Chapter 304: Sudden Change

The atmosphere in the executive office was heavy; the warm sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows seemed unable to dispel the chill on the faces of Gao Jun and the others.

"18.33 million, that is indeed a bit low."

Lu Kuan pondered for a long time before putting down the data sheet in his hand.

Making a horizontal comparison, setting aside *If You Are the One* and *A Rider*, let's look only at the biggest competitor, *The Promise*.

*The Promise* had a nearly 77% screen share on its opening day, taking in 27.34 million in box office, surpassing *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* and *Harry Potter*, and even exceeding the opening day box office of *The Other World* from two years ago.

Aside from the overwhelming marketing by the film's producers, the rapid growth in the number of screens in the mainland over the past two years was also one of the reasons.

As of December 23rd, *The Promise*, which had been in theaters for over a week, was already approaching 100 million in box office.

But as the numbers soared, the film's word-of-mouth plummeted rapidly; the husband-and-wife team of Chen Kaige and Chen Hong were in pain and enjoying it at the same time.

The total investment for *The Promise* was nearly 340 million RMB, and *Aftershock* was 280 million RMB; the opening day box office and investment scales of the two films were not proportional.

Boss Lu encouraged his subordinates: "The opening day box office could be called a Waterloo, but it is an indisputable fact that our screen share is nearly 20 points lower than *The Promise*."

"Let's continue to monitor the numbers and the trends in online public opinion and word-of-mouth."

"Our preliminary work has been very solid, and I am confident in the results."

Watching the young director calmly blowing on his tea, Gao Jun, Zhong Lifang, Chen Zhixi, and the others felt a sense of relief.

Having a leader in the team with immense authority and prestige is a great way to relieve pressure for everyone.

"That's true, we predicted there would be difficulties, and now we are just proceeding according to plan, right?" Gao Jun looked around and followed up on Boss Lu's lead.

The reason the people at Wenjie were not in a good mood was mainly because the path they had taken before was too smooth, with Lu Kuan arranging everything from the perspective of a visionary.

This time, due to special reasons, they chose to go against the current, so naturally, there were many obstacles.

However, human effort is the decisive factor; having planned so much from promotion to scheduling, they could only act according to circumstances now.

Boss Lu arranged some plans for theater promotions and traffic-driving activities, then prepared to leave the company to fly directly to Tokyo, Japan, in the afternoon to attend the premiere at the Imperial Theater.

"Boss Lu!"

Seeing Gao Jun, Zhong Lifang, and the others push the door to leave, Chen Zhixi called out to him with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?"

"I have a question I'd like to ask for instructions on."

Seeing him signal for her to continue, Chen Zhixi turned back, took her laptop out of her bag, and opened it.

"Boss Lu, take a look at this."

A downloaded video, about 20 minutes long, used the film *The Promise* as the main material, re-edited and spliced with performance footage from a Shanghai acrobatics show, photos of Einstein, and his famous formulas, embedded with segments from a social and legal channel...

*The Bloody Case Caused by a Steamed Bun*, why did it come out so early?

Boss Lu had long anticipated this, but in the later years, *Steamed Bun* became popular around the new year, and was subsequently angrily denounced and sued by Chen Kaige.

It was mainly because in this life, the development of Wenjie Video and the blog network had deviated from the original timeline, with the number of internet users and the cultivation of their habits being somewhat ahead of schedule.

For instance, this Hu Ge, who graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, was attracted by the secondary creation activities on Wenjie Video and had just produced and uploaded this parody work.

However, it had already been blocked and taken down by the sharp-witted Chen Zhixi.

She knew that the first rule of her boss's recent style of conduct was to keep a low profile; it didn't matter if this video was posted elsewhere, but it could not appear on Wenjie Video.

"Boss Lu, how should we handle this? I've temporarily suspended the account."

Boss Lu watched with great interest and laughed upon hearing this: "Suspending it is good, don't bring trouble upon yourself."

Poets have arrogant and aloof personalities and are very narrow-minded.

Judging from the feedback from film critics and audiences over the past two days, the word-of-mouth for *The Promise* was already on the verge of collapse, which was not something Chen Hong and the others could control through various public relations efforts.

*Steamed Bun* might accelerate this process, but Boss Lu had no need to get himself involved in this mess; if he banned Hu Ge, he would just go elsewhere to post it.

Chen Zhixi nodded: "Okay, then I'll have the reviewers pay attention."

