Chapter 269: Yang Mi

On April 27th, *Brotherhood of Blades 2* held its premiere.

According to Wei Jin's wishes, he wanted to just host a simple event, but Han Sanping wouldn't have it; he felt it was necessary to boost confidence in the film market.

Shanhe Media film premieres always have many guests, but Wei Jin knew that 80% of those present today were likely there for his new project, whether for investment or roles.

"Brother Wei, you can't forget your old brother this time."

Even though Wang Changtian was a chairman, he still acted like a rascal in front of Wei Jin.

"Chairman Wang, the investment shares have already been decided; let's talk about it next time if there's an opportunity."

As soon as Wei Jin finished speaking, Wang Changtian visibly wilted, and the other companies nearby also felt it was pointless and dispersed one after another.

Only the actors remained nearby waiting for news, so Wei Jin had no choice but to release some information in advance.

"There will be open auditions this time, and the character requirements will be released in the next two days; everyone, please wait for the news."

Only then did many people start to disperse, but as the lead actress for the day, Yang Mi remained by Wei Jin's side, her eyes filled with ingratiation.

"Senior brother, are there any female roles?"

Upon receiving Wei Jin's affirmative nod, Yang Mi began to scheme; she had to make this man happy tonight—even if she couldn't get a role locked in, looking at the script in advance shouldn't be a problem.

As the male lead, Huang Xiaoming was naturally present, but he was truly a devoted lover; at this moment, he was taking Yang Ying around to visit directors and producers in the circle. Not long after, the premiere officially began.

Yang Mi also followed him onto the stage; this was her first time being interviewed as a lead actress.

Standing under the spotlight with the audience full of attentive gazes made her incredibly fascinated.

After a standard round of questions and answers, the feature film began.

The 120-minute film had a full and tight plot, and the fighting style still inherited the previous work—clean, crisp, and hitting with real impact.

In particular, Xin Zhilei, who played Ding Baiying, used the Qi Family Saber Technique's Yin-Yang Hands, and the shot of her "One Blade Severing the Soul" directly drew waves of applause from the scene.

"Not bad. Although the look is a bit young, the eye acting is very on point. Lu Yang put effort into the casting."

Han Sanping nodded with satisfaction; looking at the reaction on the scene, China Film Group was going to make money on this film again.

"President Wei, Chairman Han, if there's a sequel, please look after your old friends too."

Wang Changtian and Yu Dong said this as if joking, but Wei Jin and Han Sanping naturally wouldn't pay them any mind, brushing the topic aside with perfunctory remarks.

On stage, Lu Yang was already giving a speech.

"When Director Wei handed the script to me, I was very nervous. As a martial arts film enthusiast, I was terrified of ruining this series. But after the efforts of the entire crew, I believe we have delivered a satisfactory answer. I wonder, Senior Brother, are you satisfied?"

Lu Yang was a rather free-spirited guy, and he didn't forget to cue Wei Jin while on stage.

Seeing a reporter actually hand over a microphone, Wei Jin could only stand up to speak.

"I believe Director Lu Yang's attainments in martial arts films are commendable. The performance of *Brotherhood of Blades 2* is expected to surpass the first one."

After the banquet ended, Yang Mi carried a bag and followed Wei Jin to the Golden House.

"Senior brother, let me run the bath water for you first."

Yang Mi was in no rush; she had the whole night to conquer this man.

Arriving at the bathroom, Yang Mi turned on the faucet and then took out the items from the paper bag.

A pair of highly transparent, erotic black silk stockings and a thin-as-a-cicada's-wing, high-elasticity pure cotton corset.

After changing, the water was just about ready.

"Senior brother, it's ready."

Looking at Yang Mi's brand-new outfit, Wei Jin exclaimed, "Good heavens!" Her upper body assets were fully unleashed, and the lower half was even more extraordinary—in a word, excellent.

Soaking in the warm bathtub, Wei Jin relaxed his whole body, waiting for the attentive service.

The prelude was neither long nor short; Yang Mi soon turned around and got into position.

Receiving the invitation signal, Wei Jin stood up, ready for action.

After the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, Yang Mi spoke with a blush on her face.

"Senior brother, does your new film have a role suitable for me?"

"Hmm... there is one, but there will be open auditions this time. If you have confidence, you might as well come by then..."

With Yang Mi's figure, she was certainly not a bad choice.

"Then, Senior Brother, can I read the script in advance?"

This was Yang Mi's main goal; she knew in her heart that it was hard for her to get a role locked in.

"Of course."

This was the greatest help Wei Jin could give. If she still didn't perform well at the audition after this, then it wouldn't be him, Wei, being heartless. News came from Chen Xi's side that the schedules for Li Tianwang and Liang Jiahui had been finalized, and Wei Jin directly had the company's official Weibo post a message.

