The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 206: $12 billion! Surpassing Transformers 3, ranking fourth in box office history!

……

“Reba, I want to say something. But my mind is a mess right now, and I don’t know how to start.”

"Come to my house tomorrow, and I'll give you an answer."

Only children take emotions so seriously.

As an adult, Lu Zhiyuan only cares about interests.

In his world, relationships between people are basically determined by their respective values.

Whether it's dating, making friends, or pursuing a career, if you let your emotions get the better of you, you'll most likely end up making a complete mess of things.

Whoever gives their true feelings will most likely end up heartbroken.

Once a person has experienced hardship, they will see many things that were previously unclear clearly.

When you're down on your luck, you can't hide whether the people around you are human or ghost.

In this world, even blood ties are unreliable. Talking about feelings with friends who aren't related by blood is utterly meaningless.

Essentially, it's all about exchanging interests.

Dilraba's life has been a bit too smooth; she's basically never experienced any setbacks. She'll probably fully understand this when she turns 30.

such a pity……

Standing in front of Lu Zhiyuan now is 20-year-old Reba.

She was somewhat naive and innocent.

"Zhiyuan..."

Reba felt that at this moment, Lu Zhiyuan was not happy because she threw herself into his arms, but his attitude towards her changed 180 degrees.

Now, Lu Zhiyuan's tone was as cold as a stranger's.

For a moment, Reba felt extremely wronged.

She, a top-tier celebrity and a wealthy woman with assets exceeding 100 million, wanted to follow Lu Zhiyuan despite having no official status... but was rejected by him.

what is this?
Why has this world become so incomprehensible to her?

"Don't cry. You look ugly when you cry."

Lu Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment, then gently hugged Reba, handed her a tissue, and left her with a message.

"Come to my house tomorrow, and I'll give you an explanation."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Dilraba was left alone in the private room, lost in thought.

"Reba, what's wrong?"

After a while, Zhang Tianai sneaked back.

She quickly closed the door and saw Dilraba wiping away tears alone in a corner. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she went up to ask her a question out of great curiosity.

"What's going on? Did you two have a fight?"

After asking the question, Zhang Tianai directly denied her guess.

"That's impossible... How could he possibly argue with you? I've known him for so many years, and he's never argued with anyone."

Even when he's angry, he can control his temper.

“I remember once, when we went out to eat, his wallet was stolen while we were on the bus. Kun and I were furious... but he could sit there and eat very calmly by himself.”

"After finishing his meal, he went to get a replacement ID card and a replacement bank card... From beginning to end, he didn't even utter a single swear word."

"It's as if the person whose wallet was just stolen wasn't him."

Lu Zhiyuan was the person with the best temper among all the people Zhang Tianai knew.

It's not that he never gets angry. Rather, even when he's very angry, he can remain very calm and control his emotions.

"Sister Xiao Ai, I don't understand..."

Dilraba completely broke down emotionally today.

Before this, she was waiting for Zhang Tianai to make the first move so she could watch the show... but today she couldn't hold back and became the laughingstock herself.

"So this is it."

"What's there to cry about?"

"You've known him for a long time. He's always been blind to your good qualities."

I didn't realize how great I was.

Zhang Tianai silently added a sentence in her mind.

She looked up and patted Reba's head. "But you were so careless. How can a girl take the initiative in something like this? It makes us seem so cheap!"

Zhang Tianai gently comforted Dilraba from the side.

After a while, Nazha also ran back. Seeing the situation of the two, she was immediately puzzled: "Sister Xiao Ai, Senior Dilraba, what's wrong with you two?"

Zhang Tianai and Dilraba have been good friends for many years.

Before Dilraba debuted, she lived with Zhang Tianai.

Zhang Tianai cooked for her every day; it was a deep friendship formed between two people who had known each other since they were humble beginnings, something that no one else could compare to.

Of course, Zhang Tianai wouldn't tell anyone about the embarrassing thing that Dilraba had encountered.

At this moment, she quickly covered for Reba: "It's nothing. Reba just drank some water and accidentally choked. She coughed for a while and tears came out, so I wiped them for her."

"Oh."

Naza rolled her eyes and pretended to believe her.

