Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

Chapter 67: 15 Billion Yuan in Box Office in a Single Week, Soaring Status in the Industry! The Emperor is Ready!

2016 was a very peculiar year for the Chinese film market.

From an overall perspective, 2016 poured a bucket of cold water on the booming development of the Chinese film market.

Without Lu Yunzhou's appearance and the addition of the movie "Crazy Racing", the box office for the entire National Day holiday would have dropped by 14.6% compared to the same period last year!

This is a very alarming statistic.

It seems that the Chinese film market has reached its peak, and from now on, no matter which way you go, it will only go downhill.

However, upon closer analysis, it becomes understandable why audiences are unwilling to buy tickets to go to the cinema.

Since the Spring Festival season, the film market has been conveying the message that buying a ticket to watch a movie is like paying for a lesson.

During the Spring Festival season, "The Mermaid" launched a massive marketing campaign, with the tagline "We owe Stephen Chow a movie ticket," which propelled the film to the top of the all-time box office rankings for Chinese films.

However, the quality—in short, many years later, no one has discussed this movie anymore; it was a mediocre money-grabbing production.

Meanwhile, films released around the same time, such as "From Vegas to Macau III" and "The Monkey King 3," achieved very high box office returns, both exceeding 11 million yuan.

100 million.

However, the quality of these two films is worrying, with Douban scores of 4.5 and 5.6 respectively, neither of which is above the passing grade.

Even if it's bad, it's so bad that it's mediocre that it doesn't even make you want to complain.

Next up is the summer movie season, the main event for box office revenue.

Students who have been burdened by their studies for half a year can finally relax.

However, what awaited them was a summer of terrible movies.

The first to be affected is "League of Gods" starring Fan Bingbing and Li Lianjie, which has a Douban rating of 3.

Judging from this rating, this movie is ready to be taken home.

Because it could almost rival "Dream Chasing in the Entertainment Circle" for the title of worst Chinese film.

Before being brutally beaten by society, those high school and college students were given a harsh lesson by the film market.

However, this is not the end.

The movie "So Young 2: Never Gone," starring Liu Yifei and Wu Yifan, has dealt another huge blow to the young fans of those popular celebrities.

This completely cooled down the entire summer movie season.

After being fooled repeatedly, the students learned their lesson and became wiser.

Even if it's very hot outside, students on summer vacation would rather sweat it out outside than go into the movie theater to enjoy the air conditioning, because they would get a headache after watching the movie.

I finally made it through summer vacation.

The high school graduates finally packed their bags and arrived in the new city to begin their enjoyable university life.

They can finally forget the unpleasantness of the summer and embrace a new life.

Some people even started dating.

And the movie theater is the best place for a date.

However, "A Chinese Odyssey Part Three" taught students a harsh lesson as they started school, showing them that nostalgia is meant to be shattered.

Unbroken sentiments are worthless.

Only after their dreams are shattered can they truly confront the sentiments of their youth—that they were worthless to begin with, and that they were the only ones who were moved.

Sentiment ultimately became bait to lure them in.

When National Day arrives, even the dumbest fish won't take the bait.

"Want to go see a movie? I heard that Guo Jingming's 'L.O.R.D.: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties' has been adapted into a movie. I read the novel when I was in elementary school, and I thought it was pretty good. I also heard that Yang Mi is in it."

This is a young couple on a date.

They strolled around the streets for a while, then felt a bit tired and decided to go to the cinema to rest and watch a movie to pass the boring afternoon.

After the afternoon session, we'll have dinner.

After dinner — you all know what happened.

"Yang Mi and Guo Jingming, it's bound to be a terrible movie. I've fallen for it so many times already. Even if I'm stupid, I won't fall for it again!"

To everyone's surprise, his girlfriend kept shaking her head, saying that she would never fall for Yang Mi's tricks again.

It's okay to watch Yang Mi's TV series for free.

Paying money to see Yang Mi's movie is something even a dog would paw at and say a word of advice.

-

Honey Sister's reputation in this area is just that solid.

Seeing this, her boyfriend's lips gradually curled into a smile: "Then shall I treat you to 'The Racer'? I heard that movie is super awesome. Qiang and the others went to see it yesterday and have been raving about it ever since, saying the racing scenes were incredibly exciting."

"Racing movies —"

His girlfriend hesitated. As a girl, she had absolutely no interest in racing.

At that moment, she gradually realized something, glanced at her boyfriend, and said irritably, "If you wanted to watch 'Racing Speed,' you could have just said so. Why did you drag Yang Mi into this and try to persuade me not to watch 'Legend of Ravaging Dynasties'?"

After saying that, the girlfriend laughed first: "Although I quite like Yang Mi, I feel that my relationship with Yang Mi ended after 'Fall in Love Like a Star.' This time, I'll pay the bill and treat you to your favorite racing movie."

Upon hearing this, the boyfriend was so moved he almost cried: "Lili, you're so wonderful!"

Half an hour later.

Inside the movie theater.

"Ahhh, Zhouzhou is so handsome!"

"Did you see that? In that overtaking scene just now, Zhouzhou's slight smile almost made me swoon."

After he finished speaking, his girlfriend suddenly realized something and pinched his cheek: "Of course, you're handsome too! You have to work hard so you can buy an Audi R8 sometime and let me sit in the passenger seat."

Upon hearing this, the boyfriend instantly felt highly motivated.

I must work hard to buy an Audi R8 and make my girlfriend happy.

At the Audi Experience Center.

During the National Day holiday, President Weidler did not take a break, but instead toured several Audi 4S stores in different cities to check on sales performance.

The secretary kept reporting: "Mr. Weidler, during the 7-day National Day holiday, we launched some special offers. In addition, we gave every customer who came to the 4S store for a test drive two IMAX tickets to 'Racing Wild West,' giving away a total of 100 million tickets."

"These 100 million movie tickets generated approximately 7000 new orders within 7 days, representing a more than 40% increase compared to the same period last year!"

Even if each of the 1 million movie tickets costs 100 yuan, the marketing expenses would only be 100 million yuan.

The majority of the 7000 customers who placed orders purchased mid-to-high-end luxury cars like the Audi A6, with an average order value of around 40 yuan, generating 30 billion yuan in sales.

The impact of this film will have a long tail effect.

In other words, even after their "come to the store to see the car and get a free movie ticket" promotion ends after the National Day holiday, a large number of potential customers will still come to place orders.

This movie could potentially generate over 50 billion in sales for Audi.

"very good."

President Weidler nodded slightly, a smile appearing on his lips.

He didn't care how much money the movie could make, because the revenue from movie tickets was negligible for Audi.

What Audi really wants is for Lu Yunzhou to elevate the image of the entire brand.

And now, the effect is very obvious.

During the seven-day National Day holiday, Lu Yunzhou brought Audi an additional 3 billion yuan in revenue in China.

Europe and North America are also expected to be affected.

