During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 860 Sequel: Promise Nazar's First Mahjong Game
After a night of revelry, there are only 4 days left until Chinese New Year's Eve, and the premiere of the first blockbuster of the Spring Festival season, "The Mermaid," has arrived as scheduled.

As a comedy film directed by Stephen Chow and starring Deng Chao, with an investment of up to 4 million yuan, and with the support of three major production companies—Shanhe Media, China Film Group, and Shanghai Film Group—the scale and popularity of this premiere were unprecedented.

From the morning onwards, almost all the film and entertainment news online was about this premiere, and its popularity even surpassed the coverage of Shanhe Media's annual meeting.

However, despite being one of the producers, Wei Jin acted as a hands-off manager, spending the entire morning in the Golden House cheering on the members of the three girl groups.

After all, the year is drawing to a close, and these girls still have a lot of travel plans in China. Boss Wei also hopes that his hot cash flow can make them feel warm in a foreign land.

In the afternoon, after resting and recuperating, Boss Wei promptly instructed Lao Zhu to drive to the premiere venue—the Great Hall of the People.

When he arrived at the scene, there were only a few people left on the red carpet. After briefly answering the reporters, Wei Jin went directly into the venue.

Looking around, the Golden Hall was already packed with people, including most of the film industry's filmmakers and stars.

Those present included Tsui Hark, who made a special appearance, and Adam Cheng, who made a cameo appearance.

As the female lead, Nazar was practically the hostess today, wearing a floor-length gown and walking among the guests with Deng Chao and other main cast members.

It's clear that after all these years of experience, Nazar is no longer the naive newbie he was at the premiere of "Passengers," and he now acts with poise and confidence.

It must be admitted that women's intuition is really sharp. Wei Jin only glanced at her a couple of times, and Nazar seemed to sense it and turned around.

In an instant, Wei Jin noticed that Naza's smile had become even brighter, and compared to his previous politeness, it contained even more joy.

Since Wei Jin came alone, it means there's definitely going to be something to do tonight.

Suppressing his excitement, Naza dealt with the guests for a while before finally finding an opportunity to approach Wei Jin.

Without any hesitation, she linked her arm with his, her voice becoming soft and sweet, "Boss, why are you so late? I've been waiting for you for ages~~"

"Hehe, it hasn't even started yet, what's the rush?"

Feeling the softness on his arm and smelling the perfume on Nazar, Wei Jin's heart skipped a beat, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, a double entendre in his words.

Naza understood the meaning behind Wei Jin's words, and a look of anticipation appeared on his face, while his mind was filled with various poses.

But then, an untimely voice rang out.

"Little Nazar, you're the leading lady, hurry up and greet the guests. As for the boss, leave him to the older sisters."

"."

Looking at Yang Rong and Wan Qian in front of him, Nazar regretted it. He shouldn't have invited these two women to the premiere!
She had already been robbed of her food by foreigners last night, so she couldn't back down today, or she'd be laughed at by Rouba.

"Sister Rong, Sister Qian, and Brother Chao are all leading the team, so there's no need for me. But you two sisters really know how to seize opportunities; no wonder you're so popular."

"Oh dear, when it comes to popularity, none of the older sisters can compare to little Nazar. She's deeply favored and will probably be dominating both the big and small screens this Spring Festival."

Wan Qian's words are true. The drama "Legend of Nine Tails Fox" starring Nazha is about to premiere on Hunan TV, at the same time as "The Mermaid".

Although the ratings are uncertain, the fact that Wei Jin dared to provide the resources means it must be pretty good, which is truly enviable.

"Exactly. Let alone comparing us to Xiao Naza, Qianqian and I are getting old. In someone's mind, we can't even compare to the girls in girl groups anymore."

Yang Rong's tone was full of resentment. She and Wan Qian lived in Shanghai and had made a special trip back to attend the annual meeting, just for that one night of pleasure.

But this man, just like a couple of years ago, abandoned a group of beautiful older sisters and sisters, and instead doted on the girl group. It's really infuriating.

