Chapter 533: with translation of chapter title

In early September, at the open square below the building of Love Outstanding Rising Film Company, the press conference for the new film 'The Great Sage Returns' was held.

Compared to the press conferences for previous effects-heavy blockbusters, the scale of this event was relatively small.

On the makeshift stage, very few cast and crew attended the event. Besides Director Jiang Heng, Producer Du Huan, Action Director Yuan De, male lead Wu Yue, second male lead Chen Kun, Lin Zhicong who played Bajie, and Tao Hui who played the female demon, there was no one else familiar to the audience.

Even the parents and master of Jiang Liuer in the film were played by ordinary extras, not celebrity cameos.

Its small scale could almost be described as shabby.

The reporters and audience members who showed up nevertheless gathered in a large crowd, and seeing this situation they chattered away.

"What's the situation? How come the scale feels especially small!"

"It's a bit, the cast and crew are too few!"

"Besides Chen Kun, there isn't a single first-tier star!"

"The investment couldn't be under 200 million, could it?"

"Director Jiang isn't planning to stop making big films, is he?"

The reporters and audience members discussed heatedly; those who got the microphone and were qualified to ask questions hurriedly voiced these doubts.

Jiang Heng smiled and said, "Well, compared to before, the cast this time is indeed somewhat smaller, because the story is relatively simple—just about a person rediscovering themselves, a tale of the king's return. As for the film's investment, we still have 500 million yuan."

Those present clicked their tongues, for this figure, compared to the investment scale of Jiang Heng's previous works, was truly too small—less than a hundred million dollars! It seems Jiang Heng really intends to make a "low-budget" effects film this time!

Not only was the cost low, but the press conference proceedings were also very brief; after a few casual remarks it ended.

After the event ended, a reporter sighed, "Director Jiang, could it be that you don't want to film anymore? Why does it feel like the preparation for this film is so casual!"

"It's a bit, maybe just perfunctory production!"

"No way?"

"Hard to say, how many years has he been making films?"

"It's been nearly twenty years!"

"So, even more inspiration has been largely exhausted; maybe in a few years he'll retire completely!"

"No way, he hasn't even turned forty yet!"

"Haha, that's what you call having wandered half a lifetime and still being a youth upon return!"

Several reporters, upon saying this, couldn't help but feel envious—Jiang Heng truly is the embodiment of youthful achievement!

After returning, the reporters hurriedly wrote up their articles.

However, one person felt that Jiang Heng was different this time, so they opened an account on Tianya Forum and posted a prophetic thread.

The gist of it was that Jiang Heng had exhausted his talent and would marry and retire within three to five years.

Besides this eye-catching conclusion, the reporter listed many so-called 'evidences,' making the entire post appear logically tight and very convincing.

This reporter, knowing many industry insider secrets, often leaks on Tianya Forum and has a huge number of fans.

The post was about the hottest director in the entertainment industry, Jiang Heng, and instantly attracted countless clicks and replies.

Many readers replied, "No way, Director Jiang is going to retire? Then whose films will we watch from now on?"

"But counting from 1997, in a blink it's almost twenty years; I've actually grown up watching Jiang Heng's works, and I'm crying!"

"The first time I saw *The Matrix* was in elementary school; back then I was amazed, feeling it was super cool." "The first time I saw it was in middle school; the school organized a trip to watch *One Hundred Million Years BC*, and I still remember seeing the dinosaurs on the big screen—I was truly shaking with excitement. It's a shame Director Jiang only made one dinosaur film, what a pity!"

"I only started watching Jiang Heng's films from *The Lion's Camel Ridge*; the scene where Tang Seng voluntarily enters nirvana made me cry, tears unstoppable. The Great Sage's explosive appearance is so handsome; I never thought watching a film could feel this awesome!"

……

The reporter's post said that Jiang Heng had exhausted his talent and would retire in just a few years.

But what everyone discussed the most was actually "When did you start knowing Director Jiang?", and they chatted about it with great enjoyment.

The officials of Tianya Forum, upon discovering this situation, naturally wanted to blow it up to attract more traffic.

They immediately launched the "When did you start knowing Director Jiang" memory-killing activity, and in no time responders poured in, and it quickly went viral.

Huairou, at the China Film Digital Base, Jiang Heng, who was filming *The Great Sage Returns* there, was somewhat dazed upon hearing this news.

"When did you start knowing me?"

"Yes, the commotion over at Tianya is huge and very lively. So I thought, over at Weibo, shouldn't we also run a similar activity!" said the CEO of Weibo, Gao Fei, smiling.

Looking one by one, there is no mistaken version!

"Hmm, I'll think about it!"

"Ah, ah!"

Gao Fei was stunned; he never expected Jiang Heng to reject his proposal—it made no sense!

This traffic fell from the sky; there's no reason not to seize it! "Director Jiang, if you leave it unattended, you'll just waste a wave of traffic!"

Jiang Heng smiled, "I know, but I have other ideas regarding this wave of traffic!"

"Oh, then that's fine!"

Upon hearing that, Gao Fei felt somewhat depressed, pondering Jiang Heng's intentions.

In his mind instantly popped two words—'shake sound'; could Director Jiang be intending to catch this wave of traffic and get it listed early? "Director Jiang, you wouldn't intend to let this wave of traffic land on shake sound's head, would you?" Gao Fei said this with a tone full of grievance.

Jiang Heng smiled, "Great minds think alike, I really do think that way!"

Seeing Gao Fei's face seeming somewhat resentful, Jiang Heng smiled and explained, "Weibo has firmly held the top spot in the industry for many years, not lacking this bit of traffic. But in the short-video field, there are so many competitors like Quick Hand, Second Shoot, Beautiful Shoot, and Little Coffee Show; without some hit traffic, it's really hard to stand out."

Gao Fei also understood this reasoning, secretly sighing at the good fortune of Jiang Dongsheng's team.

He said with a smile, "Indeed, it's a good opportunity!"

Having come all this way, Gao Fei wasn't in a hurry to leave. Soon he saw Jiang Dongsheng driving over from Jingcheng.

At noon, several people ate together nearby and brought up the matter of the shake sound going online.

Jiang Dongsheng said, "From a technical standpoint, launching early is no problem, and with such a hot topic, the shake sound will surely become a hit overnight!"

Jiang Heng smiled and said, "That's what I think; let the company's artists register for the shake sound in succession, then post short videos, and the topic will be 'When did you start knowing Jiang Heng?'"

Gao Fei said, "I think we can start from your first work, and have Wu Yan Zu and Li Meiqi be the first to settle in!"

"Wu Yan Zu, Li Meiqi, not bad!"

Both of them are currently developing in Haolaiwu; Wu Yan Zu is doing somewhat better, while Li Meiqi is not doing as well—lately she's actually been appearing in an American drama.

If we let the two of them take the lead in joining Douyin, making a childhood-friend video "Memory Kill," we could probably gain quite a bit of popularity, and developing back in China for a while might also be possible! (End of chapter)