Chapter 471: The Broad-Minded Actress

As time entered the latter part of September, the battle in the film market became increasingly intense, with several Hollywood blockbusters still reaping the harvest.

Two weeks after its release, *The Hunger Games* had reached a box office of 130 million, but its daily box office had already fallen below three million.

Compared to its ferocious performance in North America, *The Hunger Games* could be said to have barely made a splash domestically.

However, for Wei Jin, it didn't really matter; released as an imported film, he could enjoy a 25% share of the box office, earning tens of millions with no risk and no cost—the money for the child's diapers was covered, so what else was there to be dissatisfied about?

That film, *Heartbroken Fairy Tale*, had been in theaters for over a week, grossing over 12 million, but its daily box office had dropped directly below 100,000, and it was forcibly pulled from theaters by the cinema chains.

Perhaps in the eyes of the cinema chains, even if those screening slots were given to other films at random, the box office would be more than just this much.

Wang Changtian of Enlight Media had not been in a good mood these past two days; although the film didn't lose much, it still had an impact on the stock price, and with a drop of several points, his net worth had shrunk by tens of millions.

Coincidentally, that film, *White Deer Plain*, didn't perform much better.

In one week, the box office had barely crawled over the 60-million mark, but the daily box office had also fallen to around six million.

Looking at this situation, whether it could finish its one-month theatrical run would depend on whether the next few films could support it.

Yang Mi's film, *Bronze Sparrow Terrace*, had also been released.

Although *Tiny Times* hadn't started filming yet, Yang Mi had already gained a huge wave of fans based on this series contract, all of whom were reader-fans of the original novel.

Coupled with the Golden Eagle Goddess title she had just won and the popularity she had accumulated over the years, Yang Mi's appeal was becoming increasingly powerful.

So much so that under the pressure of a crowd of Hollywood blockbusters, *Bronze Sparrow Terrace* managed to rake in over 14 million on its first day with a 14% share of screenings, which could be considered a decent result.

By contrast, Zhou Runfa, who had debuted many years ago, did not provide much help to the film.

*Bronze Sparrow Terrace* was released simultaneously in Hong Kong, but the first-day box office was less than 1 million Hong Kong dollars.

This also made many production companies realize that times had changed, and the appeal of the older generation of stars was indeed no longer as good as that of the younger ones.

At the same time, several films scheduled for release at the end of the month were all poised and ready.

Huayi's film, *Tai Chi 0*, held its premiere press conference a week in advance, and Wang Zhonglei appeared very high-profile in front of the media.

"The *Tai Chi* series is being shot as two films back-to-back with a total investment of 220 million; our goal is not simply to break even, but for the total box office to exceed 1 billion."

Yang Ying was also quite outrageous, shouting in front of the media:

"If the box office can reach 1 billion, I will post a bikini photo album on Weibo for half a month."

Once the news came out, it naturally caused a huge gimmick, and netizens were all teasing.

"If it's 1 billion, you'll post bikini photos; if it's 2 billion, are you going to show some skin?"

"You're overthinking it; with her acting skills like Xiao Fengxian, I'm afraid even if Wei Jin came, he wouldn't be able to carry her."

"According to Yang Ying's logic, Master Huang is holding billions every day, hahaha."

Watching the fun online, Wei Jin couldn't help but sigh that the netizens were too talented, though he didn't know what Huang Xiaoming would think of it.

However, the news about *Bronze Sparrow Terrace* reminded Wei Jin of something, so he took out his phone and called Zhang Xu.

"Yeah, Old Zhang, there's a project here at Wanda that's estimated to start filming around January. I intend to give the lead actress role to Yang Mi, and there's also a male supporting role that's quite good. See who in the company has a suitable schedule?"

Although this woman Yang Mi had great ambition and was sometimes disobedient, Wei Jin kept his word; if there was a suitable project, he wouldn't forget her.

But he didn't expect Zhang Xu's answer to surprise him a little.

"You're saying Yang Mi doesn't have an opening in her schedule? What's going on? Isn't *Tiny Times* starting filming next month? Isn't three months enough?"

Zhang Xu's tone was also somewhat helpless: "President Wei, it was said before that it would start in October, but then some situations arose."

Listening to Zhang Xu's explanation, Wei Jin was a bit speechless; this film with broken values had quite a lot of nonsense going on.

As a bestseller, the TV adaptation rights for *Tiny Times* had been sold by Guo Jingming earlier, and the TV production team was also preparing to start filming.

But he didn't expect that just as it was about to start filming, Guo Jingming actually took a fancy to the male lead they had selected.

Unsurprisingly, after Guo Jingming promised him one of the male lead roles in the film version, this actor decisively ran off with him; after all, everyone in the entertainment industry knew that films always had a higher status than TV dramas.

"And then?"

