Pirates began to dominate the Chinese entertainment industry.

"The midnight screening at the Sanlian Cinema in Beijing was sold out. It's said that Gao Yuanyuan booked the entire theater for her fans."

Ji Yun remained silent for a moment.

Then he said, "Okay, keep a close eye on things over there too. Check on several online platforms to see if anyone is publishing smear articles."

"Yes, but..." Xiao Zhao chuckled, "We haven't even gotten out of bed yet, and the audience has already started cursing back for us."

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday morning, someone posted a long post on Tieba saying that our movie was 'vulgar and tasteless'. Less than half an hour after posting it, more than a hundred people flooded the post with insults, and he deleted the post himself."

Many of these accounts belong to Liu Yifei's fan club or Hu Ge's fan club. Boss, you've effortlessly gained a huge following from all sorts of fans.

Ji Yun smiled too.

He hung up the phone and returned it to Zhao Liying.

Zhao Liying took the phone, her eyes shining as she looked at him: "Boss, can we really make money?"

"Make money?!"

Naza poked his messy head out from under the blanket, his eyes still blurry, and asked, "Did our movie explode?"

Ji Yun looked at the two people on the sofa, both with dark circles under their eyes, but their eyes were shining.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "We'll talk about it later."

Naza wailed.

"Ah! No way! Boss!"

"Who stops halfway through a sentence!"

Ji Yun laughed, and was about to tease her a couple more times when the door to the inner room suddenly opened.

Liu Shishi walked out wearing a wrinkled dress, her original black stockings nowhere to be seen.

She rubbed her eyes and noticed that Zhao Liying and Nazha were staring at her. She froze for a second, then her face flushed red.

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhao Liying was the first to react. She lowered her head and pretended to pour tea, saying indistinctly, "This coffee is good, really white."

He sat ramrod straight, his eyes fixed on the watermelon on the coffee table. The seeds, after the outer black part was removed... how come they're so long...?

Liu Shishi pursed her lips, gave Ji Yun a coquettish glare, and quickly fled into the bathroom.

"Senior Sister only slept for three or four hours, how come she looks so good... She looked quite tired when she rushed back in the middle of the night yesterday." Naza whispered to Zhao Liying.

"Her skin was fair and rosy, and incredibly moisturized, like she had just come out after applying a face mask..." Zhao Liying nodded in agreement.

Ji Yun held her teacup, watching Liu Shishi's graceful figure disappear behind the door, her mind lost in thought.

She is in remarkably good condition right now.

During that incident in the capital, Gao Yuanyuan mentioned afterward that when she went downstairs, she was also interrogated by the princess and Na-young, who both had dark circles under their eyes, about what skincare products she used that had such an immediate effect.

The next day, still harboring doubts, she went ahead to get her regular skin checkup, just like female celebrities do. The dermatologist said her skin looked one to two years younger, with smaller pores, lighter dark circles, and improved hydration... Overjoyed, she rushed to find Ji Yun that very night, resulting in a thrilling glass curtain wall battle in the hotel...

From this perspective, the effects of sexual intercourse are mutually reinforcing...

Ji Yun scratched his head, feeling that he should report to the moderator.

……

Two more hours passed.

Eight o'clock.

Zhao Liying had been scrolling on her phone until it was practically smoking.

Naza sat in front of the computer, refreshing the webpage every minute.

After Liu Shishi came out of the restroom, although she pretended not to care, her eyes never left the phone on Ji Yun's desk.

She was more nervous than Ji Yun.

This is her first leading role in a movie. Although she is mostly credited, she is promoted as the "lead actress" in the publicity.

If the movie flops, wouldn't her career as the top female star of Tangren Media be ruined...?

Ji Yun chuckled to herself as she looked at her nervous expression.

"Ring ring ring~" The phone rang.

The three women trembled, as if they too had been electrified.

Ji Yun answered the call.

"The boss is furious!"

Ji Yun frowned, suppressed his urge to curse, and responded in a deep voice.

Press speakerphone.

Xiao Zhao's voice came through the microphone, and everyone heard it.

His voice was trembling:

"The midnight screening grossed 850,000 yuan nationwide. The average occupancy rate was 83%."

"Is this considered a good result?" Naza asked blankly after a moment of surprise.

