This actor has something

Chapter 428 An Epic Masterpiece

An entertainment interview was playing on the LCD TV screen at the fishing spot.

In the video, Ning Hao, who had been on a promotional tour for eleven days, was blocked by reporters at the entrance as he led the main creative team of Crazy Stone 2 out of the movie theater.

"Director Ning, Crazy Stone 2 has been in theaters for eleven days and its box office is currently at 200 million. Do you think there is still hope of breaking its own record? Especially with another big-budget production, Red Cliff, set to be released in just two days."

He was clearly a novice reporter, flustered and clumsy. After asking his question, he was probably too excited and almost poked the microphone into Ning Hao's mouth.

Ning Hao leaned back, subtly reached out to steady the microphone, adjusted the distance, and then answered:

"Personally, I really hope to break my own record, but this is not something I can accomplish just by talking about it. Whether I break the record or not, judging from the current box office data, Crazy Stone 2 has already recouped its costs long ago. In addition, I don't think Red Cliff will have a big impact on Crazy Stone 2. After all, the two films have different themes and different audiences, so they can be released at the same time without affecting each other too much."

"Director Ning, regarding the ban on Asia and Vietnam..."

"Excuse me, we're in a hurry to catch our flight, so let's call it a day."

Ning Hao, who had originally intended to answer more questions, quickly made an excuse and slipped away before the reporter could finish asking them.

These kinds of questions are full of traps, and there's no good way to answer them, so it's best to just pretend you didn't hear them.

Watching Ning Hao hurrying along in the video, He Daqi, holding his fishing rod with an elegant and relaxed demeanor, chuckled softly.

Turning his gaze back to fishing, He Daqi realized that the bait on the hook seemed to have been eaten.

He picked up the fishing rod and saw that he had indeed become the feeder again. He shook his head slightly and started to bait the hook again.

He Daqi didn't come fishing today because he was feeling craving it; he had an appointment to discuss something with someone. He had been to this fishing spot before and found it quite interesting. Plus, someone had invited him here before, so He Daqi didn't think much of it and just arranged to meet here.

I arrived a little early, an hour ahead of schedule, hoping to have some fun fishing while we were talking business, but my luck wasn't great and I didn't catch a single fish.

It must be because of your posture!

He Daqi stretched his long legs to warm up his blood and energy, cast his line into the water, and prepared to concentrate on using his best skills to catch a big one.

Bang bang!

He Daqi glanced to the side and saw a stainless steel bucket placed next to his fishing spot.

"Daqi, how many have you caught?"

"...I just arrived too, and I've only been casting for less than a minute." He Daqi's ability to lie through his teeth was becoming increasingly adept.

Han Shanping asked casually, without thinking too much about how long He Daqi had been there. He took his things out of the fishing tackle bag and didn't need to do anything else. He Daqi had already prepared the bait, so he just put the bait on and started fishing.

The two were sitting close together, and there were no other fishing spots nearby, so they didn't have to hide their conversation. They just kept their voices down and treated it as casual chatting.

"Daqi, tell me the truth, do you still have some bombshell information you haven't released yet?"

"Not many left."

"I don't believe it. If you hadn't called that kid before, would you have killed Lin Zhiling?"

He Daqi didn't answer the question, he just smiled and left Han Shanping to figure out what he meant.

Han Shanping was not about to let He Daqi lead him by the rope. Seeing that He Daqi did not answer, he changed the subject and started talking about something else.

"What do you think of my scheduling? Let Crazy Stone 2 be released two weeks earlier, and then Red Cliff will take over. By then, Crazy Stone 2's box office will have started to decline significantly, and Red Cliff can then pull the overall box office up again."

"Chairman Han is truly a brilliant strategist," He Daqi replied casually.

Han Shanping turned his head and glanced at He Daqi's leisurely appearance. He suddenly felt that this brat was quite annoying. Anyone who didn't know better would think that he was the one who invited him out today. He didn't care about taking care of his guests at all.

"What do you want from me? You're not really here to fish, are you?" Han Shanping felt it was better to be direct than to beat around the bush with He Daqi.

"Chairman Han, you said something was off about this last time. Do you know something about it? Would it be convenient for you to tell me?"

He Daqi lowered his voice very low, just enough for Han Shanping to hear clearly.

