Chapter 461: Listing Imminent, Face-to-Face Meeting

The May Day holiday wasn't a major slot, but the three-day mini-break was already destined to be a situation filled with smoke and fire.

The first to see that things were going poorly and retreat was *The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom*, which had just set its release date less than two weeks prior for the end of April.

Yu Dong decisively chose to change the date, moving to the major summer holiday slot, and heading straight for the Qixi Festival.

In the words he used to show off during a media interview:

"In order to avoid internal friction among domestic films and not cause too much pressure or unnecessary box office losses for other domestic films.

This Wu Xia blockbuster *The White Haired Witch*, with love at its core, has decided to voluntarily step back and choose the Qixi summer slot that is more suitable for it.

Xiaoming and Bingbing are the leads, and we have absolute confidence in creating a new box office record for domestic Wu Xia films, just like *The Taking of Tiger Mountain*."

In the eyes of many industry insiders, these words from Yu Dong could be described as shameless to the extreme.

He both elevated his own film, subtly belittled other films, and hitched a ride on the popularity of *The Taking of Tiger Mountain*—cunning enough!

Lin Nan didn't have any opinion on the matter of hitching a ride on popularity.

After all, Huang Xiaoming and Fan Bingbing were originally among the leads of *The Taking of Tiger Mountain*.

He was busy with *The Journey of Flower* at the moment.

On his desk lay a stack of documents, including the list of intentions after the auditions and the corresponding actor resumes.

Not to mention Zhao Liying, the pre-determined female lead.

The competition for the male lead and several male and female supporting roles was very intense, with many companies vying for them.

Behind each of these roles, there were more or less several candidate actors, most of whom Lin Nan didn't recognize.

"Hmm? Jiang Xin, did Xixi decide on her?"

Seeing the special mark on the list, Lin Nan laughed subconsciously and asked.

"That's right, Yifei came to find me specifically that day." Opposite him, Jiang Xuerou smiled and nodded.

"Then let it be as she wishes."

Lin Nan looked at the list and continued to ask: "For the male lead, is there no one more suitable than Wallace Huo?"

Although the male lead in *The Journey of Flower* was just a tool character.

But the fact that the first one on the candidate list, marked as a priority, was actually an actor from Taiwan still made Lin Nan feel a bit awkward.

It wasn't that Lin Nan had any opinion about him; he wasn't interested in the gossip about the actor's private life, nor had he thought about making a mountain out of a molehill.

"We considered it. But his character portrayal in *Chinese Paladin 3* is really very suitable when moved here, bringing his own high popularity, which is perfect for supporting our people and raising their status. Even his shortcoming of not having great acting skills can turn into an advantage."

Hearing this, Lin Nan couldn't help but laugh, joking:

"A slightly stiff expression turns into being untainted by worldly concerns, and the habit of frowning turns into a melancholic temperament?"

"Haha, yes. In the realm of xianxia dramas, in terms of popularity among male actors, Hu Ge is first, and he is second. This is a female-led drama, so we have to raise the status like this.

Even if Lin Dao brought Hu Ge here, his screen image in xianxia dramas is completely inconsistent with the persona of the 'Changliu Immortal,' and they wouldn't fit."

Lin Nan really couldn't find a reason to refute these twists and turns from Jiang Xuerou.

After all, he needed a young actor to raise Zhao Liying's status, so he might as well go with this Taiwanese actor. After all, it's xianxia, so it's a perfect professional match!

"Alright then, I won't ask about the rest; I'll leave it to Director Jiang."

"No problem, Lin Dao."

*Nirvana in Fire* had been filming since the Spring Festival, two months now.

According to Hou Hongliang's feedback, they were currently only halfway through filming, and it was expected to take another two months to wrap up.

As for *Red Sorghum*, which finished filming at the end of October last year, the post-production was also nearing completion, just waiting to be sent to the State Administration for review.

Liu Yifei had another announcement, going to shoot some fashion magazine, so Lin Nan had to go to Jackie Chan's 60th birthday banquet alone.

It could only be said that Big Brother was indeed one of the few international superstars among Chinese people; the scale of his 60th birthday banquet was comparable to a film festival.

Actors and stars from both sides of the strait, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and even Hollywood had come, and most were big names.

It wasn't good when there were too many people; all kinds of social interactions, active or passive, made Lin Nan feel very annoyed.

So, as soon as the banquet ended, he found an excuse and slipped away.

The news on Weibo once again drew the attention of the film and television entertainment industry, the internet industry, and the financial world.

"Cao Guowei leads Sina's senior management to New York in advance to pave the way for Weibo's landing on NASDAQ..."

"Weibo will officially ring the bell and go public within this month!"

Lin Nan was also waiting for that listing day.

He estimated that the meddlesome media would help him calculate how much his 12% stake was worth and then report it.

"From now on, I'm afraid I won't be able to avoid all kinds of messy wealth lists..."

Ning Hao called, asking Lin Nan to come over to watch the final cut; the post-production of *Breakup Buddies* was finished.

When he arrived at Bad Monkey, there were quite a few people there.

Xu Zheng and Huang Bo were both there, but they really didn't look as enthusiastic as they once were.

"Lin Dao, you're about to be a major shareholder of a listed company; you have to treat us!"

As soon as he entered the door, Huang Bo came up to joke, and the few people on the side echoed, saying he must treat them.

"Alright, once they ring the bell over there, I'll set up a table and treat you few specifically."

"Hurry up, we're just waiting for you."

Ning Hao shouted, taking the lead into the small conference room, which had projection equipment.

The two-hour film was not just a comedy; it also had quite a bit of depth.