"This attendance rate ranks among the top 5 for midnight screenings this year. The opening day box office is about four times that of the original. And then?" Ji Yun asked.

The top 5 this year? 850,000, four times?!

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liying almost couldn't catch her breath. She gripped Liu Shishi's hand tightly, her nails nearly digging into the back of Liu's hand.

Liu Shishi straightened her back, her eyes shining brightly.

"Now we'll see how it goes in the official match."

Xiao Zhao paused, then continued.

"I just checked the screening schedule. Yesterday, our national screening share was still 4.9%."

However, just half an hour ago, Shanghai United Cinemas issued an internal notice that they would increase our screening share to 18% tomorrow. They alone have reduced our screening share from 4.9% to 6%.

More importantly, they reduced the midnight screenings from 20% to 15%.

Ji Yun stopped pointing.

This exceeded the conditions that Vice President Lei of the Shanghai Theatre Academy had promised him. It seems that this was the theater chain's own choice, which is a good sign.

"Someone in the cinema managers' group has already posted about it, saying that after they received our film's screening version last night, they tested it internally and the on-site effect was ridiculously good. Several regional managers said they're preparing to report this to their superiors and ask for more screenings. Boss, they're starting to push for us from the bottom up."

Ji Yun stood up from the chair.

He walked to the window and looked outside.

At this moment, it was completely bright, and the sunlight shone on the office building across the street, reflecting a clear golden light through its glass curtain wall.

He turned and looked at the three women on the sofa.

Liu Shishi bit her lower lip, her expression excited.

Zhao Liying hugged her bruised arm, staring blankly at Ji Yun, seemingly forgetting to breathe.

"85. 83% occupancy rate," Ji Yun said. "And then?"

Zhao Liying was stunned by his question: "What, and then?"

"Today has only just begun."

Ji Yun picked up her phone from the table, scrolled through Gao Yuanyuan's text messages, and then scrolled through the data screenshots sent by Xiao Zhao.

"The midnight screenings grossed 85 yuan, with an attendance rate more than 10 times higher than the scheduled screening rate. Cinemas are already taking action."

Now we'll see what the situation is on our opponents' side...

He placed his phone back on the table, making a soft tapping sound, and said to Zhao Liying and the others:

"Get ready, get ready, the real battle is about to begin. Let's see how many screenings we can get after today ends."

Zhao Liying swallowed hard and nodded vigorously.

Liu Shishi remained silent. Although she longed to go up and hug Ji Yun and have a good time, she could only restrain herself because of the presence of the other two people. She stared at Ji Yun in a daze.

Ji Yun pondered for a moment. Now was not the time to sit idly by and wait for the box office to rise on its own; he had to make a move in advance.

He dialed the phone.

"Thank you for booking the whole venue, Sister Yuanyuan..."

I'd also like to invite someone to the movies... not women, and not to see "Lost in Thailand"... but to invite the teachers of the old "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to see "Red Cliff"... Any connection is welcome; it's time for everyone to reminisce about the glory days of the old Three Kingdoms...

Okay, I'll definitely treat you to a big meal then. Contact me anytime if you need anything.

Ji Yun hung up with a smile, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes.

The other party made the first move; now it's his turn to try.

……

8:00 AM.

The box office report for the midnight screening that Wu Kebo was holding showed 6.1 million.

The numbers are far below expectations. At this rate, the box office on the first day may not even reach 3000 million, which is an order of magnitude away from breaking even!

Wu Kebo looked coldly at the publicity director, "How much room is there for further growth?"

The publicity director said with a troubled expression, "In this situation, if the film receives good reviews, there is indeed room for improvement, but..."

He hesitated for a moment, not daring to say it directly, and turned on the computer so that the boss could see it for himself.

Wu Kebo looked at the movie reviews for the midnight screening of "Red Cliff" on several platforms.

There are indeed a lot of comments, but not many positive ones...

Some netizens have already started making jokes about their promotional copy:

"I also want to see... 'Lost in Thailand'."

"I want to see Ji Yun fire the cannon."

"I want to see Mengmeng stand up."

"I want to see 33-year-old Xiao Qiao act cute."

"I want to see Xiao Qiao join Cao Cao's camp and fight a great battle against Cao Cao."

"I'd rather watch action movies than those island nation films..."

