Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 68 I have never been one for fighting!

Zu Feng, Mei Ting, Hai Qing, Yang Zi, Lu Fangsheng and others were all invigorated when they learned about the box office results!
At Zu Feng's home, his girlfriend Liu Tianchi couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

"Ah Zu, this box office result is terrifying!"

"Before the movie was released, I actually thought that the movie might be good, but the results far exceeded my expectations."

Zu Feng was stunned into silence upon seeing the first day's box office results!

He thought of the question Cao Zhong had asked him: "Do you want to be remembered in history?"

Does it not qualify as part of history?
Zu Feng will likely have a place in the history of mainland Chinese cinema!

But that's not the most important thing.

There are countless domestically produced films, but how many people from Nanjing would make a film about the Nanjing Massacre and still achieve this level of success on its opening day?

Apart from a few from Hong Kong and Taiwan, there wasn't a single one from mainland China!

Zu Feng's breathing became somewhat hot.

This is his glory!

"Do you think Director Cao had this confidence all along, which is why he spoke out against those people online..."

Liu Tianchi narrowed his eyes, curious.

"He must be confident."

Zu Feng clenched his fists.

"But what excites me even more is that this film exposes the cruelty of the Japanese invaders, bringing the annual air raid sirens of Nanjing to life in a visual image. Although we learn about it in textbooks from a young age, how many of us actually remember it when we grow up?"

"Let's not think about things that are too grand for now."

Liu Tianchi suddenly shook Zu Feng.

"After this movie, you'll no longer have to limit yourself to teaching. Your acting skills are more than enough to take on a wider range of roles!"

Liu Tianchi's eyes showed some heartache: "Over the past few years, I can see that you have always wanted to take on roles, but you just haven't had a good opportunity. This time, it can be said that your wait was not in vain."

Zu Feng hugged Liu Tianchi tightly. "Xiao Tian, ​​whether from a personal perspective or from the perspective of the people of Nanjing, I have to thank Director Cao. If something really happens to him again, I'll stand by him. You won't have any objections, will you?"

Liu Tianchi nodded: "I trust your judgment, and you should also be firm in your convictions."

……

"I miss you!"

At home in the capital.

Yang Mi sent Cao Zhong a text message, wanting to do it automatically.

She only knew that Cao Zhong was tough, but she had no idea that Cao Zhong was this tough!
This achievement is probably only possible for the top three directors!
With this kind of data on the first day, breaking 100 million seems like it'll be a piece of cake!
Yang Mi was shocked. At first, she was only attracted to Cao Zhong's good looks, but now she realized that Cao Zhong was too amazing!
No, she already experienced that last time!
"You've been so busy. As your girlfriend, we haven't seen each other in ages. Shouldn't we celebrate?"

Yang Mi kept writing text messages, typing them out and then deleting them, then rewriting them with different wording until her fingers were stiff.

Despite knowing each other's backgrounds well, Yang Mi felt a little apprehensive facing Cao Zhong.

It's like the sense of alienation a small actor feels when facing a famous director.

And a natural sense of awe.

"When we were together, I didn't feel any distance between us!" Yang Mi said, puzzled. "Back then, we were practically inseparable, so why do I still have so many worries now?"

When the two of them had in-depth conversations, Cao Zhong was always looking up to her!
"No! We're not officially dating yet!"

The next second, Yang Mi suddenly remembered Yuan Shanshan and the pretty girl from the test screening.

Alarm bells rang in my head.

"If he really becomes a director, I'll offer him a ride!" Yuan Shanshan's words still echoed in my ears.

“She was my investor, no, I should say my angel investor,” Cao Zhong’s explanation also filled his mind.

There are too many flashy, cheap women!
Yang Mi suddenly became a little nervous.

The so-called "newcomer king" is simply not in the same league as the director whose opening day box office was nearly 20 million!
How many people will rush over?
She suddenly realized a very serious problem: she was not legal!

Therefore, she certainly cannot legally accept sex!

This is a very serious problem!
She must resolve this immediately!
...

Beijing.

