Chapter 244: 《Lucy》 Premiere Debut

Wei Jin has already watched the movie *Lucy* more times than he can count, from filming to post-production, so after the movie started playing, he began to zone out.

Liu Shishi's tears made him feel a trace of restlessness; he discovered that he was truly too greedy.

Even though he clearly felt that resource exchange was just fine, he still couldn't help but want to possess them all alone. After all, who could refuse a woman whose heart is stirred for you?

But as Shanhe Media grows ever stronger, the number of actresses who either actively hunt for opportunities or seek to get ahead will only increase in the future, and among them, there will be no shortage of those coming for him—what should be done then? His thoughts drifted; the benefit of a super-strong memory is that it allows you to recall every little detail of your time with women at any moment, one pretty face after another constantly rolling and colliding in his mind.

The figures of Li Jie, Gao Yuanyuan, Jing Tian, Liu Yifei, Liu Yan, and Xiaobai flashed through his mind, and of course, there were also the little partners who had participated in the friendly matches, such as Fan Bingbing, Yang Mi, Yang Rong, Hu Jing, Yan Danchen, and Liu Shishi.

If one were to speak of feelings, undoubtedly those with Ceng Li, Gao Yuanyuan, Jing Tian, and Liu Yifei were the deepest; after all, they had known each other the earliest and spent the longest time together, which could be considered knowing each other from humble beginnings.

A few of the Assistants could be considered to have a bit of affection, as they knew his living habits and work style like the back of their hands.

As for the rest of the women, more or less, there was an element of interest mixed in, and Wei Jin had a full understanding of this; after all, he was also just greedy for their bodies.

Since Li Jie became pregnant, during this period of time, Wei Jin has missed the mother and child more times than he can count.

It is foreseeable that in the future, there will be more children with several of these women; is he really that strong, that he can handle so many relationships?

It is enough; these four are enough. As for the rest, let them be treated as occasional embellishments to life.

As his thoughts churned, Wei Jin made up his mind: from now on, he would only follow his lust, not his heart; resource exchange, those who are willing will take the bait.

I do not require you to be devoted to one person until the end, let us part on good terms; you also do not require me to give my true heart, causing mutual torment.

As for why he should continue to spend? Just kidding, having lived two lifetimes, the 90s-born actresses are about to come online, and the 95s and 00s-born actresses are also growing sturdily; if he doesn't taste them, how could Wei Jin be worthy of the long years he spent floating in the dark space?

After thinking it through, Wei Jin felt his whole body was at ease; just at this moment, he felt someone touch him and he came back to his senses.

"Brother, why have you been staring blankly?"

Jing Tian had been paying attention to Wei Jin for quite a while; what bad idea was this man pondering again? "Oh, I might be a bit tired, besides, I've already watched the movie so many times."

"Oh? I thought you were thinking about that Liu Shishi."

Jing Tian's neither hard nor soft jab made Wei Jin feel a bit awkward; so, it turns out he had already been seen.

Wei Jin couldn't help but perk up, staring at the images on the big screen; at this time, the plot had already reached its end.

The female lead had already completed 90% of her evolution and began to travel through time and space.

In front of the Qin palace that unified the world, the ministers were paying their respects to the First Emperor.

Under the towering Eiffel Tower, tourists were changing angles to take pictures.

In the city of Chang'an after a thousand years of vicissitudes, the prosperous Tang Dynasty was in full swing.

On the streets of New York in the nineteenth century, people were coming and going.

On a small island in the Pacific Ocean, the natives were hunting animals.

Finally, the female lead played by Jing Tian gave a light wave of her hand and arrived at the center of Beijing—the Forbidden City.

With a casual wave, time began to reverse, the surrounding buildings also turned dim, the shouts of attacking cities and seizing land gradually faded, the hunting Nomad tribes gradually flashed by, time continued to move upward, human figures dissipated, the dinosaur era, the ancient era, the chimpanzee that appeared at the beginning of the movie drinking water by the stream appeared on the screen once again.

Following the fingertip touch with the ancestor of humanity, the image also left Earth and arrived in Space; the intoxicating formation and transformation of the universe, the falling of meteorites, and the evolution of celestial bodies unfolded—the 90-minute movie was full of visual impact, occasionally a bit funny, but it didn't drag at all, the plot was smooth, and it was very eye-catching.

