Chapter 448: with translation of chapter title

After the celebration banquet, Jiang Heng indeed lived up to the media hype, no longer preparing a new special‑effects blockbuster, but devoting his time and energy to corporate governance and integration.

First he exposed a group of senior and mid‑level executives who had embezzled company assets and lined their own pockets; some were transferred to judicial authorities, others were shown the door.

So when the big meeting was held, phrases like "eye‑popping" and "scares people to death after watching" were used to describe it.

In fact, it's understandable; Jiang Heng's Outstanding Rising Film Company is the genuine industry leader, and countless boys and girls dreaming of stardom hope to walk through its doors to become signed artists.

But the vast majority of those people never get a chance to see Jiang Heng; what they do see are only the rank‑and‑file staff and mid‑level managers of the Outstanding Rising Film Company.

Yet Journey to the West writes that the closer one gets to Ling Mountain, the more formidable the monsters become.

Many people who have no qualifications to sit before Jiang Heng become objects of envy and flattery once they leave the office; it's no wonder they cause all sorts of chaos.

And that's only one film company; Jiang Heng also controls Iron Fist Technology, which released "Zhu Zion" and "League of Legends," a web‑technology firm that owns Weibo and Douban, the nation's top Beautiful Times special‑effects company, and a stake in the Red Cinema investment firm that backs the "China Film Red" and "Shangying Red" theater chains…

All together, the various companies total nearly a hundred.

Jiang Heng spends two‑thirds of each year filming, and after subtracting personal life and various business events, the time he can devote to company management is truly scarce.

If it weren't for the Super Microcomputer assisting him—periodically auditing accounts and rooting out parasites to send a warning—relying solely on professional managers would have left the companies hollow long ago.

Thus Jiang Heng's corporate reform campaign lasted over three months, and only after the group company was established did it finally draw to a close.

By now, the summer of 2012 has arrived, and the highly anticipated and controversial "Black Myth: Wukong" is about to be released.

In the chairman's office of the group company, Yu Dong came over to report the film's marketing plan.

Actually there's nothing special; it's all the old methods and old routines, with little novelty.

But since Jiang Heng is the director, it has to be shown to him for a glance.

"Hmm, the premiere venue is still the Olympic Sports Center, the invitations to media and guests have all been sent out, the online ticket subsidy is sixty million, pre‑sales are good—already over two hundred million. Offline, all the cinemas and bus ads have posted posters…"

Yu Dong sat opposite Jiang Heng, rambling on.

Jiang Heng skimmed it casually, found no issues, and said, "Fine, let's do it that way. You handle it, I'm confident."

In this round of governance inspection, Bona's side had basically no problems.

First, Old Yu is also a boss, though his shareholding is slightly lower; moreover, he truly has ability and has consistently performed well in film marketing.

Yu Dong, seeing this, chuckled and immediately added, "As for 'Macau Storm,' I plan to schedule it for August 3, with the premiere event on July 28. That should give us enough time, right?"

Jiang Heng had been planning to travel for a while, but the company's matters kept dragging him, so he still hasn't gone out.

Jiang Heng took out a cigar, tossed it to Yu Dong, lit the one in his own hand, and laughed, "Since you've said that, I'll definitely be there!"

Yu Dong took a puff of his own cigar, smiled, and said, "The main thing is your promotion; the box office could jump by several tens of millions!"

Jiang Heng leaned back, chuckling, "Several tens of millions still isn't enough for their greed!"

Yu Dong's expression turned sheepish, and he laughed, "That's how business works; the subordinates who get opportunities are always greedy. I've heard that internet giants like Penguin and Baidu have even worse situations!"

Jiang Heng nodded slightly; after all, it's 2012, and Yu Dong's information is limited.

He also knows about events in later years: in 2022, a certain famous platform investigated 41 criminal cases, sending over a hundred people to judicial authorities.

These included cases of accepting bribes from partners, embezzling company settlement funds, and siphoning merchants' profit money, among other types.

One has to admit, some people are truly bold!

So Jiang Heng was initially a bit angry, but with time it became no big deal.

Those who stole his money will most likely be sent away, so there's no need to be too angry.

After a brief chat about anti‑corruption measures, they returned to the film's marketing, discussed a few details, and Yu Dong left.

Not long after, Liu Yifei entered, wearing a white shirt and blue straight‑leg jeans, looking clean and fresh.

Jiang Heng quickly stood up, gave her a hug, and laughed, "All done over there?"

"We just wrapped, and I came straight back to see you!"

Liu Yifei is no longer with Chen Jinfei's agency; she has founded her own talent‑management company and is now her own boss.