——

On the evening of the 24th, the *Aftershock* crew arrived in Tokyo, Japan, and held the premiere at the Imperial Theater.

The several films Boss Lu had made since *Whiplash* were all well-received in Japan, and *The Other World* also broke the records for box office and attendance for foreign-language films held by *Hero*.

After the phenomenal *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* set off another wave of enthusiasm in Japan, combined with the establishment of the Pan-Asia Film Academy, this young director had already accumulated considerable popularity in Japan.

However, the age and gender structure of his fans was a bit strange...

On the red carpet in front of the Imperial Theater, Lu Kuan wore a well-tailored high-end suit, the silver brooch on his collar glinting coldly under the cameras.

He walked inside with steady steps, waving to greet the seemingly crazed "mom fans" and "older sister fans," finding it hard to handle the shouts of "Lu-san kawaii," "Lu-san is so handsome," and "Lu-san's acting power is explosive."

Especially the banner that read "Welcome Director Lu Kuan to Japan," which made people unable to help but laugh.

Song Jia whispered a joke to Zhou Xun: "Boss Lu has so many middle-aged and young married women fans here! His popularity is really high!"

"You'll get used to it." Zhou Xun had witnessed it during *Shoplifters*, though it was nowhere near as crazy as it was now.

Outside the cordon, a heavily made-up young married woman rushed in and was stopped by security, nearly knocking Boss Lu to the ground.

Zhou Xun and Song Jia followed up, the former teasing: "Isn't it a pity?"

Boss Lu was still a bit shaken, taking off the brooch on his collar; that woman's eyes had almost poked him just now.

He looked at the two of them and raised an eyebrow: "This is the price of being too excellent; you two can't understand it yet."

Zhou Xun curled her lips: "It's a pity they are all housewives over 35."

Song Jia asked in confusion: "Director Lu, why is that? I've seen the crew's promotional strategy in Japan, and it's mostly placed in convenience stores and women's magazines."

"Housewives in Japan are a profession. Although they don't have direct work income, they generally hold the power over the family economy and are responsible for the distribution of family income and expenses."

"Look at these fanatical fans at the scene; they are basically all over 30. Their husbands are working, their children are in college or working, and they have money and time, so they naturally become the main force for movie-going."

Boss Lu patted Hu Jun on the shoulder: "Old Hu, your *Lan Yu* had a very good response in Japan back then too; I just saw your male fans."

Hu Jun also started joking: "Hey! Then I have to hide a bit; people here are a bit perverted."

"But, if you ask me, it's still Director Lu's appearance that is popular."

Hu Jun explained seriously: "Zhou Xun, Song Jia, have you seen that news from two years ago? Japanese women liked that Bae Yong-joon because they watched *Winter Sonata*, and it even boosted the Korean tourism industry."

"If you ask me, Director Lu should have let her hug and touch you a bit just now; you sacrificing your looks would be equivalent to making a contribution to the country!"

The two women laughed out loud, and Boss Lu helplessly pointed at the dark-faced man.

This was referring to the import of *Winter Sonata* into Japan in 2002, where the main consumer force of the film and television industry, housewives, nicknamed Bae Yong-joon "Yonsama."

According to a survey by a Korean economic research institute, the peripheral benefits brought by "Yonsama" to Japanese tourists exceeded 1.5 billion USD, increasing the number of Japanese tourists to Korea by 40% within 10 months.

In terms of cultural output and theft, the Koreans in the early millennium could be called professionals.

The distributor, Toho Co., Ltd., had arranged everything in advance, and the crew participated in the premiere according to plan.

The Imperial Theater was packed today, and the housewives did not care at all about the high ticket price of 1800 yen (126 yuan).

At the same time, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Yoji Yamada, and old friend Takeshi Kitano all arrived to show their support.

Takeshi Kitano was quite envious of the conversation Boss Lu had with Bergman on Fårö Island this May, pulling him aside to ask questions and sighing incessantly.

As the film started, the Japanese film fans in attendance were deeply moved by the catastrophic scenes of the earthquake, and the sentimental housewives and aunties shed tears frequently.

Japan is also a country prone to earthquakes, and such a subject matter could obviously resonate with them.

When the film ended, the final post-credits scene completely destroyed the audience who were still struggling to resist a breakdown of their tear ducts; almost everyone stood up with red eyes and applauded, the response was enthusiastic.

After the creators went on stage to accept the cheers and simple interviews from the audience, today's premiere came to an end.

