Chapter 565: Rich Woman, Can You Keep Me Now?

Lin Nan did not expect that with the strong release and explosive word-of-mouth of *Interstellar* in the domestic film market, Director Chen could also benefit?

Because many posts from filmmakers and industry insiders appeared online:

"It's time to calm down and re-watch *The Promise*. Director Chen Kaige's magical masterpiece back then only lost to 'time'; it's no worse than *Interstellar*!"

"If you savor it carefully, you will find that *The Promise* and today's *Interstellar* have many essential similarities. Under the cloak of magic and sci-fi, it tells the most 'true' things about human nature; time, life, class, etc., will all pass away, and the fate of the 'human' group is to learn to face death and destruction."

"I remember after a barrage of negative reviews, Director Chen Kaige said helplessly: *The Promise* was made for future audiences. But at that time, no media or audience cared about this sentence; everyone was just busy watching the joke of a master-level film director who once made *Farewell My Concubine*..."

……

To be honest, when Lin Nan saw this film information, he was completely dumbfounded; he couldn't help but sigh at the subtlety of linguistic art.

Even Chen Hong stood up to like and speak out for these posts, giving support. It seems these words really spoke to Director Chen's heart!

"Master-level film director? Hmm, just a little bit short; as long as he makes another film of the same level or even slightly worse, then he will really become a master-level director, unfortunately...

I even suspect if Director Chen bought internet water armies? Hehe..." Lin Nan laughed to himself, but the possibility of this is not high.

Because Chen Kaige's biggest shortcoming, "thinking too highly of himself," is also his advantage; that "pride" makes him disdain to hire water armies!

"Thinking about it this way, it's just this group of people rushing to suck up?"

The more Lin Nan thought about it, the more he felt it was like this. This circle is still so interesting.

He didn't look at the netizens' mockery in detail because Jiang Xuerou brought people in.

This cooperation between Lin Nan Film Industry and Daylight Entertainment can be called lightning fast; the two sides just reached an agreement the day before yesterday, and the contract was made today.

"Lin Dao, that side has confirmed; there is no objection to the content of the agreement. The script has been submitted for review, and we plan to start casting at the end of this month or early next month."

Flipping through the newly signed contract, Lin Nan nodded.

"Then prepare the funds. I've worked you hard to keep an eye on this project; I originally wanted you to produce Guo Fan's new film."

"It's all the same; television dramas are a bit easier." Jiang Xuerou replied with a smile.

After Lin Nan handed the signed list to the finance department, Jiang Xuerou and the other person left the office together.

At a little past ten, Lin Nan finally perfected the script for *Detective Chinatown*. Throwing it into the safe, he got up and prepared to leave the company.

He promised the school to shoot promotional videos and posters; it's better to be early than late, just solve it in the morning to save time from being busy later.

By the way, reminisce about the food in the cafeteria, because Liu Yifei is definitely eating outside with Shu Chang at noon and won't go back.

…………

Outside the Capital Airport, a motorcade is quite conspicuous. It attracted the attention of a large number of reporters, and many passersby also stopped or slowed down.

When a group of foreigners and domestic bodyguards came out first to "guard," the entertainment reporters knew that there must be material again.

Sure enough, they saw familiar faces getting off the bus one by one.

"Zhang Yimou, Ma Te Damon, Jing Tian, Liu Dehua, Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal, Zhang Hanyu, Lu Han, Wang Junkai..."

"This is the *The Great Wall* crew? And the top brass from Legendary and Warner... China Film people came to see them off."

"Looking at this, they are about to set off for Hollywood! It happens to be the awards season over there; maybe they will show their faces then?"

"Don't say, Director Zhang Yimou's male and female leads this time, Lin Dao Nan has used them all! And Liu Dehua, Zhang Hanyu."

……

The dedicated security team made it impossible for the media to get close.

But the group did not have cold faces or indifference, but smiled and waved to the reporters, just not answering questions.

