Chapter 678: Sheep Without a Shepherd

Zhong Lin's current situation is indeed not very good.

The reason is simple: she has the possibility of a promotion this year.

Under these circumstances, if she were to receive a disciplinary record, it would absolutely be a major problem.

But since the deed is already done, she might as well quietly wait for the outcome.

What's more, Zhong Lin didn't just act on a whim; she didn't just get thrilled by Luo Mo after watching the movie and then recklessly approve it for him.

She had struggled with it, and she had thought it through carefully.

Since she ultimately made this decision and took responsibility alone, she would not regret it.

That is the personality of Madam Zhong Lin; she is not the type of person to feel regret or remorse for a decision she has already made.

In her view: the greatest regret in life is to always be regretting the regrets of the past.

As for whether the movie "Sheep Without a Shepherd" would spark heated discussion on a social level... Zhong Lin felt it was inevitable.

"First of all, it was directed by Luo Mo."

"Secondly, 'Dying to Survive' ignited heated discussion across the entire internet, and this movie continues the team from 'Dying to Survive'."

"Most importantly, this movie actually touches upon some relatively sensitive social issues."

"For example, Sucha, played by Luo Mo, is a minor according to the character setting."

"Juvenile crime..."

"The victim, Pingping, is also an underage girl."

"It would be strange if this didn't spark heated discussion."

On Earth, discussions of this nature also existed.

But they were not as terrifying or as intense as on Blue Star.

The reason is simple: after all, Sucha was played by Luo Mo, and he played it very well.

The Actor playing Pingping is also more impressive than the one on Earth, allowing the audience to empathize more and feel more heartache.

She is very beautiful, has a great figure, and makes people feel a sense of pity at first sight.

With all these factors combined, the series of reactions triggered after the Blue Star version of "Sheep Without a Shepherd" was released would inevitably be completely different from those on Earth.

Honestly, Luo Mo was also looking forward to the market feedback for this movie.

……….

……….

Since the Spring Festival season, the Huaxia film market has been a bit sluggish.

But this is also normal; it would be strange if it were always booming.

It must be said that the appearance of "Sheep Without a Shepherd" got the two-month-long Shuji Dang off to a good start.

The opening day box office was 209 million, breaking the opening day box office record for a suspense film.

On all major ticketing apps, its rating is above 9.5.

【Petal Net】, which is the most stingy with ratings, hasn't officially opened its score yet due to some rules.

But judging from the audience's reviews, breaking an eight is not too easy.

"It's so satisfying, we in Huaxia actually have a Perfect Crime too!"

"Watching this movie from start to finish was very exciting."

"During the viewing, I got goosebumps twice: once for the Scapegoat when the coffin was opened, and once for the dialogue in the new police station."

"I don't want to spoil it, I just want to say it's very worth watching!"

"The acting of the entire cast is on point, and many of the scenes between them are stunning."

"Luo Mo's Plastic Surgery Level Acting is also great; by the way, is he really not considering being the male lead in a movie himself?"

"The first Ten Billion Box Office Director in Huaxia is just awesome!"

Many industry insiders also began to analyze "Sheep Without a Shepherd".

The more they analyzed it, the more they felt Luo Mo was impressive.

This movie is not the traditional type of suspense film.

In the suspense and Crime genre, the focus usually falls on—finding the killer.

But "Sheep Without a Shepherd" is different; it reveals the killer to the public right from the start.

Its focus is actually on how to get away with the crime!

Most importantly, because the foreshadowing was done very well and the emotional engagement was top-notch, the vast majority of the audience stood completely on the side of Li Weijie's family in their hearts.

Luo Mo knew very clearly what the audience was looking forward to.

He not only wanted to satisfy the audience but also to exceed their expectations.

However, if you insist on calling this a very pure commercial film, it doesn't seem to be that either.

At the very least, the entire crew put a lot of effort into it.

The cinematography is very impressive, and many scenes and slow-motion shots are also breathtaking.

And designs like the Scapegoat hit straight to the heart!

Luo Mo seems to always have a magical power to combine many things perfectly together.

A funny scene has reappeared.

Filmmakers: I want to learn!

If he can do certain things, why can't we?

—"Learn from Him"!

Luo Mo had also heard about this phenomenon in the industry.

"Well, bear the consequences yourselves," he would only smile each time, thinking to himself.