He Daqi made the decision to invite Han Shanping out to inquire after careful consideration. After all, their positions were different, so he didn't need to worry about other things. Maybe he could get some accurate information from Han Shanping.

Now He Daqi realized that things had turned out completely differently than he had expected. Someone had indeed come to talk to him for a bit, but if it was Li Tuan and Wang Tuan, and the things they talked about were not what He Daqi had in mind, then He Daqi had an inexplicable sense of miscalculation.

He Daqi's original concern was that he would be forced to mediate, and then the matter would be reduced to a minor issue and eventually disappear from the public eye.

The mediation has been reached, but it's only meant to put me on a temporary halt. It seems like I can resume my antics once this period is over, which makes it a bit difficult to gauge the appropriate level of intervention.

Because He Daqi really has something to show for it. Nine out of ten Taiwanese celebrities are shady, and the tenth is especially so. You can easily find a lot of solid evidence. Three or five friends getting drunk and indulging in passionate behavior is just the tip of the iceberg, not to mention the more outrageous things.

It's just that no one in the mainland is mentioning the reports from there. If He Daqi really went after them, he could ruin most of the artists there, or at least make it easy for most of them to be unable to come and make money.

Han Shanping did not rush to answer He Daqi's question.

At this moment, his mind was racing. As an observer with deep access to information, he knew quite a bit about the cause and effect of this matter. So when He Daqi asked this question, Han Shanping knew that someone must have talked to He Daqi about something.

Han Shanping now has two options. One is to ask He Daqi to back down and try to make things more harmonious. After all, many people are pleading for leniency, both openly and secretly. Han Shanping can step in and play the good guy, taking the whole thing under his wing.

Another option is to give He Daqi a serious reminder. The consequence of doing so is that once the storm has passed, He Daqi might unleash his fury on everyone, or he might just laugh it off and let it go. However, recalling the last time Han Shanping called He Daqi and Zhou Huimin's aggressive attitude, he thinks the final result will be that Zhou Huimin will be unforgiving.

So, should I lend a hand? Or should I wait until this period is over, and then step in as a good Samaritan when He Daqi and his wife make their move?
Is it worth being a pushover...?

Thinking of this, Han Shanping realized that it was best not to get involved in this mess.

"Daqi, shouldn't our main focus be on Olympic promotion right now? Red Cliff is about to be released, and China Film Group hasn't done much promotion or distribution. Instead, we're using other methods to boost box office..."

"Understood." ……

……

The corridor on the third floor of Yonghui Qiming.

He Daqi and Lu Yang leaned against the windowsill at the end of the corridor, chatting idly.

“These three places all have nice environments. Have you asked the village committees there if it's convenient for us to go there to film?”

He Daqi flipped through the photos in his hand. Lu Yang had captured the scenery in the mountains exceptionally beautifully. In addition, the area was in the rainy season, so the photos always had a misty feel to them. Even the old white walls in the villages were captured with a unique charm.

"I asked around, and after I led people there, the local cultural and tourism department directly recommended these three places, each with its own characteristics. They also agreed to help with communication, whether it's setting up temporary filming locations or leveling dirt roads, they can help."

"I see." He Daqi nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "After all, we're taking the children with us, so their safety is the most important thing. We have to consider snakes, ants, rats, insects, or other hidden dangers. By the way, we should also consider this when assigning tasks, focusing on the children's perspective. Don't assume that just because the adults are fine, the children will be okay. That's the key point."

“I know, that’s why I specifically marked these when I was organizing your variety show schedule.” Lu Yang nodded.

"What nonsense are you two spouting while hiding here?!"

Ning Hao grinned, walking with a swagger, his thick gold chain swinging back and forth; he looked every bit the tough guy.

This shout startled He Daqi and Lu Yang. Neither of them gave Ning Hao a friendly look, and they both glanced at him sideways.

"You've worked hard, I'll treat you to a nice welcome-back dinner tonight." He Daqi's tone was as perfunctory as could be.

What should have been heartfelt words came out bland and tasteless to He Daqi, as if hosting a welcome dinner for Ning Hao was an immense honor.

"I really regret leading a group of lead actors on so many roadshows for so many days when I had nothing better to do. Just doing a token effort would have been enough. The thought that we worked so hard on the roadshows, only to have the lion's share of the profits end up in your hands makes me feel terrible."

