: Initial arrogance followed by obsequiousness is laughable.

Of course, even if it's a gift for visiting someone on set, it shouldn't be too outrageous.

Most of them are still fruits, snacks, and drinks.

Besides, the fruit here is plentiful and inexpensive, so it won't cost much. You can buy more without worry.

Yunnan Province has a large altitude difference, and the climate in September is generally in autumn. The feeling of heat and humidity and coolness varies from place to place.

Dali today isn't as famous nationwide as it is now, but it's still quite nice.

To be honest, this place seems to have some kind of connection with Liu Yifei's destiny.

The rise of Dali to fame was actually a gradual process.

The first breakthrough was undoubtedly the 1959 film "Five Golden Flowers," which brought Dali to the forefront for the first time.

The second time was thanks to "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils". Whether it was the scenery of Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Lake and Wuliang Mountain described in the novel, or the effect produced by the actual filming and broadcast, Dali has once again become the focus.

The third opportunity, of course, came in 2014 when "Breakup Buddies" sparked a trend of artistic and cultural vacations.

Visiting Dali became a trend for a time.

The fourth and most recent one was in 2023, which was also the strongest. After the song "Go to Where the Wind Blows" became a hit, it directly and strongly boosted the local tourism industry.

把大理的田园治癒风推到全网顶流，当年游客接待量就接近1亿人次；2024年正式突破1.1亿人次，2025年更是达到1.21亿人次，旅游总收入突破1393亿元。

This is why the Dali government not only expressed its gratitude to the crew and lead actress Liu Yifei of "Go to the Windy Place" in an open letter, but also reiterated its affirmation at multiple meetings.

This drama has truly spurred a strong recovery in tourism in Dali.

Of the four waves of ups and downs, two were related to Liu Yifei, so it has to be said that this place can be considered her lucky place.

He Yi'an lay back on the car seat, silently observing Liu Yifei's "blessed land".

The streets of Dali are not wide, and the buildings on both sides are in the Bai ethnic style, with blue tiles, white walls, and upturned eaves.

There weren't many pedestrians on the road, except for a few women dressed in ethnic costumes who walked by occasionally, wearing embroidered headscarves and with rosy cheeks from the high altitude.

After about an hour's drive, we arrived at the filming location of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

Dali Tianlongbabu Film and Television City.

It's said that when a talented poet makes a film, he has to build a city. This trend is prevalent in many well-funded production teams, including those involved in the Tianlong series.

This film studio was specifically built for the TV series "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils". It covers a considerable area and is mainly in the Song Dynasty style. Although it is not as grand as the Han and Tang Dynasties, it is still quite good and has a certain antique charm. At least it is much better than the later green screen dramas.

But that didn't stop him from coming with a relaxed and playful attitude.

Moreover, "Fireworks in the Human World" is still showing in theaters, and in just nine days it has already grossed over ten million, which is unimaginable in today's film market.

It's worth noting that He Yi'an directs art films.

Art films are often labeled as films that, no matter how well-made, won't sell tickets.

But now He Yi'an has broken this convention.

During this period, he was inundated with people wanting to interview him, but he managed to keep many away because he was always at the company and had arranged for a reporter interview before the movie's run ended.

However, breaking ten million has a rather overwhelming impact in this era.

Judging solely from the box office records after its release, among all directors in the Chinese entertainment industry to date, only Feng Xiaogang has achieved a box office of over ten million!

The first one was "The Dream Factory" in 1997, produced by Han Sanping and directed by him.

With a box office of approximately 30 million yuan, it was the first truly meaningful "New Year's film" in mainland China, and it achieved a box office of over 10 million yuan. Other films that grossed over 10 million yuan, apart from Hollywood films, were all smaller productions, such as "Be There or Be Square" in 1998, which grossed approximately 50 million yuan.

The 1999 film "Endless" grossed between 4000 and 5000 million yuan.

The most recent one is last year, 2001's "Big Shot's Funeral," which grossed 4300 million yuan.

Originally, the second person to break the 10 million mark was Zhang Yimou, and he even pushed it to 250 million.

But now, the title of the second director to break 10 million yuan in box office revenue has fallen on He Yi'an's head.

This caused a frenzy among media professionals, who were all eager to interview He Yi'an.

But He Yi'an knew that he was just riding the wave, and breaking ten million seemed like a big gimmick now, but once "Hero" was released in two months, breaking ten million wouldn't be anything special.

So instead of going out for interviews and acting all high and mighty, it's better to keep a low profile.

Anyway, he won't get much of the domestic box office revenue from this movie; most of it goes to Enlight Media and China Film Group.

Otherwise, why do you think they're still increasing their promotional efforts?

