Chapter 361

In the capital, inside the Golden House.

On a specially made large bed, a card game was underway, with Wei Jin and Liu Shishi as the participants.

Having not seen each other for over two months, Liu Shishi fully expected to hold her head high, but unfortunately, she didn't know that Wei Jin's card-playing skills were bottomless; he had long since become a human weapon.

In less than an hour, Liu Shishi had already lost several rounds, and having no choice, the girl shamefully called out "Daddy," which was the agreed-upon signal for a truce between the two.

During the rest period, Liu Shishi lay limp on Wei Jin's chest, her whole body languid and weak.

After some time, the girl came to her senses, looked up at Wei Jin's sharp-featured profile, and became somewhat infatuated.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Shishi?"

Noticing the girl's gaze, Wei Jin cupped her pretty face with one hand and asked.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to spend more time with you before the TV series starts filming."

"The Patriot Yue Fei" was about to start filming, and at the thought of the 70-plus episode production cycle for the period drama, Liu Shishi felt a bit reluctant to leave; this was why she insisted on having a brief, indulgent tryst with the man during the break in the press conference.

"Silly girl, you're just going to film, not going to prison."

Wei Jin pulled the girl closer into his arms and stroked her hair.

"Besides, if you miss me, just call me, and I'll try my best to come visit the set."

"You have to keep your word."

Liu Shishi pressed her forehead against the man's chin, acting a bit spoiled.

"Alright, if I lie to you, I'm a little puppy, okay?"

Stroking the girl's curvaceous body, Wei Jin felt a bit emotional; as expected, once he possessed her body, occupying her heart was only a matter of time.

In just three short years, Liu Shishi had become completely devoted to him, and as such, he could not let down the beauty's affections.

Thinking of this, Wei Jin had an idea.

"Shishi, after this drama ends, keep your schedule open."

"Ah? Brother, are you going to arrange another role for me?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi's face immediately lit up with surprise.

The current drama hadn't even started filming yet, and the man was already planning to promote her again; if anyone said he didn't care about her, Liu Shishi wouldn't believe it even if she died. It seemed that her years of gentle offensive had finally left a mark on his heart.

If Liu Shishi was only happy just now, then Wei Jin's next words made her weep with joy.

"Shishi, after this drama, I will prepare a movie for you. Although I won't be directing it personally, the script is tailor-made for you."

With a boom, as if struck by a bolt of lightning, Liu Shishi just stared blankly at the man, her large eyes quickly misting over.

"Why are you crying? If the 'Little Lions' see Shishi crying, they'll lose interest in you."

Pinching the girl's nose with some doting, Wei Jin smiled and wiped away her tears.

Unexpectedly, Wei Jin's gentle actions didn't make the girl happy; instead, she burst into tears.

"Wuu wuu~~ Brother, why are you so good to me, wuu wuu~~~"

Seeing the girl's tear-streaked face, Wei Jin felt a pang of heartache, but he only held her tighter without trying to persuade her further.

He knew that due to the disparity in their status, Liu Shishi had always felt a bit inferior when being with him.

At this moment, her long-awaited feelings had received a response, and what she needed wasn't comfort, but a window to vent her emotions.

Just like that, Wei Jin leaned against the headboard of the large bed, holding the weeping girl in his arms, stroking her hair with one hand and comforting her smooth back with the other.

After a long while, the girl finally stopped sobbing, and Wei Jin cupped her pretty face with both hands, earnestly wiping away the tear stains.

"Shishi, I'm not a good man, and perhaps I can't give you what you want, but I will do my best to cherish, protect, and help you."

Listening to the man's somewhat heartless love confession, a smile gradually appeared on the corner of Liu Shishi's mouth.

Three years had passed, and Wei Jin's iron-like heart had finally begun to melt under her tenderness; even if she still wasn't on par with those other women, she figured she had finally secured a place in his heart.

The future is long, who can say for sure? Filled with joy, Liu Shishi rested her head on Wei Jin's shoulder, enjoying the rare time for just the two of them.

It's just that a woman's thoughts are always wild; one moment Liu Shishi was overjoyed that the man had her in his heart, and the next she began to worry about whether she could act well in the movie.

Honestly, Liu Shishi knew her own acting limits.

As someone without formal training, although she had debuted for many years and spent some time with Hu Ge at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, when it came to acting, one could only call it "so-so."

