Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 351 Tickets
September 22, 2008, Monday, the Autumn Equinox, the weather was still very hot.

Even before the evening rush hour, the Capital Olympic Sports Center was already bustling with activity.

Today, the premiere of "Painted Skin" was held, and the scene was even more lively than the recently concluded Hundred Flowers Awards.

The news that Liu Yifei and Fan Bingbing would appear at the premiere spread quickly, and a large number of fans and media gathered nearby.

Fans were pleasantly surprised to see a host of celebrities at the entrance of the Olympic Sports Center. The last time there was such a star-studded event was during the Olympics.

The appearance of three superstars, Jackie Chan, Li Lianjie, and Andy Lau, one after the other, caused quite a stir.

Zhang Ziyi, Lao Xu, Zhou Xun, and Li Bingbing—aside from Zhao Yanzi, the four actresses and two actresses from Bingbing—almost all gathered together.

"Director Chen, you go ahead with your work. We can sit down together sometime. I'll go in first."

Just as Chen Jiashang escorted Zhang Ziyi into the hall, he turned around and saw Chen Kaige and his wife, and hurriedly went forward to greet them.

He arranged the pairing with a rather complicated expression. Cheng Long might still be willing to go out of respect for him, but Chen Kaige was definitely out of the question.

At first, he thought it was because Liu Jing was popular, but he gradually realized that many people would mention "The Message" at the end of their conversations.

Chen Jiashang was experiencing a bittersweet feeling. The pain stemmed from the fact that he, a director from Hong Kong, was now relegated to greeting guests. Liu Jing and Zhen Zidan, who were supposed to be standing there to greet people, were nowhere to be seen—one had arrived but was nowhere to be found, and the other hadn't arrived yet due to a flight delay.

The good thing is that, regardless of their purpose, they all came to show their support.

This is his first film after moving north, and its box office performance will determine the future of his career.

"Bai Bing, where's your boss?" Sun Li asked quickly, taking advantage of the free time.

Neither of the two male leads nor the two female leads were present; she greeted the guests with the director and Liu Jing's agent.

She was just thinking that it was just a premiere, but it had caused a stir in half of the entertainment industry. No wonder the leaders of Shanghai Film Group attached so much importance to it and personally attended the event.

"Brother Cheng Long pulled him aside, they must be talking about something," Bai Bing explained, pausing for a moment, "Sister Sun Li, just call me Xiao Dong, that's what my friends call me."

"Xiaobai" is the boss's exclusive nickname, and only Gao Yuanyuan would call him that at certain times.

"Haha, Xiao Dong, we're friends from now on!" Sun Li laughed. She was also interested in making friends, otherwise she wouldn't have gone out of her way to talk to him.

If Bai Bing were just an ordinary staff member, she wouldn't bother with her.

But this was Liu Jing's agent, who also managed the artist management department of Chunqiu Entertainment. With the establishment of Yanhui Agency, Bai Bing's status in the industry rose several levels, and no one regarded her as an ordinary agent or a rising star anymore.

However, there was one thing Bai Bing hadn't expected: many people had viewed her with prejudice. In everyone's eyes, she was Liu Jing's mistress, and their relationship was definitely not normal.

She didn't really care; it would be best if everyone knew that she was the boss's woman, which would reduce a lot of trouble.

The winds have been blowing in the air these past few days, and her relationship with her boss has become much purer. Bai Bing is even secretly investigating the reason.

Many people originally thought that if Bai Bing were just Liu Jing's woman, Chunqiu would never have cultivated her so vigorously.

Many college graduates face unemployment upon graduation, but Bai Bing's graduation gift was becoming the head of Chunqiu's talent agency department. Two months later, Chunqiu's talent agency business became independent, and Bai Bing smoothly took up her new post at the company, becoming active in the industry as the president of Yanhui.

Nominally, Zhou Wenqiong is the big boss of Yanhui Brokerage, but it's clear to everyone that Bai Bing is the one who steers this new ship.

Bai Bing comes from a good family, so people have reason to guess that this girl must have an even deeper background.

