Chapter 417

Hong Kong, Emperor Group headquarters.

"Boss, are you really not going?"

Huo Wenxi, dressed in professional attire with an outstanding temperament, looked at her gloomy boss and asked softly.

"Not going. Those idiots actually want to teach me how to do my job; let them play by themselves."

Boss Yang seemed to be recalling the content of the phone call, forcibly suppressing his anger.

"Alright, I will notify them immediately."

Having confirmed her boss's stance, Huo Wenxi did not hesitate; in fact, she understood her boss's choice very well.

In recent years, Hong Kong filmmakers have collectively moved north, but only Emperor Group has developed well in Mainland China, which has long made it a target and subject to exclusion.

Coupled with the several clashes between the Hong Kong Circle and Mainland China, Emperor Group has always sided with the Mainland, which has already caused dissatisfaction within the Hong Kong Circle.

Now, these people actually intend to use the Hong Kong Film Awards to pressure Emperor Group; how could the boss possibly bow down?

If it were before, Emperor Group might have considered local sentiments, but after this time, they are as good as strangers. On the afternoon of the 30th, the media screening for "Whiplash" was held in Beijing.

The scene only invited a small number of industry insiders, and the majority were media.

A screening is much simpler than a premiere; there are no bells and whistles, just interviews.

Wei Jin chatted with the main creators on stage about interesting stories during the filming process, and Wang Jinsong and Bai Yu also shared their insights.

It must be said, one is the Vice President of the Beijing Film Academy and the other is a student at the Central Academy of Drama, yet their cooperation was surprisingly tacit.

It is worth mentioning that although Liu Yifei only had a cameo in the film, she is still nominally the lead actress, so the young lady specifically arranged time from her busy schedule to attend.

"Director Wei Jin, the film will face 'Titanic' three days after its release. Are you not worried about the box office? Or are you confident in a head-on confrontation?"

"My reporter friend, you think too highly of me. This is an art-house film; how could it compete in the ring?"

Wei Jin's words drew a burst of laughter from the scene, and he immediately added.

"As for the box office issue, I really haven't considered it. After all, the copyright transaction has already achieved profitability. I just hope that the audience who sees the film can draw strength from it."

"Then may I ask, Director Wei, is it convenient to disclose the transaction price?"

A media reporter boldly raised this question, which is also something many industry insiders have been curious about.

"26.8 million US dollars."

As soon as the words fell, the vast majority of people at the scene gasped; such returns are already indescribable.

Many film companies don't even earn that much money in a year; is Wei Jin's film too profitable? "Director Wei Jin, may I ask if you will continue to aim for the Grand Slam?"

Once this was said, all the media at the scene looked in unison at the upright figure on the stage; domestically, only Wei Jin and Zhang Yimou are closest to it.

If one had to say, Wei Jin is closer, after all, the difficulty of the Palme d'Or is much greater than the Golden Lion.

Looking at the expectant gazes below the stage, Wei Jin hooked his lips into a smile, did not keep them in suspense, and gave the answer decisively.

"Of course I will, and I can tell everyone that the script is already ready. Next year, I will once again challenge the European Three Major Film Festivals Grand Slam!"

Subsequently, the main feature of the film began to play, and the media and industry insiders also stared intently at the big screen.

Without a doubt, "Whiplash" is a dark inspirational film; Wei Jin never expected everyone to like this film.

However, the vast majority of the media present still gave positive evaluations; after all, they are not film critics who must nitpick.

Two hours later, the media screening for "Whiplash" ended, and related news also appeared on portal websites.

"Venice Jury Grand Prize film 'Whiplash' screening, unanimous praise from the media on site!"

"Another sky-high copyright price, 26.8 million US dollars, refreshing the record for Chinese-language art-house films!"

"Great director Wei Jin boasts, script is set, will continue to challenge the European Three Major Film Festivals Grand Slam next year!"

"'Whiplash'—a film that ignites the burning heart!"

At the same time, Wei Jin brought Liu Yifei back to the villa.

Having not seen each other for over a month, the young lady was unusually enthusiastic. As soon as the two arrived in the room, Liu Yifei couldn't wait to kiss him.

Feeling the young lady's intentions, Wei Jin stretched out one arm to wrap around her waist.

The two kissed all the way, gradually moving from the entrance foyer to the window. Liu Yifei began to be unsatisfied with wet kisses and wanted more.

