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

Chapter 1387 New Projects Brought About by the Australian Bid ~

"The producers of the film 'Bureau 749' have announced that the film will be removed from streaming platforms due to suspected illegal activities, and its release will be postponed to another date."

"After one week of release, '749 Bureau' has grossed a total of 2.85 million yuan, and Lu Chuan's new film has once again been met with a lukewarm reception."

"With the Spring Festival film season in full swing, 'Man Jiang Hong' and 'The Wandering Earth' are locked in a box office battle. Let's wait and see who wins and who loses."

……

On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, the sound of keyboards gradually filled the office buildings as workers and laborers returned to their posts, still feeling the post-holiday languor.

However, the popularity of the Spring Festival film season has not diminished at all. On the contrary, the box office tug-of-war between "The Wandering Earth 2" and "Man Jiang Hong" has made it even more exciting.

The news of "749 Bureau" being taken down only stayed on the trending search list for half a day.

Although the comments section was filled with complaints like "It's great to see this happen" and "It should have been taken down long ago," this wave of public opinion was quickly overshadowed by new excitement.

After all, people are more interested in a good show of "two heroes vying for supremacy" than a completely floppy movie.

Ticketing apps show that "The Wandering Earth 2" and "Man Jiang Hong" still occupy the top two spots in terms of screenings, with prime-time slots selling out instantly.

Many people are still debating online: which is more poignant, the "space elevator" or "the whole army reciting Man Jiang Hong"?

Someone posted a picture of their ticket stub from watching "The Wandering Earth 2" for the second time, saying they finally saw the details of the lunar engine explosion.

Some people even held screenshots of lines from "Man Jiang Hong," pondering how many foreshadowing elements were hidden in the final Henan opera background music.

Even "Boonie Bears" is still steadily reaping box office profits.

Many parents took advantage of the weekend to bring their children to see the movie, and a significant portion of their social media posts featured photos of their kids watching the film.

As for "Nameless" and "Deep Sea," although they didn't make it to the front row, they maintained their attendance rate thanks to their stable reputation, becoming "second-time viewing options" for many people.

Ultimately, the removal of "Bureau 749" from streaming platforms was like throwing a small pebble into a boiling pot; it only caused a few ripples of discussion, without even affecting the water temperature.

The success of the Spring Festival film season has always relied on good films.

The departure of a bad movie actually allows audiences to focus more on paying for truly excellent films.

After all, for most people, it's more interesting to agonize over whether to watch "The Wandering Earth 2" for the second time or "Man Jiang Hong" for the third time tonight than to criticize a bad movie that has been taken down from theaters.

……

At this moment, in the Feiyue Film and Television office, Chen Fei, after reading the latest news online, picked up his phone and dialed the head of the company's public relations department.

"Let's put a halt to all the actions I told you before, those actions against Lu Chuan and Bureau 749."

He leaned back in his chair, his tone relaxed and cheerful.

The manager on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then replied, "Okay, Mr. Chen, I'll arrange it right away."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Fei picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.

Actually, he played a big role in helping netizens attack Lu Chuan recently.

Just like Li Yunlong's attack on Ping'an County in "Bright Sword", no matter who takes the lead, you should always help those in need.

He merely had the public relations department quietly release some old material about Lu Chuan's early bad movies, and guided a few comments on the idea that "don't blame the actors for bad movies." It wasn't particularly deliberate, but it did add fuel to the fire for Lu Chuan.

He just didn't expect Tencent Video to be so ruthless, directly presenting solid evidence of illegality and sending the person to jail.

"Now, things have finally calmed down completely," Chen Fei scoffed.

Previously, because Lu Chuan had the backing of people in the Beijing elite circle, many people tried to take him down but failed. But this time is different.

No matter how strong your connections are, you can't turn black into white if you've done something illegal!

The film industry is a murky place, but if you really cross the line and break the law, no one can protect you.

Just like the two kings of Huayi and Song Ge of Jingxi, they will all have to go to jail if something happens to them.

Ultimately, Lu Chuan's current predicament was of his own making.

If he had focused on making good movies, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Just then, there was a sudden knock on the office door.

"Come in," Chen Fei replied, looking up at the doorway.

The door was pushed open, and Shen Ao poked his head in, clutching a thick folder in his hand, a slightly restrained smile on his face.

"Director Chen, are you free right now?" Shen Ao walked to the desk and rubbed his hands together.

Chen Fei pointed to the chair opposite him: "Sit down, is there something you need?"

"I...I've written a script and would like you to take a look." Shen Ao handed over the folder, his voice filled with anticipation. "I've been polishing it for a while, but I still feel a bit unsure and would like to hear your opinion."

