Chapter 224: Valentine's Robbery

Liu Yifei was brainstorming quickly, thinking about how she could linger with him for a while longer.

"Eh? Isn't it the premiere of that *Love is Not Blind* of the Inquiry Realm today? Let's go watch the movie!"

"No, I've seen it."

"And if you go and get recognized, I'll be sprayed by your fans again, I won't go."

Liu Yifei said confidently: "It won't happen, I wore a velvet hat today, and I'll arm myself with sunglasses and scarves later!"

"Besides, that Liu Qiangdong just now didn't even recognize me from so close."

Lu Kuan looked at her speechlessly. With her skin as fair as snow and eyebrows like paintings, only that dog-day face-blind person wouldn't recognize her.

I don't know if Milk Tea has hyped it up on Maopu yet, but it's worth paying attention to, to divert traffic to the Blog Network.

Milk Tea plus Sister Furong flying with both wings, competing for the traffic world of the internet, the picture is beautiful and not to be seen.

Boss Lu's phone suddenly vibrated. He took it out and saw it was Bingbing's appointment.

*Damn! * What movie to watch, why not go do something adults should do!

"Cough, cough, Little Liu, it's already 9 o'clock. You won't be back until after 10 o'clock after watching the movie. Auntie Liu will be worried."

"It's freezing cold, let's go back, okay."

Boss Lu looked up and saw her cold eyes looking at himself, just a faint frown and a red mouth pouting.

She had seen his actions clearly.

With intention calculating without intention, Liu Yifei vaguely guessed his purpose.

"Do you still want to do an online mall? Do you still want to sell *Chinese Paladin* surroundings?"

"You said it yourself just now, if you want to stand out and resist piracy, you need me to cooperate in activities to help you divert traffic."

Liu Yifei walked straight to him and looked directly at the washing machine.

"You don't accompany me to watch a movie today, I won't be happy."

"I'm not happy, I don't want to work, what kind of bullshit e-commerce, *Zhu Xian*, I don't want to film."

The little girl wrinkled her nose willfully: "Anyway, I can't get much money, I'll just lie flat!"

Boss Lu narrowed his eyes and looked at her willful little appearance: "Aren't you afraid I'll ban you?"

"Ah? I beg you to ban me, okay? I just don't want to work, I still want to take time to read Sister Zhang Chunru's book!"

Liu Yifei looked at him with a smile, knowing that Lu Kuan was scaring her.

She knew even better that this dog thing who only cares about profit couldn't bear to smash her golden pig jar!

"Little Liu, are you a bit presumptuous with me now? Why are you so spirited?"

Liu Yifei looked as if it was a matter of course: "Because I helped you make money, right?"

"How much money have you made for me? It's just drizzle."

"Drizzle? Come, let me count how much money I made for you!"

"Lenovo 3-year endorsement 7 million, Dove chocolate endorsement 2.6 million, *The Return of the Condor Heroes* 40 episodes, 180,000 per episode is 7.2 million."

"*Zhu Xian*, Changchang's salary is 800,000 per season. My market value now should be two or three times hers? Let's count it as 2 million!"

"*Foreign Land*, I won't count it."

Boss Lu sneered: "It's just less than 20 million before tax, do you think you can threaten me?"

"Is it? I haven't counted the ringtones yet. I recorded more than ten for you! Siwei said the download volume is not low, right?"

Boss Lu's smile converged

How much money? That's nearly double, 20 million!

"Really? That's great then. I won't go to the Inquiry Realm tomorrow to record those messy songs like 'Learning to Meow' or 'Counting Stars'—they're so childish!"

The young girl walked gracefully toward the roadside with her hands behind her back, where A-Fei's car was parked.

"Hmph, go back then! You don't want to watch a movie with me anyway."

"Wait!"

Boss Lu suddenly grabbed her arm and looked at her with a smile: "Look at you, impatient again!"

Liu Yifei raised her eyebrows at him with the posture of a victor: "I'm afraid it's not me who's impatient, is it?"

It seems that to strike a snake, one still has to hit it in its seven-inch mark!

Little Lu Kuan, handled!

"Hey, I drank too much with Dong Zi tonight, my head was a bit dizzy just now. Let's go, let's go watch the movie!"

Lu Kuan tugged at her, but she didn't budge.

"Shall we go?"

"Haven't you already seen it? You're the one who wrote the script."

Boss Lu spoke with righteous indignation: "Can't I watch it again after having seen it? One's own work needs reviewing, reflecting, identifying gaps, and gaining new insights from the old even more!"

