Chapter 347: The Wrath of Zuoshandiao: Big Sister Really Knows How to Play

Inside the chairman's office at Shanhe Building.

After Wei Jin finished processing some of the company's documents, he took some time to look into information regarding the film market.

How should one put it? The September film market can only be described with the word "dismal."

Several imported films, such as *Captain America* and *Deadly Abyss*, completely steamrolled the domestic films released in the first ten days of the month.

The first to bear the brunt were *Love in Space* and *My Kingdom*.

*Love in Space* is a film invested in by Huayi, with a production budget of 20 million, aiming to replicate the performance of *Hot Summer Days*, which grossed over 100 million at the box office.

But this film has been out for over a week and has only grossed 36 million, with the daily box office already falling to four or five million; looking at this situation, let alone grossing over 100 million, there is likely pressure even to break even.

*My Kingdom* is the work of crossover newcomer director Ai Dajin; this guy roped in Han Geng and Wu Zun to star, vainly attempting to replicate the miracle of a fan-driven film.

Unfortunately, Han Geng cannot compare to Zhou Dong, and Ai Dajin is a hundred and eight thousand miles behind Zhang Yimou.

For a film with an investment of 70 million, the opening day box office was less than 7 million, and after being in theaters for over a week, the box office is still less than 30 million, with the daily box office having fallen below 3 million; it is destined to be a bloody loss.

As for *Aftermath*, which Hong Kong had high hopes for, the box office barely climbed to 200 million before running out of steam, and it has already been pulled from theaters early.

Looking at the imported films, on the other hand, the daily box office for almost all of them is over 10 million.

Even *Source Code*, a low-budget production from Summit Entertainment, has already raked in over 80 million at the box office after two weeks of release, and currently, the daily box office is still maintaining over 5 million; breaking 100 million is clearly easy.

Under these circumstances, the films scheduled for release in late September have already begun a frenzy of hype.

The promotion for *The Sorcerer and the White Snake* is quite interesting, using the Kung Fu Emperor Li Lianjie as a promotional gimmick; on the street posters, his billing is almost overshadowing the male lead.

*Mural* is using the husband-and-wife duo of Deng Chao and Sun Li as the main force for promotion.

It is worth mentioning that both of these films have made the special effects of Shanhe Ink a key point of their promotion, mentioning them frequently.

*Xinhai Revolution* is not to be outdone, holding its premiere in Jinling half a month in advance.

Ren Zhonglun of Shanghai Film Group even spoke domineeringly at the premiere, stating that this film is benchmarked against *Beginning of the Great Revival* and *The Founding of a Republic*, and that it will even surpass the latter two in both word-of-mouth and box office.

As for *The Thieves*, produced by Shanhe Media, the promotion started very early on.

With a powerful cast and the brand name of Wei Jin as writer and director, although the momentum is not as exaggerated, the audience's anticipation is definitely the highest.

In the last two days, the first wave of stills and behind-the-scenes footage for *The Thieves* was just put online, and it immediately attracted the attention of a large number of viewers and netizens.

"If we don't agree, we just fight": "Is this South Korean actress's figure too explosive?"

"Harmless Citizen": "You can always trust Wei Jin's aesthetic; as expected, it's long legs and straight, it's too great."

"Black Wings": "Li Tianwang is so handsome, but it's a pity he's a villain?"

"Five Forms Daoist": "Zhang Hanyu is actually a big villain? Looking at the film's name, could it be that everyone is a bad guy?"

Shaking his head and ignoring the netizens' speculations, Wei Jin arrived at Shanhe Ink, only to see Ning Hao still busy editing, while Lu Yang had already disappeared.

"Senior brother, how is the situation?"

"Junior brother, you've come at the right time; help me look at this version of *The Great Buddha*."

Ning Hao's eyes lit up when he saw Wei Jin; the post-production for this award-chasing film was basically finished, but he always felt there were some unsatisfactory parts.

"Alright, wait for me a moment."

Patting Ning Hao on the shoulder, Wei Jin found the technical staff working on post-production.

"How are things with those films?"

"President Wei, *Gravity* has numerous special effects shots, and the workload for the CG scenes is huge. All the equipment here is already in use, but the efficiency still can't be increased. According to the current progress, it will take at least 10 more months."

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this; he had long had a premonition about the post-production of this film.

"What about the others?"

"*Once Again* and *Saving Mr. Wu* are relatively simple and can be completed in about a month; *Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons* has only just begun, and it is estimated to take another 4 months."

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this; Zhou Xingxing's efficiency is alright. *Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons* wrapped up in mid-July. This time, with Shanhe Ink doing the post-production, the final film should have a better effect. Hopefully, it can reach a new height in terms of box office.

"Alright, don't be anxious; slow work yields fine products."

"Understood, President Wei."