Takeshi Kitano put his arm around Boss Lu's shoulder, inviting him and Yoji Yamada and others to go to an izakaya for a small gathering; just as they walked into the parking lot under the protection of bodyguards, a Toyota Crown stopped in front of them.

A middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes got out of the car, greeted the others, then shook hands with Lu Kuan alone, respectfully inviting him to get in the car.

"Lu-san, please give me five minutes!"

"Just say it here."

Boss Lu recognized his voice: Xiong Ge.

He also knew the background of these animals, and the dirty private business associations behind them that were dedicated to smearing and denying history.

Seeing Xiong Ge's serious expression, Takeshi Kitano and the others did not want to cause more trouble and stepped aside first.

"Lu-san, please forgive me! There is indeed something to negotiate with you, regarding..."

"Alright, you should be clear about my attitude."

Boss Lu's expression was serious; from the moment he decided to make this film, he had already anticipated these potential obstacles.

"The history of the massacre cannot be denied, and this film will not accept your investment, so give up."

The young director turned and left after speaking.

"Lu-san!"

Xiong Ge looked at the cold-faced A Fei beside him and did not dare to reach out to stop him, only dropping a sentence in a deep voice.

"There is a proverb in the Yamato nation: gods that are not touched will not bring disaster."

"A great artist like Lu-san should not get involved in these things that affect peace and hurt the feelings of the Japanese people; please think twice!"

Xiong Ge, who was still habitually bowing at ninety degrees, could only see the taillights of the Chinese youth's car when he looked up again.

The final attempt at dissuasion failed; the Japanese man's face was ashen, and he indifferently took out his phone.

The drinking and discussion with Takeshi Kitano and the others did not last too late; the next day, the crew arrived in Korea, and the public opinion fermentation after yesterday's premiere had already been released.

As one of the two major Chinese directors currently mentioned alongside Zhang Yimou in Japan, Lu Kuan was no stranger to the Japanese film media.

*Sankei Shimbun* was the first to surrender, believing this to be a milestone masterpiece of disaster films, and that we should reflect on the Japanese films of these years, which had almost been kidnapped by anime and animation.

*Kinema Junpo* is the most professional film media in Japan, and under the public relations of the distributor Toho, they opened a fan column.

In the column, they invited more than twenty professional film critics from across the country and senior members of theaters under Toho to provide reviews.

"I am from Chuetsu, Niigata Prefecture. Today happens to be the one-year anniversary of last year's Chuetsu earthquake in Niigata. Of course, the 6.8 magnitude intensity was not as tragic as in the film, but it is still unforgettable, and I miss my mother."

"In the face of natural disasters, human emotions are common, and the family ethics of East Asian countries are similar, which made me empathize with Director Lu Kuan's film; that actor named Zhou Xun is simply too admirable."

"I hope Japanese film directors can realize the gap with Director Lu Kuan, and I hope that in the future, we won't just see those virtual character roles in North America."

"Japan is proud to have a master like Akira Kurosawa, but I think among the younger generation, it is basically impossible to find a director who can compete with Lu-san in film technique; he is simply the Empire's Ultimate Fierce Tiger and Destroyer Dragon!"

Facing the almost one-sided rave reviews, the crew of *Tangshan*, whose domestic box office performance was mediocre, was naturally beaming with joy and diligently preparing for their promotional tour in South Korea.

But seeing the domestic public conquered by such a masterpiece, Gexi Xiong and his cohorts grew increasingly restless, eager to find a way to thwart his success.

——

Dongjie, Liangmaqiao, Jingcheng, Sakura Restaurant at Zhangfugong.

Having been invited again, Wu Sang was already somewhat familiar with the route, driving directly from the back street into the courtyard to avoid being noticed.

Gexi Xiong had brewed the tea and was waiting for him patiently.

"Gexi-san, didn't you say you were going back to Osaka? You've returned so quickly."

"Lu Kuan's film is all the rage domestically, and the situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for us. If..."

Wu Kebo interrupted him with an awkward expression: "It's unfavorable for you, not us. I have no grudge against him; it's just normal business competition."

"Fine, I will continue." Gexi Xiong said noncommittally.

"This time, *Tangshan Great Earthquake* has had a very good response domestically. Among Japanese audiences, especially those foolish women, he is an idol."

"We absolutely cannot let his film that fabricates history be successfully filmed and released; otherwise, my brother and some big shots in the ministry will not be happy."