Liu Yifei's tone was willful: "Then what if we get recognized?"

"That won't happen. It's pitch black, you can't even see the faces of people in the next seat in the theater, who would recognize anyone?"

The young girl nodded with satisfaction: "Hmm! Not bad!"

When they are under your control, all the obstacles that once resisted you will automatically become the fences that protect you.

"Lu Kuan, you really have some substance. I've learned quite a bit following you today."

"What?"

"The ability to bend and stretch."

To avoid being detected by the roadside press, Boss Lu had A-Fei find a larger cinema nearby.

The three of them got out of the car at the entrance of the Huaxing Cinema opposite the Shuang'an Shopping Center in Haidian. This was one of the higher-end cinemas in Beiping at the time, with sound equipment and environmental facilities that kept pace with international first-class standards.

Of course, the ticket prices were also slightly higher. Tonight, the standard cinema pricing for "Love is Not to Be Missed" was around 30-35, while higher-spec cinemas like Huaxing and Xindongan started directly at 50.

This was Liu Yifei's first time watching a movie in a cinema domestically, and she was very curious as she watched A-Fei go to buy the tickets.

"The screening schedule tonight is quite good, isn't it?"

Lu Kuan took A-Fei's duckbill cap and put it on his head, standing in a corner with her: "You even understand screening schedules?"

"I've understood it after listening to you talk about it back and forth. It's very simple."

"Look at the twelve halls on the screen, only less than 1/3 are showing things like 'Master and Commander' and 'Baober in Love'. 'Love is Not to Be Missed' is very popular, isn't it?"

Lu Kuan explained: "Currently, the Valentine's Day release window hasn't formed a viewing craze in the country yet. This year, we can be considered the first to eat the crab."

"The Hollywood film 'Master and Commander' from January 20th still has 10 days left in theaters. The next film that could pose a box office threat to us is 'Cold Mountain'."

"Cold Mountain" was also a work invested in by Harvey of Miramax, starring Jude Law and Tom Cruise's ex-wife Nicole Kidman. However, it met with a cold reception at the domestic box office in later times, with less than 30 million.

Mainly because the background of the American Civil War didn't appeal much to mainland audiences, and it wasn't an eye-catching Hollywood sci-fi or fantasy blockbuster.

Liu Yifei asked curiously: "The subject matter of 'Baober in Love' seems more suitable for Valentine's Day than 'Love is Not to Be Missed'. Why is the screening schedule so low?"

In later times, "Baober in Love" was starred in by Zhou Xun, but when it was filmed last year, Zhou Xun starred in "The Thief," and in this life, she missed out on this film.

"This is a marketing issue for the film. 'Baober in Love' is not as well-positioned as 'Love is Not to Be Missed' in terms of subject matter, cast, roadshow scale, or advertising marketing."

"Cinemas are the most realistic. They don't care how big a director you are or how great a star you are; they screen whatever film sells well."

This, of course, is based on the premise that no one gives rebates to theater chains or cinemas.

In fact, one could feel it as soon as they entered the cinema lobby; posters for Zhang Baizhi's "Love is Not to Be Missed" were posted in almost every place with good visibility and high foot traffic.

The film's distributor also held a discount event for couple seats on-site, limited to Valentine's Day and the two days following, which could be considered a small promotion.

A-Fei returned with an embarrassed look, handing them only two tickets.

"They're gone. There were only four left. A couple just bought two and insisted on asking me to give up one."

"Boss, Sister Yifei, you two go watch it. I'll wait for you outside."

Liu Yifei took the two tickets, and seeing they were couple tickets, she patted the little bodyguard's shoulder with satisfaction: "Hard work, A-Fei."

For a talent as excellent as you, when this young lady becomes the boss's wife, I'll definitely give you a promotion and a raise!

The two of them entered the venue fully armed for ticket inspection, which made the older sister at the gate look at them with amusement—another pair of young lovers sneaking out for a date, bundled up so tightly.

The movie wouldn't start for a few minutes, and Liu Yifei looked at the 50-yuan ticket price after the discount: "Is this considered expensive?"

Boss Lu was speechless. Although she didn't have the habit of being pampered, this young girl could be considered someone who "doesn't know why people don't eat meat porridge," having never suffered since childhood.

"It's more than expensive. Your teacher Wang Jingsong's basic monthly salary doesn't exceed 1200, and that 200 is only because he has a department instructor's allowance."

"If he wanted to come watch a movie every day, his monthly salary wouldn't be enough."

