Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 456 The Last Stop

Liu Jing was very pleased that most of the twelve bonds could manage on their own, except for Tang Yan, Tong Liya, and Zhao Liying, who were still a bit lacking.

Needless to say, Sisi and Pang Bing's email inboxes would be overflowing if they didn't check them for a few days. A deluge of notebooks would arrive, and they could choose whatever they wanted.

Shu Chang is not short of scripts, and now she has also acquired the Book of Changes, gradually transforming from a resource grabber to a resource creator.

Gao Yuanyuan and Zeng Li have no shortage of scripts; with Bai Bing managing their business, the quality of their scripts is quite high.

The diabetes patient's ability to generate income is quite good. Now that he has money in his account, the speed and number of projects he initiates are increasing, and there is a trend of it becoming Liu Shishi's private domain.

With Qin Huang's support, Jing Tian has always been self-reliant and has never relied on Liu Jing for resources. Moreover, he often helps Yan Huai's newcomers.

Liu Jing didn't care much about the women's little thoughts.

He used to treat his confidantes as tools, but he gradually realized that they were all living, breathing individuals, not his tools or his subordinates.

Despite the commotion, Liu Jing was still able to lead his team on a roadshow.

Zhengzhou, Taiyuan, Jinan, Qingdao, Dalian, Shenyang, and finally Changchun.

Roadshows are hard work; it takes more than ten days to travel to six or seven cities, and you have to visit several cinemas in each city.

Liu Jing felt that his nickname "Wooden Man" was accurate; he was really becoming a wooden man.

On the last day of the National Day holiday, the box office of "The Message" exceeded 300 million yuan.

On October 14, the box office exceeded 10 million.

Although they were physically and mentally exhausted, no one complained.

Everyone understands that they are about to create a legend, and "The Message" is expected to break 500 million at the box office.

"Oh my god! We've finally reached the last stop. I've been working non-stop these past few days, and I feel like my whole body is about to fall apart. When I get back to the hotel, I'm not going anywhere; I'm just going to sleep until I naturally wake up." Zhao Xiaodao looked at the words "Changchun" with great excitement.

Yesterday they were doing a roadshow in Shenyang, and today they drove straight to Changchun.

Changchun, the northern spring city, was the last stop of their roadshow.

Zhao Xiaodao slept the entire way on the highway. She finally woke up after exiting the tollbooth.

“Liying, you’ll get used to it eventually. When Chen Kun and I were promoting ‘The Barber,’ the conditions were much tougher than they are now.” Zeng Li said calmly. Back when she was an opera singer, she could perform several shows a day and stand on stage for hours at a time.

"Teacher Chen Kun is really amazing. He went straight to the airport this morning and then went to prepare for the roadshow of his next movie." Zhao Xiaodao glanced at Liu Jing sitting in front of him. This guy is really something else, he's practically an iron man.

He showed no signs of fatigue during the day, handling one match after another with ease and composure.

They were even more energetic at night, rushing from room to room, scrambling and stumbling.

"The 'Mulan' crew called me in, and Chen Kun had to go shoot promotional materials. We actors are always on a tight schedule. It's normal to be tired; we have to learn to steal moments of leisure and find joy in hardship." Zeng Li rubbed her thigh, reminiscing about the past.

In the past, I could take one or two months each year to travel abroad and visit various parts of the country.

Now, things are really messed up; all we do is prepare for filming or shoot promotional materials in various locations. Forget about traveling; it's hard to even get a few days of rest.

The past was wonderful, and I miss it dearly. But if you asked her to go back to the past, she definitely wouldn't want to.

"If the box office can break 600 million, I'd be willing to work ten times harder." Zhao Xiaodao looked at Liu Jing with hope, "Director, is it possible for the box office to break 600 million?"

"How about breaking 600 million?"

"I..." Xiao Dao glanced at the driver, looking troubled.

Zhao Xiaodao can do a lot, but he can't say it in front of the driver.

The higher the box office, the greater the boost for her, even though she doesn't have many lines.

If "The Message" can be considered a masterpiece, even if it only has one line, it will ascend to godhood.

