Chapter 476: Biting is fine, but you have to separate them

The sun of the autumn day rose as usual.

The warm, gentle morning light shone through the kitchen window, spilling onto Liu Yifei's moist, radiant, pretty face, adding a touch of ethereal beauty.

If not for the apron she was wearing at this moment, the young girl would truly look like someone who had stepped out of a painting.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and rolled up her sleeves to busy herself in the kitchen, a confident smile on her face: "Brother, do you have any other plans today?"

"No, I belong to you today."

Wei Jin hugged Liu Yifei's slender waist from behind, buried his head in the girl's thick, black hair, and took a deep sniff: "Mm, so fragrant."

"Brother, do you think it's fragrant too? It seems today's big meal is a success."

Liu Yifei looked pleasantly surprised; it seemed this trick she learned from Shu Chang was quite useful, though it was a bit annoying that she couldn't sleep in.

"Uh, a big meal?"

"Yeah, a deluxe egg and ham sandwich feast. Hey, stop moving around."

Liu Yifei struggled a bit, swatted away the hand acting up on her chest, and then tilted her head to kiss Wei Jin on the face: "Brother, go to the living room and wait obediently for my big meal to come out."

Wei Jin shook his head and chuckled; for Liu Yifei, who would usually be "sealed" in bed in the mornings, this "big meal" really took quite a bit of effort.

After a brief moment of intimacy, Wei Jin was banished from the kitchen by the young girl and went to the sofa in the living room to browse his phone.

As expected, there were too many congratulatory messages, all regarding the news of the massive first-day success of *Bottom-Tier Girl*.

There were also many related reports online, with words of praise overflowing.

"*Bottom-Tier Girl* rakes in 41.2 million at the box office on its first day, strongly leading the National Day Slot!"

"Unlike the dark inspiration of *Whiplash*, *Bottom-Tier Girl* focuses on daily life and is full of warmth."

"Four-way battle for the National Day Slot, the winner may have already been decided in advance!"

To be honest, this first-day result was not particularly outstanding among Wei Jin's current films, but the word-of-mouth online was quite explosive, with a rating as high as 8.8 on Yinxiang Net.

This meant that as the holiday progressed, the box office would see another big surge, so the media's claim was not entirely wrong.

Afterward, Wei Jin checked on the situation of several other films, which only solidified this view.

That film *Tai Chi 0* from Huayi was almost beyond saving; after three days of release, the box office had barely broken 20 million, and the rating on Yinxiang Net had already fallen below 6, with its reputation completely ruined.

As for Zhang Ziyi's *Dangerous Liaisons*, he had thought the word-of-mouth was good and could lead to an increase, but unfortunately, things went against his wishes; because of the online feuds, the box office fell instead of rising, closing at 7.62 million.

*Second Exposure*, directed by Li Yu and released on the same day as *Bottom-Tier Girl*, although having decent word-of-mouth, lacked the drawing power of Fan Bingbing, and its first-day box office was less than 6 million.

Other films such as *Bronze Sparrow Terrace* and *White Deer Plain* saw almost no growth in box office, only increasing by twenty or thirty million over the course of a week.

"This year's National Day Slot is actually so lackluster."

After sighing, Wei Jin checked the industry news, which was all about the Hundred Flowers Awards from last night.

It was funny to say, but at last year's Golden Rooster Awards, Feng Dapao's *Aftershock* had 9 nominations but only took home one minor award.

Yet at this year's Hundred Flowers Awards, *Aftershock* was the undisputed big winner.

Not only did it take the grand prize for Best Film and Best Director, it also won the Oscar Best Screenplay, and even Zhang Zifeng took home the Best New Performer award.

As expected, although Feng Dapao did not attend in person, having Xu Fan accept the awards on his behalf, he posted a Weibo post early this morning.

"The Hundred Flowers are chosen by the audience, and the eyes of the audience are indeed sharp, representing fairness and justice. Thank you for the recognition from the audience."

The comment section of the Weibo post was lively at this moment; many celebrities were liking and reposting it, but the netizens' teasing was very sharp.

"Director Feng has double happiness, you must drink a few extra cups."

"Director Feng, as long as you win an award, it's fair and just; that was the same thing said at the Student Film Festival before, haha."

"Director Feng is too real; if he gets a big award, it's fair, but if he doesn't, he starts firing cannons."

"."

However, while Feng Dapao had a fruitful harvest, Shanhe Media also had significant gains; *Love is Not Blind* not only won the Outstanding Feature Film Award but also swept the two major awards for Best Actor and Best Actress.

Yang Mi and Wang Kai also posted on Weibo one after another, thanking the organizing committee and the audience for their recognition.