At this moment, the worry in Liu Shishi's heart actually outweighed her longing for the big screen.

"Brother, I... can I act well?"

Looking at the girl's cautious demeanor, Wei Jin used his strength to pull her onto his lap.

"Shishi, your acting is indeed very green, but this script is just right for you. Trust me, and trust yourself, okay?"

"Mm, Brother, I trust you."

Encouraged by the great director, Liu Shishi gained confidence, and a smile bloomed on her pretty face.

"Brother, thank you."

Wei "Eighteen" had been pressed by the girl's shapely bottom for so long that it was time to counterattack; Wei Jin's hands began to cover Liu Shishi's small but exquisite and firm breasts.

"Shishi, just thanking me with words is very insincere."

Sensing the heat coming from beneath her, Liu Shishi's pretty face flushed slightly.

"Brother, whatever sincerity you want, I will grant you."

Wei Jin sat up slightly, his hands gripping the girl's slender waist, sliding down slightly to a certain place, and whispered in her ear:

"Shishi, tonight I want to take a detour."

Seemingly imagining the scene to come, Liu Shishi got goosebumps all over, and her pretty face turned red to the roots of her ears.

But looking at the longing in the man's eyes, she still nodded gently, making a barely audible sound.

"Mm~~~"

As the girl's voice trailed off, Wei Jin was overjoyed and turned her around.

Liu Shishi immediately lowered her head to start "shuffling the cards," while Wei Jin took the auxiliary props out from the drawer.

After some preparation, Wei Jin began to embark on the divergent path of Liu Shishi.

"Oh~~"

This night, Liu Shishi felt a sense of fulfillment and happiness she had never experienced before!

It must be said that Feng Dapao was very hot-headed this time, and that post remained pinned to the top of Weibo.

It is said that many people sent him messages hoping he would delete it, but Feng Dapao simply hid on the set of *1942* and ignored them entirely.

So much so that the heat of the matter remained high, and it was fiercely mocked by the upcoming Golden Horse Awards, losing a great deal of face.

In the end, the Film Bureau could no longer sit still; they stepped in personally and, citing "negative influence," "earnestly" persuaded Feng Dapao to delete the post.

However, Wei Jin heard that Director Tong had lost his temper in the office, and it is estimated that for the next Golden Rooster Awards, he likely won't let this group of people continue to operate.

But regarding the future of the Golden Rooster, Wei Jin is not optimistic. Once this batch of people is removed, those who replace them will still be from their same circle—all a bunch of amateur losers who don't produce anything.

If the Golden Rooster is toyed with by them like this, it will be ruined sooner or later.

The matter of Feng Dapao gradually came to an end, and the eyes of the industry were drawn to another film.

"The 220 million yuan investment 3D action treasure-hunting blockbuster, *Tianji: Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains*, officially started filming in Hangzhou today."

At the press conference, the media all stared at Liu Tianwang, and the questions they asked were very deliberate.

"May I ask Liu Tianwang, you previously rejected *Thieves*, but now you have taken on another treasure-hunting film, *Switch*; I wonder what your thoughts are on the two?"

"Let me correct you: it wasn't a rejection, it was because the schedule didn't align. It is a pity I couldn't collaborate with Director Wei. As for this *Switch*, I am looking forward to it."

Liu Tianwang wore a smile on his face, and his answer was watertight; he is truly worthy of being a superstar who has remained popular for decades.

Immediately, the media shifted their focus to several of the producers.

"May I ask Han Dong, China Film is also a producer of *Thieves*; do you think the box office of *Switch* can catch up to the former?"

Facing the reporters' cameras, Han Sanping appeared very excited, and his face carried absolute confidence.

"I believe that *Switch* will not be worse than *Thieves*; perhaps the box office results will be even better."

Looking at Han Sanping in the footage, Wei Jin didn't even know what to say anymore.

Sun Jianjun is a film company boss who hasn't even directed a movie himself, yet he is personally helming such a massive project. Has Han Sanping gone insane? China Film invested 75 million yuan in *Switch*; it is highly probable that they will lose their shirt.

Thinking about the money China Film has earned following Shanhe Media over these years, it has all been lost on one blockbuster after another.

"Old Han is afraid that he is fated not to be able to hold onto wealth."

After a sigh, Wei Jin began to worry about Old Han's official career. At this pace, he fears that according to the original trajectory, he won't have many years left in his term. Receiving a call from Liu Tianwang, Wei Jin was quite surprised.