Under each "I want to see" post by an Orange Sky artist, there are hundreds of comments from netizens teasing them.

Wu Kebo was so angry he almost vomited blood.

His face contorted, his fists trembling, as he yelled at the publicity director:

"What are you standing there for? Go and delete the article! Then arrange for our partner media outlets to interview more celebrities, get them to speak out in support of us, and salvage our reputation!"

……

Beijing, at the Korean entertainment awards ceremony.

This is a large-scale event jointly created by multiple platforms including CCTV, Sina, and Sohu, and it is also an official key project of "China-South Korea exchanges".

Hundreds of celebrities from the entertainment industry gathered at the event.

Massive numbers of media outlets swarmed in, like sharks smelling blood.

They were there not only for this grand event, but also for the hottest current event in the film and television industry.

The backstage lounge of the grand ceremony.

"Sister." Li Xue pushed open the door and called out to Li Bingbing, who was removing her makeup.

Li Bingbing wore a bright red lace dress, her figure was slender and her features were bold and cold, she already possessed the charming style of Ada Wong from "Resident Evil".

"Why are you here?" Li Bingbing asked, somewhat surprised.

Although her younger sister is her agent, she rarely stays by her side; the team handles most of the work. Her primary role is still the general manager of Huayi Brothers' talent agency department.

"I heard the wind and came to check." Li Xue took off her white down jacket, revealing a close-fitting purple sweater underneath.

The two sisters from "Frozen" look remarkably alike, both with delicate, oval faces, and standing together they resemble twin flowers. The older sister has a cool and elegant demeanor, while the younger sister is gentle and capable.

"Rumors?" Li Bingbing asked.

"It's all because of those two movies, causing such a huge uproar, they're practically ready to fight in person." Li Xue said, sitting next to Li Bingbing.

"However, the young boss of Tiandao Culture is quite capable; he's a master at manipulating public opinion... and with such a national event coming up soon... I've heard that some local official media outlets might get involved."

"I don't understand these things, but that kid would be good as a director." Li Bingbing thought for a moment, then looked at Li Xue with amusement, "I heard he sent female artists from Huayi Brothers to poach you, and you scolded them to their faces?"

"A crazy girl." Li Xue laughed awkwardly and waved her hand. "Although she's not bad and has some money, Tiandao Culture doesn't even have a single signed artist. What would I do there?"

"So, you'd consider him if he had any artists?" Li Bingbing smiled sideways.

Li Xue fell silent. "Since you're already planning to leave Huayi Brothers, it wouldn't be good for me to stay alone. The two CEOs Wang are definitely wary of me..."

Li Bingbing sighed. This was also a way for her to indirectly affect her younger sister. She patted her on the shoulder and said, "At worst, we can start our own business and go it alone."

Li Xue, however, was not in high spirits and said quietly, "If it were the two of us going against Orange Sky now, could we withstand it?"

When Li Xue put herself in Ji Yun's shoes and tried to understand her perspective, her mindset became somewhat pessimistic. For two women with no background, no money, and no good projects, trying to establish themselves in the entertainment industry was no easy feat.

Looking at her younger sister, who was always smarter and more thoughtful than her, Li Bingbing comforted her, "Don't think about it, it's not time yet. Let's go together after this is over."

"Okay, you should be careful what you say later. I've already had someone send a notification to the Huayi artists group."

……

As the event concluded, more and more celebrities began to leave the venue.

But as soon as they appeared, they were surrounded by the media.

"Xiao Ming! Is there any movie you'd like to see recently? Are you going to see 'Red Cliff'?"

Huang Xiaoming was stunned for a moment.

"Red Cliff" is a super big project in the film and television industry, with a big company, a big director, and big stars. As a well-known good-natured person in the industry, his subconscious answer was "Of course I will go, I am looking forward to it."

But then he remembered the dangerous public opinion environment, with the two films exposing each other's dirty secrets and fighting to the bitter end, almost to the point of bayonet charge... He hesitated for a moment.

At that moment, his assistant suddenly leaned over with his phone and showed it to him.

"Do not answer any questions related to 'Red Cliff'! — ​​Li Xue, Huayi Brothers."

Huang Xiaoming perked up and immediately came to his senses, laughing heartily, "I've been quite busy lately and need to keep track of time. There are a lot of people behind me, so I won't squeeze in here."

