This actor has something

Chapter 397 The Data Has Changed
It's nice to tease your wife a little now and then; it adds a touch of romance to life.

When I came out of Hong Kong Airport, the sun had just set. I had driven less than halfway along the road when the neon lights started to flash.

Vivian Chow was throwing a tantrum, her face contorted in a grumpy manner, her head resting on the soft cushion specially installed on one of the car doors, her eyes reflecting the colorful lights.

"After I finish my roadshow, how about I take you to the night market tonight?"

Seeing that his wife seemed difficult to appease, He Daqi smiled and gently poked the soft flesh on her waist with his finger.

"Humph!"

Zhou Huimin ignored him, squinting at him and refusing to look at him.

He Daqi smiled, said nothing, and continued poking around with his hand.

Such annoyance finally drew a furious glare from Vivian Chow.

"Aren't you annoying?" Zhou Huimin glared, her lips slightly pursed, and she took a few quick breaths, her face showing stubbornness.

"You're annoyed by me, huh? Fine, there are plenty of girls in Hong Kong anyway. I'll go to a nightclub tonight. You know, I used to work in a nightclub, so I know the place pretty well."

"you dare!"

"Do you think I dare?"

Seeing He Daqi's smug grin, Zhou Huimin couldn't stand it anymore. She pounced on him fiercely, swinging her two small fists and punching him repeatedly, her eyes gradually welling up with tears.

"He Daqi! You bastard! I've already given you two children, and what do you do? You're always deliberately trying to upset me, and when I'm angry, you don't even try to comfort me. You scoundrel, I'll beat you to death..."

Before Zhou Huimin could finish venting, He Daqi pulled her into a tight embrace. He chuckled and held her close, refusing to let go no matter how much she struggled. The beauty in his arms struggled a few times before stopping, her face pressed against He Daqi's chest, pouting and remaining silent.

He Daqi gently straightened her body slightly so that Zhou Huimin could look him in the eye, then leaned down and kissed the corner of her eye, whispering:
"Okay, you know I was just joking. I'm just being cheeky, I would never actually do it. Don't be angry. If you don't want to go shopping tonight, let's just watch a movie at home."

"I'm not looking." Zhou Huimin was still a little angry, avoiding He Daqi's gaze and burying her head on his shoulder.

"So what do you want to do?" He Daqi asked softly.

After hesitating for a moment, Vivian Chow replied sullenly, "...go to the night market."

"Okay, let's go to the night market then." He Daqi gently stroked her hair and agreed with a smile.

As they were talking, the car had already arrived in Kowloon.

The last time He Daqi came to Hong Kong was last year when he returned from Hollywood and Jackie Chan took him out for drinks. It had been almost a year since he last came. That appearance was also rushed and he made a fool of himself.

The car didn't go directly home, but stopped in front of the cinema. A stage had already been set up, and there was even a performance on stage. Jackie Chan had arranged everything very well. Although he didn't know when He Daqi would get off the plane, as long as there were people performing for He Daqi, that was fine.

The girls in Hong Kong are very different from those in South Korea; they are more wild and, one could say, less disciplined.

Although most people saw the car arrive and started pulling on the people around them to make room for He Daqi, hoping he could get off the car properly and appear on stage as soon as possible, there were still some people pushing forward, baring their teeth and claws, as if they wanted to tear He Daqi's clothes to shreds and collect a few pieces to sew into the inside of his underwear when he got off the car.

"Dakai!!! Dakai!!!"

"Daqi! I've liked you for so long."

"Daqi, stop drinking too much like Big Nose Dragon, it's bad for your health."

"Drink more water and less alcohol!"

He Daqi's smile froze for a moment, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

The security guards on both sides leaned forward and pushed the girls back. He Daqi was a little scared when he saw this. He was afraid that if the security guards couldn't stop them and let these crazy girls rush in, he would probably be completely naked in an instant, with no hair left except for his hair.

He quickened his pace and stepped onto the stage. The beautiful young women with long, white legs, who were singing and dancing energetically, laughed and made way for him, handing him a microphone as they did so.

"I'm so good at catching you!"

A casual opening remark drew screams from the audience; on this hot summer night, the girls felt like they were about to faint from happiness.

While shouting "Daqi, we miss you too!", they raised the glow sticks they held in their hands, making the noisy atmosphere even more enthusiastic.

"The next song, 'The Sun,' is for everyone."

He Daqi skipped the thank-you speech to fans for supporting the movie and went straight to showcasing his talents.

