Chapter 253: New Project, NTR at the Cocktail Party

Shanhe Building.

"I'm telling you, kid, why aren't you busy with post-production and instead coming to me?"

Wei Jin leaned back in his boss chair, exhaling a long plume of smoke.

"Hehe, President Wei, I was just thinking that since you're back, I should get the release schedule set."

Lu Yang scratched his head and replied. *Brotherhood of Blades 2* had long since wrapped, and post-production was on the right track. The most important thing now was the release schedule. He wasn't like Wei Jin; he couldn't afford to be picky about release dates.

"Isn't it still early? Why are you in such a rush? Let's talk after post-production is finished."

"I want to grab a good release window early. There are so many company projects now; what if it's not my turn later? Hehe."

Lu Yang's worry was not without reason. Counting Jiahe, Shanhe Media had at least five next year.

Plus, Wei Jin sometimes didn't play by the rules; what if he gave him another sniping mission? "Hah, you kid are quite clever."

Seeming to see through Lu Yang's thoughts, Wei Jin laughed and scolded him, then pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Hmm, then let's tentatively set it for May Day."

Perhaps it was truly destined for them to be rivals; no sooner had Lu Yang left than Wu Ershan arrived.

"President Wei, the storyboard for *Mojin: The Lost Legend* is done. Would you like to take a look?"

Wu Ershan respectfully handed over the materials. He attached great importance to this project. Since receiving the script in July, he had spent these past few months repeatedly refining every scene and every sequence, spending a massive amount of time to complete the storyboard.

However, he couldn't afford not to take it seriously. After all, it was a brand-new series. If he messed it up, it would mean his previous success relied entirely on the foundation Wei Jin had laid, which would have a huge impact on his directing career.

Wei Jin took the materials and, without a word, began to read them himself. After more than ten minutes passed, Wei Jin put the documents down.

"Director Wu Ershan, the project can be launched. I have already finalized Liu Yifei for Shirley Yang. For the remaining roles, hold open auditions."

Wu Ershan was overjoyed upon hearing this. One had to know that *Inception* was currently incredibly hot. If Liu Yifei joined, this film would inevitably receive massive attention; it was undoubtedly a great opportunity to increase exposure.

Coupled with the fact that the TV series had aired a few months prior, with peak viewership ratings reaching as high as 4.5, and even second and third runs having good market feedback, Wu Ershan believed that this time, he would thoroughly prove himself.

"Alright, President Wei, I will launch it as soon as possible."——*The Treasure Hunter* and *Storm Riders 2* were released on the same day.

The opening day box office for both films did not exceed 10 million, and the prospects were bleak.

There was no help for it; the momentum of *Inception* was too strong. Currently, its weekday box office was still over 20 million, and the theater chains weren't stupid.

However, Zhang Yimou's drawing power was still very useful, and the theater chains generally gave him great support.

On the day *A Simple Noodle Story* was released, it easily took in 21 million at the box office, with the opening weekend's 4-day box office exceeding 100 million.

It was evident to what extent the audience's adoration for Zhang Yimou had reached after the Olympics; even CCTV News reported this news snippet.

However, *Inception*'s performance remained eye-catching. In its third week of release, it raked in 165 million in domestic box office, with a cumulative box office of 502 million, and a cumulative global box office of 846 million USD, continuing to top the weekly box office chart.

Although the domestic film market capacity was already quite large, a single release window could only accommodate two films at most. Under these circumstances, *The Treasure Hunter* and *Storm Riders 2* were miserable, directly relegated to being foils.

It was truly a case of the first and second clashing, while the third and fourth were directly reduced to cannon fodder.

Zhang Weiping looked at the box office data, feeling both smug and emotional. Zhang Yimou was Zhang Yimou; so what if it was a Hollywood blockbuster? Unfortunately, the film's word-of-mouth was too poor, and a large number of complaints and negative reviews appeared online.

Especially the gaudy costumes and makeup, and the vulgar, abrupt lines, which netizens described as "eye-searing" and "disgusting."

Unexpectedly, this time the media actually stood on the same side as the audience.

"What is Zhang Yimou doing? This is completely just a cash grab."

"This is just a stretched-out sketch, full of the strong flavor of Northeast folk song-and-dance duets."

"A cost of 28 million; sure enough, cheap goods are never good."

However, the drawing power of a big director was truly not just for show. Despite the flood of negative reviews, the more it was criticized, the more people bought tickets. A large number of viewers wanted to know, what exactly was wrong with Zhang Yimou? As a result, the box office of *A Simple Noodle Story* actually continued to rise despite its ruined reputation.

Zhang Weiping was delighted. When accepting media interviews, he excitedly predicted: "100 million in one week, 300 million in two weeks, 400 million in three weeks, and after a month, it will directly break 500 million."

