The Founding of a Republic* as one of its promotional songs.

It was said that even CCTV had taken a liking to it and was preparing to invite Jing Tian to perform at this year's Spring Festival Gala. Although the news hadn't been confirmed, Liu Yifei felt the possibility was extremely high, and for a moment, she couldn't help but feel jealous.

One must know that since her debut, although she had many fans and many works, she had never received an invitation to the Spring Festival Gala.

At this moment, Liu Yifei actually felt a bit fortunate. It was a good thing the selection for the Four Dan Actresses took place before Jing Tian's album release, otherwise, it would have been hard to say who would win.

"Fine, fine, fine, you're noble, you're amazing, alright?"

Shu Chang didn't expose her; letting her enjoy it in secret was fine.

"However, didn't you ask for news about *Passengers*?"

Speaking of this, Shu Chang also admired her best friend's composure. During this period, many actresses outside were running around everywhere.

"You don't know Brother's personality. If he thinks it's suitable, he'll mention it even if you don't ask."

Liu Yifei knew very well that Wei Jin had a grand plan in his heart and had his own considerations for everything; he disliked people interfering with his projects the most.

"That's true. Come to think of it, he treats you quite well."

Although she was resentful of Wei Jin's philandering, since resources like *Inception* were given to Liu Yifei, Shu Chang couldn't find any fault.

"But why did he suddenly go to North America again? Didn't he just come back less than two months ago?"

Although Wei Jin's whereabouts were secret, they could not withstand the deep digging of meddlesome media, and with *Passengers* hanging in the balance, there were far too many eyes on him.

"It is a bit strange; he left in such a hurry. Let's ask him when he returns."

Liu Yifei had a simple mind; unable to figure it out, she simply stopped thinking about it, then pulled Shu Chang over to whisper.

"What did you come here for today, anyway? And you even brought this little ancestor of yours?"

As she spoke, Liu Yifei tilted her head to the side; not far away, a little girl was sitting properly with a smile on her face, trying hard to act mature.

However, Liu Yifei knew that Shu Chang had spent quite a few favors over the past two years for this little ancestor, so she couldn't help but tease her.

"What 'little ancestor'? How can you say that?"

Shu Chang was a bit angry; after all, they were her own relatives, and even as a best friend, Liu Yifei shouldn't say such things.

"Fine, fine, fine, I was wrong, okay?"

Liu Yifei also realized she had spoken out of turn and hurriedly tried to make amends, then reminded her best friend.

"But I must remind you, don't forget about the lawsuit from before."

"Hasn't that all passed? Besides, it wasn't intentional, why keep harping on it?"

Shu Chang was simple-minded; having received kindness from this family when she was young, she always wanted to find an opportunity to repay them.

"I can't say exactly what the situation is, but I suggest you'd better change your Agent. Brother said that professional matters should be left to professional people."

"I know, but this has nothing to do with the child, right? Forget it, I'm leaving now."

Shu Chang also felt that today was not a good opportunity to discuss things, so she turned and waved at the child.

"Okay, goodbye Cousin, goodbye Sister Xixi."

The child was very polite and gave Liu Yifei a sweet smile.

"Mm, goodbye." — North America, inside the garden of a villa in Beverly Hills.

"Boss, the documents you wanted are ready."

William respectfully handed over the file bag; the once light paper bag now felt as heavy as a thousand jun to William.

"Mm, thank you for your hard work."

Wei Jin took the file bag without looking through it, instead asking about the matters arranged previously.

"Yes, it's going very smoothly. With the shares currently held, we can demand a board seat at any time. Should we merge the accounts and file a public disclosure, Boss?"

To prevent the Big Six from noticing, the trading team had arranged many accounts to hide the holdings, with no single account anywhere near the threshold of triggering the red line.

"No, it's not time yet."

The award campaign for *The Hunt* was just a trial; whether it succeeded or failed, Wei Jin did not take it to heart. He wanted to see how much resistance there was so he would know where to apply force when launching the next charge, and besides, trump cards only have value when saved for the final moment.

"Then Boss, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

Seeing Ceng Li lying on the lawn sunbathing, William naturally would not delay his boss's private time.

"Mm, you go ahead."

"Goodbye, Boss." — I earnestly request all readers to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up reads, favorites, monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets. Thank you all! (End of chapter)