Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, starting with the strategy of 95 flowers to counterattack

Chapter 193 The Spring Festival Box Office Battle
It was late at night, but the light in the master bedroom on the second floor of the Gu family's house was still on.

Lin Jing and Gu Jianguo sat cross-legged on the bed, their faces full of worry.

“According to the rules, we should give red envelopes,” Lin Jing said, her brows furrowed, “but four of them have come all at once…”

"How could that old man have given birth to such a bastard?"

"His legs should really be broken..."

"Who should it be given to?"

"Isn't that your child?" Gu Jianguo scratched his head. "How about... we send it to the one we like the most?"

"Then tell me, which one do you like the most?"

“Nan Nan is the most considerate and sensible,” Gu Jianguo analyzed logically. “She can do everything from washing dishes to cooking, but she’s too honest and might not be able to keep Yang Yang in check.”

"Zhou Ye is such a lively girl, with a sweet tongue. Oh, and she knows tea ceremony too, it's just that..."

“They’re just completely unaccustomed to doing housework!” Lin Jing chimed in. “But hiring a nanny will solve the problem, and we can go help take care of the kids when we have them…”

Gu Jianguo suddenly lowered his voice: "That Xiao Tian... isn't she a bit simple-minded? Although I understand she's trying to flatter you..."

"You've really eaten too much... Aren't you afraid of getting a stomachache?"

Lin Jing was unhappy: "What are you saying? Isn't it because my cooking is delicious?"

"I just think Xiaotian is a great girl. With a wife like that, your grandson will get good nutrition!"

Gu Jianguo looked bewildered: "Huh?"

"What 'huh'!" Lin Jing rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway, I think this girl has a lucky face!"

After a moment of silence, Lin Jing suddenly took out four red envelopes from the drawer: "Never mind, one for each of you!"

? ? ? ? ?

Does this work too?
Gu Jianguo was completely dumbfounded!
Isn’t this too much of a double standard?
Back then, his wife nagged him for so many years over the smallest things he did.

Her son is cheating on her with several women. Shouldn't you, as his mother, teach him a lesson? And you even sent him four red envelopes?

What? You want to be the Empress Dowager?
Gu Jianguo's eyes widened, and he muttered, "Isn't this inappropriate?"

"What do you know!" Lin Jing, being a teacher, was very good at reasoning. "This just shows my son is capable! Besides..."

"What if it actually works out in the future? It's not good to offend anyone now."

"Besides, if you give one, what will the other three think? Are you trying to embarrass them during the New Year?"

Gu Jianguo wanted to argue, but Lin Jing had already deftly stuffed the red envelope into the drawer: "I'll give it to you separately tomorrow, just say it's New Year's money!"

……

In the bedroom on the third floor, Gu Yang had just changed into his pajamas when the door suddenly creaked open.

Li Yitong slipped in like a nimble cat, locked the door behind her, and put her index finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture.

Moonlight filtered through the gauze curtains, gilding her beautiful silhouette with a silvery edge.

"Are you crazy?" Gu Yang lowered his voice, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily. "Where's Xiao Tian?"

"I've lulled her to sleep~"

Li Yitong walked barefoot on the wool carpet, her silk nightgown swaying gently with her steps. "I told her three bedtime stories and warmed up a cup of milk."

She winked slyly, "I added two sleeping pills."

"what?!"

"Just kidding~" She suddenly pounced on the bed and pinned Gu Yang down. "It's a vitamin pill."

Her hair fell around his neck, carrying the scent of jasmine after her bath.

Gu Yang placed his hand on her shoulder: "Stop fooling around. There are people downstairs..."

That's why it's so exciting.

Li Yitong's fingertips traced his Adam's apple, feeling the body beneath her palm tense instantly. "Weren't you quite the actor during the day? With one woman on each arm..."

The last syllable disappeared between their pressed lips.

Gu Yang tried to turn his head away, but she grabbed his chin.

Their lips mingled, carrying the coolness of mint toothpaste and the sweet aroma of plum wine she had secretly drunk.

"Ugh...wait..." Gu Yang finally managed to break free, his pajamas collar already ripped open. "Li Yitong!"

"Call me sister."

She straddled his waist, then suddenly pricked up her ears, "Shh—"

A soft voice came from downstairs: "Sister Tong? Are you asleep?"

The two of them froze instantly.

Li Yitong quickly rolled to the side of the bed and pulled the blanket over both of them.

Gu Yang's hand was still awkwardly hanging at her waist, his palm touching a smooth patch of skin.

"Pretend to be asleep!" she mouthed silently, but then mischievously bit his earlobe.

Gu Yang gasped, nearly kicking over the bedside table.

"boom!"

The glass on the bedside table fell to the ground with a thud, its sound particularly jarring in the quiet night.

The footsteps downstairs suddenly stopped.

Gu Yang and Li Yitong seemed to have been put on pause; even their breathing stopped.

"Sister Tong?" Zhang Ruonan's voice was closer, accompanied by the soft sound of footsteps on the stairs. "Are you alright?" Li Yitong rolled off the bed and casually threw Gu Yang's pajamas back at him.

She quickly straightened her disheveled nightgown, only to find that the bra strap had slipped down, revealing a large expanse of fair skin.

She mouthed "I'm leaving" silently, then slipped barefoot toward the balcony.

Gu Yang grabbed her wrist, speechless, and said, "Third floor! Do you really think you're Huang Rong?"

Outside the door, Zhang Ruonan's footsteps stopped at the corner of the stairs: "Sister Tong? Are you in there?"

Li Yitong's eyes darted around, and suddenly she imitated a cat's meow in a high-pitched voice: "Meow~"

Gu Yang: "."