The combined revenue from the three regions is likely around 10 billion. His marketing costs, however, were less than 300 million.

Considering Audi's overall marketing expenses, which account for approximately 8% of sales revenue—while in the case he handled, this percentage was only around 3%.

He saved the company at least half the money!

This is a very worthwhile deal, and it could even be included in some marketing textbooks as a typical case study.

Most importantly, the bulk of the marketing expenses for giving away movie tickets with car purchases were not covered by Audi's headquarters.

It was provided by FAW Group.

Audi's shareholding structure in China is as follows: FAW Group holds 60%, Volkswagen Group holds 30%, and Audi holds only 10%.

Most of Lu Yunzhou's film sponsorships were actually provided by FAW Group.

Only those racetracks in Europe receive full support from Audi.

However, both FAW Group and Audi headquarters felt that this was a very worthwhile deal.

"Please make a reservation for me at DAVITTORI0, the best Italian restaurant in Shanghai, and also make an appointment with Director Lu Yunzhou's agent. I hope to have dinner with Director Lu Yunzhou before next week."

"This movie has been a huge success, so it's time for us to discuss a sequel."

President Weidler has obtained some data regarding the box office performance of "Racing Wilderness" in Germany.

As a racing movie starring Chinese actors, its box office performance is quite excellent, and it should break $2000 million without any surprises.

If this were a German film, German netizens would probably rave about it.

Because, based on box office figures, a film grossing over $20 million would become the second highest-grossing domestic film in Germany in 2016.

In this era, German cinema was completely ruined, with Hollywood blockbusters dominating all the charts.

"Racing Wilderness" is a Sino-German co-production, and most of the characters, such as mechanics and technicians, are played by German actors.

President Weidler believes that if Lu Yunzhou continues to film "Crazy Racing 2" and achieves similar success, the German cultural authorities will definitely award Lu Yunzhou a Federal Cross, making him one of the bridge figures for Sino-German cultural exchange.

Yang Mi Studio.

She's been feeling a bit down lately.

As one of the key characters in the movie "L.O.R.D.: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties", she attended the movie's premiere and red carpet appearance, and also did a lot of promotion for the movie.

However, the movie flopped spectacularly.

Well, upon closer examination, it's not really fair to call it a complete flop.

For the first three days, the movie was even very close to "The Speeding Cars" in second place, after all, "L.O.R.D.: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties" also starred Fan Bingbing.

The cinemas were very accommodating to Fan Bingbing, giving her a high number of screenings in the first few days, which helped the film gross nearly 300 million yuan during the National Day holiday.

Meanwhile, "The Speeding Racer" grossed 15 billion yuan at the box office!

However, in terms of reputation, the difference is huge.

Of course, Yang Mi knew before starring in this movie that her reputation would not be good if she starred in a movie directed by Guo Jingming.

She was criticized from beginning to end for the "Tiny Times" series.

But what does it matter?

It does not affect her commercial value.

Liu Yifei, who starred alongside Wu Yifan in the same period, made an even worse film called "So Young".

This brought Yang Mi great comfort.

However, to everyone's surprise, Tang Yan, who was also a "Queen of Bad Movies" among the post-85 generation actresses and whose films were even worse than hers, actually made a comeback.

When "A Chinese Odyssey Part Three" was released on September 14th, Tang Yan did not appear at all during the premiere and red carpet event.

Because at that time, Tang Yan knew it was a bad movie, so she deliberately went to New York to attend Fashion Week and chose to avoid it in advance.

Then came the New York shooting, and Lu Yunzhou became an overnight global sensation.

Tang Yan, as Lu Yunzhou's number one sugar daddy, has been mentioned by countless netizens.

During those days, reporters and media flocked to New York, wanting to interview Lu Yunzhou, but Lu Yunzhou had just been discharged from the ICU.

It's impossible for him to give an interview.

Therefore, they had no choice but to settle for second best and interview Tang Yan.

Because everyone on the internet knows that Tang Yan and Lu Yunzhou have a very close relationship.

During that period, whatever Tang Yan said would instantly make headlines. Every time Tang Yan appeared and chatted for a few minutes, her eyes would start to redden, making netizens feel that Tang Yan was like a fragile, sickly beauty, looking so pitiful.

No one would be so heartless as to feel ill will towards a delicate and beautiful woman.

Moreover, Tang Yan also brought Lu Yunzhou to a world-class stage—in contrast, Li Yifeng, who was carried by Yang Mi, frequently made headlines due to various scandals.

Lu Yunzhou, however, acted like a hero during the New York shooting, with an aura of self-defense from every angle and no flaws.

Both Yang Mi and Tang Yan were "nannies," but Yang Mi ended up raising a ladybug, while Tang Yan raised a world-class idol.

Even out of respect for Lu Yunzhou, netizens wouldn't say anything harsh to Tang Yan.

[The film *A Chinese Odyssey Part Three* was merely a failed attempt for Tang Yan, but it was precisely this failed attempt that led her to find her true path. In *Racing Speed*, Tang Yan shed her previous sweet image, appearing in a sharp professional outfit. Her cool demeanor and the passion of the racetrack created a wonderful chemistry between her and the character.]

—[In "Racing Madness," Tang Yan stands on a high platform overlooking the racetrack, holding a wine glass. Like a red rose quietly blooming amidst a torrent of steel, she becomes the gentlest yet most powerful bright spot in this testosterone-fueled film!]

—【33-year-old Tang Yan is at the peak of her beauty, with fair and translucent skin, delicate and three-dimensional features, and a height of 1.72 meters. Wearing a suit, she perfectly embodies what it means to be a "powerful career goddess." Especially the shot of her wearing sunglasses next to an Audi R8, which perfectly showcases the elegance and aura of an elite woman. I suggest Audi sign Tang Yan as the spokesperson for their women's sports sedan!】

-

Tang Yan delivered her most stunning look to date in "The Speeding Car." From her dashing short hair to her gentle, girl-next-door bangs, and then to her crisp white shirt, her beauty was sophisticated and elegant. Her beauty wasn't aggressive; rather, it was like warm water, subtly influencing and unforgettable.

—[Tang Yan, long labeled as a naive and innocent actress, delivered a surprisingly good performance in "The Racing Car." She has finally found a role that suits her. In the scene where the protagonist wins Le Mans, she stands in the stands, watching the car cross the finish line, tears silently streaming down her face, yet a proud smile plays on her lips. That restrained yet overwhelming emotion is incredibly moving, bringing tears to the eyes of countless viewers!]

"That's enough!"

"Don't think I don't know, this is all press releases that idiot Tang bought himself!"

Seeing that Tang Yan has completely whitewashed her acting skills, and in countless media reports, she seems to have become the representative of acting skills among the post-85 generation of actresses.

Yang Mi was so frustrated she wanted to bang her head against the wall.