Faced with Sister Da Nai's sarcastic remarks, even the thick-skinned Boss Wei couldn't withstand it and had to lower his stance.

"Sister Rong, how could that be? I was just thinking we could get together again tonight."

"It'd better be true."

Yang Rong gave Wei Jin a charming glare, a slight smile playing on her lips. All she wanted was a man's attitude.

But Nazar, standing to the side, wouldn't have it and immediately pouted, asking, "What about me, brother?"

"Of course, together."

Boss Wei blurted out, and before Nazar could retort, he immediately whispered in her ear.

To be honest, although Nazar is love-obsessed, he has never been very sociable in bed. So far, he has only ever been paired up with Rouba.

Wei Jin also wanted to take advantage of tonight's opportunity to broaden Naza's acting range so that it would be more interesting in the future.

While Nazar was still hesitating, staff members came over to remind him that the premiere was about to begin.

Tonight's host is Zhou Tao from CCTV. She has a very intellectual and charming air about her, but she's a bit older than me.

After a brief opening, Zhou Tao invited Stephen Chow and the creative team to come on stage for an interactive session.

However, such occasions always reveal the naked law of the jungle in the entertainment industry, and Stephen Chow, as the director, is undoubtedly the most talked-about.

However, Stephen Chow is indeed not good with words, and he stumbled as he answered questions about his creative concepts and behind-the-scenes footage while holding the microphone.

Nearly ten minutes later, it was the turn of the others to be interviewed, strictly following the order of their status: Deng Chao, Nazar, Zhang Yuqi, Luo Zhixiang, and Wen Zhang.
After the interview ended, everyone thought it was time for the main course, but then the music started, and Deng Chao stood in the middle of the stage and struck a pose.

"How lonely it is to be invincible, how empty it is to be invincible; alone at the summit, the cold wind keeps blowing, my loneliness, who can understand me?" To be honest, although the singing style was a bit greasy and the dance moves were even more flamboyant and looked a bit cringeworthy, the atmosphere at the scene was exceptionally good!
Many people in the audience even started humming along, clearly having been bombarded with various second-generation and third-generation creative videos online over the past month.

After the song ended, the lights finally went out, and with the familiar dragon logo appearing, the main feature of the movie began.

To be honest, "The Mermaid" is indeed a bit lacking compared to Stephen Chow's previous classic works. Many of the jokes and plot points feel a bit forced and contrived.

Moreover, although the male lead Deng Chao has good comedic talent, he is not able to fully grasp the essence of Zhou's nonsensical comedy.

Overall, however, "The Mermaid" remains above average in quality and is a decent family-friendly comedy blockbuster for the Spring Festival season.

This can be seen from the laughter that frequently broke out in the theater during the screening, and from the thunderous applause that followed when the movie ended!
Amidst thunderous applause, Stephen Chow, with his graying hair, led his creative team back onto the stage.

The media in the audience couldn't wait any longer and rushed to hand over their microphones.

"Mr. Stephen Chow, this year's Lunar New Year film season has already produced two domestic films that have grossed over 20 billion yuan. What are your expectations for the box office performance of 'The Mermaid'?"

Box office figures are always a focal point for the film industry and the entire film and television sector, especially for big-budget productions during major release periods.

So when the reporter brought up the topic, all the guests looked at Stephen Chow on stage, and his smile was even brighter than usual.

"I had talked with Chairman La of China Film Group and Chairman Ren of Shanghai Film Group before. The original box office target for The Mermaid was 20 billion yuan."
However, considering that directors Ning and Zhang have already generated market buzz, and that the potential of the Spring Festival film season has been increasing in recent years, we have adjusted our targets: "The Mermaid" is guaranteed a minimum box office of 25 billion yuan, with a target of 30 billion yuan.”

Good heavens, Stephen Chow hadn't even finished speaking when chaos erupted on set.

