Chapter 293: Yuan Yuanjie's Reward

As of the data on October 26, *Passengers* has been in theaters for 27 days, with its box office officially surpassing 903 million, and the daily box office still maintaining over 10 million.

Seeing that there are only five days left until it leaves theaters, the 1-billion goal seems somewhat unrealistic, and Gao Yuanyuan cannot help but feel a bit anxious; a 1-billion-box-office heroine is something completely different.

"Little Jin, the movie still has a lot of potential; wouldn't it be a pity to pull it from theaters like this?"

To say Wei Jin has no thoughts about the 1-billion box office would be a lie, but watching Gao Yuanyuan act like a little girl and pout, he feels like teasing her a bit.

"Hey Yuan Yuanjie, if we can't reach it, let it be. Being a 900-million heroine is already quite good."

Sighing, Wei Jin wrapped his arms around the beauty's slender waist and said with some regret.

"But... but don't you want the reward for 1 billion?"

Seeing the man unmoved, Gao Yuanyuan felt a bit anxious and hurriedly played her trump card.

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin perked up, his hands heading straight for the goddess's peaks.

"Yuan Yuanjie, you said that yourself, okay? Don't try to go back on your word later."

He had already finished the storyboards for *Whiplash* these past few days and was now just waiting for the script review; he was essentially free of worries and naturally wanted to do something naughty.

"Hmph, I wouldn't do that. You hurry up and think of a way."

Although a rosy flush had already appeared on her face, Yuan Yuanjie was always so proud and stubborn, with a very hard mouth.

"Yuan Yuanjie, I have already applied for an extended key and am still waiting for news from Han Dong..."

Wei Jin rarely applied for extended keys for his movies; the last time was for *Painted Skin* to reclaim the box office record for domestic films.

Although there was no way to break through the blockade of *Avatar* this time, 1 billion was a number worth taking seriously, as it meant domestic films were entering a true era of blockbusters. Wei Jin had already submitted the application to the General Administration two days ago.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear; Han Sanping's call came through.

"Hello, Han Dong?"

"Wei Jin, it's approved. A one-week extension. Whether you can step into the 1-billion era depends on you now."

On the other end of the line, Han Sanping's tone was also filled with excitement; after all, China Film Group had a 20% share.

"This time it was truly good luck. The Administration was actually in a difficult position, as *Aftershock* had already had its turn, and they should leave some scraps for other movies, otherwise it would seem too heartless.

But I didn't expect the leaders of the China National Space Administration to call Director Tong personally, and with the 1-billion gimmick on top of that, it finally made Director Tong nod. Haha."

Listening to Han Sanping's explanation, Wei Jin understood after a moment of thought. For the China National Space Administration, a movie they participated in helping produce becoming the first domestic film to cross 1 billion at the box office was also a shining political achievement. And for the General Administration, it could be considered an excuse to explain things to the outside world; it was a win-win for everyone.

"Han Dong, at the celebration banquet, let's have a few more drinks with Director Chen to thank him for his righteous help, haha."

"That can be done. By the way, I saw your script at the General Administration yesterday; it should be approved in a few days. Finish this project early; I'm still waiting for your sci-fi film."

Han Sanping had already read the script. It was an art-house film for awards, and he couldn't bring himself to ask for a share, so he could only urge Wei Jin to start on a big project sooner.

"Don't worry, perhaps at the celebration banquet, I'll have another chat with Director Chen."

Whether *Gravity* could be completed independently still needed evaluation, but the assistance of the China National Space Administration was indispensable, and Wei Jin intended to use this opportunity to communicate.

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin turned to look at Gao Yuanyuan.

"You heard it, Yuan Yuanjie. One week. Whether we can break 1 billion is up to fate..."

"No problem. Counting it up, there are still more than ten days left; it will definitely be possible."

Gao Yuanyuan's tone was resolute; she had already decided to post two Weibo messages every day calling on her fans to help out.

"Yuan Yuanjie, I did what I promised you. Now, shouldn't you give a deposit first?"

As he spoke, Wei Jin leaned in, his hands already moving from her peaks to her hips.

"Little rascal, how can you never get enough?"

Having settled a matter of concern, Gao Yuanyuan also felt a bit feverish and restless, her tone coquettish.

Generally speaking, men have little resistance to two types of women: young women with the air of a mature lady, and mature ladies with the air of a young woman.

Da Meiyuan looked like a bright, beautiful, and mature royal sister on the outside, but when she acted coquettishly, it truly cost Wei Jin his life. It was no wonder this beauty became the goddess of the Hupu street.

"Don't blame the younger brother for being too obsessed; blame the older sister for being excessively beautiful..."