Did you choke on your water?
I believe you, you big-headed ghost!
Senior Dilraba must have been scolded by Brother Yuan.

When he curses, although he doesn't use vulgar language, his curses are so hurtful that they can easily break a person's defenses.

Just now, she almost cried because Lu Zhiyuan scolded her.

……

Lu Zhiyuan returned home.

Today, unusually, I didn't have any soup.

Miss Jing Tian also wanted to take a break, mainly because she was about to become exhausted from making and drinking soup.

Lu Zhiyuan tiptoed upstairs and found Miss Jing Tian scrolling through her phone in bed.

"Ah Yuan, why are you back so early? I thought it would take at least two hours. Otherwise, you definitely wouldn't have had enough fun, right?"

Not enough?
What kind of rabid and predatory language is this?
Miss Jing Tian's words seemed to be full of implications and sarcasm.

This made Lu Zhiyuan sigh inwardly.

Fortunately, I hadn't done anything wrong. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

That unknown master was right. In this life, one should act uprightly and honestly, so that at least one can have a clear conscience.

"I'm going to take a shower first."

Lu Zhiyuan habitually went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Miss Jing Tian watched his retreating figure, her eyes flickered slightly, then she lowered her eyelids again and continued playing on her phone.

Since smartphones came out, mobile phones have become really fun.

Especially social media platforms like Weibo.

Miss Jing Tian spends her days on Weibo, reading comments from her fans and endlessly boasting about her beauty and acting skills.

It’s so cool.

suddenly.

Miss Jing Tian frowned.

"Jing Tian's acting is not as good as Liu Shishi's... Liu Shishi's Miss Raven was so cool, I really liked her."

Depend on!
Why are you coming to my Weibo to praise Liu Shishi?
Did we go to the wrong place?

Tolerable or unbearable!
Miss Jing Tian quickly made a phone call: "There's an account I suspect has a problem. Can you check it for me? If there's nothing wrong, just ban it."

This appears to be a grammatically incorrect sentence.

However, the other party instantly understood Miss Jing Tian's subtext.

"no problem."

It's just a regular account, there's definitely no problem.

After a while, Lu Zhiyuan came out after taking a shower, and Miss Jing Tian finally put down her phone and turned her head to look at him.

"Ah Yuan, what's wrong? You seem preoccupied. Are you thinking about that vixen outside?"

Miss Jing Tian was just making a casual joke.

To everyone's surprise, Lu Zhiyuan silently got dressed, got up, and left the room.

Before closing the door, he said, "I'm going to the studio. It might be late tonight, so don't wait for me. Go to sleep."

Although Lu Zhiyuan is nominally a director.

However, his filmmaking career was just a beautiful accident.

He is essentially still an art student.

When making movies, he simply presents his vision of world-famous paintings on the big screen with the most dazzling visuals.

Whenever Lu Zhiyuan is creating film content, he spends a long time in his studio.

For a single film, he can even draw hundreds of concept sketches.

As for Lu Zhiyuan's occasional inspirations and his need to go to the art studio to draw concept sketches... Miss Jing Tian had long since become accustomed to it.

But today, her intuition told her that something must have happened.

But what could possibly happen?

The worst consequence would be that Lu Zhiyuan slept with Reba. Anyway, Reba could never enter the Lu family and would at most become a concubine.

and many more.

Is Dilraba pregnant?
If that's the case... then this is a serious problem!

……

The next morning.

Dilraba specially put on exquisite makeup and dressed very appropriately, aiming to maintain both her dignified elegance and her charming cuteness.

She knew that Lu Zhiyuan liked cute girls.

The kind that knows how to be charming and affectionate is the best.

However, she couldn't be too obvious, so as not to make Miss Jing Tian feel threatened... otherwise, it would affect Lu Zhiyuan's career.

"Good morning, Sister-in-law Tian Tian."

When Dilraba encountered Miss Jing Tian at Lu Zhiyuan's house, her heart skipped a beat.

Did something go wrong?
Why did they call me here and expect me to face this situation?
At that moment, Reba suddenly felt a pang of regret.

"Reba, you're here so early today? Are you going to the 798 Art Center with Ayuan to see the art exhibition later?"

