Chapter 1535
Dismissal
Ordinary people are very willing to believe in miracles.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people buying sports lottery, welfare lottery, and scratch-off tickets.
Knowing full well the dangers, they still clung to a sliver of hope, wanting to change their bleak lives with a stroke of good fortune.
But most of the time, you might just get lucky.
The same goes for the A-shares market; they always think they're not the ones being taken advantage of.
Therefore, ordinary people are the most able to empathize with "miracles".
I also like "grassroots heroes" the most.
The re-released "Ip Man" is about that grassroots hero!
Compared to "The Last Supper," this one is far too heroic.
The theaters didn't expect that a re-released movie would attract so many viewers and create such a buzz.
"The Last Supper," which Zhang Yuan had planned well in advance and planted public opinion landmines online, precisely struck a nerve with ordinary people.
The public is in a state of high spirits and needs an outlet for their anger.
Hey, here it is!
As a result, the film's box office revenue plummeted.
The internet was filled with criticism.
Zhang Yuan was resting at home and was in a very good mood.
But it can be even more enjoyable.
He switched to his official Weibo account and began editing the content.
"I really like eating pickled cabbage."
"Because we can make sauerkraut with pork belly, sauerkraut with fish, sauerkraut stewed with pork bones, sauerkraut with blood sausage, sauerkraut dumplings, and sauerkraut with shredded pork noodles."
"I wonder if everyone likes to eat this?"
After posting, he specifically tagged Director Lu's account.
He seemed to be talking about food, but he was actually talking about something else entirely.
He said nothing, yet he said everything.
After all, Director Lu had previously criticized the expired sauerkraut after seeing that its re-release had poor box office performance.
Back then, this film was fiercely competing with his "Nanjing Nanjing," and he held a grudge.
He felt that he had stolen his box office revenue.
Don't cut open your stomach to prove yourself when people think you ate two bowls.
One more bowl and I'll be fine.
I only ate two bowls of noodles, what are you going to do about it?
Last time I stole your box office, this time you have a new movie released, I'll use this film to steal yours again!
I'm going to just charge in and deliver the blows!
This will teach you to stop being so cheeky.
His Weibo post garnered over 10,000 comments in less than an hour.
A bunch of fans and casual observers went to Lu Taro's Weibo to mock him.
"I love pickled cabbage."
"The pickled cabbage is so delicious, much better than Japanese food."
"I don't think it's about the food itself, it's about some people being sour."
"I advise Director Lu Chuan to contribute more to the Chinese film and television industry. The most important thing is to stop making films in the future. That would be the greatest contribution."
That bastard made me so angry that I not only deleted that previous Weibo post, but also disabled comments.
Even so, Zhang Yuan had no intention of letting him off the hook.
A few days later, I specially asked the company to make a poster with a bar chart of box office revenue for the same period.
"The Last Supper" only grossed a little over 6000 million yuan at the box office, so it was destined to lose money.
This was achieved despite strong marketing and distribution, resulting in a box office of 4000 million yuan in its first week.
Three years of preparation, nine months of filming, and a cost of over 100 million.
But as netizens have said, it's best not to film it.
Your intentions are good, but it's best not to set off.
A costume drama that wants to "save" Chinese period dramas makes it seem unique and tasteful.
In reality, it wasn't very well made, and nobody wanted to watch it.
Putting the content aside, the pacing of the post-production editing alone doesn't feel like that of a commercial film.
So slow and leisurely, he really thinks he's a master.
The purpose of this box office bar chart is to be painful to watch, and incidentally, to show some things to the industry peers.
After the re-release of "Ip Man" became a huge hit, it enjoyed a surge in popularity and grossed nearly 8000 million yuan at the box office, surpassing the new film "The Last Supper".
From a commercial film perspective, "Ip Man" completely outshines "The Last Supper".
The bar chart shows that the bar is significantly taller than the other bar, indicating a clear difference.
That'll really hit you where it hurts, won't it?
What he wanted to convey to his peers was that his Ershui films could easily crush them, a bunch of noobs...
In addition, and more importantly.
Don't cause trouble. Just because I've marked you doesn't mean I've forgotten about you, even if I don't bother you now.
I don't care if you have connections or who you're related to. If you're so capable, don't let me ever give you a chance in this lifetime!
Director Lu was completely dumbfounded and didn't dare to reply as he usually did.
Because of the sudden deterioration in Sino-Japanese relations, he kept his mouth shut and dared not say a word.
There were also a bunch of people around him blocking his way, afraid that things would escalate and become completely unmanageable.
If you jump out and start cursing at this time, you're likely to be labeled a "traitor."
He was holding it in, and it was incredibly uncomfortable for him.
Normally, if the box office is bad right now, people would be blaming the audience.
This made him so angry that blisters appeared around the corner of his mouth.
But this time, there was no beauty by his side to offer kind words of advice.
By this time, Qin Lan had already broken up with him, and there was no one to vent her anger on.