With a minimum target of 25 billion and a push towards 30 billion? This is going to break the box office record of "Operation Mekong"!
Are they really that confident, completely disregarding the other films released at the same time?

While the entire audience was still reveling in the staggering box office target of 30 billion, Stephen Chow added:
"If we can reach the guaranteed 25 billion, I will consider a sequel; if the box office can reach 30 billion or even higher, I can guarantee there will definitely be a sequel. And I will still be the director."

Goodness, the media got really excited as soon as the sequel was announced.

It's well known that Stephen Chow's film output is notoriously low; there was a gap of several years between "The Mermaid" and "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons".

This is the first time he's publicly promised to make a sequel, definitely headline news.

The celebrities and production companies present were equally excited. Anyone who gets involved in Stephen Chow's projects knows what it's all about!
Even Lao Wang, who was sitting next to Wei Jin, was no exception, his eyes full of anticipation.

Only Mr. Wei could remain calm at this moment, because he knew very well that after this film, "The Mermaid," Stephen Chow's "sentimentality" would be completely burned out.

From then on, the filter surrounding him will shatter completely, and he will be no different from ordinary directors.

If the quality of the work is acceptable, maybe you can make some money, but if each film is worse than the last, well, mainland moviegoers won't hold back their criticism!
The media was very efficient; the premiere dinner had barely begun when related reports were already at the top of the entertainment section.

"Produced by Star Shine Pictures, Shanhe Media, China Film Group, and Shanghai Film Group, written and directed by Stephen Chow, and starring Deng Chao, Gulinaza, Zhang Yuqi, and others;

The sci-fi romance blockbuster "The Mermaid" held its premiere ceremony today at the Great Hall of the People. The event was a star-studded affair, rivaling even an awards ceremony!

Comedy legend Stephen Chow boldly declares that "The Mermaid" is guaranteed to gross at least 25 billion yuan, aiming for 30 billion! He also revealed plans for a sequel.

"Renowned director Wei Jin avoided box office predictions for the first time, jokingly saying he only hopes that 'The Mermaid' and 'Detective Chinatown' will both be huge hits!"

"."

As Stephen Chow's first new work in three years, "The Mermaid" has been very popular.

Now that news and reports about the premiere have spread, the internet is buzzing with excitement, almost unanimously filled with anticipation.

The atmosphere at the party was also very lively. Such occasions are natural networking opportunities, with countless celebrities exchanging resources or building connections.

Many film production companies in the industry have also extended cooperation invitations to Stephen Chow, clearly showing their interest in a sequel.

Mr. Wei wasn't particularly interested, but as the female lead, Nazar couldn't leave for the time being.

Taking advantage of this time, he simply sat in a corner, eating something to replenish his energy, and chatting with Han Sanping and Han Jianu.

In fact, Han Sanping has rarely participated in such activities since his retirement, and he came here today specifically to support Han Jianu.

After all, Han Jianu was the assistant director of "The Mermaid," and even the bandit leader Zuo Shandiao couldn't escape the fate of paving the way for his little darling.

What Wei Jin didn't expect was that after chatting idly for a while, Han Sanping mysteriously brought up something.

"Wei Jin, you need to be mentally prepared; you might be selected as a general this year!"

"What the hell? What's this 'calling of generals'? Explain yourself clearly!"

Han Sanping shook his head. "It's not certain yet. There's just a rumor about it, so I can't say for sure. But you'll know when the results come out."

Wei Jin immediately rolled his eyes. "No, Chairman Han, you're such a grown man, why are you still keeping people in suspense?"

"Senior, you're making a fuss over nothing. My dad's just like that; he's been in the system for decades, so stubborn."

Listening to his little darling's complaints, Han Sanping's face grew darker and darker, but he couldn't lash out. Wei Jin watched and laughed.

As for what Han Sanping said, we'll talk about it later. It's nothing more than a "political task," nothing more.

After the premiere, it was time for the part Wei Jin had been most looking forward to: Naza finally agreed to play mahjong that night.

~~
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(End of this chapter)