Liu Yifei said in surprise: "No way? Is their salary that low? Then..."

"Art school teachers have low salaries but many side jobs. Opening a training class outside of school, like that one Tong Liya has."

"Or helping to guide children from wealthy families, like when your mother asked Feng Yuanzheng to teach you acting the year before last."

The two arrived late and sat in a relatively safe corner, still on a couple's sofa, with no risk of being spied on, and Lu Kuan also took off his hat.

"However, this 50 yuan is considered expensive. The average ticket price in first-tier cities nationwide is only around 30 now."

Ticket prices are guided by the authorities and will fluctuate within a certain level.

In the 50s, a movie ticket could be bought for one cent; in the 80s, it was less than 1 yuan; in the 90s, ticket prices soared to 15-20.

However, it also varied by film; for example, the 1990 film "Jiao Yulu" had a ticket price of 30 cents, but the 1994 imported animated film "The Lion King" reached as high as 14 yuan.

It wasn't until after the millennium that the state introduced various policies to revitalize the development of domestic films and promote theater chain reform, coupled with the increase in the cinema's own operating costs, that ticket prices began to soar.

In December 2002, "Hero" was released, and the average ticket price soared to 50 yuan, which to a certain extent was also determined by market supply and demand.

There were too few movies that audiences wanted to watch and were willing to walk into a cinema for. With a blockbuster finally here, they were naturally willing to grit their teeth and bleed a little.

Liu Yifei smiled: "Then why are you working so hard to make movies? If you want to make money so much, why not open a cinema?"

Boss Lu smiled and didn't speak. He was going to open one, starting with Jiahe next year.

"Don't look at this ticket price being expensive; cinemas aren't all that profitable."

The dragon mark on the big screen in the venue flashed by, and Lu Kuan stopped talking.

The young girl was listening with great interest, shaking his arm: "Keep talking, I want to hear."

Perhaps it was because the two were now sitting in seats called couple seats, or perhaps the pitch-black environment provided a breeding ground for an ambiguous atmosphere, Lu Kuan couldn't resist her coaxing, soft words and continued to tell her about the "business scriptures."

Little Liu in this life had indeed grown up crooked; why was she becoming more and more interested in making money and such!

"Cinema revenue is divided into three parts: box office revenue, merchandise revenue, and advertising revenue."

"According to the current domestic revenue-sharing ratio, if a cinema's annual box office is around 10 million, the commission received is between 5-6 million, which basically can't even cover the rent."

Liu Yifei gasped inwardly as she listened. A ticket price of 30 or 50 yuan seemed very high relative to salary income, and she had thought that running a cinema was a business of opening a shop and picking up money; she hadn't expected it to be so tragic.

There weren't even 20 domestic films with a box office of 10 million nationwide in a year, let alone cinemas.

It was estimated that only the top cinemas in first-tier cities could have a good meal every year by relying on the hot screening of a few blockbusters.

"I know about merchandise revenue, popcorn and cola, right?"

"It's not limited to these, there are also the derivatives we talked about tonight. The profit margin is very high, and selling them in the cinema can also eliminate piracy."

"Domestic cinema merchandise is currently still mainly food and toys, with a profit margin between 60% and 70%, but it's also related to the scale of the cinema."

Boss Lu pointed to the fruit slices in Liu Yifei's hand: "These foods have to be thrown away if they aren't consumed on the same day, so generally, the larger the cinema and the higher the foot traffic, the higher the profit margin on merchandise."

"Currently, the biggest problem facing our domestic industry, whether it's domestic films or cinemas, is still the scarcity of audience numbers, which leads to all practitioners in the industrial chain having to calculate carefully and cautiously, otherwise it's very easy to lose money."

Liu Yifei turned her head to look at Lu Kuan's sharp-angled profile, remembering his argument in the tongue-lashing of the Seven Gentlemen at the Beijing Film Academy.

That day, it only felt satisfying to listen to, watching Lu Kuan waving his arms and pointing out the landscape, expressing his views with passion in front of a group of people old enough to be his uncles and grandfathers.

Now, personally feeling the cinema, the screening schedule, and the domestic film environment including Lu Kuan and the production party Inquiry Realm, she realized how deafening his arguments were.

In this period, the only things that can save domestic films are genre films and commercial films; one must find ways to attract audiences into the cinema.

Boss Lu, following Liu Yifei's questions, thought of the theater chain and Jiahe strategic planning for next year, calculating in his heart how to open source and reduce expenditure in cinema operations during the early stage of development.

He didn't speak again after this contemplation.

