Chapter 380: The Wolf is at the Door: Xue Xiaolu

Xue Xiaolu was very attentive to her second film; taking advantage of her break, she finished the storyboard and came specifically to consult Wei Jin.

To be honest, Wei Jin was not particularly skilled with female-themed films, but he happened to have seen this one, so he did offer quite a few suggestions.

"Teacher Xue, when do you plan to start filming?"

Placing the storyboard on the desk, Wei Jin asked.

"Mid-January, I suppose. You know, Beijing Film Academy has exams."

"No problem, we'll go by your schedule."

Wei Jin expressed his understanding. Xue Xiaolu was a professor at Beijing Film Academy, but unlike typical professors, she actually taught classes; choosing this time to start filming could not be more reasonable.

"By the way, how is the crew preparation going? Shall I have Chen Xi assist you?"

Xue Xiaolu was overjoyed to hear this. Chen Xi was Wei Jin's go-to Producer, and her ability was beyond doubt; having such an experienced hand would make filming much easier.

"That would be wonderful. This shoot requires location filming in Seattle and Vancouver, so it would be best if Chen Xi could come along, but would it be too much trouble for her?"

"It's fine, just consider it a trip with the crew, haha."

After chatting for a few more moments, Xue Xiaolu took her leave. Wei Jin picked up the small card on the table and fell into deep thought.

The annual Oscar nominations were about to begin, and to maintain his status as a voter, Wei Jin had to fill in his choices.

But looking at the attached registration form, Wei Jin was speechless.

That scoundrel Zhang Weiping had actually registered *The Flowers of War* for every nomination category; counting Best Foreign Language Film, it was a full 14 categories—not a single one missed.

Regarding this flashy maneuver, Wei Jin could only shake his head. Damn it, registering for so many categories—has Zhang Weiping prepared the funds for the PR campaign? It's truly absurd.

But on second thought, Wei Jin understood Zhang Weiping's intention; it was nothing more than continued hype. Anyway, registration didn't cost anything, so he might as well use it to increase the buzz for *The Flowers of War*.

"Damn, he's really cunning."

After venting, Wei Jin solemnly filled in his choices on the card.

The news Han Sanping had mentioned earlier arrived, and the headlines of the official media were already plastered with it.

In 2001, in order to join the WTO, Huaxia signed bilateral agreements with Western countries.

This period of the agreement had just expired, and the other side was already impatient to start a new round of talks.

At the negotiating table, the representatives from across the ocean predictably accused Huaxia's film policy of being exclusionary and not open enough, demanding an increase in the number of imported Revenue-sharing Films as well as the revenue-sharing ratios.

This matter was different from Zhang Weiping's petty antics; once inside the relevant organization, one truly had to follow the rules of the game, so the industry had a premonition that these negotiations might not be optimistic.

One must know that in recent years, the domestic policy had indeed been protecting domestic films. According to previous requirements, there were no fewer than 20 imported revenue-sharing films annually, and in reality, the domestic side really wouldn't allow even one more.

This also led to a large number of domestic film companies being coddled into uselessness; since there was a domestic protection month anyway, everyone simply lay back and made money.

There had been many instances in the past where they were hurt by big imported blockbusters; in most cases, they just cried to the Film Bureau, and other than that, they couldn't do anything.

For production companies in the industry, this news was tantamount to announcing that the wolf was at the door.

Wei Jin estimated that once the new policy came down, this bunch of domestic film companies would likely be crying for their parents.

It was just that Wei Jin hadn't expected that as soon as this news broke, quite a few people would come knocking, so he handed everything over to Chen Zhiming to handle.

Near the end of the workday in the afternoon, Lao Chen finally found time to report.

"Hehe, President Wei, you have no idea how naive this bunch of people is."

After sitting down, Chen Zhiming picked up the mineral water on the guest table, took a sip, and then continued to explain.

"At first, they wanted to cooperate with us on films. After I politely declined, they said they wanted to cooperate on special effects. I thought that having clients come to us was a good thing, but guess what they wanted to do?"

Seeing Lao Chen's full desire to vent, Wei Jin had a guess in his heart, but he still asked.

"What did they want to do?"

"President Wei, their so-called cooperation was wanting to buy shares in Shanhe Ink to get a piece of the pie in the special effects sector."

Wei Jin nodded; it was indeed as he had guessed.

These negotiations were not optimistic, and because of the lawsuit with the WTO, the domestic side clearly did not have the advantage.

There were many smart people, and everyone could guess that as imported films increased, the only way to compete was with big-budget special effects films.