"Now both sides are bickering, and the start date for the film hasn't even been confirmed. According to Ceng Jia's report, it will probably be November, and Guo Jingming is afraid of insufficient funds, so he plans to shoot the first and second parts back-to-back. So, it's estimated that Yang Mi might not have an opening in her schedule before March next year."

"Tsk tsk tsk, this is truly an eye-opener."

"Who's to say it isn't?"

Zhang Xu chimed in with a complaint; he had truly never seen anyone snatch an actor like this, and then, as if remembering something, he added:

"But according to Ceng Jia, the male actors chosen for the film version are all pretty boys, similar to those South Korean artists..."

Hearing this, Wei Jin thought of the gossip he had seen in his past life, figuring that the actress should be very safe on set.

"Alright then, since she doesn't have an opening, then after Wanda sends the script over, let those who have an opening try out for it."

"Understood, President Wei."

The next day, Wei Jin brought the *Bottom-Tier Girl* crew to the Central Academy of Drama; this was the first stop of the offline promotion.

Although in recent years, Beijing Film Academy had seen the rise of great directors like Wei Jin, Wu Ershan, Lu Yang, Cao Baoping, and Xue Xiaolu, with their momentum growing stronger day by day.

But as the veteran big brother among the three major art colleges in the country, the Central Academy of Drama was still the first choice for many students.

And because of the Central Academy of Drama's relatively fair admission standards and rigorous and effective teaching quality, the number of acting students recruited each year was actually higher than that of Beijing Film Academy.

Like the newly enrolled 2012 acting class at the Central Academy of Drama, there were two classes, with about fifty people.

The Central Academy of Drama was clearly very concerned about the promotion of the *Bottom-Tier Girl* crew; this was the first time Wei Jin had entered the Central Academy of Drama campus for promotion, so the setup was very grand, and the meeting was held in the Great Hall.

As soon as Wei Jin and his party arrived, they saw a set of *Bottom-Tier Girl* promotional posters placed on both sides of the entrance.

The background of one of the posters was the sunset glow, a silhouette of a girl riding a bicycle in the sunset.

On it were the four large characters for *Bottom-Tier Girl*, and the subtitle was 【The biggest lie in the world is that you can't do it】.

The other was a close-up portrait of Jing Tian: on a pure white background, wearing a blue school uniform, Jing Tian with golden hair rested her chin on her hand, a naive and ignorant expression on her face, with a series of question marks appearing exaggeratedly above her head, as if asking: "Why is the homework so hard?"

Seeing this photo, Jing Tian's face felt slightly hot; a solo photo of a Beijing Film Academy actor appearing openly in the Great Hall, which was only used for the Central Academy of Drama's graduation ceremonies, always felt a bit incongruous.

Perhaps it was the reputation of the great director Wei Jin, or perhaps it was because there were many Central Academy of Drama actors in the cast of *Bottom-Tier Girl*, but even though it was the weekend, many people came to participate in the event, and even many students who had already graduated came.

The meeting was a complete success.

After the event ended, Wei Jin and his party were asked to stay for a meal. Over the years, as the film and television industry became more prosperous, the Central Academy of Drama was also seeking change; the old model of relying on quality to conquer the world had indeed caused students from the school to suffer quite a few losses when they first graduated.

At this moment, Wei Jin was being pulled around to be introduced to quite a few students who had already graduated or were still in school, with much praise in their words, indicating that these were all seedlings with outstanding acting skills.

These words made several people from Beijing Film Academy feel a bit awkward, especially Zhang Songwen.

After he became famous, he attended many Beijing Film Academy events; when the teachers there introduced students to outsiders, it was often "good appearance, potential to be famous," with acting skills rarely mentioned—perhaps they really lacked the confidence? Wei Jin felt the same, though he had to admit that Central Academy of Drama truly did a solid job in terms of teaching quality.

While he was feeling emotional, a teacher from Central Academy of Drama pulled over another student and introduced her:

"Director Wei, this is Lan Yingying, who just graduated this year; she was just admitted to the People's Art Theatre with the top score a few months ago."

"Hello Director Wei, I am the actress Lan Yingying."

Wei Jin looked at Lan Yingying, whose features had a touch of heroism but whose overall face looked slightly sharp, and nodded.

"Hello, I remember you had a role in Mural, and you even danced at the premiere?"

Lan Yingying looked pleasantly surprised, "Director Wei, you still remember me?"

"Mm, the dance was good, and the acting was also decent."

There was an inexplicable sense of emotion in Wei Jin's tone.

Speaking of Lan Yingying, Wei Jin's biggest impression of her in his past life was Huanbi in Empresses in the Palace.

Honestly, this character was very brilliant, but perhaps Lan Yingying's career luck was poor; even with the boost from Huanbi, her subsequent works didn't seem to make any waves.

Her small rise to fame was also due to her relationship with Cao Jun, and it wasn't until after Sister Who Makes Waves that she became popular again, and by that time, it had already been 10 years since Empresses in the Palace.

