Chapter 534: Martyrdom for Love? The Birth of the Second Child

*Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons* unsurprisingly surged to 1.3 billion, becoming the third Chinese-language film to exceed 1.3 billion at the box office.

At this moment, it is less than 80 million away from the 1.386 billion of *The Thieves*, and there is still one week left before the film is pulled from theaters.

"Daily revenue has already dropped to five million; there's no chance left."

Almost everyone in the industry has this sentiment; a 20-day extension is not insignificant, but Zhou Xingxing seems to lack a bit of luck, as there are simply too many films released in mid-to-late March.

Especially imported films: *A Good Day to Die Hard*, *Upside Down*, *The Iron Lady*, and *Resident Evil 5*. They were released one after another in a cluster, making the competition exceptionally fierce in a time slot that was not particularly popular to begin with.

However, the industry also understands that *Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons* is slightly more explosive than *Lost in Thailand*, *Mojin: The Lost Legend*, and *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate*, but it still falls short compared to the original *The Thieves*.

Meanwhile, *Left Ear*, which has been in theaters for two weeks, has also successfully broken the 400 million mark, reporting 416 million.

However, the drawbacks of a fan-driven film have also fully manifested; after grossing 298 million in the first week, it plummeted to 118 million in the second week, a drop of over 60%.

The single-day box office is like an avalanche, having fallen below 10 million, and even entering the weekend, the box office shows no signs of improvement.

The industry predicts that the final box office for *Left Ear* might not be able to cross the 500 million mark.

However, Wei Jin, Lin Yufen, and the entire group of key creators are all very satisfied.

For Wei Jin, this result was anticipated long ago, and it is even better than what he had originally expected; after all, *Those Years* only enjoyed its dividends for about ten days.

That *Left Ear* can remain resilient until now is likely due to the reputation Shanhe Media has built over the years, which has attracted many movie fans to the theaters.

Additionally, it may also be that audiences have not yet been bombarded by youth films, and the novelty has not yet worn off.

As for Lin Yufen, having her first directed film become a box office hit and stepping into the 400 million box office club in one leap—what else could she be dissatisfied with?

As for the actors, although the box office for domestic films is getting higher and higher, how many films have exceeded 400 million or even approached 500 million?

Everything they wanted, they have already received! In a small conference room at Shanhe Building, the usually devil-may-care Lu Yang became uncharacteristically serious, solemnly saying to Wang Baoqiang, Zhao Wenzhuo, and Bai Bin before him:

"Everyone has seen it too; in the past few months, not a single film produced by the company has had a box office lower than 400 million. I hope our film won't drag us down, so I'll leave the next month to everyone."

In fact, for films from Shanhe Media, the crew's promotion usually doesn't start this early; after all, the golden brand built over many years carries its own powerful appeal.

Especially for this film, *Kung Fu Jungle*, because of that "Zhen-Zhao Dispute" last year, it has been highly anticipated since the project was first initiated.

Coupled with Wei Jin as the screenwriter, Lu Yang as the director, and the addition of Wang Baoqiang, one of the leads from *Lost in Thailand*, the buffs are fully stacked, and there is no need to put too much effort into promotion.

But this time, Lu Yang is holding back a breath of frustration.

He hasn't been with the company for a short time, but later arrivals like Xu Laoguai and Wu Ershan have all achieved results that surpassed his.

Now even Xu Zheng, Lin Yufen, and others are going further and further in terms of box office, so how could Lu Yang not be anxious?

The actors present could more or less understand Lu Yang's mood, so they spoke up one after another to offer comfort.

"Director Lu, don't worry, I have great confidence in our film."

Wang Baoqiang grinned, his signature smile appearing instantly.

"Yes, Director Lu, for the May Day slot, we will definitely be number one."

A look of confidence also appeared on Bai Bin's elegant and exquisite face; although she hasn't participated in many films, having been by Wei Jin's side for so long, she can still judge the quality of a script.

This time, she is very confident.

Only Zhao Wenzhuo didn't say much, but his righteous face was also filled with high fighting spirit.

Although the "Zhen-Zhao Dispute" eventually passed smoothly, it caused great damage to his professional career.

Especially the disastrous flop of *Dawangdang*, which caused his commercial value to plummet.

Although Zhen Zidan's *Together* flopped even worse previously, even becoming a disgrace in film history, Zhao Wenzhuo always feels that if he doesn't win head-on in the box office, his victory won't feel earned and his mind won't be at ease.

Therefore, this time, he hopes *Kung Fu Jungle* will at least exceed the highest box office of the *Ip Man* series.

"Good, since everyone is so confident, let's go all out!"

Lu Yang reached out his hand in a slightly chuunibyou manner, palm facing up; the three leads understood his meaning, stacked their hands on top, and let out a roar.

