It's reasonable for me, a stuntman, to live a crazy life, right?

Chapter 1365 Lu Chuan's Shamelessness!
"Why do these people who were fine before suddenly get divorced for no apparent reason?"

Seeing all the trending divorce stories online, Liu Yifei leaned against Chen Fei, completely bewildered.

Chen Fei reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, saying softly, "It's normal. Look at Zhou Xun and her ex-husband; they were always photographed holding hands while shopping at the market when they first got married."

But later, one got busy producing and building his career, while the other plunged into filming, and they barely saw each other a few times a year… To put it bluntly, relationships in the industry are most vulnerable to the word 'busy'.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei snuggled closer to him, her voice muffled: "What about us? What if things turn out like this? You're busy every day, and I have my own career too, what if..."

"There's no 'what if'," Chen Fei interrupted her, cupped her face and kissed her. "No matter how busy I am, I'll come home every night, and we don't spend too much time together. There's absolutely no 'what if'!"

Looking at the seriousness in his eyes, Liu Yifei suddenly remembered that even when Chen Fei was away from home, he would video call her back every day. Wasn't that the best sense of security?

"But there are so many temptations in this industry..."

She wanted to say something more, but Chen Fei gently covered her mouth.

"No matter how many temptations there are, none are as important as you. Other people's stories are their own; we have to live our own lives. If we don't even have this much confidence, why did we say 'Thank you, my love' at the awards ceremony?"

Liu Yifei lowered her head and suddenly saw Chen Fei's phone screen saver.

That was a photo of the two of them at the celebration party for "Parasite".

She smiled and made a peace sign, he put his arm around her waist, and the trophies in the background gleamed.

She suddenly laughed and put her arm around Chen Fei's neck: "Then you can't cheat from now on. You can't skip a minute of our daily chat time."

"Yes, my dear wife!" Chen Fei smiled and hugged her back.

No matter how big the storms in the entertainment industry are, as long as the two people are willing to move towards each other, they will never fall apart.

Unfortunately, others simply don't understand this principle.

A couple doesn't necessarily have to be the breadwinner and the homemaker, but their personalities must complement each other for them to be able to stay together.

If both sides are dominant and neither is willing to admit defeat or give in, things will definitely end up in a mess.

……

The divorce between Dong Zijian and Sun Yi did not last long.

The hype lasted only a little over a week before Wang Jinghua's various favors and maneuvering successfully brought the traffic and popularity down.

Netizens' attention has once again turned to the film and television market.

"Tales of the Tang Dynasty" has been scheduled for release; "Raging Storm" and "Echo" have wrapped filming; and "Warriors of Tomorrow" and "New Gods: Yang Jian" are also in production...

The summer movie season is still quite popular.

Meanwhile, as Chen Fei had expected, the news of the young heartthrob going ashore was also suppressed.

The filming of "Man Jiang Hong" is still going smoothly, but unlike when filming first started, there are no rumors flying around.

On August 12, Parasite successfully obtained a key extension, which can be extended to September 12.

After a month-long theatrical run, the film's box office has reached 15 billion yuan, which is quite a pleasant surprise.

The night passed, and it was September 13th.

The crime film "Broken Bridge," starring Ma Sichun, Wang Junkai, and Fan Wei, has been officially released.

The box office on the first day soared quite high, reaching 7601 million.

However, before the box office figures could even warm up on the screen, the Douban rating plummeted from an initial 6.5 to 5.8.

In the comments section, the hashtag #WangJunkaiActingShort ...
"His portrayal of Meng Chao was characterized by droopy eyelids throughout, and he walked with a swaying gait as if he hadn't woken up properly. The gloom of a murderer can't be faked by just pretending to be decadent, okay?"

"This really made me laugh. Both of them are minor characters in crime films, but Fan Wei's profile while smoking exudes ruthlessness, while Wang Junkai's close-up of gripping a razor blade looks like a middle school student throwing a tantrum. The difference is just too big, isn't it?"

"One more terrible movie! What the hell is going on?! Why are so many terrible movies suddenly appearing after the pandemic ended?"

Not only are netizens criticizing it, but professional film critics are also showing no mercy.

Film Weekly directly pointed out: "It is clear that Wang Junkai's performance is still at the level of 'completing the action'."

The director told him to cry, and he squeezed out tears; he told him to be angry, and he bared his teeth, but the despair and struggle deep within Meng Chao's bones were nowhere to be seen in his eyes.