The young girl, feeling very secure, leaned slightly closer to him, no longer acting like a "ten thousand whys," and instead watched the movie intently.

The movie reached a climax, with Lu Ran, played by Guo Jingfei, delivering a sharp monologue.

【Huang Xiaoxian, don't you really understand? Did we two reach this step by accident? Think carefully, after being together for so many years, every time we argue, you're the one who says things to the extreme. You don't use a single dirty word, but the lethality is so great that it makes me want to hit a wall and end it all. After the argument, you're comfortable, but have you ever thought about my feelings?】

Then came Zhang Baizhi's inner monologue.

Guo Jingfei got into the car, and the car slowly moved forward.

On the quiet Jingshan street in the middle of the night, watching the taxi get smaller and smaller in my sight, I chased after it, running fast.

I want to catch up with that car, I must say to him.

I no longer want that fragile self-esteem, my confidence is all groundless, I can let you see how humble I am now, can you forgive me?

Please forgive me.

Zhang Baizhi contributed excellent acting in this segment, bringing out the strength of a Golden Statue Best Actress.

Thinking that she and Zhou Xun both had the same acting style, at this moment of filming, perhaps she had substituted herself into some emotional life of her own?

Boss Lu thought maliciously of the night he made the phone call...

Could it be her?

Faint sobs sounded in the cinema, and many couples began to hug, comfort, and whisper to each other.

The couple in the row in front of Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei started sucking on each other's faces...

The young girl blushed and stole a glance at the man beside her, seeing him watching the screen with a calm expression, not a single ripple in his expression—he was watching so seriously.

How could she have imagined that this beast was thinking about that...

Liu Yifei asked with dissatisfaction: "Why did you write this Huang Xiaoxian so humbly?"

She was very uncomfortable, even sweating profusely; actually, it wasn't her, it was a friend of hers who said she felt uncomfortable after watching this part.

If possible, it would be best to delete it, hmm.

"Chick flicks are like this; suppress her in the early stage, and write about her growth, transformation, and independence in the later stage."

Liu Yifei looked at Zhang Baizhi, who was heartbroken on the screen, for a long time.

She secretly vowed in her heart that she would absolutely never let herself go down the same path as this Huang Xiaoxian.

She wants to change him, to possess him exclusively!

She does not allow her pure feelings to be tainted by so-called sharing or rhetoric like "turning a blind eye."

Even though she had seen too much depravity and eccentricity in the entertainment industry in the two years since returning to the country.

Other people's codes of conduct and life attitudes had nothing to do with her; from the first hint of affection she felt for him, Liu Yifei was absolutely certain of her goal.

Tonight was a good start.

You want to use the value in me, don't you? Then you have to yield to my ideas.

Even water droplets can pierce stone; she doesn't believe she can't warm up this stubborn, smelly, and hard rock that is Lu Kuan!

Su Chang made a brief appearance and finished her scenes; as Lu Ran's new girlfriend, she had a face-to-face encounter with Zhang Baizhi.

Stealing a best friend's boyfriend—this is the most hate-inducing plot from 2000 to 2024, especially when the live audience watched her harmless, "white lotus" appearance, making them even more furious.

"This woman is too bad!"

"Give me your phone, I want to see if there's any contact information for xx."

The scene had already started checking phones, which made Boss Lu shake his head secretly.

Nonsense, the husband's authority is truly failing!

It's all the fault of that stupid Korean movie "My Sassy Girl," poisoning mainland men, all of them taking pride in being "henpecked."

"I think Changchang acted really well, it made me angry!"

Liu Yifei asked for Lu Kuan's evaluation.

"It's okay, average level, accurately grasping the character's psychology and mastering the chain of action, but it's a bit too deliberate."

"A real green tea isn't like that."

"Ah? What is a green tea?"

Green tea originated in later times from the "Haitian Feast," and later gradually evolved into a label with a wide range of meanings.

"It's... a woman who is pure on the outside, complex in mind, cunning, and good at disguising herself to win sympathy and help from men."

Little Liu frowned.

This dog thing isn't implying her, is he?

Her tone was cold: "For example?"

Liu Yifei had made up her mind; as long as he dared to spout nonsense, she would give him a shock today even at the risk of being exposed!

Boss Lu smiled: "I haven't seen one, I only like drinking tea, my research on... tea art is not deep."

Liu Yifei: "Hehe."

Huang Xiaoxian on the screen entered the healing stage after the breakup, interacting with Wang Xiaojian, played by Zhu Yawen, and the two began to develop feelings for each other.