Ning Hao was also ruthless. Knowing that He Daqi would definitely chat with him for a while since he had just returned today, he moved between Lu Yang and He Daqi with ill intentions, took out a cigarette and lit it.

Sure enough, He Daqi immediately showed a look of disgust, and the more he did so, the more comfortable Ning Hao felt.

"Don't forget that you get paid based on box office revenue and copyright revenue sharing. The more promotional tours you do, the more money you earn for yourself. Stop comparing yourself to me. Work harder so I can get another high-end, custom-made van this year."

As He Daqi spoke, he moved a little further away from Ning Hao, and discreetly opened the window facing Ning Hao, letting the hot air blow in.

Ning Hao gave He Daqi the middle finger, too lazy to tease him anymore. He stubbed out his cigarette in the trash can by the wall, turned around and closed the window. It was 35 degrees outside, and the hot air was a bit too much.

"Daqi, the box office performance of Crazy Stone 2 isn't doing too well right now. I see that China Film Group and our company have stopped online promotion. Since we don't really need promotion, why don't you keep attacking people? Release a few more big scandals and let everyone have some fun."

"Let's leave it at that for now," He Daqi said, shaking his head slightly.

Ning Hao was taken aback: "Huh? The higher-ups are taking sides?"

"No, there's something else going on inside." He Daqi didn't explain further.

Ning Hao and Lu Yang exchanged a glance. Seeing that He Daqi's expression didn't seem to indicate that he had something on his mind, they didn't press him for details.

At this moment, Ning Hao noticed the photos in He Daqi's hand, gently pulled them over, and flipped through them, praising Lu Yangjing's photos as he looked at them.

"Hey! By the way, senior brothers, are you guys going to see Red Cliff? I snagged a lot of discounted tickets online, can I lend you a few?"

“I’m not going.” He Daqi waved his hand.

"What time?" Ning Hao asked, looking up.

"At 3 PM and at 8 PM."

Ning Hao thought for a moment and then said, "We're going to drink tonight. Give me two tickets for the 3 PM show. Your sister-in-law is at the company today, so I'll take her to check it out this afternoon. Seriously, why are you grabbing these discounted tickets? You're not even going to see anything. You have too much money to burn!"

"You can get a refund. Besides, it was won in a lottery, and the time and place are not fixed. Why not take advantage of a freebie?" Lu Yang replied confidently.

He Daqi was a little surprised. Although Lu Yang's words were vague, He Daqi realized after a little thought that this was an online ticketing platform running a promotion. It seemed that Wang Rui had been focusing his attention on that recently and was preparing to make the ticketing platform a success.

"Remember to buy plenty of popcorn and cola this afternoon, so you and Sister Na won't run out. Red Cliff is an epic blockbuster, it will definitely amaze you!" He Daqi patted Ning Hao's shoulder with a smile and said meaningfully.

Ning Hao didn't glean anything good from He Daqi's words, but seeing He Daqi's serious expression, he didn't seem to be lying, so he didn't ask He Daqi what he meant.

He Daqi's reminder stuck with him, so much so that when he brought Xing Aina to the movie theater at 2:30 pm, he saw a popcorn and drink stand and, almost without thinking, bought two extra-large buckets and an extra-large cup.

Xing Aina complained a bit about it, but Ning Hao just laughed it off with a joke from the internet.

"After two weeks of roadshows, I finally got a break. Can't I just let myself go a little? Buy two cups and throw one away, buy two buckets and throw one away. I can spend all the money I make."

"You're crazy!" Xing Aina rolled her eyes at him.

The couple entered the screening room happily and were not surprised to see that it was packed. After all, Wu Baige is an international director, and the lead and supporting actors are all famous actors, so the high attendance rate is not surprising.

As the movie played, Ning Hao finally understood what He Daqi meant by telling him to buy more popcorn.

For the average moviegoer, Red Cliff might be watchable, not particularly captivating, but not completely unwatchable either.

However, Ning Hao and his wife are both filmmakers, one a director and the other a screenwriter. They looked at each other in bewilderment, too embarrassed to ask each other what their impressions of the film were, and could only keep stuffing popcorn into their mouths.

It might be a bit dry if you stuff too much in, so the extra-large Coke came in handy.

So it wasn't a complete waste of money.

(End of this chapter)