Chapter 427: A Split at Over Two Meters Tall

During the three-day May Day holiday, Wei Jin wandered between four women, even busier than on workdays.

However, compared to young girls, older sisters were still better at playing.

Ceng Li and Gao Yuanyuan teamed up again, which both saved Wei Jin trouble and increased the time they spent together.

It was just that the two fierce and charming beauties took turns using different tricks, and if not for the Golden Finger bonus, Wei Jin really would have been unable to handle it.

Thinking of the future scene where all four main wives would join forces, Wei Jin felt it was necessary to live it up while he was still young.

Immersed in the land of gentleness, time passed quickly, and the three-day short holiday flashed by just like that.

In the film market, it could be said that the winds and clouds were changing.

That Big Boat from 15 years ago finally reached its final screening day; among the blockbusters released in April, the Big Boat was the most monstrous, accumulating 980 million in domestic box office, equivalent to nearly 150 million USD, which was truly terrifying.

But with its departure from theaters, domestic films could finally breathe a sigh of relief; whether it was Ning Hao or Boss Yang, everyone began to relax.

The performance of The Great Robbery was indeed robust; under the siege of several blockbusters and with the boost of the May Day holiday, the box office stubbornly broke through the 150 million mark.

As for SPL: Sha Po Lang 2, thanks to word-of-mouth fermentation and the protection of theater scheduling, it reported 33.6 million on the second day.

After entering the holiday, it went on a rampage, with the single-day box office approaching the 50 million mark, and it reaped 133 million in box office over the three-day holiday.

Five days after release, the cumulative box office reported 203 million, and Boss Yang was even thinking about popping champagne in advance to celebrate.

In addition, the single-day box office of several other domestic films all saw varying degrees of growth following the May Day short holiday.

That film of Huang Xiaoming's, The Person, had reached 19 million in box office after ten days of release.

Even Huang Bai's film, Killing, reached 13.4 million in box office after the boost of the holiday.

The rising box office of several films seemed to represent that domestic films were suddenly doing well again; just after the holiday, Wei Jin held the opening press conference for Big Shot in Shanghai.

For this press conference, many people came to show their support.

Not to mention the producers, Han Sanping from China Film Group and Ye Ning from Wanda, the local boss Ren Zhonglun from Shanghai Film Group, good allies Wang Changtian and Li Xiaoping from Enlight, and loyal fans like Boss Yang and Huo Wenxi from Emperor Group all arrived.

Even the Shanghai TV station, which had a close relationship with Shanhe Media, specifically arranged for their lead female host Chen Chen to come and host today's press conference matters.

Local film and television companies in Shanghai couldn't even squeeze close to Wei Jin, such as Miss Cai from Tangren.

Such a luxurious lineup also drew sidelong glances from the media present; after all, no company in Shanghai had such energy.

So much so that before the press conference had even begun, there was already a lot of discussion off-stage.

"I can see that everyone is very enthusiastic; don't be in a hurry to ask questions, one by one."

As the lead female host of Shanghai TV, Chen Chen's professionalism was beyond doubt; with just a few words, she quickly grasped the atmosphere and order of the scene firmly.

After introducing the creative team, the invited media reporters couldn't wait to aim their long guns and short cannons at Wei Jin.

"Director Wei, may I ask what the story of Big Shot is about?"

"This is a story about an experienced veteran police officer from the bottom of society who sticks to his original intentions in the face of temptation and brings an arrogant and domineering second-generation tycoon to justice through a series of clues and tracking."

"Director Wei, the story sounds a bit cliché; what is your expected box office for Big Shot? Can it break 1 billion?"

"The film hasn't even started shooting yet; isn't it a bit too early to ask me this question? Haha."

Wei Jin looked at the reporter, teased slightly, and then added.

"However, although this story is cliché, I have great confidence in the film and will definitely not let the audience down!"

With Wei Jin's current appeal, there was no need to use any gimmicks to attract attention.

His films were traffic and topics themselves.

After answering a few simple questions, the host was also very savvy and guided the topic and exposure toward the cast members.

"Since Brotherhood of Blades and The Martian, this is my third time working with Director Wei; I am very much looking forward to this film, Big Shot."

As the biggest star on the scene, Hu Jun also received a lot of attention from the media and was asked quite a few questions.

In contrast, even though he was playing the main villain, because his fame and status were not enough, Huang Xuan did not receive much attention, not even as much as the long-legged beauty Zhang Li.

However, this phenomenon was the norm in the entertainment industry; whoever was popular, everyone revolved around them.

After the press conference ended, a group of big shots surrounded Wei Jin, eager and attentive.