Among the actresses born in 85, Tang Yan's acting skills are definitely the worst.

But why is Tang Yan so lucky?

In just a year and a half, Tang Yan achieved three leaps in succession: winning international awards, demonstrating a remarkable turnaround in her acting skills, and going global.

Each of those jumps made Yang Mi feel jealous.

What Yang Mi felt most jealous of was that Tang Yan was completely complacent from beginning to end, without putting in any effort. All she had to do was call out to Lu Yunzhou, "Brother, take me with you," and Lu Yunzhou would act as if he were under a spell, taking Tang Yan with him without any regard for anything else.

"Could it be because Tang Yan has long legs?"

Yang Mi couldn't help but think of a rumor circulating in the martial arts world.

Lu Yunzhou likes female celebrities with long legs.

Lu Yunzhou did indeed make the most of Tang Yan's long legs in the movie.

Especially the scene where Lu Yunzhou was shopping at the supermarket.

Two beautiful young women from Europe and America, with their long legs, came over to greet Lu Yunzhou. After signing their names, the two disappeared at the end of the container.

Then, at the end of the container, two even longer legs appeared—the contrast was so striking that the scene was sure to leave a lasting impression on the world.

Because this shot was an unexpected surprise, hitting the sweet spot for countless men.

After all, what man can resist a long-legged beauty?

Yang Mi could foresee that when this movie was released in Europe and America, countless male viewers in the cinema would be excitedly whistling.

"Do you think my legs will look longer if I wear 9cm heels?"

Yang Mi felt she had found a solution and turned to look at her agent.

"I think it's better not to. Nine centimeters is too much of a tripping hazard. Besides, your legs are already long enough with seven-centimeter heels."

The agent felt that Yang Mi had gone a bit crazy.

Yang Mi has this competitive personality; she always wants to compete with everyone.

I feel good only when I've thoroughly crushed someone else.

"Prepare a few pairs for me first, I might need them later."

I don't usually wear such exaggerated 9cm heels. I'll wear these combat boots next time I see Lu Yunzhou.

When Lu Yunzhou was hospitalized in New York last time, Yang Mi also stayed at the hospital for several days.

She sensed that Lu Yunzhou's attitude towards her had softened somewhat after their brush with death, and he was no longer as cold and hostile as before.

After hanging up her phone, Yang Mi suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "How is Dai Si doing on the set of 'Wolf Warrior 2'?"

The agent said with a smile, "She's the most favored member of the entire crew right now. After all, she's the female lead that Director Lu brought in."

"Director Lu's box office performance exploded, and his status in the industry skyrocketed. The entire crew knew that Dai Si was backed by Director Lu, so they took great care of her."

Damn it.

The most useless person in the company is actually the one with the best relationship with Lu Yunzhou, and now she has become the female lead in "Wolf Warrior 2".

Yang Mi felt that this world was a bit absurd.

Dai Si isn't particularly good-looking and has absolutely no chance of becoming a big star. So what exactly does Lu Yunzhou see in her?

Why are you so good to her?

However, to be fair, this girl is quite hardworking. She actually listened to Lu Yunzhou and decided to transform into an action star.

Being chosen by Lu Yunzhou is a blessing for Dai Si.

Regardless, Dai Si signed a 10-year contract with the company. During these 10 years, no matter how many jobs Dai Si takes on outside, she has to give her a cut, which means she's essentially working for the company.

Thinking about it this way, Yang Mi felt a little better.

But compared to being a boss, Yang Mi still longs to become a world-class superstar.

After all, these two things are not contradictory.

After much deliberation, Yang Mi still wanted to poach Tang Yan's role. She looked at her agent and asked, "Director Lu, have you found out what his next project is?"

The agent had indeed found out a little, but wasn't entirely sure. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "What I heard is that Director Lu Yunzhou is preparing to try out an action film project, something like 'The Cleaner'."

Cleaner?

What is this thing?

Considering that Lu Yunzhou previously made a short film called "Super Cleaner," the name sounds a bit strange at first, but the theme is actually about dreams.

This new project, "The Cleaner," is definitely not about cleaners.

"Cleaner" may just be a label.

"Go talk to Ji Rujing for me and tell him that I can complete the bet soon. As long as Lu Yunzhou is willing to take me on, I don't want any pay, and I'll even help him get sponsorships."

Yang Mi also knew that if she only offered to lower her salary, Lu Yunzhou would definitely not be interested in her.

She also needs to bring benefits to Lu Yunzhou before he will be willing to give her a chance.

Yang Mi now completely understands Lu Yunzhou. This guy is a typical businessman when dealing with outsiders; he's too shrewd.

The seven-day National Day holiday flew by.

"The Speeding Racer" grossed 15 billion yuan at the Chinese box office, and analysts predict that its total box office may reach 30 billion yuan, potentially surpassing "The Mermaid" and breaking the record for domestic film box office.

After the holiday ended, the box office dropped, but under normal circumstances, it should have been able to roll over to more than 25 billion.

The box office performance was excellent, and Lu Yunzhou had perfectly completed his mission, so he stopped going out for promotional tours.

He has been very tired these past few days.

Of course, the main reason is that after 7 days of fermentation, the movie's reputation has spread across the entire internet, and now it can rely on natural traffic.

In addition, the "Swan Tears" necklace sold out completely, with 10 units sold—resulting in sales of nearly 5 million!

Besides necklaces, bracelets and earrings also sold quite well.

During the entire National Day holiday, after deducting costs and various expenses, they made approximately 2 million yuan.

Lu Yunzhou didn't know the data from Europe because online shopping wasn't as developed there, and the data would be delayed for a long time.

However, Europeans have money, and even at 2000 euros, people will still buy this kind of affordable luxury necklace with a romantic story behind it.

In short, he had a premonition.

The brand's valuation may soon exceed the box office revenue of a movie.

In fact, Lu Yunzhou didn't come up with this business plan on a whim.

This brand development strategy is a complete replica of the 1961 film, "Breakfast at Tiffany's," starring Audrey Hepburn.

It was this movie that linked the jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. with the fashion icon Audrey Hepburn.

After the movie was released, Tiffany's wedding rings sold out instantly.

Over the next decade, Tiffany tasted success and continued to use similar marketing strategies, gradually transforming itself from an ordinary American jeweler into a top global luxury brand.

The Tiffany Blue Box has since become synonymous with romance and commitment.

What Lu Yunzhou needs to do is to deeply integrate the "Swan Tears" brand with himself in a commercial way, and personally create a luxury brand for his family!

Luxury goods are about stories and sentiments.

In this respect, Lu Yunzhou has an unparalleled advantage!

He hopes that in 10 years, the "Swan Tears" brand will be as popular as the "Tiffany Blue Box" was back then, selling well all over the world and becoming a romantic memory for a generation.

The reason Lu Yunzhou named the brand "Swan Tears" is to directly compete with "Swarovski," whose logo is also a swan.