Recently, her fame has increased significantly due to her participation in roadshows, even though she shouldn't have been qualified to participate in them.

She understood that this was Liu Jing showing her favor and elevating her status.

So even though I'm very tired every day, I'm not afraid of working hard at night and I work hard without complaint.

Actually, it wasn't that tiring. It's kind of amazing, though. I was exhausted the night before, but I was full of energy the next morning.

She didn't know what it meant to find joy in hardship; she thought this was called a balance between work and rest, or that men and women working together made the work easier.

"Breaking 500 million is not a big problem, but breaking 600 million is very difficult." Zeng Li shook her head. At the beginning of the release, many industry insiders predicted that the box office would be between 300 million and 400 million.

Liu Jing used various promotional methods, especially the two recordings, to push the box office to such a high level.

The audience used these as topics of conversation, and industry insiders used them as teaching materials for publicity and promotion. Liu Jing's honorary title of "Best Publicity Team Captain" was thoroughly solidified.

"Director, let's apply for a postponement too. If 'The Founding of a Republic' hadn't been postponed, we could have broken 400 million yuan earlier," Zhao Liying suggested.

Director, that's a title Xiao Dao came up with while he was away.

We can't call it "big radish" anymore, it's easy to cause misunderstandings.

Private terms of address are too confusing, such as "father," "master," and "lord," which certainly cannot be used in public.

She felt awkward calling him Liu Jing.

Calling him "Wooden Head" seems impossible, and from an outsider's perspective, they probably don't seem that close.

“After a month in theaters, a film’s potential is pretty much exhausted, and extending the run won’t increase box office revenue much. The later box office success of ‘The Founding of a Republic’ relied entirely on high screening rates and some companies booking entire theaters. Even so, it’s difficult for it to break 500 million, and the possibility of exceeding 450 million is slim. Even if ‘The Message’ is extended, there’s no hope of breaking 600 million.” Liu Jing sighed, then continued, “The next two months will be packed with big releases: the Hollywood disaster film ‘2012,’ the fantasy films ‘Twilight’ and Cameron’s ‘Avatar,’ the mystery film ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ as well as Zhang Yimou’s ‘A Simple Noodle Story,’ Wang Yuelun’s ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ Golden Harvest’s ‘Storm Riders 2’ and ‘Bodyguards and Assassins,’ and Jay Chou’s ‘The Treasure Hunter.’ With so many new films being released, who’s going to watch the old ones?”

"What if all these films flop like 'Nanjing'? Wouldn't we be getting a huge bargain?" Xiao Dao thought to himself, indulging in a daydream.

Zeng Li laughed, "Maybe Li Ying is right, all of them flopped."

"Haha, since Xiaodao has said so, let's apply for an extension for his sake," Liu Jing laughed.

"I don't have a big face," Xiao Dao muttered, knowing full well it was fake, but still feeling incredibly excited inside.

Zeng Li's smile faded. "Am I being too shameless?"
“Sister Zeng Li, I wasn’t talking about you. It’s all nonsense online. Your face looks long on screen, but you’re not photogenic at all. In real life, you’re more beautiful than an angel,” Xiao Dao quickly explained.

The driver had a hard time suppressing his laughter; thankfully, the fairy wasn't there, otherwise another person would have been hurt.

Xiao Dao didn't mean anything by it, he was just a beat late. Only after saying that did he think of the recent online comments: Zeng Li has a very long face, and he doesn't see how she resembles someone from the 200th anniversary of the Central Academy of Drama.

Xiao Dao and Zeng Li have a very good relationship, which includes not only camaraderie but also a teacher-student bond.

During these days of roadshows together, whenever she had time, she would take her textbooks and ask Zeng Li, her senior, for help.

Zeng Li was patient and patient, teaching with an excellent attitude. Even if she didn't understand something herself, she would ask her friends for help before explaining it to Zhao Xiaodao. Zhao Xiaodao knew what was good for him; since his debut, he had encountered a good boss, Pang Bing, which saved him a lot of trouble. Now, with a good teacher like Zeng Li, getting started was much easier.

She also understood that the so-called good teachers and helpful friends must be based on the camaraderie of war; otherwise, who would know who she was?