Indeed, the association spends so much money every year buying dogs, and there are important figures in the business and cultural circles of the East who are secretly working for them.

Originally, the subtle influence and output were going well, but suddenly a world-class director was about to raise a heavy club to sweep away all their deceptive viewpoints.

How could this be?

"We have investigated, and he also has a film company in North America and holds shares in one of the largest video websites."

Wu Kebo was truly surprised this time: "What? You don't mean Mytube, do you?"

"Yes."

Wu Sang put down his wine glass with a complex expression; this time he was truly envious.

His family background was quite wealthy, and he had become famous at a young age.

Returning to the country to start a business in his thirties, he immediately poached talent from the established entertainment company Huayi, setting up his own brand in the domestic entertainment industry.

But there happened to be a heaven-sent talent who, like a great mountain, sat firmly on top of his head, leaving him unable to move.

When he wanted to poach Liu Yifei, Wang Jinhua told him to look at his face;

When he poached Jiang Yiyan, Wang Jinhua told him this woman had once been targeted by a certain black hand and advised him to be cautious.

Even the bait this dog-day Gexi Xiong used to tempt him was about how to empower Cheng Tian to surpass him!

He had an international perspective and naturally knew what level of existence Mytube was; at the very least, the sky-high price of 2 billion USD offered by Google was enough to make him gasp.

This was actually his industry?

But he estimated it was just a small stake; he heard the boss, Chen Shijun, was a Chinese-American.

Gexi Xiong naturally did not care about the sourness and unbearable jealousy in his heart, and he laid out Lu Kuan's threats one by one.

"If he is allowed to reach the position of chief director for the Olympic Games, his international prestige will continue to rise, and he will take such a work that distorts facts to the world stage."

"That is a fatal blow to the feelings of the conscientious Japanese public. He will mislead countless international figures who have a favorable impression of our Yamato nation! That is simply unforgivable!"

The nauseating words made Wu Kebo unable to listen any longer: "Enough!"

"Stop spouting so much, tell me, what do you plan to do?"

Gexi Xiong pondered: "I have heard of your country's director Chen Kaige; he has considerable connections in the film circle and literary world?"

"Yes, his father was a highly respected old director who had some say in the literary world during his lifetime."

"*Tangshan Great Earthquake* and *The Promise* are now the fiercest competitors. Can we stir up conflict between them?"

Gexi Xiong wanted to borrow strength to strike, using underhanded means to make enemies for Lu Kuan.

The poet had a prominent family background, coming from a film family; the older generation of domestic filmmakers and critics had watched him grow up.

In the later year of 2012, when Yang Mi was filming his *Caught in the Web* and juggling multiple roles, she was expelled from the crew by the poet and his wife, who replaced her with Wang Luodan from the Jing circle.

The latter eventually won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role of Yang Jiaqi, while Da Mimi was henceforth cut off from the big director circle; it is said that Chen Hong blacklisted her in the big director circle.

From another perspective, the union of Chen Kaige and his ex-wife Hong Huang, judging by their matching social status, also shows the superiority of his family background.

After all, Hong Huang was the granddaughter of Zhang Shizhao, and her mother, Zhang Hanzhi, had been the English teacher for the Great Man, later marrying Minister Qiao, and was even personally approved by the Premier to live in Shijia Hutong.

Wu Kebo hesitated: "Director Chen? They have never had any grudges, but there is a video on the internet recently; perhaps we can make something of it."

That's right, in the past two days, Hu Ge's phenomenal video had already shown a trend of significant fermentation, and many people in the film circle were joking about it.

Such first-generation parody videos in the country were quite creative and could serve as good conversation pieces while drinking.

After hearing him finish, Gexi Xiong clapped his hands and smiled: "Then I'll leave it to Wu Sang! This matter should be easy, right? Doesn't he have a video website?"

"I suggest not making it so obvious."

Wu Kebo stroked the stubble on his chin: "Lu Kuan has always been sharp. Even if a parody short film appears on Wenjie Video, he will just ban it."

"The whole internet is full of videos; Chen Kaige's hatred for him won't be that high."

"How about this: find someone to contact the video creator in the name of Wenjie, find a pretext to give him promotion fees, and then we expose the matter."

"Director Chen has always been aloof, and *The Promise* was extremely expensive to make; this is a powder keg that will ignite at a touch."

"By then, even if the truth is clarified, once the dispute between the two sides starts, the rights and wrongs will be impossible to distinguish."