The media and industry insiders were disgusted by this guy's face, but soon, everyone's attention was diverted. Shanhe Media announced the latest project information.

*Ghost Blows Out the Light: Mojin*, total investment 120 million, Director: Wu Ershan; Screenwriters: Wei Jin & Tianxia Bachang;

Male Lead: To be determined; Female Lead: Liu Yifei; Remaining roles: several to be determined; For a time, it caused a sensation in the circle again. A 120 million big production, the director was the 300-million-club member Wu Ershan, and the script was adapted by Wei Jin and the original author from a bestseller. Without a doubt, this was another high-quality project.

But what made actresses in the circle go a bit crazy was, why was the female lead decided directly again, again, and again?

Yes, they admitted that Liu Yifei was indeed very capable, the head of the Four Dan Actresses, and *Inception* was currently in hot release; her joining would indeed add great value to the film project.

But Wei Jin, aren't you tired of it? Do you want to change your palate? There are many actresses in the entertainment industry; why just not give them a chance?

Countless actresses complained in their hearts; jealousy made them unrecognizable. The female lead of this drama was undoubtedly very brilliant, but unfortunately, it wasn't their turn. It was truly too sad.

Compared to the actresses who were on the verge of tears, the male actors were collectively excited. This drama had several male roles that were quite brilliant, and very rarely, there were no pre-selections. This was their best opportunity.

In addition, film companies were also waiting to grab investment shares. Projects from Shanhe Media had never lost money. ——December 16th, *Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame* held its premiere.

As the comeback work of Xu Laoguai, plus the power of the two major producers, many people in the circle came to show their support.

As one of the producers, Wang Changtian arrived at the scene early to act as the host.

Wei Jin arrived very late; he had a premonition that many people would be looking for him tonight.

Sure enough, when he appeared at the venue, numerous film companies crowded around. A project of over 100 million like *Mojin* was truly mouth-watering.

After finally breaking free from the crowd, Han Sanping was already waiting for him with a smile.

"Han Dong, *Inception* is still in theaters."

Wei Jin was politely declining. The *Ghost Blows Out the Light* series could be developed into at least several films; he didn't really want to pull others into the collaboration.

One had to know that for the previous *Painted Skin 2*, several major producers were purely lying down and making money without putting in any effort. If others were allowed to participate in *Mojin*, how would subsequent works be calculated? Would Shanhe Media need these people to follow along then? Letting them follow was purely giving away money; not letting them follow made his eating habits seem a bit ugly. This was where Wei Jin resisted.

"You kid, China Film Group will only invest in this one. We can talk about sequels separately later, how about that?" Han Sanping also understood Wei Jin's concerns and thought of a plan that both sides could accept. As for the sequels, they could slowly grind it out later; anyway, this kid was soft-hearted.

"Hmm, Han Dong, let's not talk about this today; the movie is about to start."

Han Sanping didn't have much more to say upon hearing this and quietly began to enjoy Xu Laoguai's new work.

This version of *Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame* from Shanhe Media had made some modifications to the script, controlling the time to around 110 minutes.

As the film came to an end, bursts of applause erupted at the scene.

"The special effects in this film are good, and the suspenseful atmosphere is also well-crafted. Old Wang has made money again."

Han Sanping hadn't been very optimistic at first and didn't invest. Now, having seen the finished film, he had a premonition that the box office wouldn't be low.

"Haha, Han Dong, I, old Wang, am just following Brother Wei to drink some soup; I can't compare to China Film Group, which has so many projects, haha."

Wang Changtian was genuinely happy; over these years, his eyes had been trained well, and in his view, *Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame* was a sure thing.

"President Wang, no, Chairman Wang, you are being insincere; Enlight Pictures' moves this year are not small at all, haha."

Wei Jin rarely made a joke; Enlight Pictures was truly making big moves this year, having signed Chen Jiashang and engaging in deep cooperation with a host of Hong Kong film companies and filmmakers. It was clear that old Wang was preparing for a big undertaking.

"Brother Wei, there are too few capable directors in Mainland China, and they all have their own base of operations. The several great generals under your command aren't taking outside projects for the time being. If Enlight Pictures wants to fully enter the film production business, I can only find a way from over there."

Wang Changtian felt helpless inside. He had cooperated with Wei Jin several times over the years and had indeed made money, but how could following along to drink soup compare to eating meat himself? He had to try more options.

"But Brother Wei, don't let this make things awkward between us. If there are projects, you still have to look out for your older brother."

"Easy, easy, if there's an opportunity, certainly."

Wei Jin didn't continue the conversation. The production plans for the next few years that Enlight Pictures had announced to the public were all old scripts from Hong Kong, just repackaged and adapted; it was purely fooling old man Wang.

