Restart life

Chapter 279 0276 [Yuewei Caotang]

Zhang Guoli drives a dark green Cherokee, while Guo Degang drives a red old Xiali.

Chen Guiliang and his two companions didn't drive; they hitched a ride with these two.

Standing next to the Cherokee, Zhang Guoli finished a phone call and asked, "The private rooms at Fanzhuang in Jinyang are full, but we can share a table at Yueweicaotang. If you'd like, you can go and have a meal together."

"Who are you sharing a table with?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Zhang Guoli said, "Jin Lihong invited Feng Xiaogang to dinner there." He then added, "Jin Lihong is in publishing and is still Guo Jingming's agent. Wang Shuo's 'Addiction to Death' was promoted by Jin Lihong back then."

Jin Lihong had dinner with Feng Kuzi because Feng Kuzi wanted to publish an autobiography, and Jin Lihong was in charge of getting the book published.

Tao Xue asked curiously, "What is the connection between that Yuewei Caotang private room and 'Yuewei Caotang Notes'?"

Zhang Guoli laughed and said, "The Yuewei Caotang private room is the original main hall of Yuewei Caotang. There is also the Zifangxuan private room, which was converted from the west wing of Ji Xiaolan's house. The Sikuting private room was converted from Ji Xiaolan's kitchen. The last private room was converted from an air-raid shelter."

"Then I'm going!" Tao Xue's literary spirit was ignited.

Chen Guiliang asked curiously, "Did you film 'The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan' because you often ate there?"

Zhang Guoli laughed a few times: "I guess so."

Bian Guanyue was also quite curious and said to Chen Guiliang, "Let's go there."

Yu Qian'er, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, said, "Teacher Zhang really has connections. When we go to Jinyang Restaurant, we always sit in the main hall; no matter how many days in advance we book a private room, there are never any seats available."

Zhang Guoli said, "I happen to have a friend there, so we can go and share a table. There are only four private rooms in total, so connections won't help. Whether we can get a room depends entirely on luck."

The group drove off in two cars.

It's not far from where Lao Guo performs crosstalk, only about two kilometers away.

Chen Guiliang never expected that the former residence of Ji Xiaolan would have a glass revolving door inside, with the words "Air conditioning on" posted on the door.

Zhang Guoli pointed to the main hall where individual diners eat and said, "Antique dealers from Beijing often meet here to discuss business. All sorts of people come here. If you have nothing to do, you can sit in the hall, eat, and listen to them chat and boast. It has a very down-to-earth, everyday feel to it."

The food in the main dining hall is not expensive.

Of course, it's not very cheap either.

Chen Guiliang's gaze was drawn to the cashier counter, where they were still using an abacus, and next to it was a POS machine.

Just like the combination of glass revolving doors and ancient buildings, everywhere presents a magical feeling of time and space intertwining.

"Why are the arms of this Ji Xiaolan bronze statue all reflective?" Tao Xue asked curiously.

Guo Degang laughed and said, "Touching it can bring you some good fortune in literature."

Every bronze statue has certain areas that reflect light.

If it is a female bronze statue, the reflective area is usually on the chest.

Crossing the front yard, we arrived at the central courtyard.

The 238-year-old wisteria, its gnarled branches entwined with neon lights, resembles a bewitching tree when illuminated at night. If you were to film a story from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" here, you wouldn't even need to build a set.

Zhang Guoli was very familiar with this place: "The backyard is a restricted area, where Ji Xiaolan's study is located. If you want to visit, just secretly slip the security guard a few dozen yuan, and you can usually go for ten minutes."

He then pointed to the plaque "Yuewei Caotang" and said, "This is an authentic work by Emperor Qianlong."

Chen Guiliang took a closer look and was immediately amused. Below the genuine Qianlong calligraphy was a "Food Safety Permit".

"Boom boom boom!"

"Please come in."

Zhang Guoli pushed open the door and entered: "Teacher Jin, Director Feng, I apologize for disturbing you tonight."

Feng Kuzi said, "It's alright, we've talked enough, and this private room feels too empty with just two people sitting in it."

