This actor has something

Chapter 432 Three Choices
I don't know which genius designed it, but the Olympic mascots are almost unbearable to look at after being made into plush toys.

This was the only time that neither Ho Tai-kai nor Chow Wai-man wanted to buy something for their child; the couple worked together to persuade them for a long time.

It's probably for this reason that the two little ones feel that their parents don't love them anymore, and the Fuwa dolls, which were originally optional, have become must-buy items.

She whined and bounced around, acting coquettishly with He Daqi and Zhou Huimin, climbing onto the sofa and burying her head in the sofa cushions, playfully rolling around on it.

Zhou's mother had only seen the flat images of the Fuwa mascots on TV and didn't understand why He Daqi and his wife were so determined not to buy them this time. Seeing that her two grandsons had been making a fuss at home for two days, but her daughter and son-in-law wouldn't budge, Zhou's mother couldn't stand it anymore.

"Huanhuan and Lele, come here. It's just a few dolls, Grandma will buy them for you." Zhou's mother walked over and patted the two little rascals who were rolling around on the sofa, sulking.

"Grandma is the best!"

"That's it!"

These two little ones are good at coaxing the elderly. Their expressions change so quickly. They jumped off the sofa with giggles and circled around Zhou's mother, their sweet words making her so happy that Zhou's mother kissed her two grandsons' little faces.

He happily asked Zhou Huimin to arrange a car, and then took the two children out to go shopping.

"Once Mom buys the Fuwa dolls, she'll throw them all into that pile of toys. Huanhuan and Lele probably won't be interested in them for long. Once they've almost forgotten about them, she'll hide them at the very back of the pile so they won't see those weird, ugly things every day. I'm afraid I'll have nightmares."

After Zhou's mother led the children out, He Daqi twitched the corners of his mouth and discussed with Zhou Huimin.

Zhou Huimin nodded in agreement: "I'll do it your way."

Just then, the TV broadcast of the Rio Olympics was paused for commercials. He Daqi took his bag out from under the table and began to look through the tickets.

While looking through the list, I discussed with Vivian Chow which ones were worth seeing in person and which ones to give as gifts.

"Table tennis is indoors with air conditioning. You can go and see it for yourself. Oh, and there's also diving and swimming, which are also indoors."

Zhou Huimin's interest was piqued by He Daqi's words, so she came over and helped him sort the tickets.

Yesterday, the couple took their child to watch tennis and almost got sunburned. Now, He Daqi has stopped acting up and decided not to watch any outdoor sports events.

The couple carefully selected the tickets for the games they wanted to attend based on the available time slots, and then decided to give the rest away as gifts.

"Uncle, do you still want to go to the game live? I bought too many tickets, I'll give you a few..."

"Senior, would you like to go watch the Olympics?"

"Sister Hua, athletes are really popular right now, especially track and field and diving athletes. Would you like to go see them in person? If they're good-looking, you could even get them signed. Yes, yes, I have tickets."

"Brother Chao, are you in Beijing? Not out filming? The Olympics are so popular right now, why don't you take Sun Li to watch the games and go on a date?"

"Junior brother, don't say your senior brother doesn't take care of you, I have..."

After a dozen or so phone calls, most of the tickets that Chen Shuangxi had painstakingly queued for over a month to buy were given away by He Daqi.

……

……

Throughout August, the topic was all about the Olympics. Many celebrities on Yabo.com jumped on the bandwagon, either posting photos of themselves watching the games in person or taking photos with athletes, all to show their love for sports and support for the Olympics.

Even though the Olympics ended in late August, the afterglow was still strong. Fortunately, the entertainment industry was finally able to show its face again, gradually returning to the previous situation where all kinds of people were vying for attention.

Zhang Yimou was not in a good mood.

He felt that Painted Skin's schedule was not ideal, being so close to the Olympics, making effective promotion difficult. What was he after by coming to Asia-Pacific to collaborate with He Daqi? Wasn't he just hoping to create a super team and see if they could reclaim the top spot in the domestic market?

As a result, the screenings were scheduled until just a few days after the Olympics ended, and September is not exactly a good time for movies.

The best release dates would have been July and August, but China Film Group released Red Cliff in July and the Olympics in August, so Painted Skin could only try to catch the tail end of the summer season and see if it could get any leftovers.

Of course, scheduling issues weren't the only reason Zhang Yimou was in a bad mood.

This little brat in front of him accounted for half of Zhang Yimou's depressed mood.

“Old Zhang, we don’t really need to pay too much attention to publicity. Just do some roadshows. Don’t forget we still have to film a variety show. After we finish the roadshows in a couple of days and take a short rest, we’ll go to the mountains to take the kids.”

