Chapter 456: Wei Jin Gets Blocked Again

The first weekend of August ended, and Enlight Media's *The Four* took advantage of the momentum to end its theatrical run, with a final box office of 252 million.

Many in the industry joked that it really did land right on the threshold Wei Jin had predicted.

Meanwhile, *Storm* saw its performance pick up after entering the weekend, with its box office reaching 283 million.

Young Master Zhou's *The Silent War* brought in 68.8 million at the box office over its opening three-day weekend.

Although the results were decent, the word-of-mouth online was quite average.

Compared to the 8.2 rating for *The Message* on Yinxiang Net, *The Silent War* had less than a 7, and audience reviews were mixed.

"The plot has no climax; a spy thriller turned into a romance film. What the hell is this?"

"No suspense or tension; it's far worse than *The Message*. Hong Kong editors are truly unreliable."

"The reason the Best Actor is blind is just too far-fetched. Can't you just close your eyes, damn it?"

"It's not bad if you watch it as a romance film; the actors' performances are great."

Looking at the comments online, Wei Jin shook his head and sighed. Zhou Xun's acting was great, but her ability to pick scripts was truly not very good.

Of course, perhaps with that girl's carefree personality, she wouldn't care at all?

Just as Wei Jin had expected, the review process for *Gravity* went smoothly, and he received the public screening permit in one week.

At the same time, Guo Fan had finished the storyboard for the new script; compared to Lu Yang's laziness, his efficiency was much higher.

In the office, Wei Jin sat imposingly in the boss's chair, holding the documents and flipping through them carefully.

It was clear that Guo Fan had put his heart into understanding the script; the dozens of pages of storyboards were the best proof, and even the original script draft he had been given was already filled with dense notes.

"Not bad. You've basically mastered the key points of soft sci-fi. Once this film is finished, you can start tackling that hard sci-fi one."

Wei Jin's words were undoubtedly praise, and a smile appeared on Guo Fan's slightly serious face; these few nights of staying up late had not been in vain.

However, before Guo Fan could speak, Wei Jin asked first.

"*Butterfly Effect* is the most classic material in soft sci-fi. The characters are very important. The casting last time was acceptable, but what about this time? Any thoughts?"

"Hmm, I actually do have some thoughts."

Wei Jin was waiting for the rest, but to his surprise, Guo Fan's next sentence almost made him spit out his drink.

"I think Gao Yuanyuan is quite suitable for the female lead."

"?? Say that again?"

"Boss Wei, listen to my analysis. As a sci-fi romance film, her performance in *Passengers* was very good, and she has a natural advantage. Besides, the female lead is intellectual, beautiful, and pure—aren't those all descriptions of her?"

Wei Jin had to admit that this kid Guo Fan had a sharp eye; Da Meiyuan was indeed very suitable, but unfortunately, she was pregnant, though this reason was inconvenient to say out loud.

After pondering for a moment, Wei Jin intended to persuade him from other aspects.

"Guo Fan, you're thinking too simply. Have you considered the issue of star power? The budget for this film will definitely not exceed 30 million."

"Boss Wei, we can learn from Hollywood. How about converting the salary into investment? You can't be reluctant to share it with her, right?"

Good heavens, if he weren't looking at Guo Fan standing right in front of him, Wei Jin would have almost thought it was Lu Yang speaking.

Seeing that Wei Jin didn't speak, Guo Fan continued to persuade, "Boss Wei, don't worry. During filming, I will be careful with all her scenes. Kissing scenes and such will be handled in a reasonable way."

"This isn't a problem of kissing scenes."

Wei Jin still shook his head. In fact, after this script was localized, there were almost no passionate scenes, so there was no issue with the rating.

"Then what is the problem?"

"Well, she has already done similar works, so she probably won't be interested."

"Boss Wei, I believe that if you go in person, there will definitely be no problem."

"..."

Wei Jin always felt that Guo Fan seemed to have been possessed by Lu Yang today; his serious persona was collapsing a bit.

