Chapter 619: Don

Yue Jun put down his pen and looked at his assistant with interest.

"Third floor—the meeting hasn't ended yet?"

"No, Jiang Director and Yu Bo are still talking."

Hearing this, Yue Jun couldn't help but smile.

In the entertainment industry, human warmth and coldness, favoring the powerful and trampling the weak—only those who've lived through it truly understand the harshness and pragmatism.

Clearly, this former number-one star of Zhou Yi had endured hardship, tasted humiliation and bitterness; now that his old superior was lifting him up, naturally there was no end to old memories to share.

"Let's go join the fun too."

Saying this, Yue Jun rose and walked toward the exit.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the small meeting room on the third floor had grown awkward and gloomy again.

"... Everyone's on their own path now, their careers wildly different; deliberately reaching out to Zhang Jin and the others might make people think... I have ulterior motives."

Yu Bo spoke his true feelings—he had struggled these years, yet never managed to take that step.

Besides, even if he swallowed his pride, they're all artists, not capital; what could they actually do for him? There's even a chance they'd only grow annoyed.

Jiang Jiang Xuerou remained silent; after a long while, she sighed. Recalling old times, the more they recalled, the sadder it became.

"Alright, morning time's nearly up—I'll see you out."

"When Hongxingwu officially announces casting, remember to show up on time; call me before your audition..."

"Yes, I understand, thank you, Jiang Director."

Just as Jiang Jiang Xuerou and Yu Bo stepped out of the meeting room, they faced Yue Jun, descending calmly as if nothing had happened.

"Has Director Jiang finished?"

"Director Yue, this is Yu Bo."

Jiang Jiang Xuerou nodded and introduced him immediately; she knew Yue Jun hadn't come out of idle curiosity.

"Director Yue, I'm Yu Bo."

Yu Bo spoke with great deference—after all, the man before him was Yue Jun, a household name in the industry, Lin Nan Pictures' chief steward and lead producer, his status even higher than Jiang Jiang Xuerou's.

"Hmm. The script for 'Three Lives, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms' will be approved in the next couple of days. Looks like Director Jiang has already picked the first role?"

"I have no authority to assign roles—it needs Hongxingwu's approval."

"But Yu Bo is indeed suitable; I've already recommended him to Hongxingwu; there shouldn't be any major issues—I'm just giving him a heads-up today."

As she spoke, Jiang Jiang Xuerou gestured for Yu Bo to leave first; he bowed to both of them, then headed toward the elevator.

"Director Jiang is clearly promoting talent without avoiding relatives," Yue Jun said with implication.

Jiang Jiang Xuerou slightly furrowed her brow, but immediately relaxed it—she understood the meaning behind those words perfectly.

"It's just a supporting role, not core resources; this is the only time in years. Director Yue is overthinking."

Yue Jun smiled, saying nothing further; he merely wanted to remind Jiang Jiang Xuerou:

Don't try to use company resources to forcefully promote your former "lover," especially one a third-tier artist barely visible in the industry... using public resources for private gain.

It was his duty as Lin Nan Pictures' chief steward, but now it seemed Jiang Jiang Xuerou had her own boundaries—no need for his reminder!

At noon, Lin Nan brought Liu Liu Yifei out for a free meal, planning to crash Director Ning's dinner;

after all, they couldn't post on Weibo for free—between their millions of fans and massive influence, wasn't this publicity worth a good meal?

But who knew, when they arrived, Director Ning and Screenwriter Xing were in the middle of a cold war.

It seemed the real reason Ning Hao had "voluntarily" helped with the post-production editing of 'Meigonghe Operation' had been discovered?!

The trigger? That offhand remark Lin Nan had accidentally slipped in the morning call: "Aren't you just trying to avoid..."

They'd planned to sneak in unannounced and surprise Director Ning and his wife—but instead, Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei were the ones startled!

Standing at the villa's entrance, they exchanged helpless glances, unable to enter or retreat, feeling miserable.

"You asked her to help you? Begged her? I'm now seriously doubting—when you took on the role of chief cinematographer for the film, was that also to avoid me? Come on, answer me..."

Hearing the sharp, piercing questions from inside, Lin Nan whispered to Liu Liu Yifei: "Let's go—back off, try to make as little noise as possible with the car..."

"Yeah, yeah, hurry, hurry."

Liu Liu Yifei nodded frantically, gripping Lin Nan's left hand tighter;

but she wasn't nervous—she was excited, thrilled by the drama; yes, just like Lin Nan's own mood!

"You two, come in—why run?"

Barely turning back a few meters, a "lion's roar" came from behind.

Lin Nan and Liu Liu Yifei instantly turned with smiles. "Sister Xing, how about we grab lunch together?"

Inside the villa, Director Ning's face was dark—especially when he looked at Lin Nan; even darker. Add his heavy, rugged features, and he really did resemble a mob boss!

"Why aren't you ordering? Who are you glaring at?" Ning Hao was snapped at.

As they brushed past, Lin Nan directly followed Ning Hao out, while Liu Liu Yifei had already begun chatting and laughing with Xing Ainai—quite clever.