"Why did you let Zhang Baizhi play the female lead? She's not a female artist signed to Inquiry Realm."

"Film roles are naturally prioritized by suitability, and then the issue of artist affiliation is considered."

Boss Lu explained calmly as he saw her curious-baby look.

Hmm, Zhang Baizhi hasn't been exposed yet, she won't guess the real reason.

The couple in the front row stopped gnawing on each other, and the girl suddenly said in surprise: "Wow, this shot of Zhang Baizhi looks just like Liu Yifei."

Lu Kuan tilted his head and smiled: "The bone structure of you two is somewhat similar."

"What is bone structure?"

"Bone structure is the hard decoration on your face. Think of a human face as a house, and take away all the furniture and soft decorations in the house."

"The remaining skeleton is the bone structure."

Liu Yifei said in surprise: "Is that what you use for physiognomy?"

Boss Lu bluffed: "That's right."

"Where do I look like her? Why didn't I see it?"

"You both have high cranial tops and full occipital bones; your heads seem as standard as if they were drawn with a compass."

"The temporal bone development is also appropriate, making the oval face and the T-zone present a strong sense of line, and the combination of eye distance and the bridge of the nose is perfect."

Boss Lu commented on the beauties of the world triumphantly, not noticing the young girl's expression gradually turning cold.

"Lu Kuan."

"Ah?"

Liu Yifei looked at him with a smile: "Then between Zhang Baizhi and me, who is better looking?"

Careless, careless.

"I'm warning you, I'm in a bad mood and don't want to work."

"Hey! Little Liu, what are you saying."

"How can Zhang Baizhi compare to you? She's several years older than you."

Lu Kuan: Every time he explains, he always pretends to be relaxed.

Words spoken too much lead to mistakes. Now that he still has to rely on Liu Yifei to complete his e-commerce layout, Lu Kuan simply kept his mouth shut and focused on watching the movie.

The 110-minute movie ended, and Lu Kuan pulled Liu Yifei, who was just about to get up: "Go out last, don't get recognized."

The young girl stuck out her tongue and sat down, taking out the vibrating phone in her pocket.

Lu Kuan glanced sideways, holy crap! Liu Xiaoli had made over a dozen missed calls...

This pot won't end up on his head, will it? Abducting a minor for a late-night movie, harboring evil intentions.

The phone buzzed incessantly. Liu Yifei had always been a good girl, and this was her first time experiencing such a situation, so she answered it tremblingly.

"Liu Yifei! Where did you go so late? And you're not answering the phone!"

The sound from the Nokia earpiece was deafening, and the couple near them who were about to leave turned their heads abruptly.

"Liu Yifei?"

"Holy crap! It really is Zhao Linger!"

While everyone was surprised, their eyes turned to Boss Lu next to her.

"Who is this?"

Lu Kuan rejoiced...

Fortunately, fortunately, customers who like gourmet food may not know the chef, but they will definitely recognize the delicacies on the table.

"Go!"

Boss Lu said concisely, grabbing Liu Yifei's hand and passing through the middle of several couples looking back with lightning speed.

"Holy crap! I saw Liu Yifei, chase her!"

"Really or fake!?"

"Really, it's that girl in the colorful velvet hat in front!"

"Wang Yuyan, wait for me! I'm Duan Yu!"

A roar came from behind, getting closer and closer. Lu Kuan was tall and long-legged, and Liu Yifei was also someone who exercised often, so the two of them shook off the crowd at a corner and went downstairs through the emergency exit.

Running out of the cinema hall and out of the cinema, A-Fei saw the commotion in the cinema from afar and had already driven the car over.

A burst of camera flashes lit up at the cinema entrance, and the camera phones that were already popular by now recorded the scene of the young man and woman escaping from the tiger's mouth.

The roaring engine left a trail of exhaust, but it couldn't reduce the fans' fanaticism!

"Oh my, I just took a picture of her profile, so beautiful!"

"Who is this man, he looks a bit familiar?"

"Don't know, forget him, just some unknown cow dung."

"Go, go, go, hurry back, I want to post on the blog, I want to go to Zhao Linger's homepage and ask her!"

Of course, there were also heartbroken male fans who felt dejected looking at the exceptionally well-matched backs in their phones.

Who is this beast!?

"Who is this?"

The next day, Little Liu rarely slept in at the villa in Changping.

Yesterday was the first time she had spent so long alone since she met Lu Kuan, and they had romantically watched a love movie on a snowy Valentine's Day.

It was just that she had used coercion and inducement...