Things like *Happy Times*, *The Four*, *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*, and so on—I'm afraid old man Wang is going to sink quite a bit of what he's earned following me over the years into those.

Seeing Wei Jin's perfunctory attitude, old Wang turned his attention elsewhere.

"Brother Wei, you have a good eye; help your brother weigh in—does *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* have any potential?"

"How so? What are your thoughts?"

"It's like this: the *Painted Skin* series performed very well, so we were thinking that our first wholly-funded film should also choose its subject matter from this, striving for a flying start. What do you think?"

"Hmm, the idea is good, quite nice."

Wei Jin could only answer with a chuckle; telling the truth would be too annoying. —— At the cocktail party, Wei Jin really hadn't expected to see Yang Ying here; the latter was chatting with Huang Xiaoming.

He hadn't expected these two to have already hooked up; it seemed Huang Xiaoming was destined not to escape this tribulation.

Although he had invested quite a bit into Yang Ying, Wei Jin had only had a quick fling with her, so naturally, there was no talk of being unhappy.

However, Wei Jin still didn't intend to disturb them; after all, NTR-ing someone to their face was still a bit too much. Who would have thought Huang Xiaoming had sharp eyes, spotting him quickly in the crowd and walking toward him with quick steps.

"President Wei."

Huang Xiaoming held a wine glass, with Yang Ying following behind; the two kept some distance. That was the downside of being a celebrity—one had to be mindful of the media at all times.

"Brother Xiaoming, long time no see. Thank you for coming to show your support."

Wei Jin remembered that Huang Xiaoming should be filming *Flirting Scholar 2* at this time. Being able to spare the time to come specifically to show support, he was indeed smooth in his dealings. But since they had already met, Wei Jin couldn't pretend not to know him, so he turned his gaze to Yang Ying.

"Miss Yang, hello."

"Hello, Wei Sheng."

Yang Ying was worthy of having mixed in the circle of young models; her expression didn't change in the slightest upon seeing Wei Jin, and she greeted him sweetly. Perhaps this was a reasonable phenomenon in the Hong Kong Circle.

"What are you two...?"

Huang Xiaoming was confused at this moment. He had finally picked up a girl; could she be Wei Jin's canary? "Brother Xiaoming, Wei Sheng and I met at a cocktail party in Hong Kong."

Yang Ying spoke up to explain; she didn't want the "sugar daddy" she had finally hooked to retreat out of fear of Wei Jin's status.

"Oh, I see."

Yang Ying's open and above-board explanation actually brought Huang Xiaoming back to his senses. The entertainment industry was only so big; it was normal to know each other. He then remembered the real business he had come for and asked, "President Wei, I wonder if the cast for *Mojin: The Lost Legend* has been decided?"

Although he had started shifting toward capital in the last two years, had become a billionaire through Huayi's listing, and had also made connections in the Hong Kong Circle, Huang Xiaoming was still very tempted by Shanhe Media's big projects.

In Huang Xiaoming's view, Wei Jin liked to use familiar faces in his projects, and coupled with his relationship with Liu Yifei, the chances should be quite high.

"It hasn't been decided yet, but I don't interfere with the project. Casting is all decided by the director. If you're interested, you might as well communicate more with Director Wu Ershan."

Although he suggested Huang Xiaoming go audition, Wei Jin didn't think highly of him; his idol baggage was too heavy, and he wouldn't be able to play this role well.

"Alright, I won't disturb you two. Brother Xiaoming, Miss Yang, see you later."

Watching Wei Jin's departing back, Yang Ying fell into deep thought. The scene of receiving "stick discipline" together with her best friend Wen Yongshan back then surfaced in her mind once again.

Thinking of that man's strength, Yang Ying couldn't help but shiver. It was a pity that this man's status was too high; he wasn't someone she, coming from a background of young models, could hold onto.

"What's wrong, Baby?"

"Nothing, just feel that Wei Sheng's aura is so powerful."

"That's for sure. In terms of status and industry achievements, I'm afraid no one present can compare to President Wei."

Although the girl he had picked up was praising another man, Huang Xiaoming had to admit that there was no comparison.

"Hee hee, so Brother Xiaoming is still better; you have charisma. Being with you, there's no pressure at all. I'm really happy."

Yang Ying looked at Huang Xiaoming sweetly at this moment, her eyes revealing admiration; she really was a little bitch.

The admiration from the opposite sex made Huang Xiaoming feel as refreshed as eating ice cream in the dog days of summer. The more he looked at Yang Ying, the more he liked her, completely unaware that the woman before him had already been "invested" in for several hundred billion. Today's second update (End of chapter)