Gexi Xiong's eyes lit up as he listened; as long as he could stir up the anger on both sides, he could cause some trouble for Lu Kuan at this critical moment.

Wu Kebo took a sip of wine and pondered carefully; he had to admit that this move by the little devils was quite sharp.

Chen Kaige's father passed away in '94, and many uncles in the circle were incumbent leaders in the film department; at the very least, they could cause obstacles in the filing and approval of scripts.

No matter what level of director you are, or what rank of domestic billionaire, the power of the system will teach you how to behave.

Additionally, at this time of bidding for the Olympic opening and closing ceremony plans and selecting the chief and deputy directors, painting Lu Kuan as an image that uses despicable means to harm peers is also very beneficial.

After all, such a major national event must be held by someone with both virtue and talent, at least on the surface. Even if this young director eventually proves his innocence, the estrangement and farce with industry peers and senior directors will still have some impact, right?

If such a person is made chief director, can he unite all forces to serve the country?

This must be marked with a big question mark!

Without prestige, losing reputation and the hearts of the people, even if he, Lu Kuan, becomes the chief director, if his orders cannot leave the office, how can he get things done?

There is no lack of precedent for this in later generations.

In Zhang Yimou's Olympic documentary, there was once a deleted segment where his assistant took the creative team and Zhang Yimou's own signature seal to submit a report.

The seven or eight departments that needed to be visited kept dragging their feet and refusing to stamp it for various bizarre reasons; it could be called "the little devils are hard to deal with."

Seeing that the procurement schedule for materials was about to be delayed, the helpless Old Mouzi went directly to the top, and the Premier personally intervened and gave instructions, which finally solved the problem smoothly.

Wu Kebo was willing to take action, naturally because he had his own demands.

"I hope NEC or Great East Sea can provide me with some more funds."

"The expansion speed of Wenjie Jiahe's cinema chain in the mainland is not fast; I think Cheng Tian still has some opportunities."

"Additionally, Cheng Tian lacks directors; I hope to use huge signing fees to try to sign away Wenjie's famous directors."

As Cheng Tian, which appeared as a challenger to the domestic entertainment industry, faced a territory that had already been basically divided up, there was actually limited room for Wu Kebo to act.

Poaching Wang Jinhua was certainly a pioneering work, enriching the most basic artist resources, but the shortcomings in directors and cinema chains were obvious.

In the later year of 2006, Wu Kebo began to seek the acquisition of Jiahe, completing it in 2007.

Subsequently, he established a cinema and real estate investment group, creating super-large-scale, fully digital modern cinema flagship stores represented by Cheng Tian Jiahe 66.

The supporting facilities of this cinema included five-star boutique hotels, fashionable dining, book bars, cultural leisure, top-tier audio-visual experience venues, artist studios, and other business formats; it was almost the same development philosophy as Wanda.

Wu Sang's ambition could not be described as anything but great.

But in the path of directors, in later generations, he only cooperated closely with a few people like Zhang Li and Yan Po, while the rest were external hires.

Wu Sang, who was addicted to wielding the hoe, was clearly eyeing Wenjie's Ning Hao, Xue Xiaolu, and perhaps even Xu Zheng.

Gexi Xiong smiled and nodded; he wasn't afraid of you making demands, he was only afraid of you holding onto a facade of loyalty and patriotism to save face.

Cooperating with him this time, the next time would clearly be a matter of course, just like cheating—there is only once and countless times.

"Speaking of directors, please do me one more favor, Wu Sang."

"Go ahead."

"Huayi has a young director who I heard was as famous as Lu Kuan a few years ago, debuting around the same time, called Lu Chuan?"

"Yes, his first film, *The Missing Gun*, participated in the 2002 Cannes Film Festival together with Lu Kuan's *Whiplash*."

"What does Gexi-san mean?"

Gexi Xiong pondered: "He seems to be planning to film a movie about the massacre as well. I would like to ask you to contact him."

"If possible, we want to invest in this film."

"Or, how about signing him over in the name of Cheng Tian?"

Gexi Xiong had investigated this Taro, who debuted slightly earlier than Lu Kuan and was once hailed as a rising star among domestic young directors.

His father was a famous domestic screenwriter with a certain amount of say in the literary world, and the father and son were on bad terms with Lu Kuan.

