Chapter 398: Holding Back the

Inside Golden House No. 3, a card game was underway.

Participating in this card game were the great director Wei Jin and Tokyo Film Festival Best Actress Fan Bingbing.

Both of them had excellent card skills, and the battle was somewhat intense.

Wei Jin had to admit that this woman, Fan Bingbing, really knew how to press his buttons; she wore a horizontally cut-out bodycon dress, half-covering and half-revealing, yet flickering in and out of sight, stirring the imagination.

Grasping the cut-out fabric, Wei Jin played his cards quickly while chatting with the woman beneath him.

"The profit last year was pretty good, right?"

"Mm~~~ the net profit after tax was 183 million, mm~~~"

Mentioning this, an unnatural flush appeared on Fan Bingbing's face, and her slender legs couldn't help but press together.

You must know, before Wei Jin provided her with supporting resources, the net profit of Meitao Entertainment was only a little over 60 million.

Even so, her ability to attract money in the domestic entertainment industry was still ranked in the top three.

But last year, with the tilt of Wei Jin's resources, Meitao Entertainment seemed to welcome spring, and the profit was even higher than many large companies in the industry.

Thinking of this, Fan Bingbing felt more and more that yielding herself to this man, and keeping herself pure for him all these years, was truly worth it.

Thus, she cooperated with Wei Jin's card playing even more actively.

"Hiss."

Fan Bingbing's "relentless pressing" made Wei Jin overjoyed.

Honestly, Wei Jin wasn't surprised by this number; once *Storm* and *The White Storm* were released and the returns came in, the profit for Fan Bingbing Studio this year would only be higher! "Not bad, how are the talks for the first round of financing going?"

"Still in negotiations, but the current valuation has already reached 1.2 billion."

Wei Jin frowned; this valuation was clearly low.

You must know, as an established film company, Enlight Media's projected net profit last year was only about 200 million, yet its market value had already reached about 6 billion.

However, thinking about it, most of Fan Bingbing's profits came from the resource tilt of Shanhe Media, but there was no guarantee for this aspect; it was only natural for investors to be a bit cautious.

"Alright, I know."

Wei Jin then stopped paying attention and focused on the real business.

After more than half an hour, Wei Jin "remained motionless" and finished this card game.

Propping up her body, Fan Bingbing thoughtfully finished the cleanup work, then lay flat against Wei Jin's chest.

"Uncle, how much box office do you think *Pacific Rim* will have?"

Reaching out to pinch the woman's bouncy, perky buttocks, the corners of Wei Jin's mouth curled into a smile.

"Didn't you shout 1 billion at the press conference earlier? What, no confidence now?"

"Uncle~~~ your judgment is more accurate, just tell me~~~"

Fan Bingbing shook Wei Jin's arm, her milky-white breasts pressed tightly against him.

It must be said, even though this woman was 32 years old, this coquettish charm was truly intoxicating.

"1 billion is definitely easy; as for whether it can reach 1.5 billion, it still depends on the competitors..."

As an investor and screenwriter, Wei Jin was very clear about the specific situation of the film.

This time, *Pacific Rim* had learned from past experience and made both 2D and 3D versions, the purpose being to fully harvest the box office.

Moreover, Wei Jin had already seen the sample footage; if the film were shown on an IMAX 3D screen, the visual effects would be very shocking, and the box office would definitely not be worse than *Transformers 3*.

If the follow-up promotion kept up, 1.5 billion might even be worth thinking about.

Thinking of this, Wei Jin felt he could celebrate in advance, so he flipped over and mounted his horse.

"Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up."

Early in the morning, a ray of sunlight woke Wei Jin from a deep sleep.

Despite working hard all night, Wei Jin felt very refreshed and full of energy.

Especially looking at the tattered cloth strips on the floor that had shattered into dregs, the corners of Wei Jin's mouth curled into a smile involuntarily.

Turning his head, Fan Bingbing was still fast asleep; even without makeup, this woman's alluring charm was not diminished in the slightest.

Reaching his hand under the quilt, Wei Jin grasped the big oranges and started making mischief.

Soon, Fan Bingbing woke up from her deep sleep, opened her eyes, and looked at the handsome man in front of her; she felt both secretly happy and helpless.

This man was obsessed with her body, which was of course something to be happy about, but his vigorous physique was truly a bit terrifying.

You must know, several scenes were completed last night.

"Sister-in-law, you must be hungry, come and eat breakfast."

Wei Jin had no time to care about the woman's internal monologue; he patted her pretty face, after all, the plan for the day lies in the morning.