After speaking, he quickly got into a car and left with his assistant and bodyguards.

He looked at the dense crowd of media behind him and breathed a sigh of relief, still feeling a lingering fear.

Luckily, he ran fast and almost fell.

If he says something wrong, not only will the authorities not let him off the hook, but that little devil from Tiandao Culture might not let him off either. He's not a saint, what if...?

The media following behind the car were not giving up, and as soon as the next celebrity appeared, they immediately pounced on them again.

Unfortunately, it was Deng Chao who came out this time.

Seeing this, Deng Chao immediately abandoned his assistant and ran off, shouting as he ran, "Zhou Xun is behind me!"

"......" Zhou Xun, who had originally wanted to sneak away, was suddenly caught in the media spotlight and could only laugh awkwardly.

When asked again by the media, she simply said, "Wow, there are so many people."

After saying that, he ran off too.

......

The next large group of people seemed to have made a pact, each with their own reasons.

No one else came out through the main entrance.

They drove directly out of the underground parking garage, and the reporters couldn't even see them because of the combined efforts of the security guards.

Reporters and paparazzi were at their wits' end with these slippery celebrities.

They can only target those big-name directors.

Zhang Yimou's location was almost public knowledge; he was rehearsing for the Olympic opening ceremony at the Bird's Nest stadium and was stopped by reporters right after finishing get off work late at night.

"Director Zhang, what are your thoughts on the controversy surrounding 'Red Cliff'?"

Zhang Yimou wiped his sweat: "Right now, I'm only concerned about the Olympics."

"So what do you think of Ji Yun?"

"It's good that young people have drive." After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

The reporters looked at each other, wondering if this meant taking sides.

They went to ambush Feng Xiaogang again.

The reporter asked him for his opinion on Ji Yun.

He, however, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, said nonchalantly, "I don't know much about 'Red Cliff.' But I did read 'The Seven Deadly Sins,' which was quite interesting."

"You mean you agree with Ji Yun's point of view?"

"I didn't say I agreed," Feng Xiaogang said, exhaling a puff of smoke. "I meant that his writing is quite interesting. Much more interesting than those who just post 'I want to see' comments."

These words caused an uproar in the room.

Director Feng isn't just not taking sides; he's practically stepping on Orange Sky's face to take sides!

Is this Huayi Brothers' stance?

When Chen Kaige was asked the question, he was promoting the film "Mei Lanfang".

When interviewed, he declared defiantly, "What's there to talk about with two commercial films? They're vulgar! You should all pay more attention to my masterpiece..."

……

Orange Sky headquarters.

Wu Kebo has already smashed the third keyboard.

"Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, Chen Kaige. These mainland directors are all fucking shrewd!"

The PR director whispered, "Mr. Wu... none of them are speaking up for us. Is there something we don't know?"

Wu Kebo paused in his actions: "What do you mean?"

"Could it be... that the wind has changed direction?"

Wu Kebo suddenly became serious.

Forget about Feng Xiaogang, they have a grudge against Huayi Brothers, so why did Zhang Yimou praise Ji Yun?

Given his current position... he certainly wouldn't help an unknown director for no reason.

Could it be that the kid has someone backing him?

Or is there really some kind of wind direction issue?

……

Just when Wu Kebo was in a terrible predicament.

A large number of celebrities have arrived.

……

The princess made a rare blog post:

"I heard a kid made a comedy film. I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard his songs. Based on those songs alone, I believe his movie won't be bad. @姬云 #LostInJourney#"

She not only posted it, but also tagged many of her friends in the comments...

The release of this blog post sent shockwaves through the entire music industry.

Princess, a queen of the Chinese music scene, a recognized legend across Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

She rarely speaks up for others on public platforms.

The last time she publicly supported someone was probably five years ago.

How did a top star like her get involved with that small-time director, and even get involved to help him out?

Immediately afterwards, before netizens could figure it out...

Nayoung then immediately retweeted the princess's blog post:

"Feifei is right! I can't even get my hands on this kid's song. Support! #LostInJourney#"

Then came Sun Nan, Liu Huan, Cui Jian, and Xu Wei.

Along with rock bands like Black Panther, Tang Dynasty, and Zero Point...