Chapter 486: The Mother and Daughter's Variety Show Debut?

Before the rise of Wei Jin, there were three directors known as the "Big Three" in the country.

They were Zhang Yimou, Chen Shiren, and Feng Dapao.

Among them, Zhang Yimou had long since been deified, having won so many awards from the European Big Three that his hands grew soft, and after the 2008 Olympics, he had further solidified his status; currently, only a European Grand Slam and an Oscar remained as his goals.

By comparison, Chen Shiren was deified in one battle thanks to *Farewell My Concubine*, which could be called reaching the peak the moment he debuted.

Yet, over the past dozen years, Chen Shiren had been living off his past achievements, unable to produce another noteworthy work, and in the last two years, he had even fallen to the point of dabbling in real estate.

As for Feng Dapao, although his commercial results were decent, what he was criticized for was his lack of awards and honors.

Therefore, over these years, even though Feng Dapao knew that the Golden Rooster and Hong Kong Film Awards were full of nonsense, he still couldn't help but suck up to them.

He would even go so far as to not be picky at all about the caliber of a film festival, as long as there was an award.

Previously, having received an invitation from the artistic director of the Roma Dianyingjie—an old friend of Wei Jin—Marco Müller, *1942* would be screened as a surprise film in the Main Competition Section, which had made Feng Dapao incredibly happy.

Not only were Huayi's press releases flying everywhere, but Feng Dapao's Weibo also never stopped, and everyone in the industry had already become accustomed to it.

However, today's Weibo post caused a huge stir within the industry.

This famous advertising master of the industry solemnly announced on Weibo for the first time: "*1942*, zero product placement."

Once the news broke, netizens were also discussing it fervently.

"Is it real or fake? Didn't *Aftershock* also have a lot of advertisements?"

"If it's true, I can only say Director Feng withstood the pressure; product placement is worth a lot of money."

"Maybe it really is as Director Feng said, the film he has put the most effort into in half a lifetime; I'll go support it when the time comes."

Scrolling through the comments on Weibo, Wei Jin turned his head to look at the girl beside him.

"Right, Yifei, when the movie is released, I'll take you to see it."

"To the cinema?" The girl asked softly, holding Wei Jin's arm.

"Yeah, I probably won't be able to attend the premiere, but let's go to a private screening room then, otherwise if your fans spot you, it'll be a scene."

"Hmph, I wouldn't."

Liu Yifei pouted, then tilted her head, "Is this movie very good?"

Hearing the girl's doubtful tone, Wei Jin knew she hadn't read the original work, so he pulled her to sit on his lap.

"Well, think about it, Feng Dapao being able to have zero product placement, how much effort must that take? This movie will also be somewhat helpful for your understanding of scripts."

Liu Yifei's experiences were too simple; she had no idea of the hardships of the world, so *Star Luck* was truly a bit too difficult for her.

"Mm, then I'll listen to you, Brother."

Looking at the girl's well-behaved appearance, Wei Jin couldn't help but feel his appetite whetted; he lowered his head to bite her delicate red lips, and his large hands also began to act restlessly.

But before he could take any further action, Liu Xiaoli's voice came from downstairs.

After their lips parted, the two looked at each other and smiled silently.

Today's dinner was still very sumptuous; Liu Xiaoli greeted Wei Jin with a full face of smiles, urging him to eat more, her attitude subtly even better than before.

To be honest, previously when *Edge of Tomorrow* went to Jing Tian, Liu Xiaoli had been a bit angry.

However, since her own daughter was siding with an outsider and had run off to travel, she couldn't really vent her frustration.

But within a few days, Wei Jin had compensated with an artistic award-chasing script and intended to star in it together, which more or less balanced the scales, so she couldn't find any fault.

However, this at most allowed her to get over that hurdle; as for the key to her change in attitude, it was because the matter with Dong Jie had made Liu Xiaoli feel a bit alarmed, making her realize Wei Jin's power even more.

Liu Xiaoli knew very well that without a backer in the entertainment industry, one was like a rootless duckweed; otherwise, she wouldn't have followed Chen Jinfei back then.

And the current Wei Jin was undoubtedly a much thicker thigh than Lao Chen; of course, she had to hold on tight.

Wei Jin could also more or less guess Liu Xiaoli's thoughts—it was just a psychology of admiring the strong, which was understandable; he was even happy to see it happen, otherwise, if she kept thinking about applying pressure, it would be counterproductive.

Just looking at his mother-in-law's still-charming face, Wei Jin suddenly remembered one thing.

"Auntie, I remember you quite like traveling, right?"

Liu Xiaoli's chopsticks, which were picking up food, suddenly paused; she was a bit confused but still nodded and said, "Mm, now that Yifei has grown up, I basically don't have to worry; it's quite nice to look around when I have time."

