Chapter 360: Good Brother, Bombarding the Golden Chicken, Taking Over the Reins

After a day of auditions, Wei Jin, Lu Yang, and Chen Xi finally confirmed the cast list for *Bottom-Tier Girl* after deliberation.

For the role of the mother, Wei Jin ultimately chose Jiang Shan.

Although Yan Ni's performance was also excellent and she is a fellow native of Wei Jin's hometown, her role as Manager Tong in *My Own Swordsman* is simply too deeply ingrained in people's minds, making it very easy for the audience to be pulled out of the story.

Even during the premiere of *Painted Skin* previously, the moment she appeared on stage, the audience below began to laugh.

By comparison, whether in terms of appearance or acting ability, Jiang Shan is a very suitable choice to play an inspirational mother.

The role of the teacher was given to the company's own artist, Zhang Songwen.

He is still relatively young, and wearing glasses truly gives him a scholarly air; plus, his long-term experience running training classes and his way of interacting with students fit the character's setting quite well.

The role of the father was ultimately given to Xu Yajun, who is the actor who played Qi Tongwei in *In the Name of the People*.

He comes from the Central Academy of Drama, so his acting skills go without saying; he is also of an appropriate age, and his appearance leans toward the serious, making him very convincing as a man of few words.

The role of the younger brother was finally settled on Li Xian, which can also be considered looking after a junior from the Beijing Film Academy.

The cram school student who has a crush on the female lead was given to company artist Bai Yu.

Besides that, there were the child actors; quite a few celebrity children came to audition for this role.

Even 14-year-old Guan Xiaotong, who is already 170cm tall, came to join in the fun; she was recommended by Teacher Jiang.

Honestly, Guan Xiaotong's age is appropriate, but this girl is even taller than Jing Tian; we can't have the female lead grow up after a few years only to become shorter, right?

In the end, the young female lead was chosen as Li Landi, born in 1999.

Honestly, compared to the likes of Xiao Nezha, Zhang Xueying, and Xu Jiao who came to audition, Li Landi's acting skills are not the best.

But when this girl is expressionless, she gives people a sense of being quite dispirited, which fits the character setting of the female lead better.

Of course, all the young girls who came to audition were given the opportunity to make cameo appearances; as for the remaining roles, Wei Jin left them to Chen Xi to handle.

Holding the contract, Zhang Songwen looked at Chen Xi, wanting to say something but hesitating.

"What is it, Old Zhang?"

As a Producer, Chen Xi often went to the company's training center to check on the situation of the company's artists to facilitate subsequent film casting, so she was quite familiar with Zhang Songwen and asked directly without reservation.

"Producer Chen, it's like this: I have an old classmate, about 30 years old, whose acting and such are all decent. I wanted to ask if there are any suitable supporting roles for him in this film?"

"Male or female?"

Chen Xi was not surprised to hear this; everyone has friends and family.

"Male. He has already appeared in a few TV dramas, but..."

Hearing this, Chen Xi understood; it was another case of talent going unrecognized. She had run around film crews herself in her early years and knew the hardships of this industry, so she nodded immediately and said.

"Alright, there is still a role for a homeroom teacher in the film that is of an appropriate age. Bring him over to try out in the next two days."

"Thank you, thank you, Producer Chen."

Eileen Chang once said that fame should be sought early.

Zhang Songwen can be considered a representative of late-blooming success; with the 300-million-box-office *The Piano Tuner* and the male lead in the first domestic medical-themed drama *Heart Surgery*, his rise to popularity is just around the corner.

By contrast, as his good brother, Zhou Yiwei's life has not been so easy.

With a face that is not particularly outstanding, Zhou Yiwei is destined not to take the idol route, and without a wealthy woman to back him, even though he is a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, he basically lives the life of an office worker now, running to various film crews when he has nothing to do, hoping to get an opportunity.

There is no helping it; the entertainment industry is just like this—no one cares about actors who aren't famous.

Although he has already acted in quite a few plays, aside from his debut work where he landed the male lead, he has basically been playing bit parts ever since, and not many audience members recognize him.

Even now, he still lives in the small courtyard on the outskirts of Beijing that he rents with Zhang Songwen.

He is also happy for the achievements his good friend has made.

And so, knowing that Zhang Songwen went to audition for the male lead for the great director Wei Jin today, Zhou Yiwei specifically went to the vegetable market to buy some pig head meat that he likes, so they could celebrate tonight.

Unlike famous stars who have to disguise themselves when going out, Zhou Yiwei just wore a short-sleeved shirt, jeans, and flip-flops to the vegetable market.

After getting the snacks for the drinks, on the way back, Zhou Yiwei even greeted the old man playing chess at the entrance of the small shop by the roadside.

Returning home, Zhou Yiwei specifically cooked a few dishes, and just as he placed them on the table, he saw Zhang Songwen walk in with a joyful expression.

