The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

Li Xu took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain his senses.

He stood up.

First, he turned to his right and gave Shen'ao a big hug: "Yes, we won! We did it!"

Then, he turned to look at Jing Tian, ​​hugged her for the first time, and patted her back gently as a courtesy, saying, "Thank you, Jing Tian. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten this far."

Finally, he walked up to Liu Yifei.

Liu Yifei was still sitting, her face upturned, and tear tracks were clearly visible under the spotlight.

Li Xu reached out and pulled her up with a little force. Then, he gave her a brief but firm hug and whispered, "Thank you, Yifei. You will always be the best Song Qing."

Hearing Li Xu's words.

The tears in Liu Yifei's eyes became even more glistening, but her smile grew even brighter.

Amidst continued applause, Li Xu straightened his suit, turned around, and walked step by step down the illuminated aisle towards the stage.

His steps were steady.

On both sides were countless unfamiliar, excited faces, and constantly flashing camera lenses.

He walked onto the stage and received the trophy and certificate from Derek Merry and Yu Nan respectively.

The trophy has a simple crystal design and feels substantial in your hand.

Derek Merry said in English, "Congratulations, young director, there's a lot of real emotion in your film."

Yu Nan smiled and encouraged him in Chinese: "Director Li Xu, congratulations, you have perfectly captured the story you wanted to tell."

Li Xu thanked him with a smile.

Turning around, holding the crystal trophy, he stood in front of the microphone, waiting for the commotion from the audience to subside, then bowed to the audience and spoke in clear Chinese:

"I am very grateful to the Busan International Film Festival and the jury for bestowing this precious honor upon 'Love Announcement'."

"Of course, I would also like to thank Chairman Derek Merry, Ms. Yu Nan, and all the judges for recognizing my film. It is an honor for us to win an award alongside two other excellent films, 'Wonderful Town' and 'Flowers in My Pocket'."

As he spoke, Li Xu paused briefly, his gaze sweeping across the audience in the direction of his team:

Finally, I have one thing to say.

"This New Wave Award trophy in my hand does not belong to me alone, but to the entire 'Love Announcement' film team. I thank my executive director, my comrade Shen Ao, and my actors, especially the female lead, Ms. Liu Yifei, for giving the character a soul."

"Thank you to all the staff, and Ms. Jing Tian, ​​thank you for your support behind the scenes of this film."

Shen Ao waved frantically from below the stage, while Liu Yifei smiled through her tears.

Jing Tian, ​​sitting in the audience, also had a bright smile on her face and waved gently.

Seeing that his partners in the audience had all received this thank-you note, Li Xu switched to English to ensure the others in the audience could understand:

"Lastly, everyone, I'd like to say a few words at this Busan International Film Festival."

"Film is an art of time and a container of emotions. 'Love Announcement' tells a story about 'loneliness' and 'searching.' It takes place in the city, but the emotions it explores are universal. I am grateful to film for allowing us to share these small but important moments."

"This trophy is a huge encouragement to our entire team. It reminds us that telling stories sincerely is always worthwhile, and it also reminds me, as a director who is just starting out, that there is a long road ahead and that I need to always maintain awe and a willingness to learn."

"Thank you Busan, thank you for this beautiful film city, thank you everyone."

After speaking, Li Xu raised the crystal trophy in his hand and bowed to the audience.

More enthusiastic applause erupted again, some of it polite, but some genuinely showing their love and appreciation for the film.

Quietly, they returned to their seats, and the awards ceremony continued.

After presenting the New Currents Award, the Busan International Film Festival jury then awarded the International Federation of Film Critics Award to the Chinese film "Red Combines".

When director Tsai Shang-Chun went on stage to accept the award, he made a point of nodding in the direction of the "Love Announcement" crew.

Li Xu responded with a smile and applause, demonstrating mutual respect among domestic colleagues.

-

October 12, 2007, Busan, a private club.

The celebration party for "Love Announcement" was held at a private members-only club by the sea.

Outside the window was the dark sea, while inside, soothing music filled the air, creating a rather lively atmosphere.

In addition to the four main actors, Li Xu, the celebration banquet also included some important international distributors, film festival selectors, and heavyweight teams from Europe, such as ARTE.

In addition, Yu Nan, also a Chinese, was invited to attend.

However, since she was ultimately a judge at the Busan International Film Festival, she didn't stay long to avoid gossip. She only had a few drinks with Lee Wook, chatted briefly, exchanged personal contact information, and then left.

Next comes the celebration, and then the most important part: buying the films.

As the celebration banquet drew to a close, Shen Ao clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention: "Ladies and gentlemen, today is a big day for our 'Love Announcement.' Our director, Li, just won the New Wave Award. We also know that you are all here today to discuss business."

"So let's not waste any more time and let's discuss the prices that each party can offer."

With the already excellent quality of "Love Announcement" and the added bonus of winning the New Wave Award.