He Daqi slumped listlessly on the table, his face turned to the side, and every time he spoke, Zhang Yimou's eye would twitch.

Today we're here to discuss the premiere.

As Asia Viet's flagship project this year, everyone except Ho Tai-kei—from the actors and directors to Asia Viet's management—is quite invested in the film "Painted Skin."

Zhang Yimou came to the company early in the morning to discuss this matter, but He Daqi didn't arrive until almost noon. When he did arrive, he didn't say anything nice. It's a good thing that Old Zhang is getting old, otherwise He Daqi would have known that he was quite strong when he was sent to the countryside.

"Daqi, if you're sleepy, go back to your office and take a nap. We'll talk to you about the plan right after the meeting. Don't hold us back here. Oh, and remember to post a Weibo on Yabo about the release of Painted Skin. If you'd like, post a few more."

Wang Jinghua probably noticed that Zhang Yimou was having a hard time holding back, so she retorted to He Daqi in a few words.

She desperately wanted to take over He Daqi's Yabo.com account and let the company manage it, but unfortunately, she decided against it.

Other artists can have their accounts managed by their companies, but He Daqi and Zhou Huimin's accounts cannot. Their accounts are in administrator mode, which not only has more functions than ordinary accounts, but also allows them to communicate directly with the content review and banning team at Yabo.com. It is impossible for outsiders to operate them.

After being rebuked by Wang Jinghua, He Daqi shut up obediently. Bored, he picked up his phone and played games on the table, listening to their discussion about the promotion of Painted Skin.

Vivian Chow was also involved, after all, this might be her last film, so she wanted to make it a success, at least the box office shouldn't be too low.

When Liu Ying and the others heard that Zhou Huimin had arranged for Yabo.com to help with the promotion, their mood immediately changed. Even Zhang Yimou, who had been putting on a sullen face and trying to appear profound, couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought this old guy never smiled. "Sigh, you're bothering Yabo.com for a lousy movie. Actually, you don't need to go to so much trouble. It would be much better to just throw money at it. Isn't Brother Rui mainly focused on ticketing platforms now? If you throw money at it and give it a big box office subsidy, I estimate you can push Painted Skin's box office to five or six hundred million." He Daqi's whispers were deafening.

The crowd, who were engaged in a heated discussion, all turned to look at him in disbelief.

"You mean you're just throwing money at ticket subsidies?" Zhou Huimin's eyes sparkled as she poked He Daqi hard with her finger.

“Yeah, publicity costs money anyway, so why not use the money to subsidize ticket sales? Oh, and we can also ask China Film Group. I reckon this idea will make Chairman Han jump three meters high,” He Daqi said lazily.

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Ying took out her phone and called Han Shanping.

Zhou Huimin was quick to act, taking He Daqi's phone and dialing Wang Rui's number.

"Tell Wang Rui that I will personally invest 30 million yuan to start. After Asia-Pacific and China Film Group have agreed on how much to invest, we will transfer the money over."

He Daqi looked at the phone call that had been answered and couldn't help but click his tongue. This spendthrift woman, thirty million! I estimate that more than ninety percent of the box office revenue of movies in China doesn't even reach that amount. She just throws it away like that.

"Hey, Rui, I have something to tell you. When Painted Skin is released, Ya Yue is going to subsidize the tickets. It will be done in two parts. One part is from Sister Zhou personally, and the other part is from Ya Yue and China Film Group. Thirty million will be transferred first, which is from Sister Zhou's own pocket. The amount of the other part needs to be discussed. We'll transfer the money after we've agreed on it."

After listening to He Daqi's story, Wang Rui remained silent for a while before finally responding speechlessly, "The ticketing platform is having a promotion right now, so I'll invest some more for you, ten million yuan. Consider this money a subsidy for the ticketing platform's promotion."

"Thank you for your help, Brother Rui."

"It's okay."

After hanging up the phone, He Daqi rolled his eyes and couldn't help but complain to Zhou Huimin, "Even Rui Ge's promotional activities don't subsidize this much money. You're quite willing to spend money to boost the box office. Don't ask me for this money, you can pay for it yourself."

“I’ll pay it! You don’t understand. If the box office really reaches 600 million, my acting career will be complete. Don’t forget that Asia Pacific is going public this year. With this kind of performance, it will save us a lot of trouble.” Zhou Huimin responded dismissively, as if she had spent three dollars rather than thirty million.

Damn! They really know how to build things!

He Daqi mumbled something unintelligible, not wanting to see Zhou Huimin's nouveau riche face. He got up without saying goodbye and left the meeting room on his own.