She originally wanted to join the Outstanding Rising Film Company, but Jiang Heng thought it unnecessary; he wasn't short of that money and suggested Liu Yifei set up her own studio, keeping all earnings herself.

Liu Yifei pitied herself, saying that being a boss in the industry is easy, but without resources it's miserable.

Jiang Heng said, "With me around, how could you lack my resources?" Liu Yifei replied, "You want to make a martial‑arts blockbuster and cast Jing Tian as the female lead, leaving no room for me," which made Jiang Heng awkward. "But it's easy to solve—just give her a film," he said.

If one film doesn't work, make two; if two don't work, make three.

It's only 2012, and his mind already holds many classic Chinese and Haolaiwu movies; churning out any one of them would be enough to satisfy him.

Then Liu Yifei went to shoot a movie, "Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Dragon‑Seeking Manual," produced by Outstanding Rising Film Company and directed by Guo Fan.

Liu Tianxian plays Ding Sitian, the role that Yang Tianbao rarely performed well.

Jiang Heng didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

Because of her regular guest role on "Running Man, Brothers," Yang Tianbao already enjoys popularity comparable to a top‑tier actress.

One could say that without Jiang Heng's naming and backing, she wouldn't have made it to the second season.

Because in Outstanding Rising Film Company, some less‑successful actresses were drawn to this program, and the connections all went to Du Huan's side.

Jiang Heng felt that although Yang Tianbao's acting was a bit lacking, her performance on "Running Man, Brothers" was truly good, so he dropped the idea of replacing her.

Yang Tianbao was extremely grateful, and Huang Xiaoming was moved beyond words; the two treated Jiang Heng to drinks and gave him a sports car as thanks.

Liu Yifei, after seeing the script for "Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Dragon‑Seeking Manual," was also very pleased.

She knew how popular the original novel was, and Outstanding Rising Film Company offered a hefty budget—three hundred million—in the 2012 Neidi market, making it definitely a blockbuster.

As for the male lead, Jiang Heng chose Han Tong instead of the original's Chen Kun.

After all, that guy's temperament is a bit arrogant; Jiang Heng didn't want to bring him in and cause his girlfriend any grievance.

The role of Wang Pangzi still goes to Huang Bo, and the film's Shirley Yang is played by Li Meiqi.

Speaking of it, as the female lead of Jiang Heng's first blockbuster, Li Meiqi shifted her focus toward Haolaiwu after the "Matrix" trilogy.

The reason is simple: Jiang Heng can't keep casting her as the lead, and in the Neidi market she lacks media resources commensurate with her fame.

Thus, her moving to Haolaiwu for development was inevitable.

Nevertheless, her relationship with Jiang Heng remains good; a single phone call is enough to get anything done.

As for this time, I invited her back to accompany Liu Yifei, and Li Meiqi had no complaints.

Of course, the pay won't be discounted!

After all, The Matrix has been released for over ten years; now their feelings are feelings, business is business. And with Li Meiqi, Liu Yifei, Han Dong, Huang Bo and others joining, the cast of The Dragon's Secret surpasses the original, making it one of the most anticipated films of the 2012 New Year season.

Other film and TV companies' people complain endlessly; although Jiang Heng is absent, the other films produced by Faction: Outstanding Rising Film Company are also strong! Whether it's the cast or the film's subject matter, they are highly noteworthy.

Therefore, during this period, Liu Yifei has frequently topped Weibo hot searches, her popularity continues to grow, so she isn't as angry as before.

As soon as the film wrapped, she hurried back to the group company, unwilling to wait even a moment.

Seeing her, Jiang Heng was also pleased, called his assistant Cui Zhenzhen, and asked her to reserve a spot at the high-altitude revolving restaurant of Jingcheng International Hotel.

After Cui Zhenzhen left, Liu Yifei said: 'I was thinking of going home to cook for you!'

Jiang Heng laughed: 'No conflict, we can go home first and go to the restaurant later.'

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei's cheeks flushed slightly, she gave a soft hum and said 'okay'. Jiang Heng couldn't stay any longer; he took her hand, rode the elevator straight to the underground parking lot, and drove off in his Ferrari.

Over the past six months, Jiang Heng, due to not filming any movies, has lost the composure of an international director; his daily actions increasingly resemble those of a rich second-generation heir, commuting by sports car.

Liu Yifei naturally also likes sports cars; at this year's auto show she ordered a Ferrari 458 Spider, with a guide price of 4.43 million.

However, the car hasn't been delivered yet, so looking at Jiang Heng's makes her a bit envious.