Swarovski is currently the number one accessible luxury brand.

This brand sells nothing more than glass beads; aside from the brand name, to put it bluntly, their products are utterly worthless.

They sell pure gold, and compared to Swarovski, the price-performance ratio is simply unbeatable.

In 2016, Swarovski's global sales reached 32 billion euros—if they could capture half of that market share, they would instantly become billionaires!

Movie box office revenue doesn't make much money.

But it is a huge leverage that can amplify brand value to the extreme.

"15 billion!"

As soon as Lu Yunzhou arrived at the company, Huang Yida rushed over and gave him a big hug: "Little Boat Bro, you're awesome!"

"You are the god of cinema in my heart, the Chinese version of James Cameron!"

Huang Yida is one of the producers of this film. He has now been promoted by Lu Yunzhou and has become a big shot in the film industry.

Now, even when people invite him to hold concerts, he's too lazy to go.

Why even bother with a concert? Almost no one comes. Look at the movie I made with Lu Yunzhou; it's a global phenomenon.

"Uncle Da, you've been in excellent spirits these past few days. It's like you've become a child again. Tell me honestly, have you been receiving the treatment of a serious criminal at home?"

Lu Yunzhou noticed that Huang Yida seemed to be in high spirits because of the happy occasion, and his complexion had become much rosier.

"Ha ha."

Huang Yida, arm in arm with Lu Yunzhou, asked mysteriously, "Tell me, what's your relationship with Wang Ran, the young girl Yan Yan just signed? She just joined the company, and you already gave Miss Fu face, getting Huace to arrange for her to play the female lead?"

Huang Yida understands why Zhang Ruonan receives this treatment.

Wang Ran was puzzled as to why he received the same treatment. Of course, as the senior sister of Tang Yan Studio, Chen Yuqi was also included and cast as the second female lead in that drama.

Although Chen Yuqi graduated from university a long time ago, she looks very young and can convincingly play a high school student.

Huace was quite accommodating, even sending someone to inquire whether the male lead should be reserved for Lu Yunzhou.

He's injured and can't act in action movies, but acting in a youth campus drama can leave young girls with a youthful memory. Isn't that a good thing?

They were even willing to rewrite the script for the protagonist, saying that the protagonist was injured in a car accident and could not use his arm for a long time, and designed a "sickly beauty" character for Lu Yunzhou, which might make the little sisters feel sorry for their brother.

Upon hearing this, Ji Rujing rolled her eyes and quoted them 300 million per episode.

Last year, Yang Mi was asked for only 180 million yuan to star in "Eternal Love".

Ji Rujing quoted a price that Huace could not accept, hoping to discourage them from making a decision.

This kind of campus drama can't compare to a period drama, so the budget is definitely not much. However, Ji Rujing never expected that Huace's TV drama department would actually say they would go back and consider it.

This made Ji Rujing realize just how terrifying Lu Yunzhou's commercial value and ability to carry a drama series had become.

"Little Boat Bro, Yan Yan asked me to ask you if you want to act in a campus drama with Wang Ran to make up for your regret of not having a boyfriend in high school. Huace is very sincere, 300 million per episode, you can just recite the lines. It might only take you a month on set."

"Earning a small goal in a month, that's over 300 million a day."

Huang Yida even tried to persuade Lu Yunzhou that since he was idle at home anyway, he might as well act in a campus drama, since there weren't many outdoor scenes and it was almost all filmed on campus.

It's very easy.

He can also have a puppy love story with Wang Ran, a pretty young girl, in the drama.

It was really cool.

If it were him, he definitely wouldn't refuse.

"Uncle Da, it's fine if you joke with me, but don't joke with Chuanmei. She can make things difficult for Sister Ji with just one word."

Huang Yida actually dared to joke about Wang Ran, and Lu Yunzhou secretly revealed the identity of the young rich woman.

"Wow. They've got a really big background?"

Huang Yida made an exaggerated expression, then smiled mysteriously at Lu Yunzhou: "You must have a really tough job. You have to serve the rich woman at the company, the little rich woman outside, and also appease your girlfriend when you get home."

"Uncle Da, there's no need for you to gloat—your rich woman has arrived."

Lu Yunzhou gently nudged Huang Yida, urging him to hurry up and serve Ji Rujing instead of just standing there like an idiot, or he'd face the consequences when he got home.

Upon seeing Ji Rujing return, Huang Yida's expression immediately changed, and he stepped forward obsequiously, saying, "Yan Yan, you're here. Thank you for your hard work. Let me get all this information."

Ji Rujing didn't stand on ceremony and piled all the documents onto Huang Yida's chest.

She stepped forward and couldn't help but give Lu Yunzhou a tight hug: "Yunzhou, you're so cool. 15 billion in box office! Almost all the institutions misjudged you. Now, they've all changed their tune, saying you'll definitely break the box office record of 'The Mermaid'."

"In addition, with the box office revenue in Europe and America, this film may break the total box office record for Chinese-language films."

Lu Yunzhou became an overnight sensation.

Ji Rujing suddenly became the busiest person in the entire entertainment industry.

Because countless people want to interview Lu Yunzhou, shoot for various magazines, and discuss future project collaborations.

There are also commercial endorsements.

Offline business activities.

Various arts and culture forums—official, unofficial, and university-based—as well as some international film festivals, all wanted to invite Lu Yunzhou.

Some cities even wanted to invite Lu Yunzhou to be their tourism ambassador, asking him to film a promotional video for them, with the price negotiable.

In the past two years, the real estate industry has been booming, and cultural and tourism projects have sprung up everywhere, with budgets overflowing.

They all wanted to make a big splash.

And now, who has more online traffic than Lu Yunzhou?

He can even fool some foreign women into coming to China for tourism!

"Yunzhou, President Weidler has invited you to dinner this weekend. The restaurant is already booked. It's near the Bund, [DA]..."

[VITTORI0], Michelin three-star restaurant — who are you planning to bring along?

Ji Rujing looked at Lu Yunzhou with curiosity.

When a man goes out to eat, he will definitely bring a beautiful female companion, who serves as the best decorative object and also as a foil to the man's success.

"Xiao Nan has already joined the film crew. She probably won't be able to stay with you—" Ji Rujing frantically hinted, telling Tang Yan to find her.

Tang Yan is free recently.

Because Tang Yan became an overnight sensation with "Crazy Racing", this benefit is enough for her to live off for several years.

She's not really interested in making other people's movies anymore.

Having a classic role gave Tang Yan enough confidence—and Tang Yan also had her own considerations. If she were to make a bad movie, she would very likely ruin the reputation she had worked so hard to improve.

Lu Yunzhou helped her create a golden statue, and Tang Yan would not take the initiative to destroy it unless absolutely necessary.

As the "Shanghai Real Estate Queen," Tang Yan is certainly not short of money.

