Chapter 481: Li Jie, put on my favorite set

It has been more than a week since the holiday ended, but the film market seems to have had its potential overdrawn, remaining lukewarm overall.

*Bottom-Tier Girl* has been in theaters for 16 days, with a box office reaching 548 million, but the weekday box office has fallen to around 10 million, which can be described as a slash after a slash compared to the holiday.

Even so, the film's box office breaking 600 million is a certainty.

By comparison, the rest of the films can almost be declared a total wipeout.

Although Zhang Ziyi has been appearing frequently with Xiao Sa during this period, the total box office for *Dangerous Liaisons* has barely climbed to 40 million, and it is almost no longer increasing.

It is foreseeable that the film will be pulled from theaters in the next few days.

Compared to the production cost of 200 million, even counting various copyright and advertising revenues, the producers' losses are at least 80 percent, directly booking the number one spot on this year's loss list.

That film from Huayi, *Tai Chi 0*, has broken 80 million at the box office, but the single-day box office has already dropped below 1 million, and the outcome is already foreseeable.

On the contrary, *Second Exposure* has performed passably, with its box office having broken the 50 million mark.

Although it may not get much more box office later on, it has basically broken even.

And that Hollywood blockbuster *Looper*, which achieved good results in North America, saw disappointing box office performance under Han Sanping's overbearing fine-tuning of the release schedule.

Even with the participation of Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt, and even with the studio pulling in the still-charming "peach-butt" Xu Qing for an appearance for the sake of the Mainland China market, after one week of release, the Mainland China box office only reported 80 million.

Attentive media outlets have compiled statistics showing that after the National Day holiday ended, the daily total market revenue actually dropped to less than 40 million, as if the winter of the film industry had arrived.

Coupled with the fact that imported films have been aggressively seizing the market this year, with most domestic films becoming cannon fodder, many peers in the industry have developed a shadow in their hearts, so much so that films scheduled for release in late November, December, and even next January have started their intensive promotion ahead of schedule.

For example, Huang Xiaoming's *The Last Tycoon*, scheduled for December 21, is already holding press conferences more than two months before the film's release.

Facing the media's cameras, Yu Pangzi of Bona directly made a bold statement:

"Two generations of Xu Wenqiang, gathered in *The Last Tycoon*, we have confidence that this film can compete head-on with *Back to 1942*, *Gravity*, *Chinese Zodiac*, and other films."

Huang Xiaoming has high emotional intelligence and would not be so reckless, so he expressed it tactfully.

"Whether the box office can beat them, I don't know, but I've taken on a formidable master, so I'll have someone covering me in the future, haha."

Wei Jin ignored Yu Pangzi's bold words; he had received a call from North America.

*Taken 3* has been released in North America.

Thanks to the reputation built by the first two films in the series, and the increasing appeal of Liam Neeson after the hit *The Dark Knight Rises*, *Taken 3* performed quite well in October, a globally unpopular release window.

On its opening day, it opened in 3,594 theaters and raked in 15.7 million USD at the box office; over the first three-day weekend, the box office had already exceeded 41 million USD.

The global box office is even directly approaching the 100 million mark, reaching 98.6 million USD, successfully topping the weekly global box office chart.

It is just that the word-of-mouth online is not particularly good; the IMDb rating is only 6.4, and after only three days of release, the fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes is less than 50%.

According to this situation, it is basically impossible for the final box office results to surpass the previous installment.

"Hunter, for the upcoming promotion, focus on the fact that this is Liam Neeson's final *Taken* series film."

Before Wei Jin could finish his sentence, Hunter screamed.

"No, no, boss, this series still has potential to be tapped; there is no need to stop."

Hunter said a lot on the phone, which was nothing more than not wanting to give up this profitable series.

Yes, Wei Jin admits that although the box office performance of the third installment is not good, based on the production cost of 48 million, making money is definitely not a problem.

But sometimes, the accounts are not calculated that way.

"Hunter, the first one was saving the daughter, the second one was saving the wife and daughter, and the third one completes self-redemption; there are really no more tricks left. It's good to say goodbye to the series like this; leave some dignity for Summit Entertainment and Liam Neeson."

The other end of the phone fell silent, and it was only after a long while that Wei Jin heard Hunter's slightly hoarse voice.

"Boss, I'll listen to you. It's been 6 years, and it really is time for the curtain to fall. I will follow your instructions and give this final chapter a perfect ending."