"Brother, time to eat."

"Mm, coming."

After eating the deluxe breakfast carefully prepared by Liu Yifei, Wei Jin made a few phone calls to arrange some company matters.

Although it was a holiday, entertainment companies were different from typical production or administrative companies; they were actually busier due to more artist schedules and film releases.

When he returned, Wei Jin saw the young girl lying on the sofa, holding a book.

"Hey, Yifei, you're lying down right after breakfast; that's not good for your stomach."

As Wei Jin spoke, he walked over to the sofa and took the young girl into his arms.

"What are you reading?"

"A book written by Yan Yan. All the classmates in the class received one. I heard she's going to Shanghai for a book signing during the National Day."

As she spoke, Liu Yifei closed the book and shook it. Wei Jin caught a glimpse of the large characters on the cover—*I Am a Crawler, Little Jiang*. So this was the origin of "Little Crawler Jiang"? "Eh? You went traveling before and just came back yesterday, how did you get it?"

Liu Yifei shook her head, looking a bit smug.

"Hee hee, she sent this one to Changchang's film crew, and I took it to look at first."

"Uh, how's the quality?"

"How should I put it? Novels, essays, travelogues, original lyrics, and photography works—it's quite a mix. But it's okay for killing time. I heard she's holding a book signing in Shanghai during the National Day."

"Impressive!"

Wei Jin had to admit that as a gold-medal Agent, Wang Jinhua's methods were indeed remarkable.

By exposing Jiang Yiyan's "volunteer teaching" over the years, she had successfully suppressed the "mistress" public opinion, and now she was starting to build a talented woman persona, preparing to wash her reputation clean. It was one step after another, making one have to admire her.

"Whoa, and Chen Daoming wrote the preface? The father in the drama hasn't gone offline yet? Tsk tsk."

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes at Wei Jin, wondering how a grown man knew so much gossip, and then asked: "Brother, how are we going to play today?"

"How do you want to play?"

"How about we go go-karting?"

Wei Jin glanced at Liu Yifei; this girl loved speeding, and he had told her many times, but go-karts were safe enough, so he nodded and said:

"Alright, let's pack up and head out in a bit."

"Mm-hmm, I'll give Changchang a call."

Entering the National Day Slot, the film market ushered in a chaotic battle.

However, the chaos was among the other films, while *Bottom-Tier Girl* sat high above the clouds.

Relying on good word-of-mouth, it grossed 51.8 million on the second day of release and 49.6 million on the third.

The three-day box office reached 142 million, leaving the rest of the National Day Slot far behind. The other films also saw their daily box office rise more or less due to the holiday.

Just at this moment, news came from the Golden Horse Awards.

"The nomination list for the major awards of the 49th Golden Horse Awards is revealed today."

As the film award with the highest gold content among the three major Chinese-language awards, many from Mainland China register to compete every year.

Especially this year, with a great director like Wei Jin participating, all eyes in the industry were focused on it.

"Best Picture, nominees: *Mystery of the Floating City*, *Bottom-Tier Girl*, *The Great Buddha*, *Life Without Principle*..."

"Best Director, nominees: Lou Ye, Wei Jin, Ning Hao, Du Qifeng."

"Best..."

Countless filmmakers in Mainland China rubbed their eyes and confirmed it again and again; the news was correct.

*Bottom-Tier Girl* powerfully swept 7 nominations.

Jing Tian was nominated for Best Actress; Zhang Songwen was nominated for Best Actor; Xu Yajun was nominated for Best Supporting Actor; Jiang Shan was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Besides these, there was also Best Screenplay.

Mainland media and industry peers were boiling over; was *Bottom-Tier Girl* really that formidable?

But upon reflection, it felt reasonable; one must know that since 2006, Wei Jin had never participated in any Chinese-language film awards.

And with his current status—holding three Oscars, a Cannes Palme d'Or, a Berlin Golden Bear, and a Venice Jury Grand Prize—let alone his influence in the Chinese-language film circle, even globally, Wei Jin belonged to the top tier of directors. Participating in the Golden Horse Awards was definitely giving the latter face.

To return a peach for a plum, it was nothing more than this.

"Golden Horse announces nominations, *Bottom-Tier Girl* powerfully takes seven, ranking first!"

"Six years ago, *Room* won Best Picture, Best Actress, and other major awards. I wonder if *Bottom-Tier Girl* can achieve an even greater victory 6 years later?"

"Since her debut in 2005, Jing Tian has developed in film, television, and music. This Golden Horse nomination is her first for a Chinese-language Golden Horse Best Actress; it is worth looking forward to!"