After understanding the project progress, Wei Jin and Ning Hao went to the small screening room and began to analyze the film.

"Senior brother, I think this shot..."

While watching, Wei Jin compared it in his mind and actually put forward quite a few suggestions.

Near noon, Wei Jin received a call from Han Sanping and felt a bit strange.

However, he was not in a hurry; he leisurely had lunch at the company and even took a midday nap before slowly heading toward China Film Group.

Arriving at China Film Group, Wei Jin walked toward Han Sanping's office with ease, but before he reached the place, he heard Han's angry cursing.

His footsteps paused slightly, and after waiting for a while, he saw the secretary come out, so Wei Jin pulled her aside to ask.

"What's wrong with Chairman Han? Why is he so angry?"

The secretary was also very familiar with Wei Jin, so she did not hide anything when asked.

"President Wei, it's about *Beginning of the Great Revival*."

"That shouldn't be enough to cause this, right?"

Wei Jin was a bit strange; *Beginning of the Great Revival*, which had been in theaters for 90 days, had been pulled, with a final box office of 440 million.

Although this result could not compare to the first film and did not meet China Film Group's goal, compared to the production cost, it was profitable no matter how you calculated it. Even if Han was in a bad mood, he shouldn't be this angry, right?

The secretary saw Wei Jin's confusion and shook her head with a bitter smile.

"It's not about the box office; it's that Ai Dajin."

Following the secretary's explanation, Wei Jin figured out the whole story.

Just two hours ago, Ai Dajin, who had just been released from prison, posted on Weibo.

He bluntly stated that *Beginning of the Great Revival* had stolen box office revenue from *My Kingdom* during the last ten days of its run, and even judged that it had stolen twenty percent; his words were truly categorical! This matter quickly began to ferment, and the brainless fans of Han Geng and Wu Zun began their chaotic operations, actually attacking the official Weibo of *Beginning of the Great Revival*.

Right now, the comment section is full of all kinds of foul language, which is unbearable to look at.

Regarding Ai Dajin's actions, Wei Jin shook his head; *Beginning of the Great Revival* was a tribute film directed by Han Sanping himself. Isn't this just poking the tiger? If Han Sanping doesn't teach him a lesson, then he would be unworthy of the reputation of Zuoshandiao. In the future, wouldn't everyone dare to shit on Han's head?

Sure enough, before Wei Jin could even ask, the secretary chattered away and revealed Han Sanping's method of handling it; in her view, this matter couldn't be kept hidden anyway.

"President Wei, I am going to contact the heads of the major cinema lines next. If we don't slash the screenings for *My Kingdom* to nothing this time, I'm afraid Chairman Han's anger won't easily subside."

"Alright, go get busy. Shanhe Cinema Line will cooperate fully."

After dismissing the secretary, Wei Jin walked into Han Sanping's office, where Old Han was currently drinking tea to nourish his spirit. It was clear that Old Han's ability to cultivate his temperament was quite well-honed, as there was not a trace of anger on his face at this moment.

"Chairman Han, you summoned me in such a rush, what's the matter?"

Wei Jin sat down on the guest sofa in a relaxed manner and lit a cigarette.

"You brat."

Watching Wei Jin's familiar, unceremonious manner, Han Sanping scolded him with a laugh, then his face turned serious again.

"I called you over because there is a matter I need to give you a heads-up on in advance. The quota for imported films will be opened up next year. You brat, don't just spend your days making small-budget films; hurry up and produce big-budget ones, otherwise, I'm afraid you won't be able to hold your ground."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin quickly sat up straight. "Has it been decided?"

"Not yet, but the diplomatic note regarding the negotiations has already been sent over, and the intent is expressed very clearly. I will give a heads-up to the several leading companies and major directors in the country one by one. Let's prepare to face it head-on."

Speaking of this, Han Sanping seemed to be getting angry again.

"Wei Jin, among private enterprises, Shanhe Media has to carry the banner. I'm afraid we can't count on Huayi Brothers."

Wei Jin thought of the letter to shareholders from Huayi on his desk and nodded.

Previously, Huayi had acquired one thousand mu of land each in Shanghai and Suzhou, and by now, the investment plans had already been released.

Huayi expected to invest 7 billion to build two "Cultural Cities," which could be called a massive undertaking.

Once the news broke, Huayi's stock price soared in response, and there was all sorts of flattery within the industry.

But a capital scale of 7 billion had completely exceeded Huayi's investments in the film and television industry. Both Wei Jin and Han Sanping understood that the two brothers' minds were no longer on movies.

"Chairman Han, I understand."

Although with Wei Jin's current net worth, he didn't need to care about the gains or losses of the domestic film market box office at all, since he wanted to build an entertainment empire, he absolutely could not abandon the film market.

Wei Jin had already made up his mind that the pace of future film releases had to be accelerated, and the more relevant "tools" he had, the better.

