Chapter 286: Dust Settles, Rouba Comes Online, Genshin Starts

At the beginning of September, China Film Group publicly announced the situation regarding *Pacific Rim*.

"Main Chinese roles: Fan Bingbing, Zhang Yi; some supporting roles will be played by actors from the Beijing Film Studio and the Art Troupe."

Once the news came out, the circle immediately exploded; everyone was still waiting for auditions, and who knew it had already been decided.

However, looking at this casting, there didn't seem to be anything to say, only full-blown envy.

"Shanhe Media's resources are too abundant. It's one thing for Fan Bingbing to get a role—she is, after all, one of the Four Dan Double Bing—but Zhang Yi has been in so many big productions in a row now? When will we ever have such an opportunity?"

It wasn't just outsiders who were envious; even the people at Starry Sky Culture were very envious.

"Old Zhang's luck is truly unmatched. If I had known..."

Before Lei Jiayin could finish his sentence, he was kicked in the butt by Ning Hao.

"You brat, you're looking down on my place now, aren't you? No lunch box for you at noon."

"Mimi, wait for next time. It looks like President Wei still takes good care of his own people; there will be no shortage of subsequent projects."

Ever since Nazha entered the Beijing Film Academy last year, the way her classmates looked at her had been different.

Everyone knew that this Xiyu beauty was the chosen one; she had already participated in a 250-million-yuan big production before even enrolling.

Therefore, basically wherever Nazha appeared, there would be a group of classmates following her.

"Nazha, your movie has already started promotion, right? Why aren't you going along with it?"

Li Chun looked at Nazha with some envy. In another month, would this classmate of hers be popular all over the country?

"The boss said it's just a warm-up for now; the main cast won't start running promotions until the middle of the month. However, the theme promotional song *Beyond the Light Years* will be online in these next few days, so I ask everyone for your support."

Nazha said to the surrounding classmates with a silly smile.

"Don't worry, we'll help you climb the charts then. By the way, can you get tickets for the movie premiere?"

Zhang Yunlong asked as if casually. He was afraid there would be many big shots at that kind of occasion, and if... "It hasn't been decided yet, I'll do my best when the time comes."

Nazha enjoyed this feeling of being surrounded by stars, feeling like a little princess, but she didn't know yet that her "enemy for life" was about to come online. —Ever since being rejected by Liu Shishi, Miss Cai's determination to find a new candidate was stronger than ever; she wanted to find someone she could control.

Arriving at the Shanghai Theatre Academy with ease, it was currently early September, the time for freshmen's military training.

Looking around, it was a sea of camouflage, dazzling Miss Cai to the point of dizziness.

As the boss of a well-known film and television company in Shanghai, Miss Cai's appearance on campus quickly attracted the attention of the school authorities.

Soon, a teacher in charge of reception came forward to make contact.

"President Cai, what brings you here?"

"I'm here to see if there are any good seedlings."

Miss Cai said this, but she wasn't very optimistic in her heart.

Every year around the time of the three major art school entrance exams, Tangren would send people to observe the scene. If they hadn't discovered anyone then, it was highly unlikely they would find a hidden gem now.

However, considering that even the best can make mistakes, Miss Cai decided to pick one out in person.

"Then you've come to the right place; there really is a good seedling in this batch."

Seemingly recalling the *Passengers* promotional poster seen on the road, this teacher stated with certainty.

"Oh? No other company has signed her?"

Miss Cai didn't believe the teacher's claim; this was likely a sales pitch for their own student.

"Ahem... not yet..."

Seeing that Miss Cai didn't seem to believe it, the teacher hurriedly spoke up.

"She is indeed very beautiful, just a bit different from our general aesthetic, but Starry Sky Culture has one, and she even appeared in Director Wei Jin's movie..."

Hearing this, Miss Cai reacted instantly; it was that incredibly lucky Nazha.

"Oh? Please, Teacher Ma, bring her over for me to see." —Before long, Miss Cai saw a girl with a well-behaved appearance; she was indeed a Xiyu beauty.

To be honest, Miss Cai felt that this kind of exotic look might be hard to cultivate; there were too few suitable roles.

But then she thought, wasn't the point of coming here to find someone who fits Wei Jin's aesthetic and is easy to control? The girl in front of her looked soft and sweet, likely having no strong opinions of her own; wouldn't she have to be obedient when the time came?

While pondering, Miss Cai made a decision.

"Don't be nervous, what is your name?"

"Rouba, Dilraba Dilmurat."

Listening to the girl's soft voice, Miss Cai was even more satisfied.