In his previous life, when he was a young master, He Daqi spent money like water, buying many spaceships of various models, including a space carrier. He even funded a virtual reality game company specifically for creating personalized games for himself. However, after experiencing poverty in this life, He Daqi has learned to be frugal. So, this time travel wasn't a complete waste.

He Daqi had only taken two steps out of the conference room when he was stopped by someone.

“I’ve been waiting for you outside for so long. Come on, come with me and see how my edited version of ‘Wild Chrysanthemum’ is. If you think it’s good, I’ll go prepare for ‘No Man’s Land’. Mr. Han is really reliable. He just helped me run a errand and got the approval done.”

Ning Hao hurriedly grabbed He Daqi's arm and pulled him toward the work area.

There was another person waiting for He Daqi. When He Daqi was pulled over, he saw the pale-skinned fat man with a gloomy face and realized that he hadn't paid attention to Adolf Reinhard in the past two months.

"Hey, I've finished editing it too. I feel like my version is the best. They didn't understand my story at all, and their editing is completely unartistic."

The pale-skinned fat man sounded somewhat resentful. He was actually the first to finish editing, but unfortunately he couldn't get through to He Daqi on the phone. He couldn't contact He Daqi, and when he asked the employees of Ya Yue, no one could give him a definite answer. In addition, He Daqi had been watching the Olympics and hadn't come to the company, so Adolf Reinhard had been waiting for quite some time.

He Daqi nodded and said to Adolf Reinhard, "I'll take a look later." Then he asked Ning Hao, "Has Old Zhang finished editing too? I remember telling him last time to make a version while the Olympics are being held."

"Yes, Director Zhang has finished editing too. Luckily, his work computer doesn't have a password, so I know which folder he put the footage in. I'll find it for you in a bit."

"Don't mess with his computer! What if there are pornographic videos on it? Don't forget that Old Zhang is an old man who still has a lot of energy. He might often make deepfake videos for his own amusement."

Anyway, Zhang Yimou was in a meeting in the conference room and couldn't hear He Daqi talking about crickets, so He Daqi chuckled and labeled it a personal hobby for him.

Ning Hao grinned for a while after hearing this; talking badly about people behind their backs is quite addictive.

After a brief chat and a few jokes, He Daqi pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the computer to watch Ning Hao's edited version of "Wild Chrysanthemum".

Ning Hao is currently at the peak of his energy, with amazing creative inspiration. He has brought out the brilliance of multiple narrative threads in his performance. The editing doesn't feel like an art film, but rather like a drama.

He Daqi had barely finished reading when he heard footsteps behind him and discovered that Zhou Huimin and Liu Ying had come out, with Zhang Yimou standing behind him as well. It seemed they had already discussed their plan.

He Daqi suddenly realized that if he were to watch all three versions of "Wild Chrysanthemum," it would take at least six hours.
Holy crap! It seems I've dug myself a hole!
"Director Zhang, what do you think of Ning Hao's editing?"

“You didn’t put your heart into it,” Zhang Yimou said in a flat tone.

Ning Hao touched his nose, it seemed that what was said was true.

He Daqi hummed in agreement, thought for a moment, then paused the video, turned to Zhang, and said, "Director Zhang, let's take a look at the version you edited first."

“Okay.” Zhang Yimou didn’t say much, went over and fiddled with the computer for a bit, then played the version he had edited.

The same story, edited differently, can feel completely different.

Actually, the viewing experience of Zhang Yimou's version is not as good as Ning Hao's version. The narrative is a bit bland, but many of the shots are well-crafted with metaphors. It's likely that he seriously communicated with Adolf Reinhard and knew what he wanted to express.

He Daqi didn't fast-forward; he watched Zhang Yimou's version carefully, and even ate his lunch directly in front of the computer while holding his lunchbox.

After watching Zhang Yimou's version and then Adolf Reinhard's version, it was already 3 p.m. Then He Daqi finished watching Ning Hao's version, which he had only read half of before, and felt somewhat unsure of what to do.

I was initially the least optimistic about Adolf Reinhard, but his editing skills are really something else!

Perhaps because he had learned a thing or two from Zhang Yimou and Ning Hao, He Daqi found that this white-skinned fat man's editing was the most impressive. The visuals were sharp, and the story's direction was somewhat abrupt. In particular, the bloody scenes were handled more boldly than those of Ning Hao and Zhang Yimou.

“Mr. Adolf, um… could you edit another version? I’ll find you a personal translator so you can have a good talk with these two directors. I think after you learn a little, you might be able to edit it even better. You know how important this movie is to you. What do you think of my suggestion? After all, the better you produce it, the more you will gain from it.”

He Daqi's words had pretty much made his choice clear, and Adolf Reinhard was overjoyed, nodding his head like a kowtow.

(End of this chapter)