"Mm, as long as you have a plan in mind."

Seeing that Wei Jin had become uncharacteristically serious, Han Sanping knew that he had taken it to heart.

After chatting about some trivial matters for a while, Han Sanping remembered one thing.

"By the way, Wei Jin, do you have any thoughts on pushing *Whiplash* for the Oscars?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin remembered that September 30th of each year is the registration deadline for the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film, and it was almost that time now.

But then he felt a bit strange; according to the new policy requirements, only films that had been released domestically were eligible to be recommended to register for the competition for the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film.

Logically speaking, *Whiplash* didn't meet the criteria, did it?

When Wei Jin voiced his confusion, Han Sanping shook his head.

"The films released this year don't really fit the themes for an Oscar push. The Bureau's intention is to make an exception this time."

After listening to Han Sanping's explanation, Wei Jin understood a bit; for the Film Bureau, an Oscar push was also a major political achievement, and Director Tong still wanted to choose the one with the best chance of success.

"Chairman Han, although *Whiplash* won the Jury Grand Prize, the chances for this subject matter are slim. I don't plan to spend that wasted money."

Han Sanping was not too surprised; from the matter of selling the copyright in Venice, he had already seen Wei Jin's intentions.

"Alright then, we'll just have to consider it further." — Leaving China Film Group, Wei Jin headed to Yanjiao Villa. He had been running around outside too much lately and had spent too little time with Ceng Li and their daughter.

Seeing Wei Jin, Ceng Li was very pleasantly surprised.

"Why did you come over? Isn't it Bazaar today?"

Hearing this, Wei Jin pulled Li Jie into his arms and said softly.

"I'm not going. Bazaar happens every year; it's meaningless."

The Bazaar Charity Night had been held for nine years now.

Although it claimed to be for charity, it was more of an entertainment nature. Many celebrities attended not because they had a loving heart, but merely to fight for exposure.

Wei Jin really had no interest in such activities that carried a sense of showmanship.

Knowing that Wei Jin didn't like such occasions, Jing Tian and Liu Yifei were both very understanding and didn't force him.

From this point of view, Wei Jin felt that it was impossible for him to capsize.

"But if you don't go, will others gossip?"

"What is there to gossip about? My donations over these years have been much more generous than Bazaar's. Besides, the company has arranged for an administrative representative to go; there won't be any mishaps."

Wei Jin was telling the truth. This year's Bazaar theme was caring for impoverished children. In this regard, whether at the company level or the private level, he beat Su Mang by who knows how many times; who would dare to have an opinion? "Besides, no activity is as important as you two."

Hearing Wei Jin's words, Ceng Li was very happy and cooked in person that evening, making him his favorite Sichuan dishes.

After a warm dinner, Wei Jin accompanied his daughter to play for a long time.

It wasn't until the little girl was exhausted and fell fast asleep that Wei Jin got up and went to the bedroom.

I have to say, a mature woman is great; she already knows how to create an atmosphere herself. She really knows how to play.

Ceng Li had already bathed and changed into the pajamas Wei Jin liked best; they were vaguely invisible, yet the peek-a-boo effect was full of temptation.

At this moment, Ceng Li was lying on her side on the bed, a large expanse of snow-white skin on her chest exposed, her fair and plump thighs half-bent, and the short hem of her skirt couldn't cover her full, perky, beautiful buttocks at all.

What a picture of a beautiful woman sleeping like a pear blossom in spring!

Seeing that Wei Jin was slow to act, Ceng Li stretched out her slender, fair fingers, beckoned, and said with a coquettish tone.

"Brother, how much longer do you want me to wait?"

Wei Jin felt a jolt through his whole body. I have to say, this tone, this manner, and this expression—the acting skills of a Golden Horse Best Actress were definitely no joke.

"Baby, don't be impatient, Brother is coming to cherish you right now."

Quickly untying his restraints, Wei Jin leaped forward and pounced on her.

Soon, the cries, cheers, and applause in the room intertwined, like a grand symphony. — Han Sanping's words were still very effective.

The next day, the film *My Kingdom* had over 80% of its screenings slashed directly across several major cinema lines.

The cinema chains also provided a very legitimate reason: "Because the attendance rate and box office feedback for *My Kingdom* were relatively poor, adjusting the screening schedule is a reasonable market behavior!"

After only one morning passed, Ai Dajin learned why the Horse King has three eyes; he posted three consecutive Weibo messages to apologize, explaining that he had made a mistake.

Unfortunately, the fire Han Sanping had ignited could not be quelled by a mere apology, could it? This time, no one could stop him from making an example of someone to warn the others.

The box office for *My Kingdom* was already dismal to begin with, and now it had almost completely vanished from the film market.

For a time, many companies that had just entered the film industry truly witnessed the demeanor of Zuoshandiao. (End of this chapter)