When the third bottle of champagne was opened on the table, Li Xu raised his glass full of golden champagne and finally agreed on the terms for the sale of the overseas copyright.

ARTE's DuPont first raised a toast to congratulate, with a genuine smile on his face: "Director Li, 80 euros, five years of television and streaming rights across Europe, I hope this is just the beginning of our cooperation."

Publishers from Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and other regions also raised their glasses in celebration.

Without priority investment rights for the next film, the South Korean film company offered 8 million won and the Japanese film company offered 3000 million yen, totaling more than 50 US dollars with the government.

Although the unit price in these areas is not as high as ARTE, the total price is actually higher when they are combined.

Shen Ao, holding a thick stack of contracts, watched Li Xu raise his glass, grinning from ear to ear.

The total production cost of the movie "Love Announcement" was just over 1000 million RMB, while the overseas rights alone cost around 2100 million RMB.

Even though the domestic box office performance is still unknown, this alone has already made them incredibly wealthy.

This is due to the excellent quality of "Love Announcement" itself, coupled with the prestige of the "New Wave Award" Crystal Trophy.

-

One day later, at Busan Gimhae International Airport.

In the departure hall, the "Love Announcement" team was checking in, preparing to return to Beijing.

Unlike their low-key arrival, they were now surrounded by many more eyes.

Some tourists who recognized them secretly took photos with their phones, and some South Korean media reporters tried to interview them, but were politely stopped by the assistant arranged by Jing Tian.

"Director Li Xu! Please wait!"

A familiar Korean voice, spoken with urgency, came through the phone.

Everyone turned around and saw Kim Sung-min from CJ Entertainment rushing over with an assistant.

He had a smile on his face, but there was a hint of embarrassment deep in his eyes.

"Representative Kim, is there something you need?" Lee Wook stopped and asked calmly in Korean.

Congratulations, Director Li! The 'New Currents Award' is well-deserved!

"Our CJ team was blind to the potential of a great company back then, and we really didn't consider the conditions well enough. Please forgive us, Director Li!"

Kim Sung-min extended his hand and shook hands firmly with Lee Wook.

He is a very decisive person. Even though he had made some sarcastic remarks about the movie "Love Announcement" in the newspaper just a few days before receiving the award, he still chose to come here in the face of huge commercial interests.

Li Xu smiled upon hearing this: "Representative Jin, you flatter me. Even if a deal falls through, we can still be on good terms. At yesterday's celebration party, we announced that all the overseas rights for our film have been sold, including not only to Southeast Asia but also to Europe."

"If CJ Entertainment still wants to collaborate, then it can only be our next film."

Upon hearing this, Kim Sung-min frowned slightly.

He never imagined that arriving just a little late would cause him to miss the opportunity to purchase the overseas rights to "Love Announcement".

However, he values ​​Li Xu as a person more than the movie.

Therefore, after a brief silence, he changed the subject and immediately got straight to the point: "Regarding the overseas rights to the movie 'Love Announcement,' it's something that CJ Entertainment missed out on."

"However, as you, Director, said, 'Even if a deal falls through, goodwill remains.' This old saying from your country is quite apt. I'd like to know if Director Li has any plans for his next project, and in what month, we at CJ would very much like to have a chance to make amends. The terms are absolutely negotiable..."

Hearing this, Li Xu couldn't help but admire the flexibility and adaptability of the CJ Entertainment representative.

He was thinking about how he should start the conversation.

At this moment, Shen Ao acted rashly, knowing that Li Xu, as the key person, was definitely in a bad position and was making the situation too tense.

He immediately smiled and decisively interrupted the CJ Entertainment representative, saying:

"We are currently planning Director Li's next work plan. We have already reached some preliminary agreements. Once we return to China and finalize everything, if a suitable cooperation opportunity arises, we will definitely give priority to companies with strong capabilities like CJ."

"But we're in a hurry right now, sorry."

Shen Ao's statement was watertight, neither ruling out any possibilities nor failing to clearly convey the message that "we have no shortage of choices and have control over the situation."

Considering his rough and unruly personality, this is quite a rare display of restraint and patience.

After all, it's CJ Entertainment, a behemoth in South Korea. Even someone like Shin Ao, with his personality, doesn't want to offend them too much, and nobody knows if there will be any possibility of cooperation in the future.

Upon hearing this, Kim Sung-min's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered and said naturally, "I understand, I understand. Then I won't bother you any longer. I look forward to hearing from Director Lee about his next project at CJ Entertainment."

After the conversation ended, he continued with a few more pleasantries until Jing Tian calmly spoke up, "Representative Jin, we're about to board the plane. We can continue our chat after we return to China and start filming our next movie."

He then left with his assistant, his expression somewhat solemn.

As a representative of CJ Entertainment, I not only failed to secure the Asian distribution rights for the film "Love Announcement," but I also failed to secure the rights in South Korea.

He won't lose his job when he returns to the company, but he will still lose face.

"Tch, why didn't you do this sooner?"