Aside from visiting art exhibitions, Lu Zhiyuan wouldn't ask girls to go anywhere else.

Miss Jingtian could be more at ease about this.

You can lie once.

But that's impossible; he could have been lying for three years straight.

Ever since Miss Jing Tian met Lu Zhiyuan, he might ask other girls out, but the locations are always the same few.

At first, Miss Jing Tian even tried to have someone secretly keep an eye on her.

After keeping an eye on things for several months, she realized that she had simply been making trouble for herself.

of course.

Miss Jing Tian had not forgotten today's probing.

"Dilraba, I have some great news for you. Pacific Rim's box office will break $10 billion in just three days. Today is a great day. Let's have a drink together."

Miss Jing Tian poured Reba a glass of wine and handed it to her with a smile.

"Oh."

Reba didn't think much of it. After taking the glass, she took a small sip and then put it aside.

She was eagerly awaiting an explanation from Lu Zhiyuan. She wasn't there to drink with Miss Jing Tian; a mere sip was enough to give Miss Jing Tian face.

"Ah Yuan stayed up late last night and hasn't gotten up yet. You'll probably have to wait for him a while."

Seeing that Dilraba had drunk some wine, Miss Jing Tian was completely relieved.

The fact that Dilraba dares to drink alcohol means she is not pregnant.

Otherwise, she would have to execute plan B.

At that time, everyone will probably look bad.

"It's nothing, I just arrived early."

Reba canceled all her work for the day, just waiting for Lu Zhiyuan to give her an explanation.

"Then you can wait at home. I have an event today and need to go there early."

After saying that, Miss Jing Tian went upstairs to change her clothes, muttering to herself, "Being a celebrity is really not easy. There's so much work every day. Sometimes, thinking about it, this kind of life is quite boring."

Dilraba is so smart!

She naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind Miss Jing Tian's words.

Isn't she just saying that she's much more popular than Miss Jing Tian and has more work, yet she's willing to put aside her work and come here specifically to wait for Lu Zhiyuan?

They definitely have ulterior motives.

Correct!
I have ulterior motives!
……

Not long after Miss Jing Tian left.

Lu Zhiyuan came downstairs.

Since acquiring Zhang Yimou's super energy, Lu Zhiyuan has been full of energy and radiant every day.

However, he didn't look well today.

"Reba, last night, after I got back, I did some mental simulations. What kind of melodramatic ending would happen if we secretly got together a few years later..."

"Of course. I know that no matter what I say, you will disagree. Because you will firmly tell me that you will always love me, or that our feelings will never change."

I won't argue with you about that.

Words are fragile. I just want you to see what the final outcome will be.

After he finished speaking, Lu Zhiyuan handed a painting he was holding to Reba.

Dilraba subconsciously opened it and took a look.

What is this?

Although the theme of this painting is unknown, anyone with eyes can see that the man and woman in the painting are likely to have a bad ending.

The man covered his head, huddled in a corner, unable to face what was happening.

The woman held her head in her hands, filled with despair and helplessness, and even seemed to be going crazy and going insane.

"As you said yesterday, we've been secretly developing our relationship for three years, and this is most likely how it will end."

Spielberg is a thing of the past, an invincible legend.

Of the remaining opponents, there are only Christopher Nolan, Michael Bay, and Peter Jackson!
Lu Zhiyuan will definitely find a way to defeat these three people head-on.

Of course, he actually had a shortcut.

He could collaborate with Marvel to make "The Avengers." But that's just part of his plan, a last resort.

Under normal circumstances, he would never use it.

"Dilraba, do you want to have breakfast together? I ordered an extra portion for you."

Lu Zhiyuan's family gets breakfast from a breakfast shop outside their residential complex, and it tastes excellent. As for the price, it's negligible to them.

"it is good."

Dilraba is now worried that after Lu Zhiyuan rejects her, he will treat her like a stranger and kick her far away.

Just like Gao Yuanyuan.

I heard that Lu Zhiyuan has blocked her and hasn't contacted her for two years.

Dilraba doesn't want to end up like that.

