Chapter 385: Teacher Liu Preaches and Teaches

Since Da Meiyuan had decided to have a child, Wei Jin could not simply let nature take its course; Li Jie's accidental pregnancy back then had kept him on edge for a long time.

Early in the morning, Wei Jin began making phone calls to arrange various pre-pregnancy preparations; after all, Gao Yuanyuan was no longer young, and pregnancy carried risks.

Health check-ups, nutritional supplements, and other pre-pregnancy preparations were all arranged by Wei Jin for Gao Yuanyuan. Additionally, he himself planned to quit smoking and drinking; at least during this period before Da Meiyuan became pregnant, he needed to avoid them as much as possible.

Honestly, for someone who has smoked for a long time, quitting is very difficult, but Wei Jin did not have much of an addiction to smoking; it stemmed more from a habit, and this kind of situation was still relatively easy to quit.

As expected, when Wei Jin told Da Meiyuan about his decision, it moved the beauty once again.

Regardless of the broad daylight, she started playing a role-playing game with Wei Jin.

After some intimate whispering and nuzzling, it was already nearly noon.

Looking at Da Meiyuan lying limp on the bed, Wei Jin shook his head, got up, and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch himself.

In the afternoon, not long after Wei Jin arrived at the company, Chen Zhiming came to his office to report on work.

After several hours of back-and-forth, the overseas rights for *Mojin: The Lost Legend* had been settled.

MK2 secured the rights for the European region at a price of 8 million Euros.

As for the rights for the North America region, Wei Jin had already settled that with Hunter over the phone previously for 12 million USD.

Calculating it, the overseas rights price for *Mojin: The Lost Legend* reached as high as 22 million USD, directly recouping the production costs.

Honestly, at this price, it would be difficult for both companies to recoup costs relying solely on theatrical distribution, but through DVD channels, there was definitely money to be made.

"By the way, President Wei, when do you plan to schedule the annual meeting?"

Hearing this, Wei Jin was momentarily dazed; this year's Spring Festival was relatively early, and there were only a dozen days left until New Year's Eve, so the company annual meeting indeed needed to be prepared as soon as possible.

Wei Jin then flipped through the desk calendar and picked a date.

"Let's schedule it for the 19th. Also, schedule the premiere of *Once Again* for the 21st."

Speaking of this, Wei Jin remembered Zhang Yimou's phone call from yesterday.

"Lao Chen, go to New Picture and negotiate to buy out Ni Ni's contract; this matter needs to be done as soon as possible."

Chen Zhiming understood instantly; the agreement between Shanhe Media and Zhang Yimou had not yet been made public, so there was no conflict with New Picture yet. If they waited until the signing was completed, Zhang Weiping would likely not let her go.

"Understood, President Wei, I'll go right now."

*The Patriot Yue Fei* film crew.

After a scene ended, the Assistant, Taozi, walked over carrying a thermos.

"Sister Shishi, drink some hot water."

"Thank you."

Taking the water cup, Liu Shishi took small sips to replenish her hydration.

"Sister Shishi, Sister Tang Tang called just now, but she didn't say what it was about on the phone. Do you want to call her back?"

"Oh? Then I'll call her back."

Liu Shishi took the phone handed over by the assistant, found the number, and dialed it.

Because of *Xuan-Yuan Sword*, she and Tang Yan had become acquainted.

After several months of filming together, plus the fact that both worked in Shanghai, the two would occasionally make plans to go shopping or watch movies, so their relationship was quite good.

"Hello, Tang Tang? What made you think of calling me?"

"Shishi, can't I miss you?"

Tang Yan's sweet, affected voice came through the phone, the soft Wu dialect accent sounding quite pleasant.

"Why miss me? I'm not a handsome guy, so I can't give you a warm hug."

Liu Shishi said in a cheerful tone, teasing her.

"Tch, how boring. By the way, when do you wrap up filming?"

"Hmm, probably in another ten days or so. Why?"

"Oh, I see. Are you going back to Shanghai after you wrap up?"

Liu Shishi thought for a moment and shook her head in reply.

"Probably not. It's almost Spring Festival; I'll probably return to Shanghai after the Spring Festival."

Liu Shishi was born into a Hui family in Beijing; her father ran a small business, and her mother was a full-time housewife.

With the Spring Festival approaching, because she was about to star as the female lead in a movie, Tangren hadn't arranged any more public appearances for her. Liu Shishi naturally wanted to spend the New Year properly with her parents and, incidentally, go on a date with her brother.

"Ah? Is that so? I was hoping we could get together properly if you came back to Shanghai. It's been a long time since we went to Lao Hu's Japanese restaurant to mooch off him."

"Hahaha, if Lao Hu knew you were thinking about mooching off him every day, he'd probably regret opening the restaurant. Haha..."

Liu Shishi covered her mouth and laughed. Seeing the crew calling for work to start, she hurriedly said into the phone:

"Tang Tang, I have to start work. Let's chat when we have time, bye-bye."