"Welcome Li Tianwang and Mr. Liang Jiahui to join Director Wei Jin's new film."

Once this news broke, the circle immediately became lively. With two major Best Actors joining forces, being able to act alongside them meant a rise in status.

What was even more thought-provoking was that Wei Jin rarely used Hong Kong actors. Since two had already been announced, the remaining casting would mostly be from Mainland China, which meant everyone had a great chance.

Amidst everyone's fervent anticipation, the casting requirements for *The Thieves* were also released.

The requirements for the male roles were very simple: regular features, average build, 25-45 years old, and qualified acting skills.

But the female roles were very interesting: one required a 40-55-year-old powerhouse actress.

The other two were 22-35 years old, with one requiring an outstanding figure and a sexy, charming appearance.

This made the actresses in the circle very happy; Wei Jin finally wasn't doing any locked-in roles. It seemed he had grown tired of playing with young girls and had remembered the benefits of mature, beautiful, older women.

Many actresses were already rubbing their palms and eager to try; even if Wei Jin had any requirements at the audition, they could just go along with him.

At the same time, the script passed review, and the Film Bureau also joined in the fun, announcing the information for *The Thieves*.

"*The Thieves*: Commercial crime action film.

Production companies: Shanhe Media, China Film Group, CJ Entertainment.

Director: Wei Jin; Screenwriter: Wei Jin." — Shanghai, in the Tangren office.

Watching Liu Shishi hang up the phone, Miss Cai asked hurriedly:

"Shishi, how is it? What did Wei Jin say?"

"He doesn't suggest I participate in the audition, saying my acting skills still need polishing and that I don't fit the character." Liu Shishi felt a bit dejected, not because Wei Jin told the truth, but because these words reminded her of the evaluation that director gave her during the *Mojin: The Lost Legend* audition:

"Not professionally trained, acting is immature, eyes are hollow."

Thinking of this, Liu Shishi somewhat understood why Hu Ge spent all day holed up in the drama club.

However, Miss Cai was a bit surprised to hear Liu Shishi's reply.

In her view, acting skills or whatever could just be coached by the director; what acting skills did Liu Yifei have back then? Didn't she still star as the female lead directly? It might be that previous matters had caused Wei Jin to develop some resistance.

Thinking of this, Miss Cai felt it necessary to scout for an artist who was tactful and understood her position to maintain the relationship with Wei Jin.

"Shishi, it's okay. It's not suitable this time, but there will always be opportunities in the future. The company is already preparing a new TV script, and by then, you will still be the female lead."

While speaking, a thought occurred to Miss Cai: since Liu Shishi wasn't suitable, why not let Hu Ge try? — Although it was already confirmed he was one of the leads, Liang Jiahui still called to express his gratitude.

"Director Wei, I didn't expect us to collaborate again so soon. Thank you for your trust."

On the phone, Liang Jiahui's tone was somewhat sentimental; he hadn't starred in a big production for many years.

"Brother Jiahui, you're too kind. This is our gentleman's agreement; this time I will definitely let you showcase your acting skills."

Wei Jin had a very good impression of this thousand-faced film emperor; their several collaborations had been very pleasant and saved him a lot of effort.

"Director Wei, it's like this, I would like to recommend an actress to you."

Wei Jin understood in his heart; as expected, it wasn't as simple as just a pure expression of gratitude.

However, in Wei Jin's mind, whoever Liang Jiahui recommended should also be a Hong Kong actor, which made him feel concerned—was the Hong Kong content in this film too high? After pondering for a moment, Wei Jin asked: "Who is it?"

"Hui Yinghong. I have collaborated with her many times; her acting is excellent, and she is a very good person."

Wei Jin was actually quite familiar with her; she started as an action actress and had appeared in many films, counting as a golden supporting actress in Hong Kong.

"Alright, Brother Jiahui, you can notify her to come for an audition when the time comes." — April 29th, *Brotherhood of Blades 2* was officially released.

Benefiting from the word-of-mouth of the previous work, as well as massive publicity and the support of theater screenings.

The film's opening day box office was 18 million; this figure was standard, but one must know this was a workday, and entering the holiday, the daily box office would definitely exceed 20 million.

The reviews online were mostly very good, and a small number of film critics were just blathering; almost no one paid attention to them, as after all, with Yinxiang Net, public opinion was no longer in the hands of a few people.

There were also many media reports; with this opening day figure, the box office was very likely to break 300 million, truly having the possibility of surpassing the previous work.

This made many production companies start to get excited; was the market warming up? One must know that so far this year, not a single domestic film's box office had reached 200 million.

