Chapter 372: Mature Woman, Master of Deception

The first-day box office for *White Vengeance* is out.

A first-day figure of 26.8 million is considered a decent result.

Consequently, the Hong Kong media has started reporting on it extensively; after all, whether in terms of the director or the production crew, the Hong Kong content is just too high.

"The historical blockbuster *White Vengeance* rakes in 26.8 million on its first day, achieving a flying start!"

"26.8 million on the first day, *White Vengeance* officially fires the first shot of the New Year Slot, with box office expected to exceed 500 million!"

Although the Mainland China media is not as hyperbolic, they are unanimously optimistic.

After all, this is a weekday box office; based on this performance, a daily box office of 30 to 40 million on the weekend should be no problem.

However, the word-of-mouth reviews online are a bit hard to describe.

Book16030913: "Damn it, a 200 million historical blockbuster, can the costumes and props be more professional? Does Li Rengang like those UFO hats so much? Did he just drag the props from *Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon* out to use again?"

As I Hear It Little Lai: "Sure enough, Hong Kong directors' gangster films never disappoint; they've gone and turned the Chu-Han Contention into a Tongluowan street brawl. What a talent!"

Xu Pei: "If you're going to adapt history, at least respect it, right? This is basically alternate history now, isn't it? The key is that it's also a total mess, a botched ending."

LzHHHH: "To be fair, Yang Mi's Yu Ji is lacking; the performance has no highlights at all."

Bad Kid: "Nonsense, it's so big, the costume can barely wrap around it, how can you say there are no highlights?"

Drifting Salted Duck Egg: "Honestly, Yang Mi's screen time is too short, she's just a vase character; why would she appear in such a trashy film?"

"."

Browsing the reviews on Yinxiang Net, Yang Mi's expression is uncertain; although the box office figures are quite good, the word-of-mouth seems to have collapsed across the board.

"Jia Jie, what should we do? Will this affect my drawing power?"

Having finally become an actress capable of carrying a 400 million box office alone, and looking at the trend of *Love is Not Blind*, which might even break 500 million, Yang Mi has started to cherish her reputation.

"Mimi, don't worry yet. Isn't this only the first day? Maybe it's just competitors smearing you?"

Ceng Jia can only offer comfort; in her view, this is indeed possible, for instance, from the side of *The Banquet*.

However, Yang Mi does not quite agree with Ceng Jia's take.

As an actress, perhaps one doesn't feel anything wrong while filming, after all, the scenes are fragmented.

But looking at the comments now, Yang Mi feels that what the netizens are saying is quite reasonable, not the kind of malicious negative reviews.

"Forget it, I won't think about it anymore, let's wait and see later."

Wei Jin does not know what is on Yang Mi's mind; after giving Rouba some "stick-based education," he heads to the China Film Digital Production Base.

Today is the boot ceremony for *Ex Machina*; whether as the boss or the screenwriter, he has reason to come and support the new director Guo Fan.

As one of the investors, Enlight Media also sent Executive Vice President Li Xiaoping to show support in person.

The two chat for a while, and the boot ceremony soon begins.

On-site, quite a few media outlets have come; after all, he is a newly signed director for Shanhe Media, and the script was provided by Wei Jin, so the level of attention is actually not low.

Not to mention, Guo Fan is worthy of having gone to Hollywood with a film crew; facing the reporters' interviews, he is not stage-frightened at all and speaks eloquently.

As the screenwriter, Wei Jin naturally cannot avoid being interviewed.

"Director Wei, may I ask why you wrote such a script?"

"I just wanted to explore what kind of choices a robot would make once it possesses human intelligence."

After the usual routine, Guo Fan dismisses the media and gathers the actors to start the script reading session.

It must be said that the directors of Shanhe Media are cut from the same cloth; almost everyone has learned this method from Wei Jin.

"Your character is that kind of geeky programmer. During the official shoot, you need to be a bit dull and introverted, don't be too sharp..."

Wei Jin listens from the side, nodding and smiling from time to time.

The actor Zhang Luyi is quite good; he can play both righteous and evil roles, and can play both heroes and villains convincingly.

Guo Fan continues: "Your character is a deep-thinking robot, but don't let it show on the surface. This is a sci-fi mystery film; you need to make it so the audience can't tell."

"As for Teacher Zhang, just play it naturally; bring out the temperament of a wealthy tycoon..."

"Director Guo, what about me?"

Perhaps because the director didn't call her name, or perhaps seeing Wei Jin present, Zhang Tianai actually gathers the courage to vie for a chance to perform.

"You? You're a robot, just keep a blank expression and stay cold."