It is said that his previous film, *Kekexili*, was blacklisted from the Golden Horse Awards by a certain black hand in the domestic entertainment industry and was also hastily pulled from theaters.

Just like seeking direct contact with Boss Lu at the beginning to control the film's content through investment.

Gexi Xiong naturally set his sights on Lu Chuan; he wondered if they could turn enemies into friends?

Wu Kebo was indeed moved by his proposal.

Cheng Tian was indeed too short of directors. Now, among the domestic Sixth Generation, except for Ning Hao, who was frequently filming commercial movies for Lu Kuan, the rest were all people who stuck to art films.

Lu Chuan might really be a good choice; it just depended on how to talk to Huayi.

The two clinked glasses and plotted for a long time before dispersing.

The news that Boss Lu was going to invest in a massacre film shocked all these cats, dogs, and evil spirits, who began to huddle together for warmth.

This dispute in the domestic entertainment industry seemed to be already on the verge of breaking out.

——

Actually, just as Boss Lu and the little secretary Chen Zhixi inferred, the collapse in word-of-mouth for *The Promise*, which had been released for over a week, was already an unstoppable trend.

Once the Emperor’s New Clothes are exposed, and once the audience realizes that the so-called praise from various film critics is merely the result of paid reviews, they naturally begin to boycott and refuse to pay.

As for the theater chains, I don't care if you are Zhang Yimou, Lu Kuan, Feng Xiaogang, or Chen Kaige; even if Spielberg came, it would be the same.

As long as your film doesn't sell tickets and doesn't make money, immediate cuts to your screening schedule are a matter of course.

The box office for *Tangshan Great Earthquake* over its first three days happened to coincide with Friday and the weekend, with the 25th also being Christmas.

Yet the three-day figures could still be called "dismal," reporting 18.33 million, 22.40 million, and 21.99 million.

Compared to the 280 million yuan investment, even though the response in overseas markets and regions like Korea and Japan has been relatively good recently, the film's subject matter has resulted in meager profits from merchandise and product placement.

The pressure for the film to be profitable remains high, and the domestic market is a fundamental base that cannot be abandoned.

On the afternoon of December 27th, Chen Kaige and his wife Chen Hong were backstage at the Beiping Weishitai studio, continuing to promote the blockbuster they had poured their hearts and blood into for three years.

Both of them wore expressions of sorrow and gloom.

With nearly half the theatrical run over, the box office stood at 120 million, but the screening schedule had already dropped to less than a third of what it was at the premiere, primarily due to the three days *Tangshan Great Earthquake* had been in theaters.

Facing such a dire situation, Director Kaige was also helpless, finding it difficult to maintain his calm and composed facade.

The program was called *Listening*, the only talk show on Beiping Weishitai. The host, Cao Difei, opened the show as scheduled and immediately began the interview segment.

"Director Kaige, we have some letters from viewers here, mainly their thoughts after watching *The Promise*. I wonder if you would be willing to respond to them?"

This was a pre-arranged segment and routine; answering some typical negative questions was equivalent to publicly explaining and debunking rumors, a form of reputation management.

Chen Kaige smiled: "I enjoy communicating with film fans who have their own ideas. Please, go ahead."

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the studio!

Who said our Director Kaige had an arrogant personality? Isn't he very humble?

It was only because Liu Yifei's fate had changed in this lifetime, and she hadn't been sent by Fiber to be a host, otherwise, she would have taught you a lesson!

Cao Difei raised some typical questions: "Director Kaige, how do you view the audience's criticism that *The Promise* doesn't tell a story well?"

"*The Promise*, while telling a relatively complex story, narrates it clearly enough. Must a film pushed to the market explain the cause and effect of every single action? That seems to be the style of soap operas, doesn't it? Hehe."

"Hmm, next question: Chen Kaige wants to express too much! How do you see it?"

Director Kaige’s thick eyebrows rose and fell, and the words he spoke were very professional: "Why must a work only have one core character? Why can it only have one ideological kernel?"

"I believe that *The Promise* pursues the kind of narrative within a grand background like *The Iliad*. When the background is already as simple as it can be, what it focuses on is, of course, the complex human nature of the star-studded cast. I hope film fans will take the time to reflect on this point."

A round of applause broke out at the scene; those who came today were all fans who had been watching Director Chen’s films since *Farewell My Concubine*.

The first two questions were almost standard tropes of negative reviews, and sure enough, under Director Chen’s personal response, they appeared so vulnerable!

