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

"Has the person arrived yet?"

"No message received."

"Then they probably won't be coming."

In the corridor outside the theater, the old leader called. Chi Ye was busy and Coco was in charge of the handover. Upon hearing Coco's reply, the old leader was a little disappointed.

Generally speaking, if someone of that level wants to come early, they will definitely give at least a week's notice in advance. This is already considered slow. In fact, the old leader had been waiting for this call for a week.

Unfortunately, I never got to see it.

His current question stems more from wishful thinking and resentment. However, his resentment hasn't led to any change in the situation, so it seems that the person he's asking really won't be coming today.

"We need to prepare for the preliminary research phase."

"...Go ahead and do it, I'll be there in a bit."

"You're coming in person?"

"Otherwise what? I was hoping... well, never mind, let's not talk about this. You go ahead and get busy. When Chi Ye arrives, have him call me back."

"Okay, I see."

Coco nodded, hung up her phone, turned to look at the scene already filled with cameras and microphones, waited a while, and then walked into the theater to begin the final arrangements for the premiere.

……

A typical movie premiere is actually quite simple. It usually involves pre-screening interviews, the main cast and crew giving a few interviews on stage, taking some behind-the-scenes photos, the movie screening, and then post-screening interviews and more photoshoots after the screening.

The premiere of "The Wandering Earth" followed a similar process, but judging from the scene today, there were so many big shots present that everyone seemed to have completely lost interest in the movie and were instead moving around the theater, networking and socializing.

Should we arrange a dinner party?
The premiere of "The Wandering Earth" was supposed to include a banquet, but Ikeno felt that it wouldn't be appropriate to hold one on the first day of the film's release, as the results wouldn't be clear yet. So, they didn't do it.

"...I don't know if it's good or bad."

Coco shook her head. She wasn't talking about the dinner party, but rather that the scale of the event felt a bit like the guests were overshadowing the main event.

—With top executives from the four major industry platforms and several satellite TV stations personally attending, this was no ordinary movie premiere; it was practically a leadership meeting.

It's probably not even possible to gather this many people for a leadership meeting, because people from the Hong Kong entertainment circle and several other circles came, with the top figures from the Hong Kong circle being the most prominent. This is simply outrageous.

Ikeno was unaware of what had happened at the scene. Although he had seen the list beforehand, he hadn't expected it to be this serious until he was actually there.

This also shows that he's become somewhat isolated and out of touch with reality. After so many years of fame, he's always been self-directed and self-acted, relying entirely on his own resources. He doesn't understand how much others in the industry crave connections and influential figures.

At this moment, Chi Ye is backstage at the Spring Festival Gala, preparing for tonight's event.

Actually, there wasn't much to prepare. The rehearsal had already ended. Today was just a matter of waiting for my turn to go on stage, sing a song, and this kind of situation was just like everyday life for Ikeno. There was nothing to be nervous or complicated about.

"President Chi."

After 8 o'clock, the Spring Festival Gala officially began. While Chi Ye was scrolling through his phone backstage, a bald man suddenly appeared, bent over, and walked over.

Chi Ye looked up, surprised: "Director Xu?"

"It's me, it's me."

Xu Zheng smiled broadly: "I saw you here earlier, but I was too shy to come over and say hello."

"Hehe...Is there something you need?"

"It's nothing, I just came to congratulate you."

Director Xu's main strength lies in his ability to be flexible and adaptable. Before this, he had not had much interaction with Chi Ye. This was not to say that the two had no business dealings, but rather that he deliberately did not want to have much contact with Chi Ye.

The reasons are complicated. He was probably involved in several circles around him, and at the time, Chi Ye had a bad relationship with several of them. In order not to be implicated, he would naturally avoid them if he had the personality to do so.

Things are different now. Now that he has this opportunity, he still wants to come over more often to make himself known.

"I heard that Teacher Jin Xia is recovering well recently. I have worked with her before, but I never had the chance. I just happened to run into you today. Please take this back and give it to the baby."

Director Xu took out a longevity lock that he had prepared. It was very exquisitely made, and most importantly, it looked quite heavy.

“Master Zhang from Hong Kong happened to be in mainland China a few days ago, and we happened to meet at a gathering. I asked him to help me consecrate a statue, saying it would bring good fortune and ward off evil, and protect my health. I don’t believe in this stuff, but the meaning is nice, so I’ll give it to the baby.”