Seeing that Lu Zhiyuan was still the same as before, Reba felt much more at ease.

At least, she had a safety net: she could stay by Lu Zhiyuan's side like a younger sister.

Advance to attack, retreat to defend.

……

Each with their own thoughts, they parted ways after breakfast.

Lu Zhiyuan went to the 798 Art Center.

His work is not over yet.

He had not yet fully appreciated Friedrich's paintings.

Most importantly, his design for the character of Nazha is not yet complete.

Dilraba picked up the painting and hurriedly asked Zhang Tianai to find an art student to help her appraise it.

Zhang Tianai was very efficient; she found someone for Reba within two hours.

"Xiao Dou, didn't you graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts? Quickly help us figure out what this painting means?"

Zhang Tianai handed the painting to Reba.

The young woman sitting opposite them was in charge of advertising and promotion at the company.

Dilraba's studio, though small, is fully equipped with all the necessary functions, even though it only has a few artists.

The person in charge of the advertising posters and online promotional brochures was handpicked by Zhang Tianai; he was a top student from the Academy of Fine Arts.

"Sister Xiao Ai, Sister Reba, don't worry, let me take a look first."

When the girl named Xiao Dou opened it, her eyes widened in disbelief, and she uttered an incredulous exclamation.

"Is this an original? It's so realistic. It's practically identical."

"No. The colors are too fresh; the ink was just applied. It smells wrong too. It looks like it was painted last week."

When Xiao Dou looks at paintings, some of his little habits are exactly the same as Lu Zhiyuan's.

Seeing this, Zhang Tianai raised an eyebrow at Dilraba and said smugly, "The people I hired are reliable, right?"

Look at this weirdo, he's just like our company's big boss.

"Xiao Dou, stop studying it. We didn't call you here to analyze paintings. Tell us quickly, what does this painting mean?"

Zhang Tianai tapped the table, signaling the other person to stop studying it.

However, this also proves that Lu Zhiyuan's painting skills are indeed impressive, captivating Xiao Dou, a top student who graduated from an art academy.

Their eyes were practically sunken in.

"Um, Sister Xiao Ai, Sister Reba, if I may ask, who gave you this painting?"

Xiao Dou adjusted her glasses and looked at the two of them with some confusion.

Does it matter who gave you the painting?

Zhang Tianai asked a question in return.

"Very important."

Seeing that Xiao Dou nodded seriously, Reba next to her gently nudged her again.

Left with no other option, Zhang Tianai had to come up with a lame excuse: "This was a gift from my boyfriend. Can you tell me now?"

"understood."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Dou reacted just like Detective Conan, his glasses reflecting light.

She said mysteriously, "Sister Xiao Ai, tell me the truth, this painting definitely wasn't a gift from your boyfriend, right?"

what?
Zhang Tianai and Dilraba were both a little dumbfounded.

what's the situation?
You're usually so silly, how come your IQ suddenly became so high? How did you even figure this out?
Seeing their expressions, Xiao Dou sighed and said, "Sister Xiao Ai, this painting was given to you by a woman, wasn't it?"

what?
What do you mean?
Zhang Tianai and Dilraba were dumbfounded once again.

This Xiao Dou is so unreliable.

What exactly are they talking about?
Seeing this, Xiao Dou thought he had guessed right. He held Zhang Tianai's small hand and said with some reluctance, "Sister Xiaoai, your boyfriend has most likely cheated on you."

Ah!
At that moment, Dilraba almost jumped up.

You art students are toxic!
Zhang Tianai told Reba to calm down and stared intently at Xiao Dou: "What do you mean?"

Xiao Dou drank a glass of water and began to seriously analyze for Zhang Tianai: "The name of this painting is 'Ashes'."

"This is a work by Edvard Munch." "The background to this painting stems from one of Edvard Munch's extramarital affairs."

"Although he and that woman were once deeply in love, they eventually drifted apart due to moral pressure and emotional breakdown."

"The painting symbolizes the burning out of passion and the irreversible collapse."

At this point, Xiao Dou earnestly advised Zhang Tianai: "Sister Xiaoai, ruining other people's relationships is not a good idea."

"Since the other party gave you this painting, they are actually trying to persuade you."

