This director is so innocent.

Chapter 188 The First Person in Film

In the dead of night, the stars twinkled and all was quiet.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, as if telling the secrets of the night.

Su Jin and Liu Yifei walked towards the parking lot without saying a word, just walking along, creating a sense of peaceful tranquility.

A short while later, they arrived at the parking lot. Su Jin said softly, "You drive back now! Drive carefully on the road, don't go fast."

Liu Yifei paused for a moment, then instinctively asked, "Then how will you get back?"

"Take a taxi back!" Su Jin looked at him strangely.

"It's almost midnight, it's not convenient to take a taxi. How about I take you home, and then I'll go back."

"No need, it's too much trouble." Su Jin waved her hand before Liu Yifei could reply and said, "Alright, get in the car!"

"What trouble? Get in the car quickly." Liu Yifei exuded domineering confidence, her tone leaving no room for argument.

After she got into the car, seeing that Su Jin was still standing there like a wooden statue, she rolled down the window and shouted, "What are you dawdling for, you big man! Hurry up and get in the car."

Su Jin smiled helplessly, then got into the car and gave them her home address.

Liu Yifei started the car and asked curiously, "Why do you live in Shichahai? Why don't you buy a big villa or a large apartment?"

"I bought it."

"Bought it?" Liu Yifei asked in surprise.

"Yes, I bought it. It's in Xishan No. 1 Courtyard," Su Jin explained.

I bought the villa last year, paying half the down payment. It's over 500 square meters and has a large garden.

"Then why don't you go and stay there?"

"It's too much trouble, I don't want to go, and that house is too big, it feels so lifeless."

Twenty minutes later, the Ferrari 360 arrived at the Shichahai courtyard house.

"Thank you, drive carefully on the road." Su Jin unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to get out of the car when she heard Liu Yifei's cheerful voice.

"Let me see you off!"

"No need." Su Jin was speechless. They were already at her doorstep, why would she bring anything else?

"We're already at your doorstep, aren't you going to invite me in for a bit?" Liu Yifei blinked her big eyes, looking completely harmless.

"I won't invite you, I'm afraid you'll act like a scoundrel."

"Get lost—" Liu Yifei seemed to have her secret exposed, and she became angry and embarrassed: "What kind of hooligan could I, a woman, do to you? Besides, if anyone is at a disadvantage, it's me."

"That's not necessarily true." Su Jin opened the car door and said, "Hurry back! Drive carefully on the road, and send me a text message when you get home."

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Really." Su Jin nodded and continued, "Alright, let's go back now!"

After saying that, he got out of the car.

Liu Yifei watched Su Jin's retreating figure and angrily slammed her fist on the steering wheel.

"Su Jin, you big idiot."

The roar resumed, and soon the Ferrari 360's taillights disappeared from view.

Su Jin returned home, took a shower, and quietly lay in bed waiting to fall asleep.

Suddenly, my phone beeped.

He picked it up and saw a text message from Ya Huazi saying she had arrived home safely, followed by a bunch of profanities calling him a dog, a big idiot, and so on.

"She's such a refined lady, she doesn't even know how to swear."

The next day, in the morning.

China Film Group Corporation announced the relocation of the film "Wanted".

It quickly generated considerable buzz and even trended on Weibo.

Anyone with eyes can see that this is to pave the way for "Painted Skin" to reclaim the title of the highest-grossing Chinese film.

"Comrades, with 'Wanted' making way, do you think 'Painted Skin' can reclaim the box office champion title?"

"There's a 90% chance we can recoup the losses. Yesterday, 'Painted Skin' still held at 2600 million yuan at the box office. As long as it doesn't drop below 250 million yuan in the next three days..."

"0, definitely."

"Yesterday's box office still reached 2600 million yuan. Did Su Jin subsidize ticket sales again?"

"I don't know, but I checked and there are still discounted tickets available, though they're only thirty yuan each."

They did spend money on ticket subsidies, but not much, only 500 million.

With the remaining 500 million, it's enough to last until the end of the National Day holiday.

-

While some are discussing whether "Painted Skin" can reclaim the title of highest-grossing Chinese film, others are making sarcastic remarks.

