this man is not calm

Chapter 404 Chance Encounter
When it comes to "ghost stories" in the film, television and entertainment circles, we can talk about them for three days and three nights without finishing them. However, now is not the right time. The movie "Legend of White Snake" is about to start screening, so it is not a good time to chat.

The general plot development is similar to that of the TV version of "The Legend of White Snake", except that there are some discrepancies in the details, and the ending does not have a happy ending, and it even leaves the suspense of continuing to shoot a sequel.

The plots of dozens of episodes were cut and diced to retain only the essence, and then after careful polishing, the current theatrical version of "The Legend of White Snake" was created.

Even though it has a prototype based on a folk tale and a TV series version to build popularity, a lot of manpower and resources were spent to make this theatrical movie a success.

The original planned production budget was less than 20 million yuan, but it was later increased again and again, and several powerful investors were attracted. The investment in special effects in the later stage was also much more sufficient, and it was barely completed with more than 80 million yuan. Together with the publicity and promotion expenses, the total cost was about 110 million yuan, which broke the record for domestic film production.

This means that the box office must be close to 300 million to break even, which seems to be an impossible task at the moment.

As for why so many people are rushing to give money, it is closely related to the fact that the TV version of "The Legend of White Snake" is very popular all over the country and is gaining popularity both at home and abroad.

Shortly after the second round of broadcasting ended, the film was introduced to more than 20 countries and regions and received rave reviews.

Nowadays, using movie-level picture quality and real special effects in TV dramas is not only unique, but also quite rare in the world, so it is normal that it is popular.

With huge investment, the producer Changdi Culture will certainly not lose money, but it is hard to say whether the movie can make money.

You should know that there is currently no movie in China that has grossed over 100 million yuan. The early extensive statistics, which relied on simple mobile projection vehicles, open-air movies, and rotating screenings, took a long time, and the so-called 200 to 300 million box office revenue was not convincing at all.

There is no point in worrying about the gimmick of global box office if you can't even conquer your own countrymen, let alone those abroad.

In short, the movie was well made, and Jin Shang didn’t have much experience watching it in his own cinema hall.

After sitting down, Jin Shang turned his head and looked around, and found that there were still a lot of people there, mostly young men and women holding popcorn buckets and carrying milk tea or juice drinks.

Among these people, Jin Shang and Li Xuan are not particularly conspicuous.

As the classic opening song "A Thousand Years of Waiting" sounded, the people who were originally making a lot of noise stopped talking and all looked at the big screen in front of them.

His girlfriend Li Xuan whispered teasingly in Jin Shang's ear:
"I've heard from many people that in order to release the original soundtrack, the producers made a TV series, and as if that wasn't enough, they added a movie to make more money."

"This is slander. Do you believe the nonsense of someone who has lost his mind due to jealousy?"

Young Master Jin refuted righteously,
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who has nothing to do? I specially made a pot of dumplings just for this dish of vinegar? One meal is not enough, and I want another one?"

"It's hard to say! TV dramas have trouble getting paid, and film and television dramas have a long settlement cycle. If you look at the production costs, it doesn't look like they'll make a lot of money. But it's clear at a glance how many discs you sell. You get what you get, the risk is controllable, and you don't have to share the money with others."

"You know too much, just watch the movie!"

Jin Shang finished his muttering unhappily.

It's not just the soundtrack, videotapes, DVDs, novels, peripheral toys, image licensing, etc., they all cost money!

The production cost of film and television dramas is quite high, but the various advertising sponsors are also very strong. When you think about it, it’s not too bad. If you include the peripheral products, there will definitely be profit. If you consider the increased value of IP, then you will make a lot of money.

In addition, the goodwill of Jinxi Culture and Changdi Culture will also benefit greatly.

The two-and-a-half-hour movie "The Legend of White Snake" has a very compact plot, but it doesn't seem rushed. Once you immerse yourself in it, it will feel like it's over very quickly.

As the ending theme "Du Qing" draws to a close, the credits roll and the lights in the hall light up, prompting the audience to leave.

Li Xuan took off her 3D glasses, rubbed her forehead which was a little uncomfortable and said:
"It feels pretty good, but these special glasses are a bit troublesome. Can't we do naked-eye 3D?"

"At least it's a little difficult now, and I feel a little dizzy after watching it too much."

There was a lot of noise all around, and people were discussing the plot. Jin Shang and Li Xuan followed the crowd out of the theater.

It was a little past nine o'clock and it was getting a little cool outside. The breeze made my slightly hot cheeks feel a lot more comfortable.

"Go home, or go for a walk around the neighborhood?"