"Alright, let's not discuss this issue anymore. You consider other people. Also, send the script for review first. The budget and pre-production can also begin."

Wei Jin did not intend to continue entangling with him and decisively ended the topic; the latter could only leave sheepishly.

Raising his eyes to look at the clock on the wall, Wei Jin tidied up and was just about to leave the company when he received a WeChat message.

"Brother, I'm arriving in Beijing tonight. I'll wait for you at Xishan Villa, mua."

Looking at the WeChat nickname, a smile appeared on Wei Jin's face, and he then headed to Enlight Media's celebration banquet.

On the other side, after leaving Wei Jin's office, Guo Fan first went to the film production department to delegate the budget and pre-production matters, then went to Shanhe Ink.

Lu Yang was never very focused when editing, and he saw Guo Fan from afar, instantly becoming excited.

"How is it? Did the senior brother agree?"

"No, Boss Wei refused very bluntly."

Lu Yang reached out to stroke his slightly bearded chin, looking puzzled, "That makes no sense. My script was flawless. Could it be that you didn't explain it well?"

"Impossible. My undergraduate major was law; I'm best at memorizing."

Lu Yang frowned, "Could it be that the schedule doesn't fit? But I haven't heard of any arrangements for Gao Yuanyuan next."

"Forget it, I'll think of other plans."

"Hey, giving up just like that? You have to be patient. Let me tell you, the senior brother is not immune to persistence. If you fight a war of attrition with him, and it really doesn't work, just contact Gao Yuanyuan directly. I have her number."

"..."

Guo Fan gave Lu Yang a look of pity for the mentally challenged; he slightly understood the complexity in Wei Jin's eyes in the office just now. The celebration banquet for *The Four* was lackluster; the film only had a total box office of 252 million.

According to the revenue-sharing ratio, the producers would get no more than 100 million, barely recovering costs; what they earned was just overseas rights and product placement ads.

All things considered, the overall profitability was probably not even as good as that *Painted Skin* back then. However, for Enlight Media, this was a new box office high, and the stock price had risen quite a bit, so it was indeed worth celebrating.

Therefore, the scale of today's celebration banquet was not small. Not only were there many companies and artists from the industry coming to show support, but even the crew had specifically rushed back from Hengdian.

Bai Bin, Wan Qian, Wang Zixuan—just from the *The Four 2* crew, there were three women with whom he had intimate relationships. Even Wei Jin felt it was a bit absurd.

However, Wang Changtian was all smiles, chatting with Wei Jin about a new project.

"Brother Wei, when does Cao Baoping plan to start filming?"

Although the share of Enlightened Fiber in "Dear" is not large, Old Wang firmly believes that following Wei Jin will definitely lead to meat to eat, so he is also very concerned about the project: "The casting is almost done, it should be soon."

"Hmm, that's good. I hope there will be a good box office then. Come to think of it, no film produced by Enlightened Fiber has exceeded 300 million in box office. Little brother, do you think 'Badges of Fury' has a chance?"

"There is a chance. The current film market is developing faster and faster, and there will be more and more high-box-office films in the future."

"Hmm, that is true. The market is getting better and better; I'm afraid one could swindle quite a lot of box office even with a scam, haha."

Wei Jin really finds it hard to respond to this; after all, a bad film ruins one's reputation. If a filmmaker is labeled with this, it is not easy to wash it off.

This is also the reason why Shanhe Media is determined not to make bad films, even if the box office is good! During the banquet, many stars, artists, and companies in the industry came to toast. Although Da Meiyuan is already pregnant, Wei Jin avoids drinking if he can, basically using beverages and water to cope.

This also leads to Wei Jin being unable to help but go to the restroom after a short while.

Just after finishing, he was blocked by Bai Bin again and again and again and again.

Looking at Xiaobai, who is wearing a V-neck red dress, Wei Jin cannot help but sigh.

