Chapter 353: Slapping

Beijing, Dongshanshu.

On the large, soft bed, an intense card game is currently underway.

As Wei Jin plays a "King Bomb," time and space seem to have been pressed with a pause button, and this card game finally comes to an end.

Several minutes pass before Jing Tian finally collects her thoughts; without realizing it, she has already lost three games in a row.

Although playing cards with Wei Jin is very enjoyable, tonight's game truly exhausted her card-playing strength.

After a good while, Jing Tian leans over onto Wei Jin's chest, acting somewhat coquettishly.

"Brother, why were you so fierce tonight?"

The corners of Wei Jin's mouth curl into a smile, and he reaches out to stroke the young girl's hair.

"Heh heh, not feeling jealous anymore, are you?"

"Hmph, those two women looked like they were up to no good the moment I saw them."

Jing Tian lifts her head and pouts her delicate little lips in protest.

At the cocktail party just now, that Clara and Wang Ou looked at Wei Jin as if they wanted to devour him on the spot; naturally, she wouldn't give them a pleasant look.

After the banquet ended, she hurriedly dragged her man home, only to be met with a "brutal beating."

"Silly girl, how could they compare to you? Tian Tian, you must know that in my heart, you are always one of a kind."

Wei Jin holds the girl in his arms with some doting, gently caressing her perfect, snowy breasts.

No matter how fragrant a wild flower is, can it really compare to a peony? "Mmm~~~"

Listening to the man's sweet nothings, Jing Tian turns her anger into joy; she certainly knows her status in Wei Jin's heart is extraordinary, it's just that there are too many of those flashy, cheap women coming one after another, which makes her somewhat irritable.

Her man is too outstanding; it really is a source of distress. — Early in the morning, before Wei Jin had even gotten out of bed, he received a call from Han Sanping: "Wei Jin, there is truly hope, there is truly hope! The midnight box office was 13.68 million, it's incredible!"

Han Sanping's voice is very excited; this figure has refreshed his understanding, even more terrifying than the previously ferocious performance of *Transformers 3*.

Judging by this figure, breaking one billion at the box office will be a breeze.

More importantly, Wei Jin's films have never had a situation where they dropped the ball halfway through; the cycle for reaping box office returns is very long, and since it also dominates the National Day Slot, the hope for breaking records is truly great.

"Han Dong, then let us just wait for the good news."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin doesn't find it strange; the current film market is no longer what it used to be.

With the release of *Thieves* this time, the support from the cinema lines is very strong.

As the film's producer, China Film Group's affiliated cinema lines were quite powerful this time, providing a super-strong screening share of over 55%.

And as the most steadfast ally, Wanda, despite not having an investment share, still provided a screening share as high as 60%.

As for the Shanhe Cinema Line, that goes without saying; the screening share is as high as 70%.

The other major cinema lines have basically all provided a super-high screening share of over 40%, especially the Shanghai New Film Association, perhaps due to instructions from Ren Zhonglun, with a screening share exceeding 50%.

With such support, it is only fitting that *Thieves* achieved this result at the midnight box office.

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin takes a moment to look at the situation of other films.

The data for the first week of several domestic films released in late September is out.

Due to the collapse of word-of-mouth and the fermentation of the *Tian Shang Ren Jian* incident, *The Sorcerer and the White Snake* reached 74.4 million in its first 4 days, but over the next three days, it only reported less than 40 million.

As of now, it has been released for 7 days with a cumulative box office of 108 million, but the single-day box office has already fallen below 10 million, basically declaring it out of the National Day Slot.

On the contrary, *Mural* has been steady over the 7 days, actually overtaking *White Snake* to report 110 million, with the single-day box office still maintained above 10 million; it is estimated that it can still reap quite a bit during the National Day holiday.

Enlight even posted on Weibo to provoke the *White Snake* side: "Congratulations to *Mural*, released for 7 days, successfully achieving profitability!"

As for *Xinhai Revolution*, the box office for its three days of release is less than 20 million; if it weren't a tribute film, the cinema lines would probably be dying to pull it from theaters.

Putting down his phone, Wei Jin turns his head to look at the young girl still fast asleep; she was worn out last night. — Wei Jin did not participate in the promotional roadshows for the release of *Thieves* this time, but he had made arrangements early on.

With Li Tianwang and Liang Jiahui each leading a team, much like the Mars Squad back then, they kicked off a week-long crazy roadshow.

The scope of the roadshow covered the main box-office-heavy cities in the country.

Having just finished a roadshow, Liang Jiahui, Wu Jing, and Wang Ou sit in a nanny van, preparing to rush to the next one.

"The fans are truly crazy."

Liang Jiahui's tone carries a bit of emotion; he has participated in many film roadshows, but this is his first time for a Wei Jin film.