Lu Zheng rushed into the Starlight Brilliant Artists Department in a panic, but there were only two people inside.

In reality, Starlight Brilliant only signed two people.

One is Jing Tian, ​​and the other is Hao Hao.

Lu Zheng looked intently at Jing Tian, ​​"Did Cao Zhong really promise you a movie?"

He needs to confirm.

"To be precise, he gave me a script and guaranteed that I would get a role in his new film," Jing Tian said earnestly.

"Kid, you've hit the jackpot!"

The road administration staff gasped in shock.

Looking back now, those two million were totally worth it! Absolutely worth it!

It was worth it for the road administration to open such a film and television company specifically for Jing Tian!
"Was it because the movie's box office was very high?"

Jing Tian was surprised. She had been studying the script all this time, just waiting for Cao Zhong to contact her. She had already memorized all the lines.

We're just waiting for Cao Zhong to finish his film so the producer can bring the camera and find her.

"Brilliant, more than just brilliant!"

Lu Zhengdao said, "It's out of this world! The fourth director with a budget of 100 million yuan, we just need to see if it will take six or seven days."

Jing Tian was stunned, and then he was overjoyed.

“I knew it, I knew it. My senior brother is different from others. The first time he saw me, he said I was suitable to be an actor.”

Uncle Lu, do you know?
He even said to me at the time, "Why should I belittle myself?"

...

Zhejiang.

After Zhang Liangying finished performing on the show and singing "As You Wish," she was going to see a movie. She made a phone call.

"Feifei, I'm in Zhejiang. Let's go see a movie."

"What movie? 'Nanjing Photo Studio'?"

"Of course! Thanks to the end credits song of this movie, my popularity has skyrocketed during this period. Although I don't have much money, I booked the whole theater, just the two of us."

Jane Zhang was very grateful to Mr. Wang for helping her secure this opportunity.

Although the copyright doesn't belong to her, being able to sing it elevates her status to a new level.

You should know that Mr. Wang made it clear that this song will be included in the national team after this movie ends!

Jane Zhang's version of "As You Wish" may be the only version not sung by the national team.

This fame is too great for a singer!

And this song is really popular, incredibly popular!
How could she possibly not support Cao Zhong?!

Liu Yifei said, "I'm a little afraid to watch this kind of movie."

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Zhang Liangying said. “I’ll protect you. The internet says this movie isn’t very gory. Didn’t you say that when you were a singer at Sony, the textbooks there were different from ours? Go take a look and cleanse your mind. Don’t keep looking at those dirty things.”

Liu Yifei said timidly, "I'm afraid of getting into trouble by going to the movies. My mom doesn't let me get involved in political issues."

"Didn't I tell you? I booked the whole theater; no one will find out. Your scenes for 'The Forbidden Kingdom' just wrapped up; don't you want to relax a bit?"

"Alright then." Unable to resist the persuasion, Liu Yifei had no choice but to agree.

……

The day after its release.

Scalpers are once again feeling the box office success of "Nanjing Photo Studio".

Extremely terrifying.

The enemy sensed this and launched a swift attack.

That afternoon, which happened to be a Thursday,
The front page headline of the weekly Thursday issue of *Southern Metropolis Weekend*, as well as all news articles under the Southern Metropolis Media Group, published Jia Zhangke's official response to Cao Zhong's previous attack on him regarding the "ugly China."

They attempted to nip Cao Zhong's film career in the bud.

Jia Zhangke's blow was quite heavy.

In the news report, Jia Zhangke claimed that,
"Nanjing Photo Studio" is not just a movie, but a cultural event that will ignite nationalistic sentiments, historical perspectives, artistic freedom, and sensitive nerves in Sino-Japanese relations.

First, there's no need to elaborate on Cao Zhong's actions. Using the media frenzy to "exchange box office numbers" is a done deal. And it shows a complete disregard for the bigger picture.