But that didn't matter!

The scene where the two of them "escaped" together was so like a plot in a Hollywood blockbuster; no director could shoot such a feeling.

Liu Yifei naturally suffered from insomnia, and was awakened by Yang Siwei's roar of "Who is this!"

Actually, the slightly chubby agent also knew who it was, but this was too heaven-defying; did you two really have nowhere else to go?

Isn't the hundred-plus-square-meter cinema in your Boss Lu's house good enough? You had to take our Xixi to squeeze into a cinema!

And you got secretly photographed!

Damn it, the 10086th time I want to resign!

Liu Xiaoli sighed at the door with a complex expression. The only thing she could guarantee now was that her daughter absolutely couldn't suffer any losses before she came of age.

She didn't know how to manage anything else, and the only thing she could think of doing was to take turns with Yang Siwei and follow her every step of the way.

Xixi was no longer the Xixi from two years ago. Having been influenced by that little Lu for two years, Liu Xiaoli didn't know if her changes now were good or bad.

"It's Lu Kuan, can't you even recognize your former boss?"

Liu Yifei got out of bed with a smile, simply tied her hair into a bun, and was about to go to the bathroom.

"No! You can still laugh, right?"

Yang Siwei was angry at her lack of ambition: "The paparazzi outside this morning could form a platoon! They're all waiting to get information out of your mouth!"

"Isn't that too exaggerated? Just watching a movie with a friend, making a fuss."

Yang Siwei was too embarrassed to expose her—do you call that a friend?

And saying it so brazenly, her skin is eight feet thick!

Liu Xiaoli was afraid her daughter would be cold, so she put a bathrobe on her: "Xixi, Siwei is right. In any case, you are still a minor, only a few months away from being 17."

"You must pay attention to your reputation and maintain an appropriate social distance from Lu Kuan outside of work, understand?"

At this time, there was no such thing as a collapse of reputation in the domestic entertainment industry just because male and female idols were dating. Zhou Xun, Zhao Yanzi, and Xu Jinglei, these big stars, changed men like changing clothes, and it didn't seem to have much impact.

It's just that her daughter attracted audiences with pure, jade-like roles such as Zhao Linger and Wang Yuyan, including this upcoming Lu Xueqi, all of which followed the same path.

Whether her teenage fans could accept such scandals, it seemed like it wasn't a particularly difficult situation to judge.

It could be seen from her Weibo homepage, which had been fermenting for a night; extreme fans had already offered a reward of 100,000 for information on the wretched man who had desecrated the goddess!

Liu Yifei laughed at their nagging: "Let them say what they want, I can't live my own life for the rest of my life, can I?"

Yang Siwei had an urge to use a burner account to make the identity of that wretched man public—let it all be destroyed!

Liu Xiaoli agreed with her daughter's attitude; there was no need to dwell too much on the mixed opinions, but she couldn't let it ferment, or it would just get darker the more it was described.

"Let's issue a denial first and clarify the facts, otherwise the internet is a mess right now, and it doesn't sound good."

Yang Siwei hurriedly turned on the computer and started doing PR for her artist.

February 15th, Inquiry Realm Culture and Media.

"It actually broke 3.5 million?"

Boss Lu, who had been engaged in "mortise and tenon" exercises with Bingbing until the early hours of the morning, was still dedicated, arriving at the company early to review the steaming hot box office data.

"Teacher Xue! This number is amazing, come, come, I must toast you."

Lu Kuan sat on a single sofa holding a cup of hot tea in a funny way, happily celebrating with the female teacher from the Beijing Film Academy.

"You, Director Lu, please stop mocking me, okay? I didn't sleep all night yesterday!"

Boss Lu smiled: "Me too! I was nervous."

Xue Xiaolu curled her lips: "You? You went to watch a movie with a young girl yesterday, right?"

"Ah?"

Lu Kuan was stunned for two seconds; how was he dug out so quickly? Are Zhao Linger's fans all Zhuo Wei-level?

"Teacher Xue, don't listen to those people on the internet blowing hot air. I was really worried last night, so I went to a few big cinemas to check the attendance and see how the word-of-mouth was."

Xue Xiaolu was only in her 30s this year, smiling and joking with him: "Yes, yes, yes, you, Boss Lu, are busy with ten thousand things, hard work, hard work."

Hehe, he didn't "day" Li Wan Jie yesterday; it was someone else.

The opening day box office of "Love is Not to Be Missed" was indeed pleasantly surprising, even higher than "Crazy Racer" during the New Year release window.