It was clear that both Han Sanping and Ye Ning were in a very good mood; although Old Wang from Enlight and Boss Yang from Emperor Group couldn't get on board this time, they both had cooperation in different dimensions and could still remain calm.

Only Ren Zhonglun from Shanghai Film Group smiled very reluctantly.

Since Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, he had thought he could further deepen the cooperation, but who would have expected that there were more monks than gruel, and on top of that, Shanghai Film Group was located in Shanghai, naturally separated from Beijing projects by a layer, which was really difficult to handle.

So, taking advantage of this opportunity, Ren Zhonglun made up his mind that no matter what, he had to strengthen the cooperation.

"President Wei, if you need anything while filming here in Shanghai, just say the word."

"Thank you, Chairman Ren; if I need anything, I won't be polite."

Seeing that Ren Zhonglun seemed to have something more to say, Wei Jin naturally understood his meaning, smiled, and added.

"Chairman Ren, next, Shanhe Media and Enlight have a film, a realistic subject; if Shanghai Film Group is interested, why not join in."

The strength of the Shanghai New Film Association was still decent, and for a long time, Ren Zhonglun had been very supportive of the scheduling of films under Wei Jin's banner, so he had to maintain the relationship after all.

"President Wei, no matter what the budget is, count Shanghai Film Group in."

It had to be said that those who could become the head of a state-owned enterprise definitely did not lack courage; Ren Zhonglun didn't have a single word of nonsense and directly stated his position.

"Good, once the budget is out, I will notify Chairman Ren."

After finalizing the cooperation, Ren Zhonglun was in a great mood and chatted with Wei Jin for a long time, which actually made Han Sanping a bit jealous.

After Ren Zhonglun walked away, Han quietly pulled Wei Jin into a corner, looking like a thief.

"Wei Jin, I've seen Wu Ershan's new script; what do you say? This time it's not a series, right?"

"Chairman Han, you are cheating."

Wei Jin was a bit dumbfounded; relying on his relationship with the Film Bureau, Han kept an eye on his projects from all angles without any blind spots, which was truly unsolvable.

"You kid, just tell me if it works or not?"

Wei Jin was truly speechless at Han Sanping's thick-skinned attitude.

"Chairman Han, this is Wu Ershan's transformation work; the box office expectations are not too good, you have to consider it carefully."

"You don't need to worry about that. Just tell me, how much is the investment? What share can China Film Group get?"

Wei Jin's words did not dispel Han Sanping's thoughts. Their long-term cooperation made Han full of confidence; for any project from Shanhe Media, one by one, he just followed along blindly. Hadn't he seen that even a low-budget film by a newcomer like Guo Fan could gross over 80 million? Even if a 1 billion-level director like Wu Ershan was transitioning, the probability of losing money was low, so China Film Group just had to follow.

Seeing that Han had reached this point, Wei Jin had nothing more to say.

"For the specifics, let's wait until the budget is out."

"Fine, I'll wait for your notification."

After seeing the guests off, while the hour was still early, Wei Jin gathered the cast and crew to organize a script reading session; this had been his habit for a long time.

A so-called script reading session is when the main creative team—actors, director, Producer, and screenwriters—gather together to have the actors read the script's dialogue by character.

Among them, the narration and narrative scenes are generally read by non-actors.

The main purpose is to let the actors and the creative team understand the screenwriter's and director's ideas and to dig into the characterizations behind the roles.

The actors express their own thoughts through their understanding of the script, and where things feel wrong, the director corrects them.

Because the entire film is driven from beginning to end by the director's vision.

What the actors need to do is to achieve the director's expected performance effect through their own acting methods.

Huang Xuan was appearing in a Wei Jin film for the first time and was still a bit unaccustomed to this part of the process.

However, seeing that the rest of the actors, the director, the Producer, and other creative staff were all participating, he gradually let his guard down and blended in.

Huang Xuan knew very well that getting such a good opportunity this time was not easy at all, and he had to grasp it well.

Wang Xun was the same; this time he was playing the villain's secretary, and in terms of screen time, it could even be considered the third male lead—definitely the best opportunity since he debuted.

Wei Jin, standing to the side and watching the performance of everyone on site, had a good idea of where things stood.

As the first male lead, Hu Jun was worthy of being a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, with very rich experience.

Wei Jin needed the old policeman played by Hu Jun to carry a certain air of being unconventional.

Hu Jun then, right in front of him, switched between seven or eight performance styles within half an hour, finally selecting the state that Wei Jin was most satisfied with.

Huang Xuan's performance was also fine; he was slightly nervous at first, but he quickly integrated into the character, interpreting the sinister, crazy, and mercurial nature of the character Zhao Tai very accurately.

