Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 414 My Arrogant Girlfriend

Just like the feelings Lu Kuan had when he watched the fireworks embracing each other tightly at the manor in Wenyuhe Mansion on New Year's Day.

2008 was destined to be an extraordinary year for the world, and even more so for China.

At the beginning of the year, a once-in-a-century low-temperature rain, snow and ice disaster struck 20 provinces in the south, paralyzing the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway and the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway. Chenzhou, Hunan Province, experienced nearly 10 days of water and power outages, and more than one million passengers were stranded at Guangzhou Railway Station. This process lasted until late February.

In light of this, Wenjie Film and Television organized discussions and assembled a team of screenwriters to produce a realistic script, "Lost in Thailand," based on current social issues. The script has recently been submitted for approval and filing.

In early March, the two meetings were held in Beiping. At the consultation meeting of the literary and art circles, relevant leaders of the Film Bureau gave a data report.

As of March 5th, the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival film seasons are nearing their end, with the total box office revenue in China reaching over 14 billion yuan, an increase of nearly 30% compared to the same period last year.

This number represents an increase of nearly 50% compared to the previous life in which Mr. Lu lived.

The total number of movie screens in mainland China reached around 4100, a figure that was not achieved until 2008.

It was a full year ahead of schedule.

Starting in 2002, Lu Kuan, like a butterfly flapping its wings, created a hurricane. With the expansion of his businesses, the improvement of his social and industry status, and the pace of film industrialization he led, he worked closely with allies such as the rights holder Lao Han, forcefully propelling the mainland film industry to achieve a development speed that surpassed the times.

This change was brought about by the vast industry capital he controlled, the advanced concepts he proposed, and the resulting trend of companies like Huayi and Chengtian following suit.

Since 2002, the film projects invested in and produced by Wenjie Holdings have accounted for more than 25% of the total box office revenue of mainland China.

The most outrageous example is the 2004 film "A Home Too Far," which completely overturned the great ship that stood between the Chinese people and the rest of the country.

The logic behind this butterfly effect is very simple:
Wenjie pioneered a new model for film creation, marketing, director training, and actor training in the industry. Following "Hero" in 2002, it took up the banner of the commercial film wave, allowing countless investors inside and outside the industry to see the future development prospects of Chinese films.

In his speeches at various universities and forums both at home and abroad, he has consistently expressed a strong optimism about the future of Chinese cinema! I wholeheartedly support him!

Water flows downhill, and money flows to where it can generate more money. Naturally, this will attract capital and hot money earlier than in the previous era, forcing the entire industry to improve itself and progress through competition.

What level was the 4100 screens figure reached in early 2008?
This figure makes China surpass the UK and France to become the world's third-largest film exhibition market, second only to the US's 4 films and India's 1.2 films.

However, industry insiders with a true strategic vision can also recognize that the virtuous cycle formed by the growth of screens, box office revenue, and production also signifies that Chinese films have moved from a stage of "content shortage" to one of "overcapacity".

There are more movies now, but the competition is also fiercer, and the requirements for directors and film companies are higher.

After returning to Beijing from the premiere in Nanjing, Lu Kuan attended the meeting as a representative of the arts and culture sector.

However, he kept a low profile this time and did not propose any further motions regarding the development of Chinese films.

This disappointed the delegates, as "The Sky of History" was still making great strides across Asia, and with the support of official media and his status as the chief director of the Olympics, even his opponents had to take his opinions seriously.

Even if it might be a trap—

People still vividly remember the ruthless entrepreneur's outrageous actions that "scammed" Hunan and Taiwan two years ago.

However, Mr. Lu made a new proposal this year: suggesting that December 13th be designated as a national memorial day.

Israelis have long designated January 27th as their Good Friday. To remember history and warn future generations, launching this initiative with the global screening of "The Sky of History" is the perfect opportunity.

The news of the meeting received widespread support from across the country.

As world-renowned rock musician John Lennon famously said: "If you can't change the world, change yourself."

This statement applies to ordinary people who do not have much social resources. When faced with a complex social environment, they should take the initiative to adapt.

But for the extraterrestrial demon who has already accumulated a massive amount of industry capital, this soul, which originally did not belong to this world but has been continuously integrating into it after finding its anchor, is continuing its grand career and dream through its own efforts—

To make the Chinese film industry better, to make Chinese films and culture resonate throughout the world sooner, and to break the monopoly of Western cultural values ​​and discourse power.

In late March 2008, as "The Sky of History" was nearing the end of its run, the results it achieved after going all out were simply astonishing.

Copyright sold for $2000 million in Europe and other regions;
The film grossed $1.4 million in North America, and $4500 million of that came from distribution agreements and good relationships with Miramax and Disney.

Compared to the $1.28 million North American box office of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the $3800 million in revenue share, the latter's higher revenue share was mainly due to its higher marketing and distribution costs, as well as the 20% agency fee paid to Sony.