"Hmm, Hunter, you have to look forward. We still have *The Hunger Games*, we still have the horror series, and there will be new series next year. Lacking one action film won't have much of an impact."

"Hmm, boss, I understand."

After more than two months, *A Cool Fish* had traveled thousands of miles and finally wrapped up filming.

Wei Jin fulfilled his promise and prepared a welcome-back banquet for the crew.

Inside the luxury private room of the Imperial Hotel, the entire *A Cool Fish* crew was present.

It had been a long time, and Ning Hao was still in his familiar attire: T-shirt and jeans paired with a big gold chain, and his unchanging buzz cut, which really lowered the status of a big director.

Seeing Chen Xi, who was clearly half a shade darker, Wei Jin couldn't help but take a few extra looks, unable to hold back a laugh.

Noticing the boss's gaze and the arc at the corner of his mouth that he was about to be unable to suppress, Chen Xi rolled her eyes, her tone carrying a bit of resentment.

"Boss, this counts as a work-related injury for me. What should I do if I can't find a boyfriend?"

Wei Jin's face flushed, suddenly feeling that he had been exploiting his workers too harshly, especially Chen Xi, who had almost not rested at all this year, so he coughed and forced himself to remain serious.

"Hmm, Producer Chen has worked hard. Your year-end bonus will be doubled this year. Also, when you leave later, go to my trunk and take a set of skincare products; I guarantee you'll be fair and tender in a week, and then there will be plenty of men for you to choose from."

Wei Jin has too many women around him, so he always keeps gifts in his car in case of need.

Although they are all just some skincare products or jewelry and aren't worth much, it never hurts to be polite, and girls like this sort of thing.

Sure enough, as soon as Chen Xi heard this, her mood was clearly much better, and she stopped rolling her eyes.

But at this moment, Shu Chang on the side chimed in: "Boss Wei, I've also worked very hard, having to film and also accompany Yifei to play everywhere. Aren't you going to show some appreciation?"

Wei Jin said irritably: "Can't the food block your mouth? Just follow along later."

Shu Chang beamed with joy, and the flattery came out easily: "Hee hee, Boss Wei is generous!"

After a lively dinner, Wei Jin returned to the Yanjiao Villa.

Opening the door, he saw Ceng Li wrapped in pajamas, leaning on the sofa watching TV. "Li Jie, has Dudu fallen asleep?"

"Hmm, she just fell asleep a while ago, don't go and disturb her."

As she spoke, Ceng Li walked over, her nose twitching slightly, and then she frowned.

"Xiao Jin, why have you been drinking?"

After Wei Jin changed his shoes, he reached back and pulled the great beauty into his arms, explaining.

"Hmm, my senior brother was happy today and insisted on dragging me to drink, so I accompanied him for a bit."

Ceng Li nodded and didn't say anything more. Since Wei Jin quit drinking, he has rarely drunk, but a man has to socialize outside after all, as long as he knows his limits.

"By the way, Li Jie, how did you feel about the premiere of Mystery of the Floating City today?"

This film by Lou Ye was scheduled for the 19th, with three days left until release; the invitation had been sent to Shanhe Media beforehand.

Although Wei Jin was a fellow alumnus of his, they were not on the same path, and they were also competitors for the Golden Horse Awards. To avoid awkward questions from the media, he simply didn't go and just arranged for a Producer to go and show support.

However, Ceng Li had received an invitation from the lead actor, Qin Hao. After all, their years of friendship as classmates were there, and Li Jie couldn't easily refuse.

"How should I put it? Qin Hao and Hao Lei both acted quite well, and the subject matter was okay, but the narrative style was a bit confusing. I'm afraid the box office won't be optimistic."

Wei Jin nodded; this was also one of the reasons he refused to attend. Box office performance was definitely a topic reporters wouldn't bypass, and if they asked him to make a prediction, wouldn't it be awkward?

But come to think of it, Lou Ye is truly loyal; Qin Hao and Hao Lei have almost become his go-to actors.

While speaking, Wei Jin put his arm around Ceng Li's slender waist and walked to the sofa. He glanced at the television, which was playing Chuqiaozhuan, and began to watch it with her.

After the National Day holiday ended, this drama was broadcast simultaneously on Su Province TV, Beijing TV, and Modu TV.

Although the lead actress of this drama, Zhao Liying, was unknown, the lead actor Qiao Zhenyu was famous throughout the country, so the buzz during the previous promotion was not low.