As he spoke, Wei Jin scooped the beauty up into his arms and strode toward the room.

Before long, the beauty began to reveal her singing voice, which was truly: "This melody should only exist in the heavens; how often can one hear it in the human world?" — The next day, China Film Group announced the extension news for *Passengers*, which indeed caused a chorus of wails.

After all, many movies that had just been released a few days ago had a daily box office that couldn't even compare to *Passengers*, which was about to leave theaters. Having such a lion remain in the film market truly left everyone with no way to survive.

Many production companies could only comfort themselves that, fortunately, it was only for one week, so they would just have to grit their teeth and endure it.

Instructing Zhu Wei to drive to the Beijing Film Academy, Wei Jin closed his eyes to rest in the car.

*The Piano Tuner* had already quietly started filming on the 15th of this month. According to Teacher Cao's report, the filming was going smoothly, and the main cast had already passed the breaking-in period. If nothing unexpected happened, it would wrap up around December.

The auditions for *Love is Not Blind* had already begun. Wei Jin did not interfere, including with Yang Mi; he only gave a greeting. As for whether she could be selected, it would depend on her own fortune.

The filming of *Sword Snow Stride* was also going smoothly and would likely wrap up before the end of November.

*Eastern Palace* and *Hello Old Times* were also proceeding methodically with their pre-production preparations.

Seeing that all projects were progressing smoothly, Wei Jin also hoped to start his own art-house film as soon as possible. This trip to the Beijing Film Academy was aimed at a certain teacher.

As a well-known major director and an outstanding alumnus of the Beijing Film Academy, Wei Jin's appearance on campus caused quite a sensation.

Many students came over to say hello, hoping to get a familiar face, but unfortunately, Wei Jin didn't recognize most of them and could only nod from a distance.

"Hello, Senior Wei, I am Zhang Yishan from the 2010 Acting Department..."

"Hello, Senior Wei, I am Yang Zi from the 2010 Acting Department."

Both of them had just entered the Beijing Film Academy, and their greetings were merely out of politeness, but they didn't expect Wei Jin to actually reply to them.

"*Home with Kids* is quite good. You've both grown up so much."

Watching the two of them acting so close, Wei Jin was a bit surprised; they really had become buddies, inseparable even at school.

Ignoring their surprised and astonished gazes, Wei Jin walked straight toward the Acting Department's office. — In the office, Wei Jin stated his purpose directly.

"Teacher Wang, I have a script here for an award-contender, and I hope you will play one of the roles."

As he spoke, Wei Jin handed over the script, and Wang Jinsong began to flip through it with interest. Wang Jinsong, also known as "Qi Ke," was the one who played the mental patient in *Big Shot's Funeral*. He was also a professor at the Beijing Film Academy. Wei Jin had previously hosted the Beijing Film Academy's art exams with him, which was why he thought of him.

This teacher had excellent acting skills and had been rehearsing plays at the theater for years; he was quite suitable for the role of the coach in *Whiplash*.

"Whew, as expected of an Oscar Best Screenplay winner; if you aren't obsessed, you won't succeed. This script is very interesting."

Wang Jinsong finished reading the script and sighed with sincere admiration.

This character's performance had great tension and was quite challenging; naturally, he liked it.

He himself was very passionate about acting, and regardless of whether a role in an industry production was big or small, he was willing to participate as long as his schedule allowed, including the previous "Three Smiles" by Xiao Hei Pang Zi, which was so terrible, yet he still performed in it.

Just thinking about his recent work schedule, Wang Jinsong pondered for a moment and continued to ask:

"Wei Jin, I really like the character, but where do you plan to film it? My time is a bit tight recently."

Seeming afraid of causing a misunderstanding with Wei Jin, he added another sentence.

"I am currently an instructor for the 2010 Acting Department crosstalk class, and the drama club also has a new play to put on early next year, so the rehearsal tasks are also very heavy. If it's too far..."

Hearing this, Wei Jin breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn't thought of other suitable candidates for the time being, and if this person had refused directly, he would have had a headache.

"That's no problem, Teacher Wang. Most of this play is indoor scenes; we can just find a school in Beijing to film it, it won't delay your affairs."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jinsong also breathed a sigh of relief. Judging by the quality of this script, it was highly likely aimed at Venice, and if possible, he really didn't want to miss it.

"That's good then. I'll take this play; notify me when to join the crew."

"Good."

With the matter settled, Wei Jin was in a great mood, and Teacher Wang seemed to have remembered something else.

"By the way, don't look for other places; let's just film it on our Beijing Film Academy campus. For one, it's convenient, and for another, it allows students from the Director Department and Acting Department to come and observe. What do you think?"