Secondly, he believes that Cao Zhong is controversial on the issues of historical accuracy and "fictional characters." He has criticized the fictional plots in the film that were made for artistic purposes, such as the dramatic changes in the main characters and the specific behavioral logic of certain characters, arguing that they do not conform to historical details and accusing Cao Zhong of "distorting historical facts" and "being irresponsible towards history."

It also emphasizes that Cao Zhong deliberately created a heroic figure with a mainstream theme, but "the hero was portrayed in a distorted way." The protagonist in the film transforms from a small person seeking self-preservation into a hero who sacrifices himself for righteousness, which does not conform to the true state of ordinary human nature in a chaotic world.

He then argued that Cao Zhong, in his historical films, did not explicitly depict the suffering of the nation or expose the atrocities of the enemy. Instead, he adopted a relatively restrained and subtle narrative style, avoiding gore and focusing on the struggles of humanity. He believed this was a disrespect for and a glorification of history.

Jia Zhangke also emphasized that "humanistic narratives are tantamount to betraying history." Cao Zhong's attempt to portray the "complexity" or "inner contradictions" of Japanese soldiers in the first half of the film, although ultimately intended to expose their hypocrisy and cruelty, was also "making excuses for the invaders," and thus he condemned Cao Zhong.

"You say my butt is crooked, but where is your butt sitting straight?"

Finally, Jia Zhangke asked what he considered the fatal question.

I won't go into detail about the movies from back then.
The film nominated for the main competition at this year's Venice International Film Festival is "Lust, Caution," directed by renowned Chinese director Ang Lee.
There's also "The Sun Also Rises," directed by Jiang Wen.
According to your personal attacks, my film was nominated for its portrayal of China negatively. How were these two films nominated? Were they also portrayed as negatively?

Or was all of your attacks on me a pre-planned scheme from the very beginning?

Are you bullying an honest person?

Jia Zhangke spoke out in protest, angrily rebuking Cao Zhong.

"A mere child, with nothing but empty words, dares to slander someone for life! How hateful!"

The news caused an uproar across the internet.

After Cao Zhong published his manifesto and the premiere, Jia Zhangke finally used the film's content to launch a fatal blow against Cao Zhong!
When Qi Jiuzhou saw the news, his face turned ashen, the color of the hilt of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

Its personal form is also changing, ready to transform into blades at any moment and slash at Jia Zhangke.

"Brother Zhong, isn't this just calling a deer a horse?"

Cao Zhong knew this was Jia Zhangke's last counterattack before the film's release, and he had been waiting for it.

I carefully read Jia Zhangke's interview news.

Cao Zhong took a deep breath.

He truly felt the power of intellectuals to distort the truth; no wonder they're literature majors! Incredibly impressive!
Qi Jiuzhou asked, "Kill him?!"

Cao Zhongdao said, "I have never been fond of fighting. People think I am fond of bravery and fighting, but this is a huge misunderstanding."

Qi Jiuzhou: ?

As expected, when Cao Zhong left the Beijing Film Academy, there were many reporters waiting to interview him at the entrance.

Upon seeing Cao Zhong appear, reporters frantically interviewed him:

"Director Cao, 'Nanjing Photo Studio' became the highest-grossing domestic film of the year on its opening day. What are your comments on this?"

"Director Cao, based on the current trend, do you think you can become the youngest director with a net worth of over 100 million yuan this weekend?"

"Cao Zhong, just now, Director Jia Zhangke commented on your film and your character, believing that you have been pre-planning and hyping up your film since last year in order to cheat the box office. What is your opinion on this?!"

Cao Zhong looked at the reporter with a broad smile, speaking each word clearly.

"He's just like Wang Guanghai, extremely rare! A dog that'll eat a bone if you give it to him! A dog that wags its tail and kowtows to snatch a bone!"

Qi Jiuzhou froze instantly.

Cao Zhong looked at all the reporters and continued,
"Be lenient when it benefits me, be strict when it harms me!"

"Accept what brings profit, punish what causes loss!"

"Jia, you shameless bastard!"

"Help me promote 'Nanjing Photo Studio,' and I'll give you time for an exclusive interview!"

The crowd was stunned.

(End of this chapter)