Chapter 1532
Variables
On Saturday morning, as instructed by his boss, Jia Shikai headed to the airport early on his day off.
After a flight of more than four hours, he finally landed at Chiang Mai International Airport.
It's impossible not to feel resentful when you have to work overtime on weekends.
But my boss is still a decent person.
They bought me a first-class ticket, and it was for daytime, so I wouldn't have to take a red-eye flight in the middle of the night.
Of course, even if he were to abandon his humanity, he wouldn't dare to voice his opinion.
Once it's properly tuned, it's easy to use.
"Savadica!"
Arriving at the villa area according to the address, Jia Shikai found the house number and rang the doorbell.
Zhang Yuan opened the door and greeted him in Thai, which he had only learned a few days ago.
"Hi boss."
"No need to be polite. When we meet in private, as long as it's not at the company or in public, just call me by my name."
"Come in," he said gently, his words as warm as a spring breeze.
Jia Shikai muttered to himself.
His current sunny and gentle demeanor is so different from the "demon form" he once experienced that no one would believe it if he told them.
That's why she's a good actress.
Have you had lunch yet?
Zhang Yuan asked the Filipino maid he had temporarily hired to pour the other party a glass of iced mint lemonade.
One bite, and the restlessness of the journey dissipated considerably.
"I had an airline meal on the plane," the other person replied after finishing their drink in one gulp.
"what about the taste?"
"It's alright... just so-so."
What specific dishes are included?
Jia Shikai was taken aback, not understanding why his boss was asking about this in detail.
"Two apples, a bowl of soggy fried noodles, some beef and green peppers, and a cup of yogurt."
"A bowl of mushroom soup and a not-so-good steak."
"They have both red and white wine, but they're not very good."
After he finished speaking, he quickly explained.
"I only took a sip, I didn't drink much."
"It's nothing," Zhang Yuan said casually. "It's the weekend anyway, so drink as much as you want."
"I also have a bottle of Burgundy red wine and two bottles of German Riesling here, both are quite good, you can try them in a bit."
"Those airline meals you mentioned, although they don't taste very good, the meal cost is probably several tens of dollars."
"Economy class is even worse, but it's not cheap either," Zhang Yuan said casually.
"Yes," Jia Shikai replied casually.
"You're sure the food isn't good. I'll have the maid prepare some local sticky rice and fruit for you as afternoon tea."
"We ate and chatted."
Please ask him to sit down on the sofa so we can start talking about business.
"First of all, I have already sent an email to your inbox."
"Turn on your computer, and we'll watch and talk as we go."
After the other party turned on their computer and checked their phone, they found a document with a few lines of text inside.
Jia Shikai didn't understand at first, but Zhang Yuan quickly spoke up.
"These are some issues I discovered after observing the play 'The Last Supper'."
"Oh!" Jia Shikai finally realized.
Looking at these brief words again, he secretly glanced at Zhang Yuan.
I suddenly felt a chill in my hands and feet.
Although the text is short, every single point is crucial!
First, there's the historical issue of Liu Bang's age; the source of the information they cited was from an island nation.
Why should our Chinese dramas reference materials from island nations?
Secondly, Xiang Yu's story ends halfway through.
The main content of the story is not the Chu-Han Contention, nor the Feast at Hongmen, nor the destruction of Qin.
Rather, it refers to the mad and insane deeds of Liu Bang, the Emperor Gaozu of Han, in his later years.
This film portrays Emperor Gaozu as an evil, dark, insane, and decaying emperor.
There are Han people in the world because of the Han ancestor.
However, in his plays, Emperor Taizu of Han is portrayed in a very negative light.
Not only Emperor Gaozu of Han, but also the characters of other famous ministers such as Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and Xiang Bo were based on a large amount of unofficial historical material.
We have to go against the grain; official history is boring.
It gives the impression that on the day Liu Bei entrusted his son to Zhuge Liang at Baidi City, he summoned Zhuge Liang to come forward, while simultaneously deploying 100 axemen behind a curtain.
Zhuge Liang dared to "take it for himself," so he was immediately executed...
