Chapter 508: Old Wei Comes to the Capital, the Harem is Stable

This year's New Year Slot was jokingly called the "Doomsday Slot" by the media, because in the final 10-odd days of 2012, there were simply too many films being released.

Qin Hong of Stellar Mega, joining forces with the wealthy and powerful Boss Lin of Media Asia, roped in a Hong Kong film crew to assemble *The Guillotines*, taking the lead in raising the banner of revolt to launch a sniper attack on *Gravity*.

This production claimed to be a hot-blooded, youthful, period-costume martial arts 3D film, produced by Chen Kexin and directed by Liu Weiqiang, with Huang Xiaoming, Li Yuchun, Ruan Jingtian, Wenzhang, Jing Boran, Yu Wenle, and others joining with passion; the cast could be described as extremely luxurious.

The pre-release promotion was also done very thoroughly, even going so far as to hype up Ruan Jingtian's revealing photos in press releases.

Unfortunately, the film was truly lackluster; on its opening day, the box office was less than 8 million.

Crucially, the online word-of-mouth also collapsed directly; it started with a rating of only 5.6, not even as good as the 1975 version, and major film review websites were flooded with a massive amount of roasting.

"It's truly rotten to the point of no return, damn, so irritable and crazy."

"The last time I saw such a rotten film in a theater, I have to trace it back to *Yang Clan Generals*, hilarious."

"Damn it, am I watching Chun Ge and Zhiming?"

"This is what you call 3D? And the effect completely crushes *Avatar*? Do you have any shame? Take off the glasses and it becomes 2D, completely without ghosting, true naked-eye 3D, huh?"

"."

Everyone in the industry knew clearly that with this opening day box office and word-of-mouth, *The Guillotines*' 15 million USD production cost would definitely suffer a massive loss of more than half.

With this, yet another New Year Slot blockbuster became a soul under the gun of *Gravity*.

Whenever Wei Jin thought of the way Huang Xiaoming dragged his "broken body" to the front lines for promotion, he felt a bit of heartache.

He had wanted to give him a call to offer some comfort, but in his mind, he recalled the incident where Huang Xiaoming had missed out on *Once Again* because of *The Guillotines*.

After thinking it over repeatedly, Wei Jin decided not to rub salt into someone else's wounds.

After composing his mood, Wei Jin personally arrived at the airport; Comrade Old Wei's flight was about to land.

Originally, Liu Yifei had intended to come along, but after considering it repeatedly, Wei Jin refused.

The old man hadn't seen Dudu for a long time, and his first thought would definitely be to return to the Yanjiao Villa, so he wouldn't let the little girl get involved.

Soon, Wei Jin saw his dad walking out of the airport, still with that scholarly and approachable appearance.

Because of his university teaching career, the scholarly aura about him had even become more intense; he was a proper old handsome guy, and in a few years, Comrade Old Wei could even become an internet celebrity on self-media.

"Dad, the journey was tiring."

Wei Jin snatched the luggage first and handed it to the driver.

"Hmph, the journey wasn't tiring, but if I had to run a few more trips like this, I'm afraid my heart wouldn't be able to take it."

Although he had already prepared himself mentally, when Wei Xingbang saw his own son, he still couldn't help but give him a rap on the knuckles.

"Cough, Dad, what are you saying? There shouldn't be a next time."

"Should? Does that mean you still can't settle your heart?"

Wei Xingbang's gaze tightened, making Wei Jin feel a bit guilty, so he hurriedly changed the subject:

"Dad, let's get in the car. Dudu knew you were coming and was overjoyed; she said she wanted you to pick her up from kindergarten after school."

Mentioning his little granddaughter, Comrade Old Wei's expression indeed looked much better, and a kind smile appeared at the corners of his mouth: "Hmm, Dudu is still the most sensible, much more obedient than you. Let's go."

Along the way, Comrade Old Wei asked Wei Jin about many things, but most were related to family; as for his son's career, he no longer needed to worry.

"By the way, Dad, how is Uncle's health?"

Uncle Wei Anbang had always treated him like his own son, so Wei Jin had called his uncle this time too, but the old man's health wasn't very robust, so he couldn't make the trip.

"There's nothing major, it's just that his legs and feet are a bit stiff, and going on long trips or anything isn't very convenient."

Speaking of this, Wei Xingbang sighed: "Son, your uncle has lived a lonely and bitter life for half his life; when you have time, go back to see him more often."

Thinking of his uncle's aged face, Wei Jin nodded silently.

"Okay, I will."

Huang Xiaoming was very resilient; despite the poor performance of *The Guillotines*, he did not fall.

Dragging his plaster-cast leg, wearing a pair of large sunglasses, he stubbornly sat in a wheelchair and personally went to the front lines, shouting for *The Last Tycoon* together with Zhou Runfa, the two generations of Xu Wenqiang.