Li Xuan tilted her head and thought for a while before answering:
"Let's go to the nearby park?"

"There are too many mosquitoes at this time. Let's find a quiet bar to sit in."

He shook his head slightly. At this time, the bar was very busy and he didn't like the noise.

"By the way, didn't Jinxi Video acquire a bookstore after it went public? Let's go and take a look..."

Looking at the time, Jin Shang nodded reluctantly.

"It's not closed yet, but it will be soon. You can go and take a look."

They set off as soon as they said they would. They drove to the city center and arrived there in just over ten minutes.

Wuwai Bookstore is a boutique bookstore that does not rely entirely on size, but has expanded in several major cities in China, with only one or two stores in each hot spot. It mainly targets petty white-collar workers, urban beauties, and popular fashion markets, and also has a good market share in children's early childhood education.

Although it follows the upper-middle class route, it still has advantages in cultivating young authors, attracting book fans and maintaining its own characteristics. It is an emerging publishing and media group that is not particularly large in scale but has considerable influence, and its upward momentum is very obvious.

It was acquired by Jinxi Video, which supplemented its store network and increased its market share. More importantly, although Wuwai Bookstore and Jinxi Video are in the same industry, they are actually in a misaligned competitive relationship. The former focuses on the young and middle-aged cultural market and is still very prestigious in the writer circle, while the latter's core competitiveness is light novels, comics, picture books, etc., which are more inclined towards young students.

The business scope of the two companies is complementary, and the capital market is very optimistic about this acquisition and integration. The stock price has risen and the market has given sufficient positive feedback.

When Li Xuan and Jin Shang arrived, surprisingly, the shop was not as deserted as it would have been if it was about to close. There were quite a few people inside, with the queue stretching out the door. Many book lovers were waiting anxiously.

After asking around for a while, I found out that there was a book signing event tonight, and it would not last for one day, but for a week.

"In terms of appeal to book fans, music fans and movie fans, Wuwai Bookstore is really strong, and Jinxi Video also has a special place in the hearts of comic fans."

All I can say is that it’s worth buying at a premium!

This is not surprising. Jinxi Video's bookstore, comics, light novels and videotape rental and sales outlets were spun off from the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It was originally an ancillary industry derived from animated films and aimed at teenagers. Although it also has sections such as serious literature and popular literature, it is still far from the Wuwai Bookstore that specializes in these projects.

After separating from the book-chasing fans, the two entered the bookstore and looked around. It was a little different from Huixin Bookstore. It had a much more mature layout and different furnishings. The first thing that caught their eyes was not best-selling works such as light novels and comics, but novels that have been very popular in recent years and have an excellent reputation.

Among them, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is on the list. Going further, in the poetry section, Jin Shang's personal poetry collections "Honjishu" and "Manyoshu" are prominently listed.

Being ranked at the front means that sales and reputation are both good.

Although he could receive eight-digit royalties every month, Jin Shang didn't really care about it. As long as the TV series and movies continued to be filmed and popular, as the original author, he would receive benefits.

Although there were many people in the bookstore, it didn't seem noisy, which was different from Huixin Bookstore where there were more children. While strolling around, Jin Shang was patted on the shoulder. He turned around and unexpectedly saw a face he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Oh, you don't remember me?"

"My memory isn't that bad, Lu Liao, long time no see!"

"It's been two years since we last met."

Although we occasionally leave a few messages on the Internet, we don't have a very deep friendship.

To be honest, Jin Shang didn't admire the poor student who was always complaining about everything in the past two years, but now, he seems to be in some decent shape.

"What are you doing here, traveling? In the middle of the night..."

Lu Liao spread his hands:

"I knew you never cared about me. It seems that you are more arrogant and conceited than I am."

"It's not that exaggerated. I'm just too busy with these things and don't have time to care about trivial matters. I obviously don't like socializing, but I have to show up. It's also the sophistication of adults, right?"

"Is it troublesome? Is there anything you can help me with? I can't do anything too difficult, but it shouldn't be a problem to support you and help with publicity."

"Oh? It seems like you've become very popular recently..."

“I’m a famous writer now, okay?”

As he spoke, Lu Liao raised the book in his hand. The big words "Sui Hui Ji" were particularly obvious.
"I've been busy signing books for over an hour tonight, and my hands are almost numb. I'm going to the bathroom on the pretext of taking a break."

"So it's you. I was saying... with so many people here, it looks like you've really made it. You don't have to argue with kids anymore."

"In your mind, am I just an ignorant guy who gets angry with a child?"

