Chapter 449: Finalizing the Cast: The Advantage is Mine

After several days of screening, Wu Ershan finally finalized the cast for *The Devotion of Suspect X*.

Looking at the list handed over by Wu Ershan, Wei Jin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Male lead: Wang Kai, second male lead: Pan Yueming, third male lead: Li Xian; female lead: Fan Bingbing, second female lead: Zhang Xueying; Wei Jin didn't find it strange that Wang Kai could secure the male lead, as he was a company artist, and under equal conditions, there would certainly be preferential treatment.

It was the fact that Pan Yueming could secure the second male lead amidst fierce competition that made him feel somewhat emotional; after all, they had collaborated before, and most directors are still willing to "use the familiar rather than the new."

As for Zhang Xueying securing the role of Fan Bingbing's daughter, Wei Jin had no objections; this girl had auditioned for *Bottom-Tier Girl* before, her acting and such were quite good, and her height and age were also more suitable—at least much more suitable than Zhang Zifeng.

"Fine, let's settle it like this. When do you plan to start filming?"

"The preliminary preparations are almost done; we should be able to start filming early next month."

Wei Jin nodded; this film wouldn't be released until next year anyway, so there was no need to rush.

"Alright, follow your own rhythm."

On the other side, after receiving the notification from Shanhe Media, Pan Yueming's assistant was somewhat happy, but when she saw the content clearly, her brows furrowed.

"Brother, you're already a ten-billion-box-office male lead; having you play a supporting role for Wang Kai, isn't that too bullying?"

Pan Yueming glanced at this distant cousin and shook his head.

"Don't ever say that again. Director Wu Ershan is willing to use me; that's already very good."

Regarding billing, Pan Yueming was very open-minded; he knew he was no longer the popular young actor he once was.

Looking back on his acting career, Pan Yueming felt a bit melancholy.

He debuted very early, participating in the 1994 version of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* in '93 (this show started filming in '91 and took 3 years), and subsequently, he was scouted by many crews, appearing in quite a few supporting roles.

He thought this was a great starting point, but he didn't expect that the extensive time spent on film sets would delay his studies; his academic scores didn't meet the standard, he failed his application to Beijing Film Academy, and simultaneously lost his eligibility for special admission to the Central Academy of Drama.

Normally, repeating a year would have sufficed, but his mind was unfocused when he was young; during his repeat year, he actually fell in love with photography, ultimately rejecting the Shanghai Theatre Academy and applying for the photography major at the Beijing Normal University Art Department.

But unexpectedly, in early 2000, he was scouted by director Lu Xuechang and filmed his first movie, *Very Summer*, and subsequently collaborated with director Huo Jianqi on *Blue Love*, thus officially beginning his acting career.

Although he was not professionally trained, after signing with Jinzhe Taihe, Pan Yueming had a constant stream of acting offers; dramas like *Moments in Peking*, *Red Clothes Workshop*, and *Legend of the White Snake* quickly made him a popular young actor in Mainland China.

Unfortunately, good times didn't last; at the end of '08, Jinzhe Taihe was acquired by Huayi Brothers.

Because he couldn't stand Huayi's harsh contract, he chose to become a "freelancer."

He was free, but he had also lost his backing, and coupled with his lack of professional training and lack of connections in the circle, he had been struggling these past few years.

It could be said that the two dramas from Shanhe Media were the best resources he had encountered, and he was truly grateful.

What's more, Wang Kai himself was an artist under Starry Sky Culture; if they didn't take care of their own people, would they take care of him, Pan Yueming? If it weren't for Chen Xi, he might not have even secured the role in *Mojin: The Lost Legend* back then.

People must know how to be content and grateful.

Thinking of this, Pan Yueming picked up his phone, edited a text message, and sent it out.

Wei Jin naturally wouldn't know about Pan Yueming's inner journey; after leaving the company, he took Jing Tian to the Shanhe Cinema Line flagship store to attend the premiere of *Storm*.

Although it was a Hong Kong film, and the relationship between the Hong Kong Circle and Mainland China hadn't been pleasant during this period, thanks to the influence of the producers Golden Harvest and Emperor Motion Pictures, as well as Liu Tianwang's connections in the circle, quite a few people came to show their support.

When the two appeared at the venue, many people came over to greet them one after another, but Wei Jin was still quite surprised to see Zhou Xun here.

"Young Master Zhou, your movie is about to be released, right? Has the promotion not started yet?"