In a video titled "Famous Scenes of Acting Malfunctions" created by a film and television blogger, the clip of Wang Junkai screaming "I want revenge" was played on a loop.

Looking around, the comments section was full of things like "So embarrassing I could dig my toes into the ground" and "I'd rather watch the music video."

However, the backlash from its fans erupted instantly.

The comment control team worked overnight to compile materials showing that "Wang Junkai lost 20 pounds for the role" and "insisted on not using a stunt double despite an ankle injury during filming," attempting to use "dedication" to counter doubts about his acting skills.

In the super topic, the hashtag "Feeling sorry for Wang Junkai" has been viewed over a million times.

Some people posted their movie ticket stubs as proof of "second viewing support," while more radical fans stormed into the comment sections of film critics' Weibo accounts, angrily hurling insults such as "If you're so good, then you do it" and "Deliberately smearing my idol"...

But this offensive and defensive battle quickly showed signs of weakness.

A passerby dug up an early interview with Wang Junkai, in which he once said, "I think acting skills can be learned gradually."

This statement was directly mocked as: "It seems your brother hasn't learned acting skills yet."

There were even fan-made "acting improvement comparison pictures", which netizens discovered were made by using filters to smooth out the stiffness in his expressions.

The number of people who "want to see" on a certain ticketing platform dropped by more than 30,000 overnight!

A cinema manager complained in an industry group: "Daytime screenings are sold out, but the refund rate for evening screenings is almost catching up with the occupancy rate!"

However, the media reports were much more calm.

The entertainment section of the Beijing News analyzed: "Crime dramas demand extremely high explosive power from actors. Wang Junkai has not yet completed the transition from 'idol' to 'actor.' Forcing himself to take on a complex role only exposes his shortcomings."

Southern Weekly went even further, saying: "Fans' control of comments cannot stop the audience's eyes. Box office may be supported by traffic for a while, but the actors themselves will ultimately pay the price for the collapse of reputation."

Even the Sixth Princess joined in the fun, commenting: "Fan Wei's acting is like a scalpel, precisely dissecting the flesh and blood of the character, while Wang Junkai's performance is like a plastic knife, which looks impressive but can't even cut the surface."

While this comment garnered 100,000 likes, Wang Junkai's studio also emphasized in its statement: "The actor is constantly improving!"

However, amidst the flood of negative reviews, such voices were so faint as to be almost nonexistent.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Lu Chuan was watching the finished film of "Bureau 749".

After months of hard work, the special effects for the film were finally completed. However, the visuals fell far short of his expectations.

Those supposedly ferocious and terrifying "beasts" looked like moving plastic models when digitally composited against a green screen...

Although it is better than "Warriors of Future", it will be completely crushed when compared with "The Wandering Earth"!
Lu Chuan's face turned ashen.

Meanwhile, the Japanese visual effects supervisor explained helplessly, "Mr. Lu, our team has done its best. Rendering the fur of these cross-dimensional creatures requires a lot of time and investment..."

"Try your best?" Lu Chuan interrupted him, her voice filled with suppressed anger. "What I want is for the pupils to glow with phosphorescence when absorbing light, not this effect that looks like it's been sprayed with cheap fluorescent powder!"
And that underground explosion scene, the shockwave ripples looked just like ripples on water. Is this what you came up with after three months of hard work?

At this moment, on the screen, the boy played by Wang Junkai is running through the ruins.

The "dimensional rift" behind him should have presented a chaotic sense of distorted spacetime, but at this moment it looked like a spilled purple paint, with obvious cutout marks on the edges.

At that moment, Lu Chuan suddenly recalled how, when the crew was filming in Dunhuang, he was explaining the scene to the actors while facing the desert sunset: "We need to make the audience believe that there are really corners of this world that we don't know about..."

But looking at this scene now, even he can't fool himself.

The visual effects supervisor shrugged upon hearing this: "Mr. Lu, the investment and the effect are directly proportional. The amount of money you used to create the visual effects can only produce this effect. I reminded you of this before."

Lu Chuan clenched her fists instantly, so angry that she almost couldn't catch her breath.

This project, which he had been preparing for five years, was a "Chinese version of a fantasy epic" that he had put his heart and soul into every step of the way, from script polishing to set construction. However, he unexpectedly stumbled on the most crucial aspect: special effects.

Suppressing his anger, he pressed, "How much more money will it cost to fix this?"

"At least an additional 8000 million in budget is needed, and it will probably take about six months."