Cao Difei joined in the applause: "Thank you, Director Chen. Let’s look at the final question."

"Viewers reflect that the Ever-Victorious General played by Hiroyuki Sanada is too spineless and doesn't look like a general feared by the masses at all."

"Haha, I must explain this point a bit more."

Director Kaige was somewhat immersed in this rhythm of sitting and discoursing.

"Actually, hearing everyone say that Hiroyuki Sanada’s character is spineless, I am instead happy. Why is that?"

"In a good literary or film work, a character's personality must be complex and have an arc. I will give two examples so everyone understands."

"Back then, the film *The Emperor and the Assassin* was also heavily criticized, and people found it very difficult to accept the cowardly, cunning Qin Emperor played by Li Xuejian."

"In *Brothers*, Yu Hua created a character with exceptionally shining human brilliance, Song Fanping. His explanation for this was: the external environment had become cruel to a terrifying degree; if I had written Song Fanping as a cunning person, I wouldn't have been able to continue writing."

"Conversely, the story background of *The Promise* was deliberately simplified. If I had shaped the Ever-Victorious General into an image of wisdom and martial prowess, how thin would this film have been?"

Chen Kaige became more confident as he spoke, as if he had found the experience from when he was first assigned to the Guangxi Studio and talked to Zhang Yimou about his ideological core for *Yellow Earth*.

"So! Friends, I can say this: if you want to truly understand this film, without ten years, it is..."

The audience's enthusiastic listening was interrupted. Someone suddenly ran out from backstage, looking anxious and speaking in short, hurried breaths.

"Director, something has happened. Come with me to take a look first!"

"How absurd!" Chen Kaige was very unhappy with his assistant's overstepping. Didn't he see that he was in the middle of preaching, teaching, and resolving doubts?

"We are recording a program!"

"Difei, cut this part. I will continue speaking in a moment."

Chen Hong, however, saw that the situation was extraordinary; otherwise, how could this assistant, Xiao Chen, have such guts, and how would Beiping Weishitai have let him onto the set?

"What exactly happened?"

Xiao Chen panted: "There is a video on the internet that takes our..."

Chen Kaige and Chen Hong’s expressions changed drastically upon hearing this. Xiao Chen hadn't explained it very clearly in a few words, but a video that could go viral across the entire internet would inevitably have a huge impact.

He had to handle it personally.

"Director Chen, you go ahead. The program can be recorded at any time; there is no rush."

"Alright, thank you for your hard work."

Misfortunes never come singly. Chen Kaige and his wife hurried toward the backstage area, and Xiao Chen dragged the progress bar of the video that had just been paused back to the beginning.

*The Bloody Case Caused by a Steamed Bun*

Before the twenty-minute video had even finished playing, Chen Kaige roared in anger, raising his hand to smash the computer!

Xiao Chen was quick-witted and stopped him. Chen Hong, seeing the Weishitai staff around them watching the spectacle, also urged him: "Kaige, don't be impatient. Let's go outside and talk."

Chen Kaige’s two thick eyebrows kept twitching, as if they were about to materialize into a fire-breathing black dragon.

"Let's go!"

Back in the office, Chen Kaige still maintained an air of erupting rage.

Three years of pouring out his heart and blood, three years of arduous struggle, from Beiping to Shanghai, from Rongcheng to Lin'an, the couple had traveled day and night, rushing from one place to another.

Every field surrounding this film had been exploited to the fullest, and they hadn't even skimped on the incredibly expensive advertisements on CCTV.

Yet this *Steamed Bun* in front of him, which would be an exaggeration to even call crudely made, was merely twenty minutes of cultural garbage that would undoubtedly cause severe defamation to *The Promise*!

It was like giving someone a bizarre and vulgar nickname; once that nickname became familiar, who would care what your real name was?

Chen Hong was relatively calmer: "Where was it discovered?"

"Tianya, Mop, Blogcn, almost everywhere, and many internet portals have it too."

"Can you find the author?"

"We are looking, we are making contact."

Chen Kaige keenly discovered the key point: "Wenjie Video, is it not there?"

Xiao Chen was stunned. Currently, the only video websites in the country were Tudou, LeTV, Wenjie, and Sohu, and Wenjie’s influence was undoubtedly the greatest.

Isn't it a good thing that it's not there?

"It seems... it is not."

Chen Hong had been married to Chen Kaige for nearly ten years; seeing his dark and inscrutable expression, she knew what he was thinking.