Ma Te Damon is the biggest name among the actors, a Hollywood A-lister and Venice Film Festival Best Actor.

Everyone knows that during this crew training, Ma Te Damon is very likely to go out frequently because of Lin Nan's *Manchester by the Sea*.

Although the nomination lists for the three film awards have not been announced, it is destined to enter the main competition unit at the Berlin International Film Festival. Nominations for the Oscars and Golden Globes should not be a big problem!

"Ma Te, are you messaging Lin Dao?" Liu Dehua inadvertently saw Ma Te Damon's phone interface.

"Hmm, telling him and Crystal that I'm back in Hollywood. But we'll see each other again next month, and we can gather again then."

In the VIP lounge, Ma Te Damon's words attracted the attention of many people on the side, especially those artists who squeezed in to get gilded.

"He has to go over next month at the latest; the Golden Globe nomination list is coming out, Berlin too, and the Oscars need PR..."

Zhang Yimou suddenly interjected; he had already learned the accurate news a few days ago that before him, *The Great Wall* first contacted Lin Nan!

This made him sigh at Lin Nan's boldness; being young is good, you can not care about money. And he, is picking up things he didn't care about in the past ten or twenty years!

Jing Tian on the side, a pair of big black eyes shining with water, "Ma Te, I wish your film can win a big award."

Ma Te Damon was stunned and laughed out loud, "Thank you, Jing... Tian."

He used broken Chinese to call Jing Tian's name.

…………

In the past, he was always the one directing others on the set, rarely being directed by others.

Two big directors met unexpectedly at the Beijing Film Academy, and both came for the same thing, which is very interesting.

"What is this called? This is called being poor in a busy city with no one asking, and being rich in the deep mountains with distant relatives! Why didn't you call me before, but you thought of me this year?"

Ning Hao sat there with his hands in his sleeves, rolling his eyes and complaining to Lin Nan, with a look of disdain that the school's handling of things was too unauthentic.

Lin Nan nodded in cooperation from time to time, but his eyes were looking at the entertainment information on his phone.

On the second day of *Interstellar*'s release, its influence was already very large. And Liu Yifei and Shu Chang going out shopping, that is simply a living target.

At this moment, Weibo is full of their whereabouts, and these two people don't avoid it, eating and drinking as they should, from dessert shops to cafes, from pet shops to cinemas... anyway, the photos taken are all beautiful!

"I say Ning Hao, do you have such a big grudge?" Old Jiang fiddled with the camera and teased.

"Of course I do. Hey hey, your angle is not good, the lighting is closer... I am a director from the photography department; listening to me is not wrong..."

A promotional video really was filmed until past 12 o'clock. During this period, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Wang Jinsong, and others also ran over to see it once.

When Lin Nan and Ning Hao finished their work, they heard Old Jiang mention that many well-known alumni were invited back this time, and the fifth generation like Chen Kaige and Gu Changwei were all there.

"Is the school really aiming for 'half the country'? Haha..."

In the afternoon, the entertainment headlines on the internet kept changing, attracting the attention of many people in the circle.

"The China-US co-produced blockbuster *The Great Wall* crew set off for Hollywood today... The creative team appeared at the airport, with many security personnel!"

"Director Chen Kaige's film *Monk Comes Down the Mountain* has completed post-production and has been officially submitted for review. Producer Chen Hong stated that the film intends to land in the summer slot."

"Tang Ren held a high-profile press conference to hold a make-up signing ceremony for actors Jin Chen, Han Dongjun, Hu Bingqing, Chen Yao, and others..."

"Following *Nirvana in Fire*, Daylight Entertainment and Lin Nan Film Industry jointly produced a second television drama project. The specific situation is unknown and needs further understanding."

……

Although Daylight Entertainment said that casting would start at the end of the month or early next month, some predetermined candidates were contacted in advance.

Tang Ren.

