Hollywood, I became a legend with special effects.

August 2, 2008, 3:00 AM.

In the offices of Light Chaser Animation Studios North America, the lights are the only persistent bright spots in this dark neighborhood.

David was snoring loudly on the sofa, his black-rimmed glasses, which were perched on his chubby face, had slipped down to the tip of his nose and were trembling slightly with his breathing.

Several emptied pizza boxes and crushed Coke cans were scattered around the sofa, and the air was filled with the slightly greasy smell of cooled cheese.

Jiang Yu sat behind a large desk, his back to the sleeping city of Los Angeles outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He held a thick book titled "Film Cinematography and Lighting Techniques" in his hand, the halo of the table lamp enveloping him.

The pages were covered with old-fashioned lighting diagrams from the time of Howard Hawks and John Ford, which he studied intently, occasionally making brief annotations in pencil in the margins.

The time displayed in the bottom right corner of the screen silently increments: 03:17.

He didn't actually need to stay up all night here.

As a reborn individual, the success of "Iron Man" is an established fact etched into his memory. He knows better than anyone else on this planet how this film will smash open the door to an era called the "Marvel Cinematic Universe," how it will propel Robert Downey Jr. from the bottom to the altar, and how it will completely change the production logic of Hollywood.

David insisted on staying at the company to wait for the initial data on opening night, reasoning: "Boss, this is our first truly self-financed A-list production in Hollywood, a pivotal moment for Light Chaser Animation! We have to have a sense of ceremony, like those old-school producers, waiting by the phone for the market's verdict, even if we know we'll win!"

Jiang Yu did not object and stayed as well.

It wasn't for any sense of ritual, it was just simple insomnia.

A few hours earlier, he had just finished reviewing the post-production progress report and rough cut of "The Witch" sent by Yang Siwei. The control that Lu Yang showed in the director's statement and the vulnerable yet fierce look in Wang Zhi's eyes in front of the camera gave him a glimpse of a possibility that could go beyond the original plan.

"Um... Boss... what time is it?" David mumbled indistinctly on the sofa, then rolled over, his glasses falling onto the carpet with a thud.

He groped his way to sit up, his hair a mess, his eyes still heavy with sleep.

"3:20." Jiang Yu didn't even look up, turning a page of his book. "You can go home and sleep. Your phone will ring if there's any news."

"No way!" David snapped back to reality, bent down to pick up his glasses, and haphazardly put them on. "A sense of ritual! You get it, boss? That old fox Smith from Paramount's distribution department told me the first rough report for the midnight screenings will be out at 6 a.m. Eastern Time. I need to see it as soon as possible, with these eyes!"

He pointed to his bloodshot eyes and swayed as he walked toward the coffee machine in the corner.

David poured himself a large cup of espresso, which was as black as crude oil, and gulped down half of it before letting out a loud burp that echoed throughout the office.

"My God, this coffee tastes like airplane lubricant." He smacked his lips, picked up his cup, and sidled up to Jiang Yu's table, leaning against the edge. "Seriously, boss, aren't you even a little bit nervous? Forty million dollars of real money has been poured in, what if..."

"There's no 'what if'." Jiang Yu finally looked up from the book, calmly looking at him. "Robert Downey Jr.'s performance is phenomenal; he poured all the ups and downs and redemption of his early life into Tony Stark's very being. Kevin Feige is like a miserly hoarder, squeezing every penny of the budget out of double the value. Jon Favreau's control over the script's pacing is near perfect, striking an extremely accurate balance between commercial appeal and personal style. If a film like this still fails, then Hollywood, this dream factory, should collectively shut down and switch to making home videos."

David was taken aback by this calm and even cold analysis. He stared at Jiang Yu's face, which was half-lit and half-shadowed under the lamp, and muttered something after a long while.

"Boss, sometimes I really wonder... are you from the future? Or do you have a crystal ball? How can you be so certain every time?"

Jiang Yu gently closed the book, a faint smile playing on his lips: "I simply believe in professional judgment, in data, and in trends. Marvel practically staked their entire life savings and ten years' worth of stock options on this movie. They have even less to lose than we do, so they'll do everything in their power to achieve the best. We just happened to be on the path they had to take to succeed, providing them with what they needed most at the time: money and a bit of technological confidence."

.....

As the deep night of Los Angeles begins to loosen, a faint gray-white tinge appears on the horizon—the most weary moment before dawn.

While the city is still asleep, certain core areas of Hollywood, Paramount's data monitoring room, and AMC Theatres' headquarters must be brightly lit at this moment.

Numerous box office figures flowed through telephone lines and fiber optic cables, and analysts stared at the constantly refreshed screens like doctors in a delivery room awaiting the first cry of a baby.

5:40.

David's cell phone, which he had tossed on the coffee table, suddenly rang like a bomb, its shrill ring shattering the office's tranquility.

He sprang up from his chair as if he'd been electrocuted, nearly tripping over the carpet as he lunged forward.

He frantically grabbed his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and his breathing instantly became heavy.

"Feed?...It's me!...How much?...Say it again?...Are you fucking sure?!...Holy shit!"

Jiang Yu finally put down the book he had read most of, leaned back slightly in the wide leather chair, and calmly looked at David.

David had already hung up the phone.

He stood there, his chubby face initially blank with confusion, as if he couldn't process the information that had just been introduced to him.

Then, the blank space, like the surface of a lake tossed with a pebble, slowly rippled outwards.

It was unbelievable, then a sudden realization, and finally all the emotions converged into a huge, twisted, ecstatic smile that almost reached his ears.

He spread his arms, spun around in place like a clumsy penguin, made a strange "hoho" sound in his throat, and then suddenly rushed towards Jiang Yu, looking like he wanted to give him a bear hug.

Jiang Yu had anticipated this, and nimbly slid off the chair, causing David to miss his target.

"Say the numbers." His voice remained steady, without any discernible emotion.

"Midnight screenings! $1260 million!" David's roar echoed in the empty office. "$1260 million! David Smith said it himself! It broke the record for midnight screenings of all films this year! No, it's the all-time record for May! Paramount says the theater managers are going crazy, many theaters' ticketing systems are overwhelmed, they're adding extra screenings at midnight, and IMAX tickets are selling faster than popcorn!"

Jiang Yu nodded.

It was about 8% higher than the midnight show results he remembered from his previous life.

Is it the butterfly effect? ​​Or is it that the higher level of polish in the digital effects shots of lighting and shadow in this life has led to a better reputation?

"Not bad." He only gave that two-word evaluation, then pointed towards the restroom, "Go wash your face, you have something in the corner of your eye."

David was still in a daze of ecstasy, chuckling to himself as he rushed toward the bathroom, nearly bumping into the door frame along the way.

Jiang Yu walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The daylight in Los Angeles was becoming clearer at a visible speed, the deep blue fading to a pale white, the city's silhouette emerging from the darkness, and the ridgeline of the Santa Monica Mountains in the distance being edged with a pale gold.

A new day has begun, and for Iron Man and Light Chaser Animation Studios, a brand new era has officially begun with this ray of morning light.

He knew that the $1260 million midnight screening was just a grand opening act.

(Hoping those with monthly passes can give me some support!)