On June 30th, the opening day box office for *Sheep Without a Shepherd* was 209 million.

On July 1st, it rose to 217 million.

The increase was not large, but this was also normal.

After all, the initial screen allocation for *Sheep Without a Shepherd* was already very high, unlike the previous few films, which all had to fight their way up from behind.

The attendance rate for this film was not low; the Shuji Dang is just like this, as long as it can stay steady, it will be terrifying as it accumulates over time!

In fact, by July 2nd, the box office was still rising by a small margin, reaching 221 million.

The word-of-mouth for this film had also completely fermented.

Netizens gave this film a title: "The most satisfying Crime film in history."

In the past, everyone felt some Crime films were satisfying because they were high-IQ crimes, and the villain's character design had to be compelling—preferably the kind that was both handsome and ruthless.

As for the lead actor of *Sheep Without a Shepherd*, Wang Rong...

The word "handsome": don't even go there!

Wang Rong was actually quite like a young heartthrob when he was young, but now, well, let's just forget about that.

However, the battle of wits in the film and that sense of intense confrontation made the audience's emotions rise and fall along with it.

Of course, it was also because of one point: everything started from the theme of 【Family】.

This kind of protection for family members is very heartwarming.

At the same time, it also gave Li Weijie's desperate actions a starting point to stand on.

For the sake of a daughter, there are plenty of fathers willing to pay any price.

When one's own little cabbage is gobbled up by a pig with mutual consent, many old fathers can be so distressed they can't sleep all night.

Not to mention drugging and recording videos.

And by July 3rd, the single-day box office for *Sheep Without a Shepherd* rose directly to 251 million.

The reason is very simple: the weekend had arrived.

For the Shuji Dang, weekend box office figures are still higher than those of weekdays.

This made many people realize that for *Sheep Without a Shepherd* to break the box office record for Suspense films, it was simply effortless.

It might even double it directly!

As of now, the cumulative total box office of *Sheep Without a Shepherd* has already reached 890 million.

What does this represent?

This represents that Luo Mo's bold words—【8 billion for three films】—are about to be completed.

Tomorrow, it will definitely be able to break the total of 8 billion.

Thinking back, how many people jumped out to mock him.

"Luo Mo is getting arrogant."

"8 billion for three films, one with Guan Fei, that Box Office Poison, as director, one is an Animation, and one is a Niche Suspense film—are you kidding me!"

"If it really hits 8 billion, I'll perform a handstand and eat shit."

"A bit too Zhang Yang."

"Laughing to death, breaking 8 billion? After it exceeds 8 billion, for every 1 million, I will slap myself once as punishment."

Yet, Luo Mo just happened to do it.

And, he did it so quickly!

After *Nezha* exploded, almost everyone knew in their hearts that it was Afraid it really could break 8 billion.

But no one expected that *Sheep Without a Shepherd* would be even more ferocious than imagined.

It has only been released for a few days, and the total box office is about to break 1 billion.

It's killing me, since when could a Niche category like Suspense films have this kind of explosive growth?

Does the country have such a large Suspense market now?

Suddenly, there are so many viewers who love watching Suspense films?

In this, one can actually see a characteristic of *Sheep Without a Shepherd*.

It is not that thrilling, nor is it very scary.

Perhaps the scene that makes people feel the most terrified is the part where the female police chief Layun interrogates the little girl.

This film is more about tension and excitement.

Many viewers are not very brave, so they have some resistance to certain Suspense films.

Since there are no particularly scary plot points, then what are you waiting for?

—Charge!

On July 4th, the single-day box office for *Sheep Without a Shepherd* was 262 million.

The cumulative total box office reached 1.16 billion!

These past few days, whenever Luo Mo had free time, he would communicate with the special effects company to discuss the special effects production for *The Wandering Earth*.

Today, seeing that the three films combined had finally broken 8 billion, he stole a moment of leisure to post a Weibo.

"Small goal achieved."

This left many people speechless.

This is too "Versailles," isn't it?

The vast majority of directors cannot break 8 billion with all the films they make in their entire lives combined.

Well, to be precise, Luo Mo is the first Hundred Billion Box Office Director in Huaxia, and looking at the current film industry in Huaxia, there are only 5 directors, including Luo Mo, whose cumulative directed box office has broken 8 billion.