"Brother, love me~~~"

The young lady's face was flushed at this moment, like a fairy entering the mortal world; how could a mortal withstand such a test?

No longer hesitating, Wei Jin's hands flew nimbly up and down, and clothing fell off piece by piece.

Liu Yifei bit her red lips lightly and took the initiative to lean against the floor-to-ceiling window screen, waiting for the arrival of pleasure.

Sunlight spilled through the window screen onto her fair and petite body, and the man standing behind her at the floor-to-ceiling window seemed tireless.

I don't know how long it had been, but feeling the girl's body suddenly stiffen, Wei Jin pressed his hand against her back and began the final battle.

About two or three minutes later, Wei Jin reached out and grabbed the soft, delicate body that was about to collapse to the ground, used his arm strength to lift her up, and in an instant placed her on the bed.

Watching Liu Yifei, who seemed uncomfortable and was still twitching violently, it took several minutes before she slowly stopped.

Even though the battle was over, Liu Yifei would still shudder from time to time. Wei Jin knew that the young lady should be satisfied this time.

Liu Yifei was truly satisfied this time. She slept groggily for who knows how long, and it wasn't until her stomach growled with hunger that the young lady lazily got up.

Arriving at the living room, she saw that several dishes had already been set on the table. Liu Yifei touched her flat belly and swallowed her saliva. Soon, she saw Wei Jin wearing an apron, carrying dishes, and walking out of the kitchen.

"Yifei, you're awake? Go wash your hands and get ready to eat; it's almost eight o'clock."

"Ah? It's already this late? No wonder I'm so hungry. Mmm... it smells so good..."

Looking at the young lady who was like a little glutton, Wei Jin's mouth curled up slightly, "Alright, go wash your hands first."

Liu Yifei, who was already so hungry her chest was touching her back, ran toward the bathroom in two steps upon hearing this. After hurriedly washing her hands, she returned to the dining table and, without standing on ceremony, started eating directly.

Wei Jin didn't stand on ceremony either; he was actually hungry too. One must know that sex is physical labor, so in less than ten minutes, the two of them wiped the food on the table clean like a whirlwind. Afterward, they didn't wash the dishes; the two sat on the sofa leaning against each other to digest. At one moment, Liu Yifei suddenly exclaimed and hurriedly turned on the television.

She quickly tuned to a channel, and looking at the image on the TV, Liu Yifei patted her chest.

"Good thing I didn't miss it."

Wei Jin looked up and saw that what was playing on the TV was exactly "Hello Old Times".

"Are you following this show too?"

"Yeah, these days while running promotional schedules, my Assistant and I have been huddled together watching this. It's quite good."

Wei Jin nodded. It was indeed so; the data sent over by the TV drama production department had truly surprised him a bit.

"Hello Old Times" soared from a 1.3% premiere rating, and now, ten-plus days into its broadcast, it has already risen to 2.3%, with its market share breaking through 14.8%, charging straight into first place for the same period.

So much so that the drama's theme song, "The Light Chaser," which had been released two years ago, became popular again following the show's broadcast, charging fiercely into all major music charts with an unstoppable momentum.

Even Jing Tian, who is currently holding concerts, has reaped a wave of benefits.

As the female lead, Bai Bin was originally in the ranks of quasi-first-tier stars, but now she has become popular all over the country, especially among the younger demographic, where she possesses immense appeal.

However, by comparison, the one who received the greatest boost is the male lead, Zhu Yilong, who leaped from an obscure, unknown actor to a second-tier male star.

According to Zhang Xu's report, Zhu Yilong's Weibo followers have surged by over a million during this period, the vast majority of whom are female fans.

It's no wonder; the character design of the male lead, Lin Yang, in this drama is simply too good. He is practically a little sun, perfect in every way. There isn't a woman who wouldn't yearn to meet such a man.

Honestly, compared to other youth dramas, "Hello Old Times" is not very idol-like, nor is it a romance.

The entire drama lacks melodramatic plot points like fighting, abortion, or pregnancy; it just quietly records the daily life of high school students.

But it is precisely this kind of fresh and simple style that is very much to the taste of many young groups.

On Yinxiang Net, over tens of thousands of people have already rated it, with a score as high as 9.0.

This score will certainly drop as the number of raters increases, but the starting point is so high that even if it drops, it won't be lower than 8.5.

Without a doubt, it is another pre-destined hit.