"That woman wanted to tell you a truth: even the most intimate physical contact will eventually turn into a 'ash-like' alienation."

What do you mean?
Why is she trying to persuade herself?
and many more!

Something is wrong here!
I'm not the female lead!

Suddenly, Zhang Tianai understood something, her eyes widened, and she wanted to explain, but she held back in the end.

You little brat, Dou, you actually advised me not to interfere in other people's relationships!

That makes sense!
She doesn't have a boyfriend at all.

The entire studio knows about this.

Suddenly, a boyfriend appeared in her life, and he even gave her a strange painting... The meaning behind the painting was to warn her not to become a mistress.

No wonder, they misunderstood!

"Sister Xiao Ai, Sister Reba, I'm going to work now. I still have a lot of promotional brochures to finish."

After Pacific Rim became a hit, Dilraba's fashion resources exploded once again, which was tough on the staff in her studio.

Especially Xiao Dou, who is in charge of publicity.

I'm working overtime every day.

Fortunately, the studio pays a lot of overtime, and we also get a bonus at the end of the year.

It made her particularly enjoy working overtime.

……

After Xiao Dou left, Zhang Tianai quietly put the painting away.

"Reba, I advise you to give up on this idea."

"It turns out that he really does love you. However, his love doesn't seem to be the same as what you imagined."

Zhang Tianai had a misconception.

Lu Zhiyuan raised Reba like a daughter or a younger sister.

I don't want Dilraba to go down the wrong path.

Lu Zhiyuan said he was bad at speaking and didn't know how to persuade her... So, he carefully painted this picture for Reba.

What's the name of this painting again?

"ash".

After the passion fades, only ashes remain.

Clearly, Lu Zhiyuan had already foreseen his and Dilraba's fate many years later.

He's always like that.

He can calmly observe everything like a bystander, as if none of it concerns him.

What a cold-hearted man.

However, it has such a strong artistic vibe.

I love it so much!
How can someone refuse so elegantly?

A man with this kind of style is truly one of a kind in the world!
……

1 month 20 number.

Lu Zhiyuan and Miss Jing Tian took a plane back to Xi'an together.

This year, the situation in Miss Jing Tian's family is somewhat complicated.

She absolutely did not want to stay at home.

As a result, Zhao Shanshan couldn't stay at home either, and was called out by Miss Jing Tian every day to wander around together.

Most importantly, Miss Jing Tian wanted Zhao Shanshan to give her some advice.

"Sister Shanshan, I feel a great sense of crisis."

"As you know, as A Yuan became more and more successful, made more and more money, and gained a higher and higher status in the industry, I actually didn't help him as much as I did at the beginning."

"On the contrary, our cause needs him more."

Without Lu Zhiyuan, Miss Jing Tian knew very well that she could only be a queen of bad movies, constantly ridiculed on the internet.

Of course, as long as her family doesn't fall into financial ruin, she won't lack resources in the film and television industry.

However, she entered the entertainment industry to become famous and a big star, not to entertain people.

She had enjoyed being photographed by Lu Zhiyuan in blockbuster movies, experiencing the spotlight and hearing cheers wherever she went... If one day Lu Zhiyuan were to be taken away by another woman, she would definitely go crazy!
"So... Tian Tian, ​​what do you want me to do?"

While answering Miss Jing Tian's questions, Zhao Shanshan was also constantly texting someone else.

This attitude made Miss Jingtian very unhappy.

She couldn't help but lose her temper: "Sister Shan, I'm talking to you about my life's most important matter. Can you be a little more serious?"

"I'm listening. Wait a moment while I reply to this text."

After Zhao Shanshan replied to one text message, another one immediately arrived.

She looked up helplessly at Miss Jing Tian, ​​gave her an apologetic look, and then lowered her head to send a text message.

"Tian Tian, ​​I'm so sorry... This is really important."

"With the money that you and I had saved up, plus A Yuan's savings, I set up a private equity fund and brought in a lot of people."

"I need to make sure that this money buys as much Netflix stock as possible."

“This money represents all the cash we have on hand, so I have to be extremely careful. If we lose it all, all our efforts over the past few years will have been for nothing.”