"Wei Jin, I saw your company's new script at the Bureau. How much is the investment this time?"

Receiving the call from Han Sanping, Wei Jin cursed him for being a sly fox.

To avoid being watched, he had specifically arranged for a new face from the company to submit the script; he hadn't expected the fortress to be breached from within the Film Bureau.

"Han Dong, the investment is 30 million. The director is also a newcomer, Xu Zheng."

Wei Jin didn't believe that if he put it so clearly, Han would still have any ideas.

"Hmm? You're handing it to a newcomer? I remember Xu Zheng isn't even from a professional background, right? You think highly of him?"

Han Sanping's tone was very surprised. Although *Lost on Journey* was a low-budget film, its box office had broken 100 million back then, and the sequel would likely not be bad either. Handing it to a crossover director—wasn't this too bold? "Han Dong, you don't need to worry about that."

These words from Wei Jin really choked Han Sanping; this matter indeed wasn't something he should be worrying about.

However, this script was clearly going to be filmed in Thailand, so how could the budget be only 30 million? Could this kid be doing this just for show? After grumbling to himself, Han changed the subject.

"By the way, Wei Jin, I'm preparing to apply for an extension for *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate*..."

Wei Jin nodded, understanding the meaning behind Han Sanping's move.

Although *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* was a 3D blockbuster with high ticket prices and flashy special effects.

However, because the number of 3D and IMAX screens in the country is limited, and many viewers are unwilling to settle for less, a very strange phenomenon has appeared in the current film box office.

That is, the occupancy rate for 3D and IMAX theaters is extremely high, while the situation for regular theaters is quite average.

This has also led to the film's daily box office failing to rise, which is somewhat worse compared to the initial trend of *Mojin: The Lost Legend*.

Relying solely on the theatrical release period, the hope for *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* to break 1 billion is not very high.

In order to obtain a higher revenue-sharing ratio, it is reasonable for Han to make some preparations.

After all, if it can break 1 billion, that would be an extra 1.5% share, which is 15 million right there.

In terms of investment proportions, the other production companies could get several million more in profit; one must know that the net profit of many films they control doesn't even reach that high.

For the production companies, an extension is definitely a cost-effective matter, and Wei Jin certainly wouldn't refuse.

"Fine, Han Dong, you make the arrangements."

"Good, I will submit the application as soon as possible. By the way, your script should pass review in a few days, start preparing early."

"Hm? Is it that fast?"

Now it was Wei Jin's turn to be surprised. Although there was nothing in this script worth auditing, isn't the Film Bureau's efficiency a bit too high? It's only been a few days. "Yes, the negotiations over there will likely have results after the Spring Festival. The situation is not optimistic. The Bureau's stance is that for this year's scripts, as long as there are no issues of principle, it's a green light across the board, especially for your company. But you kid should still start on a big project early."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin understood; the Bureau was pointing at Shanhe Media to be the vanguard. "Fine, I understand. Then thank you, Han Dong."

After chatting for a few sentences, Wei Jin hung up the phone and fell into deep thought.

Honestly, relying on his own appeal and Shanhe Media's content production capabilities, Wei Jin does not take Hollywood blockbusters to heart.

Looking at the domestic box office of later generations, it is still a situation dominated by Chinese-language films; it is merely a temporary difficulty.

"It's nothing more than soldiers coming to block and water coming to cover; we'll talk about it when the time comes."

Lao Chen's efficiency was high; in just two days, he bought out Ni Ni's contract.

"Lao Chen, did Zhang Weiping not give you a hard time?"

In Wei Jin's impression, Zhang Weiping is not someone easy to deal with; that it was settled so smoothly made him very surprised.

"President Wei, of course it wasn't that simple. That guy opened his mouth and demanded double the breach-of-contract penalty, and if I didn't give it, he would drag it out or sue the artist, acting as if he had nothing to fear. He never even thought about taking the money and letting the person go."

Once Wei Jin heard this, he understood. Doubling the breach-of-contract penalty is clearly a violation of the contract, but since Zhang Weiping still chose to do so, it was aimed at dragging things out to wear them down.

The goal was to blacklist one person to warn other artists; after all, more than half of the *The Flowers of War* cast were signed to New Picture, along with Dou Xiao and others.

"Ruthless. But Lao Chen, how did you negotiate it down?"

Chen Zhiming heard this and revealed a smug smile.

"President Wei, do you remember the finance team we sent earlier? I just mentioned a few things, and he folded. Haha."

Wei Jin understood in an instant. Although they were auditing Zhang Yimou's accounts, there were certainly many transactions with New Picture involved; this was equivalent to obtaining New Picture's internal vouchers.

If Zhang Weiping really dared to make a scene, New Picture and he would be finished directly, without Shanhe Media even needing to act.

After all, the tax authorities are not just sitting around! But Lao Chen's methods made Wei Jin feel a bit alarmed, and he couldn't help but offer a reminder.

"Lao Chen, let this matter end here."

"Don't worry, President Wei, I understand."

