Entertainment from Divorce

On the morning of the eighth day of the first lunar month, Beijing still carried the warmth of the Spring Festival. Sunlight shone through the thin mist and fell on the glass curtain wall of the Brilliant Entertainment headquarters building, reflecting a dazzling light.

A red banner proclaiming "Good Luck on the Start of Construction" had already been hung at the entrance of the building, with golden money trees placed on both sides.

The electronic screen at the entrance scrolled the message, "Welcome back, colleagues! Let's start a new year and embark on a new journey together," exuding joy and vitality as work resumed.

At 8:30 a.m., Tan Yue and Chen Ziyu's car slowly pulled up in front of the building.

Chen Ziyu wore a well-tailored black suit skirt, her long hair tied into a neat low ponytail, and carried a red gift box containing New Year's red envelopes for her employees; Tan Yue wore a dark gray suit with a white shirt, without a tie, which made him look more approachable, and he also carried a similar red envelope gift box.

The two walked into the building side by side, with gentle smiles on their faces, and greeted the security guards and reception staff at the entrance.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Tan, Happy New Year!" The receptionist, wearing a brand-new red sweater, smiled and handed you two cups of warm coffee. "Wishing you both a successful year ahead and all the best!"

"Happy New Year, and I wish you all the best in the new year." Chen Ziyu took the coffee, nodded with a smile, and took out two red envelopes from the gift box and handed them to her. "Red envelopes for starting work, to bring good luck."

"Thank you, Mr. Chen! Thank you, Mr. Tan!" The young girl accepted the red envelope with a look of surprise and delight, thanking him repeatedly.

The two stepped into the elevator, where several employees were already standing. Upon seeing them enter, they greeted them warmly: "General Manager Chen, General Manager Tan, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year everyone! How was your holiday?" Chen Ziyu replied with a smile, handing everyone a red envelope. "Wishing you good luck back to work and let's all work hard together in the new year."

Tan Yue also handed out red envelopes, smiling and saying, "You must have eaten a lot of delicious food during the Spring Festival. You need to get back into shape in the new year. We still have many big projects to push forward."

The atmosphere in the elevator instantly became lively. Everyone was holding red envelopes and happily discussing interesting things that happened during the Spring Festival. Some people said they went back to their hometowns to visit their parents, some said they went on a trip abroad, and some said they caught up on "Interstellar" at home. The topic quickly turned to the movie.

"Mr. Tan, the box office for 'Interstellar' must have increased a lot during the Spring Festival, right? I took my parents to see it on the third day of the Lunar New Year, and the theater was still packed!" a young employee said excitedly.

Tan Yue smiled and nodded: "Not bad. Chen Ye will summarize the specific data for everyone in a bit. In the new year, we will make more great works like 'Interstellar'."

The elevator reached the top floor, and the two stepped out. There were already many employees busy in the corridor.

Seeing them arrive, everyone stopped what they were doing, greeted them with smiles, and Chen Ziyu and Tan Yue responded while handing out red envelopes. The red envelopes were passed around in the crowd like warm flames, igniting the enthusiasm for resuming work after the holiday.

Stepping into the office area, one is greeted by a bustling scene.

Employees from all departments were dressed in festive clothes. Some were sorting out the local specialties they brought back from the holiday, some were discussing work plans for the new year, and others were exchanging small gifts. The entire office area was filled with laughter and joy.

Chen Ziyu and Tan Yue first arrived at the film department, where the department director, Zheng Tong, was leading his staff in organizing follow-up materials for "Interstellar".

"President Chen, President Tan, Happy New Year!" Zheng Tong hurriedly greeted them, holding a document in his hand. "This is the overseas box office data for 'Interstellar' during the Spring Festival. It's even better than expected."

Tan Yue took the document, quickly flipped through it, and said with a smile, "That's good. Everyone worked hard during the Spring Festival. Here's a start-of-work red envelope for everyone. In the new year, the film department should continue to work hard and strive to produce another blockbuster."

Chen Ziyu added, "This year we will launch a science fiction fund, and the film department should pay more attention to promising young directors and screenwriters, and discover more high-quality science fiction scripts."