When the movie came to an end, the applause at the scene was like thunder.

Everyone could see that this was a purely commercial film, with no boring parts throughout, focusing on the word "thrill."

Many actresses were thinking, if only it were them acting in it, how good that would be; this is truly a pure female-led movie, its ability to promote people is too strong.

For a time, many actresses cast envious and jealous glances at Jing Tian, and then turned to Wei Jin with a hint of resentment, not knowing when they would be able to climb into his bed.

If looks could kill, Wei Jin and Jing Tian would probably be riddled with holes by now.

"Wei Jin, the movie is good, but you mustn't do this in the future."

Han Sanping turned his head to look at Wei Jin and said, with a hint of regret on his face.

In his view, the movie would definitely make a big profit, but China Film Group couldn't follow along to make money; rounding it off, it was equivalent to losing a sum.

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin rolled his eyes; why does Han start acting resentful at every turn now?

"Chairman Han, there is still *Inception*." — Wei Jin and the cast and crew returned to the stage; the premiere ceremony process wasn't finished yet.

Some media began to ask questions, and this time the questions were much sharper.

"Director Wei, the promotion for *Lucy* overseas is so grand; why wasn't *The Martian* like this before?"

Wei Jin knew that when using personal connections, this question was unavoidable.

"Everyone can see that there is a big difference between *The Martian* and *Lucy*; the former has a fictional future background, and the Mars scenes are unfamiliar to global audiences, there is no cultural barrier, and it relies more on special effects to win."

"The latter, however, contains more Huaxia Culture and thought, and there is a cultural barrier; this attempt is also to export more outward, so, are you satisfied with my answer?"

Many big directors and industry insiders at the scene nodded; it was indeed so, and then they began to sigh with emotion: while they were still struggling to survive domestically, Wei Jin and Shanhe Media were already thinking about exporting outward, and the key was that they really succeeded.

Soon, another media outlet raised the question the industry was most concerned about:

"Director Wei, as the director and screenwriter, how much do you think the box office for *Lucy* will be?"

Everyone at the scene instantly perked up; Wei Jin's predictions had always been reliable.

"Domestically, let's strive to surpass *Transformers 2*; in this regard, I still have to rely on all you media friends to help promote it, haha."

"Then for the overseas box office, how much do you expect?"

"A floor of 200 million, striving for 300 million."

Once these words were spoken, the whole hall was shocked! — "At the *Lucy* premiere, the Four Heavenly Kings gather, the guest lineup is super luxurious!"

"Shanhe Media, leading Huaxia Culture to the world!"

"Big director Wei Jin boasts, *Lucy* global box office expected to break 300 million USD!"

"*Lucy* — from human evolving into god!"

The luxurious premiere of *Lucy* and Wei Jin's remarks became the most shining headlines in the media.

On the internet and on social media, everything was filled with information about *Lucy*, overwhelming and pervasive.

On Yinxiang Net, the thousands of audience members who attended the premiere had already given their ratings: 8.2 points; among Wei Jin's works, it wasn't considered very high, but for a purely commercial film, it was already quite considerable.

Following this, the audience's enthusiasm for watching the movie was greatly mobilized, and pre-sale tickets were in short supply.

Major theater chains began to urgently adjust their scheduling and screening times; in their view, this movie was definitely the highlight of August.

Many cinema chains allocated over 50% of screenings, as *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*, *Bodyguards and Assassins*, and other films were still in theaters.

Shanhe Cinema Line couldn't care less about that, directly scheduling 75% of screenings for *Lucy*.

As an ally, Wanda Cinema Line was also very supportive this time, likewise providing 70% of screenings.

The production team, distributors, cinema chains, and the media—everyone was prepared, just waiting for the film's release. Taking advantage of the gap before the release of *Lucy*, and with Liang Jiahui yet to return to the set, Wei Jin held a wrap party for *Passengers*.

After the meal, he naturally accompanied Yuan Yuanjie back to the Yanjiao Villa.

After a bout of entanglement between the two, Gao Yuanyuan nestled in Wei Jin's arms and asked out of the blue:

"Xiao Jin, how much box office do you think our film will have when it's released?"

"Yuan Yuanjie, isn't it too early to think about that? Post-production will still take a long time."