As mentioned before, many circles had extended olive branches to Luo Mo, such as the famous Beijing Circle.

But Luo Mo never paid them any mind, appearing ungrateful.

But facts proved that he was indeed not in the same circle as everyone else.

You are all artificially creating circles, such as the "Ten Billion Box Office Club" and the "Fifty Billion Box Office Club."

It is a pity that in the circle of "Ten Billion Box Office Director," there is currently only me.

And judging from the current momentum, ten billion in box office is merely the starting point.

Many people could not help but become curious: exactly how much box office will *Sheep Without a Shepherd* finish with?

In the end, how much will the combined box office of the three films exceed 8 billion by?

On the night of July 4th, many netizens were frantically leaving comments under a Weibo post.

Yes, that very one: For every 1 million over 8 billion, I will direct one for myself.

Good heavens, Luo Mo's box office is rising steadily, you must be overjoyed, right? Are you really going to hit your little brother so crazily, not stopping until you hit him until he vomits?

The silly netizens left comments one after another below.

"Brother, are you still there?"

"Doesn't this mean you have to bleed?"

"Reply if you see this, I don't mean anything else, I just want to hear you report that you're safe."

"How is the progress going?"

"Luo Mo didn't intend to hurt you, yet you died because of Luo Mo; I would like to call this a real-life version of *Sheep Without a Shepherd*."

Beijing, night.

Director Tian Ou had already shifted from jealousy to gradual numbness.

His self-positioning was now incredibly clear: I am simply not on the same level as Luo Mo.

Back then, he still felt very, very unhappy that Luo Mo had temporarily replaced him on *Director Show*.

Now, he gradually saw the gap between himself and Luo Mo.

If some people are too far away from you and their status is much higher than yours, requiring you to look up at them, you won't even develop feelings of jealousy.

The variety show *Director Show*, including Luo Mo who was a temporary substitute, had a total of five directors.

Tian Ou felt that he, along with Li Dongliang and Wang Rong and others, were still on the same level.

After gradually becoming numb over these past few days, Director Tian even felt a sense of relief in his heart.

"It's fine, it's fine. It's a good thing this time *Sheep Without a Shepherd* was scheduled for July first; I avoided it directly and scheduled *Car King 3* for August."

"Otherwise, I reckon it would be very uncomfortable again!"

*Car King 3* is an incredibly typical commercial film, and the car racing scenes have only one purpose—excitement!

But he asked himself, even with the addition of 3D technology, perhaps the sense of excitement brought to the audience is still not as good as *Sheep Without a Shepherd*.

The thrill of this film is far beyond *Car King 3*.

Moreover, it is very novel; it is a perfect crime unheard of in the country, and it is a father protecting his family.

People have actually gradually developed aesthetic fatigue toward the *Car King* series.

It is nothing more than replacing the supercar of this brand with a supercar of another brand.

The plot of the story is becoming more and more outrageous, and it has already drifted away from reality.

One can only say that everything is being laid out on a larger and larger scale. Originally, it was about a civilian street racer; there was a thrill point in such a person eventually obtaining a supercar, and the audience would also have a sense of immersion.

Not to mention he was touching the steering wheel with one hand and touching the black silk stockings in the passenger seat with the other.

But now they are all aiming to save the world........

The 【skills】 on the protagonist are also inexplicably increasing. At first, he was just very good at driving, but now even secret agents are not this powerful.

It is a bit too bizarre.

Tian Ou himself felt that *Car King 3* should be the final glory of this series.

Starting from the fourth installment, it is likely just for quick cash.

"It's quite good to be released in August; judging from the current situation, there shouldn't be any opponents."

As the most valued installment of the series, Tian Ou still hoped it could perform steadily and at least secure a box office of over 1.5 billion.

"It would be best if it could break 2 billion!" Tian Ou thought to himself.

And he did not yet know that a comedy film prepared for release in August would be submitted for review tomorrow.

Yes, the post-production of *Charlotte Troubles* had been completely finished!

Now they are counting on Luo Mo to pass the review at light speed, then carry out high-density promotional work, and release it in August to dominate the entire Shuji Dang!

It is just that, ever since this film started shooting, the confidentiality work had been done very well, and not much material had leaked out.