Fan Bingbing also quickly adapted to her role, smiled charmingly, and dived under the quilt.

"Mm~~~"

After the cavalry charge, Wei Jin washed up and went out; Lao Zhu had already been waiting downstairs for a long time.

"Let's go, to the company."

Taking advantage of the time on the road, Wei Jin browsed some industry news.

As expected, because they had offended too many people, the press conference held by Juli Pictures yesterday afternoon for *Special Identity* was practically deserted.

Through the media photos, it could be seen that those who went to show support were all third or fourth-tier artists in the industry, as well as some of Huang Shengyi's personal friends.

Almost all the companies and big names in the circle that could be counted as significant did not go.

However, it seemed that this guy Yang Zi didn't care at all, and still high-profilely stated at the press conference.

"With the most professional production team in Hong Kong, the addition of two major action superstars and the Four Dan Actresses, and a production cost as high as 200 million, I believe our *Special Identity* will definitely be a big hit, with the box office heading towards 1 billion..."

Regarding this guy's boastful performance, the media seemed too lazy to comment or report, and there were actually no clickbait news, which was an eye-opener for Wei Jin.

After a sigh, he soon arrived at the company, and Assistant Huang Mengying came up to greet him.

"President Wei, Director Xu and the others have been in the small conference room for a while now..."

"Hmm, notify Chen Xi to come over together."

In a small conference room at Shanhe Building, Xu Guangtou, Wang Baoqiang, and Huang Bai were chatting idly.

Beside them was a girl dressed very formally, Han Jianv.

What made Wang Baoqiang somewhat surprised was how these two guys were both fawning over this Executive Director; that smile, that tone, it was like the spring breeze in March, making one feel incredibly comfortable.

Yes, Wang Baoqiang admitted that this woman looked quite good, but surely Xu Zheng and Huang Bai hadn't never seen the world before, right?

Although he was a bit confused, Wang Baoqiang wasn't stupid; he just kept smiling on the sidelines.

When Wei Jin and Chen Xi entered the conference room, they saw this harmonious scene.

"Ahem." "President Wei, Producer Chen." The four of them hurriedly stood up to greet them.

"Hmm, let's not hold any opening ceremony for this film, *Lost in Thailand*. Everyone, please hurry up; I hope to have this film released during the New Year Slot."

Hearing this, the several key creators perked up, and the director, Xu Guangtou, became instantly nervous.

"President Wei, there's no problem with the timing, but the New Year Slot, isn't it..."

Regarding his first film, Xu Guangtou held great ambition and expectations; after all, his previous work could be considered a small hit.

But to say he would release it during the New Year Slot and go head-to-head with Wei Jin, Xu Guangtou asked himself if he wasn't qualified enough yet.

"Hehe, you're overthinking it. Let's start from New Year's Day."

Wei Jin had considered the scheduling very clearly; the results for *Lost in Thailand* were very good, and only the New Year Slot could support such a large box office.

As for the Spring Festival Film Season, which would start becoming popular next year, Wei Jin intended to save it for *Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons*; after all, its release in his past life was also at this time.

There was no helping it; the company produced too many films, so he could only coordinate to the maximum extent.

"Additionally, Old Xu, this is your first time as a director. I'm having Chen Xi serve as your Producer. As for Ning Hao, after the Berlin International Film Festival ends, he will also occasionally come to the set. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Okay, thank you, President Wei." Xu Guangtou's pressure vanished instantly, his face full of gratitude.

"You're the same. After joining the crew, learn well. If you perform well, I will speak to Teacher Jiang; changing the exam to practical operation is also fine."

Wei Jin said this to Han Jianv. This girl's exam in the Director Department last year was a total mess; otherwise, Han Sanping wouldn't have specifically called.

"Really, Senior?" Han Jianv's eyes widened instantly, somewhat pleasantly surprised.

"Of course, but if you don't perform well, hmph hmph..."

"Don't worry, Senior, I will definitely perform well!"

Perhaps stimulated by the consecutive non-professional, inexperienced directors Guo Fan and Xu Zheng, someone in the company actually volunteered.

"Director Lin, do you mean you want to direct a film?"

Looking at the fashionable and capable Hong Kong director Lin Yufen, who had ear-length yellow hair, Wei Jin spoke to confirm.

"Yes, President Wei. I've been free recently and saw a good script in the Screenwriting Department. I want to try."

The fifty-something-year-old Lin Yufen smiled and replied.

Since joining the company in October 2006, her life had been going quite well.