In addition, with the studio now successfully up and running and director Lu Yunzhou leading the way, Tang Yan can now comfortably stay home and maintain her long legs.

At most, I'll go out to attend some parties, help the company attract some business, and make more connections.

"Let's bring the girl along. Let's help her generate some buzz; isn't she about to debut?"

Although Tang Yan was very good, after comparing them in his mind, Lu Yunzhou still felt that Wang Ran needed this exposure more.

"Alright."

Ji Rujing wasn't interested in Lu Yunzhou's private life, as long as Lu Yunzhou didn't give her any unexpected surprises.

Currently, everyone Lu Yunzhou has been in contact with is on Ji Rujing's list and is within her control.

"Yunzhou, President Weidler is looking for you, it must be about the sequel. Do you have any ideas?"

'

A blockbuster movie will put a lot of pressure on the sequel.

Most sequels to hit movies turn out to be mediocre.

Ji Rujing was very worried that Lu Yunzhou was too eager for quick success and wanted to harvest the韭菜 (a metaphor for exploiting people) as fast as possible.

"There's no need to rush into a sequel."

Lu Yunzhou gently shook his head: "Actually, in the past two years, racing-themed movies haven't been doing very well at the box office worldwide."

"Rush" cost $2150 million to produce but only grossed $680 million worldwide, a huge flop.

The Italian racing film "Racing Italy" received a 7.5 rating on Douban and grossed only $240 million worldwide. Another major flop.

It's not surprising that Lu Yunzhou's movies became popular in the country.

Because he understands very well what the current trends in the domestic film market are.

"Racing Wilderness" hit three key trends: it's based on a true story, it has a strong sense of national pride, and it has a very strong narrative logic.

Especially the sense of national pride and patriotism—he essentially preempted "Wolf Warrior 2" and reaped a huge harvest of the current audience's sense of national pride and patriotism, plus a narrative logic of "Chinese people are very awesome".

It will definitely give domestic movie fans a thrill that will send shivers down their spines.

Moreover, he is particularly good at creating that cool atmosphere—making it easier to attract young people to watch the movie.

As for its minor popularity in Europe and America—

This is entirely a gift from God.

If it weren't for the "New York shooting," which made Lu Yunzhou the number one handsome man in the hearts of dream girls around the world, this movie would probably have only grossed around 20 to 30 million US dollars in Europe and America.

"In that case, let's not rush things. Let Cheng Congfu win a real championship on the international stage first."

Ji Rujing also did not want Lu Yunzhou to film a sequel immediately.

After the release of "Crazy Racing," the audience had no complaints about Lu Yunzhou. However, they had huge complaints about the film's main character, Cheng Congfu.

Many young girls, after watching the movie, thought that Cheng Congfu in real life was as handsome as Lu Yunzhou, and went to Shanghai Station to support him.

As a result, they were greatly disappointed after meeting Cheng Congfu in person.

Cheng Congfu wasn't the star driver in the Audi team; he was just a junior member and didn't have the same flair as Lu Yunzhou.

If Cheng Congfu wants to prove himself, he needs to win a world championship immediately, otherwise he will be letting down Lu Yunzhou for making him so handsome.

Lu Yunzhou nodded slightly: "I'll make a sequel for Lao Cheng when he wins a world championship. I'm sure President Weidler will understand."

After exchanging a few words, Ji Rujing brought up more serious matters: "By the way, the new project, the 'Cleaner' you mentioned to me before, are you serious?"

The movie "Crazy Racer" was a huge success, and its commercial value soared to its peak.

Even some Hollywood projects have extended invitations to Ji Rujing, preparing to let Lu Yunzhou choose.

However, Lu Yunzhou didn't even glance at it.

Having turned down so many big-budget film offers, Lu Yunzhou is now preparing to work on a small project at this crucial juncture, which Ji Rujing finds somewhat perplexing.

"The Cleaner is just one of the options I'm keeping as a backup. If possible, I'd prefer to make a sci-fi film like Inception, which combines reality and virtuality."

"However, regardless of the subject matter, it must be a visual blockbuster and must keep up with the times."

"Even the best-made drama films are useless if they're just pure dramas. Audiences around the world have already become too discerning because of the diverse range of dramas Hollywood produced in the 90s."

The story of "Crazy Racer" is actually very simple.

The real focus of Lu Yunzhou's work is on creating realistic racing action scenes that ignite the audience's passion and enthusiasm. While the protagonist wins the race, the work also creates an indescribable sense of wisdom in him. This feeling creates an atmosphere for the audience that is just like Zhang Zuolin passing through Huanggutun – absolutely awesome!

To put it bluntly, he's just creating audiovisual effects for the audience.

Plus, the atmosphere!

It makes male viewers feel particularly immersed!

Female viewers can automatically identify with any one of the three female protagonists—currently, most female viewers identify with Zhang Ruonan.

Because, among the three leading actresses, Zhang Ruonan is the most ordinary.

With no special background, she is just an ordinary girl who occupies the ecological niche of the protagonist's first love—and Lu Yunzhou is also very shrewd. He seems to have guessed that female viewers will definitely like Zhang Ruonan the most.

Therefore, Lu Yunzhou reserved all the emotional highlights for Zhang Ruonan!

He made the right bet.

As a result, the necklace that symbolized his relationship with Zhang Ruonan sold out instantly!

"Yunzhou, although you are full of boundless imagination, the theme of 'The Cleaner'—could you explain it to me a little?"

Ji Rujing felt that if she heard the name of a movie called "The Cleaner", the first thing that came to her mind was a street cleaner.

Is Nanlu Daoyunzhou planning to make a public service film?

This kind of movie probably won't be a hit, right?

Let me first give a general overview of my thoughts.

Lu Yunzhou took out a notebook from the side and casually said, "In order to avoid domestic censorship, my initial premise is that she is a female doctor in the Thai military special forces who smuggled herself into Italy to find her younger brother and is working as a low-level cleaner."

One day, she accidentally witnessed a group of gangsters executing a traitor in a basement, and unfortunately for her, she was discovered by those gangsters.

"Next, she faces two possible fates."

"Or she'll be silenced by the gang."

"Or, at this critical moment, she could demonstrate her exceptional skills as a special forces medic, showcasing her abilities and making the gang realize her immense value, so they wouldn't want to kill her!"

Lu Yunzhou's opening remarks were inspired by an Argentinian gangster film.

This is an extremely obscure gangster film, probably not many people have seen it. It was later adapted into an American TV series, which brought it to the attention of many people.

However, Lu Yunzhou has a different background.

He doesn't intend to film it exactly like the American TV series "The Cleaner," but only to borrow the character's background.

"and then?"

A special forces medic, working as a cleaner, then witnesses an Italian mafia execution of a traitor in a basement, and is discovered by the mafia.

Ji Rujing thought this beginning was quite interesting.

It was completely different from what she had imagined.