Lu Taro proposed to Qin Lan several times, but she didn't agree.
Some women are like mathematics.
It's easy to get started, but difficult to master.
There are some hurdles to overcome if I want to date her, but they're not as high as I might imagine.
But getting married is difficult.
Especially for women with strong personalities and independent spirits, they understand early on that being alone is more enjoyable than being with someone else.
She especially doesn't want to be tied down by her family or her husband.
She also doesn't want having children to affect her career.
Therefore, unless they are absolutely in love, or even madly in love, these women are unwilling to sacrifice their own lives.
Most of the time, marriage is about making do, adapting to each other, getting used to each other, and making concessions.
If one is unwilling to compromise for others, then naturally one will not want to start a family.
Qin Lan is the type who will do anything when she's in love, even spend money on you, but it's difficult to live together.
Traditional men, in particular, expect women to stay home and have children after marriage and to avoid appearing in public, which these older women find even more objectionable.
I've probably seen quite a few people like that myself.
Just then, a heavy footstep sounded outside.
It looked like someone was deliberately stomping on the ground so hard they could wear through the soles of their shoes.
Yang Mi, with a long face, strode into the courtyard.
"A day off today?" Zhang Yuan put down the documents in his hand and asked.
"Forced to rest."
"What kind of talk is that? Rest is something you can't force?"
Without saying much, the girl plopped down on his lap.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Yuan handed the documents to his assistant, who then put them away safely.
Yang Mi glanced sideways at him and then looked at him again.
"I can't see anything?"
"I'm overwhelmed by all the investment information I've read, so you'd better not bother with it," Zhang Yuan said dismissively, stroking her long hair.
The document is an investment agreement regarding Meituan.
He had painstakingly scraped together that $1.1 million and transferred it to the other party in installments.
Don't be fooled by the amount of money spent; she can drain him dry even more than a Siamese girl.
However, they only received about 13% of the shares in exchange.
Adding the 10% from Sequoia, the total is only 23%.
It seems like a lot now, but we'll need to raise more funds later, and the amount won't be small. We face significant dilution potential, and it's unavoidable.
After all, the players behind them are all giants, and the amount of capital involved is terrifying.
There's no need to show these to Yang Mi.
While Zhang Yuan was being perfunctory, he also felt a little uncomfortable.
Because I can't fully trust her.
"Tell me, why did you walk in like you were stepping on a landmine, and why did you speak like you'd just exploded with anger? What's wrong?"
"You're the one who's the Nian beast!" Yang Mi said, hands on her hips, her chest trembling slightly.
Then she snuggled into his arms and pressed her palm against his chest.
"I got fired."
"You must stand up for me."
"Who?"
Zhang Yuan glanced at him sideways.
"Hmm..." she pouted, looking aggrieved.
"I wouldn't dare say that, you're a great director."
"Don't give me that." Zhang Yuan knew what was going on as soon as he heard "big director." In China, there are only a handful of people who can be called "big director" to my face.
Lu Chuan doesn't even deserve this.
It's nothing more than Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, and Chen Shiren.
Zhang Yimou is one of my people; Director Feng wouldn't have used her anyway.
Therefore, there is only one answer.
"His acting skills need more training; he should study the character's micro-expressions and demeanor when he is wronged and sad," he commented earnestly.
"Also, don't put on an act in front of me."
"If you won't let me act, then you'll make me play a bunny girl..."
“What happened in the bedroom doesn’t count,” Zhang Yuan coughed lightly.
Then, with a nasal tone, she began to recount the events in a still aggrieved manner.
Director Chen is currently filming "Caught in the Web".
It's the one starring Gao Yuanyuan.
Zeng Jia arranged a role for her, which was the third female lead.
She's only at this level now; she only reached that level after "Palace" became a huge hit.
Previously, big-name directors would never have approached her for their films.
Seeing that she's recently become popular, they sent her a gig.
Zhang Yuan won't comment on this film. Director Chen's films are just so-so. The overall quality isn't bad, but it's not particularly good either.
Gao Yuanyuan's makeup and styling were quite good, and her image in the film brought out her strengths, making it arguably the peak of her beauty.
But it also caused a "horrific" tragedy.
This girl was from this movie, and she was snatched away by Mark Chao.
This has burdened many male viewers with the "hatred of having their wives stolen" debuff.
If we're talking about the best performance in this play, it has to be Wang Xueqi's Shen Liushu.
This is the standard template for a domineering CEO; all men should learn from it.
Old ginger is spicier; the acting skills of the others are not even in the same league as Teacher Wang's.
Gao Yuanyuan and Zhao Youting's acting skills and talent are actually just average.
Yang Mi's role was that of an assistant reporter, the one that Wang Luo later played solo.
These past few years have also been Wang Luodan's peak period, before she became "Ge You".
She could even become the "Golden Eagle Goddess".
To be honest, although Wang Luodan's acting skills are not top-notch, they are still better than Yang Mi's.
