Chapter 438: Little Kala Mi

In the following days, the propaganda for The Binding was scaled back significantly, since all of it cost money.

Currently, The Binding's box office has only reached around 400 million, dropping very rapidly, mainly because the early promotion was too aggressive and pulled in too many new viewers.

The box office has surpassed 1.2 billion, once again setting a new record.

The media has been lavishing praise on this film.

"The Binding's box office exceeds 1.2 billion, breaking multiple records; Liu Tianxian becomes the highest-grossing female actress."

"Liu Tianxian outperforms two Fa Ges, becoming the box office queen."

"Shocking! Fa Ge can't match Liu Tianxian's box office power!"

"Explosive! The Binding breaks box office records; Liu Tianxian resets the record; Fa Ge suffers a crushing defeat!"

"."

There were many such headlines, pushing Liu Tianxian's personal value to a new level; coupled with her endorsement of Xiaomi, her net worth also surged.

She secured the global brand endorsement for Shiseido.

In recent years, Liu Tianxian's top-tier endorsements have been roughly one per year, mainly because she has image, popularity, and prestige.

Meanwhile, other actresses at her level are still fighting tooth and nail for second- and third-tier endorsements.

They're still fighting tooth and nail for various magazines and weeklies.

Liu Tianxian wins just by lying flat—this is the reward for her years of persistence, staying firmly on this path.

Of course, there are those who can rival her: Fan Xiaopang and Li Bailian remain towering figures.

Currently, Liu Tianxian is steady—she must hold her core base and continue releasing good films.

Bai Yu has also become very popular recently, but his commercial value isn't as high as Liu Tianxian's; those who approach him are all for acting roles.

Business deals are rare.

Just as The Binding's promotion was pulled, The Monkey King's Rebellion launched its campaign in perfect sync, overtaking its box office to reach 47.21 million.

From Vegas to Macau also rebounded to 30 million in box office.

But the next day, the former dropped to 30.46 million, and the latter to 22.15 million.

This isn't Fang Hong's fault—he gave them a chance, but they just weren't up to it; the films were simply too bad.

Now it's already the 12th day of the first lunar month; the Lantern Festival is imminent, and the chances are slim—the box office will keep falling and won't recover.

But those in the industry found it strange: it seemed the Principal had dropped the lawsuit against The Monkey King's Rebellion and From Vegas to Macau—as if he withdrew it.

A check confirmed he had indeed withdrawn the lawsuit, meaning the three parties had privately reached a settlement—but how? People were everywhere asking for details.

When they inquired, they were stunned: Fa Ge had been publicly slapped in the face by the Principal, and Fa Ge hadn't uttered a single word.

There were many people present at the time; it couldn't be hidden.

The matter never leaked outside, but within the industry, it spread like wildfire.

"I heard Fa Ge got slapped by the Principal?"

"Yes, after being slapped by the Principal, Fa Ge was so furious he didn't dare say a word."

"Is that true? Did he really get slapped?"

"True—the Hong Kong capital pressured Fa Ge into letting the Principal slap him."

"I heard Fa Ge flew back to Hong Kong that very night!"

"."

This shocked many people—Fa Ge was Fa Ge, his status and clout higher than most in the industry today.

If even Fa Ge could be slapped by the Principal, what were they?

This forced everyone to reassess just how powerful the Principal really was—they were literally beings who could crush them with a flick.

Many grew increasingly fearful of the Principal.

This matter spread only within the industry; though some rumors leaked out, only well-informed Wangyi could see them—it was the norm not to see them.

No one in the industry openly brought it up; at least they had to spare Fa Ge some face.

Fa Ge never spoke another word publicly and never appeared in public again; when friends asked, he simply refused to talk.

He did return to Hong Kong—Lu Dabo was watching him!

This incident dealt Fa Ge a heavy psychological blow, making him realize he was just a Xiao Kala Mi.

All his years of effort were useless.

He understood clearly: capital always holds the power; no amount of money matters—he now saw his true place.

But he was past the age of striving; even if he tried, he could never catch up.

After the New Year, the film market cooled down, no longer so hot, sinking into the off-season.

But the entertainment industry remained lively: first, the tycoon Shao Yifu passed away; then Huang Yi was embroiled in a domestic violence scandal, a fierce battle erupting online.

The domestic violence was just the beginning—mainly, both sides were fighting online over child custody; the man kept smearing the woman, claiming she was mentally unstable.

He also said she was shy in public but crude in private.

Then the woman posted photos of her injuries—yet the one who hurt her wasn't the man, but herself.

Just as the two sides were locked in a bitter feud, her ex-boyfriend suddenly appeared and called her a "cat!"

This remark dealt a devastating blow to a woman.

Anyway, both sides were enjoying the fight, and the Wangyi were happily eating their popcorn.

After the Lantern Festival, Gravity finally began filming; this project had been prepared for a long time and was finally ready to start.

The film had few actors—besides Liu Tianxian, there was Guo Jingfei, playing the male lead.

Called the male lead, but in reality, his role was more like a supporting character.

He was the one who sacrificed himself to save the female lead—minimal screen time.