'How about, you drive?'

'Sure!'

The two stopped by the roadside, switched seats, and Liu Yifei drove straight to their shared home. Only after it was past seven in the evening did they drive to the revolving restaurant.

During the meal, Liu Yifei asked when they would go on a trip.

Jiang Heng said: 'When do you want to go?'

'Well, how about mid-August? Won't that interfere with your filming?'

Jiang Heng laughed and said: 'No interference, the film doesn't start shooting until September! Where do you want to go?'

'Let's go to the Maldives; I've always wanted to go somewhere where no one knows us, so we can openly go out and eat together like an ordinary couple.'

Jiang Heng's expression turned awkward, then he immediately laughed and agreed.

Liu Yifei shared many travel guides she had prepared in advance, asked Jiang Heng for his thoughts, and he naturally had no objections.

Later they discussed next year's work plans; Liu Yifei lowered her head to eat, casually asking, 'You'll be filming a movie next year, right?'

'Mm!'

'Have you decided what to film?'

'I'm thinking about it!'

Jiang Heng knew she actually meant, 'Have you decided what role you want me to play?' Although the sequel to The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber: The Cult Leader is not directed by Jiang Heng, he also stars in it alongside Jing Tian.

According to these girls' coincidentally similar idea, if one has something, the other should have it too. Not necessarily exactly 100%, but overall they want balance.

For example, this trip, Jiang Heng plans to go to the Maldives with Liu Yifei in August.

Then, by the end of this year or early next year, he will definitely also take Jing Tian to Bali.

After filming The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber with Jing Tian in the second half of the year, the female lead for next year's new film should be Liu Yifei, or someone more suitable.

If they still let Jing Tian film it, that would be a bit unfair.

The problem is, Jiang Heng hasn't thought that far ahead right now.

Liu Yifei asked: 'Do we still have to wait for the sequel to Three Body?'

Jiang Heng laughed: 'How so, you want to play Cheng Xin?'

Liu Yifei gave him a white-eyed look, snorted, and said: 'Am I really that much like a saintly mother?'

'Beautiful and kind-hearted!'

'Beautiful and kind-hearted, but also principled!'

Jiang Heng chuckled: 'Indeed!'

Liu Yifei said: 'What about Zhuang Yan then?'

Jiang Heng said: 'For the role of Zhuang Yan, I plan to use a newcomer to cultivate another top-tier actress for the company!'

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei knew she wouldn't get that role.

However, Jiang Heng's plan is not flawed; he is considering the company's overall development, and being able to continuously produce top-tier actresses is exactly the proof that Faction: Outstanding Rising Film Company dominates the Neidi entertainment circle.

Although Liu Yifei felt slightly disappointed, she also understood, and in a muffled tone said 'okay'! Jiang Heng put down his chopsticks, thought seriously for a moment, then said: 'Mm, the next film will be a sequel to The Heroic Legion.'

'Ah, okay!'

This is an ensemble cast; Liu Yifei plays Du Qiangwei, Jing Tian plays Leina, and it's hard to say whose role is bigger.

After chatting a while more, after the meal they drove around the Third Ring Road once before returning to their residence.

The result was 'Spring night is short, the sun rises high; from then on the king does not attend court early,' and Jiang Heng didn't go to the group company for three straight days.

On the fourth day, he just showed his face, handled some matters, and left early.

Then came the premiere of Black Myth: Wukong.

Among the guests, there was someone very special: Teacher Zhang, wearing a red suit.

When he stepped onto the red carpet, both media reporters and onlookers were somewhat surprised.

Someone said: 'How did he come? This person has always opposed others adapting Journey to the West!'

Someone beside him said: 'His opposition depends on whom—Zhou Xingxing is far away in Xianggang, and has no influence in Neidi; Director Jiang is the top figure in the Neidi entertainment circle—if he dared to talk nonsense, he wouldn't get anywhere.'

'That's true; in this circle, who dares to offend Director Jiang?'

However, Zhang Jinsi stepped down from the red carpet, entered the main hall, and soon ran into an acquaintance.

The person opposite was quite puzzled, saying: 'Yo, how did you come here?'

'Hey, Director Jiang sent me an invitation, saying he wants me to come perform a segment; I haven't been busy lately, so I came to join the fun.'

The opposite person gave an embarrassed smile and asked what the segment was.

Zhang Jinsi said: "I can't really put it into words, but it's pretty high-tech. What's that word again? Oh, right, it's that 3D holographic projection technology, like the one Chang'e performed before!"

"Oh, oh, I know, that should be really shocking!" (End of chapter)