Lu Liao said unhappily,

"But I'm still far inferior to you. No one mentions Bei Jin and Nan Lu anymore. You've made it onto the rich list, while I'm still signing books, and it's not even my own show. I'm with three other colleagues..."

"After all this time, these book fans aren't all coming for you!"

With a slightly red face, Lu Liao said awkwardly:

"I'm definitely the main person to carry the load, and the others are just supporting roles! The book dealer's agent wants someone to mentor the newcomers..."

"Okay, I didn't say I don't believe it!"

Patting his gradually growing shoulders, Jin Shang suppressed his smile and said,
"Your eyes are full of money now, but you are still a cultured person, and you won't brag about such a small thing. So, is your book "Shukaishu" inspired by my "Honjishu" and "Manyoshu"? "

"Yours is a collection of poems, mine is a collection of poems, prose and essays, it sells pretty well, but it's a lot lower than yours."

The fine fuzzy beard on the corners of his mouth was much denser than two years ago, and he looked a little more manly. Lv Liaoshang said calmly and self-deprecatingly,
"I used to be very dissatisfied with your twisted theories, but in the past two years, I have gradually felt that I am unable to cope with them. It was OK to rely on my cleverness to get into the circle of middle school writers, but once I tried to break through the existing labels and expand into the fields of popular literature and mass literature, I felt that my previous self was indeed too shallow."

"Young man, it shows that you have grown up!"

"I'm the same age as you, so don't talk like an old man."

As he spoke, Lu Liao looked at Li Xuan, who was reading a book by the bookshelf, leaving space for her boyfriend to chat with an acquaintance they met unexpectedly.

"Your girlfriend?"

"fiancée!"

"Oh my! It really is..."

The romanticism of intellectuals is well-known, and the general public has a high tolerance for this group. They are talented and romantic. If they are not romantic, what kind of talent are they?
"Don't get me wrong, I don't mean anything else. I just feel a little uncomfortable seeing people my age talking about marriage."

It feels like it hasn’t been long since I left school and haven’t had enough fun, but I’m about to get married and have kids, and worry about the daily necessities of life. It seems unreal.

The two were chatting when it seemed that some book fans around recognized Lu Liao and were looking over here. The staff also realized something and were rushing over here.

"When are you not busy and want to get together?"

"It's hard to say. I'm going to Southeast Asia for vacation soon. Let me know when you're free. I'll go take a look when I'm free. I'm quite curious about the ecological circle among young intellectuals. Is there jealousy, sarcasm, or even fighting?"

"If you want it, you can have it. I'll arrange it for you."

"No thanks! By the way, you signed a contract with Wuwai Bookstore, right? I bought it and it's going through the process. It will be announced soon. You...just work hard for me! I won't say much, they are looking for you to work..."

"Really? That's true, let me..."

Jin Shang didn't hear the adjective at the end clearly, but he saw Lu Liao, who was walking away, turned back and gave him the middle finger.

Seeing this, Li Xuan came over and said with a smile:
"It's rare to see you talking to people of your age in such a disrespectful way. Do you think this Lü Liao is pretty good? I think he has a lot of bad habits..."

"There aren't that many pure and upright gentlemen. This Lü Liao is a young man who is talented, shrewd, and calculating, but he's not a bad person. It's precisely because his family is well-off that he didn't have to be exposed to the dark side of the world early on, so he has a bit of scholarly spirit."

He may not be able to uphold minor principles, but he has done his best in major ones, so he is an interesting young man.

To be honest, after knowing that Jin Shang was a billionaire, he was still able to greet and chat with him normally, which is enough to prove that this person is still a bit of a nobody.

"Is this what you mean by a pure heart that needs a wall of material things to protect it?"

"Only when material needs are basically met can people consider spiritual nourishment. It is always said that children from poor families become independent early, but no one ever asks whether those children want to become independent so early..."

Jin Shang never underestimates the power of material conditions, but he also does not overestimate the value of so-called tempering.

I was born into a wealthy family in this life. I was not so lucky in my previous life. I was not too poor, and I did not suffer any hardship when I was a child. I had no worries about food and clothing. However, in the environment I grew up in, I saw many people and things that left a deep impression on me.

The simplicity of the villagers is only relative. It is difficult for any golden phoenix to fly out from the poor mountains and bad waters, but there are many unruly people.

After living two lives, Jin Shang felt more and more that those people actually didn't have too many problems, and that seemingly childish sentence actually inadvertently pointed out the essence of the matter.

It's not people who are wrong. What can the ignorant masses do wrong? It's this world that is wrong!
(End of this chapter)