"You should have heard of Tangren Media, right? Or *Chinese Paladin* and *Chinese Paladin 3*, you must have seen them?"

Getting the girl's nod of affirmation, Miss Cai continued:

"These were all produced by our company. The *Chinese Paladin* series has made many actors famous, including Liu Yifei, Hu Ge, Yang Mi, and Liu Shishi..."

After rattling off a long list, Miss Cai saw that the little girl in front of her had been intimidated, and stated her purpose.

"So, are you willing to sign with Tangren and become colleagues with Hu Ge, Liu Shishi, and the others?"

Seemingly surprised that the good news came so fast, Rouba was a bit at a loss and said softly: "President Cai, I... can I discuss it with my family?"

The girl's timid attitude made Miss Cai show a satisfied smile.

"Of course, but I hope it can be as soon as possible; the company's next drama is already about to start..." —On September 5th, a song titled *Beyond the Light Years* landed on major music websites.

With its affectionate melody and infectious lyrics, it touched the hearts of countless listeners.

Combined with the vast space movie clips from *Passengers* as the MV, in just two days, this song already showed signs of exploding in popularity.

At the same time, in the film market, *Cold War* finished its theatrical run.

The Mainland box office closed at 243 million, the Hong Kong box office closed at 43.8 million, and the Taiwan box office closed at 58 million.

Compared to the production and promotion costs of less than 40 million, this result was already very eye-catching.

"President Wei, the preliminary preparations for *The Raid* have been completed, with a budget of 20 million."

Shi Nansheng's voice on the phone sounded very excited; this was no wonder, as Golden Harvest's stock price had been rising all the way, and her net worth had risen along with it.

"Wu Jing's schedule has been finalized; it is expected to start filming in the latter half of this month."

"Hmm, for this budget, let's reject the offer from Emperor Group; reserve a 20% share for me. Also, all future projects should follow this model."

Since he had already planned to take his star-led studios public, Wei Jin needed to make preparations early.

"Understood, President Wei."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin looked up and nodded in apology to Cao Baoping, who was before him.

"My apologies, Teacher Cao." Having a professor from his alma mater wait in his office while he took a call made Wei Jin feel a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine. You're so busy; I shouldn't have come to bother you with such a small matter."

It was only a matter of a few minutes, so Cao Baoping naturally wouldn't mind.

Cao Baoping knew very well that if Wei Jin hadn't graduated from Beijing Film Academy, given his status in the industry, he might not have received this level of respect. People, after all, must know their place.

"Well, Teacher Cao, since the script has passed review, I wonder what thoughts you have regarding the casting?"

"Hm? Wasn't it said before that there would be open auditions? Do you have some new considerations?"

Cao Baoping was a bit surprised. He had come to request funding, so why the shift to casting?

"If possible, please consider more actors from Beijing Film Academy."

Wei Jin felt a bit helpless; being in this circle, one inevitably has to deal with human relationships and worldly affairs.

A few days ago, at the preview screening of Zhang Yimou's film, the school leadership appeared collectively and spent a long time chatting with several big directors who were Beijing Film Academy alumni.

Even Zhang Yimou was persuaded with reason and emotion, having to nod and agree to use more students and actors from his alma mater in the future; Zhou Dongyu's application to Beijing Film Academy was also partly for this reason.

Wei Jin was naturally no exception. For his own films, he wouldn't consider so much, but for other films and television dramas produced by the company, he still had to consider it to some extent.

"Sigh, they are too anxious."

Once Cao Baoping heard this, he understood. He had frequent contact with the school leadership and knew their thoughts. He could only say they were being somewhat short-sighted, even shouting the slogan that half the film and television industry should be from Beijing Film Academy.

For Cao Baoping, who came from an academic background, he was happy to see the growth of the Beijing Film Academy circle.

But failing to consider improving teaching quality and instead adopting this method of networking would only make Beijing Film Academy less and less artistic. In the long run, the quality of the students could be imagined.

"Who's to say otherwise? In the future, among the new generation of Beijing Film Academy, I'm afraid there will be fewer and fewer actors, and all of them will be stars."

These days, Lu Yang had already been pulled back to school to give speeches to the new students undergoing military training at Beijing Film Academy; the school's intentions were clear.

"But speaking of which, Teacher Cao, you also like to use actors from the Central Academy of Drama, haha."

Wei Jin said jokingly. The directors from Beijing Film Academy were truly cut from the same cloth, and as an academic director, Cao Baoping was no exception; in *The Equation of Love and Death*, none of the three main leads were from Beijing Film Academy.

"Fine, I'll give this casting some serious thought."

Cao Baoping shook his head; he couldn't refute Wei Jin's joke.