Chen Fei took the folder, his fingertips just touching the cover when his gaze paused.

Because four characters were clearly written in pen on the document cover:
"put all one's eggs in one basket"!
He raised an eyebrow, not in a hurry to open it, and looked up at Shen Ao: "What's the subject matter?"

"Fighting fraud." Shen Ao sat up straight and spoke faster. "When I was filming 'Sicario 2' last year, I heard a lot of real cases of overseas telecom fraud parks abroad, and I found this issue particularly poignant."

Some people were swindled out of their families, while others were coerced into becoming accomplices. The human struggles involved are incredibly complex, so I wanted to film these stories, both as a warning and to let more people know the cruelty behind it all.

Chen Fei didn't speak, but opened the script to the title page and glanced at the character biographies:
The programmer who was tricked into coming to the park, the girl who was forced to participate in the fraud, the cold-blooded fraud gang leader, the police officer who followed the clues... all the characters are very well-developed, and the synopsis alone reveals a sharp edge of reality.

Memories of his past life flooded back, and he lightly tapped the words "all or nothing" with his fingertips, a strange sense of anticipation rising in his heart.

There have been quite a few realistic dramas in the past two years, but not many dare to directly depict telecom fraud.

Especially considering the sensitive and dangerous subject of overseas industrial parks, Shen Ao is certainly quite bold.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Fei closed the script, looked up at Shen Ao and said, "The script is pretty good, it has a realistic feel. I'll take some time to help you refine the details, and then send it for review to see what the higher-ups think."

He paused, then added, "If we can film it and things go smoothly, you can take the lead in the subsequent preparations, and the company will provide you with a team."

Shen Ao's eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly: "Oh! Thank you, Director Chen! I'll go back and go over the details again, and wait for your reply!"

As he spoke, he stood up, his steps becoming lighter, and gently closed the door as he left.

The office returned to silence.

Chen Fei moved the script for "All or Nothing" closer to the table and casually pushed aside the thick "Three-Body Problem" adaptation proposal next to it.

I was planning to delve into the world-building of The Three-Body Problem today, but this anti-fraud theme has already piqued my interest.

He reopened the script, this time scrutinizing it carefully, occasionally jotting notes in the margins: "The internal hierarchy of the park could be more detailed to create a more realistic and oppressive atmosphere," "The pace of the programmer's psychological transformation after being scammed is a bit too fast; more build-up is needed," "The police storyline could benefit from more details of their intellectual battles with the fraud gang to enhance tension"...

The more he looked at it, the more valuable he felt the subject matter was.

Compared to unrealistic urban dramas, stories rooted in real cases are more likely to resonate with audiences.

However, overseas telecom fraud involves a lot of sensitive content, so it will probably take some effort to submit it for review.

Chen Fei rubbed his temples, already planning which points to emphasize when submitting the application for review:
Emphasizing the anti-fraud warning message, downplaying overly gory and violent descriptions, and focusing on "human redemption" and "the pursuit of justice" might be more effective...

Meanwhile, while he was busy working on the script for "All or Nothing," Dong Ping was sitting in Huanxi Media's office, staring at the real-time box office data for the Spring Festival season on his computer screen, his brows furrowed in worry.

On the screen, "The Wandering Earth 2" has grossed over 30 billion yuan, 5 million yuan more than "Man Jiang Hong", and its screening share has always been firmly ahead.

Although the company's stock price has risen by nearly 20% recently thanks to the movie's popularity, and the shareholders are all smiling, he still can't suppress his dissatisfaction.

He originally hoped that "Man Jiang Hong" could become the box office champion during the Spring Festival, but now it seems that this goal is still far from being achieved.

"Their reputation is just as good, so why can't they catch up?"

He tapped his fingertips on the table, his eyes filled with resentment.

The humor, plot twists, and patriotism of "Man Jiang Hong" clearly resonated with many viewers, and the clips of the entire army reciting it became a hot topic on short video platforms. However, it was overshadowed by "The Wandering Earth 2" at the box office, and he really couldn't swallow this bitter pill.

After staring at the data for a long time, a bold idea suddenly popped into his mind, pricking him like a thorn.

Since we can't catch up in a normal competition, could we... use some "skillful tactics"?
He raised his hand and rubbed his chin, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

He had witnessed firsthand the immense power of public opinion when "Bureau 749" backfired.

The reputation of "The Wandering Earth 2" is so strong that it's hard to find fault with it directly. But what if we could subtly stir things up and make the audience have some doubts about its "perfection"?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he was stunned for a moment before he was overcome with excitement.

He picked up his phone, found the contact information for the head of the public relations team, but his fingertip hovered over the dial button, hesitating to press it.