This show features quite a few of these kinds of "historical fabrications" and pseudo-scientific conspiracy theories.
Incidentally, when Gao Xixi was filming "New Three Kingdoms", he actually arranged for extras to play swordsmen and axemen in the scene at Baidi City.
Even Yu Hewei, who played Liu Bei, was stunned.
After much persuasion from a group of people, Director Gao finally gave up the idea.
Netizens are treating it as a joke, but these uncultured directors are taking it seriously!
Many of these materials and unofficial histories were also analyzed by the Japanese.
When the Japanese analyze Chinese figures based on their own national characteristics and logic, the results are naturally gloomy.
Just like a dog thinks others don't eat poop because they're pretending, but deep down everyone wants to eat poop, you're just good at acting.
That's the logic of a petty person.
It all comes down to that old saying in the bookstore: "The bigger your heart, the bigger your books."
These directors are so narrow-minded and ignorant, how can they possibly make historical films?
I don't have the ability to know.
"Also, there's the issue of casting Yu Ji."
Zhang Yuan provided some photos and videos of Naza and Dilraba, who participated in the casting for "The Last Supper".
"Why did you choose that ordinary girl in the movie instead of either of those two?"
"This indicates behind-the-scenes manipulation. They call it a talent show, but they're actually using people with connections." Jia Shikai saw right through it.
"Okay, also, I found out that the girl who plays Yu Ji is a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy."
"Actually, it's not an undergraduate program, it's a continuing education program."
It's not even as good as Huang Bo's vocational high school class at Beijing Film Academy.
Bo Ge's education is only two years of vocational college education, which is far less than the usual four-year undergraduate education at Beijing Film Academy.
This girl's continuing education college is similar to an evening university; it's not full-time, and it's even worse.
Yet she was able to beat Nezha and Dilraba, who are not only beautiful but also professional athletes—one a graduate of Beijing Film Academy and the other a graduate of Shanghai Theatre Academy.
Anyone with eyes can see that someone paid money behind the scenes.
This is standard practice, but what does it have to do with the audience?
The audience will criticize you as soon as they know you're manipulating things behind the scenes.
"The plot insults the audience's intelligence, and the casting insults the audience's aesthetic sense."
"Bring them in these two directions."
"Understood." Jia Shikai recalled that a few years ago, Lu Chuan seemed to have had a conflict with his boss.
Offending the abbot and trying to run away...
"And another thing," Zhang Yuan's words interrupted his train of thought.
"The production team said something during the promotional period."
Roughly speaking, Lu Chuan wanted to appear professional and serious, so he was particularly meticulous when filming.
He publicly stated that he went to Japan to study and referenced Japanese research materials in order to create the armor for the play.
Because the armor of island nations follows the style of the Han dynasty.
The Chu-Han armor in the film is indeed accurate, but it looks a bit awkward because it incorporates Japanese influences.
"But in fact, armor and burial objects from the Chu-Han Contention period have already been unearthed in China!"
"The Xuzhou Museum has them, and they also have artifacts that have been restored."
"Why, when there are domestic sources for reference regarding armor and costumes, is it necessary to seek guidance from the Japanese when filming historical works about China?"
Zhang Yuan's opinion on this is... to be recorded.
Let the audience and the public judge.
The reason why all this happened is actually quite simple.
This company hired a Japanese team to assist with filming from the very beginning.
The problem lies at its root; the problem is at its root.
Just like why "Painted Skin 2" looks like it has a Japanese flavor, it's because 523 initially hired a Japanese person as the art director.
If he hadn't brought in Zhang Yimou to make major changes, the result would have been the same.
The instructor once said that if we don't occupy the cultural and ideological front, the enemy will.
"Analyze and prepare for these issues, and then have the online trolls generate buzz."
"The movie has already been released, but the box office is so-so. You need to give it a boost."
"understood."
"By the way, while suppressing this drama, let's also promote the two candidates for Yu Ji that I just showed you."
“I know Nazar, and the other one is an artist from our company?” Jia Shikai had worked at Sugar Man and recognized one of them.