"Old Zhou, good news..."

"Looking at you, you passed the audition, right? Congratulations! That's the male lead for Director Wei Jin; I've even prepared the pig head meat for you."

"No, let me finish speaking..."

Zhang Songwen waved his hand, feeling a bit anxious.

"I've secured an opportunity for you in this film. Although it's a supporting role, as long as you leave an impression on Director Wei on set, with your acting skills, there will definitely be many opportunities in the future."

Hearing this, Zhou Yiwei was very moved; his old brother hadn't forgotten him.

"Thanks, Old Zhang."

"Why say such things..."

Zhang Songwen punched Zhou Yiwei in the chest, then laughed at himself a little.

"I only dared to speak up once I had some achievements myself; otherwise, with so many films in the company, there should have been an opportunity for you long ago."

"Old Zhang, don't say that. Big companies have many rules. I don't want to leave a bad impression on the higher-ups because of my affairs. Let's take it one step at a time, brother; it's quite good, really."

As they spoke, Zhou Yiwei opened a bottle of wine; it was home-brewed liquor from his hometown, which was also Zhang Songwen's favorite.

Zhou Yiwei first filled Zhang Songwen's glass, then filled his own, and then raised his glass with a sincere face.

"Old Zhang, seriously, thanks."

Looking at Zhou Yiwei, scenes of the two of them meeting, getting to know each other, and supporting each other seemed to flash through Zhang Songwen's eyes, and he said no more, raising his glass.

"Let's not talk about that. We're brothers; let's have a good drink today and celebrate."

"Good, I've had it prepared for you for a long time. Look, these are all dishes you like. Come, let's have one."

"Cheers!"

After a glass of wine went down, both of their faces turned red rapidly, showing that the alcohol content was not low.

"Old Zhang, you've made it."

"Old Zhou, you've become popular too."

This was one of the few ways the two brothers encouraged each other during their days of hardship. But at this moment, they felt it was incredibly fitting, and it was as if a ball of fire was burning in their chests.

They were going to be popular! Wei Jin didn't expect that just by having a night of passion with Jing Tian, he would be bombarded by the news of yesterday's Golden Rooster Awards ceremony.

Looking at the news online, Wei Jin had to admit that when it came to being a pitfall, it had to be the Golden Rooster.

This was completely treating Feng Dapao like a monkey.

The Best Film was not *Aftershock*, the Best Director was not Feng Dapao, and the Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Oscar Best Screenplay, cinematography, and sound recording were all not *Aftershock*.

*Aftershock* had a full nine nominations, but in the end, it only took home the scraps of Best Art Direction and Best Music.

The key was that Wei Jin hadn't even heard of the films that won; this whole operation was very baffling.

You have to know, Feng Dapao had specifically rushed back from the set of *1942* to attend the awards ceremony, just waiting to receive an award.

As it turned out, he had eagerly run over just to be a prop for others.

The media reports were also very detailed.

"Golden Rooster Awards pull a major upset, exceeding industry expectations!"

"Director Feng kept a dark face the whole time, refused to take a group photo with the organizing committee after the ceremony ended, and left in a rage."

Shaking his head, Wei Jin could imagine Feng Dapao's mood. It was fortunate that he had previously expressed on Weibo that the Golden Rooster was fair and just; that post had probably been quietly deleted by now, or else would it be left there to slap his own face? Wei Jin quietly took a stroll around Feng Dapao's Weibo and ended up eating an even bigger melon.

Feng Dapao was indeed a "big cannon"; it seemed that a night had passed, but it couldn't calm his anger, and a freshly baked Weibo post had just been released.

"Golden Rooster judges, are your eyes blind? Have the movies you selected ever been screened in theaters? Has any audience member seen them? Which one of them compares to *Aftershock*? Huh? This isn't how you disgust people, is it? Giving me nine nominations, does that just mean letting me be a stepping stone to carry the sedan chair for these films? And you call yourselves expert judges, you don't know a damn thing! That's right, I should have realized it earlier, why Zhang Yimou, Chen Shiren, Jiang Wen, and other directors don't go to the Golden Rooster at all, because they saw through the ugly faces of you people long ago! I'm the only idiot, being played by you like this. When it comes to being clear-headed, it has to be Wei Jin; he's young, but he saw it clearly long ago. I'm so old and I'm still being played like a monkey by you bastards! From now on, play by yourselves, you bunch of dogs."

I have to say, this article by Feng Dapao, flowing for several hundred words, although vulgar, was really punchy.

Wei Jin noticed that the number of likes and shares for this post was skyrocketing, and among them were many well-known figures in the industry, which showed that this year's Golden Rooster had truly lost the hearts of the people.

