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

Chapter 1396 iQiyi's "Poison"

When I landed in Los Angeles, it was morning local time.

Sunlight streamed through the car window onto the asphalt road, casting a warm glow.

The car drove from the airport to Beverly Hills, passing by scattered palm trees and villas of various styles.

Chen Fei leaned back in his chair, scrolling through domestic news. As he swiped, he suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on an entertainment news item.

"Feng Xiaogang's suspense drama 'Echo' officially launches on iQiyi today!"

He clicked in and glanced at the synopsis, which described the plot as mainly revolving around a murder case, which then led to the female protagonist's marital and workplace entanglements...

The article also included several stills from the show, with a cool color tone that conveyed the tension common in suspense dramas.

There's already a lot of discussion in the comments section, but since it's only just been released, there haven't been any negative or positive reviews yet. Most netizens are wondering if this web series he made can maintain its success.

Chen Fei felt a strange sense of anticipation.

With the popularity of "Hunter's Guide to Crime" soaring these days, the release of "Echoes" will inevitably lead to comparisons.

It's hard to say which of these two web series, released at the same time, will come out on top.
As I was looking, the car suddenly turned a corner, and the iconic iron gate of Beverly Hills gradually came into view.

Chen Fei put his phone back in his pocket, temporarily putting aside the latest news about domestic TV dramas.

Right now, the priority should be taking care of the Oscar trip. It's just a web series competition; if it weren't for Feng Xiaogang's name being involved, it wouldn't be worth his attention at all.

Several cars drove along the winding road and soon arrived in front of a villa.

The black, ornate iron gate slowly opened, revealing the scene inside.

The lawn was neatly trimmed, and the central fountain's water jets refracted the sunlight into shimmering patterns.

From the front, the main house is a light beige European-style building with a large terrace and floor-to-ceiling windows, which looks particularly grand.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Han Jianu was the first to push open the car door and jump out. She looked up at the house and exclaimed, "My God, this villa is huge! Senior brother, how much did this cost?"

As soon as she said that, everyone who had just gotten out of the car turned to look at Chen Fei.

Little Stone, led by Liu Yifei, also curiously stared at the house with wide eyes, and even tugged at his mother's clothes with his little hand.

Chen Fei smiled and casually replied, "Not much. I bought it a few years ago during the pandemic for $3 million. It covers an area of ​​9300 square meters and includes a small garden and a swimming pool."

“3 million… US dollars?” Han Jianu repeated subconsciously, then did the math. “At this year’s exchange rate, isn’t that more than 20 billion RMB?”

As soon as he said that, the surroundings fell silent, and several people couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

Zhao Jinmai leaned closer to Peng Yuchang and whispered, "Our boss is really rich..."

Peng Yuchang glanced at her, his tone nonchalant: "What's this to Director Chen? Have you forgotten? He just spent over 120 billion yuan to buy shares in Wanda Films recently, this villa is just a place to stay."

Zhang Jingyi stood quietly to the side, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards Liu Yifei with a hint of barely perceptible envy.

She was bending down to straighten Xiao Shitou's collar, which had been ruffled by the wind. Her profile looked gentle and composed in the sunlight, as if living in such a house was the most ordinary thing in the world.

Chen Fei, standing next to him, had his hands in his pockets, exuding the air of a successful person.

Watching this scene, Zhang Jingyi couldn't help but secretly ponder it.

If I could find a husband like that in the future, who is both capable and caring, I would probably wake up laughing in my dreams.

"Alright, stop standing here and come inside." Chen Fei clapped his hands, interrupting everyone's murmurs. "The rooms are all ready. Han Jianu, take the room cards and distribute them to everyone. Put your luggage down and rest for a while. I've ordered food for dinner, so we'll eat at home."

Everyone then came to their senses and followed him into the house.

When I opened the door, I saw the high ceilings of the living room and the paintings hanging on the walls, and I couldn't help but sigh inwardly!
This is no "place to stay" at all; it's clearly a small estate!

……

After lunch, everyone strolled around the villa in the afternoon.

The Los Angeles sun was so warm it made everyone sleepy, so they all went back to their rooms to adjust to the time difference and prepare for the awards ceremony a few days later.

Meanwhile, in China, the first-day performance report of Feng Xiaogang's new web series "Echo" has been released.

