HuaYu: A Great Director Starting with Dream of the Red Chamber

"This weather is so damn gloomy."

It rains incessantly during the Qingming Festival.

In Huayi's lavishly decorated European-style office.

Feng Xiaogang tossed his cigarette butt into the crystal ashtray, grinning broadly as he said:

"This Li Yan is really something, releasing a movie on Qingming Festival? People are busy mourning at graves and burning paper money, who the hell would go to the cinema to watch his bunch of people argue? How unlucky!"

Guan Hu, who was sitting on the sofa, relaxed his gloomy face upon hearing this, revealing a hint of undisguised pleasure.

Ever since returning from Venice, he has felt inferior in the social circle.

Even though he helped Huang Bo win the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor, it was just a fig leaf. Everyone in the industry knows that he's the one who gets yelled at and cursed without being able to fight back.

Especially Wang Shuo, whose words implied disdain, fueled his anger.

"Gangzi is absolutely right! To put it bluntly, this release schedule is basically for ghosts!"

Guan Hu, holding his cigar, took a deep drag and said gloatingly:

"Master Shuo is right, that guy's a complete idiot! I heard from China Film Group that this bastard gave away all his profits just to get more screen time; the lion's share went to China Film Group, haha!"

At this point, Guan Hu couldn't help but sneer, his face full of mockery:

"To throw away dumplings just for a bit of jealousy, I've never seen such a business idiot! So what if the box office is a hit? He's still just working for China Film Group, not even getting a sip of soup. He's just putting on a brave face!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, wishing that Li Yan would lose everything and eventually have his lousy company go bankrupt, leaving him slinking out of the film industry in disgrace. Only then would he feel relieved.

Wang Zhonglei, sitting behind the table, reacted rather calmly.

He straightened his elegant French cuffs, glancing at Guan Hu with practiced ease:

"Director Guan, don't get too worked up. In business, for every winner, there's a loser. My older brother once said that it's easy to get arrogant when things are going too smoothly when you're young. It's good for him to stumble and learn a lesson."

Wang Zhonglei slowly picked up the scissors from the cigar box and snipped off the cap of the cigar:

"If this movie flops at the box office, he'll be burdened with debt, and he'll finally know who's the boss in this industry. If it's a hit..."

He didn't finish speaking, but just smiled effeminately and fiddled with the blowtorch lighter in his hand.

If this becomes a hit, it proves that this kid is talented, and then Huayi can recruit him...

Guan Hu's smile froze for a moment when he heard him finish his sentence.

What? I'm still thinking about kicking him when he's down, and you, Wang Zhonglei, are already ready to give him a hand and sign him?!

Is there any justice in this world?!

Feng Xiaogang turned around, looked at the scene, and knew exactly what was going on, but didn't say anything. He just chuckled and said:

"Alright, Mr. Han, do you want to go to the premiere tonight?"

Wang Zhonglei stood up and buttoned his suit jacket:

"Show yourself! How can we not give Third Master Han face?! While we're at it, let's see if these ghosts from Qingming Festival can actually help Li Yan grind grain!"

……

That evening, at Wanda Cinema in Chaoyang District, the premiere of "Silent Witness" was held.

The red carpet was laid out, and quite a few people came, but they had different thoughts, and most of them were just there to watch the spectacle.

Han Sanping came in person, still wearing that Zhongshan suit, with that enigmatic smile on his face. He stood next to Li Yan and took a photo together, giving him plenty of face.

Zhang Qiang, who once held Li Yan by the neck, was "absent due to illness" today, but La Peikang, who was in charge of distribution, was all smiles.

After all, the profits that Li Yan gave up were all processed through him, and were genuine achievements.

First row below the stage.

Fan Bingbing then pulled out a stunning deep-V dress that outshone everyone else, her long, wavy hair cascading to one side, her eyes lingering on Li Yan's handsome face on stage.

Most of those present knew that the review process was stalled and profits had to be sacrificed.

She admired Li Yan's ruthless determination to make tough decisions.

However, while I appreciate it, if this movie can actually make it through the Qingming Festival period, it's worthwhile to put more effort into developing it in the future.

If it doesn't become popular... then she'll just consider these two months of looking at handsome guys as a treat. At least she's quite satisfied with the hairstyle Li Yan asked her to change, which has attracted a lot of female fans.

Lu Zheng didn't care; he had already spent the money, so he just had to wait and see the final result.

Moreover, he'd be willing to lose money as long as he could help Jing Tian get ahead.

He whispered to Jiang Zhiqiang beside him:

"President Jiang, what are your thoughts on this scheduling?"

Jiang Zhiqiang didn't speak, but frowned and shook his head slightly:

"It's hard to say."

He knew how slow the market was during the Qingming Festival, not to mention that there was a Hollywood 3D blockbuster, "Alice in Wonderland," in theaters, which was gaining momentum.