"It's normal; the appeal of Director Wei's films in the country is really no joke."

The one speaking is Wu Jing; he has already participated in many of Wei Jin's film roadshows, and back then, *Brotherhood of Blades* and *The Martian* were no less impressive than this.

"Brother Jiahui, Brother Jing, do you think our film really has a chance to defeat *Avatar* and take back the box office record?"

Wang Ou, who is in the van, interjects; *Thieves* is definitely the most important work since she entered the industry, and although her role isn't too big, if the box office explodes, the boost for her will also be significant.

"No problem, I have confidence in Director Wei." — After receiving the news from Han Sanping that restrictions on imported films would be lifted next year, Wei Jin began pondering how to launch some blockbuster films to compete; now that the script is selected, he is just waiting for the "tools" to arrive.

It's just that he didn't expect that someone would bump into him before he even took action.

In the office, Wei Jin looks at the bald man in front of him.

"What? You also plan to transition into being a director?"

Xu Zheng, sitting on the guest sofa, nods hurriedly.

"Yes, President Wei. Over these years, I have appeared in many film works, but most of them are not the style I like..."

Speaking of this, a self-deprecating look appears on Xu Zheng's face, as if he is reminded of *A Journey to the West* from back then, and then he continues with sincerity.

"Previously, when I was filming *One Night in Supermarket* with Yang Qing, it gave me some inspiration. I came this time because I have some ideas and want to chat with you, President Wei."

Wei Jin nods; the film *One Night in Supermarket*, released in the 2009 Summer Slot, achieved a box office of over 12 million with a production cost of less than 2 million, which can be considered a work that reaped both box office and critical acclaim.

"Alright, tell me your thoughts."

Sitting on the sofa, Xu Zheng perks up upon hearing this.

"President Wei, it's like this: I think that in terms of probability, comedies have the greatest potential to be blockbusters. Like *Lost on Journey* before, this film could completely be made into a series, continuing this unique road-comedy style..."

Watching Xu Zheng talk eloquently, Wei Jin cannot help but sigh in his heart; sure enough, people with ambition and ability will eventually emerge.

"Hmm, your idea is very good. In fact, I had already planned to make *Lost on Journey* into a series from the beginning, and the scripts were written long ago."

Xu Zheng heard this and instantly quieted down, his eyes widening as he looked abruptly at Wei Jin, his gaze filled with doubt.

"Then, why have you, President Wei, not launched this project for so many years?"

Glancing at Xu Zheng, Wei Jin said indifferently: "Do you think I have any reason to be in a hurry?"

Xu Zheng was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but quickly realized—it was true, Shanhe Media had several new films released every year, and there was indeed no need to rush the development of such a small-budget series; he then looked at Wei Jin with a look of anticipation.

"President Wei, I wonder if you think the time is right now?"

Seeing Xu Zheng's somewhat eager appearance, Wei Jin nodded. "Then President Wei, do you think I have a chance?"

Having received the reply, Xu Zheng became even more eager; he had originally thought that Shanhe Media had no intention of making a series, so he could just cobble together a script and seek investment.

But now it seemed that was not the case; looking at Wei Jin's demeanor, it was clear he had planned this long ago, and if that were the case, it was hard to say whether the director's chair would fall to him.

Just as Xu Zheng was feeling extremely anxious, Wei Jin's voice sounded in his ear, like the music of the heavens.

"You can take the script back and do the storyboards first; if I am satisfied, it is not impossible to let you direct it."

Wei Jin had originally intended for Ning Hao to direct this script, but unfortunately, the latter was fully committed to literary films for awards, and it would likely be several months before he could spare the energy.

Now that the original director had come knocking, Wei Jin did not need to look far for what he could find close by.

As for Xu Guangtou's character and ambition, Wei Jin believed that with the status Shanhe Media and he himself currently held in the industry, Xu Guangtou could not stir up any trouble.

"Thank you, thank you President Wei, I will definitely prepare well, I will certainly not let you down." — After dismissing the overjoyed and even somewhat incoherent Xu Zheng, Wei Jin instructed Zhu Wei to drive to Yanjiao Villa.

Gao Yuanyuan had been busy with the opening of a new flower shop since last month and had been out and about during this time, so the two had not seen each other for a long time.

Come to think of it, among Wei Jin's four main consorts, only Gao Yuanyuan had a slight head for investment; the chain of flower shops under her name had already opened over a dozen locations, and although they didn't earn much, they at least provided a source of cash flow.

Unlike the other three, whose talent points were all invested in beauty, they were completely clueless when it came to investment and financial management.

Ten-odd minutes later, the vehicle stopped steadily, and Wei Jin knew they had arrived.