So my benefactor...

Favorability +1
Liu Jing was having a good time when suddenly his favorability rating fluctuated and reached 89 points, which was quite amazing.

He wasn't angry; outwardly he was unremarkable, but inwardly he possessed extraordinary skill. The wonder of his knife was beyond the comprehension of outsiders.

These days, he's been looking for Xiao Dao more often than Da Qingyi. He's so engrossed in his pursuit that he's forgotten to go next door for the next performance.

Xiao Dao wasn't saying things faster than he meant them; he was just too straightforward. He didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said.

"If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have known you were targeting me." Zeng Li smiled wryly. She wasn't that petty; she wouldn't get angry over a few words like that.

She is eager to shed the label of "Central Academy of Drama's 200th anniversary" because she needed these gimmicks to help her rise to stardom in the past.

Now we have real honors like the "Huabiao Award for Best Actress" and the "Magnolia Award for Best Actress," as well as solid achievements like "Red Cliff," "Lurking," and "The Message." Those gimmicks are no longer needed; they are actually a disgrace.

"Sis, I'll treat you to dinner tonight." Zhao Xiaodao chuckled, pulling Zeng Li's arm. She didn't have any sisters, only a younger brother, but she already considered Pang Bing and Zeng Li as her older sisters.

"There's not much good food in Changchun either."

"Of course we have it! Sweet and sour pork, stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers, braised pork slices, stewed pork in an iron pot, sauerkraut and pork hot pot..."

When it comes to food, Xiao Dao is very knowledgeable, clearly having done his homework beforehand.

Liu Jing smiled broadly. For more than ten days, Xiao Dao had prepared a food guide in advance for each city they visited.

She didn't have any particular idea about where to go for fun.

She has a strong opinion about where to eat.

He often sneaked away from his teammates late at night to have affairs with two beautiful women, one older and one younger. Unfortunately, Zeng Li was very strict with them; once the three of them went out together, they could never be together again.

Whenever he embarks on that rugged and arduous journey, he always reminisces about that intoxicating spring night, where curves and petite figures complement each other, a small round face contrasts with a long face, and muffled groans and low murmurs complement each other perfectly.

"Okay, it's settled then. We'll have sauerkraut and pork hot pot later." The two chatted for a few minutes and finally made the decision.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't go anywhere after we got back to the hotel?" Zeng Li wanted to say that I was a vegetarian, but considering Liu Jing was there, she swallowed her words. She would just eat pickled cabbage while they ate meat.

"Food is the most important thing." Zhao Xiaodao swallowed hard, and after talking about food for so long, he didn't feel tired at all.

"I was supposed to have Lao Zhao's sauerkraut and pork hotpot last night, but unfortunately I didn't. I don't know how he is doing. I called him the day before yesterday, and he was still in the hospital in Shanghai," Liu Jing sighed.

Shortly after the premiere of "The Message," Lao Zhao called and asked when I would come to Northeast China to promote the film, promising to treat me to a hot pot with pickled cabbage and pork belly.

Liu Jing agreed. He didn't care what they ate; he just wanted the Northeast King to help promote "The Message."

Little did anyone know that just two days after saying that, Old Zhao suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage in Shanghai and is still hospitalized.

When it comes to social interactions, Liu Jing is always the first to offer his greetings.

Upon arriving in Northeast China, I called again to express my concern.

"No matter how much money or fame you have, nothing beats good health," Zeng Li remarked. She realized the importance of health after watching the film "The Hairdresser" a few years ago.
However, she feels that she is in good health recently, which is related to her sticking to a vegetarian diet, and probably also to occasionally eating meat.

"Hey! What's Sister Bai Bing doing here? There are so many people at the hotel entrance..."

Although Zhao Xiaodao also shares the surname Zhao, he has no interest in eating with Lao Zhao (Old Zhao) and prefers to eat with Da Luobo (Big Radish). He's not the main character; no one will think more highly of him just because of a meal.

“She’s going to Jiangxi with us tomorrow,” Zeng Li explained.

On October 17, the 27th Golden Rooster Awards ceremony was held in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.