This move is extremely dangerous, but if it succeeds, "Man Jiang Hong" might be able to take the opportunity to overtake the competition.

But if it doesn't work... there doesn't seem to be much risk?
The sunlight streaming in through the window fell on his face, half bright and half dark, much like his wavering thoughts at that moment.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth and suppressed his hesitation with his unwillingness.

"Damn it, bottoms up!"

He pressed his fingertip firmly on the dial button, and the call was quickly connected.

“It’s me,” he said in a lower voice, “I have something to arrange for you.”

The public relations manager quickly replied, "President Dong, please speak."

“Keep an eye on 'The Wandering Earth 2',” Dong Ping said, tapping his fingers on the table. “From now on, have people go to various platforms and nitpick. Don’t do anything obviously biased; be ‘objective,’ understand?”

He paused, then emphasized: "For example, criticizing a particular special effects shot for not being perfect, or making a fuss about the scientific settings in the plot, saying that it does not conform to the logic of reality, or stirring up rumors that the viewing threshold is too high and that ordinary viewers cannot understand it."

Remember, don't make a big fuss. Just let these voices circulate, enough to make some of the wavering viewers have second thoughts.

The supervisor paused for a moment, then realized what he meant: "I understand. We'll find some film review accounts and casual accounts to post it, and do it discreetly."

“Hmm,” Dong Ping responded, then added, “Don’t do stupid things like inflating box office numbers or organizing midnight screenings. Feiyue Film and Television has very sharp eyes, and Chen Fei is a stickler for details. The examples of ‘Monster Hunt 2’ and Edko Films from a few years ago are right there. Anyone who touches them will be unlucky. We’ll use this method to slowly wear down its reputation advantage.”

"Okay, Mr. Dong."

After hanging up the phone, Dong Ping leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

He knew this wasn't exactly a fair and square move, but seeing "The Wandering Earth 2" leading the pack, he simply couldn't resist.

What does this little trick matter as long as it allows "Man Jiang Hong" to surpass it?
……

Before we knew it, it was February.

Several new messages have once again topped the trending searches!

"The drama film 'The Octagonal Cage,' produced by Feiyue Films, directed and starring Wang Baoqiang, and co-starring Chen Yongsheng, Shi Pengyuan, Wang Xun, and Zhang Jingyi, has officially ended its theatrical run, with a cumulative box office of 25.36 billion yuan."

"The Hollywood import 'Avatar 2: The Way of Water' has been taken off the screens, with a cumulative box office of 17.44 billion yuan."

"The nominations for the 95th Academy Awards have been announced. Congratulations to 'Parasite' for being nominated for six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Foreign Language Film!"

When this last piece of news came out, the entire internet exploded with trending topics!

No one expected that "Parasite," a domestic film, would become the first Chinese-language film in Oscar history to be nominated for Best Picture!

This is not just a simple "nomination," but the first time that a Chinese-language film has truly knocked on the door of the most core award of the Oscars, which is of paramount importance.

In an instant, hashtags such as #ParasiteSixOscarNominations# and #ChineseFilmBestBestFilmAtTheOscars# shot to the top of the trending topics list at lightning speed.

The number of views exceeded 1 million in just half an hour!
Film directors and actors alike shared their congratulations, while ordinary viewers flooded the comments section with excited messages.
"Finally! It didn't rely on exotic scenery or novelty to break in; it broke in with its story and expression!"

"This nomination is much more meaningful than winning a technical award; it's recognition of Chinese-language film creation!"

"Can we win an award? It would make us look good!"

In comparison, the news of "The Octagon" and "Avatar 2" being taken off the screens, which were also trending on social media, suddenly seemed much less impressive.

The former's box office performance of 25.36 billion yuan would normally be enough to make the market cheer, but now netizens are joking that "today it can only be a background figure".

The latter, as a Hollywood visual effects blockbuster, had a respectable box office of 17.44 billion yuan, but in the face of the news that "Parasite" was nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture, it was even silenced in terms of discussion.

The front pages of major media outlets were completely dominated by "Parasite," with articles analyzing everything from the film's scriptwriting and directing style to how it portrays local stories while resonating globally.

Some people dug up news of the creative team receiving an award in Cannes and were filled with emotion.

Everyone initially thought the Palme d'Or was the end, but no one expected it to continue.

Some people have started to review the past attempts of Chinese-language films to win Oscars, and feel that this breakthrough was hard-won.

The entire internet was immersed in this excitement, as if everyone was cheering for this long-awaited recognition.

After all, compared to the box office performance of a single film, the nomination of "Parasite" is more like a shot in the arm for the entire Chinese-language film industry.

It turns out our story really can be seen by the whole world! And it can resonate with audiences all over the world!

(End of this chapter)