Guo Fan clearly doesn't think this vase character needs any acting skills or scene guidance, and continues chatting with the three main leads.

"Alright, you've read the script enough, and everyone's character positioning in the film is clear, so let's give it a try first."

Watching the progress of the set setup, Guo Fan mimics Wei Jin's sense of ritual and shouts through a megaphone.

"*Ex Machina*, first scene, first take, action."

In the evening, Wei Jin treats the crew to a meal as usual.

Guo Fan's alcohol tolerance is decent, much better than Lu Yang's; he is indeed a Graduate Student who has been tempered by society.

To Wei Jin's surprise, Han Jianv is actually able to adapt to such an occasion, frequently raising her glass to him at the table.

This gesture makes Wei Jin laugh.

After drinking three glasses with her in a row, looking at Han Jianv's slightly flushed face, Wei Jin wears a playful expression.

"Didn't your old man tell you that I'm immune to a thousand cups?"

"He did, but I didn't believe it."

Han Jianv is quite regretful now; her throat is burning, her stomach is churning, and she still has to be mocked by her senior.

"Alright, don't drink anymore tonight, lest your old man says I'm bullying a child when you go back."

Upon hearing this, Han Jianv is not having it.

"What are you talking about, I'm already 25..."

As she says this, she prepares to raise her glass again, and Wei Jin immediately puts on an unhappy look.

"If you don't listen, I'm going to kick you out."

Wei Jin's threat was indeed effective; Han Jianv put down her wine glass sullenly and buried her head in eating.

This little display drew good-natured laughter from everyone at the table, and Wei Jin couldn't help but smile; it had to be said, Old Han's status at home was quite high.

After the small interlude, others from the film crew began to move about, and Zhang Tianai took the initiative to bring her glass over to offer a toast.

"Senior Brother Wei, I'd like to toast you. Thank you for signing me into the company and giving me the opportunity for the second female lead; otherwise, I'd still be running bit parts somewhere right now."

As she spoke, she tilted her head back and downed an ounce of Moutai in one go.

Although it wasn't the first time he had seen this girl drink, Wei Jin was still taken aback, and the people in the private room cheered in unison.

"Tian Ai, you've got that wrong. It's true that I signed you into the company, but I didn't interfere with the casting this time at all. I'm afraid you've toasted the wrong person, haha."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tianai's face, already flushed from drinking, turned even redder; she had been under the impression that it was Wei Jin who appreciated and promoted her.

However, she had good mental fortitude and immediately flashed a smile at Wei Jin. "I still have to thank you for signing me."

After saying this, she used the small steel glass in front of Wei Jin to pour herself another full drink, then turned and raised her glass to Guo Fan beside her.

"Director Guo, thank you for choosing me. I will definitely perform well in the future."

Without waiting for Guo Fan to reply, she downed it in one gulp, and the room erupted in cheers again.

The dinner ended, and everyone dispersed.

"Sister Qian, aren't you coming back with me?"

Zhang Tianai called out to Wan Qian before leaving; the two of them currently lived in the artist apartments, so logically they should have returned together.

"No, I have some things to take care of."

Wan Qian waved her hand and walked toward the parking lot.

"Hm? She doesn't seem to have driven here."

Filled with curiosity, Zhang Tianai kept her eyes on Wan Qian's direction.

Although it was a bit far, Zhang Tianai vaguely saw Wan Qian get into a black Mercedes, and a thought surfaced in her mind.

Wan Qian had no time to concern herself with Zhang Tianai's guesses; she had been empty for several months now.

As soon as she got into the car, she took the initiative to crouch down.

With a feeling of pilgrimage, Wan Qian finally met the friend she had missed for so long, parting her lips to offer infinite tenderness and tolerance.

Feeling the mature woman's passionate service, Wei Jin also began to respond with his own hand techniques.

Perhaps it had been empty for too long; by the time the two arrived at the Golden House, Wan Qian had already climaxed once.

"Why don't you get some good rest? You still have to film tomorrow."

"No, I don't want to."

Wan Qian did not appreciate Wei Jin's good intentions; having finally encountered the opportunity, how could she let it slip by?

Crouching down again, Wan Qian continued her unfinished work.

A few minutes later, seeing that the position was adjusted, Wan Qian turned and lay on the sofa, taking the opportunity to lift her long dress, revealing her perky buttocks wrapped in black silk.

Seeing the woman's determination, Wei Jin did not hesitate and pressed against her.

"Oh~~~"

Soon, rhythmic clapping sounds echoed within the Golden House, accompanied by cheers and shouts, like a grand symphony.