And as the premier special effects company in the industry, Shanhe Ink's future business growth was obvious; investing early would definitely only have benefits.

"They really are cunning."

"Isn't that so? Where were they before? We worked so hard to develop special effects and poured so much money into it. Now they want to come and pick the peaches—they're dreaming. I told them directly: cooperation is fine, but if you want to buy shares, the valuation will have to be calculated clearly."

Wei Jin nodded. Since 2005, the money the company had invested in Shanhe Ink over the years had reached the billions. If these people really wanted to invest, he would only consider it if the valuation was at least in the tens of billions.

Afterward, Lao Chen chatted with Wei Jin about gossip.

"President Wei, I heard Zhang Weiping applied for *The Flowers of War* to extend its theatrical run by half a month, but it was rejected by the Film Bureau. Should *Mojin: The Lost Legend* try to apply?"

"Hmm, no need. We've already eaten enough."

Wei Jin shook his head, rejecting the proposal. *Mojin: The Lost Legend* had already hogged the spotlight this time and had already caused dissatisfaction; if they extended the run further, they would truly be a bit insatiable.

Furthermore, the one-billion-yuan bet shouldn't be a problem, so there was no need to care about that little bit of petty profit.

"By the way, has the time for MK2 been set?"

Because there were many countries in the European region and film companies were numerous, the sale of overseas rights was quite cumbersome; usually, one would choose a powerful major distributor and sell the rights as a package.

And MK2 was one of the largest distribution companies in the European region; in many countries, they even had their own cinema chains, so their strength was beyond doubt.

Previously, the European rights for several of Shanhe Media's films had also been handled in cooperation with this company.

The box office performance of *Mojin: The Lost Legend* was quite eye-catching, and many overseas distributors had already taken the initiative to come and ask for prices; MK2 was one of them.

However, to prevent a single distributor from driving down the price, Shanhe Media had also invited many other distributors, such as the veteran European company EuropaCorp.

"It's already been arranged; they will come early next month."

"Good, you be responsible for handling the negotiations then."

Before Chen Zhiming could answer, Wei Jin added another sentence.

"Hmm, bring Wu Ershan along."

"Understood, President Wei."

Unknowingly, the New Year Slot was already more than halfway over, and *Mojin: The Lost Legend* had already been released for ten days.

It is said that when the big two fight, the third and fourth suffer. That is the current state of the film market.

*Mojin: The Lost Legend* is far ahead, occupying 60% of the New Year Slot box office, with *The Flowers of War* following closely behind, carving out a 30% share.

Combined, the two films have completely dominated over 90% of the New Year Slot market.

Including Xu Cairen's new film *Intimate Enemies*, Tang Wei and Zhang Baizhi's *Speed Angels*, and Zhou Dongyu and Dou Xiao's *Under the Hawthorn Tree*, all other domestic films have been pinned to the ground and rubbed by these two blockbusters, with none spared.

As for the media, they are reporting on the achievements of the two blockbusters every day.

"After 10 days of release, *Mojin: The Lost Legend* has broken through to 511 million in box office, becoming the champion of the New Year Slot; its single-day box office still remains above 35 million, and the 1 billion bet is expected to be achieved."

"*The Flowers of War* has been released for 16 days, with a box office reaching 480 million; its single-day box office is less than 20 million, and the 1 billion goal is far out of reach."

"With the New Year's Day holiday approaching, the film market will usher in a climax, and many blockbusters are already poised for action."

"The premiere of *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* will be held at the CPPCC Great Hall on the 29th."

At the same time, news also came from Hunter that several projects at Summit Entertainment had completed post-production.

*Happy Death Day 2* is scheduled for February 17 next year, *The Hunger Games* for March 23, *The Shallows* for June 24, and *A Quiet Place* for April 18.

"Then, how are you considering the schedule for the second half of the year?"

Over these years, as his career focus shifted domestically, Wei Jin has rarely asked about the specific operations of Summit Entertainment, but he was still somewhat surprised that all four films were placed in the first half of the year.

"Boss, we plan to launch *Taken 3*. The actors' schedules have all been coordinated, and we can start filming in February. We expect to finish all post-production work before August, and the release window will be in November or December."

After hearing Hunter's explanation, Wei Jin nodded. The *Taken* series had been on hiatus for two or three years, and it was time to restart it.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Wei Jin hung up the phone and turned his attention to information online.

With the influx of hot money, the film industry has become increasingly prosperous.

Previously, the industry was still mocking that anyone, man or dog, wanted to be a director, but now that they have actually secured investment, everyone can no longer laugh.