"Xiaobai, it's not safe here."

"Boss, don't worry, I will be quiet in a moment."

Bai Bin crouches in front of Wei Jin, and while speaking, she nimbly undoes his restraints.

Heaven have mercy, ever since that time in the office in April when she had a meal of meat, it has been four months of vacancy. Plus, the filming schedule is heavy, and she has to rush back to Hengdian at night; how could she miss the opportunity now?

The alluring red lips open slightly.

One minute later, Wei Jin turns the still somewhat limp Xiaobai around, pinches her chin, and leans in.

Soon, this card game leaves no trace. After the celebration banquet ends, Wei Jin rushes to Xishan Villa.

Just after entering the house, he sees Liu Shishi, who has bathed and changed, radiating fragrance, standing prettily before him.

That appearance is just like a young wife waiting for her husband to return home.

"Brother, you're back."

Affectionately touching the girl's head, a smile appears on Wei Jin's face.

"Hmm, waited a long time? Have you eaten?"

While speaking, Wei Jin leads the young girl toward the house. August in Beijing is really too hot; in just this short while, his back is almost soaked.

"Hmm, I've eaten. If it's waiting for you, I'm willing no matter how long."

The girl's double-entendre words make Wei Jin's heart tremble. He pulls her into his arms with a backhand, lowers his head, and takes a deep sniff of her black hair. The jasmine-scented body wash mixed with the woman's unique body fragrance makes him somewhat intoxicated.

Holding the young girl, they walk all the way to the sofa. Wei Jin pulls her to sit on his lap, his hands unable to help but caress her snow-white and slender beautiful legs.

"Shishi, theoretically you should still be promoting 'Xuan-Yuan Sword', why did you run to Beijing? Did Boss Cai agree?"

Mentioning this, Liu Shishi's brows furrow slightly, and her face carries a bit of disgust.

"Sigh, don't mention it, Brother. K Jie really does things too unreliably."

Listening to Liu Shishi recount the whole story, Wei Jin exclaims, "Good heavens."

"No wonder I said I didn't see Tang Yan in the promotion of 'Xuan-Yuan Sword'. So Boss Cai fooled her again?"

"Exactly. There were quite a lot of scenes during filming, but now they've been cut so much that they can't even keep up with Rouba's scenes. Tangtang doesn't even talk to me now, and the internet is in an uproar. Everywhere I go for promotion, I'm asked this question, so I just stopped going."

Wei Jin shakes his head. Although Tang Yan no longer has 'Paladin 3', she is at least the leading young actress of Orange Sky. Being a supporting role for Liu Shishi is one thing, but now she can't even keep up with Rouba's scenes; it would be strange if she didn't explode.

To tell the truth, it was only because Tang Yan left Orange Sky and lost her backing that it hadn't been exposed. It wasn't until the Studio was established that she acknowledged this fact when facing repeated questions from reporters.

If this were Yang Mi, she would have started a major mockery at the first opportunity.

However, looking at the girl's somewhat annoyed appearance, Wei Jin can only offer comfort.

"Alright, Shishi, don't think too much. This isn't your fault. Just find a chance to explain it to her later."

"Hmm, that's all I can do."

"Then what are your plans for the next step?"

"Hmm, I want to rest for a while first, wait for the limelight to pass before starting work, and take this time to accompany you more."

Looking at the girl's slightly shy appearance, Wei Jin's appetite is whetted, and his hands unconsciously climb upward.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, an untimely sound rings out.

"Gurgle~~~~"

For a moment, the air goes quiet. Wei Jin looks at the source of the sound—Liu Shishi's lower abdomen—and asks in confusion: "Shishi, didn't you say you'd eaten?"

"I... I ate a little on the plane, I didn't expect to be hungry so soon."

"How can airplane food fill you up? Forget it, shall I make you a late-night snack?"

"Okay, okay, Brother, what are you making?"

"Hmm... I'll make noodles."

"0.0"

(End of this chapter)