It was just that "Avatar" part; the taste was quite heavy!

After the film finished, Ning Hao asked Lin Nan impatiently, "How is it? Give me an estimate."

Huang Bo and Xu Zheng also looked at Lin Nan expectantly.

"I can't estimate it. But I can congratulate you in advance; it will definitely get you out of the 200 million box office director club and jump up several levels."

Hearing this, a smile immediately appeared on Ning Hao's face.

"Then what we compete on later is promotion and the release slot.

And I'm the director, Huang Bo and Xu Zheng are the leads, and you're the producer—the promotion is unbeatable! Haha..."

"Then let's set the date, aiming for a major slot. How about the New Year slot?"

Lin Nan suggested. Comedy paired with the New Year slot, plus such a luxurious production crew—just thinking about it made it very promising.

Ning Hao was a bit tempted, but also seemed a bit hesitant.

"The summer slot is also fine." Huang Bo said.

"Let's not go for the summer slot; there should be quite a few imported films. But for the New Year slot, you want me to go head-to-head with Jiang Wen? That's a bit thankless, isn't it?"

Obviously, Ning Hao was a bit timid; after all, Jiang Wen's previous film *Let the Bullets Fly* was too stunning.

And this *Gone with the Bullets* was the second part of the "Beiyang Trilogy" that Jiang Wen had publicly announced.

"Forget it, let's not go for the New Year slot either; let's go for the National Day slot."

"Listen to me, the New Year slot."

Lin Nan suggested again; he had been hypnotized by Jiang Wen's script, and the audience definitely wouldn't accept it.

But Ning Hao, this guy, was stubborn: "Forget it, let's be steady and just go for the National Day slot.

If *Breakup Buddies* goes to the National Day slot, it will be the biggest star! Let other films go to that meat grinder of a New Year slot."

Lin Nan looked at Ning Hao, who had made up his mind, and could only sigh: "Just don't regret it when the time comes."

"What's there to regret? Could I possibly flop in the National Day slot?"

Uh... Lin Nan had nothing to say. "Alright, you're the lead controller; I'll listen to you."

When leaving Bad Monkey, Lin Nan and Xu Zheng chatted for a couple of sentences downstairs.

The script for the latter's *Lost in Hong Kong* had been rejected and needed revisions.

The originally planned start date had to be postponed.

"Are the actors all set?"

"The main actors have already been decided."

"I think if it's still the original cast, the reputation and box office will definitely be guaranteed."

"Lin Dao, please believe me, the box office and reputation of *Lost in Hong Kong* will definitely not be worse than *Lost in Thailand*."

Xu Zheng didn't explicitly refuse Lin Nan, but the meaning was already very clear: it was impossible to use Huang Bo and Wang Baoqiang.

Lin Nan was silent for two seconds, "Alright then, anyway, the rights have already been given to you; I'll just sit back and wait for the profit sharing."

"Mm, I won't let Lin Dao down."

Xu Zheng's tone was very polite and official, which also meant estrangement.

People, after all, will change because of interests.

The weather during the cold spring was still quite chilly.

In the evening, Liu Yifei got out of the nanny van wearing a down jacket.

As soon as she entered the door, she slumped onto the sofa, lazy and not wanting to move.

Then, with a phone call, she summoned Lin Nan from next door, like a young lady ordering around a son-in-law.

After Lin Nan put down the script he was working on and came over, the first thing she wanted was for him to be her pillow?

"Xixi, you've got quite the airs."

Gently stroking Liu Yifei's long hair, Lin Nan joked.

"Mm-hmm, don't move around, I have something to tell you."

Liu Yifei swatted away Lin Nan's other hand and hugged it to her chest in the process.

"Go ahead."

"They want to invite you to shoot a magazine issue.

I'll say it in advance, it's because you don't have an agent that they found me. They told me just as we were finishing work."

"I'm not an actor or an artist; I don't need these. Those brands of yours are always trying to take advantage of me, occupying quite a bit of my time."

Lin Nan laughed and refused.

"Alright then, I'll reply to them tomorrow." Liu Yifei said immediately.

"However, if there's a chance in the future, we could shoot a double magazine issue—you and me."

Hearing Lin Nan's words, Miss Liu's eyes lit up instantly, "Mm, okay."

In the evening, the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony only received a few brief messages from mainland media and even on Weibo.

*The Grandmaster* sweeping 12 major awards sounded like a joke.

People online were joking that this wasn't the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony, but a commendation meeting for *The Grandmaster*.

Many industry insiders were still joking, saying that Zhang Jin, who "married into" the Hong Kong circle, was finally treated as one of their own and won Best Supporting Actor.

The Hong Kong Film Awards could be considered completely fallen.

Even Gordon Chan, the jury chairman, was mocking himself, saying the Film Awards were like children playing house in kindergarten, with no surprises and predictable at a glance.

The next day, Lin Nan got up very early, so much so that he was kicked by the groggy Liu Yifei, disturbing her sleep.

"Senior Brother Lin, when are you arriving? It starts at nine o'clock."

While brushing his teeth, Lin Nan replied: "I'm leaving right away, what's the rush? Let Old Jiang push you back a bit."

Today was the postgraduate defense for the directing department of the Beijing Film Academy. As Han Jia's "thigh," Lin Nan had been reminded several days in advance not to miss the time.

"Then hurry up. By the way, let me tell you something: the school leaders seem to have just been asking Teacher Jiang when you're arriving."

"Mm, got it."

Lin Nan wiped his face, having some guesses in his heart.

The leaders of the Film Academy probably wanted to take this opportunity to have a face-to-face talk with him.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 462 =====