It sounds like a story about a super strong person pretending to be weak while actually being strong.

This female lead role will probably be given to Dai Si, right?

Lu Yunzhou had been trying to persuade Dai Si to become an action star, and now, Dai Si might become the next lucky one after Tang Yan.

What Jiaxing Group looked down upon as a scrap of talent was promoted by Lu Yunzhou into an international action star—Ji Rujing could almost see how sour Yang Mi's face would be.

As for the missing younger brother mentioned in the movie, he should be played by Lu Yunzhou—this is definitely a key clue.

Lu Yunzhou liked this kind of complex, multi-layered narrative!

"I'm still sketching out the next part of the story."

Lu Yunzhou didn't continue speaking. After pondering for a while, he said, "I plan to connect the beginning of this movie with the counterfeit money case that happened in the Calabria region of Italy before."

Wow!

This immediately made the story more interesting.

"Wait a minute—this movie isn't based on a true story, is it? A Thai special forces medic, the Italian mafia, a counterfeit money case in Calabria?"

Ji Rujing suddenly became very excited!

Through the movie "Crazy Racing", Ji Rujing discovered that Lu Yunzhou seemed to really like stories adapted from true stories.

He dislikes fictional storylines that are obviously fake.

This approach has one major advantage: even if the audience wants to find fault, they won't have a point to criticize. Because the facts are true.

At most, one can only complain that Lu Yunzhou made the story too dramatic and unpredictable.

They went to see the real events, and it wasn't nearly as thrilling as they thought—but that's the audience's problem.

After the release of "Crazy Racing", there were many similar comments online.

However, after much discussion, all they could say was, "Director Lu is amazing! His adaptation is much more exciting than the actual history!"

At this moment, Huang Yida, having finished moving his things, returned and, hearing such a fascinating story, couldn't help but ask, "Little Boat Brother, what happened next? Is it based on a true story? Was there really a Thai special forces female doctor who went to Italy to find her relatives and then got involved with the Mafia and a counterfeit money case?"

"With such a complex story background, there should be at least three movies, right?"

"If you film it according to the style of 'Infernal Affairs' or 'The Godfather,' you'll definitely be a top-tier action film director after you finish!"

Huang Yida was extremely excited!

Because he realized that he could go abroad again.

Now I can go to Italy and have a party!

In his personal experience, Italian women are much prettier than French women.

French women are elegant and easygoing — that's good.

However, Italian women are truly sexy and beautiful, charming and unforgettable!

Seeing the expectant looks on their faces, Lu Yunzhou had no choice but to reveal the rest of the plot: "I'm still thinking about it. I think the combination of counterfeit money, the Italian Mafia, and Chinese special forces should have some appeal."

If a Hong Kong director were to make these films, they probably wouldn't have much of a market.

Because their thinking has become rigid, and their story patterns are very simple. It's nothing more than brotherly betrayal and themes of loyalty in the underworld.

Unless Johnnie To directs a story filled with a sense of fate and reincarnation, a story of profound dark humor.

But those kinds of movies, while somewhat interesting, are unlikely to do very well at the box office. Because they're simply not enjoyable.

Lu Yunzhou is different from them.

He will base the film on facts, make it commercially viable, and portray the protagonist as exceptionally handsome and the female lead as exceptionally unique.

This made Ji Rujing and Huang Yida very excited.

Who wouldn't want to watch this kind of exciting movie?

"Little Boat Bro, when are we filming? I'm all set; I'm spending Christmas in Italy."

Huang Yida's current behavior is exactly like that of a man who has been married for a long time. As long as he is not at home or by his wife's side, he is happy wherever he goes.

"I need to finalize the story framework first. Then, we'll go do some on-site research, at least until next year's 2s."

Filming will only begin in [month], after the Spring Festival.

Lu Yunzhou told Huang Yida to calm down.

There will be beautiful Italian women and Mediterranean charm, but the premise is that Huang Yida doesn't make it too obvious.

Because Lu Yunzhou seemed to have already smelled the chilling killing intent emanating from Ji Rujing.

Tonight, Uncle Da is in danger!

The Shanghai Theatre Academy campus.

This is the last day of the National Day holiday.

Wang Churan left her opera school for the Shanghai Theatre Academy to meet her best friend Tian Xiwei, whom she had met at a movie screening.

The two women became good friends mainly because they had a common rival, Cai Xukun.

"Xiaotian, it's been a month since school started. How are you feeling? Are you getting used to it?"

Although Wang Ran is two years younger than Tian Xiwei, as the number one fan site leader in the "Porridge and Rice Family" die-hard fan group, her status in the community is much higher than Tian Xiwei's.

Because Tian Xiwei had no official status in the group; she was just a minor member.

"fine."

After Tian Xiwei finished speaking, she smiled at her best friend Xiao Lu beside her and asked, "Lulu, what do you think of our school?"

Xiao Lu nodded repeatedly: "I think it's alright. Anyway, it's definitely better than the Beijing Film Academy. I heard..."

The dorms at Beijing Film Academy are terrible.

After saying that, Xiao Lu added, "The Shanghai Theatre Academy has become very difficult to get into these past two years, with a very small number of openings. I estimate that the number of openings will be even smaller next year. Who knows what the situation will be like by the time we graduate?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ran simply smiled and remained silent.

Anyway, she's already ashore.

After chatting for a while longer, as evening approached, Wang Ran said, "Xiao Tian, ​​I'm now a senior in high school, and my studies will be quite demanding as I prepare to apply to the Shanghai Theatre Academy. I'd like to give you the position of group admin for the fan club."

Give it to me?

Tian Xiwei was stunned when she heard this.

Did a pie fall from the sky?

Because, if you manage a fan site well, it can actually be quite profitable.

As a fan site administrator, Wang Ran can maintain direct contact with Lu Yunzhou's studio and obtain many of Lu Yunzhou's merchandise items.

For example, Wang Ran was already able to obtain the "Swan Tears" necklace before it was even sold online.

There are also some autographed T-shirts, which Wang Ran occasionally gives away as a treat.

If it were any other fan site admin, those autographed T-shirts would have made them a fortune. But Wang Ran seems a bit naive; she didn't make any money from it and simply gave it away as a treat for everyone.

"We got along quite well, and I think you're a really nice person. I'm worried that if I hand over the position of fan site admin to someone else, they might mess up the group."

Wang Churan flattered Tian Xiwei.

The real reason is that she's about to become a big star, and she can even co-star in an idol drama with Lu Yunzhou, directly becoming a close fan.

Next weekend, Lu Yunzhou is also taking her to a Michelin-starred restaurant for a lavish meal with Mr. Weidler, President of Audi China.

She felt that she would soon be the sister-in-law of the gang, so why should she be a fan site admin?

"Aren't you happy about it?"

Seeing that Tian Xiwei remained silent, Wang Churan frowned.

"No. Of course I'd be happy to. It's just that this is a bit sudden."

