Chinese entertainment industry has been booming since 2008.

The wrap party for "You Are the Apple of My Eye" is in full swing.

Qiao Shan and Zhu Yilong sang off-key songs with their arms around each other's shoulders; Chen Xiao played a drinking game with Ke Jingteng; Shu Chang and Liu Yifei took a picture together, their eyes red but their smiles bright.

Surrounded by a crowd, Zhang Yang took photos, chatted, and received blessings from all directions. He had drunk quite a bit of wine, his face flushed with a slight intoxication, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

Seeing that Zhang Yang was alone, Liu Yifei took her wine glass and walked up to him.

"Director Zhang, thank you for choosing me to play the female lead, Shen Jiayi, despite the pressure from Huayi Brothers."

"Sissi, it's my honor to have you play Shen Jiayi. You're such a fairy sister, you have so many fans. When the movie is released, they will definitely contribute a lot to the box office."

This mutual flattery was a bit awkward, but the two of them exchanged a smile!

......

After filming wrapped up for "You Are the Apple of My Eye," Zhang Yang went home to see his parents and grandparents, and then Yang Mi blocked his door.

Yang Mi blocked the door because she wanted to start filming "Gu Jian Qi Tan" as soon as possible, but Zhang Yang was thinking of working on "The Thieves Alliance" first. Yang Mi was very unhappy about this and bit Zhang Yang hard, making him gasp for breath.

Liu Junjie originally thought he could secure the directorship of "The Thieves" by introducing Guo Biting to Zhang Yang. Unfortunately, Zhang Yang had no such intention. Given that their abilities were roughly equal, it was not unreasonable for Zhang Yang to promote one of his own people.

However, Zhang Yang doesn't believe that Liu Junjie can achieve the same effect as the original film "The Thieves." Even Zhang Yang himself is not sure if he can replicate the original's effect.

Besides, having had the experience of making "You Are the Apple of My Eye," Zhang Yang felt that he should try to find the original version whenever possible in the future. Being a director is just too tiring; you have to do everything yourself, and even the donkeys in the production team would be exhausted.

Therefore, Zhang Yang directly invited the original director, Choi Dong-hoon, to direct the film.

Of course, the reason why he was able to win over Choi Dong-hoon was because of his superpowers. In the entertainment industry, there are people who can't be bought off with money, but Choi Dong-hoon is clearly not one of them.

Zhang Yang directly offered a fee of 200 million yuan, which is quite high even in Korea.

The other main actors in "The Thieves" included Zhao Wenzhuo as the captain of the master thieves. At that time, Zhao Wenzhuo still had film resources, but not many. His best resource recently was "True Legend," in which he co-starred with Rene Liu and Zhou Xun, but the box office was not very good.

When Zhao Wenzhuo received the script for "The Thieves", he only considered it for three days before agreeing to star in it. There were very few people who wanted him to make movies, and he had been popular before and wanted to return to his peak.

Zhang Yang, through Wang Jinghua's connections, brought Chen Daoming to play the role of the mastermind behind the scenes. In fact, Chen Daoming usually doesn't take on such villainous roles, but he had no choice but to accept the role because of Wang Jinghua's favor.

The vault expert they hired is Xu Qing. Although she's a princess of the Beijing entertainment circle, she doesn't have many film resources. She played the second female lead in "The Thieves," which is pretty good. Besides, the male and female leads are Zhang Yang and Fan Bingbing. She'll take this role.

The acting expert we invited is Wang Ji, who is truly a master of acting. The film he starred in, "Rouge," won the Silver Bear Award at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival in 1995, and then won the Golden Peacock Award at the 27th Indian Film Festival in 1996.

In 1997, she was nominated for Best Actress at the 15th China TV Golden Eagle Awards. Yes, you read that right, the Golden Eagle Awards have been around for a long time.

The route expert we invited was Huang Bo. Huang Bo is somewhat famous now, but his status in the industry is just so-so. He naturally had no reason to refuse the invitation from "The Thieves' Alliance".

Guo Biting landed a minor role as Julie, originally played by Li Xinjie, the "Queen of Ghosts." Simon Yam also reprised the original role. After all, with Simon Yam in Hong Kong, many things could have been avoided!

April 17th, Beijing, a five-star hotel!

The banquet hall was brightly lit, and the words "Press Conference for the Start of Filming of the Movie 'The Thieves'" shone brightly on the huge backdrop. A diamond-shaped logo was meticulously designed in the center of the backdrop, echoing the film's "treasure hunting" theme. The audience was already packed, with cameras and microphones ready and waiting. Media reporters from all over the country whispered among themselves, the air thick with excitement and anticipation.

At 2:00 PM sharp, the host took the stage. After a brief opening speech, he raised his voice: "Now, let's give a warm round of applause to welcome the creative team of the movie 'The Thieves'!"

Amid thunderous applause and almost blinding flashes of light, director Choi Dong-hoon walked out first, followed closely by the focus of the entire event: Zhang Yang and Fan Bingbing.

Zhang Yang wore a dark blue fitted suit without a tie, his shirt collar casually open, looking clean and sharp with a touch of unruliness—a stark contrast to his refined professor image in "My Love from the Star." Fan Bingbing, on the other hand, opted for a stylish white pantsuit, her makeup exquisite, exuding confidence and charm, her red lips alluring, yet her eyes revealing a sharp, unyielding edge.

The "My Love from the Star" couple reunited! This keyword instantly exploded in the minds of all the reporters, and the sound of camera shutters rang out like a storm, lasting for a long time.

The two stood side by side on the stage, smiled at each other, and the familiarity and tacit understanding they had developed after working together on "My Love from the Star" was palpable, instantly igniting the atmosphere of the entire audience.

The appearances of other main actors, such as Zhao Wenzhuo, who played the cunning leader of the team, Chen Daoming, who played the mastermind behind the scenes, Xu Qing, and Wang Ji, also garnered enthusiastic applause.

Once everyone had arrived, the host began to follow the script for the next part of the event.

Host: First of all, Director Choi Dong-hoon, what prompted you to join the "Thieves" project?

Choi Dong-hoon: It was Producer Jang's sincerity and the wonderful script of "The Thieves" that moved me. I hope this collaboration will bring a different kind of surprise to Chinese audiences.

Host: Zhang Yang, Sister Bingbing, it's your second collaboration after "My Love from the Star," and this time it's a sci-fi romance drama that's transitioned to an action crime film. What are the differences?

Taking the microphone, Zhang Yang smiled and replied, "They are indeed very different. 'My Love from the Star' focuses more on emotional turmoil, while 'The Thieves'..."

He paused, glanced at Fan Bingbing, and continued, "The physical challenge is even greater. This time we have to run, jump, fight, and even 'steal' things, which completely overturns our previous image."

His humor drew bursts of laughter from the audience.

After receiving Zhang Yang's signal, Fan Bingbing smiled and continued the conversation: "Yes, this time I'm no longer the heroine waiting to be rescued. My character... might be even more capable and smarter than Zhang Yang's character."

After she finished speaking, she winked playfully, prompting Zhang Yang to make a "I admit defeat" expression, which made the atmosphere relaxed and lively.