Ikeno took it and looked at it, then tried to decline.

"Oh, Mr. Chi, please don't refuse. It's all for the child, just for good luck. Besides, I've worked with Teacher Sheng before, so she knows I prepared this gift for the baby."

After saying that, Chi Ye withdrew his hand, glanced at Xu Guangtou, and smiled without saying anything.

"Did you send it, or did Sheng Ning ask you to send it?"

"Uh……"

Xu Guangtou paused, embarrassed: "Of course this is a gift from me...Teacher Sheng..."

"Really?"

"...Teacher Sheng told me not to tell you."

Ikeno retorted, "Then why did you say that?"

Xu Guangtou: "..."

"I'll accept it. Please thank him for me."

After hesitating for a moment, Xu Guangtou couldn't help but say, "Um... I also have something to offer..."

"Okay."

Ikeno waved his hand.

Seeing this, Xu Guangtou didn't dare to say anything more. As he'd said before, things were different now. In the past, he was a senior figure, and his status in the industry was undeniable, but now…

"Is your show also premiering today?"

"Yes, I was just about to say that, wishing 'The Wandering Earth' a huge success in advance."

"I also wish your movie great box office success."

……

"So many people went to Ikeno's side?"

At another cinema not far from the premiere of "The Wandering Earth," Chen Sicheng heard the news and it would be a lie to say he wasn't jealous. But he wasn't a child, and he naturally understood the current trends in the industry and Ikeno's status.

Did those people I asked you to keep an eye on go?

"No."

"That's good."

Chen Sicheng breathed a sigh of relief. Unlike others, he had connections in other circles, and they were quite powerful, so he knew things that others didn't.

The rumor that bigwigs would personally attend the screening of "The Wandering Earth" is a secret within the Chinese entertainment industry, but it's not exactly a secret in other circles.

Chen Sicheng was originally very worried because once that person showed up, they might not need to "compete" anymore, since "The Wandering Earth" would most likely be regarded as an "educational film".

Just like how Wolf Warrior 2 was booked out by various organizations back then, the only difference is that The Wandering Earth is not a traditional military-themed film.

Hmm... It's good that he didn't come.

This made him feel that he could still put in some effort; who could guarantee that the next Yang Jian wouldn't be him?

"Get ready, it's about to begin."

……

"Director, everything is ready here, and we've already informed the media."

"Ah."

The premiere screening of "Yang Jian 2" at the screening room.

Director Wu and the main cast of "Yang Jian 2" sat in the front row. To be honest, this position was a bit uncomfortable for watching the movie. After a while, my neck would ache and my cervical spine would also feel a bit strained.

But there's nothing that can be done; that's just how premieres are. And those people sitting in the front row aren't here to watch the movie—they're here to see the audience's reactions and response.

"Tell those marketing accounts to edit the clips to be more touching, and keep the headlines as we agreed last time. Anyway, we're not lying."

"Uh-huh."

Director Wu turned around, glanced at the time, and then remembered something: "By the way, how's 'The Wandering Earth' going?"

"I heard that a lot of big shots went there, representatives from all four major platforms, either the top executives or the second-in-command, and others..."

"...A special effects movie with 50 billion in box office revenue didn't attract a single person, while so many people went to a movie whose name I had just heard of. Haha."

Director Wu smiled, shook his head, and said nothing more, but his meaning was already very clear, and those around him could feel his dissatisfaction.

Those platforms and TV stations are one thing, since they've long been tamed by Ikeno, but what about those big shots with some official connections?

I heard that Ikeno's connections have personally intervened, which is outrageous. Isn't this clearly trying to sabotage other films in the Spring Festival season?
unfair!
He muttered to himself as the theater gradually went dark.

It's past midnight, and the timeline has officially entered the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The sequel to "Yang Jian," which had just finished its theatrical run, is slowly beginning.

……

At midnight, the first day of the Lunar New Year, the screening room for "The Wandering Earth".

As the clock struck midnight, Ikeno, who had just arrived, bent down and sat down. The pitch-black IMAX screen gradually went dark, and then the classic dragon logo sound rang out.

"It's starting, it's starting."

"call……"

"Hopefully, it won't disappoint."

Beside Chi Ye, the old leader took a deep breath and kept muttering to himself, which annoyed Chi Ye.