Tian Xiwei shook her head hurriedly and patted her chest to assure him that she would definitely run the fan site very well and would never let Wang Ran down.

"That's good."

Wang Churan gave Tian Xiwei a sweet smile and said before going home, "Your new bangs hairstyle looks really good. My brother's taste is really good."

Tian Xiwei used to always show her large forehead, which made her face look big.

However, at the movie screening, Lu Yunzhou gave Tian Xiwei a suggestion: she should change to bangs and lose a little weight.

Tian Xiwei happily followed the advice, and when they met again two months later, Wang Ran almost didn't recognize her.

"By the way, Xiaotian, isn't next week your birthday? I'd like to give you an early birthday present."

Wang Ran took out a gold bracelet from his small schoolbag. The bracelet had a small swan logo on it.

Inside the packaging box, the Italian words "Lacrimedicigno" are written in an artistic font.

Seeing Tian Xiwei's wide eyes, which seemed to be shining, Wang Cheran guessed that she had fallen in love with the bracelet at first sight.

At this moment, Wang Ran said with a smile, "This bracelet will only be available for Christmas, and it won't be available for purchase outside for the time being. Only the most outstanding fan site admins can get an allocation from the studio."

The competition among women is everywhere.

This idea was even suggested by Wang Ran to Lu Yunzhou, who advised him not to release all the items for sale at once, but to save a few as surprises and give them away as perks to some of his fans.

Those little fans will definitely be unable to resist showing off.

The remaining fans who didn't get the bracelet will frantically inquire everywhere about how to get this gift from their brother.

This bracelet will become the Christmas gift that those little fans have been longing for.

If there is no demand, they will create demand.

When this product is officially released, it will definitely be sold out immediately.

"Boat Girl, you're so good to me."

Tian Xiwei always felt that something was missing from her hands, so she put on this gold bracelet and felt that her hands were very beautiful no matter how she looked at them.

Even the chubby five fingers seemed to become adorable.

After accepting the gift, Tian Xiwei's loyalty to Wang Churan had reached its peak. She patted her chest and said, "Sister Chuan, if you ever need my help in the future, just ask. I, Old Tian, ​​am the most loyal of all!"

Wang Churan said with a smile, "Helping me keep an eye on my brother's fan base and continuously expand our team is the best way to repay me."

"

"It's my duty!"

Tian Xiwei felt herself getting fired up.

After Wang Ran left, Tian Xiwei and Xiao Lu rushed back to their dormitory, carrying the gold bracelet, and paraded around the room.

"My goodness, a gold bracelet from Lacrime? Where did you get it? I saw pictures online, but it was only available for pre-order. The store said it won't be released until Christmas."

"You got your hands on it two months in advance? Is it a counterfeit?"

Soon, a knowledgeable girl came over to inquire about the situation.

Women's understanding of cosmetics and jewelry is something men can never imagine.

Just as men understand car engines, transmissions, and various chassis designs, things women simply cannot comprehend.

"What? What a bootleg? Look at this! It's Zhouzhou's autograph! Only a very small number of fans can get their hands on it."

Tian Xiwei took out the box and showed it off to the crowd.

Fortunately, Wang Cherish also gave her the packaging box.

Inside the box was Lu Yunzhou's autograph, making the gift incredibly valuable.

The girl's vanity reached its peak at that moment.

"Old Tian, ​​I'm so envious of you!"

"Don't make your fortune in secret by yourself. Share it with your sisters when you have something good to share."

Tian Xiwei's family background is considered relatively ordinary among the students at the Shanghai Theatre Academy; the other students are all well-off.

But today, Tian Xiwei got away with it!

Dianshan Lake.

This is a tourist resort area.

The population is relatively sparse.

Lu Yunzhou, the one-armed swordsman, has recently been unable to do any exercise, so he has started to enjoy fishing alone by Dianshan Lake.

At the same time, consider how to formulate the framework of the film "The Cleaner".

"My Yarm, I've searched everywhere for you, and you were hiding here all alone? I miss you so much. Do you know that?"

At some point, Nazha appeared by the lake.

She waved her hand, signaling Lu Yunzhou's assistant to step back 300 meters and not eavesdrop on their conversation.

After the assistant disappeared from sight, Nazha hugged Lu Yunzhou from behind and asked with heartache, "Yarm, why were you so foolish? Why did you take a bullet for Jing Tian?"

Lu Yunzhou has explained this issue countless times, but now he doesn't want to explain anymore.

He shook his head and said, "You've finally become famous recently, why don't you take advantage of this time to make a fortune instead of coming to see me?"

"What's more important to you than making money?"

Naza somehow learned a trick to fool Lu Yunzhou, treating him like a fool.

She took a half step back, beckoned to Lu Yunzhou with her finger, and then twirled in front of him: "Today, I specially wore a pair of 7-centimeter high heels to show you. Tell me fairly, between me and Sister Tangtang, whose legs are longer?"

The competition among women is truly everywhere.

Although Nazha's legs aren't short, comparing them to Tang Yan's in terms of leg length is absolutely humiliating for Nazha.

But since Nazha was so happy, Lu Yunzhou didn't want to dampen her spirits. He chose to change the subject, saying, "I remember you were filming 'Fighter of the Destiny' not long ago, right? What's Lu Han like as a person?"

"I have no idea."

Naza shook her head and said seriously, "Filming is just a job. I don't need to know my colleagues' character, right? After filming, we'll have no relationship."

At this point, Nazha suddenly remembered something and felt she had to show it off to Lu Yunzhou.

"Yarm, I secretly did a good deed."

"Look—"

Naza saw someone online who seemed to be suffering from some kind of illness and looked particularly miserable, so she contacted the person and quietly donated 2 yuan to them.

Lu Yunzhou felt that Nazha had most likely been deceived.

There are now many online beggars who have no moral bottom line in order to gain sympathy, which has turned online donations into a carnival for scammers.

However, 2 yuan is nothing to Nazha.

Consider it an indulgence.

Seeing Nazha's eagerness for praise, like a child, Lu Yunzhou smiled and said, "You did a great job. If you're willing to transition into an action star, I'll tailor-make an action movie for you and mold you into the next Angelina Jolie. What do you think?"

Dai Si is very good.

However, Dai Si's looks are ultimately lacking.

It's unlikely to become a global sensation.

If Lu Yunzhou can persuade Nazha to come and be his action star, the box office could increase by tens of millions of US dollars.

A stunning beauty like Gulnazar is captivating whether she's being beaten or beating someone on screen.

Lu Yunzhou himself loves watching it.

Naza thought for a moment, but then flatly refused: "Yarm, I may be clumsy, but I'm not particularly stupid. My acting skills aren't good to begin with, and if my face gets disfigured, I won't be able to make a living at all."

Naza can be quite shrewd at times.

Why aren't they taking the bait?