However, the lead actors, Liang Jiahui and Wang Zhiwen, seemed quite composed, huddled together and chatting quietly.

"The script is good, and Li Yan is a talented director with excellent control over the pacing."

Liang Jiahui sighed, somewhat regretfully: "It's just this market... sigh, if only we could have changed the release date, even to May Day."

Wang Zhiwen was quite carefree; since he couldn't smoke, he took out a cigarette and played with it in his hand.

"Let's do our best and leave the rest to fate. Anyway, we've had our fun in this role."

……

One o'clock in the morning.

At Jianwai SOHO, Gravity Pictures' offices are filled with people working overtime.

Ding Xiaoxiao refreshed the webpage repeatedly, occasionally picking up her phone with one hand, waiting for the filming association's real-time statistics.

until……

"They're out."

A scream shattered the silence of the office, and Ding Xiaoxiao jumped up from her chair:

"Opening day box office... 13 million!!!"

"On par with Alice in Wonderland!!"

"Pre-sales and additional screenings are completely sold out! Number one in attendance all day!"

With a loud bang, the entire floor erupted in chaos.

Zhang Qiang was so excited that he hugged Zhou Pangzi next to him and kissed him hard on the cheek.

Based on this first-day performance, it's almost certain that the box office will break 70 million in the first week, and the total box office is initially estimated to reach 200 million!

In a "doomed" slot that no one expected to succeed, "Silent Witness" became a success!

However, amidst the jubilation, Ding Xiaoxiao looked at the impressive thirteen million, and as she smiled, her lips trembled, and she almost burst into tears:

"Director...we're basically not getting a single penny of that 2 million! We're just working for China Film Group for nothing! My heart is breaking!"

That's tens of millions! Enough for them to fully fund several projects...

A strange atmosphere of mixed joy and frustration filled the office.

Li Yan was sitting on the sofa when his phone vibrated.

Han Sanping sent a text message with just two words: "Good show."

Li Yan looked at the text message and slowly stood up:

"What's there to feel sorry about?"

"Consider this battle a training exercise for the team!"

"It was worth it."

……

At the same time, Huayi Brothers.

Wang Zhonglei and Feng Xiaogang have just returned as well.

Before he could even settle in, Wang Zhonglei's male assistant hurriedly reported the opening day box office figures for "Silent Witness".

Feng Xiaogang stared at the string of numbers for a long time, then cursed:

"Damn, this kid's got some serious weirdness. He managed to get so many living people into the movie theater during the Qingming Festival? That's unbelievable!"

Although he is arrogant, he is focused on box office performance; last year, his film "If You Are the One" only grossed 3.14 million yuan.

But this is Li Yan's first work! The data is so impressive that he has nothing to say.

Zhong Lei ignored Feng Xiaogang's words, fiddling with his phone, his eyes darting around.

"The box office was a huge hit, but unfortunately, he didn't make any money. It was all for nothing."

He then looked at Feng Xiaogang as if seeking his opinion:

"If you don't make money, you'll be short of money! Since you've proven your ability, it's worth investing in."

"Director Feng, why don't you organize a meeting later to sound him out? See if you can sign this kid or get him a stake in his company? As long as we have this topic, our stock price can jump even higher after the IPO!"

……

Late at night, in Doujiao Hutong.

After a busy day, Li Yan collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted and lost in thought.

Unexpectedly, the outer courtyard gate was gently pushed open at this time.

Jing Tian was holding a large insulated lunchbox in her arms, with a few drops of water still hanging on her head and the tip of her nose red.

"I knew you weren't asleep!"

She placed the insulated lunchbox on the coffee table, opened it like a prized possession, and the rich aroma of meat instantly wafted out:

"Quick, try it! I already had my assistant queue up to buy the lamb spine hotpot from that place in Hongshankou!"

Looking at the steaming pot of mutton, Li Yan chuckled:

"Who eats something this hard in the middle of the night? Are they trying to choke me to death?"

"Have some nourishing food! You look so tired lately."

Jing Tian fetched chopsticks for him and then stood behind the sofa.

Two small, cool hands gently pressed on either side of his temples, clumsily massaging them:

"Hey, I checked the box office. Even though we didn't make a lot of money this time, don't get upset."

"At worst, I'll make up the difference for you later!"

"What do you mean? You're really planning to let me live off you?!"

Li Yan took her hand in return, feeling a warm glow in his heart.

Jing Tian blushed slightly, then took out a prepared bank card from her pocket and patted it on his shoulder:

"Do you think I don't know you? You're ambitious beyond belief! You're probably already preparing to start your next movie."

"I'm worried you won't have any money... and you'll have to beg those old men."

"Here's some pocket money I've recently saved up, plus a red envelope from my mom. The password is your birthday. Take it! Consider it a loan!"

Li Yan looked at the card, then at the incredibly sincere neighbor girl in front of her.

Suddenly, I realized that the rain during the Qingming Festival didn't seem so cold anymore.