The luxurious mansion she lived in was also exposed, further confirming everyone's suspicions. It could never have been a gift from Liu Jing, nor could it have been earned by Bai Bing herself; it could only have been given to her by her family.

Thus, Bai Bing's background has become shrouded in mystery amidst various rumors and speculations.

By verifying the process with the results in mind, you can always find a lot of supporting evidence.

“We’ve always been friends,” Bai Bing said with a bright smile. In her eyes, these artists were either potential clients or future employees.

"Xiao Dong, who else is missing? Did Liu Jing bring the whole entertainment industry here?" Sun Li linked arms with Bai Bing, and that's how the two women forged their friendship.

You have your plans, and I have mine; relationships between women can develop very quickly.

"No, Brother Chao hasn't arrived yet." Bai Bing smiled. She really didn't know the answer, because many people came spontaneously, and the boss hadn't sent out any invitations.

For example, Jiang Wen, who strode in, was someone the boss was trying to avoid; how could he possibly call him over?

"Haha, if he dares not to come, I'll beat him up when I get back," Sun Li laughed.

Chen Jiashang glanced at it. Well, there were three greeters, and now he was the only one left.

"Director Chen, congratulations on the box office success." Jiang Wen wasn't alone; he came with his wife, Zhou Yun.

"Haha, thanks for coming! How have you been lately?" Chen Jiashang stepped forward, very pleased. Jiang Wen's arrival was even more significant than the appearance of a top mainland star.

"Not good at all, really unlucky!" Jiang Wen sighed.

Chen Jiashang was taken aback. "Let's exchange a few pleasantries, then you can go inside. That's the proper procedure. This guy doesn't seem like he's there to support us; he seems more like he's there to cause trouble."

"Director Chen, don't pay any attention to him, he's just a lunatic," Zhou Yun quickly interjected.

"Haha, I've heard Jiang Wen is humorous before, and he really is unique." Chen Jiashang laughed.

"Where's Liu Jing?" Jiang Wen looked around but didn't see Liu Jing. Instead, he saw Bai Bing. "Xiao Dong, where's your boss?"

Bai Bing had a headache. She had been chatting with Sun Li and pretended not to see it, trying to get away with it.

Yesterday, just as everyone was about to leave work, Jiang Wen rushed to Chunqiu and delivered a letter.

After writing over a thousand words, it all boils down to one sentence: I want the role of Wu Zhiguo.

Liu Jing refused outright, saying, "I want a tough officer, not a rogue officer."

Jiang Wen was prepared and wouldn't be deterred by a single sentence. "Brother, your approach uses a generic hero template, it's meaningless. Whether it's Yu Zhanbie or Ma Dasan, heroes need to be down-to-earth, they're not all the same. Also, Wu Zhiguo singing Peking Opera to deliver intelligence is a bit inappropriate; he should sing Hebei Bangzi..."

"Old Jiang, I have a premiere tomorrow, I don't have time to listen to you ramble on about this. Let's talk properly after I'm done with my work." Liu Jing quickly gave the order to see Jiang Wen out before he could finish speaking.

The reason he crossed out Jiang Wen first was because he was worried he wouldn't be able to control him. This guy is notorious for his tendency to change the script; he always wants to add his own ideas to whatever he acts in.

Liu Jing disliked Lu Chuan, but felt great sympathy for Lu Chuan's experiences in "Looking for a Gun".

"By the time you're done with your work, 'The Message' will have already been released. We're both men..."

“I’m not old, I’m twenty this year,” Liu Jing interrupted.

Jiang Wen's momentum suddenly deflated. He opened his mouth and asked, "How old am I again?"

“Old Jiang, you’re not suitable for Wu Zhiguo, and I don’t plan to change the character setting,” Liu Jing said frankly.

“Okay, you’re the director, so you decide.” Jiang Wen sighed, then perked up. “I went back and thought about it, and it really wasn’t quite right. I just went to the casting team to re-audite Wang Tianxiang. This role is more interesting; I was only focused on Wu Zhiguo before.”