What the hell?
Why did you have to imitate a cat's meow?
He doesn't have a cat at home!
"So you're just a little wildcat." Zhang Ruonan's voice was tinged with laughter. "Then get some rest, see you tomorrow."

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Yitong's legs went weak, and she sat down directly on the carpet.

"Is it exciting?" She looked up at Gu Yang and winked, her chest still heaving.

Gu Yang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "You almost gave me a heart attack. This is my house, don't do anything reckless!"

Just as he was about to say something, his phone suddenly vibrated.

It was a message from Gu Xiaotang:
"Bro, friendly reminder: Get that damn woman out of your room..."

"By the way, let me report to you that Ruonan just got back to her room, Zhou Ye is putting on a face mask, Tian Xiwei is sneaking a bite in the kitchen, and Li Yitong... oh, what is she doing in your room?"

The attached image is a screenshot from a night-vision surveillance camera, clearly showing Li Yitong sneaking into his room.

Gu Yang's hand trembled, and his phone fell to the ground with a "thud".

Li Yitong picked it up curiously, and after reading what it said, she burst into laughter: "Oh no, the little traitor has been caught red-handed!"

She suddenly leaned in and gave Gu Yang a quick kiss on his stiff face: "Goodnight, Mr. Sea King."

After saying that, she deftly opened the door and disappeared into the darkness of the corridor.

Gu Yang was left alone sitting on the bed, looking at the shards of glass and his phone on the floor, wondering if it was too late to buy a plane ticket and escape from Earth.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Tian Xiwei was tiptoeing and sneaking a bite of the mousse cake from the refrigerator.

"Oh dear... I didn't even eat enough for dinner..."

……

The next day, Taihu Lake was shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning. Gu Yang stood at the entrance of the villa, watching his assistant carry four suitcases into the car one by one.

Last night, he notified the company's crew that the film crew would start work ahead of schedule.

We need to take these old ladies back!
His mother's blood pressure was already high, and he was really afraid that things would continue like this...

"Auntie, I'm sorry to have bothered you these past two days."

Zhang Ruonan held Lin Jing's hand, her eyes slightly red, "I'll send you that stomach-soothing tea when I get back to Yanjing."

Lin Jing patted the back of her hand and secretly slipped her a red envelope when no one was looking: "Good girl, come and play often."

On the other side, Zhou Ye was holding Gu Xiaotang tightly, refusing to let go: "Come visit me in Yanjing during summer vacation! I'll take you on a fun-filled adventure!"

"Play whatever you want, and your brother won't dare utter a single word!"

Gu Jianguo coughed, pretended to adjust his scarf, and casually stuffed the red envelope into the side pocket of Zhou Ye's backpack: "Buy some food on the way."

Tian Xiwei was the last to come out, still holding a half-eaten bowl of fermented rice balls.

Lin Jing quickly slipped a red envelope into her coat pocket: "Sweetie, eat it in the car."

Li Yitong raised an eyebrow at the scene, then suddenly leaned close to Gu Yang's ear and asked, "Auntie and Uncle, are you casting a wide net?"

Before Gu Yang could answer, he saw his father sneakily approach Li Yitong: "Little Li, take this..."

"Thank you, Uncle!" Li Yitong smiled like a cat that had just stolen some cream, deliberately shaking the thick red envelope. "I will take good care of Yangyang."

……

2018 January 2

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, we welcome the God of Wealth!

As the morning light lifted the thin mist, the sound of firecrackers rose and fell throughout the streets and alleys.

The red Spring Festival couplets at the entrance of the alley still smell of ink, children are lingering in front of the candied hawthorn stall with their lucky money in their hands, the elderly are drinking ingot soup from celadon bowls, and the paper-cut God of Wealth on the window frame shines brightly in the sunlight.

Shops hung red lanterns early in the morning, waiting for the auspicious time to light long strings of firecrackers and welcome the God of Wealth to arrive in gold.

Amidst the festive atmosphere of fireworks throughout the city, a fiercer "box office battle" is unfolding in the Spring Festival film market than any other firecracker.

Five major films gathered on the big screen like five gods of wealth. "Monster Hunt 2" kicked off the battle with a first-day box office of 5.38 million yuan, and the adorable Huba jumped around on the big screen to attract money.

"Detective Chinatown 2" followed closely behind, shed its suspenseful burden with a box office of 3.36 million yuan, and the partnership between Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran made the audience laugh until they cried.

Zhao Liying's portrayal of the Queen of the Women's Kingdom in "The Monkey King 3" was stunning, and she became a trending topic on the first day of its release, with related topics garnering over 1 billion views.

Guo Degang took "The Nineteen Generations of Ancestors" to a whole new level and made it even more spectacular.

Yue Yunpeng plays Xiao Bei, who travels back in time to the Republic of China era to meet Mei Lanfang (played by Lin Zhilin), and then to the Spring and Autumn period to encounter Confucius (played by Wu Xiubo). Wu Jing transforms into the majestic ancestor "Mei Banfa," while Dilraba makes a stunning appearance in ancient costume. Comedians such as Wang Baoqiang and Da Peng take turns performing, and actors like Zhang Guoli and Jing Boran make cross-time appearances.

The poster, densely packed with celebrity portraits, resembled a "family portrait of the entertainment industry." Despite ongoing controversies surrounding the plot, the film garnered nearly 100 million yuan at the box office on its opening day thanks to its all-star cast and abundant humor.

But the real dark horse was "Operation Red Sea"!
Despite a box office of only 1.2 million yuan on its opening day and a disadvantage in terms of screenings, the film achieved a remarkable turnaround thanks to its outstanding word-of-mouth and a Douban rating of 8.3.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the box office revenue has already surpassed that of "Detective Chinatown 2".

Judging from the current situation, it is very likely that it will soon surpass "Monster Hunt 2" and become the top-grossing film of the day.

(End of this chapter)