Yang Mi, who was currently on a roadshow, felt incredibly excited upon seeing these results; although she had been optimistic when she first landed the role, when the result truly arrived, she still couldn't maintain a calm heart.

"Mimi, you are the female lead. Everyone online is saying this film is very likely to break 300 million, 300 million!"

Ceng Jia hugged Yang Mi tightly, saying with an excited look on her face.

"Yes, this will be the first film I star in with a box office over 300 million, haha."

Yang Mi didn't say the words in her heart: in the future, there would be 400 million, 500 million, and even 1 billion, as long as that man was willing to promote her.

"Mimi, 300-million female lead, let me congratulate you in advance, haha."

Huang Xiaoming was also in a very good mood, but he walked over and said teasingly; he and Yang Mi had collaborated on *Return of the Condor Heroes*, and since both of them were adept at social maneuvering, their relationship had been maintained quite well over these years.

"Brother Xiaoming, stop teasing me. You are the absolute lead in this film; we should be the ones congratulating you. Remember to treat us to a meal tonight."

"Haha, treating you is no problem, but these few days definitely won't work. We still have to keep running; the May Day holiday is the box office harvest period."

Yang Mi and Ceng Jia were novices in film, but Huang Xiaoming was not; the roadshow contributed a lot to the box office of the first *Brotherhood of Blades*. This May Day, the crew was afraid they would be busy.

"It doesn't matter, as long as the box office can rise, running for a month straight is no problem." — April 30th, *Brotherhood of Blades 2* grossed 21 million.

Han Sanping called to ask if Wei Jin had any plans to start a third installment.

"Han Dong, if we really want to start, it's still too early; we don't even have a script."

To tell the truth, Wei Jin had thought about continuing to develop the *Brotherhood of Blades* series, but the storyline still needed careful design; it wasn't something that could be done just by saying so.

"Alright, no matter when you start, I'll reserve a spot in advance, okay?"

On the phone, Han Sanping was clearly in a very good mood and started joking with Wei Jin.

It was no wonder; the film *Du Lala*, with an investment of 20 million, already had a box office of 80 million. According to estimates, it had hope of reaching 150 million, and coupled with *Brotherhood of Blades 2*, which was certain to break 300 million, the depression Han Sanping had felt over the past few months was finally swept away.

"Fine, fine, fine. If there really is a sequel, I won't forget you."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin continued to screen the resumes on his desk. Under the desk where no one could see, the Assistant was burying her head in hard work.

The number of people submitting resumes this time was more than ever before; after all, it was an ensemble cast, which meant more opportunities.

Those auditioning for female roles were still those familiar names; after all, there weren't actually as many actresses in the country who could act in films as one might imagine.

Li Bingbing, Li Xiaoran, Hao Lei, Sun Li, Xu Qing, Ning Jing... However, Zhang Ziyi was really a bit tactless; with her ability to cause trouble, Wei Jin really didn't dare to use her again.

In addition, there were many older actresses this time, but they were all veteran actors; after all, at this age, they couldn't sell their looks anymore.

Jiang Wenli, Hu Huizong, He Saifei, Yong Mei, Liu Xuehua. There were many male actors; basically, those who had collaborated before had all submitted resumes.

There were also some new faces, such as: Lu Yi, Tong Dawei, Feng Shaofeng. "Zixuan, hand these resumes to Chen Xi later and notify them to audition after May Day."

Wei Jin patted the Assistant who was serving him underneath; the latter heard this and buried her head even deeper, as after all, the boss's business could not be delayed.

Ten minutes later, Wang Zixuan wiped the traces from her mouth and left the office with a stack of resumes. — Entering the May Day holiday, the box office of *Brotherhood of Blades 2* ushered in explosive growth.

May 1st, box office 27 million; May 2nd, box office 28 million; May 3rd, box office 25 million.

Five days after release, the domestic box office totaled 119 million.

Throughout the May Day period, in the domestic film market, *Brotherhood of Blades 2* was far ahead of the rest.

However, the heat of *Brotherhood of Blades 2* caused the box office of *Du Lala*, which still had some momentum, to be cut in half.

Even so, *Du Lala* had already garnered 120 million in box office; compared to the cost of 20 million, China Film Group definitely made a bloody profit.

At the same time, the overseas box office for *Brotherhood of Blades 2* also came back.

With the foundation laid by the previous work, the performance of *Brotherhood of Blades 2* throughout the Southeast Asian Confucian cultural circle was very good.

Hong Kong box office 11 million, Taiwan box office 19 million, Nanyang box office 43 million; four days after the release of *Brotherhood of Blades 2*, the cumulative box office in the Southeast Asian region reached as high as 192 million.

However, the attention of those in the circle was not on the film; the auditions for *Thieves* were about to begin. Today's second update (End of chapter)