Liu Jing was stunned. He finally understood why Gao Xixi frowned when he mentioned Jiang Wen during the casting of "New Three Kingdoms".

"Wang Tianxiang is a smiling tiger, elegantly committing violence. He's even more perverted than Takeda. This role is perfect for me, practically tailor-made for me. I have an idea: using Shanghai dialect for Wang Tianxiang wouldn't be appropriate. How about designing it in Hebei dialect? That would be more realistic. Interrogation scenes can't be too rigid. Fixed lines and scenes make it seem too formulaic. If you look at the torture scenes in 'The Sun Also Rises,' you should know I have a lot of experience with this. I could totally do torture while eating hotpot!" Jiang Wen pulled out another piece of paper, filled with his design for Wang Tianxiang. This was his real purpose.

Liu Jing examined the ideas carefully and found many of them quite ingenious. "I think what you said makes sense, but it's a pity you're a step too late. Here's what we'll do, Xiao Bai, go and inform Teacher Wang Zhiwen that the role of Wang Tianxiang will be given to Jiang Wen; he's more suitable..."

"Don't..." Jiang Wen's expression changed, and he quickly stopped Bai Bing, who was walking out. "This role was given to Wang Zhiwen?"

"Yes! I just contacted Professor Wang Zhiwen." Bai Bing gave an affirmative answer, even though she had only just learned of her boss's decision, she didn't hesitate to lie without batting an eye.

"Forget it, I can't afford it." Jiang Wen said sullenly.

"It's alright, Teacher Wang Zhiwen will definitely understand..."

Before Liu Jing could finish speaking, Jiang Wen, looking thoughtful, said, "Bai Xiaonian is a good role too. If I had played Cheng Dieyi back then, it would definitely have been a classic. Give your brother a chance to prove himself... Liu Jing, where are you going? Let's talk this over properly..."

This is what happened last night; Bai Bing witnessed the whole thing.

What made her even more upset was that this morning, Jiang Wen went to the casting team to audition for the role of Bai Xiaonian.

Bai Bing stepped forward and smiled slightly, "Brother Jiang, please don't make things difficult for our boss. The seven important roles in 'The Message' were finalized yesterday, and we are currently finalizing the schedules with the cast members. They will be announced one by one before the end of the month."

"Oh, who's cast? Can I know?" Jiang Wen asked curiously. "Of course you can, it's no secret, it'll be announced sooner or later. Zhou Xun will play Gu Xiaomeng, Zeng Li will play Li Ningyu, Duan Yihong will play Wu Zhiguo, Chen Kun will play Bai Xiaonian, Wang Zhiwen will play Wang Tianxiang, Fan Wei will play Jin Shenghuo, and our boss will play that pervert, Takeda," Bai Bing replied.

"Liu Jing playing a psychopath? That's quite suitable," Jiang Wen muttered, then asked, "I heard Old Han is also going to have a cameo role?"

"Yes! President Han is making a cameo appearance as Commander Zhang, and he is also one of the producers of this show."

"Sigh! Great casting." Jiang Wen exclaimed, then continued, "Where's your boss? I haven't seen him. Is he avoiding me? Tell him not to worry, I've changed my mind this time, I don't need the role."

He's busy.

"Ask him if 'The Message' needs a producer? Or even a co-director." Jiang Wen was a little embarrassed; he also needed to prove himself after the failure of "The Sun Rises Normally."

After reading the synopsis of the script for "The Message," he couldn't sleep at night; he really liked the script.

"Please take a seat. I'll pass on the message once the boss is done. I'd like to apologize to you on his behalf; he's been incredibly busy today, please forgive him, Brother Jiang." Bai Bing smiled brightly, determined to leave the message there and not bother the boss any further.

"Haha..." Jiang Wen was very happy, he was much better at talking than Liu Jing. He waved to his wife who was talking to Chen Jiashang and then leisurely entered the inner room.

At 5 p.m., most of the guests had arrived, and the media began to sign in and enter the venue.

At 6 PM, the fan area will open, and the premiere will begin.

At 6:30, the main cast and crew walked the red carpet.