*Scarlet Heart* and *Palace*, two consecutive big-hit Qing dynasty dramas, made her famous, and she leaped to become the television director in the circle most skilled at female historical costume themes.

Later, she even directed the big production *Princess Agents* and the youth campus-themed *Hello Old Times*.

In less than 6 years, she directed four television dramas, and just the commissions alone were enough to make her hands go soft from counting.

But there was a very strange thing in the circle: compared to film directors, television directors seemed very difficult for the audience to remember by name.

For an art practitioner, this was of course hard to endure.

Since she was free now, Lin Yufen naturally wanted to fulfill her film dream.

"Then, I wonder which script Director Lin has taken a liking to?"

"One adapted from a bestselling novel, *Left Ear*."

Wei Jin was in a trance for a moment; the company had hoarded too many copyrights over the years, and he naturally couldn't know them all.

However, he did have an impression of this script; it was adapted from Rao Xueman's novel.

In his past life, it was Su Youpeng who brought it to the big screen. Although he hadn't seen it, he had heard of it.

After pondering for a while, Wei Jin gave his answer.

"Director Lin, this script is handed over to you. Prepare well."

"Thank you, thank you, President Wei."

Lin Yufen was full of joy; she hadn't expected it to go so smoothly.

"Hmm, you go get busy first."

To be honest, since *Those Years*, Wei Jin hadn't touched youth-themed films again; the costs were simply too small, the stories were cliché, and there were no new tricks to play.

But as the market grew larger and larger, this type of theme was actually a very good direction for development.

Furthermore, the company had numerous female artists, and this type of theme could be considered a springboard for them to transition to the big screen.

Of course, it was also an opportunity for those female stars who sought progress. On the 9th, the circle was bombed once again.

"*Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* has been released for 40 days, the box office has crossed the 1 billion mark, closing at 1.002 billion!"

"*Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* gambling agreement successful, agreements may become the norm!"

"Following Wei Jin and Wu Ershan, the genius director Xu Ke has successfully entered the Billion Director Club!"

"Shanhe Media's status as the hegemon of the domestic entertainment industry is highlighted, one house with three 'billion'!"

Major web portals and entertainment headlines were all reports about *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* and Xu Laoguai.

However, compared to Mainland China media, Hong Kong media was even more excited; no matter what, Xu Laoguai was a genuine Hong Kong director.

"Hong Kong's great director Xu Ke, box office hits 1 billion, topping the top three in Mainland China!"

"Genius Xu Ke, proves his path in Mainland China!"

"The rise of Xu Ke, the prelude to the brilliance of Hong Kong cinema!"

Even because of their marital relationship, the stock price of Golden Harvest, where Shi Nansheng served as the head, rose as well. One must know that this *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* did not have any investment share from Golden Harvest.

One can only say that the minds of stock investors are truly difficult to fathom.

At the same time, the Film Bureau also joined in the excitement; the script for *Shendu Longwang* passed review, and was announced together with the film's filing information.

"Film: *Detective Dee: Shendu Longwang*; Total Investment: 180 million; Producers: Shanhe Media, China Film Group, Guangxian Pictures; Director: Xu Ke; Screenwriters: Shanhe Media Screenwriting Department & Xu Ke;

Main Cast: Qiao Zhenyu, Fan Bingbing; Other Roles: To be determined;"

Once the news broke, many companies in the industry began to sigh.

A new work from a director who recently joined the 1-billion-yuan club, a major production with a budget of nearly 200 million, plus the fact that the previous installment achieved decent results—there is one more competitor to face next year.

More importantly, such a good opportunity had already been settled before they even received any news.

Ren Zhonglun of Shanghai Film Group felt quite uncomfortable at this moment, and even the matter of *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* obtaining a 46% share didn't seem as joyful anymore.

However, he had to admit that Shanghai is still quite far from Beijing, and his relationship with Wei Jin was not close enough, so he often failed to get first-hand information.

Coupled with the obstruction from his old rival Zuoshandiao, it really wasn't easy for Shanghai Film Group to continue hitching a ride on the Shanhe Media chariot.

Thinking of this, Ren Zhonglun felt that at this upcoming celebration banquet, he must have a good talk with Wei Jin.

Unlike the focus of companies in the industry, actors were more concerned about the roles.

As a film series, there was of course no problem with Qiao Zhenyu and Fan Bingbing continuing from the previous cast, but the other roles were all opportunities.

For a time, many people in the circle began to inquire about news everywhere. (End of this chapter)