"Hua Ge, you just started filming today, how do you have time to call me?"

"Director Wei, I think I've been tricked again this time."

Across the phone, Wei Jin could feel Liu Tianwang's helplessness.

Wei Jin also didn't expect that Liu Tianwang had previously only seen the outline of the script and had only seen the complete script as of today.

According to him, the theme of the script is treasure hunting, but reading through the entire script, the plot is completely incomprehensible—it is utter nonsense.

Honestly, Liu Tianwang's eye for choosing scripts is really quite average, but for him to say a script is rotten, it can only mean the script is already so rotten it's unwatchable.

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin shook his head and could only mourn for Liu Tianwang.

This time, it was either a favor or a high salary that led Liu Tianwang to join, but regardless of which it was, it is destined to consume his appeal.

The title "Box Office Poison" is something Liu Tianwang will likely find very difficult to wash away.

Thanks to anti-piracy efforts and the cast members calling on audiences to support the film on Weibo every day, the daily box office for *Thieves* remained in the range of 15-20 million yuan.

As of October 26, the box office for *Thieves* had reached 1.286 billion yuan.

It is only 92 million yuan away from the record of *Avatar*, but there are still 6 days left before the film is pulled from theaters.

For a time, the eyes of the entire film circle were focused on this.

Although this film had nothing to do with them, there is no filmmaker who does not hope that the top of the box office chart is a Huaxia film.

A large number of stars and artists began to spontaneously call on their fans on Weibo to contribute to reclaiming the top of the box office chart for domestic films.

Even the cinema chains began to launch movie-going package deals.

Although they knew there was an Extended Key from Han Sanping as a safety net, this time, it seemed all Huaxia filmmakers hoped to win fair and square.

At this moment, it seemed like everyone was of one mind! At the same time, Wei Jin held a low-key opening ceremony for the *Bottom-tier Girl* crew.

Although there was no fanfare or press conference, it still couldn't stop the enthusiasm of the media reporters.

"Director Wei, may I ask what story *Bottom-tier Girl* is actually telling?"

"This is a story about persistence and about a comeback."

"So that means it's an inspirational film; what is the difference between it and *Whiplash*?"

"It's different. If *Whiplash* is a crazy pursuit of a dream, then *Bottom-tier Girl* is a gentle healing of life. There is no madness, no heart-wrenching pain; there is only persistence and effort."

After answering a few simple questions, Wei Jin dismissed the reporters and then gathered the cast and crew to begin the script reading.

The story of *Bottom-tier Girl* is very simple: it is the comeback journey of a rebellious girl, an interesting journey from having bottom-tier grades to getting into a prestigious national university.

The content of the script is not complex, and it is very easy for the actors to understand.

Under Wei Jin's leadership, the reading session was finished in one morning.

In the afternoon, Wei Jin took the crew to officially start filming.

A large portion of this film's scenes were completed in cram schools and schools, so the first day of filming was at a school in the suburbs of Beijing.

At this time, the set was already set up, and the first scene was the young heroine being bullied at school, with her mother coming to discuss transferring schools with the school.

Wei Jin sat behind the monitor and picked up the megaphone.

"Attention all units, we will officially start filming in 30 seconds."

"Lighting in position."

"Props in position."

"."

As one voice after another rang out, the floor manager appeared in front of the camera.

"Bottom-Tier Girl, scene one, take one, action."

In the frame, a little girl was sitting on the horizontal bar of the playground, her eyes gazing ahead with a somewhat vacant look, as if contemplating some philosophy of life.

Under the gentle breeze, the girl's short hair fluttered.

Following a shout from a classmate, a soccer ball flew over and smashed into the girl's head, and the little lead actress fell from the horizontal bar as intended.

"Cut."

Wei Jin watched the footage on the monitor; in post-production, this shot would be made into slow motion to highlight the girl's lonely and helpless situation.

"This take is a pass, actors prepare, props prepare, 10 minutes to transition."

After a series of instructions, Wei Jin came to the horizontal bar where safety mats had been laid, looking at Li Landi who was brushing off the dust.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Director Brother."

As she spoke, Li Landi revealed a sweet smile; compared to when she wasn't smiling, the contrast was truly great.

"That's good, prepare for the next shot."

"Mm, Director Brother, I will work hard."

(End of this chapter)