This so-called red carpet wasn't a real red carpet at all; it was a 100-meter-long "scroll passage." A huge sheet of Xuan paper was laid on the ground, and several main figures signed their names with cinnabar pens, leaving ink stains that spread out like bloodstains.

Twelve bronze mirrors stand on either side of the passageway. The images reflected in the mirrors are distorted, a clever idea from the creative team, subtly alluding to the unpredictability of human nature.

The premiere cost five million dollars and was not only streamed online but also broadcast on television.

"Ahem, good afternoon, everyone. I'm Chen Jiashang, the director of 'Painted Skin.' I'm very happy that you're here. On behalf of the entire crew, I'd like to express my gratitude to all the friends who have traveled from afar..."

Chen Jiashang took the stage to give a speech, and the premiere ceremony officially began. The audience gradually quieted down, and enthusiastic applause rang out from time to time.

Chen Jiashang spoke for more than ten minutes, Liu Jing, wearing a half-silver mask, went on stage and spoke for seven or eight minutes, and then it was Fan Xiaopang's turn.

The main cast members were trying to buy time for Donnie Yen, who was rushing from the airport to this location.

Just when everyone was getting bored, Gao Yuanyuan, wearing a blue strapless dress, stepped onto the stage.

"I'm sure everyone is wondering, does Gao Yuanyuan appear in 'Painted Skin'? Well, let me answer you now: Gao Yuanyuan is not in the film. The director doesn't need a pretty face." As soon as Gao Yuanyuan finished speaking, the whole audience burst into laughter, and the atmosphere lightened up again.

"Many of you probably saw the billboard when you entered the venue. 'Watch movies, watch shows, we have tickets.' Does this slogan sound familiar? I'm not actress Gao Yuanyuan now, but Gao Yuanyuan, the promoter of tickets."

As Gao Yuanyuan explained, the advertisement appeared on the big screen.

"Many people are wondering, what is Youpiao? I was just as confused as everyone else a few days ago. Youpiao is an online ticketing app launched by Tencent, in conjunction with cinema chains such as China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Spring Autumn Cinema, Wanda Cinemas, and Stellar Cinemas, and in strategic partnerships with film companies such as Huayi Brothers, Eagle Cinemas, and Enlight Media. In the past, people could only buy tickets by queuing at the cinema, but that will no longer be necessary. Youpiao is interconnected with the systems of major cinema chains..."

Liu Jing sat in the audience, listening to Da Meiyuan's explanation. Beside him, Bai Bing looked excited. "Boss, data from the front line shows that the number of registered users for 'Painted Skin' has exceeded 100,000, and the pre-sales for 'Painted Skin' have also exceeded 100,000."

"Get the data back from them as soon as possible." Liu Jing's spirits lifted.

The ticketing website Gewara launched this year, but it didn't attract much attention. However, it caught Liu Jing's eye.

He originally had the idea of ​​drawing inspiration from Fandango and Movie Tickets to create a domestic version of online ticketing software.

At Liu Jing's suggestion, Tencent quickly mobilized, poached Che Guevara, and launched the Youpiao website.

Today is the premiere of "Painted Skin," and it's also the day tickets go on sale.

The premiere cost five million, of which three million was sponsored by ticket sales and a live presentation was held before the show began.

"...In the past, box office predictions were mostly based on surveys conducted by film companies after their promotional activities, using methods such as phone calls and online questionnaires. After summarizing the results, film companies would adjust their promotional strategies accordingly. This method was time-consuming and labor-intensive, the data was not very accurate, and the data was significantly delayed. Youpiao can solve this problem effectively by using data from online forums and social media to rate upcoming films based on factors such as the scale of discussion, favorability, and nature of the content, helping film companies understand audience preferences and reviews. As the data becomes richer in the future, Youpiao can more accurately predict box office data and provide film companies with more precise promotional strategies..."

"Finally, I have some good news to share. Youpiao, in partnership with **Bank, is offering a chance for customers who purchase tickets through **Bank's online banking to win free tickets and discounts. Alright, that concludes my presentation. Now, please welcome Liu Yifei for a wonderful performance."