Especially regarding the matter of Liu Shixiong, Liu Gongming, playing the male lead, it was kept strictly confidential.

Everyone currently only knew that the male lead of *The Name of the People*, Xu Wai, had joined the crew early.

So much so that everyone thought Xu Wai was the male lead.

After all, his popularity in the comedy field had already risen.

And Xu Wai is an actor signed to Luo Mo Studio, so it is normal to promote him.

As for some opera singer who "brought capital into the crew" and had "sky-high connections," no one thought he would be the male lead.

On July 5th, Zhong Lin came to work at the Review Department feeling relaxed.

Judging from the current situation, at most she would only be publicly named and criticized a few times at the meeting as a small punishment.

The box office and word-of-mouth for *Sheep Without a Shepherd* were both not bad; although the box office performance was not as terrifying as *Nezha*, it was already aiming for first place in the Suspense genre and could be considered a phenomenal hit.

Today, as soon as she arrived at the Review Department, she discovered that many people were stealing glances at her again, their gazes following her footsteps.

The reason was simple.

"Have you heard? Luo Mo has sent another work for review!"

You must know, the Review Department internal team has not yet reached a final conclusion regarding Team Leader Zhong Lin passing "Sheep Without a Shepherd".

Good grief, sending it for review at this moment is like being at a critical juncture.

Luo Mo's current labels in the Review Department are: 【Audacious】, 【Reckless】.

This person dares to film anything!

Previously, everyone's regret was: "Why isn't Luo Mo's work being reviewed by us?"

Ah, I really want to see it first.

At the same time, one could also sponge off some credit.

The Review Department has the authority to make works go back for re-creation.

In other words, they are also like an extra 【Editor】.

It is just that they do not do the work themselves; they only tell you where to change it.

If a movie or TV series flops because of the Review Department's Requirement, they do not necessarily have to take responsibility, unless the work is a bit different.

But if it becomes a huge success, these people will go to claim credit.

Luo Mo's works are all red-hot, and Team Leader Zhong Lin has monopolized all the benefits!

However, after the "Sheep Without a Shepherd" incident, they now think: "Thank goodness, thank goodness, it's a good thing I'm not the one reviewing it."

Some things Zhong Lin dares to do, they certainly do not.

And Luo Mo's works are often very special and highly valued by the higher-ups.

If it were to flop due to changes made at their request, they would mostly not have a good ending either.

Today, Zhong Lin, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt on her upper body and a professional skirt on her lower body, walked into the office with composure under everyone's gaze.

Luo Mo sending a new work at this time did not make Zhong Lin feel any pressure at all.

She first placed her bag on the desk, then took out a packet of instant Coffee from inside.

She considers herself not a person with much taste or style, and she is actually not used to drinking high-end coffee beans.

After taking a sip of the steaming hot latte, Zhong Lin prepared to watch the new movie.

"Charlotte Troubles, what a strange name."

Just looking at the name, she had no idea what this movie was about.

She didn't even know how to punctuate it: "Is it 'Xia Luo, te fannao' (Xia Luo, especially troubled). Or 'Xialuote, fannao' (Charlotte, troubles)."

Before watching the movie, she first looked at the basic information of the movie.

"Xia Luo, played by Liu Gongming."

"Oh, then it seems the punctuation should be 'Xia Luo, te fannao'."

"However, who is this Liu Gongming?"

"I have never heard of such an Actor at all, but it also seems a bit familiar."

Luo Mo invested and wrote the script, Wang Rong directed; it is clearly a big project.

How could they have found someone unknown?

"Forget it, let's watch the movie first," Zhong Lin thought.

Then, inside Team Leader Zhong's office, bursts of dense goose-like laughter came from time to time.

At this moment, a knock on the door sounded.

Zhong Lin, who had laughed until tears came out, hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes, then calmed her emotions to avoid appearing uncomposed.

Her office has excellent soundproofing; it belongs to the kind where you could play any office games inside, and people outside wouldn't hear a thing.

The only downside is that if you shout "Come in," they can't hear you either; you have to go open the door yourself.

Standing outside the door was Xiao Wei, a member of the Review Department.

He was holding documents, coming for Zhong Lin to sign.

The two made eye contact; Xiao Wei looked at Team Leader Zhong's slightly reddened eye sockets and thought to himself:

"Is the new movie that moving?"

(End of this chapter)