"Yes, it will." Zhang Yuan answered confidently.
Jia Shikai was impressed by his calm and composed attitude.
The decision was made to act immediately.
The main reason was that Zhang Yuanzhen had "moved" him.
"There's one more thing. Did you bring all the documents I asked you to bring?"
"Yes, I brought it with me."
"Who are these contracts for?" he asked after taking out the documents. "Come with me." Zhang Yuan led him to the backyard.
Open the floor-to-ceiling glass doors of the living room, step into the courtyard, and after walking a dozen or so steps, you will see a swimming pool decorated with Southeast Asian sculptures, with rippling blue water.
"Davika!"
Zhang Yuan called out.
Whoosh!
A beautiful figure emerged from the water.
With a flick of her long hair, she created a perfect arc of water.
The Siamese girl wiped the excess water from her face with her hands, then swayed her slender waist and stepped onto the shore.
Before long, the Siamese "billion-dollar heroine" wearing a pink bikini appeared in front of the two.
Jia Shikai was stunned when he saw this appearance.
Hey!
A mermaid has come up from the water?
With thick eyebrows, big eyes, bright eyes and white teeth, she blends innocence and wildness.
It was so stunning that he wondered if he was seeing things.
And the fact that she came out of the pool means she wasn't wearing heavy makeup; this is her natural appearance.
The Siamese girl, who was draped in a large towel and wiping her body, came to their side with a smile.
After greeting him in broken Chinese, he stood obediently in front of Zhang Yuan.
"Go upstairs to change your clothes first, then come down to meet us."
"Okay," the girl replied, kissed him on the cheek, and then quickly left.
Jia Shikai glanced at the two's intimate actions and suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
A beautiful woman swimming in a bikini at a private residence—the implications are self-evident.
Jia Shikai looked at his boss, with only one thought in his mind.
According to Mr. Lei, that's incredibly frustrating...
In reality, Zhang Yuan was far more thrilled than he could have imagined.
Last night I fully experienced the charm of Siam's tertiary industry.
Although we need a translator for everyday communication, communication in bed goes very smoothly.
Communicating with the body is far more direct than communicating with words.
Experiencing exotic cultures occasionally is quite nice.
And given the local circumstances.
In Siam, you can easily buy PREP at small shops on the street.
This is an HIV post-exposure prophylaxis drug, and HIV is AIDS.
Southeast Asia's healing sanctuary for sexual repression and a paradise for white people—these titles are well-deserved.
So he had someone do tests and get a medical report for the girl during the trip.
It's very clean; there's not a single incurable disease, not even a minor ailment.
This shows that Channel 7 in Bangkok, which is behind her, is seriously nurturing her and is not using her as a bargaining chip to exchange for power.
After Zhang Yuan's careful examination, he found that her body was firm and showed no signs of overdevelopment, piercings, or nails.
The absence of any prohibited substances in the hair follicle analysis further corroborates this finding.
Therefore, we can proceed to the next step.
"This is Jia Shikai. You'll be in frequent contact with him from now on."
Wait until this girl changes her clothes.
A t-shirt, denim shorts, sandals, and her hair in pigtails.
Jia Shikai looked at her; she was completely different from the beautiful woman emerging from her bath earlier.
Zhang Yuan introduced the other party, and then spoke to Jia Shikai.
"I have already arranged for him to make a cameo appearance in Xu Zheng's 'Lost in Thailand'."
"And you'll come across her clips in promotional materials."
"After the film's promotion and distribution begins, you also need to help her with targeted promotion and hype in mainland China."
"The first step is to promote her as a Siamese beauty."
"The second step is to pretend that someone has revealed that this Siamese beauty is actually a ladyboy."
"The third step is to reverse the situation by revealing her identity as the 'billion-dollar heroine' of Siam, confirming that she is a real woman, and bestowing upon her the title of the most beautiful woman in Siam."
"Then they announced that she was Siam Fan Bingbing."
"It just so happens that Bingbing will also make a cameo appearance as an Easter egg in the end of 'Lost in Thailand'."
"I'll put in a good word with Fan Bingbing. Don't worry about riding her coattails; she won't cause you any trouble."