Except for the ending, which returns to Earth, the entire film is set indoors, so no one has to freeze outside.

After the interior special effects scenes were finished, the weather warmed up, and the scenes of the female lead returning to Earth were all scheduled.

You should know that this production's visual and art departments alone reached 1,240 people, nearly 1,300—unprecedented in the entire domestic production system.

So just follow the schedule—no one needs to bring their own ideas or thoughts.

Inside the massive studio, the main creators—Fang Hong, Liu Tianxian, Guo Fan, Chen Zhixi, special effects Yao Qi, Chen Xiuwei, cinematographer Liu Yin, and art director Li Anran—stood together.

Some made peace signs, others made funny faces; everyone smiled. Liu Tianxian had her hand resting on Fang Hong's shoulder, facing forward, as the camera captured their group photo.

This group photo froze in time, signifying the official start of filming.

The Propaganda Department also posted this photo on Weibo, on the specially registered account "Gravity Official Weibo."

The image was accompanied by text: "Filming has begun!"

This quickly drew attention and reposts from a group of Wangyi.

"Wow, Liu Tianxian's new drama!"

"Nice nice, Xianxian's back at work! Hope it becomes as classic as 'Bound'—that movie was so good, I cried for hours."

"'Bound' really was great. As long as Xianxian and the Principal work together, I'm confident."

"I'm confident too. Looking forward to it!"

"Aaaah, why is her hand on the Principal's shoulder? Take your dog paw off!"

"They're a couple—it's normal."

"."

Even before filming began, the movie already had some buzz; self-media quickly followed up with reports—just getting people to know about this drama was enough.

Slowly, subtly, it sank in.

As for the plot of "Gravity," there's nothing much to say—it's just the story of one person surviving a disaster in space.

But placing the story in space naturally sparks audience curiosity.

If it were set in a desert, that curiosity would fade, because audiences are too familiar with deserts, while space remains mysterious.

Survival stories in deserts have been done to death—Fang Long had already made one.

The same story, with a different setting, truly becomes completely different.

During filming, many scenes didn't require Liu Tianxian to appear in person—she had a stunt double, and most scenes were completed by the double.

For example, the continuous tumbling and movement in space were all done by the stunt double.

The current scene being filmed takes place on a low Earth orbit 578 kilometers from Earth, where Tiangong is struck by space debris; the female lead is pinned to an operational arm and spun continuously.

This scene was shot inside the Light Box: a stunt performer was strapped to a frame, motionless, while the camera rotated around him continuously.

On screen, it looked exactly like spinning endlessly in space.

The stunt performer didn't even know what he was doing—he just got paid after filming. Simple, effortless.

For scenes requiring expression, a camera was mounted on the head, aimed at Liu Tianxian's face to capture her Expression Capture.

Even Guo Jingfei didn't need to appear in person—only Expression Capture was needed.

It was a form of no-object Performance—difficult, because previously there had been partners to trigger emotion; now, everything relied on imagination.

For this scene, the stunt double handled it; Liu Tianxian didn't need to wear costume or show her face—she only needed to convey panic through voice.

"Aaaah..." like that.

This posed a challenge for Liu Tianxian—how could her sweet, high-pitched voice sound panicked?

Even until bedtime, Liu Tianxian lay on her side, head resting against the headboard, hand on her throat, still practicing "Aaaah," then checking her script for the right feeling of panic.

It was her first time filming such a scene—it was tough on her.

Fang Hong lay beside her, pressing tightly against her back, his hand slipping under the hem of her pajamas.

"A bit small," he said.

"Smack!" Liu Tianxian flipped her script and slapped it across his face.

"Damn!" Fang Hong cried out in pain.

Liu Tianxian turned to look at him, seeing him clutch his face: "Did I hurt you?"

"What do you think?" Fang Hong rubbed his face.

The script was thick—when Liu Tianxian slapped him backward, she didn't hold back at all.

"Oh no, sorry sorry!" Liu Tianxian immediately hugged his head, soothing him.

"You hit way too hard—right on my face," Fang Hong said.

"It was an accident, okay? You started it by saying that," Liu Tianxian replied.

"What, can't I say it?" Fang Hong said.

Liu Tianxian tapped his head sharply: "You're deliberately making me angry, right? Then go touch someone else."

"How could I? No one else is my wife," Fang Hong laughed.

Liu Tianxian giggled at his words.

Fang Hong took her hand and grinned mischievously: "Come on, watch mine—see if it's the same as yours."

"Get lost," Liu Tianxian said, her mood ruined.

Hearing that, she flew into a rage, punching his arm twice—"Bang bang!"—still calling her small.

"Aaaah!" Fang Hong cried out theatrically, but it wasn't hard.

"I know you're doing this on purpose—I'm not talking to you," Liu Tianxian grumbled, pushing him away and turning her back.

"Just kidding, baby, sweetie," Fang Hong shamelessly pressed close again.

"Don't disturb me—I'm studying my script, learning how to scream," Liu Tianxian picked up the script and ignored him.

"Stop reading," Fang Hong snatched the script from her hands and tossed it on the floor: "I'll teach you how to scream."

(End of chapter)