These days, the TV drama production department has already put the follow-ups to the Zhenhua Trilogy on the agenda. After all, this type of TV drama has a short production cycle, low costs, and quite high efficiency, so wouldn't that be the highest priority?

More than an hour later, the two episodes of the TV drama ended just like that, and Liu Yifei seemed to still be wanting more.

"Brother, do you think there are boys like Lin Yang in reality?"

Wei Jin reached out and pulled the girl into his arms, dotingly stroking her head.

"It's hard to say, but a TV drama certainly has some aspects that exceed reality, so when I first saw the script, I also talked with the screenwriting department and the author herself."

"Oh? Bayue Changan? What did she say?" A look of curiosity appeared on Liu Yifei's face.

"Her exact words were: Girls always hope in their hearts for a bright, upright boy with a brilliant smile who can summon the courage to tell the girl how beautiful this world is, and even if it isn't, she still has him.

I think that makes a lot of sense, so I agreed to this version of the script."

Wei Jin has to admit that the emotions of a female author are indeed more delicate and moving.

"She really understands girls. Then Brother, will you be my Lin Yang?"

Looking at the little girl's bright, watery eyes, Wei Jin nodded without hesitation, "Of course."

Are you kidding? At a time like this, how could Wei Jin possibly give any other answer? He isn't a novice.

And Liu Yifei, having received the answer, expressed her satisfaction, wrapping her arms around Wei Jin's neck and lightly biting her red lips.

"Brother, I'm leaving tomorrow. Love me well tonight."

"Okay, my baby."

"Whiplash" has officially been released.

Although it is only a low-budget art film and the cast is nothing to write home about, thanks to the Venice Jury Grand Prize and Wei Jin's reputation, the cinema chains still gave it great respect, with an average screen share as high as 20%.

As one of the main creators, Liu Yifei, despite rushing through promotional schedules, still took the time to post a few Weibo messages, calling on her fans to enter the cinemas to watch it.

Many celebrity artists also helped out on major social media platforms; there is no need to even mention the artists under Starry Sky Culture—for their own boss's movie, no amount of promotion is excessive.

Coupled with the fact that it was the weekend, with all sorts of external support, the first-day box office of "Whiplash" completely exceeded the industry's expectations, and all major portal websites had this as their headline.

"'Whiplash' first-day box office hits red, closing at 22.6 million!"

"'Whiplash' first-day box office far exceeds 'The Hunt', breaking the first-day box office record for domestic art films!"

If this box office could still be accepted by the industry—after all, Wei Jin's art films have always been big sellers—the online ratings really shocked everyone.

Yinxiang Net rating: 9.3! What kind of concept is this? This is no longer just word-of-mouth, it's a word-of-mouth explosion! Such an exaggerated rating is too rare on the usually aloof Yinxiang Net.

Many movie fans who watched it on the first day spontaneously recommended it, especially the student crowd, who practically worship the film as a masterpiece!

"I am very grateful to my teacher for the recommendation. I went to watch this movie after evening self-study and was moved to a mess. I especially envy those who possess such fervent emotions."

"Just came out of the cinema, walking on the street, tears wouldn't stop flowing. I suddenly remembered the days over the past year when I only slept four hours a day and pushed myself to the limit. I often asked myself, is it worth it? But after watching the movie, I told myself, no regrets!"

"I am very fortunate to have seen such a movie before the college entrance exam. There are still two months left, I will not give up."

"I finally understood the saying, 'So-called hard work doesn't even reach the level of competing with talent.' Keep it up, young man!"

"'If you want to appear noble in front of others, you must suffer behind their backs.' The line from 'Farewell My Concubine' is just too fitting to use in this movie. Is this the tacit understanding between Palme d'Or directors?"

"..."

A continuous stream of praise plus a super-high rating pushed the movie directly onto the hot search, so much so that the second-day box office hit a new high, closing at 27.8 million.

For an art film, in the not-so-popular late March slot, to break fifty million in box office after just two days of release is simply incredible!

Some media even predicted that unless the film's word-of-mouth completely collapses, even under the pressure of "Titanic," the probability of the box office breaking 200 million is very high, and even 300 million is not impossible.

People in the industry have already automatically ignored Wei Jin's director's fee, their minds full of that 10 million production cost, the 26.8 million USD copyright deal, and the gains brought by the 200-300 million box office. They are extremely envious. (End of this chapter)