And judging from the feedback from the television stations, the ratings were quite good; the premiere ratings reached as high as 1.7, with a market share of 9.6%.

After it started airing, the upward trend in ratings was also very obvious. In less than a week, the peak ratings broke 2, which was not a bit worse than Xuan-Yuan Sword from the previous two months.

According to the report from the TV production department, the weekly drama Xin Bai Fa Mo Nv Zhuan on Mango TV, which took over after Xuan-Yuan Sword, was still being firmly suppressed even though it had reached its ratings climax.

However, compared to the company's other works, the reputation of Chuqiaozhuan was not very good, and it could be described as a mix of praise and criticism.

Those who gave bad reviews were almost all nitpicking fans of the original work; this point is basically hard to avoid in the process of adapting a novel into a film or television work.

Fortunately, Shanhe Media has always been quite particular about the costumes, makeup, and props for period dramas, and the Post-production Special Effects were also done very meticulously, which won the praise of many viewers. Therefore, the rating on Yinxiang Net barely maintained around 7 points, which meant they hadn't smashed their brand.

However, despite this, the television stations predicted that once the plot reached its climax, the average ratings could also break 2, and the peak ratings even had the potential to break 3.

It couldn't be called a blockbuster, but it definitely deserved to be called a fine work among quality productions.

Therefore, during this period, Zhao Liying, Qiao Zhenyu, and others were busy with the second and third rounds of promotion so that the subsequent broadcast rights could be sold for a good price.

"Xiao Jin, this young girl was signed when we were filming Dixing Yinxing, right? In the blink of an eye, it's been over two years; she has finally made it."

Ceng Li looked at the round-faced girl on the TV with some emotion. As a teacher at the Central Academy of Drama, she knew too well how hard it was to make it in the acting profession.

"Hmm, she has made a name for herself."

In terms of prestige, television dramas might not compare to films, but for a budding actor, the boost might be even greater.

According to Zhang Xu's report, in just these few days, Zhao Liying had already received seven or eight commercial endorsement offers.

Of course, because her appearance was relatively approachable, most of them were low-end brands, such as snacks, household appliances, and the like.

Zhao Liying was overjoyed, but Zhang Xu was not in a hurry and suppressed them all; at the very least, he had to wait until the drama finished airing.

"Alright, Li Jie, the TV show is over, we should rest."

As he spoke, Wei Jin lowered his head to kiss the beauty's alluring red lips, but to his surprise, he was pushed away by Li Jie.

"No, you go take a shower first."

Wei Jin reached his hands into her pajamas, grasping her breasts, "Then Li Jie, shall we go together?"

"No, I've already washed, and you'll just be up to no good again; soaking for too long is bad for the skin."

"Alright then, I'll go rinse off."

Seeing the beauty refuse, Wei Jin didn't force it, but leaned into her ear and whispered, "Li Jie, you go back to the room first, put on that set I like best, and wait for me."

Ceng Li gave Wei Jin a look full of charm and finally nodded.

About ten minutes later, Wei Jin finished washing and returned to the room to see that Ceng Li had changed into that black frosted pajama set; it was vaguely invisible, yet the glimpses were full of temptation.

At this moment, Ceng Li was lying on the bed, her pair of snow-white calves swaying back and forth, her firm and rounded beautiful buttocks unable to be hidden under the half-length pajamas, exuding an alluring aura.

In this situation, how could Wei Jin endure it? He quickly untied the bathrobe wrapped around his waist and pounced on her.

Encouraged, Wei Jin's mouth became increasingly sharp, and after a short while, he tasted the flavor of the sea, knowing the time had come.

He took the opportunity to turn the beauty over, only to see that Li Jie's fair and delicate cheeks, like exquisite porcelain, were already flushed, her alluring red lips slightly parted, her breathing appearing somewhat heavy, and the proud scale on her chest was also constantly heaving.

Those crystal-clear eyes, as beautiful as amber, were even more filled with amorous feelings.

Seeing the man delaying his action, Ceng Li bit her red lips, her eyes shifting, and she stretched out her slender, fair fingers to beckon, her voice filled with coquettishness.

"Brother, how much longer do you want me to wait~~~"

Which cadre could withstand such a test? Wei Jin didn't say a word, hoisted the beauty's long, snow-white legs onto his shoulders, and pressed forward directly into the peach blossom spring.

"Oh~~~ Brother is so good~~~"

With the Cannes Best Actress fully immersed in the role, a touch of exuberant spring emerged in Beijing in late autumn. (End of chapter)