It must be said that as the first "Three Gold Best Actress" in the country, the degree to which Young Master Zhou was sought after in the circle was truly terrifying; she didn't even need resources provided by a boss like Wei Jin.

Last year, she collaborated with Bona and Emperor on *The Great Magician*, secured the co-production *Cloud Atlas*, and immediately after, filmed *The Silent War* controlled by Media Asia, which was exactly the film Wei Jin mentioned that was about to be released.

"Yeah, it's going to be at the end of the month. I just hope I won't be beaten too badly this time."

Zhou Xun's expression was somewhat bitter; although she had a constant stream of film offers these years, apart from the *Painted Skin* series and *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate*, she really didn't have any box-office hits.

"It shouldn't come to that; the competition among everyone isn't considered fierce."

Wei Jin wasn't just comforting her; *The Silent War* was scheduled for August 3rd, and although it had some competitive relationship with *Storm* and *The White Storm*, it couldn't really be called a head-on collision.

Moreover, this *The Silent War* had an investment of over 100 million and was adapted from Mai Jia's *Decoded*; the lineup was also very strong, not only pulling in Zhou Xun, Best Actor Leung, and several other Best Actors and Actresses to join, but the production team was also quite luxurious, with the director and screenwriter all coming from *Infernal Affairs*.

Who would ultimately emerge victorious was truly hard to say.

The media was also quite curious about this, even shouting the slogan, "In the second half of the summer slot, Hong Kong films will divide the world."

The so-called fourth film was *The Bullet Vanishes* from Emperor Motion Pictures.

Boss Yang was very good at handling social relations; after obtaining a share of *Dearest*, she handed the Mainland China distribution of this film to Shanhe Media.

After consideration, the company set the release date for August 17th, staggering it by a week from *The White Storm*, which could be considered barely catching the tail end of the summer slot.

"By the way, after the promotion and roadshows for *The Silent War* end, what are your plans next?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun perked up, "What? Old Wei, do you have a film arranged?"

"Yeah, Teacher Cao's film is about to start, and I think you're quite suitable for the female lead."

A few days ago, when Gao Yuanyuan mentioned Zhou Xun's matter, Wei Jin took it to heart; after thinking it over, among the subsequent projects, the role of Li Hongqin in *Dearest* was the most suitable.

He believed that with their previous collaboration, Teacher Cao shouldn't have any objections, and what's more, Zhou Xun's acting skills would definitely bring added value to the film.

As expected, Young Master Zhou was also very satisfied with this; if it weren't for Jing Tian being present, she might have "offered herself" as a token of gratitude.

Even so, this sister still held his arm, though the flat and unremarkable figure left Wei Jin with no experience.

"Old Wei, you finally remembered your sister; I've been bullied to death by those two lately..."

While speaking, Young Master Zhou tilted her head to one side; Wei Jin looked over, and sure enough, it was the other two big flowers—Fan Bingbing and Li Bingbing.

As one of the producers of *Storm*, Fan Bingbing was walking among the many production companies at the scene, full of pride, fully displaying the aura of a strong woman.

Relying on the eye-catching results of *Pacific Rim*, Fan Bingbing had been appearing frequently on the international stage recently; her market value had risen sharply, and her international salary had already reached 3 million USD, which could be considered top-tier among the Four Dan Double Bing.

As for Li Bingbing, she had just defeated her old rival Zhang Ziyi to secure a role in *Iron Man 3*, and because *Resident Evil 5* was about to be released, she had also been appearing frequently during this period, her momentum unmatched.

Compared to the officially designated Four Dan Actresses, the Double Bing, who were originally pushed out by Huayi Brothers to make up the numbers, had developed even more aggressively over the years; it was normal for Young Master Zhou to be unhappy, as they hadn't had few "catfights" over the years.

But looking at the petite Young Master Zhou, Wei Jin could only shake his head. "Don't go comparing yourself to them; just be an actor with peace of mind..."

Wei Jin's words sounded a bit cruel, but they were the truth.

Zhou Xun's talent was all pointed at acting; she was completely clueless about investment, wealth management, and capital operations, and even her bank card was managed by her mother; when she lacked money, she still had to ask her family for pocket money. How could she compare? How could she even compete?

Zhou Xun herself was clear about this; she just wasn't that kind of material, and could only grit her teeth in resentment.

"Old Wei, prepare a few more award-winning scripts for your sister, and I'll crush them."

"That's possible, let's talk after 'Dearest' is finished."

After the two chatted for a while, the premiere began.

Shi Nansheng represented Golden Harvest and led the main creative team onto the stage for interviews.