In Zhao Shanshan's eyes, there was no need to worry about what Miss Jing Tian considered to be a major life event.

How could Lu Zhiyuan possibly run away?
Look at Lu Zhiyuan's money, who has it in their hands?
He worked so hard to make so many movies, and all the money he earned went into their private equity fund.

Next, their private equity fund will continue to buy Netflix stock until they become one of Netflix's major shareholders.

At that time, they will send a representative to join Netflix's board of directors.

This involves their strategic planning for the next few decades.

Relationships may break down, but dollars will never break down, right?

Miss Jing Tian is worrying unnecessarily.

"You're right."

Zhao Shanshan's composure gave Miss Jing Tian a lot of confidence.

Yes.

What am I afraid of?
His money is all where I can see it.

Unless, of course, some random woman outside is willing to support him for free!
"Wait, Tian Tian, ​​what you just said is... you want to marry him? Are you serious? Are you sure? Have you thought it through?"

It was only later that Zhao Shanshan realized what Miss Jing Tian wanted to talk to her about.

This was truly unexpected!
"Of course I'm sure. I'm just afraid he won't agree."

A man as talented and wealthy as Lu Zhiyuan, who's also in the entertainment industry... who would get married so early?

Doesn't this mean abandoning the vast jungle outside and clinging to a single tree?
"Actually, his attitude is not important."

"Let me teach you a trick... From now on, the two of you shouldn't use any protection. When you get pregnant, just go to his parents' house with your big belly."

"He won't deny it."

Zhao Shanshan had long realized that although Lu Zhiyuan was an artist, he was essentially a very traditional person.

"But I don't want to get pregnant so early. I want to enjoy being a big star a little longer. I plan to get married and have children around 30."

Miss Jingtian hesitated, unwilling to follow Zhao Shanshan's plan.

"you……"

You're really dreaming.

never mind!

I'm too lazy to say anything more.

Zhao Shanshan looked helpless: "Fine, whatever makes you happy. However, from now on, we need to sever ties between our careers and your relationship."

Getting married at 30?

Will he wait for you?
You are overthinking it!

Most relationships between men and women, if they don't progress to the next stage within three years, will most likely end without a clear resolution.

The biggest taboo in doing business is that partners should not have emotional entanglements.

Lu Zhiyuan is their most important partner.

"They" doesn't just refer to her and Miss Jing Tian... This private equity fund involves many people.

……

I spent a quiet and uneventful New Year in Xi'an.

After the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Zhiyuan and Miss Jing Tian returned to Yanjing once again.

However, Lu Zhiyuan could clearly sense that Miss Jing Tian had become even more clingy.

Even when he took Nazha to the 798 Art Center to see an art exhibition, Miss Jing Tian would occasionally show up.

"Brother, Sister Tian Tian comes to check up on you every few days. Is she afraid I'll seduce you?"

Naza quickly realized what was going on.

She wasn't ashamed; on the contrary, she was somewhat proud.

My damn beauty even made Miss Jing Tian feel threatened.

"I think you're just too idle."

"Since that's the case, let's call it a day. When you get back, write me an analysis. No less than 800 words."

"Let's choose this painting... Friedrich's 'The Monk by the Sea'."

"If you understand this painting, you can understand Pacific Rim 2, my setting of the whole story background, and my exploration of your character's inner world."

That brat Nazha, how dare she stir up trouble at a time like this?

You are really not afraid of death.

Lu Zhiyuan actually knew why Miss Jing Tian came to see him every few days... it was simply because she was worried!

A woman's intuition is usually very accurate.

There was a slight commotion on Dilraba's side, and Miss Jing Tian noticed it instantly!
I really admire those "players" who can flit among countless women without being discovered... Most likely, those women are also "players" in turn, playing along, finding equals, and creating romance together.

……

After driving Nazha away, Lu Zhiyuan accepted an invitation to Starlight Splendor to attend a small-scale internal meeting.

However, as soon as he entered the company...

Suddenly, fireworks went off outside the company.

This made him a little confused.

"What's going on? Is a new company opening in this building?"

Once upstairs, all the company employees rushed over and stood orderly at the door, clapping and cheering together.