Cai Yinong looked at the invitation handed over by the secretary, and a look of joy appeared on her face subconsciously.

Even if she didn't want to admit it, she had to face a fact, which is that Tang Ren "can't afford to raise" Hu Ge anymore.

"Old Hu said before that Producer Hou had a very good impression of him and promised that there would be opportunities to cooperate again, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. And it is still a drama jointly produced with Lin Nan Film Industry. Just follow his meaning, reply to that side, no problem."

"Okay, President Cai."

Cai Yinong is not worried about Hu Ge's matter.

Tang Ren's current focus is the television drama with Sohu. This drama will be used to promote the three new artists signed by their own company, and this is also a meeting gift for poaching Jin Chen.

"It will start filming next month; let them prepare more and strive to make a name for themselves at once. The theme of this drama is very good!"

Cai Yinong is still very confident in her own vision.

…………

First-day box office reported 110 million;

The second and third-day single-day box office continuously captured 120 million;

The fourth-day daily box office dropped to 100 million;

Until the fifth day, the daily revenue finally fell to eight digits, reporting about 92 million!

At this time, *Interstellar* had already been released for 5 days, with a total first-weekend box office of 542 million!

This number made the mainland film circle a bit restless.

Especially the films like *Women Who Flirt* and *The Crossing (Part 1)*, which are within the firepower coverage of *Interstellar*, are under huge pressure!

Liu Yifei has really been living happily these past few days, happily "ordering" Lin Nan every day, day and night!

"Are you going to this premiere?"

Liu asked Lin Nan with the invitation for *Women Who Flirt*.

It stands to reason that Zhou Xun and Huang Xiaoming's film should be given face, but this film is produced by Huayi.

Lin Nan thought for a while and refused. If he really went to support the scene, he would probably see all kinds of messy artists and scenes, which is annoying.

"Forget it, let's go to the cinema to see it then and contribute two movie tickets to them."

"Alright then, Xun also said that acting in this film, she broke through her screen image. What little woman, what coquettish pleasing, pretending to be pure..." Liu Yifei said with a giggle.

Lin Nan also laughed; this is like a "female brother" telling you that she can actually be very "girly."

Suddenly, Lin Nan remembered another serious matter: "Xixi, are you going to Hollywood with me next month?"

Hearing this question, Liu Yifei tilted her head and thought for a while, then smiled sweetly at Lin Nan:

"How about I don't go? Anyway, you won't stay there for a few days, I'll wait for you to come back? Later in January or February, I'll go with you again.

You don't know, recently the frequency of those brand parties coming to ask about my itinerary is getting higher and higher, all aimed at you, Lin Dao, wanting me to follow you through the Golden Globes, Berlin, and Oscars without missing one. Hehe..."

…………

A new day, the entire film and television industry was shocked by the big news of Xiaoma.

Using "self-inflicted, cannot live" to describe the current senior management of Xiaoma Pentium is simply just right.

The sister-in-law and younger sister-in-law who successfully "usurped the throne" at the beginning of the month, only served as chairman and general manager for two weeks, and the huge company is about to face the situation of insolvency and bankruptcy liquidation.

Because CCB Culture officially filed a lawsuit and arbitration with the court, requiring Xiaoma Pentium to immediately fulfill the gambling agreement and repurchase shares at a premium.

And the scale of funds required to repurchase these shares is as high as 635 million, cash!

The industry knows very well that even if the entire Xiaoma Pentium Group is sold now, it is far from enough money, not even one-third!

Peers in the film and television circle know very well that Xiaoma Pentium is finished. Big Dog Brother's twenty years of hard work has come to an end.

At this moment, everyone looks at Xiaoma Pentium again.

It is no longer the industry giant, competitor, and partner of the past, but a piece of fat on the chopping board, the kind that can be cut!

Lin Nan sat in the office, having a video conference with Wang Changtian, Ye Ning, and Wang Wei.

Everyone in the circle is sharpening their knives, so they can't fall behind, right?