"Hmph, I don't care, they've already hit 300 million or 400 million." Although she had decided to follow Wei Jin without status or title, Gao Yuanyuan did not want to be a step behind others.

Wei Jin laughed in surprise upon hearing this, knowing that Da Meiyuan had been provoked.

*Bodyguards and Assassins* had been in theaters for 20 days, and its box office had officially broken 300 million; it could be considered a complete success for Golden Harvest's first appearance after changing ownership.

However, this meant that Ceng Li had *Painted Skin*, Jing Tian had *Now You See Me*, and Liu Yifei had *Bodyguards and Assassins*, all of which had broken 300 million at the box office; the highest record Gao Yuanyuan held was still *Time-Space Cohabitation*, which was indeed a bit lacking.

"Yuan Yuanjie, I promise, our film will reach at least 500 million."

"Mm, that's more like it. By the way, are you going to North America soon?"

Gao Yuanyuan was aware of Ceng Li's pregnancy. Although she felt a bit uncomfortable, since she had chosen this path, she would eventually have to face these situations; besides, she was actually a bit envious.

"Mm, things domestically have come to an end. Do you want to go with me?"

Since the three of them had been together, the relationship between the two women had gradually become harmonious, and Wei Jin also hoped they could have more time to cultivate their bond.

"Mm... forget it. Wait until she returns, and then I'll go take a look."

Gao Yuanyuan hesitated for a moment but still refused. For one, the time was too long, and for another, her feelings were somewhat complicated.

"Alright." Wei Jin did not force her; there would be plenty of time in the future. Gao Yuanyuan and Ceng Li would become good friends sooner or later; the truly difficult ones were those two young girls.

"Yuan Yuanjie, this way, we won't be able to see each other for several months. Tonight, let your husband feed you full."

"Mm..." Receiving a call from Zhang Ziyi early in the morning, Wei Jin was caught off guard.

"Director Wei, my career focus for the next few years will be in the country. If there's an opportunity, please look after me."

Hearing this, Wei Jin couldn't even be bothered to expose her. This is a shift in career focus? This is being kicked out, alright?

Last year, she had sworn to the media that she would be married within a year at the latest, and at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, she had even high-profilely shown affection with her fiancé, but now she had run back in a dejected state.

The reason was simple: the man wanted to sign a prenuptial agreement, and Zhang Ziyi refused directly. It was said that this was an idea given by her family.

Zhang Ziyi thought that with her own methods, she could easily manipulate the other party, but unfortunately, she overplayed her hand, and the man directly made a strategic retreat and stopped playing.

This was a disaster; Zhang Ziyi lost 99% of her film resources, fashion resources, and connections in Hollywood in an instant.

Even Ms. Deng, who had partnered with her to open a company, stated in public that the two were just ordinary friends.

This matter hadn't spread in the country yet, but it was basically common knowledge in Hollywood. When he was in North America, Hunter had told Wei Jin plenty of this gossip.

However, this woman was quite capable. When one door closes, another opens; she made a connection with Wong Kar-wai and secured the lead role in *The Grandmaster* as soon as she returned to the country.

One must know that this project of Wong Kar-wai's had been watched by the industry for several years. Zhang Ziyi securing the lead role could be considered the first shot of her return, and her popularity soared instantly.

"Miss Zhang is joking. Director Wong's film is a high-quality project. Let's talk after you wrap up."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin shook his head. This woman's career ambition was truly strong, but unfortunately, her planning was clearly problematic, and her management team was unreliable. From now on, she was likely going to be on a downward slope.

As for talking about cooperation after wrapping up? With Wong Kar-wai's filming speed, Zhang Ziyi likely wouldn't have the chance to disturb him for two or three years.

Turning his head to look at Yuan Yuanjie beside him, she was still fast asleep; the beauty had been exhausted last night.

However, he couldn't accompany her today; Wei Jin still had things to do. When Wei Jin arrived at Dongshanshu, Jing Tian had already packed up. As for the man's whereabouts last night, she very sensibly did not ask.

"Brother, hurry up, I can't wait anymore."

"Don't be anxious, the show recording is still a while away."

The two were going to participate in the recording of *Keep Running* today to promote *Lucy*.

This variety show had officially started airing on Jiangzhe Satellite TV in mid-July and had already aired three episodes.