"Go all out, let's go!"

*Kung Fu Jungle* began its promotion, and another film produced by Golden Harvest, *Witch*, also held its premiere.

Although Wei Jin did not attend, Lin Chao-xian has had many box office hits, and his own appeal is not low; whether it was the production company or the artists, there were still many people who came to show their support.

Tangren Media, which is mired in a contract termination scandal, even showed up in full force; Miss Cai, Hu Ge, Jin Chen, Rouba, and others all came to support the company's top star.

Although this was Shishi's first time facing such an occasion, standing on stage, she still displayed the temperament of one of the Four Dan Actresses, chatting freely with director Lin Chao-xian and producer Shi Nansheng about interesting things that happened during filming.

"Shishi is really hardworking. Perhaps everyone knows that during filming, she suddenly fell ill, but after her health improved, she immediately threw herself back into filming and managed to catch up on the schedule."

Lin Chao-xian was very gracious and gave her a boost in front of the media reporters, and Shishi reciprocated, immediately saying: "It's all thanks to Director Lin's good teaching. This is my first time acting as a film lead, and I've learned a lot from Director Lin."

When facing reporters' questions about the box office, Shishi was actually a bit nervous, but as soon as she thought of Wei Jin's gentle words that night, a faint smile appeared on her face.

"This is a script that Director Wei Jin personally crafted for me, Director Lin is very skilled at action films, the co-stars are also excellent, and I gave it my all in the film. I believe *Witch* will definitely achieve great results. If I had to set a goal, I hope for a floor of 300 million and a sprint to 500 million!"

The premiere of *Witch* ended successfully, the creators are about to enter a busy roadshow promotion, and there is no shortage of related media reports.

But unexpectedly, just at this time, a piece of news quickly occupied the entertainment headlines.

"Mainland's popular young actress Tang Yan, suspected of being hurt by Amour, attempted suicide by slitting her wrists."

"At 2:00 AM, Tang Yan was rushed to the hospital, the wounds on her wrists were deep to the bone, and the bleeding would not stop..."

Following the exposure of the news and hospital photos, Tang Yan's Studio immediately responded: "Tangtang just had an accident while cutting fruit, thank you all for your concern."

Agent Ji Jingru also denied it on Weibo: "Tangtang is fine, she will get better as soon as possible. She has never had any negative thoughts; she is still that positive, energetic fruit hard candy."

Despite this, netizens still let their imaginations run wild, and there were many different opinions online.

After all, no matter how clumsy one is at cutting fruit, it's impossible to slit one's wrists, and coupled with previous media reports that Tang Yan was cheated on by a scumbag from Taiwan, and her agent and assistant had also publicly accused the man of being shameless and a scumbag.

Tang Yan's behavior perfectly fits the image of a woman hurt by love, lonely and helpless, and martyring herself for love.

Although Tang Yan isn't exactly super famous, she is at least fair-skinned, beautiful, and long-legged, and she hasn't caused any trouble since her debut.

Now she was actually cheated on by a small actor from Taiwan and even given a green hat—how could this be tolerated?

So after one night passed, the scumbag from Taiwan became the target of a collective attack by Mainland netizens.

A large number of female artists, either out of sympathy or to ride the wave of popularity, also joined the ranks of condemnation online.

For a time, Qiu from Taiwan became a street rat that everyone shouted to beat, and his Weibo was directly flooded and destroyed.

Wei Jin had no heart to pay attention to domestic entertainment gossip at this moment, because Da Meiyuan was about to give birth. Wei Jin had thought that having experienced it once, he would not be so nervous this time, but when it came down to it, he still inevitably felt uneasy; after all, this was Da Meiyuan's first time, and she was not young anymore.

After waiting in the private lounge for a while, Wei Jin still couldn't help but come outside the delivery room, pacing back and forth.

"Ah~~~~"

A heart-wrenching scream came from inside the delivery room, making Wei Jin's eyes narrow. He immediately walked to the front of the delivery room door and stood still, wanting to see something through the glass.

Unfortunately, it was destined to be in vain.

If it weren't for the fact that no anesthesia was used and the screams were too loud, Wei Jin might not have been able to hear Da Meiyuan's cries through the tightly closed door.

At this time, Assistant Liu Yan and Huang Mengying also walked over.

"Boss, don't worry, Yuan Yuanjie and the baby will definitely be fine."

As Liu Yan spoke to comfort him, she couldn't help but glance toward the delivery room, a flash of envy in her eyes.

"That's right, Boss. I've been with Yuan Yuanjie for these past few months. All her check-ups, the fetal position, and everything else are very normal, and she has been taking good care of her body, so there won't be any problems."

"Mm, I know, I know."

Wei Jin smiled reluctantly, slowly stepped back two paces, and continued to stare fixedly at the delivery room door.