After instructing Zhu Wei to come pick him up the next day, Wei Jin opened the door.

Just as he entered the house, he saw Gao Yuanyuan practicing yoga in the living room, her movements quite standard.

Seeing Wei Jin arrive, a flash of surprise crossed Gao Yuanyuan's eyes, and she blinked to signal the man to wait for her.

Wei Jin nodded and, not wanting to disturb her, sat on the sofa to admire the beauty's physique.

Although she was already 32 years old, Gao Yuanyuan's body management was excellent, her skin delicate and fair, not losing in the slightest to those young girls in their twenties.

Even because of the accumulation of time, her whole body was filled with the charm of a mature woman; the "Hupu Goddess" title was truly no exaggeration.

As a set of movements ended, Gao Yuanyuan immediately threw herself into Wei Jin's embrace.

"Xiao Jin~~"

"Hey~~~ Yuan Yuanjie, you're covered in sweat."

Hearing the man's words, Gao Yuanyuan pouted and deliberately hugged her body tighter against his.

"You bad egg, you dare to dislike me? I'm going to get it all over you."

A smile curled at the corners of Wei Jin's mouth as his hands moved to Gao Yuanyuan's beautiful buttocks, accentuated by her yoga pants, and he squeezed them hard before saying teasingly.

"Yuan Yuanjie, if you say that, I might just get it all over your face in a moment."

After years of Wei Jin's instruction, Gao Yuanyuan instantly understood his meaning and couldn't help but spit at him.

"Pah, you really are a bad egg."

Wei Jin heard this, and his hands moved with even more force; it had to be said, through the yoga pants, the feel was really damn good, and the flames in his heart began to rise.

"Yuan Yuanjie, don't you just like me being bad?"

Without waiting for the woman to answer, Wei Jin scooped Gao Yuanyuan up by the waist and strode toward the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Gao Yuanyuan held onto the custom-made handrail, her slender legs already somewhat unsteady.

This card game had been going on for quite a while, and Gao Yuanyuan had already lost a point, but the man wanted to keep playing, so she could only accompany him.

Even so, Gao Yuanyuan had a smile on her face at this moment, her entire body forming a perfect S-curve.

At one moment, Wei Jin left his position and pulled Gao Yuanyuan beneath him.

"Ah!"

Gao Yuanyuan let out an exclamation.

"You bastard, you're actually doing it for real."

"Well, a man has to keep his word, right? Yuan Yuanjie, hurry up."

Gao Yuanyuan naturally understood the meaning in the man's words and rolled her eyes.

"Mmm... Yuan Yuanjie is so great."

After washing up, the two changed into pajamas and went to the bedroom.

Wei Jin took out his phone, waiting for the first-day data of *The Thieves*, while Gao Yuanyuan blew her hair dry on the side.

Before long, Gao Yuanyuan, having dried her hair, climbed into bed and leaned against Wei Jin's shoulder, accompanying him as they waited.

Not long after midnight, the first-day data came out.

49.6 million! Looking at this figure, Wei Jin knew that breaking the record was within reach.

"Xiao Jin, congratulations, you're about to set a record again, mua."

Gao Yuanyuan was no movie novice; she knew very well what this figure represented.

"Yuan Yuanjie, congratulations require a celebratory gift, you know."

Looking at the stunning Da Meiyuan, who looked like a lotus flower rising from the water, she was impossibly beautiful.

"Pah, you little bastard, how can you never get enough..."

"Yuan Yuanjie, who told me to be poisoned by you?"

After saying this, Wei Jin turned over and pinned the beauty beneath him, beginning to play the music and dance.

Just as Wei Jin transformed into the Zhao Zilong of Changshan, the major portal websites also rapidly updated the first-day box office data for *The Thieves*.

"*The Thieves* first day 49.6 million, national theater chains are in the red."

"Director Wei Jin's first Chinese-language crime action film, The Thieves, made 49.6 million on its first day, breaking the opening day box office record for domestic films!"

"The Thieves, king of the National Day Slot films, aims straight for the box office record!"

Once these figures were released, the industry collectively fell silent.

Many people had a premonition that the film would be a big hit, after all, it was directed by Wei Jin himself, and the cast was extremely powerful.

But they never expected the opening day box office to be so explosive, actually surpassing the two massive sci-fi blockbusters, The Martian and Passengers.

The opening day box office is nearly 50 million, and this is just a weekday; once the holiday begins, it will definitely see a surge—could it hit 100 million by then?

Crucially, the word-of-mouth online isn't bad either, with a 7.8 rating on Yinxiang Net, which means the subsequent potential is very strong.

Following this data, 1 billion is definitely no problem, and breaking the record seems to be no issue either. (End of this chapter)