These words moved Liu Yifei deeply; although her mother had made many questionable moves over the years, they were all out of concern for her, so she chimed in.

"Brother, what do you mean by asking this?"

"Oh, it's like this: I previously got some inspiration from Auntie's travels, and the company has started a travel-themed variety show that's quite fun. I was thinking, since Auntie likes it, why not go and play around?"

The efficiency of the variety show department was quite good; the project *Where Are We Going, Dad? * had already been successfully launched and recording had begun, while *Flowers and Youth* had also started its preliminary preparations.

Immediately, Wei Jin recounted the main core of the program to the curious mother and daughter.

"It sounds quite interesting, eh? Mom, do you want to try it?"

Perhaps due to a sense of compensation, Liu Yifei hoped her mother could see more of the outside world and enjoy her own life, so she urged her.

Liu Xiaoli shook her head, "Forget it, I haven't been on stage for many years; I would definitely feel very uncomfortable facing the camera, and I'm getting older, so there would be a generation gap with those artists. I'd better not cause you any trouble, Wei Jin."

Having said this, Liu Xiaoli turned to look at her daughter.

"It's you, Xixi, aren't you free during this time? You could go and make some friends; it's not good to always stay at home."

Wei Jin nodded, agreeing with Liu Xiaoli's point of view, "Right, Yifei, why don't you try it? Although it's not easy for a show to become a massive hit, the reviews should be quite good. Consider it a way to relax; I'll likely be busy for the next few months and won't have much time to accompany you."

"Mm, I'll consider it."

As the saying goes, satiety leads to lust; after dinner, it was of course time for some exercise.

Just as they entered the bedroom, Wei Jin pinned the girl against the corner of the wall, taking the opportunity to bite her soft, tender red lips, and his large hands also began to fly up and down.

The young girl was wearing a white high-waisted T-shirt and pink home shorts today, and she had absolutely no resistance in front of Wei Jin.

With a flick of his large hand, the girl's small but upright, fair, and tender skin had nowhere to hide.

Sniffing the small garment that was still radiating heat and body scent, Wei Jin felt a bit intoxicated, and he immediately lowered his head and leaned in.

"Mm~~ Brother~" Liu Yifei tilted her head back, her eyes tightly closed, her body arched backward, her hands pressing on the back of Wei Jin's head, looking completely intoxicated.

While Wei Jin's mouth was busy, his hands didn't fall behind, successfully undoing the girl's restraints.

After savoring the sweet tenderness, Wei Jin looked at the girl in front of him again, only to see that her face was already flushed, and her pair of bright, star-like phoenix eyes were filled with layers of mist.

Wei Jin no longer dawdled; after releasing his own restraints, he squatted slightly, wrapped his arms around the girl's inner thighs, and then rose in one fluid motion, lifting her into the air.

After adjusting the camera, Wei Jin began the day's filming, and Liu Yifei's happy singing reached his ears.

"Oh~~ Brother, we've reached the flower core~~~"

As Wei Jin walked with long strides, Liu Yifei began to press closer. Time entered November; "Bottom-Tier Girl" finished its theatrical run, with a final box office of 658 million.

Honestly, this box office was significantly higher than Wei Jin's initial psychological expectations.

The main reason was naturally Han Sanping's micro-management and the opponents' poor performance, which allowed it to reap the benefits of a major release slot.

Had there been any formidable competitors, whether the box office could have even crossed 500 million would have been up for debate.

Calculating purely by production costs, this film cost less than 20 million; including marketing and distribution, it was around 50 million.

The final box office share reached 260 million; adding overseas rights, product placement, and other income, the total profit approached the 500 million mark, with a net profit margin exceeding 10 times.

It can be said that there was no one in the entire industry who wasn't green with envy.

Wei Jin received countless calls from familiar collaborators—China Film Group, Wanda, Shanghai Film Group, Enlight Media, Emperor Group... After the congratulations, they would either chat about "Dixing Yinxing" or express anticipation for the next collaboration, all of which Wei Jin naturally accepted one by one.

A blockbuster film provides a massive boost for actors.

Following "The Piano Tuner," Zhang Songwen's status advanced further, completely solidifying his position as a second-tier male actor, though due to his appearance, he was destined to follow the path of a character actor.

Other roles with significant screen time, such as Xu Yajun, Jiang Shan, Bai Yu, and Li Xian, all saw their market value rise.

Even Zhou Yiwei, who did not have much screen time, became somewhat well-known in the film circle.

Of course, when it comes down to it, the one who received the biggest boost was the female lead, Jing Tian.

