Reborn in the Chinese Entertainment Industry: My Childhood Sweetheart is Boss Yang

Older viewers might still have the patience to read newspaper film reviews and ponder the artistic depth of Director Chen.

But what do young people do?

These days, it's the golden age of the unbridled growth of internet BBS and forums. Tianya, Mop, and Baidu Tieba are the main battlegrounds for young people.

The film "The Promise" was parodied as "Steamed Bun," and "Crazy Stone" received rave reviews but received no screenings. These two incidents, when combined, caused a huge uproar online.

Gu Heng browsed the forum on his laptop at the hotel, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

Since the fire is already burning, why not add some more firewood?

At this time, although it wasn't as convenient as the later WeChat meme battles, the rudiments of posting pictures without leaving a seed had already begun to circulate in QQ groups and forums.

Whether it's the sleazy rabbit Tuski shaking its head or the chubby internet celebrity that makes people laugh, they all prove one thing.

In this visual age, a captivating image can be more effective than a thousand-word press release.

Gu Heng made a phone call to Ning Hao, who was still on a promotional tour.

"Director Ning, stop just shouting slogans. Get your art department moving! Cut out all the classic lines from the movie, add big, eye-catching text, the more prominent the better!"

"Huh? What character?"

Gu Heng was disappointed in his son's lack of ambition.

"You idiot! You need to make that line from Brother Dao, 'You insulted my character and my intelligence,' and Blackie's 'Brand! Baleno!'... Do it all!"

After hanging up the phone, Gu Heng did not stop.

"Stone" alone isn't enough, so we have to bring out the hot pot group for a spin.

After all, the initial popularity of "Stone" was entirely due to the presence of these two gentlemen.

Gu Heng contacted the publicity department at Vision Entertainment's headquarters directly, asking them to work overtime overnight and make use of all the funny photos and stills taken at the last gathering.

That evening, a set of uniquely styled pictures began to spread virally across various forums.

The first one to be affected is Brother Xiaoming.

Gu Heng was quite cunning, deliberately choosing a still of Huang Xiaoming exuding domineering power in "The Emperor of Han Dynasty" and pairing it with a line that resonates through the ages.

"I don't care what you think, I only care what I think."

Gu Heng looked at the picture and laughed until his stomach hurt. "Xiaoming-ge, don't blame me, this is to help you establish your domineering CEO persona early. You'll thank me later."

As for Liu Yifei, she's like a fairy descended to earth.

The captions were much more elegant: "The fairy sighs," "The fairy is speechless," and "This fairy doesn't want to talk to you."

The main appeal is its unexpected charm.

When it came to his own little fox, Gu Heng didn't let her off the hook either.

On the set of "Wang Zhaojun", Gu Heng specially borrowed a photographer from Chen Jialin.

"Director, just a few shots, ten minutes will be enough!"

Chen Jialin stared blankly as Yang Mi, dressed in the elegant and luxurious Zhaojun costume, made all sorts of funny faces at the camera.

Rolling their eyes, making a peace sign, pouting and acting cute.

The accompanying text was even more brilliant: "I'm tired," "Get out of my sight," and "?".

Chen Jialin looked at the finished product, his beard trembling.

This is an insult to culture, an insult to culture!

"This...this is so unserious! How can this go viral?"

Gu Heng patted his chest and assured him, "Director Chen, just you wait and see, this is what you call being down-to-earth!"

Of course, Gu Heng himself was not spared either.

His slick, pretentious image in "Stone" was accompanied by the line: "At this moment, I want to recite a poem."

This is practically the ultimate image for spamming on forums.

Su Qing acted swiftly; at Gu Heng's command, the entire Yuanjian navy launched an attack.

Overnight.

These faces are everywhere—on university BBS forums, Tianya's chat section, Mop's discussion forum, and even QQ groups.

"I have the pictures, I'll post them first!"

"Hey upstairs, your picture's blurry. Check out my high-resolution, dark-skinned version!"

"Who is that beautiful woman in ancient costume? Her expression is so cute, I love her!"

This viral spread is even more terrifying than the film's own reputation.

In just a few days, the news spread like wildfire.

Young people are embarrassed to greet others if they don't have a few "Stone" or "Hot Pot" emojis in their hands.

Just as this wave of memes swept across the internet, several other heavyweight contenders from the Lunar New Year film season finally made their appearance.

The result was, to put it mildly, disastrous.

Zhang Yimou's "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" is a true art film. It received good reviews and was praised by film critics, but at the box office... it was critically acclaimed but not commercially successful.

As for "A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella," it's practically the same unfortunate sibling as "The Promise."

For the first three days, it could still manage to rake in some box office revenue thanks to its IP, but after three days, its reputation collapsed, and nobody really watched it.

That's good now.

The whole internet was flooded with memes and discussions about "Stone," but when I actually went to the cinema to watch it...

No screenings?

"Is this movie theater stupid? We want to see that 'Baleno' brand!"

"Why are you lining up us for those steamed bun slices? I want to see Brother Dao!"

The audience's anger translated into action: either they demanded refunds or filed complaints.

Theater managers are really getting restless this time.

Looking at the empty theaters and the heated online discussions, all that money is gone!

They first approached Ma Jie, who knew Gu Heng's thoughts and was willing to help him, refusing to budge.

Finally, having no other choice, these people begged and pleaded, and ended up going directly to Han Sanping.

On this day, Gu Heng was preparing to film a horse-riding scene when his phone rang.

Upon closer inspection, the note reads: Han Sanping.

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow, answered the phone, and said in an extremely respectful tone, "Oh, Chairman Han, Third Master! What brings you here?"

On the other end of the phone, Han Sanping sighed, his feelings quite complicated.

"The Promise" was a major investment from China Film Group, and although it was terrible, it was their prized child. But their prized child failed to live up to expectations, while "Crazy Stone," which only received a million-dollar investment and was initially seen as a bonus, became a huge hit.

"Hey kid, stop joking with me." Han Sanping's tone was somewhat helpless. "That's enough. The theater chains are practically begging me. We're all in this industry, we'll run into each other again, don't push things too far."

Gu Heng smiled.

He also knew when to stop while he was ahead. After all, this Third Master was the future leader of the Chinese entertainment industry, and he had to give him face.

"Since Third Master has spoken, we must do it." Gu Heng changed the subject, "But Third Master, my humble family isn't having an easy time either. I suffered quite a loss when our screenings were cut."

"Alright, alright, I know you're only in it for the money." Han Sanping was a straightforward man. "Four percent. The theater chains have agreed to give you another four percent on top of the existing revenue sharing. That's the bottom line; any more and we'll have to fight tooth and nail."

Four points!

This is pure profit!

Gu Heng, seeing that he had won, said, "Alright! Third Master is so generous!"