"Stop talking, it's damaging to the leader's image."

"I didn't mean to..."

"Alright, alright."

"..."

"Ranran, aren't you nervous?" On the other side, Ran Qiao's agent and aunt sat next to Ran Qiao, feeling as if her whole body was trembling. After so many years, Ran Ran had finally stepped onto such a big stage, the female lead of "The Wandering Earth"... Although everyone said that the female lead's role in this movie wasn't that important.

But a leading lady is a leading lady. The leading lady of "The Wandering Earth" is someone many actresses in the industry would rather die for.
"Auntie, calm down and relax."

As Ran Qiao said this, she unusually put down her thermos, showing that despite her young age, she was not at peace.

Hey.

At the same time, the dark theater gradually lit up, revealing a cold, pure white color scheme.

A beam of light pierced through the air and landed on the giant screen, gradually revealing the outline of a frozen city.

The very first panoramic shot made everyone instinctively straighten their backs; it was finally here.

Inside the screen, the chill felt like countless fine needles, piercing through the thick protective suit fabric and making Liu Qi's neck tingle.

He couldn't help but shrink his neck, and a thin layer of white mist immediately covered the inside of his mask, blurring the outline of the frozen city in front of him.

"You brat, don't move!"

Han Zi'ang's voice came through the communicator, slightly hoarse and panting.

An old man was pushing a modified tracked insulated cart. In the cart lay Han Duoduo, wrapped up like a rice dumpling. The little girl's eyes peered curiously at this unfamiliar white world through her mask.

This is the surface above the underground city, the former "Magic City".

At this moment, half of the skyscraper's body is encased in solid ice that has never melted for millennia. The glass curtain wall has long been shattered, revealing the dark steel skeleton. The wind howls past, whipping up ice shards, and occasionally emits a sharp shriek—the apocalypse. With this opening scene, everyone already knows that this is a world, an Earth, on the verge of collapse.

"Grandpa, where are we going?"

Han Duoduo's voice, filled with childlike joy, broke the silence.

She rarely had the chance to come to the surface. The underground city was always crowded passageways, dimly lit, and filled with stuffy, filtered air, unlike here, where the world was filled with blinding white light, and even the sun seemed exceptionally distant.

Han Ziang didn't answer directly, but instead increased the speed of pushing the cart. The tracks rolled over the ice, leaving two clear tracks.

"You'll know when you get there, don't ask so many questions." He paused, then added, "Hold on tight to the handlebars, be careful of the ice and slippery surfaces."

The refrigerated truck traveled along the frozen streets, passing the ruins of a collapsed overpass.

The steel bars at the broken section of the bridge deck were twisted into bizarre shapes, covered with icicles that gleamed coldly in the dim light.

In the distance, the outline of a massive planetary engine is faintly visible, cold, lonely, and lifeless.

"How magnificent..."

"How was this filmed?"

"Damn, the quality is amazing! I'd believe it if you told me this place really existed!"

"That's something. What was that engine just now? It was huge!"

"Ranran, you've made your appearance!"

"Shh...!"

Whispers and exclamations could be heard from time to time in the theater, because "The Wandering Earth" was not a "photo fraud" after all!
I initially thought that the trailer for this movie, like other movies, featured the most amazing special effects, and that the actual film might not be so exaggerated. After all, some professionals had calculated that if the entire film maintained this level of quality, the production cost would indeed be quite staggering.

But to their surprise, they saw even more stunning visuals at the beginning than in the trailer. The visual impact was amplified to an extreme degree in the special screening room, making their adrenaline surge just by watching it.

It's spectacular! It's hard to imagine that this is a film produced and shot in China.

"I've only ever seen scenes like this in Hollywood before, Ikeno, my God!!"

In Xiangnan, Liu Xiaoxiao and her husband went to see a movie together. Luckily, they managed to snag tickets for the first showing, and then... then Liu Xiaoxiao's husband went crazy, starting to rave about it from the very first scene.

"To be honest, even if the plot of this movie is terrible, as long as the visual quality of the later parts is on par with the beginning, it's still a masterpiece of Chinese science fiction films!"

Liu Xiaoxiao listened noncommittally, but she had to admit that the visuals and production quality of this blockbuster film truly impressed her, giving her the feeling that its reputation was well-deserved. (End of Chapter)