However, some of the offline promotion for "The Sky of History" was moved online to Twitter and Mytube, which resulted in less spending on promotion.

Revenue from North American DVDs, home theaters, and other channels will be generated gradually over the next three months, with estimated profits of around $30 million depending on box office performance.

In Asia, the total domestic box office was 3.3 million RMB, which did not surpass his 2004 film "A Home Too Far" which grossed 3.61 million RMB.

"Sky" was jointly distributed by Wenjie and official units Shanghai Film Group and China Film Group, and the film received approximately 1.25 million RMB in revenue sharing.

In Japan and South Korea, the film was distributed by its allies CJ Entertainment and Toho Co., Ltd., grossing a total of 1.3 million RMB, with the film netting the film approximately 4000 million RMB in revenue sharing.

The remaining revenue came from Hong Kong, Macau, and other parts of Asia, netting them 3500 million RMB.

After deducting taxes, the revenue from "The Sky of History," plus the revenue share from ringtone download sites for the "As You Wish" music video, and then deducting the $6000 million cost—

The amount that has been secured is approximately $4100 million, which is less than 3 million RMB at the current exchange rate.

With the revenue sharing from "Detective Chinatown 2" during the Lunar New Year season and "Secret" during Valentine's Day, as well as the 8000 million yuan in related merchandise revenue, Wenjie Pictures, the only "living water" department of Wenjie, has brought in nearly 4 million yuan in revenue for the company at the beginning of the year.

The initial payments that arrived were quickly divided up by cinemas, shopping malls, and other departments.

On the evening of March 30th, the mansion in Wenyuhe Mansion was brightly lit, with the quiet night view of Beiping flowing outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The young couple, who had just returned from get off work, were enjoying time alone in their luxurious home. Today, Xiao Liu was in high spirits and decided to cook, just like any ordinary girl in love, to conquer her man's stomach.

Mr. Lu looked at the financial documents on the coffee table and sighed deeply. The money he received in the profit sharing seemed substantial, but the payment period was at least three months. Moreover, in his opinion, it was just a drop in the bucket.

Let's just hang in there a little longer, until all the internet companies we have are getting funding and going public, and until we weather the financial crisis and the depressed secondary market.

"Stop sighing! Sighing brings bad luck." Liu Yifei's voice came faintly from the kitchen, clear and with a hint of coquettishness.

She was tiptoeing to reach the spice jars in the cupboard, and her loose beige cardigan slipped down as she moved, revealing a section of her fair wrist.

The washing machine narrowed its eyes, deliberately going against her, and raised its voice even louder: "Hey!"

Xiao Liu peeked out from the kitchen, the warm yellow lantern illuminating her fluffy bun, a few unruly stray hairs sticking up from the sides, making her cheeks appear even more radiant.
"If you sigh again, I'll beat you up!"

Before Lu Kuan could answer, he seemed to smell a sweet and salty aroma wafting from the kitchen.

Liu Yifei came running out of the kitchen, her fluffy slippers making a light tapping sound on the floor.

She held chopsticks in her right hand, the tips trembling as she picked up a piece of braised pork covered in sauce, the amber-colored oil almost dripping down;

Her left hand rested loosely below, her fingertips still smeared with chopped scallions, as if afraid the piece of meat would fall onto the carpet. "I'll give you something delicious to shut you up." Her eyes curved into crescents, and dimples appeared and disappeared at the corners of her mouth. She deliberately waved the meat in front of him.

The girl tilted her chin slightly, her eyelashes fluttering, looking smug and saying "Praise me!" Even the tiny speck of soy sauce on the tip of her nose added to her charming innocence.

Lu Kuan raised an eyebrow, held her wrist, and chewed the trembling braised pork with his girlfriend's hand. The sauce burst on his tongue, making him feel overjoyed.

Liu Yifei put down her chopsticks and looked at him expectantly: "How was it?"

Chinese men, they may not know how to cook, but they're all food critics. You, Liu Yifei, are a world-class chef, so you should still find fault with us.

Even if they can't distinguish between soy sauce and vinegar, they still have to put on airs and say a few words, acting like a special consultant for "A Bite of China".

"The heat wasn't quite right." The washing machine pursed its lips as if savoring the taste. "I guess you didn't caramelize the rock sugar properly before adding the meat, so the sweetness just stayed on the surface."

"And also, did you add water before sautéing the star anise?" Boss Lu looked at Liu Yifei, whose expression was becoming increasingly unfriendly, and awkwardly touched his nose. "But overall it's still okay. When do we start eating?"

Xiao Liu's beautiful eyes widened: "What kind of meal is this? This meat is far too good for your taste, the richest man in the world! Feed it all to the dogs!"

"I haven't even had a chance to praise him yet, since I started with a negative first move!"

The washing machine grabbed her fair wrist, pulled her arm in, and steadily encircled the frizzy little cook in its embrace. It gently rubbed its chin against her shoulder, and its large hand began to caress her slender waist.

Xiao Liu naturally chose to forgive: "Why are you sighing?"