"Kaige, let's send a lawyer's letter first, and have the major websites take down the video, otherwise we will sue them for infringement."

Chen Kaige shook his head: "What is the use if the root cause isn't removed? I want to see who did this! Let's report it to the police directly; I will contact someone."

He was, after all, a famous director who had won the Palme d'Or, with an extraordinary family background and deep connections in various circles in Beiping, so he quickly locked onto the "suspect."

Hu Ge at this time, while not exactly destitute, was certainly down on his luck.

After graduation, several jobs hadn't gone well, and after resigning, he became a freelance musician, mainly engaged in recording and sound effects production for animated films.

This *Steamed Bun* was merely his work for entertainment.

But inexplicably, a few days ago, someone claiming to be from a film company suddenly found him.

The person brought 10,000 yuan wrapped in letterhead paper, did not reveal their source, and only told him to refine the video and post it on more websites.

If he had the ability and interest to continue producing, he could sell one to him for 10,000 yuan each.

In later generations, there was the real case of "Yili's cross-provincial pursuit."

And the furious, full-throttle Director Chen, even if he didn't have that kind of power, it was no problem to scare this student Hu enough.

After the local police in Hubei province found him, the terrified Hu Ge confessed everything and decisively handed over the 10,000 yuan in cash wrapped in the letterhead.

And the origin of the cash could already be glimpsed from the letterhead of the wrapping paper.

One day later, when Chen Kaige received the news, it couldn't even be called rage; he was simply incensed, smashing two of his beloved cups in succession.

One of them was a souvenir he bought in Paris when he won the Palme d'Or in 1993, which held very beautiful memories.

"Old Chen, what should we do?"

Chen Hong was also a bit indecisive.

If it were an ordinary person, that would be one thing, but this person had been in the industry for four years, and countless people had fallen at his hands.

From the street thug Zhang Tianshuo to the official's son Liu Zeyu, from Hong Kong superstars and directors to the children of ministry compounds.

Now he had even more fully-fledged wings and was an overlord in his own right.

Chen Kaige looked at the photo of the letterhead sent from Hubei; it was an internal document memo from Wenjie Holdings with the top half cut off, clear and unmistakable.

Chen Kaige, in his anger, had not completely lost his mind and had also thought about whether someone was impersonating him.

But combining Wenjie Video’s deliberate avoidance of spreading *Steamed Bun* and their "the thief crying thief" behavior;

Combining the fierce competition in screening schedules between *Tangshan* and *The Promise*;

Combining the box office results of *Tangshan*, which were clearly somewhat below expectations.

Of course, there was also his consistent prejudice against this up-and-comer.

Director Kaige did not choose to forgive; he chose to face the abyss!

"Let's go! Find Han Shanping and see what he has to say!"

Chen Hong looked at her furious husband and followed quickly, carrying his trench coat.

This matter took advantage of the legal loopholes at the time; it was useless to find trouble with Hu Ge or the websites.

In later generations, Chen Kaige had also sued Hu Ge, but it ended up with nothing.

Considering Lu Kuan’s status and identity, if Chen Kaige wanted an explanation, he had to find Han Shanping first.

Both films have investment from China Film Group, and "The Promise" has even more.

Even if you and that buzzcut are thick as thieves, you still need to maintain a facade of fairness, right?

If he throws even that bit of face to the ground, then Director Chen will have no choice but to "carry a coffin into battle to the death."

You little wolf cub have only been in the business for four years, but I have already been in it for thirty!

At the China Film Group in Little Western Heaven, Chen Kaige did not control his emotions or strength when pushing the door, so the door to Old Han's office suffered a bit today.

"What's wrong?"

Chen Hong looked at her husband's livid expression, fearing he might have a dispute with Han Sanping, and immediately blurted out the whole story from beginning to end.

"That can't be right? Lu Kuan isn't that kind of person!"

Old Han's words were quite fair; it could be said that while his methods in other areas were a bit sharp, he had never done anything out of line or destructive to unity regarding the mainland film industry.

"General Manager Han! Watch the video first and see how our work, which cost over 300 million, has been trampled upon."

"We'll talk after you've finished watching."

Chen Hong casually opened a website link on hao123, and Old Han watched the viral fan-made masterpiece with skepticism.

Ten minutes later...

"General Manager Han? What do you say?"

The buzzcut actually really wanted to finish watching it; it was damn interesting...

He let out a long sigh: "I will call him!"

(End of chapter)