Chapter 134: Preparing for

"Lin Nan, this is a flying start for you. Out of four films, the first one is already a great success."

Lin Nan felt too embarrassed to call Han Sanping out, but the words sounded sour.

"With the limited scale, how good could it really be?"

Hearing this from Lin Nan, Han Sanping was instantly choked up.

"Heh, being too humble just makes you seem hypocritical..."

It was a bit of an unprovoked disaster; clearly, it was Han Sanping who called to talk about this. Lin Nan felt speechless inside.

This phone call from Han Sanping was meant to offer congratulations, but as they chatted, he just grew sour.

Still, he had some integrity; he didn't say anything about calling China Film Group if there were projects like this in the future.

The buzz around "Lost on Journey" had picked up, and the second day's box office settled at 9 million.

Among the current films, this was already considered among the best.

Because although there weren't many blockbusters in June, the sheer number of films was not small.

Jackie Chan's Hollywood film "The Karate Kid" was struggling to adapt to the domestic market.

Xue Xiaolu's "Ocean Heaven," even with Jet Li, only made a few hundred thousand on its opening day.

"The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen" and "Shanghai" both had mediocre box office numbers, with three or five million over the first two days.

Among so many films, only Disney's animated film "Toy Story 3" looked decent, slightly better than "Lost on Journey."

Xu Zheng hadn't really been doing media interviews for the past two days; he was a smart man who knew to keep a low profile first.

If it were any other new director, they would probably be getting carried away by now.

"This is putting me under a lot of pressure!"

Lin Nan Film's second film, "Brotherhood of Blades," was set to release on August 1st.

Lu Yang was feeling a lot of pressure right now.

No one expected that "Lost on Journey," with a budget of five million, would perform so well at the box office.

" 'Brotherhood of Blades' and 'Lost on Journey' are not on the same track; you can't compare them like that."

Lin Nan offered a word of comfort.

Previously, he thought Xu Zheng could sprint for the 100-million-director club, but thinking about it now, it wasn't actually that easy.

Lin Nan wasn't planning to keep watching over the aftermath of "Lost on Journey."

"Lucy" was set to release in ten days or so, and he had to spend some energy on that.

Liu Qianqian began to get busy.

Her solo posters had already appeared in major cinema chains, and in prominent positions at that.

Over in Hollywood, Lionsgate's promotion had also begun.

Lin Nan started looking for people.

"Lin, it's still night over there, right?"

On the phone, there wasn't just Leonardo's voice; there was also the sound of several women giggling in the background.

Someone asked softly, "Is that the Golden Lion director from Crystal Pictures?"

Leonardo gave a hum.

Lin Nan was a bit speechless. Was this guy throwing a party in broad daylight?

"Leonardo, I need you to do me a small favor."

"What is it?"

"Crystal's 'Lucy' is about to be released, and I hope you can help me promote it."

As soon as Lin Nan finished speaking, the other side agreed.

"Hmm, of course."

"I'll have Tang Mu find you; could you record a short video of a few minutes?"

Lin Nan pushed his luck.

"Haha, then you'll have to prepare a script for me later, something no less than 'The Hunt'.

That guy Ma Te, ever since he won Best Actor, hasn't stopped showing off in front of me..."

This kind of request was very much in line with Leonardo's style.

"In that case, one film promotion won't be enough," Lin Nan joked.

"You can ask me again next time."

"Alright, it's a deal. Take care of yourself..."

Before Leonardo could react, Lin Nan laughed and hung up the phone.

Ma Te Damon was even easier to talk to.

Compared to Leonardo, Ma Te was practically a good man—married with kids, not so wild.

After Lin Nan explained his intent, the other party agreed without a second word.

"Lin, if you need me to attend any events, you can ask me too. I can still spare half a day."

"Ma Te, thank you, but there's no need for that much trouble."

"It's only right. Just remember me next time you start a new film, haha.

You don't know, when I put the trophy in front of Leonardo, the look on his face was like I'd stolen his girlfriend, haha..."

Lin Nan had nothing to say; these two were just something else.

After making several calls and arranging things in Hollywood, Lin Nan felt much more at ease.

The rest could be left to Tang Mu and Lionsgate.

"Lucy" was Liu Qianqian's one-woman show; the promotion before the premiere would definitely require her to complete it alone.

Liu Mu and the assistant accompanied Liu Qianqian, going on shows, recording interviews, or doing portal website interviews every day.

The promotional effect was very good.

After running around for a week straight, Miss Liu was also starting to wear thin.

In the evening, when the two were chatting in the garden, she was actually able to fall asleep leaning on Lin Nan's shoulder; one could imagine how tired she was.

"Forget it, let's stop here. There's still the premiere later," Lin Nan said softly.

"Hmm... when acting... I was very focused..."

Liu Qianqian smacked her lips, talking in her sleep.

Lin Nan shook his head with a smile, scooped her up, and walked into the villa.

Seeing her daughter already fast asleep, Liu Mu felt a pang of heartache.