Because it's genuinely profitable for them.

Especially regarding the film industry, neither Wang Changtian nor Li Xiaoping had expected that their initial intention was simply to make friends and learn about the film industry. They never imagined that after contacting He Yi'an, the film would not only be a success but would actually generate profit.

Based on the return on investment and the share of profits He Yi'an gave them, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they made a huge profit.

This is why China Film Group and Enlight Media have continued to promote the film during this period.

Because they make money!

It's not about losing money to gain publicity.

They didn't expect He Yi'an to be so generous; the movie made money, and he even offered them a discount.

This led Wang Changtian and Li Xiaoping to believe that he was a person they could get to know well.

Therefore, their promotional efforts are much more vigorous than those of China Film Group.

This is actually just He Yi'an's personality; he doesn't care much about these petty gains.

He felt it was worthwhile to share more of the box office revenue, given that he already owned the majority of the overseas rights and the slow return on investment. He believed that giving up a little more for the domestic box office would make the box office look better.

There are gains and losses. If he hadn't made concessions, his movie definitely wouldn't have broken ten million so quickly.

Although I don't care about the title, sometimes fame is far more important than money. Many people can't buy fame even with money.

Looking further back, both entertainment news and some serious news in the past two days have reported that He Yi'an's box office has exceeded ten million.

The titles are getting more and more alarming.

The front page headline, with its enormous boldface text, almost leaps off the page:

[An 18-year-old prodigy director breaks the curse: Why can't art films be box office hits?]

The subheading was even more exaggerated: "He Yi'an, Best Director at Venice, silences all doubts with box office success."

He Yi'an's lips twitched when he saw the news.

Just a few days ago, these reporters were following Lu Chuan's lead and criticizing him for being "young and arrogant" and "conceited." But in just a few days, the tide has completely turned.

This is why he came over immediately after Liu Xiaoli contacted him.

Besides wanting to visit the set herself and avoiding reporters, Liu Xiaoli was probably genuinely anxious.

She certainly thought He Yi'an was a genius, but she never expected him to be this genius.

That's why she proactively revealed some of her thoughts, wanting to invite him over. He Yi'an guessed that Liu Xiaoli had been watching the news quite a bit lately.

After all, the people who were criticizing He Yi'an in the newspapers before and those who are praising him now are basically the same group of people.

The headline of the Beijing Entertainment News was even more direct: [From "Madman" to "Genius": He Yi'an's Ten-Day Reversal]

The article begins by stating:

Ten days ago, when He Yi'an uttered the phrase "If the dog keeps barking," at the Venice Film Festival, almost all the media outlets criticized the 18-year-old for being "arrogant" and "not knowing the rules."

Ten days later, when "Fireworks in the Human World" surpassed ten million yuan at the mainland box office, making him the second mainland director after Feng Xiaogang to achieve this feat, those who had once criticized him fell silent.

It's not that I'm afraid to curse, it's that I can't bring myself to say it.

Because data doesn't lie, box office figures don't lie, and audience choices don't lie.

……

That's how the media is; they change their tune faster than turning the pages of a book.

Of course, these media outlets are all directly exaggerating, while the entertainment section of the *Nanfang Metropolitan Daily* takes a completely different approach:

[After Venice, where will He Yi'an go next?] From Venice to Beijing, from winning the Silver Lion for Best Director to grossing over 10 million yuan at the box office, He Yi'an completed his transformation from a "new director" to a "great director" in less than half a month.

Some say he's a genius, some say he's lucky, and others say he has powerful backers.

But regardless, one fact cannot be denied: this eighteen-year-old is rewriting the rules of the Chinese film industry at an unprecedented speed.

……

Hmm, the Southern Daily has actually started praising it, which makes He Yi'an a little uncomfortable.

However, a closer reading reveals that it contains elements of excessive praise.

What if He Yi'an's next film doesn't continue his success?

Does this mean they've fallen from grace?

The creation and destruction of gods have always been things that many people are happy to see happen.

Seeing him rising from a tall building, seeing his building collapsed.

This has always been true!

Even more blatantly critical than the Southern Daily's subtle but barbed commentary, this editor, appearing out of nowhere, was far more overtly praising He Yi'an to the point of destruction. The headline read: "Shocking! Eighteen-Year-Old Director He Yi'an May Become the New Hope of Chinese Cinema!"

This title sounds like UC headquarters has arrived ahead of schedule.

He Yi'an simply couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to it.

The arrogant attitude of these media outlets, followed by their obsequious manner, is laughable!

However, the driver who had been driving did talk to him about this.

"Director He, tell me, how do those people who criticized you before feel now?"

He Yi'an also found the question interesting. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "Probably... not a very pleasant experience."

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