After he finished doing all this, they all came up to him and gave him an excited hug.

There was also a photographer nearby, who took photos to commemorate this special moment.

"Brother Yuan, congratulations! The domestic box office has reached 16 billion yuan, breaking the record!"

"Brother Yuan, Pacific Rim has grossed $12 billion worldwide! Fourth in history! That's the fourth all-time! Brother Yuan, I admire you so much."

"Stop chatting. Each person has 30 seconds, and you've already exceeded your time limit. There's a whole bunch of people waiting behind you."

It was shown for a full 45 days!
Pacific Rim's box office has finally surpassed $12 billion!
This is an achievement worthy of being recorded in history.

However, since everyone was celebrating the Chinese New Year recently, the company didn't organize any special celebrations.

After the Lunar New Year holiday, the box office had exceeded 11 billion US dollars, which was very close to the record of 11.56 billion US dollars set by Transformers 3!

Zhao Shanshan then thought that she would hold the event when the total revenue reached 12 billion US dollars.

Just today!

At this moment, everyone at Starlight Brilliant came to the company entrance to welcome Lu Zhiyuan, and applauded as a sign of their highest respect!
"thank you all."

After a long and complicated process, we finally finished taking photos with everyone.

Lu Zhiyuan then entered the conference room.

He knew that once the box office reached $12 billion, its potential was almost exhausted, and even if it continued to be shown in theaters, it wouldn't rake in much more revenue.

At this point, Zhao Shanshan called him over, most likely to give him a report on the approximate profits of the entire film.

Make sure he is aware of the situation.

Because these profits will continuously generate cash flow for Yuankun Media over the next year!
"Ayuan, you are so handsome!"

After Lu Zhiyuan came in, Zhao Shanshan couldn't help but give him a big hug.

This is practically a walking money-printing machine!
It smells like US dollars.

"Sister Shan, tone it down a bit."

Miss Jing Tian glanced at him with annoyance.

However, after so many years, Zhao Shanshan has always done this, so she's gotten used to it.

"This is our God of Wealth, how can you expect me to behave myself?"

Zhao Shanshan told Miss Jing Tian not to be so petty.

Tonight, he belongs to you.

By day, he's a public heartthrob!

After making a few jokes, Zhao Shanshan turned on the projector and began to do the accounting for everyone.

The end of December and the end of January are the happiest days for her every year.

"Okay, here's the bill."

A very complex form appeared on the projector.

Let me break it down for you.

"The production cost of the movie 'Pacific Rim' was $1.5 million, and the global promotion cost was approximately $1 million."

"The box office reached $3.5 million in North America and $2.5 million in China... The happiest thing this year is that China has officially become our largest box office market outside of North America!"

"This means that our previous judgment was absolutely correct! The Chinese film market has enormous potential, and the current box office of 16 billion yuan is far from its limit!"

"With the development of China's economy and the continuous increase in the number of screens, sooner or later China will have movies with box office revenue of 30 billion, 50 billion, or even 100 billion!"

"Of course, these things are still a long way off for us."

With a smile, Zhao Shanshan continued, "Getting back to the main topic... In addition to box office revenue, the pre-order data for the DVD rights has been released. Based on this, we can roughly estimate that the total sales for the entire period will be around 2 million US dollars!"

"Besides that, the copyright for derivative products and dolls is a huge source of revenue... This year's five Jaeger robots are just as popular as Transformers!"

"Our partners have provided data showing... sales of approximately 5 million US dollars! From that, we can get about 20% in licensing fees!"

……

"Based on preliminary calculations, the total box office profit for the film is estimated to be approximately US$2.5 million!"

"DVD copyrights plus various TV streaming services can bring in around $4 million in profit!"

"In addition, there is approximately $1 million in revenue from derivative copyrights."

"In conclusion, the total profit of the film is approximately US$7.5 million."

This is their most profitable film of all.

Although the investment was huge, costing approximately US$2.5 million, the return was also very high, a full three times!
Of course, this money won't be received immediately; it will flow back into their company's accounts like a trickle.

High investment, high returns, and the development of the entire IP industry chain... This is the standard profit model for Hollywood blockbusters.