The fall of a former film and television giant can feed a group of people; reality is just so cruel.

"Tudou can go and contact Xiaoma; we only want their television drama copyrights and film copyrights; don't want bad films and bad dramas, or buy them cheaply." Lin Nan ordered.

"Shouldn't we contact the films they have produced but not released, or the film shares they participated in investing?" Wang Changtian asked suspiciously.

"Yes, *The Crossing (Part 1)* in December, and *The Crossing (Part 2)* which hasn't been scheduled yet, the youth film *Fleet of Time*... In addition, Xiaoma also owns priority investment rights for many domestic and overseas film and television projects, which were all left by Big Dog Brother and Zhong Lifang."

Ye Ning listed them one by one, looking quite tempted.

Wang Wei didn't speak; these film and television circle matters should be decided by the three major shareholders; he is only responsible for negotiating the buyout with Xiaoma.

"No, eating alone is not good. We won't touch those unreleased films or priority investment rights for any film and television projects.

Of course, if Wanda and Lightening are interested, you can contact them privately. But my suggestion is to be cautious; the risk is too great."

Lin Nan said what he thought. This group of people in the circle is probably all eyeing *The Crossing*!

"Then listen to you."

"Alright."

Wang Changtian and Ye Ning nodded one after another.

"Then I'll have someone contact Xiaoma?" Wang Wei asked.

"Hmm, as soon as possible."

Lin Nan had people inquire about the number and information of film and television copyrights owned by Xiaoma before; it's really tempting, with many fine works!

After ending the video conference, Lin Nan stretched.

What he asked Tudou to buy should be considered the least valuable things on the surface of Xiaoma, but they are also the most valuable things.

……

The Golden Horse Awards have officially opened, and many mainland filmmakers have flown over.

Although it is a small year for the film festival, it is still hyped up, just because of the internationally renowned Gong Li!

This "Gong Emperor" who won the Venice Film Festival Best Actress at the age of 27, the film works she participated in have won the Golden Bear, Golden Lion, and Palme d'Or, and other Best Actress awards are countless.

It is not excessive for her to enjoy this treatment; it can only be said that it is what everyone expects.

News from Golden Horse is transmitted back to the mainland from time to time, but the mainland is more concerned about the film market because the New Year's Eve slot is about to kick off.

*Interstellar* received about 88 million box office on the sixth day and captured over 82 million on the seventh day, thus completing a full week of release!

Media outlets scrambled to report the box office results of *Interstellar* in the first week; this number made the film circle silent.

"Produced by Warner, directed by Nolan, starring Matthew McConaughey, Liu Yifei, Jessica Chastain, and others, the sci-fi blockbuster *Interstellar* with an investment of 150 million USD, total box office reported 712 million in the first week of domestic release!"

"According to industry analysis, *Interstellar* will very likely break the 1 billion box office record in the mainland film market."

"As of now, *Interstellar* has accumulated 450 million USD in box office in the global film market! It will continue to sing and advance..."

"Liu Yifei served as the female lead of an S-level production for the first time, and the box office results are gratifying!"

……

Endorsements, in the same category, must only be signed for one.

Negotiating renewals in advance, new brand parties poaching, choosing new luxury goods...

Red Star Dock has indeed been busy these past two days because there are too many brand invitations delivered.

But Liu Yifei's route is to be refined rather than numerous, strictly limiting the number of endorsements on her body.

So the team can only be exhausted doing research, comparing one by one, to see if it is suitable, if it matches, and the degree of luxury... choosing the best among the best.

When Lin Nan returned, Liu Yifei was on the phone, it was Red Star Dock, it seemed to be a contract of tens of millions of dollars for two years!

"Rich woman, can you keep me now?"

"Lower your voice, I'm on the phone. Here, there is rice bought by mom in the kitchen, cook it yourself if you're hungry."

Liu Yifei raised her eyebrows at Lin Nan with a proud little expression.