Several songs were played in a row, and as more and more people rushed over after hearing the news, the scene now resembled a concert.

There were too many people, causing traffic inconvenience. He Daqi sang while keeping an eye on the surrounding area, still somewhat worried, knowing that this couldn't continue.

However, it wasn't so easy for him to leave. His fans, who hadn't seen him for a long time, clearly wanted to go against him. Despite his earnest attempts to persuade them, they still surrounded the stage and wouldn't make way for him.

Fortunately, as the organizer, Jackie Chan had made proper arrangements in advance. Even when faced with this situation, the staff remained calm, added more people to reinforce the human wall, and even called the police station.

Not long after, when He Daqi was chatting with his fans using a microphone, the police arrived and cleared a path for them.

……

……

"You really should release an album. Jackie Chan, this stage was set up by copying the roadshow model in China, but I didn't expect it to be so popular in Hong Kong. Next time you come to Hong Kong to promote a movie, you might as well just hold a concert. I estimate that the effect would be much better than a roadshow."

Zhou Huimin's words were somewhat unclear, after all, she was chewing on some roasted meat.

The couple walked arm in arm through the night market, cleverly cutting a slit in the middle of their masks so that they could cover their faces without affecting their cravings.

Vivian Chow was in a great mood, partly because she was back in her hometown and saw the familiar atmosphere, and partly because Ho Tai-kai hadn't accompanied her shopping in a long time and she was finally able to.

At that moment, she was so excited that she could practically jump for joy, chattering away the whole way, her mouth never stopping, always talking or eating.

He Daqi looked at her with a smile, nodding in agreement from time to time, until Zhou Huimin brought up the roadshow, at which point He Daqi's expression became serious.

Zhou Huimin makes a good point. With the internet becoming more and more developed and information spreading faster, her current status is no longer suitable for this kind of stage-based roadshow.

The next options are either to hold a concert as Vivian Chow suggested, or to conduct small-scale roadshows in movie theaters.

The effect in the cinema is only so-so, because most theaters are small, and large theaters that can seat a thousand people are extremely rare. Not to mention, every time He Daqi's fans know he's coming to their city for a promotional tour, the minimum number that comes to support him is never less than two thousand, so there simply aren't enough seats. Does this mean that every time one of his starring movies is released, it will be his national tour?
As he was pondering, Zhou Huimin shook his arm.

"Daqi, look! Grilled squid!"

He Daqi looked in the direction Zhou Huimin pointed and sure enough, he saw a queue of grilled squid at the stall. It was actually teppanyaki, with the squid sizzling on the hot plate and a bright red sauce brushed on top, which looked very appetizing.

This grilled squid is more than just grilled squid. Zhou Huimin specifically called out to He Daqi, not only because she wanted to join the queue to buy it, but also because she wanted He Daqi to recall the time he had a conflict with someone at the night market over grilled squid.

He Daqi was filled with emotion at this moment; he hadn't realized how much time had passed...

The two couples who fought back then are now married with children.

The grilled squid is still the same grilled squid, but the people eating it have changed a lot.

“Let’s buy a lot to take back to the bar! To celebrate your amazing performance back then.” Zhou Huimin smiled and pulled He Daqi toward them.

Drinking some ice-cold beer in this weather would be incredibly refreshing. After hearing Zhou Huimin's suggestion, He Daqi felt his mouth go dry and quickly nodded in agreement, saying, "Okay."

After queuing up to buy the grilled squid, it was already quite late. By this time, He Daqi had gotten really into it. Carrying the snacks in his hands, he kept muttering, "Let's go back early."

Although Zhou Huimin hadn't had enough of shopping, she didn't insist. Hearing He Daqi's subtle urging, she didn't point it out. She smiled and, despite the heat, hugged He Daqi's arm, pressed her face against it, and happily left the night market and got into the nanny van.

It has to be said that Hong Kong's nightlife is indeed dominant. The couple got home close to midnight, and they could still hear the hustle and bustle of traffic outside in their high-rise apartment. They wondered which workers were still at get off work. Through the window, they could see that although the office lights in the distant office buildings were sparse, a small number of them were still working.

laugh!
He Daqi opened a can of beer and poured it into a glass.

Without even eating anything to fill his stomach, he couldn't resist gulping down a large glass.

"Cool!"

The frustration Lu had felt after singing for half a day and the fatigue from spending several hours at the night market instantly subsided with this sip of ice-cold beer.

Seeing how much He Daqi was enjoying his drink, Zhou Huimin couldn't resist opening a can for herself, taking a couple of bites of spicy grilled squid, and sipping a small half-glass of ice-cold beer.