Unfortunately, this person Wang Jing had a very high ceiling, capable of filming classics like *God of Gamblers*, but his floor was also very low; this *The Last Tycoon* performed extremely poorly.

With a production cost of 140 million, the result was an opening day box office of only 13 million.

Although the film's rating was 6.7, which wasn't low, with the classic *Shanghai Bund* as a predecessor, the audience's expectations were too high; this *The Last Tycoon* was hard to satisfy people, and the online reviews were mostly negative.

"Why does Huang Xiaoming have a sense of déjà vu of Lin Feng? Fa Ge's voice is actually still Huang Xiaoming's; it's too shocking. I always feel the plot isn't very coherent; it's simply a *Shanghai Bund* gangster film."

"The rhythm of the opening plot was as fast as a plane, the ending's twist plot was as weak as a paper airplane; Wang Jing's narrative standard has seriously declined."

"Too many plot points, too messy shots, too chaotic characters; the whole film didn't even leave as deep an impression on me as that song by the God of Songs at the end. Too disappointed."

"."

Huang Xiaoming had fallen again and again, but the one who should be even sadder was Yu Pangzi of Bona.

Back then, this guy had made a high profile in front of the media, clamoring that *The Last Tycoon* and *The Grandmaster* would definitely take at least 1 billion in box office during the New Year Slot.

Now it seemed that *The Last Tycoon* couldn't be counted on, and the burden had all been shifted to *The Grandmaster*.

By this point, everyone's eyes in the industry were focused on this *Chinese Zodiac* that had just been released today.

Whether it could withstand the pressure of *Gravity* depended on Cheng Long.

Wei Jin didn't pay too much attention to the situation of the film market; he took Wei Xingbang to meet Liu Yifei and her mother.

The place for the meal was a private kitchen restaurant in Beijing; on one hand, the taste was quite good, and on the other, the privacy was very strong.

After meeting, Wei Jin began to introduce them to each other.

Liu Xiaoli was a bit surprised by the scholarly aura on Wei Xingbang; if not for looking at their similar faces, she would have been afraid to suspect that Wei Jin had just found a random actor to make a cameo.

And Old Wei was a bit surprised that this future in-law was excessively young and beautiful; if his own son hadn't said anything, he would have thought the two in front of him were sisters.

After some pleasantries, Liu Yifei wore a sweet smile on her face and presented the gift she had prepared.

This was a Qing Dynasty agarwood round-carved brush pot with a "Searching the Mountains" motif; although it was a miscellaneous item in the antique trade, it fit Teacher Wei Xingbang's identity quite well, and relatively speaking, it was also easier to preserve. Although Wei Xingbang was an amateur enthusiast, he was roughly aware of the value of this item—at least several hundred thousand—and he was truly embarrassed to accept it.

Liu Xiaoli chimed in from the side: "Teacher Wei, we are all one family, don't be so formal."

"This isn't appropriate, it's too valuable." Wei Xingbang still shook his head.

Seeing this, Wei Jin could only smile and say, "Dad, Auntie is right. We'll be family sooner or later, so just accept Yifei's kind gesture. She's quite a little rich girl, haha."

"Well, alright then. I came in such a rush this time that I didn't prepare anything."

Since things had reached this point, and the young girl's big eyes were filled with sincerity, Wei Xingbang really couldn't refuse, but he still took the string of beads off his wrist and handed them over.

"Yifei, these sandalwood prayer beads have been with me for many years. I'll give them to you as—"

Although a flash of joy crossed the young girl's eyes, she was afraid they were a cherished item of the elder's, so she looked at Wei Jin. Only after he nodded did she take them with both hands, smiling sweetly.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Seeing this, Wei Xingbang's impression of the young girl improved even further.

Because it was their first meeting, everyone was very restrained in their conversation.

However, Wei Jin had to admit that although Liu Xiaoli had many questionable tactics, after struggling and climbing in society for so many years, she certainly had the skills to handle social interactions.

At this moment, Liu Xiaoli was chatting with Han about some interesting things she had encountered in the entertainment industry over the years, which made the schoolteacher quite interested; after all, Wei Jin wouldn't talk to him about such trivial matters.

Liu Yifei's performance was also very appropriate. When the adults were talking, she didn't interrupt, just sat quietly to the side, listening attentively and eating slowly. Occasionally, when asked a question, the young girl maintained a lady-like demeanor.

Once the conversation opened up, Han also appeared very cordial. During the meal, he talked about many things from Wei Jin's childhood—being mischievous, chasing chickens and dogs—which made Liu Xiaoli and her daughter cover their mouths and giggle.

Afterwards, they talked about some things they had seen in the antique circle, which made Liu Xiaoli and her daughter exclaim that their horizons had been broadened.

The meal could be described as extremely warm and harmonious.

When it was time to part, Liu Xiaoli suggested, "Teacher Wei, it's rare for you to come to Beijing, and tomorrow is the weekend. Why not let Yifei take you around to see the sights?"