Zhang Yuan wouldn't let his personal relationship with Yang Mi cloud his judgment or prevent him from distinguishing right from wrong.
Director Chen's choice of her is perfectly reasonable from a theatrical perspective.
Poet Chen's abilities are far greater than those of Lu Taro.
But Yang Mi didn't provoke the poet Chen; he provoked his wife.
Chen Hong also starred in the film and served as the head housekeeper for the Chen Poet crew for a long time.
Yang Mi's side has been inundated with film and commercial offers ever since "Palace" became a hit.
She accepts all comers!
They've gone crazy making money.
It can operate 24/7.
Other film crews need her to appear to attract audiences, but it's a different story with a big director like Chen Shiren.
Just like Zhang Yimou, when he wants to make a movie, whoever he calls upon will go?
Everyone was eager to go, and they were all willing to lower their standards, even offering to go for free.
I'm just doing this because of your reputation as a great director, to add to my resume.
These are the kinds of directors who are "pampered" by their actors.
Moreover, Chen Hong is no pushover either.
In the first scene, Yang Mi arrives.
He looked sickly, as if his soul was wandering outside his body.
Chen Hong looked over and wondered what was going on.
It was even worse before she was on camera; her acting was terrible.
I found out that Yang Mi had taken on six roles at the same time...
Only Zeng Jia, that amazing person, could calculate the time for her so that they wouldn't conflict.
This infuriated Chen Hong.
When other people make films about us, they specifically set aside several years to prepare.
What do you take us for?
They started cursing right away.
Saying they were fired is a euphemism; in reality, they were kicked out.
And as usual, he claimed at the dinner party that he would blacklist her.
To say that she delayed the film crew is a heinous act; such a person is intolerable and must be removed from the film and television industry.
They always say the same things; this couple really likes to silence people.
Zhang Yuan glanced at Yang Mi, who was nuzzling his neck with her head and looking increasingly aggrieved.
If I didn't know exactly what was going on, I would have overthought things and thought that Poet Chen was deliberately messing with me.
After all, Hua Yi had thought about it a few years ago and asked Xiao Ming to leave his production team.
And now he has just taught Lu Taro a lesson: Chen the poet and Lu Taro are in cahoots.
If you follow this line of thought, you'll start to think bigger and bigger.
So Zhang Yuan immediately stopped.
Whether I'm there or not, you'll be kicked out for doing this.
Therefore, he did not act indignantly, indicating that he wanted to stand up for the other party.
Don't cause me any trouble.
It's one thing for me to cause trouble, but it's another thing for you to cause trouble.
I have my reasons for causing trouble, and I can take responsibility for myself.
"How was the contract written?"
"What should we do about Zeng Jia?"
"He's a big director, do we dare to sue him?"
"I guess I'll just have to accept it." Yang Mi said, resting her chin on her hand, realizing she wouldn't even get any compensation.
"Alright." Zhang Yuan nodded.
"What do you mean by 'okay'?"
"At least this way we won't fall out, and everyone can save face." Zhang Yuan pinched her cheek.
"Things have come to this, there's no way I can go back to the film crew."
"It's boring."
He put his arm around her, ignoring her little thoughts.
I have to clean up the mess for her eventually.
"New Classics Media should be behind this film."
"I took some time to have a meal with their boss, talked things out, and had a good chat."
"We're withdrawing without asking for compensation or making a fuss. That's a fair deal."
"If things get really bad, you can just stop filming Chen Shiren's dramas, but you can still film New Classics Media's dramas."
This way, we neither abandon the problem nor escalate it.
"Then take me with you when you eat. I'll talk to people myself," Yang Mi requested in less than a second.
"Okay, if you want to get to know me, I'll take you."
He directly saw through the other party's little scheme.
"Anyway, I feel wronged and need someone to comfort me."
"You can't coax someone without a bunch of little gifts and sweet words."
She became clingy.
"Okay, then I'll stay home with you and rest tomorrow."
“No, that won’t do. I have an extra schedule tomorrow, and I have to leave in the middle of the night.” She immediately straightened up.
"Do you like money that much?" Zhang Yuan helped her tidy her hair.
Who doesn't love money?
"How about I give you some money to buy some of your time?"
"No, it's not my money."
She rolled her eyes, knowing that Zhang Yuan was teasing her.
"If I don't work hard to make money now, am I supposed to wait until I'm seventy or eighty and nobody wants to watch me anymore before I start making money?"
"I love watching it, just let me watch it more often."
Zhang Yuan needed a ballast stone; he didn't want that feeling of loneliness to overwhelm him.
But the other person's heart wasn't entirely with him.
"What do you want to see?" she asked, lifting herself up and placing her chest against him with overwhelming force.
The addition of arms wrapped around the body to support it from below further enhances the visual effect.
Zhang Yuan's thoughts were instantly thrown aside, and he only felt that he was a little calcium deficient.
He's handling the aftermath for Yang Mi, trying his best to control the impact.
But not everything goes as planned.
Not everyone is as sensible as him… (End of Chapter)