She blushed quickly, and her face turned rosy in no time. He Daqi found her appearance adorable and couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her cheek.

Zhou Huimin rolled her eyes at him and pretended to slap his mischievous hand, but He Daqi was all smiles and didn't back down. He even stopped pinching her cheeks and instead used his fingers to hook her chin twice.

With a slap, He Daqi's nasty hand was knocked aside.

"Hahahaha, come on, let's have a toast with your husband!" He Daqi laughed and clinked glasses with Zhou Huimin.

This guy is really something else. He knew perfectly well that Vivian Chow couldn't drink much, but he still managed to create quite a lively atmosphere.

As a result, Zhou Huimin was so engrossed in drinking that she collapsed onto the table. When He Daqi carried her into the bedroom, Zhou Huimin was still humming and muttering a few words, which prompted He Daqi to slap her bottom twice.

……

Have a good night's sleep.

The couple was awakened by the ringing of the marimba.

He Daqi answered the phone in a daze, and Cheng Long's hearty laughter came from the other end of the line.

"Qi-zai, I heard you got cornered yesterday?"

"Well, almost."

He Daqi's speech was quite unclear, and he sounded like he hadn't woken up yet.

"Haha, Qizai, don't worry about the roadshow at noon. This time it's arranged in a movie theater, so there won't be as many people. I've asked them to add a lot more security personnel this time, so what happened last night definitely won't happen again."

"Alright, thank you for your trouble, brother."

"What trouble am I going through? You're helping me with the roadshow, it's all my duty, hahaha, guess how much our box office is on the Bald Eagle side now."

He Daqi was too lazy to guess, but judging from Cheng Long's tone, he knew it was pretty good.

With a thought, he entered the film library, pulled out the data for Rush Hour 3, and raised an eyebrow. The total box office of the movie Bald Eagle was only $140 million, not much different from "When the Flowers Bloom, the Hundred Flowers Kill". However, hearing how happy Jackie Chan was, He Daqi casually mentioned a high number.

"Fifty million dollars in its opening weekend?"

"How could it be that high! But it's about right, forty-three million, hahaha, even higher than the previous one."

Huh? He Daqi suddenly opened his eyes.

Isn't this data incorrect?

If the box office is this high in just the first few days, how could it only be 1.4 million?
What He Daqi didn't know was that New Line Cinema, the production and distribution company for Rush Hour 3, was having a tough time right now. Because of the film's high investment, Warner Bros., the main company, had sent a special team to oversee it.

It's definitely unpleasant to have someone pointing fingers and giving orders, let alone when the people from the main company are acting with a hint of malice.

The two sides often argue: before filming, they argue about the casting; during filming, they argue about the production budget; after filming, they argue about the editing; and before the film's release, they argue about the distribution strategy.

New Line's strategy is to continue using Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as the main promotional force, maintaining the previous marketing approach, targeting male audiences, and promoting family-friendly comedies.

Warner Bros. nitpicked and after much searching, they discovered Ho Tai-kei, especially after noticing the box office performance of "After the Flowers Bloom, the Hundred Flowers Kill" in Bald Eagle. They immediately used Ho Tai-kei as a scapegoat and started negotiating with New Line Cinema.

As the film drew closer to its release, the pressure on New Line Cinema increased, and they finally couldn't hold on any longer and changed their distribution plan.

Unexpectedly, the effect was quite good. Many female viewers who originally did not want to watch the movie also went to the cinema. Especially whenever Cheng Long and He Daqi fought in the plot, as long as Cheng Long escaped in a close call, the female viewers would sigh and groan. It is unclear which side they thought was righteous.

In this situation, New Line immediately went from being reluctant to being overjoyed, and its originally conservative publicity strategy was taken to be more aggressive. In fact, during most of the publicity, the promotional posters featured He Daqi standing with the two main characters, making it seem like there were three main characters.

Whether the movie is successful or not, it will benefit Warner Bros., but the main goal is to force New Line Cinema to merge with Warner Bros., so it's better if it doesn't succeed.

Seeing this result, Warner Bros. must feel a bit like they shot themselves in the foot.

Cheng Long knew the reason, after all, he had been staying with Bald Eagle to do roadshows and communicating with the staff of New Line every day.

So when the people in Hong Kong called him yesterday to tell him that He Daqi had been surrounded during his roadshow, he was making arrangements for the roadshow the next day while marveling at how He Daqi's face was truly universally appealing, attracting girls from both the East and the West.

(End of this chapter)