"Hello, Teacher Zhang. Hello, Teacher Deng." Jin Lihong stood up to greet them.

Zhang Guoli then introduced: "This is Mr. Chen Guiliang, CEO of ByteDance... These are his two classmates, Bian Guanyue and Tao Xue... These two are the famous crosstalk performers, Mr. Guo Degang and Mr. Yu Qian..."

After each introduction, the two parties shake hands.

Feng Kuzi was busy distributing cigarettes.

These days, smokers don't care about manners. They don't even ask the ladies present if they agree, and they just sit there puffing away and chatting.

Jin Lihong is treating everyone tonight. She has already ordered several of Chen Guiliang's signature dishes for them. She has also reserved a few more dishes for them to order themselves.

Feng Kuzi and Zhang Guoli vied to be the person pouring the drinks, and Zhang Guoli won and was in charge of pouring drinks for everyone.

Feng Kuzi grinned, revealing half a mouthful of rotten teeth: "I even registered an account on Mr. Chen's website. It was a group of directors and stars under Huayi Brothers who registered together. The website is really well-run; high-achieving students are indeed different."

"Thank you for your support, Director Feng," Chen Guiliang replied with a smile.

Damn it, Feng Kuzi hasn't posted a single update since he registered.

Last month, he suddenly posted more than ten messages in a row, almost one a day, just to promote his book "The Banquet".

How can it work like this?
They should start releasing photos during filming, occasionally posting stills of the stars or behind-the-scenes glimpses. This is how they cultivate a fanbase and keep moviegoers on the edge of their seats.

Who are they trying to fool by posting more than ten promotional updates before the film's release?
"The Banquet" is currently only showing sporadically and has received extremely poor reviews, so it's estimated to lose money. In terms of film quality, it's comparable to Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Rose" this year.

One is "Hamlet," and the other is "Thunderstorm," both adapted into period dramas. Famous directors seem to be taking advantage of stage plays.

Even in this private room, Chen Guiliang remained the center of attention. Feng Kuzi took the initiative to chat with him for a few minutes, and Jin Lihong also spoke to Chen Guiliang: "Mr. Chen's 'Those Things of the Ming Dynasty' has recently topped the book sales charts. It's really amazing. Not only has it left Professor Yi, Guo Jingming, and Han Han behind, but it has even knocked out 'The World Is Flat'."

Chen Guiliang said, "The World Is Flat has been a bestseller for two or three months, so it's normal that it's losing momentum now."

Yu Qian'er asked in surprise, "Mr. Chen is a writer?"

Jin Lihong said, "The author with the highest royalty share in all of China!"

"That amazing?" Zhang Guoli was also surprised.

Chen Guiliang said with a smile, "Actually, the reason why 'Those Things of the Ming Dynasty' so quickly rose to the top of the charts is largely thanks to the argument I had with Mr. Li from Baidu a few days ago. When the news of the argument spread, my book's sales also skyrocketed."

Jin Lihong said half-jokingly, "After you finish this book, you can collaborate with me on the next one. Whatever price Mr. Lu offers you, I'll offer you. My ability to get things done is better than his."

"I don't even know when this will be finished. We'll see when the time comes," Chen Guiliang said noncommittally.

The first dish was served.

Everyone drank and clinked glasses.

Deng Jie was taking care of the two girls, occasionally tilting her head to talk to Bian Guanyue and Tao Xue.

Guo Degang and Yu Qian only knew Zhang Guoli and his wife; they were meeting everyone else for the first time and didn't know how to start a conversation.

Feng Kuzi said, "Mr. Chen, I'd like to ask you for some advice. Everyone says it's the internet age now, so how do you promote a movie online? The past two years, we've been working with Sina and Sohu, inviting them to do interviews or programs. They say things seem different this year?"

Chen Guiliang said, "In the past, it was the era of portals; now it's the era of grassroots. Guo Degang became popular by taking advantage of the grassroots trend and being portrayed by newspapers as a grassroots success story."

Guo Degang chimed in, "That's right, I'm really from the grassroots. The newspapers called me the Super Girl of the crosstalk world, chosen by the common people."

"You, a Super Girl contestant?" Yu Qian chuckled, trying to debunk the joke.

