Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

"Yanxi, you're back~"

As soon as Zhao Yanxi entered, Liu Yifei greeted her with a smile and a joyful tone.

"Boss, Yifei, I... I'll head back now."

Yang Siwei spoke with a slight tremor, feeling that she urgently needed to go home to calm down—the "partner" she had randomly chosen turned out to be a well-known Hollywood horror film director.

What is Hollywood?

That is the temple of global film craftsmanship, the dream palace in the hearts of countless Chinese movie fans!

Any Chinese person who has been able to establish themselves in Hollywood, whether it's Li An, Zhang Yimou, or the "two Zhous and one Cheng," is a legend.

Even though Zhao Yanxi's "Buried Alive" was shortlisted for the Berlin Film Festival, it couldn't compare to the shock that "Paranormal Activity" brought to Yang Siwei.

At the three major European film festivals, a few Chinese films manage to get in every year; but how many directors actually have films that sell well globally?

"Okay, you can go back now." Zhao Yanxi waved her hand casually.

Liu Yifei watched Yang Siwei leave, then turned to glare at Zhao Yanxi, her tone coquettish: "Are you being mean to Siwei? She handled it very well this time; those scandals didn't cause any trouble at all."

"I didn't yell at her," Zhao Yanxi chuckled. "I just told her that I directed 'Paranormal Activity,' and she was a little taken aback. Her mental fortitude still has room for improvement."

"I think Siwei is already very capable," Liu Yifei replied with a smile. "I even promised her this morning that I would ask you to give her a raise."

"Let it go up, it's not like we're short of money anyway."

"hey-hey……"

Just as Liu Yifei flashed a triumphant grin, Zhao Yanxi casually added, "Anyway, I'll deduct it all from your next film's salary."

"Ugh! You stingy little thing!"

Liu Yifei lunged at her with bared teeth and claws, but Zhao Yanxi nimbly dodged and slipped into the living room.

"Liu Yifei!"

Before she could continue her "violent" behavior, Liu Xiaoli called out to her and suppressed her on the spot.

After a lecture, Liu Yifei angrily picked up her teacup and shoved it in front of Zhao Yanxi, deliberately drawing out her words: "Director Zhao, please have some tea!"

"Hehe, thanks Yifei~" Zhao Yanxi smiled with a simple and honest expression.

Liu Xiaoli sat down opposite Zhao Yanxi and asked with slight concern, "Yanxi, about that thing online... is it all resolved?"

"It shouldn't be a big problem," Zhao Yanxi said calmly. "Next, we just need to divert attention from both inside and outside the industry. Leave all this to me, and let Qianqian focus on promoting 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'."

"Thank you so much, Yanxi."

Liu Xiaoli spoke sincerely, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Zhao Yanxi gave Liu Yifei a smug look, making the latter grit her teeth in anger. However, in front of Liu Xiaoli, she couldn't do anything out of line...

. . . . . .

That evening, Zhao Yanxi's seemingly effortless interview at the airport was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly making headlines on the entertainment sections of major portal websites.

The director of the globally phenomenal horror film "Paranormal Activity" has finally been revealed—it's none other than Zhao Yanxi, a rising star director from China!

From Berlin to Hollywood: Chinese director Zhao Yanxi's debut commercial film achieves a box office miracle of $1.6 million.

[A Double Success in Art and Commerce: "Buried" Selected for Berlin Film Festival, "Paranormal Activity" Sweeps the Globe: Zhao Yanxi's Crossover Journey]

These headlines were increasingly sensational, accompanied by photos of Zhao Yanxi's composed demeanor when surrounded by reporters at the airport.

The report immediately caused a huge uproar online.

"My goodness! Tom Z is Zhao Yanxi? That's such a straightforward name, it's definitely an English name your teacher gave you!"

"Upstairs, is that the point? The point is that 'Paranormal Activity' was only filmed for half a month, yet it grossed $1.6 million worldwide! How much money did that make?"

"I can't believe 'Paranormal Activity' was actually made by Chinese people? It seems only we truly understand what real horror is!"

"Director Zhao is going to be amazing! He can make an art film like 'Buried' and a commercial film like 'Paranormal Activity'!"