Lin Nan faintly heard laughter coming from Liu's phone, obviously the female assistant couldn't help it.

"Oh, you are mocking your boss's fiancé, be careful of being deducted your year-end bonus tomorrow because your left or right foot entered the Red Star Dock gate first, haha..."

Hearing Lin Nan's words, Liu Yifei also burst into laughter, "embarrassed and angry," grabbed the small bear pillow on the sofa and threw it over.

"How can you joke like that, haha..."

Lin Nan smiled and put the pillow back, didn't disturb Liu Yifei's phone call anymore, but sat beside her.

Five minutes later, Liu hung up the phone and turned to look at Lin Nan.

"Alright, finally done. But I'll be busy in the first half of next year; there are many commercials to shoot."

After saying this, Liu Yifei leaned on Lin Nan, pretending to be "fierce":

"You still want to eat soft rice? Hmph, don't even think about it! You ask our dad if he agrees first."

Alright, Lin Nan had nothing to say. Liu Yifei's "our dad" refers to the one who forgot his son after having a daughter-in-law.

"Alright then. This bite of soft rice, I don't want it anymore."

Tightening the person in his arms, Lin Nan laughed.

"I'm joking with you, can't you hear it?"

Looking up, Liu Yifei puffed out her cheeks, her delicate face giving people a feeling that it could be broken by a blow.

"Of course I can hear it. But no matter how delicious soft rice is, isn't it not as delicious as you? You say right?"

"Not serious again, hehe..."

…………

The next day.

Inexplicably, the internet was full of news about Hong Kong stars coming to Beijing, and they were all big names who had been famous for a long time.

The mainland entertainment circle was still a bit confused, what's going on?

Until the Weibo trending search came out, the mainland film and television circle and entertainment circle realized it later.

No wonder the whole Xiang family came!

A generation of film and television tycoons in Hong Kong is gone just like that.

Still the same sentence, when it comes to dealing with people, Xiang Huasheng is much better than his own brother, which is a pity.

"One of the symbols of the Hong Kong circle, Win's Film has long become a thing of the past. I didn't expect that even the most important one among the founders is gone now."

Wang Changtian sighed quite a bit; after all, many well-known films in the past were produced by Win's and produced by Xiang Huasheng.

"I say Chairman Wang, how come you have time to come to my company today?"

Lin Nan leaned on the chair and looked at Wang Changtian opposite him and asked.

The other party hesitated for a while, but still spoke, "If I say I just came back from Xiaoma and passed by you, what do you think?"

At this moment, Lin Nan had a guess in his mind:

"You wouldn't be trying to hit the idea of that film, right? Chairman Wang, don't court death!

My suggestion to Chairman Han at the time was not to invest, but he didn't listen, and you are rushing to... didn't succeed, right?"

Lin Nan was still a bit worried; if this was really taken over by Wang Changtian, he would cry to death later.

"To tell you the truth, I did have this idea. But those two sisters are stubborn, their brains are problematic.

Chairman Han said he hoped that the two parts of *The Crossing* combined could break 2 billion, and they really bet on it!

They are counting on the box office and global copyright after the film's release to turn the tables. Oh right, there is also *Fleet of Time*."

"So, Tudou's copyright purchase will also take some effort?" Lin Nan realized.

He was eyeing *My Brother is Shunliu*, *I am a Special Forces Soldier*... these television dramas and films, he was really greedy; after all, it's Xiaoma's ten years of hard work!

"Should be about the same. Huayi and the others also got the cold shoulder." Wang Changtian nodded.

"It's okay, there are not many days left, just wait." Lin Nan said meaningfully.

"What's not many days left?"

"*The Crossing (Part 1)* is less than two weeks away from release.

I never believe that Hong Kong directors can make epics; they can't even make historical films well, and they still make epics?"

Lin Nan spoke bluntly, his tone quite contemptuous.

…………

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 566 =====