Reborn in the Chinese Entertainment Industry: You're a Director, But You're a Casanova?

At the end of June 2003, the aftermath of the flu was still raging across China.

The mainland film market is as cold as ice, and the daily revenue of major cinemas is not even enough to pay the electricity bill.

At a time like this, anyone who dares to release a new film is just throwing money down the drain.

But Liu Yuehua did the opposite, throwing the bombshell of "Comet" into the market at this most depressed time.

Inside the mountaintop mansion, Liu Yuehua was on the phone with Feng Chengcheng.

On the other end of the phone, Feng Chengcheng's voice carried a hint of barely suppressed fervor.

"Old Liu, you're awesome! Do you know what's the hottest topic on the Chinese internet right now?"

"It's not Tianya, nor Xici Hutong, but the Renren website of Tsinghua and Peking Universities."

"Didn't Mr. Ma and his gang hire online trolls to smear us and call our movie a bad one? As a result, the mindless attacks from these trolls directly angered those top students from Tsinghua and Peking Universities."

"After watching our premiere, these top students immediately started a thread on the forum, using tens of thousands of words to argue the quantum theory, Schrödinger's cat, and the physical logic of parallel universe exploration in the movie."

"The BBS forums of the two universities are now almost paralyzed by arguing about which parallel universe's Dong Xuan is in the last scene of the movie."

This hardcore science fiction discussion about the intellectual threshold has directly triggered a viral spread among college students across the country.

University students, who had been cooped up on campus for a while, were so excited about this mind-bending masterpiece that they were willing to climb over walls to see it. Cinemas near several university towns in the south were completely full.

The strong support from Tsinghua and Peking Universities, along with the spontaneous endorsement from students, is the source of his confidence to confront Mr. Ma at this juncture.

The physics behind comets has been proven by two universities and is completely sound. Once the discussion among highly intelligent individuals is ignited, word-of-mouth will spread like wildfire.

"What did they say from Hanshanping?" Liu Yuehua asked, getting to the most crucial point.

"President Han has already instructed China Film's distribution department to intervene forcefully this afternoon," Feng Chengcheng quickly reported.

Just two days ago, seeing that General Manager Ma had laid a trap for the northern cinemas, Liu Yuehua immediately used his connections with his mentors and teachers to directly contact Han Shanping, the powerful head of China Film Group.

Han Shanping was worried about not having a suitable knife to deal with the parachuted General Manager Ma.

After watching the original film of Comet and seeing the fervent enthusiasm of Tsinghua and Peking University students, the head of China Film Group immediately made the decision, and the alliance between the two was a natural outcome.

Liu Yuehua can provide high-quality ammunition to ignite box office success from outside, while Han Shanping provides heavy firepower cover from within the system.

"This afternoon, Mr. Han's secretary faxed us an internal address book containing the private phone numbers of managers from major cinema chains across the country."

"President Han has spoken. As long as the occupancy rate in the south can approach 50%, he dares to slam his fist on the table at the industry-wide meeting tomorrow and force the northern cinemas to fully open up screenings," Feng Chengcheng added.

Liu Yuehua pondered for a while. Mr. Ma's influence in the north was still strong, and all the cinema managers were watching and waiting.

We must now slap the overflowing data from the South in their faces and use real market benefits to break through President Ma's administrative blockade.

Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open.

Tang Yan walked in barefoot on the carpet, carrying a cup of hot milk.

She wore a very thin slip dress with a low neckline, revealing large expanses of her fair skin under the dim lamplight.

This was a decision she made after careful consideration. She should have given herself to him in the capital long ago, but Liu Xiaoli ruined the whole thing.

I've been so busy lately, running around everywhere, that I haven't had a chance to relax. Now I finally have a little free time.

In the past few months, the impact of Hong Kong's social scene has made her fully realize Liu Yuehua's power. He can unite and break through the blockade of the Lu family and Mr. Ma with his own strength.

More importantly, he is only 18 years old, and his future is limitless.

As long as we can physically lock down this young director, we will definitely have a place in the future of the Chinese entertainment industry.

"Director Liu~ It's so late and you're still worrying about the box office. Have a glass of milk to calm your nerves." Tang Yan's voice was sweet and charming as she leaned into Liu Yuehua's arms.

She deftly lifted her long legs and placed them on the table, creating an exceptionally ambiguous effect under the table lamp.

Liu Yuehua was an ordinary man. Feeling the warmth in his arms and the softness on his legs, he couldn't hide his manly calculations in the face of the alluring white flesh. He figured he wouldn't lose out by half-heartedly giving in.

Seeing that there was a chance, Tang Yan was overjoyed and immediately pulled her leg back.

She turned around and straddled Liu Yuehua's lap, wrapping her arms around Liu Yuehua's head and starting to rub against him.

She parted her red lips slightly, gently blew air into Liu Yuehua's neck, then took a sip of milk, held it in her mouth, and kissed her way up his neck.

Starting from the earlobe, the little tongue licks and circles around.

Then he slowly turned to face him and pressed his lips against Liu Yuehua's.

The two leaned on each other, sharing their innermost feelings.

Just as Liu Yuehua was distracted and about to take the milk and stand up for some fresh air,

Knock knock knock, Liu Shishi's voice, thick with a nasal tone, came from outside the door.

"Brother Yuehua, I think I have a bit of a cold and fever. Do you have any fever reducers?"

Liu Yuehua snapped to attention, reason instantly overwhelming his hormones. He absolutely could not tarnish his righteous image in front of his beloved daughter.

That's my guaranteed SSR, and even the slightest flaw in its appearance will greatly diminish my future control over it.

He snatched the milk from Tang Yan's hand, pushed her away without hesitation, and then grabbed his phone and shoved it into her arms.

"Aren't you cold wearing so little?" Liu Yuehua asked, feigning seriousness and speaking in a stiff tone.

"Not being cold means you're full of energy. You've come at the perfect time; I was just worried about not being able to contact the cinemas in the north."

The blush on Tang Yan's face faded instantly, and she stammered, "Director Liu... I..."

"Our company doesn't keep idle people. Right now, use that sweet, coquettish voice to call all the theater managers in the north, tell them about the positive reviews from Tsinghua and Peking University students, and then report the attendance rates in the south."

"If you don't make these 500 calls, you can forget about eating tomorrow."

Liu Yuehua pointed coldly to the door and said, "If you want to sleep with me, you'd better boost my movie's box office first."

"Go out, and while you're at it, find Shishi's fever reducer." Tang Yan, on the verge of tears, took the phone and slunk out of the room.

The next morning, Tang Yan sat slumped on the sofa, her eyes bloodshot and her voice hoarse as if she had swallowed razor blades.

While eating the breakfast prepared by Liu Shishi, Liu Yuehua made a call to Han Shanping's private phone.

"Yuehua, well done!"

"Last night, managers from several major box office markets in the north called me overnight, requesting more screenings," Han Shanping said with a hearty laugh on the other end of the phone.

"Mr. Ma's trick of fair competition has backfired. Starting today, we will fully roll out the game in northern cinemas. We are determined to win this game of 'Comet'."