"If it weren't for CJ Entertainment's status in South Korea, we wouldn't even have been this polite to him, let alone let him make fun of us in the newspapers before."

Watching Kim Sung-min and his assistant turn and leave, Shin Ao muttered something unpleasantly.

"That's normal."

Li Xu shook his head, pushed his luggage forward, and continued to ponder the matter: "In this world, it's always easier to add flowers to brocade than to provide charcoal in the snow. Let's go, we really should board the plane."

We walked through the boarding bridge and entered the cabin.

The first-class cabin was much quieter.

Liu Yifei sat down by the window, with Jing Tian next to her, and Li Xu and Shen Ao sitting together.

The plane taxied slowly, accelerated, and finally soared into the sky.

Through the porthole, the Busan coastline receded into the distance.

The anxiety upon arrival, the perseverance during the process, and the overnight glory and clamor all seem to have been left on that land.

Li Xu withdrew his gaze, switched his phone to airplane mode, closed his eyes to rest, and unconsciously drifted into a nap.

Having completed this award-winning final battle, the next step is the domestic box office.

Several hours later, the plane prepared to land, and its altitude rapidly decreased.

Through the porthole, one can see the bustling traffic and the dazzling lights of Beijing at dusk, resembling an inverted Milky Way.

Li Xu also woke up from his nap and realized that his head had been resting on Shen Ao's shoulder. He looked up and was about to apologize to him.

But the next second, Li Xu realized that something seemed wrong.

Isn't he relying on the support of the Australian bid?

But when did his hair become so long that it even fell down to his face, and it even had a faint fragrance?

"Li Xu, you're awake? I was just about to tell you something."

While Li Xu was still in a daze, he heard a clear voice in his ear. It was Jing Tian.

She didn't seem to care about Li Xu's awkwardness at the moment, and spoke calmly as if the two of them had leaned against each other like this countless times before.

"What is it?"

Slightly embarrassed, Li Xu lifted his head off Jing Tian's shoulder, trying to calm himself down. He didn't care when Jing Tian had switched places with Shen Ao, and responded seriously to Jing Tian's sudden question.

"After the celebration banquet last night, I had a long talk with my family and got their approval. After returning to China, I plan to work with you on more than just a single film; we intend to jointly establish our own film company."

"I know you signed a contract with Sister Yifei, but that doesn't matter. I've already spoken with Sister Yifei."

"After filming this low-to-medium budget film with budgets in the tens of millions, Li Xu, you definitely won't want to just make small films anymore. You'll definitely want to make big-budget films."

"At that time, you will be in charge of the creation and control of all projects; I will be in charge of handling the money, resources, and... blocking all things that I don't want you to worry about. I have already convinced my family that the next movie can be directly invested in for you, which was originally a resource I prepared for myself."

"As for Sister Yifei, she can also invest, and if it's suitable, she can also be the female lead. But for your next movie, the female lead will remain me, she could be in the movie after that, what do you think, Li Xu?"

Li Xu was stunned when he heard Jing Tian's words.

He never expected that after just one movie, Jing Tian's ambition and ideas would go beyond simply collaborating on another film with him; she planned to establish a company directly.

Moreover, the initial investment was 5000 million, which is enough to film nearly five installments of "Love Announcement"!

And he didn't even need to win over those investors; the terms were incredibly generous.

Li Xu was certainly satisfied with these terms.

Moreover, he was certain that Jing Tian wouldn't be harsh on herself in such matters.

But he was equally certain that Jing Tian hadn't simply spoken a few words to her family last night and gotten their consent; they might have had a huge argument… This made him feel a little guilty, and he subconsciously blurted out:

"Jing Tian, ​​you should reconsider these conditions..."

"Li Xu, don't rush to answer. Anyway, I've already convinced Sister Yifei, so you don't need to worry that I'll fall out with my family over this."

"5000 million is just a sum of money, not a huge amount for our family. Besides, it's hard for me to explain this to you, but there are plenty of people who can afford it..."

Jing Tian interrupted Li Xu directly, her tone revealing a rare display of a domineering young lady's attitude.

After speaking, she looked at Liu Yifei, who was sitting not far away, and gestured for her to speak as well.

Liu Yifei raised her eyebrows slightly, her eyes showing a hint of helplessness and complexity, but she still said, "Li Xu, Tian Tian and I did talk. She plans to let me also hold shares in this company and become a signed artist, while Shen Ao will join as a director but will not hold shares."

"From now on, this company will revolve around you. Tian Tian and I will be the artists, and Shen Ao will have movies to shoot. Tian Tian will try her best to bring in as many resources as possible. The four of us can form a closer little group. You should definitely consider it."

Li Xu glanced at Liu Yifei's expression and gleaned a lot from it.

There were expectations, competition, and a desire to advance their future... all sorts of thoughts were on their faces.

His gaze then shifted to Shen Ao beside him. Although Shen Ao did not speak, his face was filled with the excitement of being "bribed" by Jing Tian's money.

He sighed and finally nodded, saying softly, "I'll think about it."