The next day, Shanhe Media announced the latest project information:

"*The Piano Tuner*: Suspense crime comedy; total investment 15 million; Director: Cao Baoping; Screenwriter: Wei Jin; Roles: TBD; Producers: Shanhe Media, Meitao Entertainment."

At the same time, the casting requirements for *The Piano Tuner* were sent to major companies in the industry.

With this, many actors who had adjusted their schedules for *Pacific Rim* finally breathed a sigh of relief; at least they had a chance to audition.

Although this film didn't have a high budget, the director's ability was not bad, and it was Wei Jin's script, so it already counted as a high-quality project.

For a time, audition resumes drifted toward Shanhe Media like snowflakes.

Only careful people noticed that there was an extra "Meitao Entertainment" among the producers; people in the circle naturally knew this was Fan Bingbing's Studio.

"Jia Jie, why do you think Senior Brother let Fan Bingbing's Studio participate in the project?"

After a scene wrapped, Yang Mi pulled Ceng Jia aside to ask.

"Mimi, this is a good thing. President Wei is probably about to launch the public listing plan for star studios."

Ceng Jia looked excited. Her ambition was great; she had let Yang Mi sign a five-year contract precisely to obtain the listing support of Shanhe Media.

Seeing that the first person to "eat the crab" was about to appear, Ceng Jia believed that with Yang Mi's diligence and hard work, she would reach this step sooner or later.

Thinking of this, Ceng Jia looked at Yang Mi with a burning gaze.

"Mimi, work hard; we will have this day too."

Compared to the loose contracts Shanhe Media offered its artists, the situations at other companies in the industry were truly hard to describe.

Another actress made famous by Zhou Xingxing was taking him to court, demanding to terminate her contract, just like Huang Shengyi had done before.

Wei Jin couldn't say who was right or wrong in this matter, but with two "Star Girls" leaving through lawsuits in a row, perhaps Zhou Xingxing should look for the reasons within himself.

However, Zhang Yuqi could be considered to have latched onto a big shot, actually managing to get the female lead in *White Deer Plain*, directed by Golden Bear Director Wang Quanan. This was likely the beginning of their ill-fated relationship.

To be honest, Zhang Yuqi's looks and figure were quite in line with Wei Jin's aesthetic, but unfortunately, her personality was too aggressive; she actually went as far as brandishing a knife at someone.

Wei Jin asked himself, he couldn't handle such a woman, so it was better not to provoke her.

Closing his computer, Wei Jin arrived at Shanhe Technology right at the end of the workday.

The person in charge, Du Bo, took him on a tour. Over the years, they had recruited many talents in planning, art design, numerical balancing, and other areas; this floor was basically packed full.

"President Wei, according to your instructions, the first web game, *Brotherhood of Blades*, has completed preliminary development and can be brought to market in two months at the latest."

"Hmm, not bad, the efficiency is very high."

Hearing this, Wei Jin nodded with satisfaction.

Games were the main business direction of Shanhe Technology, but every game had a lifecycle, so only by constantly innovating could they maintain their market position forever.

The reason for developing web games was, first, the development cycle was short and the returns were high, and second, Wei Jin knew very well that traditional PC games would be phased out by mobile games in a few years; it wasn't worth spending huge energy on them, just maintaining the existing ones would suffice.

At the current stage, web games mainly had two directions.

One type was games with a heavy social focus, like farms or parking space theft, where players could invite friends to participate together, with a high degree of interaction.

According to statistics, the number of domestic internet users had exceeded 450 million, and the monthly active users of Penguin Farm reached 320 million; this was a quite exaggerated figure.

Even the women around him were playing Penguin Farm, often timing themselves to harvest and plant crops, having a great time.

The second type was web games focused on confrontation and consumption; *Brotherhood of Blades* was such a game.

Using the film copyrights owned by Shanhe Media as the main subject for development to form a film-game synergy would definitely open up the market quickly.

In the future, *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* and *Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame* would all undergo corresponding development.

"By the way, how is the Mihoyo team performing?"

Wei Jin turned his head to look at Du Bo; the founders of Mihoyo were still in the startup phase, and he naturally would not miss out on them.

"Not bad. Their professional skills are slightly lacking, but they make up for it with quick minds."

Wei Jin nodded. These few were still a bit green at the moment; recruiting them early would also allow them to accumulate experience.

Wei Jin did not expect them to produce results immediately, but this team had already participated in several game development competitions and had already settled on the direction of making ACG.

Wei Jin believed that the day Genshin Impact launched would not be too far off. First update of the day.

(End of this chapter)