Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 281, "Bureau 749," finally makes its appearance. I'm familiar with this, so I'll go first.
February 12th, Lunar New Year's Eve.

As the seasons change, fireworks illuminate a new chapter.

I didn't participate in this year's Spring Festival Gala, and I couldn't be as beautiful as last year's "Blue and White Porcelain" in every household.

Ikeno participated.

He received an invitation to the Spring Festival Gala as early as six months ago. Last year's performance of "Blue and White Porcelain" was so successful that the Gala's production team naturally favored him this year.

However, a series of unexpected events occurred during the process, such as the review of "Flu", which caused Chi Ye to miss several rehearsals during the final rehearsal of the Spring Festival Gala.

If it were any other celebrity, it might have caused very serious consequences.

However, due to Ikeno's past "good" performance, coupled with his terrifying singing skills, the production team did not show any obvious dissatisfaction.

Chi Ye is destined to be busy tonight, because not only does he need to sing at the Spring Festival Gala, but after singing he will immediately rush to the premiere of "Flu". After attending the premiere, he will also have to accompany his grandmother, who did not go home for the New Year this year.

Well... he's trying his best to live...

Like Chi Ye, the Shen-Ma duo, frequent performers of the Spring Festival Gala, will also be busy all night. In addition to accompanying someone on a date, their schedule will be exactly the same as Chi Ye's.

At 9:30, after the song ended, Chi Ye hurriedly left the stage and ran into Shen and Ma, who were still preparing.

"Oh, are you rushing to the next event?"

Shen Bin and Chi Ye weren't very familiar with each other; they had only met twice on variety shows. However, he was a straightforward person and didn't mingle in those traditional old circles, so he didn't have much ill will towards Chi Ye.

After meeting, they even exchanged a couple of jokes.

"Yes, the top star, she appears more often."

Chi Ye waved and greeted Ma Li: "Teacher Ma."

"What a handsome young man."

Ma Li subconsciously offered a compliment, then realized that her tone sounded a bit like a senior encouraging a junior… Although Ikeno was indeed younger than them, the reality was…

"Look at you, how dare you speak to our CEO Chi like that."

Shen Bin patted Ma Li on the shoulder unhappily, then said with a smile, "Then you go first, we'll be there in a bit."

"Goodbye, teachers."

Ikeno didn't linger. After a brief greeting, he hurried to the parking lot.

"...Did you offend anyone just now?"

After watching Chi Ye's figure disappear, Ma Li felt a lingering fear: "He didn't hold a grudge against me, did he?"

Shen Bin smacked his lips: "That's not necessarily true."

"Ikeno is notorious in the industry for holding grudges. Look at what he's done to those who have offended him. As for you... it's hard to say."

Ma Li: "...Seeing you like this, I'm relieved. I guess I didn't offend you."

Shen Bin: "..."

"Hey, who would have thought that such a young and popular celebrity could reach this level?"

Ma Li exclaimed sincerely, "That's impressive."

"And there's something even more complicated."

Shen Bin took out his phone and glanced at it: "The pre-sales of 'Flu' have surpassed ours, currently at 3 million. I feel like it can compete with 'Detective Chinatown' for the top spot on the first day."

"So fast?!"

"How long has it been?"

Ma Li exclaimed in surprise, "I just checked and it was still 330 million!"

"The market is really hot this year. It is estimated that the first and second place companies alone will have made nearly a billion yuan on the first day."

Shen Bin shook his head: "How long has it been since we've seen such a hot property?"

"...Indeed fierce."

Ma Li nodded, then asked, still a little uneasy, "I really didn't offend him, did I?"

"..."

……

"You've really become infamous."

On the other side of the parking lot, Ikeno ran into Pliers, who had just finished performing at his previous show... and Merchant, who hadn't participated but had come to be an audience member.

Upon meeting, Pliers couldn't help but praise Ikeno for being "kind."

Chi Ye glanced at her and said, "You seem to have gained weight."

"Huh? You've gained weight?!"

Shi Jin was slightly taken aback, then looked down at herself in surprise and anxiety, saying, "I haven't gained weight, I've been controlling my diet..."

"Weiwei, he's talking about me."

Sister Shang stepped forward to take responsibility, bowing her head in shame: "It's Chinese New Year, so I ate a bit too much."

Chino looked at the two of them: "Did you wait for me here on purpose?"

"of course not……"

Shi Jin opened her mouth slightly to speak, but Sister Shang spoke first: "Yes, yes, yes, we've been waiting for you."

As she spoke, she tugged hard at Shi Jinwei's sleeve, and Sister Pliers reluctantly turned her head away.

Ikeno asked curiously, "What are you waiting for me for?"