Chen Zhiming had a solemn expression; he completely understood what Wei Jin meant.

To tell the truth, among the companies in the entertainment industry, every single one of them has a dirty backside; it's just that no one has investigated them yet.

A company like Shanhe Media that cares so much about tax issues and has a clean record is definitely one in a million.

But using such methods will only make the industry fearful.

After all, some things can only be done, not spoken of!

"Alright, since the matter is handled, notify Zhang Yimou's side and prepare to sign the contract."

"Good."

In the evening, Wei Jin went to Liu Yifei's place; the young girl had just returned from her grandmother's house.

Although they hadn't seen each other for only ten days or so, because they would soon have to start new roadshows and promotions, Liu Yifei appeared incredibly enthusiastic.

The two kissed intensely, as if they wanted to merge into one another.

Wei Jin's hands flew up and down, his slender fingers incredibly nimble, and he quickly stripped the girl bare.

"Brother, love me."

The beauty sent the signal, and Wei Jin naturally did not hesitate, entering gently under the moonlight. After a bout of entanglement, Wei Jin held the girl as they leaned comfortably against the headboard.

"Yifei, how is your singing practice going? You have to perform live at the film premiere; don't make a fool of yourself then."

For the film *Once Again*, because of the grandson character, they needed to do music, so Wei Jin specifically wrote three songs.

They are *Echoes of the Rainbow*, *After I Leave*, and *Our Tomorrow*.

Among them, *Our Tomorrow* was the theme song in the original film, but Wei Jin felt it wasn't very fitting, so he changed the theme song to *Echoes of the Rainbow*.

The other two were used as insert songs and promotional songs.

At first, Wei Jin intended to let a professional singer from the company sing it, but Liu Yifei liked the song *Echoes of the Rainbow* very much, so he simply handed it to her.

The remaining *After I Leave* was given to Jin Zhiwen; his voice is relatively raspy, and it has a lot of flavor when he sings it.

The song *Our Tomorrow* was sung by Bai Yu in the film. Of course, because he is not a professional singer, this kid spent a long time in the recording studio.

"Brother, don't look down on people. I've been practicing for several months; how could there be a problem?"

Facing the man's questioning, Liu Yifei was a bit unhappy, her little mouth pouting high.

"Fine, fine, fine. We'll see how you perform then. But don't wear white silk stockings then, hahaha."

Hearing Wei Jin bring up her dark history, Liu Yifei's little face turned red.

When she first debuted on the singer route, aside from *Warm*, which Wei Jin gave her, Sony had prepared a song called *Heart Palpitation* for her, following the path of a Japanese-Korean girl group, wearing a silver short skirt and white silk stockings, jumping and dancing.

Thinking about it now, even Liu Yifei herself feels a bit of *Shame*.

"Hmph, Brother, if you do that again, I won't talk to you."

"Alright, alright, Yifei, I'm just teasing you."

Wei Jin held the girl in his arms and coaxed her for a good while; within two minutes, the little girl was beaming with joy again.

However, what the little girl said next took Wei Jin by complete surprise.

"Yifei, did you just say the school invited you back to be an examiner? You agreed?"

Honestly, given Liu Yifei's current status, being an examiner was nothing, but the operations of Beijing Film Academy were always baffling, and Wei Jin didn't want her getting dragged into certain matters.

"Mm, Teacher Zhou called me personally, so it was hard for me to decline. Fortunately, I've been assigned to the second round of auditions."

"Hmm, alright then."

Since the little girl had already agreed, Wei Jin couldn't say much more. Besides, the number of people in the second round was smaller, so the probability of problems arising was much lower. He then teased, "Then congratulations to you, Teacher Liu."

Hearing this new title for the first time, Liu Yifei felt a bit shy, but a hint of delight immediately followed.

"Hee hee, Brother, you calling me 'Teacher' makes me feel quite embarrassed."

Looking at the girl's fair, rosy, and charming face, a playful smile appeared on Wei Jin's face, and his hands had already started to become restless.

"So, Teacher Liu, this student would like to play a game with you, how about it?"

After these years of cultivation, Liu Yifei was no longer some naive little flower who didn't understand anything; as soon as Wei Jin struck this tone, she instantly got into character.

"Slap!"

The little girl swatted away Wei Jin's wandering hands, maintaining her teacher persona.

"Student Wei, when speaking to your teacher, you must be polite; you cannot be so lewd."

It had to be said that the little girl's roleplay was quite on point, and Wei Jin also began to cooperate.

"Teacher, I don't want to be like this either, but who told you to be so charming? Imparting the Dao, receiving the night, and resolving the fire—surely you aren't just saying that, right?"

Wei Jin emphasized these words, and the little girl understood what he was saying almost instantly, a blush appearing on her face.

"Pervert, Teacher is going to educate you properly tonight."

"Teacher Liu, this student is willing to accept the punishment!"

That night, Teacher Liu imparted her Dao, received the student's fluid, and incidentally resolved the fire for both of them.

It could be called completely fulfilling!

(End of this chapter)