In the office of Dongyang Meila Company, the secretary stood in front of the desk with a tablet in hand, her voice tinged with caution:

"Director Feng, the data for the first day of the release of 'Echo' is out. The highest popularity on iQiyi was 6800, not even 10,000. The total number of effective views across the entire network was just over 5 million, ranking 8th among web dramas released at the same time. The Douban score was only 6.2 at the beginning and is still dropping. It has now reached 6.0."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaogang paused, his hand holding the teacup still, and his brows furrowed instantly: "That's all?"

He put down his teacup, his face grim. "6 points? How could it be so bad? When I watched the film, I thought the pacing and acting were alright!"

The secretary didn't dare to reply, but simply handed over the tablet.

Feng Xiaogang grabbed it, opened the Douban page, and found that almost half of the short reviews were negative:
"The suspense plot is poorly written. The investigation suddenly cuts to a couple arguing, leaving the reader confused. The pacing is just too chaotic."

"Song Jia's acting was alright, but the character was too conflicted. She was a police officer while also struggling with her husband's infidelity, which made her character unconvincing. Wang Yang's character was just a tool, only serving to cause trouble."

"Feng Kuzi's movie-making style doesn't work in web series! The camera is slow and the dialogue is pretentious. I watched three episodes and still didn't understand what he was trying to say."

"The costumes and props are also unrealistic. The police station office is cleaner than home. The investigation is like playing house. There is no sense of reality at all."

"This show is a waste; it's not much different from 'North and South'."

Feng Xiaogang scrolled down somewhat skeptically, but after flipping through more than a dozen comments, he found very few positive reviews.

Even if there are some, most of them are just reluctant reviews like "I watched it for the actors, I'll just have to put up with the plot."

Staring at the screen, his fingers unconsciously tightened around the tablet, feeling a tightness and suffocation in his chest.

He thought that with his reputation and the lineup of Song Jia and Wang Yang, he could easily get more than 7 points, but he didn't expect to stumble on the first day.

"Let's go check the audience feedback on the platform again," he said in a low voice, his tone tinged with reluctance.

The secretary quickly went to check, and returned even more embarrassed: "The comments section on the platform is also full of people saying 'I've given up on the show,' and some people are comparing it to 'The Crime Hunter,' saying that they are both suspense shows, so why is there such a big difference?"

"..."

Feng Xiaogang leaned back in his chair and involuntarily closed his eyes.

He truly hadn't expected this outcome!

The script was meticulously revised during filming, so how did it become "chaotic pacing" and "character breakdown" in the eyes of the audience?
He rubbed his temples, suddenly wondering if he was really getting old and completely out of touch with the tastes of today's audience. While Feng Xiaogang was stunned by the negative reviews, in the iQiyi office, Gong Yu stared at the backend data of "Echo," her face even more unpleasant than Feng Xiaogang's.

He slammed the tablet down on the table and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "What is this junk?"

The vice president next to him quickly handed him a cup of tea, but didn't dare to say anything.

Gong Yu pinched her brow, getting angrier the more she thought about it: "Two web dramas I've worked with in a row have received worse reviews than the last one. The last one barely made it to 6.5 points thanks to the actors, but this one is going straight below 6 points. This is going to break my mentality!"

He paused, his tone tinged with confusion: "Did he completely lose his mind after Huayi Brothers went bankrupt? Where did that drive he had when he was making 'Assembly' and 'Aftershock'? How come his directing skills have deteriorated to this extent now?"

The vice president hesitated for a moment, then whispered his analysis: "Could it be... that he's really getting old? Audiences' tastes have changed rapidly in recent years, especially suspense dramas. New dramas like 'Hunter's Guide to Crime' and 'The Beginning' are all leaning towards 'fast-paced and highly logical'. Director Feng is still using the old-fashioned narrative style, which may really be out of touch with the times."

"Old?" Gong Yu snorted and waved his hand irritably. "Forget it, whether he's old or not, his market potential has already been almost completely exploited."

After "Echo" aired, we completely severed ties with him; iQiyi will never collaborate with him on web dramas again.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the head of the film business asked somewhat awkwardly, "Mr. Gong, what about 'If You Are the One 3'? Will we continue to cooperate?"

Gong Yu frowned, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said, "The money's already been invested, what else can we do? Let's see how it goes."

He still harbored a sliver of hope at that moment.

After all, it's a reboot of an old IP, and the story is said to revolve around popular topics like "midlife marital reconciliation." Ge You, Shu Qi, and other original cast members have also returned to participate. How could it possibly flop as badly as the web series?
"Remember, keep a close eye on things later on, and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Gong Yu gave the instructions verbally, but secretly began to ponder them in his heart.