Afterwards, the two visited the TV drama department, public relations department, artist management department, and new media department, giving each employee a red envelope to start the new year, and also learning about the work situation of each department during the Spring Festival and their plans for the new year.

The TV drama department is preparing a realistic drama series, the public relations department has been busy during the Spring Festival, keeping track of public opinion regarding "Interstellar", the artist management department has arranged for several artists to participate in charity events during the Spring Festival, and the new media department has been continuously promoting behind-the-scenes footage of "Interstellar" through short video platforms. All departments are making progress in an orderly manner.

"Everyone worked very hard during the Spring Festival and did a great job." Chen Ziyu held a brief start-up meeting in the conference room. Looking at the directors of various departments present, she said with certainty, "Our goals for the new year are very clear. We will continue to cultivate content creation, make full efforts in the fields of film, television series, and variety shows, and at the same time promote the establishment of the science fiction fund to support more young creators. I believe that as long as everyone works together, we will definitely achieve even greater success."

Tan Yue added, "This year's focus is still on movies. The success of 'Interstellar' has given us a lot of confidence. Next, we need to build on this success and not only release more excellent science fiction films, but also create science fiction IPs and form an industry chain. All departments must cooperate closely to ensure the smooth progress of all tasks."

After the meeting, employees returned to their posts, and the office area was soon filled with the sounds of keyboards clicking and telephones ringing. Everyone quickly got into work mode, showing great enthusiasm and energy.

Tan Yue returned to his office and had barely sat down when Chen Ye walked in carrying a stack of documents.

"President Tan, this is a summary of the work done by each department during the Spring Festival. Please take a look." Chen Ye placed the document on his desk and reported in a clear and organized manner, "The film department mainly followed up on the overseas distribution and box office statistics of 'Interstellar'; the TV series department completed the initial review of the scripts for the new series; the public relations department handled several minor public opinion incidents, all of which have been properly resolved; the artist management department coordinated the artists' Spring Festival schedules without any problems; and the new media department released behind-the-scenes footage of 'Interstellar' on various platforms, accumulating over 10 billion views."

Tan Yue nodded, picked up the document, and began to read it carefully.

He first reviewed the film department's report, which detailed the box office data, screening rates, and audience feedback for "Interstellar" in various regions around the world, and also included screenshots of comments from overseas media.

He then reviewed the reports from the television drama department. The new series was about rural revitalization, and the initial script review feedback was positive. The next step was to proceed with revisions and project approval. The reports from the public relations and artist management departments were also very detailed, with all tasks clearly recorded and no omissions.

“During the Spring Festival, people from various departments reported to me via email. Now, after reviewing the summary again, I have a better understanding of the situation.” Tan Yue put down the document and said to Chen Ye, “Overall, everything is stable, there have been no unexpected situations, and everyone has done a great job.”

“Yes, everyone has put in a lot of effort,” Chen Ye said with a smile. “By the way, Mr. Tan, the latest box office data for Interstellar is out. The global cumulative box office has reached 4.936 billion US dollars. There is still a week before the movie is taken off the screens, and many cinemas are still increasing the number of screenings. It may break 5 billion US dollars.”

Upon hearing the number, Tan Yue's eyes lit up with surprise: "Oh? Even faster than I expected. Fifty billion US dollars is a significant milestone. It would be great if we could break through, but even if we don't, this achievement has already exceeded our expectations. For the company, it's a huge success." "You're right," Chen Ye nodded in agreement. "Currently, audiences both domestically and internationally are giving 'Interstellar' very high praise. Many people are watching it two or three times, and some viewers have even started a hashtag on social media called 'Helping 'Interstellar' reach fifty billion dollars.' It's very popular."

Tan Yue said with a smile, "Gaining the audience's approval is more important than box office numbers. But I still want to thank the audience for their support; without them, there would be no success for 'Interstellar'."

After finishing processing the documents, Tan Yue leaned back in his office chair, closed his eyes, and began to think about this year's work plan.

He took out a piece of white paper and drew out the key tasks for this year, which were mainly divided into three parts: movies, TV series and variety shows, with movies being the top priority.

Regarding film, Tan Yue doesn't have much of a clue yet.

After all, Interstellar is still showing in theaters, and preparations for a new movie have not yet been put on the agenda.

As for the company's films, we need to be able to produce several better works than last year.