"Boss Lu, this Valentine's Day release window was chosen really well. I think it's the key to the box office explosion."

Lu Kuan smiled: "No way, the company has two films, it's impossible to go to the New Year release window together to kill each other and fight against 'Cell Phone' and 'Infernal Affairs'."

"Now it seems very reasonable. Ning Hao, this inferior horse, is trading pieces with 'Cell Phone' and 'Infernal Affairs,' letting our 'Love is Not to Be Missed' emerge suddenly. Very good!"

Xue Xiaolu quickly waved her hand: "No, no, Boss Lu, please don't say that, let Ning Hao know and he won't be happy."

"Haha, it's okay, numbers are the hard truth."

To be honest, when Lu Kuan and Inquiry Realm first decided on Valentine's Day for "Love is Not to Be Missed," it was a very risky marketing move.

This era is not like later times, where the whole society can make a big deal out of every Western holiday. In 2004, the Valentine's Day effect on the film market's box office promotion was not significant.

Taking 2009 as an example, the national mainland box office was 6.2 billion, but the box office on February 14th was only 40 million.

And the box office champion on the first day of the Valentine's Day release window that year was "Transporter 3," produced by Luc Besson, with a box office of 15 million; love movies had nothing to do with it.

And for "Love is Not to Be Missed," which cost less than 8 million, rather than killing each other with a bunch of blockbusters in the New Year release window, it was better to find another way to win the first prize in the Valentine's Day release window.

Of course, the marketing costs paid by the distribution team and Focus Media for this were also huge, but currently, it can be considered worth the price.

A single-day box office of 3.5 million—as long as the word-of-mouth doesn't collapse later, exceeding the 60 million of "Crazy Racer" is a sure thing, and "Cell Phone," which is unrecognizable in this life, is only 50 million anyway.

"Teacher Xue, I think you can specialize in youth love movies and TV series in the future; the story flow is very high."

Xue Xiaolu is 34 years old this year and is one of the few directors in the industry who graduated from the Department of Literature, and also one of the few directors with excellent screenwriting capabilities.

In 1994, Xue Xiaolu served as the screenwriter for "Love in the Forbidden City," and in 1998, she worked at CCTV as a program director. Works including "Don't Talk to Strangers" were also collaborations between her and Jiang Wei, with very strong storytelling.

Being able to tell a story is a capability missing in many art film directors of this era.

"I do have some ideas; I have indeed learned a lot from this movie."

"Boss Lu, I still want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to complete my screen debut."

Xue Xiaolu reached out to Boss Lu gratefully, but perhaps she thanked him too early!

Later, you will become the ox and horse of Inquiry Realm, shooting youth love movies copied by Boss Lu one after another, just like Ning Hao!

Sun Wenwen knocked on the door and entered: "Boss Lu, Han Zong and Boss Dong have arrived and are in the screening room."

Boss Lu and Xue Xiaolu shook hands and said goodbye, and from far away, they could hear the two "film reviewers" from New Horizon laughing loudly.

"Hey, the main person is here. Director Han, let's keep it down, don't make him anxious in a while."

Lu Kuan asked curiously: "What? Tell me, when have you ever seen me anxious?"

Han Shanping smiled: "Little Lu, you're in your twenties, can't you seriously find a girlfriend to date?"

"How many nicknames have they given you on the internet? Yesterday, they even came up with abducting a minor. Aren't you ashamed?"

"Nonsense! I went to patrol the venue to see if anyone was stealing our Inquiry Realm film's box office. What abducting a minor, slander!"

Dong Shuangqiang raised his eyebrows at Old Han: "I told you, Han Zong, stop talking, otherwise some people really won't be able to keep their faces!"

Boss Lu smiled bitterly and handed them cigarettes; the screening room was filled with happy air.

The few of them started talking about business.

"Your love movie performed very well yesterday, the response was very good, 3.5 million on the first day, right?"

Dong Shuangqiang was a bit surprised: "3.5 million? When did the Valentine's Day release window become so hot?"

His "Green Tea" had only 700,000 on the first day...

Han Shanping smiled and nodded at Boss Lu: "You have to ask him, isn't it written in their elevator advertisements?"

"'Love is Not to Be Missed' on Valentine's Day, quit being single!"

Dong Shuangqiang smiled: "Such a vulgar advertising slogan, the effect seems quite good?"

Lu Kuan explained: "It's mainly about binding the movie theme with Valentine's Day, bombarding the ears of these urban white-collar workers a month in advance; it's enough to disgust them for a while."