"..."

Looking out the window at Tokyo Tower, Lu Chuan felt a tightness in her throat.

He wanted to curse and swear, but now he was reaping what he sowed, and he couldn't blame anyone else.

"I'll invest another 30 million yuan in you. You must fix these loopholes before December!"

"Hi!"

The visual effects supervisor nodded slightly, then turned and left.

If we're talking about patching up those obvious loopholes, 3000 million is definitely enough, and there's enough time.

However, it's absolutely impossible to create special effects comparable to those in Hollywood blockbusters.

The door to the room opened and closed again, leaving only the hum of the air conditioner and Lu Chuan's pensive figure in the room.

The inferior beast on the screen continued its attack animation, like a clown mocking his ambition.

He now has to consider one thing: if the movie flops at the box office after its release, how can he salvage his reputation and extricate himself from the controversy?

Just then, a close-up shot of Wang Junkai popped up on the screen.

In an instant, a thought, like a spark in the dark night, suddenly ignited in Lu Chuan's mind!
He recalled Teng Huatao's comment in an interview after "Shanghai Fortress" flopped: "We miscast Lu Han." This instantly absolved him of any blame, and all the criticism was directed at the actor.

"Yeah, why can't it be like this?" he muttered to himself, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

Wang Junkai has a solid fan base, and his fan activity is among the top in the world.

If they start promoting it now, using labels like "Wang Junkai's transformative work" and "a complete image overhaul for the role," and releasing behind-the-scenes footage of his weight loss and injuries, they won't have to worry about attracting attention.

When the movie is released, the initial box office revenue will be supported by fans alone.

What if their reputation collapses...?

A cold smile curled at the corner of Lu Chuan's lips. She could easily point the finger at "popular actors can't carry a big production," or even imply that "using him against all odds was a result of being swayed by the market..."

Thinking of this, he immediately picked up the phone and called the publicity director of the domestic company: "From today onwards, all press releases must highlight Wang Junkai and make his name inextricably linked to 'Bureau 749'."

After the hype surrounding "Broken Bridge" dies down, we'll arrange for him to do several interviews, talking about "the original aspirations of an actor," and then work with fans to create a buzz around the hashtag #LookingForwardToWangJunkai'sBreakthrough.

The publicity director instinctively asked, "What about the plot and special effects...?"

“Just mention it once, the key is the people.” Lu Chuan interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Remember, if the audience criticizes the special effects, they might blame the director; but they can’t blame the actors. They’ll just think it was a casting mistake, understand?”

"Yes, Mr. Lu."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Chuan opened the video again.

Watching Wang Junkai struggle in front of the camera, he suddenly found the young face much more pleasing to the eye.

Just as Teng Huatao leveraged Lu Han's popularity to attract investment, he can also use Wang Junkai's popularity to promote the film first.

As for who will ultimately bear the blame... Lu Chuan leaned back in her chair, staring at the chandelier on the ceiling with a cold smile.

The survival rules in this circle have always been like this:

When a cake is delicious, everyone wants a piece; when a cake goes bad, someone has to step up and be the moldy piece that gets thrown away.

Wang Junkai seems to be the most suitable candidate right now!
He had even planned that if things really came to that, he would say in a heartbroken tone, "I have no problem with the actor, it's just that... he might not be ready yet."

The neon lights outside the window seeped in through the blinds, casting flickering shadows on his face.

Lu Chuan picked up the remote control again and watched Wang Junkai's scenes carefully from beginning to end.

This time, his eyes were no longer on scrutinizing acting skills, but rather on examining a carefully prepared tool that could be sacrificed at any moment!

……

Before we knew it, it was May 19th.

Six days later, the popularity and box office of "Broken Bridge" have both plummeted, and it has even lost all attention.

Meanwhile, moviegoers' attention was entirely focused on "New Gods: Yang Jian," a film co-produced by Alibaba and Light Chaser Animation.

Alibaba Pictures did not prepare a premiere for this film, but instead continuously boosted its popularity, causing it to rise again and again.

Today is the day to see how they perform.

If it can become a blockbuster like "Ne Zha", Alibaba Pictures will definitely become famous!
But if it flops after only a few days of release like "New Gods: Nezha Reborn," then all of Alibaba Pictures' efforts in the field of animated films will have been in vain!

That morning, Chen Fei gathered Jiaozi, Li Yang, and other members of the Feiyue Film and Television animation team, and headed straight to the cinema...

(End of this chapter)