Last year, two of the company's films received a good response in the market.

In terms of television dramas, three key series are planned for release this year.

In addition to the rural revitalization-themed drama series currently in preparation, we will also launch an urban drama about technology entrepreneurship and a drama series adapted from a classic science fiction novel.

The television drama department should strengthen cooperation with outstanding screenwriters and directors to improve the quality of dramas. At the same time, it should pay attention to the dissemination on new media platforms and expand the influence of dramas through short videos, live broadcasts and other means.

In terms of variety shows, two new variety shows will be launched this year, building on the existing programs.

One is a science fiction-themed popular science variety show that invites scientists and celebrities as guests to popularize scientific knowledge to the audience through experiments, games and other methods; the other is a music competition variety show that invites musicians from home and abroad to participate and create a high-quality music stage.

Variety show production departments should focus on innovation and avoid homogeneous competition, while strengthening cooperation with advertisers and platforms to enhance the commercial value of their programs.

In addition to these specific projects, we also need to strengthen the company's talent development and team building.

This year, we plan to collaborate with prestigious institutions such as the Beijing Film Academy and the Beijing Academy of Drama to establish the "Brilliant Entertainment Scholarship" to attract more outstanding young talents to join the company. At the same time, we will regularly organize employee training and team-building activities to improve employees' professional skills and team cohesion.

Nearly an hour had passed before we knew it.

Having thought things through, Tan Yue opened his eyes, looked at the sunlight outside the window, and gradually found his direction.

He picked up his phone and sent Chen Ziyu a WeChat message: "Are you done with your work? If you have time, come to my office and we can talk about the ideas for the next movie."

Chen Ziyu quickly replied: "Coming right away."

A few minutes later, Chen Ziyu walked into Tan Yue's office, holding a cup of coffee: "I just finished talking to the public relations department. They said the audience has high expectations for the next project, especially realistic ones. Do you have any ideas?"

Tan Yue took the coffee and handed her a piece of white paper with keywords written on it with a smile: "I have some preliminary ideas, mainly focusing on two directions: reality and family emotions. You see, I want to make a realistic film about 'old houses and new lives' or an emotional story about 'family absence and return.' The core is to tell the real lives of ordinary people so that the audience can see themselves in the film."

Chen Ziyu carefully examined the blank paper and listened to Tan Yue explain the initial outline of the story. His eyes gradually lit up: "I think both directions are excellent! Especially 'Old House and New Life,' which is not only close to current social issues but also incorporates family emotions, making it easy to resonate with the audience. Moreover, there aren't many high-quality realistic films on the market right now. If we can make a work that is both heartwarming and profound, we're sure to gain the audience's approval."

“That’s what I think too,” Tan Yue nodded. “But it’s just a preliminary idea right now. The film department needs to do more detailed research and material collection, and we also need to work with the screenwriter to polish the story.”

Chen Ziyu smiled and said, "Okay, I support you. I'll keep a close eye on things at the company, so you can focus on your creative work. As for the film department, I'll have them prioritize your research on your project. If you need to contact resources or coordinate a team, just let me know. By the way, 'Interstellar' is about to leave theaters. Should we wait until the box office results are out and then refine the ideas for the next film based on audience feedback?"

"Sure, but you won't have to wait too long," Tan Yue said. "Box office success is an affirmation of the past; the next film is the direction for the future."

Chen Ziyu nodded: "Okay, you should let the film department know in advance and ask them to prepare the materials ahead of time."

Watching Chen Ziyu's departing figure, Tan Yue picked up the survey data on the table and flipped through a few more pages of audience comments.

One comment left a deep impression on him: "No matter what Director Tan films, as long as there are 'people' and 'emotions' in the story, I will watch it."

These words were like a reassuring pill, making him even more determined in his direction.

Instead of chasing trendy genres, it's better to delve into the stories of "people" and move the audience with genuine emotions.

The sunlight outside the window grew warmer, and the sounds of keyboards clattering and telephones ringing in the office area remained busy, but with a renewed sense of anticipation for new creations.

In the new year, Tan Yue knows that challenges will still exist, but as long as he stays true to his original intentions of "authenticity" and "emotion," he can create a moving and excellent work no matter what genre he films next. (End of Chapter)