Wang Xun was also very good; although he was not a professionally trained actor, he had apprenticed under the sketch comedy performance artist Shen Fa since the 90s, and subsequently followed Mr. Yang Ziyang, a disciple of Hou Baolin, to study crosstalk, so his stage performance experience was rich.

Having already played a role similar to the "Four-Eyed Secretary" in *Crazy Stone*, this character was not difficult for him.

In fact, with these three roles established, the rest would be of little consequence.

In the evening, Wei Jin took the crew and the creative team out for a meal to bridge the gap and build rapport, as they would be spending over a month together after all.

As for the crew, Producer Chen Xi and cinematographer Dong Jinsong were both Wei Jin's go-to team.

As for the Executive Director, since things hadn't started on Teacher Cao's side yet, Wei Jin called up his junior fellow student from the Beijing Film Academy graduate program, Wen Muye, who was idle and bored.

The action director was also an old acquaintance, Wu Jing's senior fellow apprentice, Kou Zhanwen.

Having joined the Beijing Martial Arts Team in the 80s, this man had a very solid foundation in martial arts and had participated in directing action scenes for many films and television dramas.

Because he was also from the Beijing Film Academy, he could be considered Wei Jin's senior, so ever since *Brotherhood of Blades*, he had invited Kou Zhanwen to join Shanhe Media, and he had been working as an action director all these years.

It is worth mentioning that he was also the actor who played Chen Yongqiang in the original *Big Shot* film; this time Wei Jin did not replace him and still let him make a cameo.

After all, wouldn't a big, burly man being bullied and oppressed make the dark, evil forces seem more real?

Aside from Producer Chen Xi, personal Assistant Huang Mengying, and the actress playing the policewoman, Zhang Li, everyone else present today was male, so the atmosphere at the wine table was excellent.

Although Wei Jin did not drink, many people still came to toast him to express their gratitude.

Kou Zhanwen had a good tolerance for alcohol and drank quite a bit with Hu Jun at the table, but they still remembered that they were starting filming tomorrow, so everyone stopped at a reasonable point.

After the lively gathering dispersed and everyone moved into the hotel, Zhang Li saw Huang Mengying following Wei Jin everywhere, never leaving his side, and felt somewhat conflicted.

Then, gritting her teeth, she took her script and followed.

"Director Wei, could I trouble you to give me some acting notes..."

After all, for a director, isn't it the most normal thing to give acting notes to an actress? Although the policewoman played by Zhang Li only appeared a few times, it didn't hinder Wei Jin's coaching of the actor's performance; this character was still quite important.

At this moment, Wei Jin was leading by example, coaching her intensely.

"A-Li, although the policewoman character doesn't appear much, every time is a highlight moment. These legs of yours must be kept straight..."

Wei Jin braced his waist while holding up one of Zhang Li's exaggeratedly long legs with one hand, the latter standing in a split with her leg stretched perfectly straight.

Zhang Li's heaven-defying long legs were also paired with high heels, and being held up high, they were at least over two meters tall; it was fortunate that the hotel room had a decent ceiling height, otherwise, they really wouldn't have been able to stretch out.

"Director Wei, I... I'll try my best..."

Zhang Li braced one hand against the wall and grabbed the man's arm with the other, trying her best to keep her balance.

But this posture was truly energy-consuming; at this moment, her three-dimensional facial features were already covered in fine beads of sweat, and she was panting slightly as she spoke.

"Trying your best isn't enough. Look, Mengying is still waiting. If you don't perform well, I'll have to switch to her."

Huang Mengying was currently behind Wei Jin, assisting him with a Dharma Treasure, and upon hearing this, she poked her head out, "Sister Li, if you can't hold on, just call me..."

Looking at Huang Mengying's sweet smiling face, Zhang Li couldn't help but curse inwardly.

"You little bitch, you're by the boss's side every day, what are you competing with me for? It's rare for me to get a full meal, can't you respect your elders and love the young?"

"Oh~~~ The boss is truly too strong, reaching the flower's core..."

"My god, what have I missed all these years? No, I have to change my schedule. I won't leave until this film is over..."

"Ah~~~~ It's coming, it's coming..."

Sensing the slender waist he was holding suddenly tense up, Wei Jin knew the spectacular shot was arriving, and immediately accelerated the speed of "pressing the shutter" to help the actor reach a perfect finale.

"Ah~~ ah~~ ah~~"

Zhang Li's feet hit the floor, and she instantly collapsed onto the sofa, her body still twitching irregularly; clearly, this scene had exhausted her energy.

Huang Mengying, who was to the side, had long been prepared and crouched down accordingly.

"Mm, very good. Mengying, although you haven't acted in a film yet, your grasp of the camera angle is already very on point. Tonight, let the boss teach you properly..."

"Woooooo~~~"

(End of this chapter)