Gao Yuanyuan bowed and walked off the stage amidst various forms of applause.

"Boss, we've surpassed 500,000 registered users, and Tencent promoted it through QQ. However, pre-sales haven't increased much; they're currently around 300,000, and the growth rate is sluggish." Bai Bing was looking down at her laptop, having no time to pay attention to what was happening on stage.

"Um! Tell me the timeline when it reaches one million. And...and..." Liu Jing couldn't finish his sentence.

The lights in the venue suddenly dimmed, and a small area on the stage was illuminated with a faint glow.

A ten-meter-high iron frame, tilted at a fifteen-degree angle, stands in the center of the stage. It is wrapped in translucent fiber cocoons, which contain hydraulic devices that are writhing like muscles. Someone, barefoot and clad in a flesh-colored silicone bodysuit, is curled up inside, resembling a monster developing within an embryo.

Liu Jing couldn't help but clench his fist, and Bai Bing let out a muffled groan as the boss grabbed her wrist.

Liu Jing was a little nervous because Qianqian was inside the sand cocoon.

bang bang bang...

The entire audience held their breath, as if they could sense the pulse of the demonic embryo. No one spoke, for fear of disturbing it and causing the demonic embryo to be born.

Fog rose from the dry ice on the ground, and low-frequency sound waves could be heard, making many audience members restless.

As the metal frame slowly rotated, under the spotlight, the artificially implanted spine in Sisi's back gradually protruded and became clearly visible.

Suddenly, the white veil split open in a cross shape, and Sisi emerged from the crack, her arms twisting backwards at the joints, and she shot into the air like a spider.

With her legs wrapped in gauze and hanging upside down, her skin peeled away, a demoness descended to earth.

A clear liquid spilled from the ceiling, landing on Sisi, turning her silicone bodysuit blood red.

Sisi suddenly descended from the sky, hovered at a height of one meter, and then slowly landed.

Clad in a ten-meter-long white veil, she soared through the air and landed on stage. Suddenly she moved east, suddenly she moved west, performing a unique dance in harmony with lighting and special effects.

The media went crazy; they all stood up because it gave them a better angle to shoot.

Some even left their seats and, ignoring warnings, ran to the front.

The fan zone was even more frenzied, and security guards formed a human wall to barely keep everyone at bay.

Screams, shouts, cries, laughter, noise...

The entire venue was in an uproar, and it looked like it was about to get out of control.

Seeing this, Sisi hurriedly finished up, and order gradually returned after she disappeared.

"My God..." Bai Bing was shocked, shocked by the stage effects and shocked by the audience's reaction.

"Phew..." Liu Jing exhaled. In designing this dance, he weakened many horror elements and added a lot of special effects and lighting effects.

Most of the five million yuan was spent on Sisi's molting dance.

The next person to perform was Donnie Yen, who finally made it to the stage and performed a martial arts routine.

The martial arts were spectacular, but the audience felt something was missing and wanted Liu Yifei to return.

"My God..." Bai Bing exclaimed again, this time the shock was far greater than before.

"What's wrong?" Liu Jing wiped his sweat.

"Three million registered users have tickets, and pre-sales have exceeded three million." Bai Bing rubbed her eyes several times. Before Liu Yifei's performance started, pre-sales were less than one million. Half an hour after the molting dance ended, pre-sales had exceeded three million.

The number of registered users has increased due to QQ's large user base and the fact that it supports QQ number registration.

However, the surge in pre-sale box office is definitely related to Liu Yifei.

"Three million, which means 100,000 people bought tickets. If online payment becomes more convenient in the future, there's great potential," Liu Jing murmured.

“Boss, it’s closing time now. Of the 100,000 tickets, 20,000 are already sold. It’s being streamed live online, but it hasn’t aired on TV yet. I think we can use Sisi’s molting dance as a selling point. Once it airs on TV and we go back to work tomorrow, pre-sales will definitely explode,” Bai Bing suggested.

(End of this chapter)