Guo Xiaosi publicly called out to the film industry on Weibo: "I have already found 300 million in investment. Next, I will devote myself to creation and adapt the *Tiny Times* series into a film script. It is expected that the film series will meet fans and audiences within three to five years."

Once the news broke, his fans were like it was New Year's, and they began to mindlessly praise him all over the internet.

It was as if the moment Guo Xiaosi entered the film industry, he could surpass the fifth-generation directors, suppress the sixth-generation directors, and become a great international director.

That would be one thing, as brainless fans are not uncommon, but what disgusted Wei Jin was that this fellow actually started trying to ride his coattails again.

"As a fellow post-80s best-selling author, I personally admire Director Wei Jin very much. Whether in terms of box office or international awards, Director Wei Jin will be the goal I learn from and strive to surpass in my directing career."

Wei Jin pondered that when this fellow's film is released, he would leave a few films to teach him how to behave properly.

In the evening, Wei Jin returned to Liu Yifei's place; the young girl had already finished her roadshow, and he needed to fill in her void.

Her mother, Liu Xiaoli, made Wei Jin's favorite Sichuan dishes as usual, and her face did not stop smiling throughout dinner.

With *Mojin: The Lost Legend* showing signs of heading toward 1 billion, the boost for Liu Yifei as the female lead was simply too great. These days, Liu Xiaoli had been exhausted from receiving notices; she now found this son-in-law more and more pleasing to the eye and was wondering when to meet his parents.

Wei Jin did not know about Liu Xiaoli's dangerous thoughts; after dinner, he went upstairs with Liu Yifei.

After the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, stroking the delicate body of the girl in his arms, Wei Jin felt satisfied.

Liu Yifei was tall with long legs and usually exercised a lot, so her physique was different from the average paper-thin beauties in the entertainment industry; she was thin where she should be thin and had flesh where she should have flesh, providing Wei Jin with an excellent experience.

"Chairman Cao?"

"President Wei, do you have time in a few days?"

"What is it, Chairman Cao?"

Wei Jin toyed with Liu Yifei's small but sufficiently perky milky-white breasts, asking with some curiosity.

"It's like this: Weibo has renamed the Network Ceremony; from now on, it will be called Weibo Night. The Network Ceremony next month will officially use this name. Also, I wanted to ask if President Wei has time to attend?"

The Network Ceremony, full name Sina Network Ceremony, was founded in 2004.

It is a comprehensive honorary ceremony that reviews and selects annual hot figures and popular events every year, and its predecessors were the Sina Annual Top Ten News Selection and the Sina Network China Annual Selection.

Although it is a grassroots ceremony, with the expansion and popularity of Weibo, holding an event in the name of Weibo is a matter of course.

Regarding Cao Guowei's invitation, Wei Jin also understood his meaning; Weibo has strong entertainment attributes and pursues maximum exposure, and the guests present can reflect the influence of the event.

As a shareholder of Weibo, Wei Jin naturally supports this.

"It shouldn't be a problem. Is there anything I need to do then?"

"No need, President Wei, you just need to confirm the attendance list, so the organizing committee can arrange awards for you."

Once Wei Jin heard this, he understood; as the highest-grossing commercial director in the industry, if he could go, then the "Most Influential Director Award" would definitely be his.

Although the gold content of the Weibo Night awards is not high, this practice of directly pre-determining awards over the phone made Wei Jin feel quite good.

It was just that regarding the attendance list, Wei Jin had a headache; which of the four women should he bring?

"Alright, I will confirm it in a couple of days, see you then."

"Good, see you then."

Wei Jin hung up the phone and saw the girl looking up at him. Wei Jin did not hide it and told her the content of the call, but unexpectedly, the latter was not interested.

"Forget it, Brother, I won't go. I have to run the promotion for *Once Again* during the Spring Festival this year, so I promised my mom that I would go see my grandmother on New Year's Day, and I will probably stay for ten days or so."

"Hmm, is that so? That's fine. Remember to help me bring some gifts to your grandmother and send my regards."

Wei Jin nodded, which was perfectly fine; this actually solved his big trouble.

"Mm, I will."

Looking at the girl's beautiful, flower-like face, Wei Jin held her on his lower abdomen, his hands kneading those round and full buttocks.

"Yifei, you are leaving again in a few days. Tonight, let Brother love you well, okay?"

Feeling the temperature of the man's palms, a blush appeared on Liu Yifei's face, and she nodded gently.

"Mm, Brother, love me."

Wei Jin then turned over and propped up the girl's slender, beautiful legs.

"Oh~~~"

Accompanied by a soft moan, the room was suddenly overflowing with spring scenery. (End of this chapter)