Compared to this, the honest girl Dai Si suddenly becomes very cost-effective.

"By the way, Yarm, the company has secured a movie project for me. It's 'The Game Rules' directed by Gao Xixi, starring He Rundong and Huang Zitao. I'm the female lead."

"I came here specifically to thank you for making me famous. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have gotten the lead role in this movie."

After Nazha finished speaking, she gave Lu Yunzhou a big kiss on the cheek.

She didn't have anything to repay Lu Yunzhou with; she just came to coax him and make him happy for a few days.

Naza seemed quite happy to see Lu Yunzhou and asked expectantly, "Yarm, will you be attending the MK Fashion Gala in Shanghai in a couple of days? I'd like you to be my date."

"I can't go."

Lu Yunzhou shook his head, glancing at his one-armed state: "How can I attend a fashion gala looking like this?"

"All right."

Naza looked disappointed, hugged Lu Yunzhou for a while longer, and then turned and left.

Naza returned to her van.

Agent Liang immediately came over and asked expectantly, "Sister Zha, how's it going? Have you found out the details of Director Lu's next project?"

"It must be an action movie."

-

Naza said uncertainly, "He asked me if I could switch to being an action star? If I was willing, he would promote me in his next movie. But I refused."

If Nazha were to become an action star with that face, the loss would be enormous if she got injured.

Naza clearly knows how she makes a living.

"It's okay if you refuse."

"Sister Zha, let's just continue down the fashion route. Thanks to your rich woman image in 'Crazy Racer,' your fashion endorsement price has doubled."

The agent treats Nazha like a treasure.

Because Nazha is now famous and has become the company's cash cow.

Although Nazha lost the bet and failed to win over Lu Yunzhou to become "Empress Nazha," the company clearly had high hopes for her, securing her numerous resources and forcibly placing her in many film and television productions.

"Have you found out who his girlfriend is? Or is he just lying to me without a girlfriend at all?"

Lu Yunzhou actually has a girlfriend?

Is this scientifically sound?

Naza, anyway, didn't believe it and always felt that Lu Yunzhou had made it up to deceive her.

"I couldn't find out. Everyone kept their mouths shut."

Girlfriends are something that's easy to find out if there's even the slightest clue. But Lu Yunzhou hid it so well that even his manager couldn't find any information about him.

"Keep asking around for me. Write down all the names of female celebrities with long legs in the industry, and use the process of elimination one by one."

"I just want to know, who can beat me?"

Naza felt she was the cutest person in the universe, and she was so open and honest with Lu Yunzhou; she had never felt so humble in her life.

Who did they lose to?

She had to know the answer, even if it meant death!

On the shore of Dianshan Lake.

As the sun sets, the wind that blows is getting a bit chilly.

The assistant draped a jacket over Lu Yunzhou's shoulders, glanced at the fish basket, and said with a strange expression, "Brother Xiaochuan, you've come back empty-handed again today, not a single fish caught."

Lu Yunzhou actually came here to avoid trouble.

After the huge success of "The Speeding Racer", countless people in the industry wanted to collaborate with him on his next film.

Many companies have used their connections to find Tang Yan.

Tang Yan couldn't refuse, so she passed the message to Lu Yunzhou, letting him make the decision himself.

There were just too many people coming to discuss cooperation, and I couldn't refuse them all, as that would be tantamount to offending everyone.

Lu Yunzhou could only avoid it and let time heal all wounds.

Just then, Lu Yunzhou received a call from Jing Tian.

Jing Tian's tone was very eager, with a hint of anticipation: "Yunzhou, I'm going back to China next week. For my next movie, whatever price you need, I'll cover it all. I'll be your leading lady, and we'll play a couple on screen, okay?"

Who gave you this idea?

Is this how you treat me?

Lu Yunzhou felt that he was Jing Tian's savior, but Jing Tian was not grateful for his kindness and even wanted to repay kindness with enmity?

Furthermore, why did Jing Tian speak so confidently, as if everything should be this way?

This made Lu Yunzhou instinctively sense a hint of conspiracy.

Under Lu Yunzhou's subtle prodding, Jing Tian directly betrayed Zhang Yimou.

"Director Zhang said that if I wanted to become a big star, I could definitely work with you. Because other people might not be willing to put in the effort for me, but you are different."

In Jing Tian's eyes, Lu Yunzhou was willing to shield her from bullets and put in the effort to tailor-make a movie for her, so he would definitely be willing to do so.

"Did Director Zhang Yimou say that? Haha, he really knows me."

Hearing Jing Tian say it so casually, Lu Yunzhou couldn't help but chuckle.

Director Zhang Yimou, we have no grudges against each other, so why would you harbor malicious intentions towards me? I have been worshipping you as an idol.

How could you do this to me?

Since you were unrighteous first, don't blame me for disregarding chivalry.

"Sister Tian, ​​your Hollywood blockbuster isn't finished filming yet. Even if you wanted to work with me, the earliest you could do it would be the second half of next year, right?"

Lu Yunzhou first used delaying tactics to stall Jing Tian.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Yunzhou called Tang Yan: "Sister Tang, you should still be doing activities in Yanjing, right?"

"Could you find someone to help me make an appointment with the Beijing Dance Academy? I'm planning to go there in a couple of days to select performers."

"My new movie needs a stubborn yet aloof young actress, around fifteen or sixteen years old. Specifically, she needs to have clear eyes, be pitiful yet possess a stubbornness."

In 2016, 16-year-old Liu Haocun had only been studying folk dance at the Beijing Dance Academy for a month. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she would meet Zhang Yimou in the latter half of that year.

Lu Yunzhou originally had no particular feelings for Liu Haocun.

After all, his current base of operations is in Shanghai.

For film scores, he had to collaborate with his alma mater's music academy.

Otherwise, his college class advisor and counselor would definitely call him every day. Several of his classmates who stayed on to pursue graduate studies would also come to see him.

As for casting, we will definitely prioritize casting actors who graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

Because everyone is interconnected, whether it's capital or personal relationships, they're all within the same circle.

As expected, the competition for admissions to the Shanghai Theatre Academy in the coming years will be extremely fierce.

Because it's obvious to the naked eye that students graduating from the Shanghai Theatre Academy will have priority access to Lu Yunzhou's film resources, and their future is bright.

But now, Lu Yunzhou decides to reach out and turn the wheel of fate, introducing a tiny fish.

"No problem, I'll have someone make an appointment tomorrow. If the Beijing Dance Academy knew you were coming to their school to scout for performers, they'd be overjoyed!"

Tang Yan didn't think much of it.

Because the actress Lu Yunzhou was looking for was fifteen or sixteen years old, which was not within the enrollment scope of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, but was within the enrollment scope of the Beijing Dance Academy.

"really."

"He still prefers girls with long legs."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Yan shook her head slightly and chuckled softly.

Girls from the Beijing Dance Academy definitely have long legs.