And now, since Empresses in the Palace had been snatched away by Qingzi, Lan Yingying's career path was even bumpier, and she was still a nameless little nobody to this day.

Wei Jin pondered whether he should give her a chance later on? After all, this acting skill was indeed decent.

"Director Wei, this is Chen Xiaoyun from the class of '06."

Listening to the introduction from the Central Academy of Drama teacher, Wei Jin also cast his gaze toward the actress with curved eyebrows, a petite figure, but a broad bosom.

Come to think of it, this Chen Xiaoyun really had a rich experience; she started with dance from a young age but had to leave the Beijing Dance Academy due to asthma.

Later, she joined the national swimming team, but due to her beautiful figure, she caused quite a bit of controversy and gave up her status on the national team.

Eventually, she chose the performance major and was admitted to the acting department of the Central Academy of Drama with the top professional score.

One has to say, this is a learning-oriented talent.

For the duration of a meal, Wei Jin maintained a smile, responding to every "Hello Director Wei" and "Hello President Wei."

Most of the people who came this time were not famous actors, but the vast majority had official positions—either with the People's Art Theatre, the National Theatre of China, or the National Youth Theatre of China; it was clear that the Central Academy of Drama was intentionally flexing its muscles.

"Director Wei, there are many excellent actors at the Central Academy of Drama. If you have any signing needs later, or if your movies or TV dramas need roles, please give them a chance."

"Teacher Chang, you are too kind. I have always highly recognized actors from the Central Academy of Drama, and the company has signed quite a few over the years. If there is an opportunity, I definitely will."

Jiang Shan and Xu Yajun rarely returned to school and still needed to connect with their teachers, so Wei Jin took the others and left first.

After exiting the school gate of the Central Academy of Drama, the group felt much more relaxed.

"When it comes to professional ability, even if the Central Academy of Drama has been a bit lax in recent years, it still surpasses Beijing Film Academy by quite a bit."

Wei Jin's complaint made Zhang Songwen feel the same, and he nodded in agreement:

"President Wei is right; the school's direction in recent years has indeed gone a bit astray."

Although Bai Yu was from the Central Academy of Drama, he found it hard to chime in at this moment; Jing Tian, however, because she was from Beijing Film Academy, teased with a smile: "Brother, Teacher Zhang, when you go back to school for promotion in a few days, why don't you two offer some suggestions to the school leaders?"

"Hehe, if you want to offer suggestions, you do it; I'm too lazy to say anything anyway."

Wei Jin no longer held any hope for Beijing Film Academy; even Wang Jinsong, the only one he wanted to change, had been arranged to sit on the bench. Who could stop this batch of school leaders? "Alright, let's stop here for today, and continue tomorrow."

"Alright, Director Wei."

For this promotion, Wei Jin placed Beijing Film Academy as the last stop, and the school was very satisfied; after all, being ranked last meant it was the most important.

Next, there were still schools like the Beijing Dance Academy and the Communication University of China that needed a visit.

However, since they were all in Beijing, there was no need for a long journey, and each school could be handled in half a day.

In the evening, Wei Jin and Jing Tian returned to Dongshanshu and took a bath together to relieve their fatigue.

Looking at the "flower of wealth's" skin, which was as smooth as grease and as flawless as white jade, Wei Jin's appetite was whetted, and his hands began to become restless.

"Brother, why are you doing this again~~"

Jing Tian shyly swatted away the hand that was causing trouble, but she felt exceptionally sweet inside.

They had already been intimate many times over the past two days, and even various things had been tried, yet this man was still so obsessed with her.

"Hehe, who told my Tian Tian to be so charming?"

Wei Jin was not a person who gave up easily; he switched hands, reached around from behind the girl, and took hold of the "big oranges" again.

Seeing this, Jing Tian could only helplessly lean on his shoulder and let Wei Jin play.

"By the way, Tian Tian, tomorrow we are going to your alma mater; any thoughts?"

"No particular feeling; I only stayed for a little over a year in total. Thinking back now, it was quite hard back then, um~~~ Brother~~"

While Jing Tian was speaking, she realized the man's hand was already wandering on her snow-white thighs, occasionally probing into the forbidden zone.

"Tian Tian, come to think of it, learning dance is quite good. Look at these legs, long and straight, tender and smooth..."

Jing Tian was just about to say something, but she found a scorching breath rushing toward her face, and her red lips had already been sealed.

"Mmm~~~"

After a long, wet kiss, a flush appeared on Jing Tian's exquisite face, and the mist in her eyes seemed even thicker than the steam in the bathroom.

Facing Wei Jin's burning gaze, Jing Tian rolled her eyes, took the initiative to lower her swan-like neck, and lightly pressed her red lips onto his.

"Oh~~~"

(End of this chapter)