"We're short of money."

"Tch, looks all respectable, but spouts nothing but nonsense all day long." Little Liu scoffed, "Does anyone believe the richest man in the country if he says he's short of money?"

Boss Lu, with his sweet and soft girlfriend in his arms, couldn't resist trying to take liberties with her, but she stopped him with her elbow: "Your mouth is all greasy, don't touch me!"

The washing machine gave up helplessly: "The difference between being the richest person and the most indebted person is just a thought. This title is like being under a curse. I'd rather not have it."

"Sisi, you'll support me when I go bankrupt."

Xiao Liu covered her mouth and chuckled, "To be honest, I'm actually looking forward to that day."

"I want to see if you can still act like a big shot when you're broke, hehe."

Boss Lu argued vehemently: "Wealth and status cannot corrupt... No, wealth and status cannot be feigned. What good are ten thousand bushels of grain to me?"

"Pretending is a must; men rely on this to save face with women."

"I didn't have any money when I first met you, did that stop me from pretending? I still managed to seduce you, didn't I?"

"What a character!" Liu Yifei pouted, often feeling that her boyfriend was constantly switching between highbrow and lowbrow, like he had a split personality.

"Hurry up and wash your hands and eat! Today is our first day of alone together!"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I have to go to Shanghai tomorrow." Boss Lu sat at the dining table, chopsticks in hand, his eyes shining as he looked at the three dishes and soup in front of him.

The crystal chandelier cast dappled light on the walnut dining table. Liu Yifei brought the last dish to the table, the porcelain plate lightly touching the solid wood table with a pleasant, crisp sound.

The sharp sound was abrupt, echoing her displeased question: "We've only had one day of our romantic getaway! And you're already asking for leave? No way!"

"Shanghai Film Group and Eagle King have established a joint venture. I haven't seen Li Shoucheng in a long time. He and Ren Zhonglun insisted on inviting me over."

"And Xie Jin, who called me to visit when I was in Berlin, and who strongly supported us online this time, I should go and see him out of courtesy and reason."

Xie Jin was diagnosed with cancer, and his condition worsened recently. He passed away after the Olympics.

After discussions between Shanghai Film Group and the Shanghai municipal government, a five-year listing plan has been formally proposed, and preparations are underway to begin listing guidance.

In light of this, Shanghai Film Group, under Ren Zhonglun's leadership, has been making frequent moves within the industry.

For example, it has vigorously developed its affiliated cinema chains and Oriental Distribution Company, and participated in the distribution of this year's "Lust, Caution", "Assembly", and "The Sky of History".

They also built the second fully digital film post-production base in China, realizing the technological transformation from film to digital. The first one is naturally Butian Pictures, which has an increasingly strong technological barrier.

In addition, they formed the "Shanghai Film Eagle King" with Eagle King from the north.

Leveraging the opportunities presented by the Olympics and the World Expo, the company will invest over 100 million yuan to produce and distribute top-tier films and television dramas for the Chinese-speaking market, aiming to become a leading film and television entertainment company in China.

This company invested in later works such as "The Myth" and "Summer's Desire".

When the Eagle King was mentioned, Xiao Liu felt a little awkward.

In February, while the crew of "The Sky of History" was still working in Berlin and Los Angeles, Hong Kong experienced an entertainment industry earthquake of the same magnitude as the heavy snowfall in southern China.

The photos are here.

Victims such as Edison Chen, Nicholas Tse, and Gillian Chung all had close relationships with Eagle King. The latter two were long-term contracted artists who had consistently generated considerable commercial value for Eagle King.

This attack severely damaged Eagle King, and Li Shoucheng almost couldn't catch his breath.

Lu Kuan was well aware of the situation, but he had no reason or excuse to intervene.

For him now, the Eagle King is just a local bully in Hong Kong, not of much use, so maintaining an alliance is enough.

On the contrary, Hong Kong's recent disastrous actions will completely expose the veil of its former status as the Hollywood of the East and shatter the filter that mainland audiences have for this prosperous and vibrant land.

Objectively, this will give mainland actors and actresses better opportunities to rise to prominence, such as Hu Ge and Su Chang from the entertainment industry.

"Are you going tomorrow? When will you be back?"

"The day after tomorrow, the IOC is having a meeting and the global torch relay is about to begin."

"Oh."

Liu Yifei said "Oh" and then fell silent, feeling extremely awkward.

She knew that these people in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, disguised as civilized people, were just as depraved as those in Europe and America. Naturally, she didn't want her boyfriend to have much contact with these people, especially the notorious playboy Li Shoucheng. What kind of good person was he?
Believing that the washing machine can "turn over a new leaf" is one thing, but who wants their sweetheart to be tested outside all day?

However, the naturally proud girl was unwilling to say it outright, but she hoped that he could guess what she was thinking.

So he took the chopsticks and poked them into the porcelain bowl one by one, making a clanging sound, almost breaking the bottom of the bowl.

(End of this chapter)