They say domestic films are no good; for the sake of box office revenue, they even have to make way for Hollywood films.

And they're spouting nonsense about burying their heads in the sand and entertaining themselves.

Jianmu Media, Office.

Su Jin had barely sat down when Huang Jiaqiang came in.

Although it was the National Day holiday, it was also a crucial period for the film "Painted Skin," so many people were still at work.

Huang Jiaqiang and Zhao Shan come every day.

People at their level no longer have fixed holidays; their rest time depends entirely on their work schedule.

"Good morning, boss!"

"morning.

""

"Li Xue called me last night and said that Li Bingbing wanted to treat you to a meal."

"Is it about 'Mulan'?"

-

"She didn't say exactly what she meant, only that she admired you and wanted to invite you to dinner. However, it's highly likely it's all about 'Mulan'."

That's the matter.

"Reject her. Just say I'm busy, and tell her that the casting for 'Mulan' will be fair and impartial, so she doesn't need to bother with this."

With casting for "Mulan" imminent, it goes without saying that an actress would invite you to dinner alone.

If Li Lianhua were the only actress chosen for the role of Mulan, he would definitely accept her invitation to dinner, but adding Ya Huazi made him feel there was no need for it.

If Li Lianhua fails to be selected, and he ends up in Li Lianhua's bed, then things will be difficult. He can't just kick out his teeth!

"Okay, I'll call Li Xue back in a bit." Huang Jiaqiang changed the subject, "I had dinner with Lu Zheng from Starlight Brilliant last night."

"Is it still about 'Mulan'?"

"Yes, that young lady Jing Tian was also there."

"She wouldn't want the female lead, Mulan, would she?" Su Jin wasn't too surprised to hear that Jing Tian was also there.

Her role in "The Maze Runner" was just a minor supporting character, with less than twenty minutes of screen time in total, and she returned long ago.

Luo Jin will be back at the end of the month.

"No, she wants the Rouran princess." Huang Jiaqiang said. Hearing this, Su Jin was a little surprised. Da Tiantian had actually changed her mind and didn't want Mulan anymore, but instead wanted the second female lead.

"How much is Lu Zheng asking for?"

"300 million." Huang Jiaqiang made an OK sign, his voice revealing excitement.

"Say yes," Su Jin said directly.

The role of the Rouran princess is not very important; she's just a plot device, and it doesn't cause Jing Tian any trouble.

"Boss, who is this Lu Zheng? How come he's so rich? He's willing to spend three million on a second female lead." Huang Jiaqiang was completely baffled.

They spent $500,000 and 1.5 million in red paper money on the minor female supporting role in "The Maze Runner" back then, and now they're doing it again.

Also, at the beginning of the year, Lu Zheng took over the production of "An Epic of a Woman" from CCTV and invited Zhao Zhetian and Liu Ye to set up the stage for that young girl, Jing Tian.

"I don't know." Su Jin shook her head.

Lu Zheng's background is too mysterious.

In the internet age, the fact that not a single real photo of him has surfaced suggests that his background is extraordinary.

Da Tiantian is the same; she always says that her family's financial situation is average, that she comes from a working-class family.

But the reason of working-class families is a bit far-fetched. Just ask yourself, which child from a working-class family would receive such strong support from Yida, even at the cost of losing money?

In 11, someone online revealed that Jing Tian was the wife of the owner of Yida Group, which was denied by Si Cong, but he admitted that there was more to the story.

What inside story could make Yida Group willing to lose money to promote it?

There's only one answer: Jing Tian has powerful connections, someone with significant influence, which is why Yida is willing to lose money to promote her.

Even if a movie loses money, it won't lose much, but a single policy or sentence from above can make Yida a fortune.

From this perspective, the argument that Da Tiantian is Lu Zheng's kept woman falls apart.

Time flies, and the last four days of the National Day holiday are over.

The working class is so engrossed in their seven-day holiday that they have no desire to work and are all feeling quite down.

"Painted Skin" lived up to everyone's expectations, successfully breaking 300 million yuan, with a box office of 3.21 million yuan.

-

Now everyone understood that it was almost certain that "Painted Skin" would break the box office record of "Titanic" and reclaim the throne of Chinese film box office.

