Chapter 408: Two Billion

After the two parts of One Person Under were released, Liu Yifei's popularity surged to an absurdly exaggerated level.

Her Weibo follower count topped over 50 million, already making her the second‑ranked star in Weibo followers back in 2011.

As for the number one, it was obviously Jiang Heng.

At this moment Liu Yifei naturally isn't short of scripts; you could say she has a pile of scripts to pick from at will.

But suitable movies and roles aren't that plentiful.

First, big‑budget productions are limited in number, and standout roles are limited as well.

And besides that, the chance to film with Jiang Heng is also very limited.

Seeing Jiang Heng's cameo idea, Liu Yifei naturally became interested in the film and asked for its story outline.

Yu Dong then gave a rough rundown of the content Wang Jing sent.

He immediately added, "Wang Jing is great at making this kind of film, and with Zhou Runfa joining, many veteran fans will definitely buy tickets. If Miss Liu Yifei stars and Director Jiang does a cameo, hitting over a billion at the box office won't be hard!"

Jiang Heng listened, gave a slight nod, and seemed to accept Yu Dong's words.

In his previous life, "Macau Storm" earned over 500 million; if this life's version starred Liu Yifei now and he did a cameo to help promote, doubling the box office wouldn't be a problem at all.

As for the film's cost, the previous life's publicity claimed over 100 million, but the actual expense likely didn't even reach a hundred million.

In this life, with Liu Yifei as the lead and a quality upgrade, it still wouldn't cost more than 150 million.

With a box office around ten billion, the share would be over three billion, and the mainland theatrical circuit alone would yield nearly two billion in profit.

Adding Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas box‑office revenue, it could easily reach three hundred million, and there's no way such money wouldn't be profitable.

Jiang Heng thought this through and said the film could be done; a cameo would be no problem.

Yu Dong was overjoyed, and after eating, hurried to call Wang Jing.

The latter, upon hearing the news, was also extremely delighted.

And when he heard Liu Yifei wanted to play the female lead, he was both surprised and thrilled.

What surprised him was the actress he had previously favored; now there'd be no role for her.

What pleased him was that with Liu Yifei starring, the film's box‑office ceiling would rise sharply; if it reaches eight or ten billion, his fame and star‑power could also be boosted.

In this situation, Wang Jing naturally wouldn't oppose, nor raise any objections.

He just rushed to polish the script, then headed back to Jingcheng to meet Yu Dong and prepare the film, without further discussion.

On Jiang Heng's side, the news of his cameo decision was learned by Jing Tian, who was a bit displeased.

She had been hoping to remake A Chinese Odyssey with Jiang Heng, but suddenly heard he would cameo in Liu Yifei's new film.

And upon learning the two wouldn't play lovers, she suddenly became happy.

"Brother Jiang Heng, you said you're making a new film—you're not just stringing me along, are you?"

"How could that be? Anything I promised will definitely happen!"

"Oh, then how far along is the work?"

Da Tian Tian's eyes shone brightly, a look of extreme anticipation.

Jiang Heng felt a bit guilty; he'd been busy with other things these days and hadn't had any time to think about that at all.

"We're already buying the rights!"

"Really? When did you buy them?"

"Now!"

After saying that, Jiang Heng directly dialed Zhou Xingxing's phone.

The latter, upon suddenly receiving Jiang Heng's call, was startled, then immediately said congratulations.

"Director Jiang, your film keeps getting better. I just took my mom to the cinema yesterday, and she kept praising you—truly the number‑one Chinese‑language director!" Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng quickly expressed his thanks.

Neither of them were the type to chat casually; Zhou Xingxing was even more blunt, saying that Jiang Heng calling so late must mean there's something.

Jiang Heng smiled, "Indeed I have a request: I want to remake A Chinese Odyssey!"

Zhou Xingxing was taken aback, and after a moment said, "Director Jiang, you're bold. Honestly, I wouldn't even dare to remake it myself!"

Zhou Xingxing wasn't bragging; he was stating a fact.

As an online saying goes, "For a 'white moonlight', sometimes even the person themselves can't come."

A Chinese Odyssey is truly a classic; if Jiang Heng wants to remake it, merely upgrading the special‑effects fight scenes won't suffice—story and drama must also pass the test! Honestly, Jiang Heng felt a bit guilty and forced a smile, saying, "I of course know that, so my current plan is to adapt within the story framework of A Chinese Odyssey, with certain changes, but the main characters will still be Zhi Zunbao, Zi Xia, Niu Mo Wang, etc."

Zhou Xingxing said he understood; even if he remade it, some adaptation would be necessary.

"No problem, take it and change it as you like; as for the money, just give some anyway!"

Zhou Xingxing naturally cared more about the money, but it still had to be allocated.

Jiang Heng is his biggest patron at the moment; several previous films were funded by Outstanding Rising Film Company, and they'll most likely continue cooperating.

No matter how high the licensing fee, they couldn't give too much, so they decided to be generous.

For the upcoming film, they'll ask Jiang Heng to cameo and say a couple of good words in promotion, recouping the cost directly; he's still very clear on that accounting.

So after Jiang Heng quoted a figure, Zhou Xingxing gave an 80% discount, and the licensing deal was settled.

Da Tian Tian, listening nearby, eyes full of "little star", exclaimed excitedly, "Can I play Zi Xia in the future?"

"Of course!"

"Ha ha, I'm happy!"

Jiang Heng sneered, "Aren't you afraid of being scolded?"

Da Tian Tian, with an indifferent expression, said, "Being with you, I'm not afraid of death or of living; being scolded is nothing."

Jiang Heng said, "Where did you hear that from!"

Da Tian Tian giggled, "'Castle in the Sky' is wonderful, but sadly the male and female leads are children; otherwise we could do a live‑action version!"

Jiang Heng replied, "Castle in the Sky is indeed great, really great!"

He originally thought to say, "You watch a romance anime and already want a live‑action version—your obsession is too strong!"

But I was also afraid that Da Tian Tian would become even more concerned about this, so I stopped talking about this topic.

After a period of time, Jiang Heng began working on adapting the story.

The mainland box office of 'Wild Lands: Houyi Shoots the Sun' also officially broke through the 2 billion mark.

Whether it was Du Huan, Yu Dong, or the entire cast and crew who participated in the film, everyone was thrilled.

Those who had opened Weibo accounts all posted updates to express their congratulations.

Du Huan had even earlier mentioned to Jiang Heng that it was necessary to hold a victory celebration.

A box office of two billion is no small figure.

It also broke the mainland box office record, so we definitely ought to celebrate big time, so more people can know our achievements and capabilities!

Jiang Heng also felt that they should hold one; the performance of 'Wild Lands: Houyi Shoots the Sun' in the global film market cannot be compared to that of 'Little Soldier Legend' and 'Avatar', but after all, the mainland has reached two billion.

In just a few years, there will be three billion, then five billion.

But once short videos rise, the film market will also enter a period of decline.

So the good times may well be short-lived, but we still ought to celebrate!

The time was finally set for Sunday, August 28th; the venue was chosen as the Shangri-La Hotel, with Outstanding Rising Film Company holding a grand banquet, inviting over a hundred main creators and guests of 'Wild Lands: Houyi Shoots the Sun' to together drink heartily in celebration.

(End of chapter)