If "If You Are the One 3" also fails, then Feng Xiaogang will truly become "poison" to him.

At the same time, this once-renowned Chinese director will probably have to say goodbye to the film industry for the rest of his life!

……

On the eve of the Oscars, Chen Fei took some time to drive to Walton Pictures.

He parked his car downstairs at the company and looked up at the familiar glass-walled building, feeling a pang of nostalgia.

He has been developing his career in the country for the past few years and has come here much less often.

When he pushed open the door, he could clearly feel that the building was much quieter than when he came a few years ago.

The interior furnishings haven't changed much; the marble countertop at the reception desk is still so shiny it reflects light, and the movie posters hanging on the corridor walls are still those of the blockbuster films from recent years...

There were far fewer employees coming and going, especially female employees; you could hardly see any at a glance.

Chen Fei wasn't too surprised by this.

After all, feminist sentiment has been growing stronger abroad in recent years, and many companies are becoming increasingly cautious about hiring female employees for fear of getting into gender-related disputes. Walton Pictures is no exception.

He took the elevator to the top floor and walked all the way to Natasha's office area.

From afar, he could see the door was ajar, clearly someone was waiting for him.

Chen Fei stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

Natasha was sitting behind her desk flipping through documents when she saw him come in. She immediately stood up with a smile and said, "Fei, you've finally arrived. I thought you were going to wait until the awards ceremony to show up."

"Haha, how could that be..."

The two exchanged a few brief pleasantries.

After taking his seat, Chen Fei cut to the chase and asked directly, "Is the public relations for 'Parasite' all arranged?"

Natasha smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, everything is in place. We sent the sample film and gifts to the academy judges according to procedure, and also organized several small-scale screenings. The feedback was much better than expected."

With a hint of certainty in her eyes, she said, "Several judges told me privately that this film portrays class conflict so thoroughly without being overly sentimental, and the cinematography is particularly tasteful."

Their exact words were, "We haven't seen such a powerful Asian film in recent years," so this film has a really high chance of winning a major award.

Chen Fei breathed a sigh of relief; the purpose of his trip had finally been achieved.

He leaned back in his chair and smiled: "That's good. It's good to be recognized."

Natasha raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you curious how many awards we can win? We've basically secured Best International Feature Film, and I think we have a fighting chance at Best Picture."

"We'll know tomorrow." Chen Fei didn't speculate further, only saying, "Remember to come with us then, we'll wait for the results at the scene."

The international distribution of "Parasite" was handled by Walton Pictures.

If this movie can win an Oscar, it will definitely make a profit!
Afterwards, Chen Fei didn't leave immediately. Instead, he leaned back on the sofa and asked about Walton Pictures' business situation this year.

Upon hearing this, Natasha's eyes lit up immediately, and her tone was filled with undisguised pride: "Thanks to Avatar: The Way of Water, the company's performance this year is excellent!"

She pulled out the box office data from the tablet and handed it over: "This film may not be a top-grossing film in your country, but it's been incredibly successful in the global market."

After 76 days in theaters, the global box office has already reached $23 billion! It alone will secure the company's revenue for the first half of the year.

In addition, the company's library of classic films is generating revenue through licensing and re-releases. Currently, among the five major Hollywood studios, our profitability is consistently the highest.

Chen Fei looked at the constantly changing numbers on the data panel and nodded in satisfaction.

It seems that their acquisitions of Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Fox were a gamble that paid off.

He closed the tablet and smiled: "Okay, this is a good start. Come on, I'll treat you to dinner as an early celebration of the box office success."

Natasha readily agreed.

The two found a French restaurant not far from the company and chatted about the latest news in the film and television industry while eating, from new Hollywood projects to the potential of the Asian market. The atmosphere was very relaxed.

Natasha also emphasized the expansion of the next steps in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Walton Pictures doesn't subscribe to the "Black Lives Matter" concept.

While this will inevitably lead to increased pressure, it also ensures that the company's business will not be affected.

By the time we finished dinner and returned to our villa in Beverly Hills, it was already dark.

Inside the villa, everyone was playing by the pool, chatting about tomorrow's Oscars ceremony.

Chen Fei wasn't particularly nervous. He went over and gave them a general overview of the competitors they would be facing tomorrow...

(End of this chapter)