Liu Jing will not only attend the event the day after tomorrow, but he will also make a high-profile appearance there, as that will be the last stop for the domestic promotion of "The Message".

There are five nominees for Best Actor: Ma Guowei for "A Close Call", Sun Min for "I Am a Fool", Wu Gang for "Iron Man", Zhang Hanyu for "Assembly", Fan Wei for "Big Ears Are a Blessing", and two actors from "The Message".

There are also five nominees for Best Actress: Zhou Xun (Li Mi's Conjecture), Liu Yifei (Painted Skin), Yao Xingtong (Blooming), Zeng Li (Mei Lanfang), and Jiang Wenli (Li Chun). Three of the actresses are related to "The Message".

Liu Jing made a condition to the Golden Rooster Awards organizing committee: he, Zeng Li, Zhou Xun, Fan Wei, and Wu Gang represented different film crews, and the host had to mention "The Message" when they walked the red carpet.

Sissi is still filming abroad and cannot attend.

Bai Bing was an award presenter. She likes to make her presence felt at various film and television festivals, where there are many actors, which means there are many opportunities for business.

Old Han was even more impressive; he directly had Tang Guoqiang and his team walk the red carpet to promote "The Founding of a Republic".

The Golden Rooster Awards organizing committee is in a bind. Neither "The Message" nor "The Founding of a Republic" met the eligibility criteria for this year's awards, yet their names were everywhere on the red carpet.

However, there were too few big-name stars attending the awards ceremony this year, so the organizing committee had to agree, as they also wanted to ride the wave of popularity of "The Message" and "The Founding of a Republic".

"It's a pity Xiaodao isn't qualified to go. Nanchang has so many delicious foods. In the morning, there's a clay pot soup and a bowl of mixed noodles. For lunch, there's stir-fried water chestnut with cured pork, braised chicken feet, steamed eggs with silver fish, and a spicy fried rice. The evenings are even better, with all sorts of night markets to explore. After a good meal, you can even visit the Tengwang Pavilion. The autumn waters blend seamlessly with the sky, and the sunset glows alongside the lone wild geese—just thinking about it is beautiful. As the saying goes, only good food and beautiful scenery should not be missed..."

Liu Jing muttered to himself as he opened the car door and got out.

The moment he bowed his head to get out of the car, his playful laughter turned into a smile, and he reached out to greet the person who appeared to be the leader.

Two banners were hung at the hotel entrance: one read, "Congratulations to 'The Message' for breaking 400 million yuan at the box office in the fastest time," and the other read, "Welcome Director Liu Jing, Teacher Zeng Li, and the 'The Message' team to visit and provide guidance."

Wherever the publicity team went, local businesses would take over the work, which greatly reduced the cost of "The Message".

The hotel is not the contractor in Changchun; the large shopping mall where the hotel is located is. The cooperation between the two parties is also a form of publicity for them.

“He deliberately provoked you. From now on, our Liying Film Festival will be a regular at major film festivals.” Zeng Li pulled Xiao Dao out of the car.

Zeng Li wasn't stupid. Yan Huai had so many beauties; Liu Jing could easily send countless women to their deaths with a wave of his hand. Zhao Liying was truly just average, which made her feel awkward. Although Liu Jing had often put her down during this time, she could see the extent of his affection for her.

Zhao Xiaodao remained silent, following behind Liu Jing in silence, muttering complaints to himself the whole way.

Of course I know it was intentional. What he couldn't let down wasn't just the delicious food and beautiful scenery, but also the beautiful woman and her good reputation.

Others have the four beauties of the Legend of Sword and Fairy, you have the four beauties of life.

One recording from Liu Yifei is enough to elevate you from Liu Rijin to a saint.

What's with all the smugness? If you praise someone too highly, they might not be able to come down from their high position.

"Haha, I am Yu Zhiliang from Eurasia Group. Welcome Director Liu Jing to our Eurasia Shopping Mall. Seeing is believing, you are indeed young and promising. Congratulations on 'The Message' surpassing 400 million, and I wish your film continued success."

The leader laughed heartily, extended his hand, and took the initiative to introduce himself.

(End of this chapter)