Lin Nan gently placed the person in his arms onto the bed and said to Liu Mu:

"Auntie, the promotion ends here. Let her rest for a few days; the premiere later will be enough."

"Won't this affect the film?"

"It won't," Lin Nan said softly.

"Lost on Journey" was truly a dark horse.

Although there were many competitors, the box office had been constantly decreasing after the first two days.

But after the first week, it had still accumulated 45.4 million in box office.

This low-budget comedy left all the film companies in the industry in awe.

It seemed to remind them of "Crazy Stone" back in the day.

However, compared to the market during "Crazy Stone," the external environment for "Lost on Journey" was much harsher, with too many opponents.

Lin Nan felt that the authorities' efforts to crack down on piracy were still not enough.

He had already seen "Lost on Journey" online, and felt speechless.

"Painted Skin 2," by count, had already been filming for a month.

With Wu Yusen intentionally adjusting the scenes, among the main actors, Yang Mi and Zhu Yawen were the first to wrap up.

"'Painted Skin 2' crew: Yang Mi, who plays the Bird Spirit, and Zhu Yawen, who plays the Demon Catcher, have wrapped up and left the crew."

"Yang Mi has returned to Shanhai Media and will enter the cast of *Palace* in over an hour to play the female lead, Luo Qingchuan."

"Ceng Jia, I've never felt so fulfilled. First 'Brotherhood of Blades' and then 'Painted Skin 2', two films in a row..."

Yang Mi said to Ceng Jia with a look of deep emotion.

"Hmm, the company's 'Lost on Journey' has also exploded recently. The decision to come to Shanhe Media back then was very wise."

Ceng Jia nodded and remembered something else, "In a few days, 'Lucy' will hold its premiere. This is a real female-led film!"

As soon as these words were out, Yang Mi, who had been in a good mood, was instantly struck down.

Simultaneous release in North America and domestically—she could only envy such treatment.

Lin Nan had already asked Yue Jun to draft the list—the guest list for the "Lucy" premiere.

He wanted to make this premiere grand, ensuring the promotional effect was maximized.

As June entered its final ten days, there were no films with particularly eye-catching box office numbers in the market.

"Lost on Journey" grew by three or four million every day, unwavering; it was quite stable.

After the box office crossed 50 million, Xu Zheng began to show his face and accept interviews.

"I am very grateful to Lin Dao Nan for giving me this opportunity, allowing me to take the first step on the path of a director.

In the future, I will balance both identities as an actor and a director, and continue on this path..."

To put it bluntly, although "Lost on Journey" was a success, the industry wouldn't think it was Xu Zheng's credit; the first person everyone thought of was Lin Nan.

In the eyes of most people, over sixty or seventy percent of the credit for this film's current success belonged to Lin Nan.

Xu Zheng had been in the entertainment industry for many years; he understood this principle—one film could not make him completely accepted by the industry.

Perhaps in many people's eyes, he was just lucky to have been chosen by Lin Nan...

At the company, Lin Nan saw Xu Zheng and was a bit surprised.

"What brings you here today?"

"I've had some thoughts these past few days and wanted to talk to Lin Dao," Xu Zheng said with a smile.

Lin Nan looked at Xu Zheng with interest; he was curious to hear what he had to say.

"Go ahead then."

Xu Zheng sat on the sofa and instantly perked up.

"Lin Dao, from the moment I got the script for 'Lost on Journey' to finishing filming, and now to its release.

I feel it could completely be made into a series, continuing this unique style..."

Xu Zheng talked eloquently there.

But Lin Nan's reaction inside was: Holy crap!

He knew Xu Zheng was talented, and now it seemed he really was. Unfortunately, his ambition was also very big; this kind of person wouldn't be recruited by others.

"Hmm, not bad, you guessed right," Lin Nan said, nodding.

He saw Xu Zheng instantly go quiet, suddenly looking up at Lin Nan, his eyes shining.

"Lin Dao, what do you mean? Are you saying there are plans for a series or a sequel?"

Xu Zheng asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, it was there from the start," Lin Nan answered deadpan.

"Lin Dao, look, do you think I could continue..."

Lin Nan looked at the other party's impatient appearance and shook his head.

"I think you should digest the experience of 'Lost on Journey' first. Even I take a break after finishing a film..."

Lin Nan brushed Xu Zheng off, promising that in a year or so, he would start a sequel.

The latter hoped Lin Nan would continue to give him this opportunity; Lin Nan didn't explicitly refuse, nor did he immediately agree, only saying it was highly likely to be him.

Xu Zheng was already very satisfied with this reply. In his view, as long as he didn't cause any trouble, the original cast was definitely the optimal choice.

Lin Nan sat alone in his office, feeling a bit emotional.

He genuinely admired Xu Zheng; it seemed that when filming "Lost on Journey," the other party had put in his heart and effort, otherwise he wouldn't have considered a sequel.

As it stands, this worker Xu Zheng could still be used!

But to be honest, with his incredibly clear career planning, ambition, and aspirations, the partnership wouldn't last long. ===== CHAPTER 135 =====