Rebirth Must Be Happy

Chapter 495 [485] Making a Bet with Xingruo
"Pah, you're the one who looks better without clothes!"

Chen Xingruo instinctively retorted, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that something was wrong. She actually looked better without clothes, otherwise wouldn't that imply that she had a bad figure and skin and needed to rely on pretty clothes to improve her appearance?
He then retorted, "I look good whether I'm dressed or not. I look good with clothes on, but I look even better without clothes on, right, sister?"

Xie Wanqing looked at Chen Xingzhu in surprise and said, "You two have seen each other without clothes on?"

Song Zhiyu didn't find anything strange about it, but in order to humiliate Chen Xingruo, she didn't hesitate to show a disgusted expression and say, "Ugh—that's really weird!"

You're the pervert!

Chen Xingruo retorted, "We're sisters, what's wrong with seeing each other without clothes on? It's better than you men and women seeing each other's bodies as normal, isn't it?"

She raised her chin, quite proud of her offensive prowess, but then realized that her words seemed to have included her sister in the attack range as well, so she changed the subject: "Besides, we look exactly alike, we don't need to look at each other, we can tell what the other looks like just by looking at ourselves... You guys always look in the mirror when you take a shower, right?"

Do you admire your own body in the mirror?

Xu Jinhuan didn't dare say it aloud, but could only smugly think to herself, 'I don't need to look in the mirror to appreciate the real thing…'

"You look in the mirror while showering?"

Song Zhiyu snorted, continuing to express her disdain, completely forgetting that she not only looked in the mirror while showering by herself, but also when showering with Xu Jinhuan, although it wasn't voluntary. "So narcissistic!"

"You talk as if you're not narcissistic."

Chen Xingruo ignored her, picked up her phone and scrolled through Weibo comments, then turned back and urged, "Go and give me a like!"

"Don't you have that many fans?"

This time, Chen Xingzhu scolded her sister, but she still went to give the post a thumbs up.

"Hey, Xingzhu, you posted on WeChat Moments?"

Song Zhiyu quickly noticed that Chen Xingzhu had also posted a promotional message on her WeChat Moments, and read it aloud: "I went to see the premiere of 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' today. It somewhat overturned my stereotypes about animated films. The visuals and the plot were both very good. I highly recommend it. Sun, sun."

She turned to Chen Xingzhu and asked, "What do you mean by posting two suns?"

"I know this."

Chen Xingruo offered to explain, "It means sunshine. Although I think it's corny, there's nothing I can do, people like it."

Xie Wanqing asked suspiciously, "Could it be that he likes him?"

He glanced at Xu Jinhuan as he spoke, clearly still referring to him as "he".

Chen Xingzhu retorted, "Your associative thinking is too strong. I like to use it myself, but he doesn't."

Xu Jinhuan said, "I didn't say I didn't like it, but of course I don't like it that much either."

"I'll post this on my WeChat Moments too."

Song Zhiyu also opened her phone to send a message, but then said, "Oh, Sister Wanqing, you sent one too? Humph, you all ambushed me."

"You are the only one who has many things to do."

As the group grew closer and more familiar with each other, even Xie Wanqing stopped being so tolerant and forgiving towards Song Zhiyu. Occasionally, she would retaliate and exchange a few sarcastic remarks.

This is not resentment, but rather a sign that they are gradually moving past the initial adjustment period and are beginning to become more relaxed.

"Bro, how much do you think the final box office will be?"

Song Zhiyu posted on her WeChat Moments and then asked Xu Jinhuan, "Is it possible to have a billion?"

"What are you thinking about?"

Chen Xingruo scoffed, "I've checked. The highest-grossing domestic animated film before that, 'Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf,' only grossed 100 million yuan, and that was mostly for kids. 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' is clearly not that kind of film. I estimate it will be good if it grosses 70 or 80 million yuan."

"what?"

Xie Wanqing and Song Zhiyu were both startled. "Wouldn't that mean we'd lose a fortune?"

Chen Xingruo said, "That's right. The production company can only get a maximum of 30%, which is probably only 20 or 30 million. That's not enough to break even... That's why nobody makes them. Look at those animated films, they're basically Hollywood blockbusters."

"This one looks pretty good, the box office should be higher."

Chen Xingzhu had obviously done his research beforehand and wasn't surprised by the situation. Perhaps afraid that Xu Jinhuan would be discouraged, he smiled and said, "Besides, with so many people investing, even if we lose money, the losses won't be much."

"Ok."

Song Zhiyu immediately deflated, but was still somewhat indignant, "Why can't domestically produced films be made well?"

"If I made a bad film, I can't force everyone to buy tickets to support me, can I?"