As the first outdoor reality show, the premiere ratings of *Keep Running* were not high, and the peak only broke 2, ranking second in the same time slot.

But the rebroadcast the next day during the day saw ratings instantly hit 2.3, which was quite outstanding among recent variety shows.

Not only that, Jiangzhe Satellite TV rebroadcast it again near midnight, and it actually managed to secure an average rating of 1.5, breaking the ratings record for that time slot in recent years.

Three consecutive rounds of data, although not enough to prove the show was already a success, at least showed the dawn of victory, which also indicated that outdoor reality shows in 2009 had great potential.

Sure enough, after a week of continuous rolling broadcasts, the audience soon fell in love with this unfamiliar but surprise-filled reality show. When the second episode aired, the peak ratings of *Keep Running* directly broke 4, ranking first in the same time slot, far ahead of the rest.

The third episode was even more of a surprise, with peak ratings already approaching 5. It looked like another phenomenal ace variety show that would sweep the country.

It was said that a vice-director of Jiangzhe Satellite TV who made the final decision to buy *Keep Running* had been walking with his head held high at the station recently.

Wei Jin didn't find this strange. What was the main function of television variety shows? Nothing more than entertaining the masses.

Indoor variety shows like *Happy Camp*, because of their fixed format, although they still had many fans, their ratings were declining day by day.

To put it bluntly, the routine was too old. After more than ten years, the audience had long suffered from visual fatigue. What they wanted to see were more exciting programs.

And a brand new outdoor variety show like *Keep Running*, which broke away from the fixed indoor mode and instead used a comedic narrative style for recording, was undoubtedly very promising.

Plus, the entire variety department put a lot of effort into this show. The planning department alone was divided into several groups, the director group alone had more than twenty people, and there were more than ten screenwriters.

There were also various small groups such as on-site camera operators, post-production coordinators, advertising executives, costume and makeup management, and post-production editing.

Such a configuration was not inferior to some big-budget films. Given all this, it was no surprise that it achieved its current results.

Of course, such excellent production came at a high cost; the production fee for this variety show was as high as 60 million.

This included the appearance fees for the seven resident guests. He Laoshi and Liu Feiren's appearance fees for one season were as high as 5 million, Liu Yan's was 3 million, Xue Zhiqian, Luo Jin, and Jiang Shuying were all 1 million, and Guo Jinfei was the lowest, at only 500,000.

Calculating it, the guest appearance fees were only 16.5 million, accounting for less than 30%, which was far behind *The Voice*. From this point, it could also be seen that the money was truly spent on production.

The current cooperation method with Jiangzhe Satellite TV was also very simple: a 30 million guarantee plus a 40% share of advertising revenue.

According to the variety department's report, the built-in title sponsorship fee for the show was 50 million, and there was also about 20 million in commercial break advertising fees. Adding in the TV station's guarantee, this show directly made a profit of 40 million.

Based on the peak of the third episode, the advertising revenue for Jiangzhe Satellite TV is approximately 8 to 10 million per episode; Shanhe Media can take 4 million per episode, and over a single season of 15 episodes, that amounts to as much as 60 million.

Adding in the online video copyright sold to Tudou for 15 million per season, this variety show will bring in a net profit of at least 115 million, with returns definitely no worse than the previous "The Voice".

The Variety Department is truly the strongest money-maker in the entire group; Wei Jin has a premonition that the other departments will be green with envy again at the end of the year. — Before long, the two arrived at a plaza in Beijing, which was the recording site.

The vehicle took a pass and drove directly to the program recording site.

"President Wei, Miss Jing Tian, please wait here for a moment."

An assistant director at the scene spoke with some trepidation, as this was, after all, the chairman of the group.

"It's fine, just follow the program's schedule."

After speaking, Wei Jin closed his eyes and rested with a calm and composed air.

This program has already been recording for several episodes, and the production team and Resident Guests have already formed a tacit understanding, so there is no need for Wei Jin to worry.

Jing Tian was looking around with curiosity; she is a loyal viewer of this program, and the previous episodes had her laughing non-stop, so she had been eager to participate in person today.

"President Wei, Miss Jing, it is time for you to go on stage."

"Brother, hurry."

Thus, the outdoor variety show debut of Jing Tian and Wei Jin began. Today's first update.

(End of this chapter)