"Aren't Liu Liu Yifei and I here to save you? Give us a better face?"

"Get lost!"

"Huh? Don't I remember you've got some hidden cash?"

"You damn bastard... what do you want to eat? Say it!"

Outside, entertainment news about every film set to premiere in the next two months dominated trending topics in rotation.

Meanwhile, Guangxian was pulling another stunt.

The promotional launch for 'The Villain Angel' was utterly unconventional—it turned a public square with thousands into a square dance festival:

Deng Chao and Sun Li took the stage themselves, dancing before thousands and over a hundred media outlets, shifting from square dance to yangge, from jazz to breakdance...

It ended with Deng Chao's solo dances—pole dance, belly dance, and others.

The promotional effect exploded instantly, completely igniting online entertainment news and becoming the focal point of netizens' discussions, locking the trending topic!

Light.

"Our opponent isn't 'The Search for the Dragon's Treasure,' nor 'Detective Chinatown.' How much box office we get depends entirely on the first week after release;

and our only competitor is 'Old Beast,' which is releasing on the same day; they're playing the same game as we are;

because that week is the Kong Chuang Qi of the New Year season. The New Year season's momentum has already been fully ignited by 'The Search for the Dragon's Treasure!'"

Back at the company, Wang Wang Changtian continued strategizing with Deng Chao and Sun Li—after all, the New Year season was a major battle.

"Mr. Wang, don't worry—I'll just have our lady perform a few more shows, haha…"

Sun Li smiled silently and nodded; after all, they'd invested so much money.

……

In the evening in the capital, it was morning in Hollywood.

The crew of Warner and Legendary's 'Kong: Skull Island' was filming the final scenes.

And in the distance, Tang Mu, Lu Zheng, Zhang Zhang Yimou, and others were present.

It was said that Lu Zheng didn't care about 'From the Sky,' currently screening domestically; of course, it might also be because the film was such a flop.

As for why Zhang Zhang Yimou was there, it was because he was overseeing the post-production and visual effects of 'The Great Wall' for Warner.

Although he had no editing rights, as director he still had the right to offer opinions.

Moreover, he didn't want to be a complete absentee; after all, it was his own film—he had to maintain professional integrity.

In his spare time, he would come over to observe Hollywood's sci-fi blockbuster production processes and workflows.

"Director Zhang, has 'The Great Wall' given any timeline for completion?"

Lu Zheng asked Zhang Zhang Yimou, glancing at Miss Jing Tian in the distance.

"Legendary and Universal's teams are very efficient; barring unexpected delays, it should be finished by March or April after the Spring Festival."

"That's good. After half a year of promotion, releasing it in next year's New Year season is perfect." Lu Zheng nodded, his mood quite good.

He had specifically invited Tang Mu from Crystal Film to witness the wrap of 'Kong: Skull Island,' hoping to strengthen ties, since his and Miss Jing Tian's return flight to China had already been booked for the afternoon.

He had assumed Tang Mu wouldn't come, but unexpectedly, he actually showed up!

"Tang Mu, thank you for coming."

"No need to thank me. When you return, please say hello to Lin and Crystal for me. We'll meet again next month at the Oscars…"

Hearing the word "Oscars," Zhang Zhang Yimou was moved.

Over the past nearly thirty years, he had submitted eight entries for the Oscars: three nominations for Best Foreign Language Film, one for Best Cinematography, one for Best Costume Design;

but without exception, all had failed. He didn't know if he'd ever get a ninth chance, or if there would ever be a day he won an award.

"Lin Nan."

At that moment, Zhang Zhang Yimou thought of Lin Nan.

……

Early in the morning, movie news from across the ocean topped domestic film and entertainment headlines.

This forced countless female actresses in the film industry to relive those Hollywood big cakes that had once been within reach but forever out of their grasp.

"Warner and Legendary's fantasy epic 'Kong: Skull Island,' with a budget of $185 million, officially wrapped last night Beijing time;

mainland's popular actress Miss Jing Tian updated her Weibo, posting a wrap photo… Miss Jing Tian and her accompanying assistant team had departed for China by early this morning…"

Lin Nan drove into Beijing Film Academy, listening to the news report on the radio.

The number of elective course slots had reached half; he estimated the schedule would end by month's end. From early November to the end of December, exactly two months.

He saw Chen Hong's younger son surrounded by a group of students, resembling a Crown Prince and his retinue.

No wonder he was a future of the film industry—he'd learned since school to cultivate relationships with sons of powerful directors.

Ten years ago, schools wouldn't have been this blatant; they'd have been more subtle.

Compared to the anxious art exam candidates rushing in and out, the gap was immediately obvious—truly worlds apart.

Others panicked over Beijing Film Academy reducing enrollment, but for the son of Director Chen, this wasn't even an issue.

After all, he wasn't even an art exam candidate—and yet he still attended the Acting Department's undergraduate classes at Beijing Film Academy.

"Looking at that face, I can't help but complain: Director Chen's genes are incredibly strong—what a waste of Producer Chen's looks!"

…………