Major media outlets have been praising "Painted Skin".

"Painted Skin completely revitalized the National Day film season, and we anticipate a blockbuster lineup next year."

"Painted Skin surpasses 300 million yuan, setting a new record for the National Day holiday."

"With 'Painted Skin' successfully surpassing the 300 million mark, it is poised to become the top-grossing film in China."

"Painted Skin has successfully surpassed 300 million yuan, aiming for the top spot in the Chinese film box office."

"Painted Skin surpasses 300 million, Wuershan achieves legendary status and becomes the number one director in China."

Judging by box office revenue, Wuershan is truly the number one director.

To date, only one domestic film has grossed over 300 million yuan, "Red Cliff Part I," with a box office of 3.21 million yuan.

At the celebration banquet for "Painted Skin", a group of people surrounded Wu Ershan, toasting her, handing out business cards, and trying to establish a relationship.

There are also some people who consider themselves senior figures and want to teach Wuershan how to do things, saying that the scenes in the movie were not handled well enough.

It's all nonsense, just people taking advantage of their age.

With their level of expertise, they have absolutely no right to guide the number one Chinese-language filmmaker.

"Aren't you envious?" Ning Hao asked, holding a cocktail and looking at Wuershan surrounded by the crowd.

Su Jin glanced at him, her eyes filled with doubt: "Envious?"

"That's right! If you hadn't said before that you were the nominal director of 'Painted Skin,' the title of the lead director of this film would have been yours."

"No, 300 million is still too small. Wait until next year, and I'll break 400 million for you."

"7

"Keep bragging!"

"What do you mean by bragging! If you don't believe me, let's make a bet. The loser has to call me daddy."

"I'm not as naive as you."

Although Ning Hao thought Su Jin was bragging, most of the boasts that this bastard made had come true.

Just like this time, no one believed that "Painted Skin" could regain the top spot at the Chinese box office, except for Su Jin's blind fans.

Online, a lot of people mocked her, thinking that Su Jin was just trying to attract attention.

Then, the ticket subsidy weapon was unleashed, and this amazing thing is actually about to come true. Can you believe it?

After finally managing to deal with the group, Wuershan saw Su Jin and Ning Hao looking at him with smiles on their faces.

That smile made him feel very awkward.

In fact, he knew very well that the success of "Painted Skin" had little to do with him.

Su Jin handled everything from the script and casting to the investment. The storyboards were drawn by the storyboard artist and were drawn very clearly.

To put it bluntly, he was just a director who was essentially used as a tool.

Are you going to say you're smug?

Of course he's proud of himself. After all, he's the number one director, who wouldn't be proud!

"Congratulations on becoming the first director," Ning Hao joked.

"Forget it! I'm really not that confident about being the number one director," Wu Ershan said with a wry smile.

"Hahaha—once 'Painted Skin' takes back the box office champion title, you'll truly deserve it," Su Jin laughed.

Wuershan didn't respond, but changed the subject, saying, "Boss, I'm thinking of going to Korea tomorrow afternoon."

"Why the rush? Taking a day off won't hurt."

"So many people are contacting me, my phone is ringing off the hook."

"Then ask Zhou Xun and the others if they're willing! If they are, you can go tomorrow afternoon!"

"Okay, I'll go ask them now."

Ning Hao watched Wuershan's retreating figure and said, "It seems our number one director hasn't gotten arrogant."

"You're much better than you were back then. When you were successful with 'Stone,' you walked around with your head held high and your nose in the air."

"Get lost! When did I ever act like I was superior?"

"Why isn't it here—"

"What do you mean, 'nothing'?"

A puzzled middle-aged man's voice suddenly rang in their ears.

Su Jin and Ning Hao turned around at the same time and saw Zuo Shandiao with a smile on his face.

It is said that the happiest person when "Painted Skin" broke 300 million at the box office was none other than Zuo Shandiao, who was even happier than when the box office target of 5 billion was achieved.

"Painted Skin" is on the verge of reclaiming the box office champion title; this is a truly solid achievement!

"Third Master," Su Jin and Ning Hao said at the same time.