Within the film and television industry, the earthquake was even more devastating.

The alumni groups of Beijing Film Academy have already exploded with excitement:

"When did Director Zhao secretly go to Hollywood to shoot a blockbuster?"

"This is great! Our Beijing Film Academy has produced a director who can establish himself in Hollywood. Does this mean we'll have a chance to go international through Director Zhao?"

"I heard this film only cost a few million dollars to make? That's an incredible return on investment!"

Meanwhile, Han Sanping, who had just gotten home from get off work and was about to rest, was startled awake by a series of urgent phone calls.

"Hello, Director Wang?" Han Sanping rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"Sanping, are you aware of the movie Zhao Yanxi filmed abroad?"

Han Sanping was taken aback: "You mean 'Buried'? That film was just nominated for Berlin. This kid really has some talent..."

"It's not 'Buried'! It's another movie, 'Paranormal Activity'! The phenomenal horror film I was talking about a while ago!"

"What 'Paranormal Activity'?" Han Sanping was fully awake.

"Go check the news. If it's true, go and commend Director Zhao Yanxi on behalf of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. Although it's not convenient to promote horror films too much, since they've achieved such success internationally, they deserve all the recognition they deserve!"

After hanging up the phone, Han Sanping was still in shock.

As the head of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's foreign film and television industry, Director Wang personally inquired about this matter late at night, demonstrating the importance he attached to it.

He hurriedly turned on his computer, and when he saw the words "[Director of 'Paranormal Activity' Zhao Yanxi]", he was completely stunned. Clicking on the detailed report, his mouth gaped open, unable to close it for a long time.

"Filmed in half a month, $1.6 million in global box office? How did this guy do it?"

Han Sanping immediately took out his phone and dialed Zhao Yanxi's number, but only heard the message "The number you dialed is currently switched off".

"That kid, his phone's off again!" Han Sanping said, both amused and exasperated.

That night, the entire Chinese-language film industry was in turmoil.

The bosses of major film and television companies such as Huayi Brothers, Bona Film Group, and Yinghuang Film & Television are all urgently contacting Zhao Yanxi; congratulatory messages from friends in the industry such as Ning Hao, Huang Xiaoming, Zhou Yang, and Zhu Yawen are pouring in like snowflakes.

Zhao Yanxi was glad that he had the foresight to turn off his phone as soon as he returned from Liu Yifei's place; otherwise, his Nokia phone might have really "exploded."

Even when logging into QQ, the number of pop-up message notifications is so high that it causes the computer to lag.

He couldn't imagine how many missed calls and unread text messages he would have if his phone were on.

Browsing through the online discussions, Zhao Yanxi was pleased to find that the entire internet was now discussing "Buried Alive" and "Paranormal Activity," and the malicious topics about "Liu Yifei's gender reassignment" had long since disappeared.

In this era where Hollywood is revered as the temple of cinema, any achievement by a Chinese director in Hollywood deserves to be celebrated.

Even a genre like horror films, which are considered "unrefined," can bring glory to the country if they can conquer the international market.

Aside from his own news, only the news of Feng Xiaogang's "The Banquet" wrapping up filming and Zhang Yimou's announcement of adapting "Thunderstorm" still managed to occupy some headlines.

Filming for "The Banquet" is nearing completion, with reshoots already underway for the final few scenes; meanwhile, Zhang Yimou has confirmed that his new film will be adapted from "Thunderstorm".

A film master adapting a literary master's work, and even receiving the approval of his daughter for the script—this is a truly perfect project.

Unlike the initial widespread boos surrounding the adaptation of "The Banquet" from "Hamlet," the adaptation of "Thunderstorm" has generated considerable anticipation among netizens.

After all, with five thousand years of cultural heritage, why insist on making a foreign version of "Hamlet"? Who else would be criticized but you?

Looking at these messages, Zhao Yanxi closed her computer with satisfaction.

Now, even if there are still online trolls trying to spread negative rumors about Liu Yifei, it's unlikely to attract much attention from netizens.

If necessary, he wouldn't mind releasing the filming plans for "Painted Skin" again, adding fuel to the fire of this media frenzy!