Guo Degang said, "You're part of it too, you're a Super Girl too."

Yu Qian'er said, "Then I am flattered."

After they finished their banter, Chen Guiliang continued, "When doing online promotion now, don't act superior. You need to be approachable and make netizens see you as a friend, as one of their own. Didn't you register an account on HaiNei.com? Don't wait until right before the movie's release to have your staff post promotional articles..."

"You should post something every now and then, you don't need to write anything profound. Just talk about what you ate today, or what you did with your wife to walk the dog. Take some pictures of yourself in a tank top, shorts, and flip-flops. Just make yourself look like an ordinary person."

"In this way, you're both a celebrity and an ordinary person, which makes netizens feel more connected to you. Your fan base will grow larger and larger..."

"When you're making a movie, you need to do promotion as soon as filming starts. But don't be too deliberate or official, and try not to post official posters on personal accounts. Take photos of the stars on set. For example, for 'The Banquet,' you could take photos of Ge You, Zhang Ziyi, Daniel Wu, and Zhou Xun eating skewers together in their period costumes..."

"To put it bluntly, it's about making netizens treat you like one of their own. It's about making netizens feel like they made the movies you made..."

Feng Kuzi slapped his thigh: "I'm an expert at this! I'm a nobody myself. A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study..."

Feng Kuzi stood up and raised his glass: "Come on, let me toast President Chen."

"You're too kind." Chen Guiliang just wanted to get Feng Kuzi's account more active.

Guo Degang whispered to Qian'er, "Shall we get an account sometime tomorrow?"

Both of them later became internet surfing experts, but nowadays they don't really go online much.

They became increasingly focused on the internet because they inexplicably became popular online, leading to a surge in netizens visiting their teahouse to listen to their crosstalk performances. Through repeated interactions, they too became seasoned internet users.

Zhang Guoli is currently preparing to film his third movie this year: "Is online promotion really that effective now?"

Feng Kuzi said, "Crazy Stone worked really well; it became a huge hit online."

“I haven’t seen that movie yet; I was busy filming a TV series recently,” Zhang Guoli said.

Chen Guiliang said, "Among the celebrities on HaiNei.com, Fan Bingbing has the most fans. She has more than 200 million followers. Whenever she posts a status update, she gets thousands of comments, sometimes three or four thousand."

Upon hearing this data, everyone was very surprised and began to pay even more attention to HaiNei.com.

Zhang Guoli said to his wife, "Shall we register one too?"

Deng Jie nodded: "If you're too busy, I'll help you post things on the account. Just do as Mr. Chen just said."

Chen Guiliang said, "It doesn't necessarily have to be a vest and slippers. Teacher Zhang has the air of a cultured person. He writes calligraphy in his spare time, and the photos he posts are quite nice. Everyone's image is different, and their audience and fan base are also different."

Feng Kuzi said, "I'm more like an old man from the hutongs. You, Wang Gang, and Zhang Tieling are cultured people."

Chen Guiliang wasn't interested in Zhang Guoli's "Kou Tiao Zhang" (a type of oral delivery man), but he greatly admired Yang Ruoxi, Zhang Guoli's female apprentice. What a talented girl she was! Later, she disappeared from the public eye.

After discussing the film and television industry, we moved on to the cultural sector.

Feng Kuzi kept mentioning Wang Shuo and even said he would introduce him to Chen Guiliang.

Wang Shuo is currently busy resolving the "Commander-in-Chief's" issues; otherwise, the Earth-Trisolaran Organization would lose its leader.

It would be best for Chen Guiliang not to interfere in such a major event concerning all of humanity.

They drank until after 10 p.m. Not only was Chen Guiliang a little dizzy, but Bian Guanyue and Tao Xue also got drunk along with Deng Jie.

Zhang Guoli was also in a daze, so he called an assistant to drive them back to a hotel near Peking University.

Chen Guiliang struggled to support the two girls, and the three of them booked three rooms and staggered into the elevator.

After entering the first room, none of them wanted to move anymore.

The three of them, still dressed and half-asleep, lay down on the same bed and slept through the night without doing anything.

(End of this chapter)