This is the same principle as that "Hengyuanxiang, sheep, sheep, sheep" and "Naobaijin."

Dong Shuangqiang envied: "Adding 'Crazy Racer' and 'Love is Not to Be Missed' together, the money earned shouldn't be much less than your 'The Thief', right?"

Boss Lu was modest: "Small money, all small money. A little bit leaking from your fingers, Old Dong, is more than this."

"I'm not the Tathagata Buddha, where would I get such big hands!"

Han Shanping laughed upon hearing this.

"Crazy Racer" had a box office of 60 million, but the product placement alone recovered the initial costs.

For a sequel to a comedy film, because there is a stable viewing group, increasing the profit margin per film is an inherent meaning.

Together with the sale of DVD and peripheral copyrights, after deducting the distribution and marketing costs of "Crazy Racer," Inquiry Realm pocketed 22 million.

And judging by the first-day box office of "Love is Not to Be Missed," the profit space is obviously larger.

These are all film scripts proven by later generations, coupled with Boss Lu's distribution ideas that are ten years ahead, and the marketing bombardment and topic marketing from offline Focus Media to online blogs and Douban without dead ends.

If it weren't for considering that the current domestic market box office capacity is limited, Lu Kuan would love to release ten or eight movies a year.

"The Thief" during the October 1st Golden Week, "Crazy Racer" during the New Year release window, "Love is Not to Be Missed" during the Valentine's Day release window.

It has already perfectly avoided imported Hollywood films, and at the same time, it is a schedule that won't cause them to fight themselves.

"Wenwen, call someone to play the film."

The three of them put out their cigarettes and sat down. Today, of course, they didn't come to tease Lu Kuan, but to see the effect of the first episode of "Zhu Xian" that had just been released.

An antique-style precious sword passed through the screen, and the subtitles started.

Producer Han Shanping, Director Lu Kuan, Executive Producer Dong Shuangqiang.

The vast narration, matched with the overlapping mountains and ridges of Shidu entering the picture.

The vast land of Shenzhou is boundless; since ancient times, the righteous and the demonic have been incompatible, like water and fire, fighting endlessly.

The great war between the righteous and the demonic ended with the complete victory of the Qingyun Sect, but the demonic sect's heart for revenge has not died...

From Zhang Xiaofan's appearance until he went up the mountain to worship under Tian Buyi's seat, and then the shocking appearance of a master from the Lianxue Hall who seriously injured Lin Jingyu, the plot point of the first episode arrived.

Tian Buyi talked in detail with Zhang Xiaofan, observing that his murderous aura was extremely heavy, no different from the thugs who slaughtered the village, and threatened to expel him.

The first episode ended abruptly here, leaving a hook to suppress the protagonist.

Lu Kuan nodded with satisfaction, not out of pride for his own work, but in recognition of the animation and special effects achievements of Butian Yinghua in this episode.

It is not an exaggeration to say it is at the top domestic level today.

"How about it, you two, does it meet your standards?"

Dong Shuangqiang slapped his thigh hard: "It does! It really does!"

"After watching this episode, I only have two thoughts."

"The first is definitely to quickly release the next episode for me to watch. Who is the man in black? Where did the Blood-Sucking Bead go? Will Tian Buyi change his mind?"

Han Shanping asked curiously: "And the second?"

"The second is whether it can be watched in a cinema again. These special effects are extremely satisfying, and it must be even more shocking on the big screen."

"That's for sure, the small-screen debut of a Golden Lion Award-winning director, how could he not put all his effort into filming it for you!"

Dong Shuangqiang was convinced: "Director Lu, the TV series you filmed, without exaggeration, can kill more than half of the commercial films on the market today."

"Yesterday I was still thinking about the quotes from several advertisers, damn it, now I'll call Little Zhu, reject them all! Report again!"

Lu Kuan and Han Shanping also laughed at his excited swearing.

The "Ugly Girl" on the Hunan channel in later times once had a seasonal broadcast, but it was a fake seasonal broadcast.

All the content was filmed in advance, and whether the audience praised or scolded it, the Hunan channel had no room for adjustment.

The tripartite cooperation of New Horizon in this life to create this new model where risks and benefits coexist is no different from crossing the river by feeling the stones, and everyone had no bottom in their hearts.

But after the stunning appearance of the first episode of "Zhu Xian," Dong Shuangqiang and Han Shanping finally felt a little relieved.

For this quality of film and television work, the only thing that needs to be considered is the supporting marketing and promotion measures.

(End of this chapter)