"Besides, she's naturally quite magnanimous and doesn't care about these things."
"With this three-step approach, plus finding a target audience, she should be able to become popular in mainland China in a short period of time."
The premise is that the movie "Lost in Thailand" becomes a hit and brings her along.
This is the least problematic point.
"Then, you will be in charge of all her business dealings and performances in mainland China."
"We split the profits 50/50 with Siam Company."
Of this 50%, the company takes 40%, and you take 10%.
Zhang Yuan marked the path for him.
Jia Shikai understood everything; it's like he found me an entertainer!
Making money is naturally a good thing.
Moreover, the boss's proposed three-step hype strategy is very standard and will definitely succeed.
Chinese people have a particular fondness for foreigners, regardless of whether they are white or from other countries. As long as they are foreigners, they will automatically look up to them.
This woman has a good foundation; if she becomes famous, I should be able to make a lot of money.
So, it's actually quite worth it for me to be forced to work overtime on the weekend.
"Like everyone else, you can stay in this house whenever you come to Siam, as long as you don't mess it up or damage it."
"Also, this house is now officially Davika's residence, so contact her if you need to use it."
Jia Shikai nodded, indicating that he understood.
At the same time, my heart was filled with turmoil.
In other words, my boss is keeping a mistress in Siam...
It's still a standard outlying house.
But it costs money to keep mistresses, and quite a lot of money at that.
When it came to Zhang Yuan, not only did he not spend any money, he also made women earn money for him...
Isn't this just making foreigners pay for this?
This is what Zhang Yuan meant by "the price".
A small portion involves sleeping with someone to "exploit" their body, and the other party is happy to do so.
A large part of it is cooperation, developing her mainland market, which the other party is extremely happy to do.
After hearing this, the girl felt like she had hit the jackpot.
In other words, he not only took me to the mainland to make money, but he also slept with me...
The other person doesn't feel like they're being played; they believe it's mutual affection.
When a woman is around a powerful man, she will use her own tactics to win him over.
They even felt like they were getting a good deal, since the other person was a big star and had money.
She should thank us.
Have Jia Shikai contact the other party's agent to discuss contract details and prepare the promotional materials.
Zhang Yuan brought him to the company to do these kinds of things.
Similar to Wang Sicong's positioning in Wanda Cinemas.
Someone has to be there to fight on my behalf.
Moreover, this person is intelligent and talented.
So after finishing his work in the evening, he went to find Zhang Yuan again.
"I have some questions for you."
"Please speak."
"First of all, how are you going to promote and distribute your re-released film now?"
"Hmm... I'll think about it, and I'll tell you when I've made up my mind." Zhang Yuan nodded thoughtfully.
"Okay, and also, I think about what you just told me..."
"It's about those issues with 'The Last Supper'."
"I think as negative information, it can have an impact, but the other party will also do public relations, so the overall impact should be relatively limited."
"It could actually boost the popularity of Nezha and Dilraba."
"I'm worried that the results won't be as good as you expect."
The other party was anticipating his moves based on their own judgment and predictions.
If it doesn't work well, don't blame me.
Because the media and public relations industry is subject to too many random factors and external influences, the difference between expectations and reality can be significant.
"It's okay, just go ahead and do it."
"Whether the outcome is good or bad, I will take responsibility." He took the responsibility, so the other party had no burden.
"Then I won't bother you any longer."
Once the other person leaves, don't stop your boss from picking up girls.
Zhang Yuan then took a sip of the slightly sweet and sour white wine.
The other party's concerns are not unfounded.
Under normal circumstances, these things won't be that effective.
Most blockbuster movies were made by suicide.
Just like in "Dream of the Red Chamber".
A large group like ours cannot be killed by an attack from the outside in a short time. As the saying goes, even a centipede with a hundred legs does not fall down easily. Only by attacking from within can we be utterly defeated.
These people with connections in the imperial circle are the same; unless they do something stupid, they can still live off their connections.
However, no one knew that a "variable" was quietly emerging, about to change everything... (End of Chapter)