This actually made Wei Jin pause, and he couldn't help but ponder.

He didn't have a hobby of being watched by crowds, but this play had many student extras, and Beijing Film Academy was not a bad choice; it could also be considered giving back to the school.

"Hmm, that's possible, but we must control the number of people so as not to affect the filming."

"Of course, everything takes the filming tasks as the priority."

Wang Jinsong was also very clear that for everyone at Beijing Film Academy, there was nothing more important than the appearance of a director who had achieved a Grand Slam at the European Big Three.

"That's fine, but Teacher Wang, you'll have to shave your head bald at that time. You don't mind, do you?"

"For the sake of the character, these are small matters. Besides, I'm afraid these few withered blades of grass on my head won't last much longer anyway, haha." —— Teacher Xue Xiaolu's efficiency was very high; in less than two days, she had completed the casting for "Love is Not Blind".

"Teacher Xue, how much pressure did the school put on you? With this almost entirely Beijing Film Academy lineup, I'm afraid you've broken the tradition of our Beijing Film Academy directors, haha."

Wei Jin looked at the list Xue Xiaolu had finalized and teased with a smile.

"That's not how you put it; I'm not from the Director Department, and besides, I am a teacher at Beijing Film Academy, so I definitely prioritize choosing from my own school. However, the Acting Department did indeed offer some opinions."

Teacher Xue did not hide it and said it directly.

"But the male lead, Wang Kai, is from the Central Academy of Drama. What were you thinking?"

Although he was an artist from his own company, Wei Jin hadn't given a heads-up this time, so he asked with some curiosity.

"This young man's acting has a lot of spirit. This somewhat effeminate character was truly handled so perfectly; I really like him a lot."

Teacher Xue felt some emotion; even with her intentional bias, Wang Kai was still able to stand out, so he truly fit the character. Regardless, one still had to be responsible for the quality of the film.

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this. Wang Kai's acting was indeed quite good, and with the training from several previous roles, playing a "sissy" man was indeed something he could handle with ease. However, he would have to find some roles for him to transition later, otherwise, if the characters were too similar, his acting path would become fixed.

"Fine, let's settle it with your choice. When do you plan to start filming?"

This film didn't have a high budget, and Teacher Xue's casting wasn't much of a problem, so Wei Jin didn't need to intervene.

After a slight thought, Xue Xiaolu gave her answer: "Hmm, in two weeks."

"Good."

That afternoon, Shanhe Media announced the casting list for "Love is Not Blind".

Insiders in the circle discovered that this film was very interesting; ninety-nine percent of the people were from Beijing Film Academy.

"This is a rare occurrence; the tradition of Beijing Film Academy directors cannot be lost."

"From the director to the screenwriter, and then to the actors, this time it can almost be said to be a pure Beijing Film Academy lineup."

" 'Love is Not Blind', investment of 10 million, Four Dan Actresses Yang Mi joins, expected to start filming in mid-November." —— On the first day of November, the media reported the box office for "Passengers", 955 million.

With the film's current daily box office trend of 10 million and a seven-day extension, breaking the 1 billion mark was a foregone conclusion, which meant that domestic films would officially enter the 1 billion era.

Many filmmakers, despite being mentally prepared, still felt it was unreal when they actually saw this number. It was too fast; the domestic film market was developing too fast.

Just as everyone in the industry was attracted by the box office of "Passengers", the Film Bureau announced the filing information for "Whiplash".

"Film 'Whiplash', musical art film."

"Production company: Shanhe Media."

"Director: Wei Jin; Screenwriter: Wei Jin; Female lead: Liu Yifei; Other roles: To be determined;"

In an instant, the circle was in an uproar again. Many people remembered the bold words Wei Jin said when he just won the Golden Bear: he would conquer the European Big Three one by one. This art film was likely going to launch an assault on the Venice Golden Lion Award.

For any actor with a pursuit of honor, the European Big Three were the supreme holy land, not to mention that Wei Jin's luxurious track record had already proven that the probability of his films winning awards was truly very high.

Many people began to inquire about the situation of this film, wanting to know the character information, and among them, the male actors were the most eager, after all, the female lead was already taken.

Shanhe Media also quickly announced the character requirements:

"Male lead: 16-24 years old, handsome features, with a foundation in musical instruments."

In an instant, the students at the three major academies collectively reached a climax; this was simply a role tailored for them.

You have to know that the family conditions of most art candidates were not bad, and they would more or less learn some extracurricular interests. Even if they couldn't be called proficient, they probably wouldn't have any problems handling the audition.

Soon, the resumes of male actors from the three major academies who met the criteria drifted toward Shanhe Media like snowflakes. Today's second update (End of chapter)