More than ten minutes passed, and the screams inside the delivery room were sometimes miserable, sometimes hoarse. Wei Jin felt as if his whole body was going numb.

For the first time ever, Wei Jin suddenly wanted to smoke a cigarette, so he looked at Lao Zhu not far away.

"Lao Zhu, do you have a cigarette?"

"I do."

Zhu Wei, who had been guarding the stairwell, immediately ran over and took out a pack of Yan'an cigarettes that he usually smoked.

Leaving the delivery room and coming to the stairwell, Wei Jin lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.

"Cough, cough."

Having not smoked for too long, Wei Jin immediately started coughing, but his anxious mood seemed to have truly been relieved.

Time passed bit by bit, and just as Wei Jin finished his third cigarette, the green light of the operating room finally lit up.

A middle-aged white woman wearing surgical scrubs opened the door and walked out, taking off her mask to look at everyone.

Facing the rushing Wei Jin, she smiled: "Mr. Wei, congratulations, mother and child are safe, the baby is very healthy!"

"Thank you, thank you, Dr. Jenny."

Wei Jin let out a long sigh of relief and pressed his hands together in gratitude.

Behind him, Wei Xingbang, Wei Anguo, and the others who had rushed over also let out a sigh of relief, revealing joyful smiles.

The Wei family was becoming more and more prosperous! The sentimental and kind-hearted Huang Mengying even had tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Over the past half year, she had accompanied Da Meiyuan every day, and the bond between the two could be said to surpass many so-called best friends.

More than ten minutes later, Da Meiyuan finished her post-delivery check-up, and Wei Jin's group was allowed to enter the ward.

However, only Wei Jin and the two assistants chose to go in; after all, it wasn't very convenient.

In the delivery room, Da Meiyuan was lying on the bed resting, her figure slightly plump, her face somewhat swollen.

Wei Jin held Da Meiyuan's somewhat cold hand and brushed away her messy hair for her, feeling a bit heartbroken: "Yuan Yuanjie, you've worked hard."

But at this moment, Da Meiyuan didn't have Wei Jin in her eyes at all; she just looked at the little one beside her, unable to help pouting, her eyes still filled with tears: "Too ugly, how can my son be so ugly?"

"..."

Wei Jin looked over to the side; wrinkled and like a little monkey, it was indeed not very good-looking, but at least it was his second child, so he had experience.

"Yuan Yuanjie, children are all like this when they are just born. It will be fine after a while when he grows into his features."

Although Da Meiyuan hadn't seen what Dudu looked like during her confinement, she had learned some information online and understood this principle, but she still couldn't quite accept it.

"But he can't be this ugly."

"Yuan Yuanjie, I heard that the uglier they are when they are born, the better looking they will be when they grow up..."

Huang Mengying looked at the little one sleeping soundly in the cradle with his lips pursed and eyes closed, and added a word of comfort.

"Really?"

"Really, Yuan Yuanjie. You and the Boss both have such high looks; this child will definitely be a handsome guy when he grows up."

Liu Yan also chimed in, though this wasn't just comfort; Dudu was quite good-looking, with delicate features, like a porcelain doll.

And Da Meiyuan's facial features were definitely no less than Ceng Li's. As the crystallization of her and Wei Jin, even if he wasn't a super handsome guy, he definitely wouldn't be ugly.

It's just that one wonders if he will be as promiscuous as the Boss.

But it is foreseeable that this kid's romantic luck in the future will likely not be lacking.

"Hehe."

A woman's mind is like the weather in March or the rain in June—it changes as soon as it changes. Da Meiyuan was soon coaxed into beaming with joy.

Although Da Meiyuan was not a complete "looks-obsessed" person, if one could have good looks, who would be willing to rely solely on talent to make a living? She naturally hoped her son would be a handsome guy.

"By the way, Xiao Jin, have you chosen a name for the child?"

"Mm, a single character 'Xu', implying vitality and a sunny, upward spirit."

Wei Jin answered while touching his son's delicate face with one hand.

"Wei Xu, Wei Xu, it sounds really good, and it's catchy to read. This time, Uncle chose really well, hehe..."

Looking at Da Meiyuan's proud and satisfied expression, Wei Jin knew what she was thinking.

Dudu's formal name, Wei Shu, had been teased by Gao Yuanyuan more than once in private.

But this character was chosen by her father, and its meaning in Chinese is also very good, symbolizing beauty, goodness, a beautiful woman, and gentleness; it's just that it sounds a bit strange when read aloud.

Just as Wei Jin's thoughts wandered to how Dudu's future partner would address her, the son in the cradle seemed to sense that he had lost favor and suddenly started crying.

The sound was loud and clear, like a booming bell! (End of chapter)