"Has Director Huang agreed to the 'Founding of a Republic' project?" Su Jin asked.

"He agreed. Old Huang was very interested. He agreed as soon as I mentioned it." Han Sanping said, then suddenly seemed to remember something: "Su Jin, you can play a cameo role."

"When will you turn it on?"

"We are currently writing the script, and we estimate that filming will not begin until early February next year."

"I'm afraid I won't have time then, as Mulan also started filming around that time."

"You won't do directing, and now you won't even do a cameo role. Is your celebration of the motherland's birthday just empty talk?"

Even Zuo Shandiao used the greater good to pressure her, so what could Su Jin do but agree?

Ning Hao, who was standing to the side, didn't quite understand what was being said from the beginning.

Seeing that the two had finally stopped talking, he asked, "Third Master, what kind of project is 'The Founding of a Republic'?"

"Next year is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China! The higher-ups asked me to make a film to commemorate it, and I'm so worried that my hair has turned white."

Then Su Jin came up with the project "The Founding of a Republic," an all-star film that tells the story from the end of the War of Resistance against Japan to the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"An all-star cast, how much would that cost?" Ning Hao was speechless.

"You have the nerve to ask for payment for celebrating the motherland's birthday?" Su Jin looked at him with a half-smile.

Ning Hao was slightly taken aback. With such a big label attached to him, others would really be embarrassed to ask for payment.

"Ning Hao, you should also come and play a cameo role," Han Sanping said.

"Third Master, I don't need to—I'm just a director, unlike Su Jin, who is an actor. I've never even acted before," Ning Hao said embarrassedly.

"It's nothing, it's just a few minutes of filming," Han Sanping said jokingly.

"It's not a matter of a few minutes—" Ning Hao said with a wry smile.

"What do you mean it's not a matter of minutes? You're a Chinese filmmaker, and your motherland needs you, yet you refuse. How can you set an example in the future?" Su Jin criticized Ning Hao with righteous indignation and a righteous expression.

"Get lost." Ning Hao rolled his eyes at Su Jin, annoyed. What a jerk.

At this moment, the host Xie Nan walked to the center of the stage and said, "Hey—hey—everyone, please be quiet."

"First of all, let's give a round of applause to Mr. Han Sanping, the representative of our production company, to come to the stage and give a speech."

Han Sanping stepped onto the stage and spoke eloquently for five or six minutes, becoming particularly passionate and excited towards the end.

"As a commercial film distribution company, there is no more exciting news than 'Painted Skin' grossing over 300 million. The 300 million box office is now history, and we will strive to create an even higher box office record."

"Most importantly, we are about to reclaim our box office champion title."

After Han Sanping stepped down, Xie Nan said, "Next, please welcome Mr. Su, the screenwriter, producer, and supervisor of 'Painted Skin,' to the stage to speak. Let's give him a round of applause."

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Su Jin walked to the center of the stage.

Looking at the crowd below the stage, Su Jin smiled slightly. He used to hate it when leaders gave speeches, but now he really enjoys them.

As the saying goes, those who slay dragons often become dragons themselves.

"I won't take up any more of your time, I'll just say a few words."

He spoke for seven or eight minutes straight, and only when he saw that the audience was getting a little impatient did he begin his closing remarks.

"I think the biggest contribution of 'Painted Skin' is that it laid the initial foundation for the industrial model of special effects in Chinese films."

"In the past, domestic blockbusters generally looked down on domestic special effects teams and spent a lot of money to send special effects abroad."

"As for 'Painted Skin,' with its more than 800 special effects shots, every single one was completed domestically. This proves that as long as you put in the time, the quality of our domestically produced special effects is quite good!"

"With 'Painted Skin 2,' we will continue to uphold the banner of domestic special effects. Please stay tuned!"

Wuershan, the newly crowned director with 300 million yuan in box office revenue and the highest-grossing Chinese film, also took the stage and spoke very humbly.

"Thanks to my boss Su Jin for letting me direct 'Painted Skin'."

"He once said something to me that I still remember vividly: Hollywood blockbusters are not invincible. We should not be afraid of them, but face them squarely, learn from them, and defeat them."

"Because we know this land that gave us birth and nurtured us better than they do."

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