Before, they at least had to pretend, but now they were showing their cards directly: the Golden Rooster just wanted to promote its own people, what are you going to do about it? The only thing that left Wei Jin between laughter and tears was that many netizens actually ran to his Weibo to praise him for being wise and brilliant; there's really no one else like that.

Continuing to browse the Golden Rooster news, Wei Jin discovered that the trend on the red carpet was becoming more and more open.

Even Liu Xiaoqin, who was several decades old, came out to show off her cleavage, and there was a young model named Zhou Weitong who imitated Yuan Li's outfit at the Huabiao Award Award Award Award Award Awards.

In a see-through black gauze dress, appearing and disappearing, it truly captured the audience's attention.

"This woman's figure is really damn great."

"Brother, what figure is great?"

A sudden voice rang out. Wei Jin wasn't panicked at all; he quietly turned his phone screen black and placed it on the bedside table, then turned around to hug the sleepy-eyed Jing Tian, one hand even covering her milky-white breasts.

"Who else could it be, of course it's my Tian Tian."

"Mmm~~ Brother, don't~~"

Wei Jin understood that when a woman says don't, it means do.

So his hand didn't stop, and in a short while, Jing Tian's pretty face flushed with a crimson glow.

"Tian Tian, this time, how about you be on top?"

Although he was asking, Wei Jin's hands were already supporting the girl, lifting her onto his lower abdomen.

Before the girl could react, the two of them had completed their cooperation.

"Mmm~~ Brother, be gentle..."

Wei Jin had a playful look on his face, gently swaying the girl's slender waist.

"Tian Tian, the initiative is in your hands now, you call the shots."

All day long, the media was reporting on the Golden Rooster's shady operations and Feng Dapao's shelling of the Golden Rooster.

But the Golden Rooster didn't make a sound, and it was unknown if they were organizing some kind of excuse.

However, what was certain was that after Feng Dapao's shelling, the Golden Rooster's already shaky credibility was halved again, dropping to a quite dangerous level.

It wasn't until the evening that the Golden Rooster organizing committee's announcement arrived late, and the content was also very ridiculous.

"The judges of the Golden Rooster Awards are all experts in the industry. The judging of the awards is open, fair, and just. There is no such thing as a misjudgment. We suggest Director Feng continue to work hard and strive to win the award next time."

Honestly, it would have been better if the Golden Rooster hadn't come out to explain. After this explanation, not only was there all kinds of mockery in the industry, but even the netizens couldn't stand it anymore.

Xing Pie Ran: "Screw your experts, just report the names, and I'll go see the works of those experts."

A Fei Kuai Pao Ba: "Forget it, those who have never worked in film and television in their lives, how do they have the nerve to call themselves experts? Since when have experts become so worthless?"

Mo Men Da Dizi: "A typical case of laymen manipulating insiders. If the Golden Rooster keeps going like this, I feel like it won't even be as good as the Hong Kong Film Awards, sigh."

Time came to the 24th.

In the film market, *The Thieves* could be said to be far ahead of the pack during the entire National Day Slot.

Currently, it had been released for 25 days, the box office had already reached 1.248 billion, and the single-day box office was still maintaining around 20 million.

Even if they couldn't break the 1.378 billion record of *Avatar* in the final week, Han Sanping had already prepared for an extension.

As for *Painted Wall* and *The Sorcerer and the White Snake*, they were taken off the screens after eating the last of the weekend box office dividends.

*Painted Wall* was released for 32 days, with a box office of 235 million.

As expected, Old Wang's celebration banquet invitations were widely distributed in the industry; it could be seen that he was quite happy.

And rightly so, compared to the 30 million production cost, Fiber was going to make at least 50 or 60 million this time; the profit margin was too high, who wouldn't want to drink a little more?

What's more, Fiber's stock also took advantage of this tailwind and rose all the way, an increase of over 20% compared to before the film's release. In terms of personal wealth alone, Old Wang's net worth had risen by at least several hundred million this time.

Of course, Wei Jin also made a small profit, and although it couldn't be cashed out immediately, it was just comfortable to look at.

In contrast, Julong Film's *The Sorcerer and the White Snake* was miserable.

After 【Tian Shang Ren Jian】 and the 【Li Lianjie incident】, the entire box office plummeted, barely finishing the one-month release period, and finally reporting 180 million.

Compared to the production cost of at least 150 million, it could be said that they lost their shirts.

More importantly, this film was originally intended to promote Huang Shengyi, but unexpectedly, it knocked her out of the ranks of first-tier actresses.

Huang Shengyi was very anxious right now; the competition among actresses was extremely cruel. Her endorsements, acting contracts, and press releases were all gone, and she could only pin her hopes on Yang Zi.

"Honey, don't worry, our new project is about to start. This time there will be two Kung Fu Hustle superstars acting with you; it's an absolutely high-quality project."

(End of chapter)