Because if this script had been given to anyone else, it might not have achieved this box office result, so the industry fully recognized her drawing power.

Especially with "Dangerous Liaisons" performing so poorly, the gold content of this drawing power was even more substantial.

Therefore, while Jing Tian was still abroad, Starlight Splendid received several top-tier contracts, and Lu Zheng was grinning from ear to ear.

As for endorsements, Jing Tian didn't care much, but she was very happy about the box office results and specially sent a photo to Wei Jin; her beautiful legs in black silk were quite alluring.

Wei Jin pondered that when the Golden Horse Awards came around, he would properly taste the flavor of the "Wealthy Flower."

At the same time, in the film market, Huayi's "Tai Chi 2" was also released.

Perhaps because the word-of-mouth for the previous installment was too poor, Huayi's promotion in front of the media already seemed somewhat unscrupulous, and they began to bluff.

"The 'Tai Chi' series is like the process of sowing seeds; the first part was the diligent tilling, and the second part is the harvest season."

"Different from the last one, 'Tai Chi 2' is an IMAX 3D blockbuster with super shocking visual effects that you absolutely cannot miss."

"Although it is a two-part series, even if the audience hasn't seen the first part, it doesn't affect watching the second part."

"We can guarantee that the second part is definitely more exciting than the first, because the lead actor is Feng Shaofeng."

Honestly, whether the audience was looking forward to it, the industry wasn't sure, but there was a consensus in the circle that this Huayi film would likely flop.

Not to mention the collapse of the first film's reputation, the current promotional plan alone seemed to lack sincerity and highlights; relying on these tricks to fool the audience was truly lacking in class.

Even from the intensity and level of importance Huayi placed on the promotion, one could judge that the Wang brothers and others had no confidence in the sequel.

The facts were exactly as such: "Tai Chi 2" had a first-day box office of 8.1 million, even worse than the first part.

Crucially, the word-of-mouth was also extremely poor; Yinxiang Net gave it a 5.6 rating, and the comment section was filled with curses.

"This damn thing is called 3D? Wearing the glasses is the same as not wearing them; isn't this fucking fraud!!"

"Son-of-a-bitch scammers, refund my money..."

"Feng Shaofeng is one of the Four Young Dan, and he fucking acted in this piece of shit?"

"I was wrong; I thought the first one was the bottom, but I didn't expect the second one to refresh my worldview again; I regret it so much..."

"..."

Without a doubt, "Tai Chi 2" was completely hopeless; the so-called two-part series was a total blood loss.

However, Huayi was well-prepared and quickly shifted all promotional resources to "Back to 1942," which was set to be released at the end of the month.

At this moment, Feng Dapao was in Rome attending a film festival, but facing a remote interview with the media, he appeared very confident and directly made a bold claim:

"This film is my painstaking work and also my most satisfying personal work. I am confident that the box office will exceed 1 billion and go head-to-head with 'Dixing Yinxing'!"

Feng Dapao's words caused a huge public reaction; in other words, apart from "Dixing Yinxing," he didn't take any other films seriously.

This made Lu Chuan very unhappy, and he immediately stood up to defend his dignity as a "great director," stating bluntly that "The Last Supper" was an epic historical blockbuster that would absolutely not disappoint the audience.

And following the successive statements of these two, the other films released during the New Year Slot were not willing to be left out and all stood up.

"The Grandmaster" released its latest teaser trailer; Wong Kar-wai is indeed one of the directors in Hong Kong who knows how to film women best. Under his lens, the Gong Er character played by Zhang Ziyi had a sense of ultimate aesthetic beauty.

The first version of the promotional poster for "Dixing Yinxing," as well as a 1-minute trailer, followed.

The vast, boundless space, the azure Earth, the quiet space station, the sudden rain of satellite debris, the constantly tumbling astronauts... combined with the specially produced background music and ultimate special effects, just a few frames filled the atmosphere of a sci-fi disaster film.

Coupled with Wei Jin's powerful drawing power and the film being the first 3D sci-fi opening film in the history of the Venice Film Festival, netizens were incredibly expectant.

So much so that as soon as this first version of the trailer was released on the official Shanhe Media Weibo, the number of likes exceeded 6 million, related comments exceeded one million, and the data was still soaring rapidly.

As the film's female lead, Ceng Li, although she didn't use Weibo much, also rarely reposted and commented to support it.

Several of the main wives, Jing Tian, Liu Yifei, and even Gao Yuanyuan, who was waiting to give birth in North America, did not fall behind.

Other close female friends, friends in the circle, and many artists from Starry Sky Culture also expressed their support and anticipation.

For a time, the popularity of "Dixing Yinxing" could be called off the charts!

(End of this chapter)