Liu Yifei immediately chimed in, "That's right, Uncle. Let me and my brother take you to visit Panjiayuan. There are so many old artifacts there, and I can learn how to authenticate them from you while we're at it."

Han looked troubled. He had already arranged to spend the day with Dudu tomorrow and meet Gao Yuanyuan's parents in the evening, but as an honest man, he really didn't know how to refuse.

"Auntie, Yifei, my dad has already arranged to meet some comrades-in-arms here in Beijing tomorrow. It's really bad timing; let's talk about it another time."

Although he was dissatisfied with Wei Jin telling lies so easily, Wei Xingbang still nodded in agreement, "Yes, that's right. I have some arrangements tomorrow, let's do it next time."

Perhaps feeling a bit awkward, Wei Xingbang smiled and added a sentence to Liu Yifei.

"As for authenticating old artifacts, Yifei, I'm just a half-baked amateur enthusiast. I wouldn't dare to mislead anyone, haha."

"Uncle is too modest. I've benefited a lot from listening to you talk today."

"Haha, the little girl has such a sweet mouth. If you have the chance, come over to our place as a guest, and Uncle will make you something delicious."

"Mm-hmm, thank you, Uncle."

Waving goodbye to the mother and daughter, Wei Jin took his dad toward Yanjiao Villa.

On the way back, Wei Xingbang was silent for a long time before saying to Wei Jin:

"Son, Dad knows the entertainment industry is different from other places. You have a successful career now and face many temptations, but one must have a bottom line. This young girl today is quite good. Dad isn't asking you to be devoted to only one person, but at least don't let her down."

"Dad, don't worry. I wouldn't have brought her to meet you if I didn't know what I was doing."

"Mm, as long as you understand yourself; a loud drum doesn't need a heavy hammer."

Perhaps it was the boost of the weekend, perhaps it was the appeal Cheng Long had accumulated over the years, or perhaps it was the tailwind brought by the success of Dixing Yinxing, but on its opening day, Chinese Zodiac performed excellently at the box office.

With an opening day result of 48.8 million, it successfully took over the title of daily champion from Dixing Yinxing, bringing a glimmer of surprise to industry peers during this New Year Slot.

However, the film's word-of-mouth online was relatively average, with a rating of only 7 on Yinxiang Net, and it was estimated that it would drop further as the number of viewers increased.

Wei Jin estimated that it would be a bit difficult for Cheng Long to realize his 1-billion dream, because Lost in Thailand was less than a week away from release.

During this period, Xu Guangtou, Huang Bai, and Baoqiang frequently participated in various popular variety shows. Such intensity of promotion could even be called extravagant for a small-budget production of 30 million.

But the results might be even more eye-catching than in the previous life, and it would look a bit ugly if the big brother was suppressed and beaten by then.

However, with the release of Chinese Zodiac, the pattern of Dixing Yinxing sweeping everything and standing alone was broken, and its daily box office fell to around 40 million.

Wei Jin had been mentally prepared for this; after all, no movie could stay on top forever, and being able to enjoy half a month of massive traffic was already quite good.

Han, however, was a bit unhappy, grumbling to Wei Jin over the phone because this basically blocked Dixing Yinxing's path to hitting 2 billion.

After soothing Han for a while over the phone, Wei Jin and Han went back to playing with Dudu.

Today, he had to enjoy some parent-child time; after all, who said Han and Wei Jin were the biggest?

In the evening, Wei Jin and his father took gifts and met Gao Yuanyuan's parents.

Considering that the two elders were older and not in the best of health, Wei Jin chose a hotel near the Hangke Industry Family Compound for this meal.

Unlike the situation with Liu Xiaoli, which was still in the dating stage, the Gao family situation had already resulted in a "life," so after meeting, Han felt a bit awkward.

Heaven have mercy, he was a university teacher from a scholarly family, and he actually encountered such a thing. The key was that it wasn't the first time. If it weren't for the fact that the Wei family had only this one seedling, he would have been furious.

"Brother Gao, Sister-in-law, don't worry. If this brat dares to bully Yuanyuan and the child in her belly in the future, I will break his legs first and then sever our After This Our relationship."

Han made many promises, as if this was the only way to reduce the guilt in his heart. Wei Jin stood by and smiled apologetically; without Da Meiyuan present, he was truly afraid that Gao's father would say something unpleasant.

It didn't matter if he suffered some grievances himself, but he really couldn't accept his old father being scolded.

Fortunately, Gao's father and mother were intellectuals, or perhaps they could only accept it since things had reached this point, so the two elders' emotions were relatively stable.

They even had a bit of a good impression that Wei Jin and his father could host the banquet themselves.

So, throughout the entire meal, even if it wasn't exactly harmonious and welcoming, it was at least peaceful.

With this, the second phase of Wei Jin's harem construction came to an end.

Next, he had to consider how to make them friendly with each other, or even sleep together in the same bed. (End of chapter)