“Isn’t this…isn’t this your movie premiering in mainland China? As friends, we feel we should support your premiere.”

"That's it."

Chi Ye was stunned.

Because of the tight schedule and the fact that it was during the Spring Festival, many big names attended the Spring Festival Gala, so the premiere of "Flu" didn't invite too many guests—they didn't need to invite too many people this time either.

Unlike "The Boss" and "Girl", "Flu" is a winning hand and doesn't really need much hype... their hype is already big enough.

He nodded knowingly, his gaze casually sweeping over Sister Shang's guilty expression: "You're not constipated again, are you?"

Shang Jie: "??!"

Shi Jinwei: "Again?! How do you know such private things about her?"

After a long silence, Sister Shang pointed at Chi Ye and said, "What a jerk!"

"Elbow, Weiwei, let's ignore him. I'll take you to eat something delicious."

She grabbed Shi Jinwei and left, wanting to get this "outsider" away as soon as possible... How could the little fairy's problem be described as constipation?

That's just a blockage of a major thoroughfare.

"I really don't have time tonight, let's discuss cooperation another day."

Suddenly, Chi Ye's voice came from behind. Shang Jie waved her hand haphazardly, "I know, I know... go ahead and do your thing."

"Happy New Year."

"I'm not happy right now."

Chi Ye watched Shang Jie's "lonely" back and couldn't hold back for long. He then raised his hand to check the time before getting into the car: "Let's go, hurry up, it's getting late."

"Yes, Mr. Chi."

After the driver finished speaking, they set off for the premiere of "Flu".

……

Outside the parking lot, Shi Jinwei and Sister Shang stopped, but she was clearly not in a good mood.

Sister Shang glanced at her: "Weiwei, why are you unhappy?"

"What's there to be happy about?"

Sister Pliers thought to herself, "Why did he just say 'Happy New Year' to you? Wait a minute, what about me?"
Thinking of this, she glanced at Sister Shang suspiciously, then subconsciously looked at her buttocks and asked, "Sister, what kind of riddle were you two talking about just now?"

"oops."

Unaware of Shi Jinwei's gaze, Sister Shang said smugly, "I must say, I, Shang Youshu, am the most capable. You see, with just a few words, I got Xiao Chi to agree to the cooperation without lifting a finger."

"In the end, it's just too charming."

Shi Jinwei: “?”

Sister Shang glanced at her: "I originally wanted to bring you along to talk to him about the new show, but I didn't expect... I should have just come by myself. I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip." "...Sister, were you subjected to some kind of unspoken rule?"

Sister Pliers couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "You guys are talking about this and that... Did he sleep with you?!"

"what?"

Sister Shang was taken aback, but then replied with an unusually calm expression, "You want to learn?"

Shi Jinwei: "...Can you please stop teasing me, sis?"

"Look, you were the one who started things with me... How could that be? How could there be any underhanded dealings?"

"That's good."

"If anyone's going to be involved in underhanded dealings, it's me. Although I may seem less famous than him now, I'm not really. But I'm willing to be his slave and mentor newcomers. Isn't that a form of being in a position of power?"

Shi Jin opened her mouth slightly: "Huh?"

"Alright, alright." Seeing that Sister Pliers had been confused by her several times in a few seconds, Sister Shang finally lost the will to tease her and pushed her away: "I'll treat you to a movie tonight to repay the 'kindness' you showed me earlier."

"...Sister, I'm so scared of your crazy behavior."

"It's good that you're scared. If you're scared, I'll pamper you tonight, hehe."

"...You're so greasy. Can you stay away from me and stop touching me like that?"

"It's perked up again, Weiwei! How did you grow it like that? Are you incredibly gifted...?"

"..."

……

11 points.

The premiere of "Flu".

Chi Ye walked in, looking travel-worn and bent over, and saw Sheng Ning making a phone call to the side.

"Um... um... I understand. I'll watch it later. Thank you, director, thank you for your recognition."

"...Ikeno is back. Okay, I'll hang up now. Bye-bye."

She noticed Chi Ye's figure, hung up the phone, turned around and asked, "It's so late, everyone's been waiting for you."

Chi Ye walked right past her, sat down next to Jin Xia, and whispered, "Have you been waiting long?"

The Empress Dowager was secretly pleased with herself, but nodded with an air of "aloofness": "...Not bad."

Did you video chat with your family?

"No."

"Why didn't you make a call? Didn't you say your grandfather wasn't feeling well this year?"

"After the premiere, you'll fight with me."

Chi Ye paused slightly, then nodded: "Okay."

This summer, after observing his expression, she suddenly reached out her small hand and grasped his hand: "Teacher Chi, don't be afraid. If all else fails, we'll elope."

Chiye: "..."