At present, apart from those Hollywood mega-studios, only their company can manage to do it.

"Sister Shanshan, is there anything else?"

Lu Zhiyuan suddenly remembered something: "The VR gaming glasses company's shares should have seen a significant increase in valuation thanks to Pacific Rim, right?"

Pacific Rim will continue to be licensed to this VR gaming glasses company to create a new generation of fighting games.

This will definitely increase the valuation of this game company significantly.

"That's right!"

"Apple has given us a new offer, valuing us at $30 billion! Based on our 40% stake, we can get $12 billion."

"I feel it's about time to sell."

"Ah Yuan, what do you think?"

If they keep this VR gaming glasses company, they'll only make tens of millions of dollars in profit a year... but if they sell it, they can get billions of dollars in one go!
Although Zhao Shanshan really wanted to sell, she needed Lu Zhiyuan's permission.

"Sell it!"

Lu Zhiyuan showed no lingering attachment to the VR gaming glasses company, and made his decision decisively.

"it is good!"

Zhao Shanshan nodded, looking at Lu Zhiyuan expectantly: "So, with the money we get, we'll continue to buy Netflix stock on the secondary market?"

The VR gaming glasses company's shares were sold for $12 billion, with Starlight Entertainment receiving 40% and Lu Zhiyuan receiving 10%.

Due to the complex equity structure of Starlight Brilliant Company, in fact, Zhao Shanshan and Miss Jing Tian ultimately received less money than Lu Zhiyuan!
"purchase!"

Lu Zhiyuan nodded.

"Okay, then let's keep buying!"

Zhao Shanshan agreed without hesitation.

Lu Zhiyuan was a little puzzled by her straightforward manner and couldn't help but ask, "Sister Shanshan, are you really that optimistic about this online streaming media business?"

Zhao Shanshan smiled and explained, "At first, I also had some hesitation. However, something happened a while ago that made me completely believe in your judgment."

As Zhao Shanshan spoke, she brought up the "advertising restriction order" from January of this year.

The issuance of the "Advertising Restriction Order" requires that commercials not be inserted during TV dramas.

From then on, television advertising revenue dropped sharply, and the station began to use product placement in dramas and theater sponsorship models.

To avoid advertising, most viewers have started turning to online platforms.

During this period, video websites began to rise rapidly.

Traffic on platforms like iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video began to surge.

"Besides that, I've also heard rumors that Youku and Tudou are going to merge. These two companies have been competing for so many years, and I don't know how much money they've lost. This merger would give them a combined market share of over 35%!"

"I have a feeling that times are about to change."

Zhao Shanshan has a very keen sense of smell.

It has to be said, her intuition was very accurate.

The era of traditional TV dramas is coming to an end, and the era of web dramas is on the horizon.

……

After we finished discussing serious matters...

Everyone looked relaxed.

Last year, we made a lot of money again, 7.5 million US dollars, which is close to 50 billion RMB... Although Starlight Entertainment can only take 40%, it is still 20 billion RMB!
Even big-budget, terrible movies like "The Warring States" could be made by Miss Jing Tian 15 times a year!
She could be worked to death on set.

"Ah Yuan, how about we make this year's celebration banquet bigger?"

“Besides that, although we have distributed a lot of money in our accounts, a large sum of money is deposited into the company account every month.”

"I've been thinking, as a cultural company that's about to go public, should we acquire some high-quality hotels to fill out our underlying assets?"

"This model seems to be quite popular recently."

Every year, Zhao Shanshan holds a celebration banquet at the Summer Palace Aman Hotel. She has quietly calculated how much revenue she contributes to the hotel each year.
If we host 10 film crews a year to hold a celebration banquet.

Even if business is mediocre at other times, this hotel can probably break even.

In that case, they could simply acquire a high-quality hotel themselves. After packaging and listing it on the stock exchange, they might even be able to increase its valuation.

"I cannot comment on the glamorous business model."

What we just discussed was the business of YT Pictures. As a shareholder holding 10% of the shares, Lu Zhiyuan is qualified to express his opinion.

However, the glitz and glamour of the world had little to do with him.

(End of this chapter)