"Shanhe Media's three films nominated for multiple major awards, potentially becoming the biggest winner of this year's Golden Horse..."

At the Shanghai New Film Association cinema, after a roadshow ended, the *Bottom-Tier Girl* crew boarded a Coaster, and the group celebrated their success.

"Teacher Zhang, Teacher Jiang, Teacher Xu, Sister Tian Tian, congratulations, congratulations."

Bai Yu and Li Xian were somewhat envious; a crew with four acting nominations, and only the two of them didn't get any. It would be a lie to say they weren't sad, but having spent so much time together, they were also happy for their seniors.

As Jing Tian's teacher and the male lead of the film, Zhang Songwen had shouldered the task of team bonding since filming began, so he spoke up and suggested:

"Tian Tian, Sister Jiang, Brother Yajun, let's celebrate tonight. It's my first time getting a nomination, hahaha."

Regarding Zhang Songwen's suggestion, Jing Tian raised her hand in agreement while replying to messages on her phone.

"Okay, okay, we've been running around for these few days, let's eat spicy food tonight, let's have hot pot."

"Good, it's happily decided then."

Xu Yajun and Jiang Shan had no objections either, replying to the endless stream of congratulations, the smiles on their faces completely unstoppable.

On the other side, Wei Jin wasn't idle either; congratulatory texts, WeChat messages, and calls from acquaintances in the industry poured in all at once. He was on the phone right now.

"Junior brother, you're really fierce. 7 nominations, you've almost swept all the major awards. The fame of a great director is truly useful..."

Listening to Ning Hao's slightly sour congratulations, Wei Jin also teased him for once.

"Hehe, Senior brother, you're not bad either. You registered at the last minute and still got four major nominations. I might even lose to you this time, hahaha..."

Come to think of it, Ning Hao was also quite funny; he originally didn't intend to participate, but after learning that Wei Jin had been invited, he decisively sent *The Great Buddha* over as well.

In his words, with a tall person like Wei Jin standing in front, he didn't have to worry about the school's pressure.

And *The Great Buddha*, the film that won the Berlin International Film Festival Best Director, truly lived up to expectations, receiving nominations for Best Director, Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.

This time, Wei Jin estimated that he might really lose in the major categories.

"If that's really the case, then I'll have saved face, hahaha."

"Senior brother, even if that's the case, it's still my screenplay, hahaha."

"..."

Wei Jin's words broke Ning Hao's composure, and then the two chatted about the filming situation of the crew.

In fact, Wei Jin and Shu Chang had discussed this topic a few days ago, but the young girl had finished filming long ago and wasn't very clear about the subsequent progress of the crew.

"Mm, it's about as expected. I estimate there's about half a month left. You have to say, Chen Xi is really efficient at work."

Wei Jin listened to Ning Hao's way of gilding his wife, smiled, and said nothing; Xing Aina's efficiency was not something he dared to compliment.

"Heh, Senior brother, if you feel bad about it, give her a big red envelope when the time comes to help her save up for her dowry, hahaha."

"That's a good idea, haha, let's do that."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin turned back and saw Liu Yifei leaning on the sofa, looking a bit sullen.

Wei Jin knew it was time to hold the scales of justice level.

Previously, when the casting for *Edge of Tomorrow* was decided, although the young girl didn't say anything, her going on a trip already explained some things.

But fortunately, Wei Jin was prepared; he sat down right beside her and pulled the girl into his arms.

"Yifei, do you remember what I said when we were filming *Whiplash*?"

Liu Yifei was stunned upon hearing this, her eyes slowly widening, but after looking at the man, she lowered them again and replied somewhat nonchalantly: "You've said so many things, how would I remember?"

Not to mention, the young girl occasionally acting a bit temperamental had a unique charm to it, so Wei Jin simply sighed along with her.

"Alright, since you've forgotten, the script I prepared can only be acted out with someone else..."

As soon as the words fell, Wei Jin felt a gust of fragrant wind sweep over him, and the young girl was already pressing down on his body, a milk-fierce expression on her face.

"No, you clearly promised me first."

With a playful look on his face, Wei Jin blinked and teased, "Didn't you say you didn't remember just a moment ago?"

"You... I... I just remembered it now."

"Is that so?"

Wei Jin furrowed his brows and spread his hands, appearing somewhat troubled, "I just thought about it, Yifei, your acting skills aren't quite up to standard."

"You... you're bullying me!"

Liu Yifei noticed the playfulness on Wei Jin's face and declared viciously, "Brother, if you do that again, I'm going to bite you."

"Yifei, biting is fine, but you have to separate the words."

"0.0"

(End of this chapter)