"Really, I've made a plan. If Grandpa doesn't like you, I'll take you back with me to steal the household registration book... If all else fails, I'll get pregnant, and then there'll be nothing he can do if he doesn't like it."

Chino thought for a moment and said, "I really hope Grandpa doesn't like me."

Jin Xia: “?”

Chi Ye said in a serious tone, "Why can't you understand the old man's good intentions? Look for the reason within yourself."

This summer, she blinked and suddenly lowered her voice, whispering in his ear, "...Teacher Chi, if you really want to, I can do it anytime."

Chi Ye felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced at Sheng Ning, who was staring at him from behind, and replied in a similarly soft voice, "Be mindful of your behavior. It's not good to act like this in front of your elders."

Sheng Ning: What are you mumbling about over there?!
And so, Chino and Jin Xia chatted as the time drew near to midnight.

At 45 minutes past the hour, the creative team behind "Flu" took the stage for a brief interview. Afterward, they took their seats one by one, and the hour and minute hands both reached 12 o'clock.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, may all your thoughts be warm and all your actions be smooth.

The sound of fireworks could be heard outside.

Inside the theater, the familiar "ding-ding-ding-ding" sound of the dragon logo rang out, followed by the familiar "Ikeno Studio" logo.

Sheng Ning and the rest of the Flu production team looked back at the sea of ​​people in the audience, a strange sense of tension creeping into their hearts.

—This real premiere should be just as successful as Cannes, right?

I guess...

……

"Did 'Flu' surpass our box office?"

at the same time.

Inside a top-tier cinema.

The premiere of "Detective Chinatown 3".

Chen Sicheng looked at the screen showing the film he had poured his heart and soul into, but his attention wasn't on the movie itself—he had seen the finished product of "Detective Chinatown 3" countless times, and what he was concerned about now was the box office performance.

As the New Year's bells rang, the most daunting Spring Festival film season of the year has officially entered its final race.

Before midnight, the latest box office data showed that "Detective Chinatown 3" was still leading "Flu" in pre-sales, reaching 3 million.

We've now officially entered the first day of the Spring Festival film season, and it's unclear whether the gap between the two has changed.

"We're still number one."

Liu Haoran, sitting next to him, glanced down at his phone and said excitedly, "It seems that many viewers still chose our movie as their first movie-watching experience during the Spring Festival on the first day of the holiday."

"There's nothing strange about this."

Zhang Baixiao, another guest star, said: "Because of the subject matter, the first movie of the Lunar New Year is either a comedy to laugh and go to sleep, or a horror and bloody zombie movie like Yu Yu. Young people online are clamoring for it, but the casual moviegoers who actually buy tickets will make the choice."

"Yes, we still have the first two installments of the series to back us up, it would be strange if we were surpassed now."

Xiao Hua, whose surname was Wen, nodded in agreement.

The reason why the Spring Festival film season is the hottest box office of the year, especially this year's explosive growth, is that it is a festival for family reunion, and many comedies and family-friendly films will have their terrifying box office performance.

Is "Flu" a family-friendly movie?

Obviously not, quite the opposite. In fact, without Cannes, if "Flu" had been released normally, its pre-sales would never have been able to catch up with the "Detective Chinatown 3" series.

Even with the hype from Cannes, it still failed to achieve the feat of topping the box office on its opening day.

"I was wondering about his release date before... To be honest, now it seems like I was worrying too much... Let's just watch the movie and see how other movies are received."

"Ah."

They are now mostly aware of the positive reception of "Flu," but they still have little idea about "Bureau 749," as well as other competitors such as "Iron Fist" and "Flying High."

……

Half past two in the morning.

The first round of screenings for films released during the Spring Festival holiday has ended.

The corridor of the screening room at Wanda Cinema in the capital city, where the premiere of "Bureau 749" was held.

The audience and movie fans filed out of the theater, each one seemingly under a spell of silence, heads bowed, brows furrowed, and speechless.

It wasn't until they stepped outside the theater and smelled the aroma of popcorn that a male audience member slowly came to his senses and sighed, "I tried to avoid it, but I still couldn't escape it. I got a big one."

"What a stinky dissertation defense."

"That's right, Bureau 749... Where is Bureau 749? I actually believed the edited clips on TikTok..."

"Director Lu has always been like this when it comes to producing thesis defenses."

A member of the audience smiled with relief, then took out his phone and walked skillfully to the front of the stage.

"What are you going to do?"

"Refund."

"Huh? I can get a refund after watching?! I can't get a refund anymore, right?!"

“Other movies can’t do it, but Director Lu can. I’ve seen ‘Kunlun Mountain,’ so I’m familiar with this project. I’ll go first.”

(End of this chapter)