That night, Wan Qian felt incredibly fulfilled. The next day, Wei Jin buried himself in the post-production editing work for Bottom-Tier Girl.

The post-production for this film was very simple, and Wei Jin planned to finish it within a week.

After a morning passed, Wei Jin took advantage of his break to pay attention to the film market.

The second-day box office figures for The Last Supper were out.

The figure of 21.2 million was truly jaw-dropping.

One must know that, unless it is a specific holiday, the first-day box office is generally not as high as the second day, as word-of-mouth still needs time to ferment.

But The Last Supper's performance, a direct plunge of 5 million, basically meant the film's reputation had collapsed.

Wei Jin flipped through the reviews on Yinxiang Net, and sure enough, that was the case.

A massive amount of negative reviews and mockery not only flooded Yinxiang Net but even the official Weibo for The Last Supper had been overwhelmed.

To be honest, even Wei Jin felt these netizens' comments were truly too sharp.

Tongtong's Machine Gun: "A historical film by a Hong Kong director, it's really fucking brainless. As a history novice, I can't help but complain: when the assassination of Qin Shi Huang happened, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang hadn't even started their uprising yet; who the fuck made Xiang Yu a king?"

What a GP Name: "Is the plot about biting off a pinky finger for real? It feels like a plot from a Liu Bei novel..."

Kenjiseija: "It's a complete waste of such a good cast. Li Rengang, you should stop ruining historical subjects."

"..."

Looking at this situation, Wei Jin shook his head; at this rate, let alone breaking even, it was questionable whether the box office would even exceed the production costs.

At noon, Wei Jin ate lunch at the company canteen as usual, took a midday nap, and was just planning to go to Shanhe Ink for post-production when Chen Zhiming walked in.

"President Wei, LeTV sent an invitation. Boss Jia wants to invite producers and directors in the industry to attend their investment gala."

"Oh? What exactly are they investing in?"

Wei Jin had just woken up, and his mind was still a bit groggy.

"They say it's aimed at the entertainment industry; LeTV provides the capital and channels, while directors and producers provide the projects, and both sides cooperate..."

"Heh, isn't this just seeking cooperation? They even put together a high-sounding investment gala. Just reject it directly."

Wei Jin shook his head; he didn't want to deal with Boss Jia, that master of deception.

"Alright, I understand."

Chen Zhiming followed instructions readily; Shanhe Media was now self-sufficient. Let alone LeTV, even other companies in the circle had to bring equivalent resources if they wanted to cooperate. What did LeTV have? LeTV was currently just an empty shell; it had nothing!

Those in the circle who actually went to suck up to them, aside from that group of directors from Hong Kong who were short on money, or those in Mainland China who wanted to transition into directing, were just a bunch of actors and artists trying to step onto the path of capital.

They were not on the same scale as Shanhe Media at all, so there was indeed no need to interact.

However, since it was rare to find Wei Jin in the office, Chen Zhiming seized the time to report on some work.

Wei Jin smoked a cigarette while listening, nodding from time to time.

During the more than a month of filming, he had almost completely ignored company matters, but for now, it seemed to be running very well.

The post-production for "Eastern Palace" was completed some time ago, and the company organized a screening for television stations.

The competition this time was quite intense; the price per episode soared all the way from 1.8 million to 3 million, and it was eventually secured by a joint bid from Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang, and Hui Province Satellite TV.

The production cost of this drama was 80 million for a total of 50 episodes, and the first-run broadcast rights alone directly realized a profit of 70 million.

Adding in the subsequent second and third runs as well as the online streaming rights, Wei Jin conservatively estimated that the profit would be at least over 200 million.

"By the way, Lao Chen, how is the preparation for those two dramas going?"

Seeing the television drama market becoming increasingly prosperous, Wei Jin, who rarely asked about television drama affairs, could not help but start caring about the company's new projects.

"Director Jiang is still preparing over there. You also know that the pre-production for these two dramas will be quite long. According to her estimate, it will still take about half a month or so."

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this; the ones being launched this time were "Joy of Life" and "Ghost Blows Out the Light: Longling Labyrinth".

As a large-scale period drama, the former required a long time just for costumes, makeup, props, and set design; although the latter was a modern drama, neither building the physical sets nor creating the special effects models could be accomplished overnight.

The long preparation time was, in fact, within Wei Jin's expectations.

"Hmm, the primary consideration for our dramas is not efficiency, but quality. The more solid the preliminary work, the fewer troubles there will be later on. You tell her not to rush and to take it slow."

"Understood, President Wei."

After dismissing Chen Zhiming, Wei Jin headed to Shanhe Ink to continue burying himself in post-production work. (End of this chapter)