After a routine set of interviews, the lights soon dimmed, and the film began to play.

To be honest, the film "Storm" followed the traditional Hong Kong police-action movie path, and there was basically no innovation in the plot, but fortunately, the acting of most of the cast was still on point.

Coupled with incredibly realistic gunfight scenes and a large number of explosion sequences, the overall viewing experience was still quite good.

This could also be seen from the applause at the venue after the film concluded.

When the media asked about the film's box office, Wei Jin estimated a floor of 200 million and a sprint toward 300 million.

During the cocktail party, socializing was inevitable.

Wang Changtian pulled Wei Jin aside to chat about the sequel to "The Four".

According to Enlight Media's plan, they intended to shoot the second and third parts together, and the actors' contracts had already been changed; it was clear that Chen Jiashang was very confident.

This was no wonder, as "The Four" had been released for 12 days and the box office had already reached 160 million.

Although the single-day box office had dropped to seven or eight million, following this data, the goal of 250 million should not be much of a problem.

Although they might not earn much at the box office, martial arts films have always had a strong market in Southeast Asia, so they should be able to make a profit on the copyrights.

Furthermore, as a listed company, as long as a film can make a profit, Enlight Media has too many ways to make money.

Most importantly, adopting the method of back-to-back shooting could save a lot of production costs, which is not uncommon in the film industry.

After chatting with Old Wang for a while, Liu Tianwang walked over.

Unsurprisingly, it was still about the Golden Horse Awards.

"Hua Ge, you should know that the Golden Horse Awards don't hold much significance for me; my goal is the European Three Major Film Festivals Grand Slam."

"Of course, I know Director Wei doesn't lack awards. If you could come to participate, it would definitely be a show of support for the Golden Horse, but if Director Wei doesn't care, what about others?"

When saying this, Liu Tianwang looked into the distance at Jing Tian, who was chatting with Xie Nan; the implication could not be clearer.

Seeming to see that Wei Jin still had some concerns, Liu Tianwang released another piece of news that had not yet been announced.

"Director Wei, among the judges this time, an actor from Mainland China has already accepted the invitation; come to think of it, you two are fellow townsfolk."

"Oh? Who is it?"

"Jiang Wenli."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin knew that Liu Tianwang was giving him a reassurance, and after pondering for a moment, he gave his answer.

"Hua Ge, I will give you an answer before the registration deadline."

"Okay, Director Wei, I'll wait for your good news."

Beijing, Dongshanshu.

On the snow-white big bed, an intense game of cards was underway.

Today, Wei Jin adopted a brand-new way of playing cards; Jing Tian was seen lying on her side on the bed, her milky-white breasts firmly grasped by the man, and one of her round, slender, beautiful legs was also held high.

Although it was somewhat inconvenient for Wei Jin to play cards this way, the sense of tightness was even better than before, so much so that although his speed of playing cards was not fast, every move hit the girl's "vital point."

After carefully tidying up for the man, Jing Tian braced herself and leaned into Wei Jin's arms, her face still flushed with satisfaction.

"Tian Tian, for 'Bottom-Tier Girl', have you decided where you want to go?"

While playing with the girl's perfect teardrop-shaped breasts, Wei Jin informed her of Liu Tianwang's invitation that evening and the news that Jiang Wenli would be serving as a judge.

The little girl tilted her head and thought for a while, "Brother, then let's go to the Golden Horse."

"Because the probability of winning is high?"

"Mm."

The little girl was really not shy; she nodded vigorously with a smile on her face.

"Fine, then it's the Golden Horse."

Honestly, Wei Jin didn't have any ill feelings toward the Golden Horse at the moment.

Although the Golden Horse sometimes had some shady operations, such as insisting on pushing Taiwan actors to the top, most of the time it was still fair and just, and most of the annual winners were films from Mainland China and Hong Kong; on this point alone, it was several levels higher than the Mainland's Golden Rooster and Hong Kong's Golden Statue.

This was also the reason why the Golden Horse could beat the other two in terms of influence, so much so that directors with even a little ambition would choose the Golden Horse over the Golden Rooster.

Participating this time was, firstly, for Jing Tian, and secondly, it could be considered giving Liu Tianwang face.

As for whether he would be used as a prop?

Wei Jin believed that among the five judges, two were his own people, and both were known for their conduct; it was impossible for them to do such offensive things.

This round, the advantage was with him.

If it were a few years later, when the Golden Horse also started acting blindly, even if the Heavenly King himself came to invite him, Wei Jin would have to politely decline.

(End of this chapter)