Chen Xingruo pouted, seemingly already dissatisfied, "These days, I can't find many domestic films that I want to watch..."

"Alright, stop overthinking it."

Seeing that they had finished their discussion, Xu Jinhuan spoke up to interrupt, "When have I ever made a losing deal? Don't worry, I definitely won't lose money investing in this movie."

"Really?"

Song Zhiyu was still a little skeptical, "You invested 30 million, and also gave the production team 12% of the shares and profits, leaving you with only 35%, and your share of the box office is only 3000%, so if you calculate it like this..."

She silently did the calculations, then couldn't help but speak up: "3000 million divided by 0.35 equals eight thousand..."

Chen Xingzhu waited a while, and seeing that she was having a hard time calculating, he couldn't help but interject: "8571 million in dividends, then divided by 0.3, the total box office needs to be at least 2.8 million to break even."

"Isn't that a sure loss?"

Song Zhiyu turned to look at Xu Jinhuan, "Brother, is it possible to get this much box office revenue?"

Xu Jinhuan laughed and said, "What's 280 million? The movies I invest in start at least 1 billion, right?"

"Tsk, bragging!"

Chen Xingruo pouted, "Even if you want to make your little cousin happy, you don't have to exaggerate like this, do you?"

Xu Jinhuan complained, "What kind of address is 'little female cousin'?"

"She was originally your girlfriend, but she's also your cousin, so you're basically her cousin now."

Chen Xingruo turned to look at him, making no attempt to hide her disdain for the scumbag, "You asked the question, I didn't mean to insult you."

"..."

Xu Jinhuan didn't bother arguing with her and said, "How about we make a bet? What do you say if the total box office breaks 10 billion?"

"hehe!"

Chen Xingruo sneered, "If it really makes a billion at the box office, I'll do whatever you say. Don't even mention me calling you brother-in-law, I'd even call you husband, no problem..."

"Xingruo!"

Chen Xingzhu interrupted her sister's ramblings impatiently, "Don't talk nonsense."

"Sis, you actually believe him?" Chen Xingruo found it a bit amusing. "Domestic animated films don't have a market to begin with, and the screenings are so few, plus it's clashing with other popular movies. I actually think it would be pretty good if it made 20 or 30 million at the box office..."

Xie Wanqing asked in surprise, "Then why did you agree to help with the promotion and publicity?"

"That's because of my sister!"

Chen Xingruo said matter-of-factly, "Besides, he wrote so many good songs for me before, and he basically made me famous, so I have to repay the favor, right?"

"Thank you!"

Xu Jinhuan said irritably, "Can't you wish me well for once?"

"You're destined to lose anyway."

Chen Xingruo leaned back in her chair and glanced at Xu Jinhuan. "If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me. Serving me tea and water, making the bed and folding the blankets are all fine with me. If you lose, you'll keep writing songs for me!"

She adopted the demeanor of a capitalist landlord: "If you can't write it, I'll lock you in a dark room, deprive you of food and water, and even prevent you from going to the toilet. I'll let you out when you finish writing it..."

Xu Jinhuan chuckled and said, "Alright, you said it yourself. If you lose, you'll come and be my maid."

He stopped the car at a red light, then turned back to the three people behind him and smiled, "You're welcome to come and experience serving maids when the time comes."

"You talk as if you can win."

Chen Xingruo was very confident, even smug. "I know you deliberately lost the bet to me to please your sister-in-law. Don't worry, I'll be gentle with you. Even if I lock you in a dark room, I'll definitely give you food and drink and let you go to the toilet."

"Okay, then I'll be gentle with you then. I'll only let you serve tea and water and make the bed, but I won't let you massage my shoulders."

Xu Jinhuan also expressed his understanding and tolerance, saying, "As for whether your sister and the others need it or not, I can't control that."

Chen Xingzhu ignored his nonchalant attitude and said seriously, "Although I also think the movie is quite good, with such a low number of screenings, do you really think it can have such a high box office?"

Xu Jinhuan laughed and said, "History is meant to be rewritten; someone always has to create history."

The four girls in the car looked at each other, but Chen Xingruo spoke first, turning around with a grin and saying, "Sis, you know what, he can be quite charming sometimes, right?"

He paused, then added, "Especially when he's bragging..."

Before he could finish speaking, he started laughing out loud, and once he started laughing, he couldn't stop.

Chen Xingzhu, Xie Wanqing, and Song Zhiyu exchanged glances. They didn't find her joke funny, but they did find her incessant laughter somewhat amusing. They then joined in the laughter, and the car was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Xu Jinhuan found it somewhat amusing, and was also a little curious. The original, incomplete version of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" had already garnered a staggering 9.5 million yuan at the box office thanks to word-of-mouth. Now, with its own investment, it had a more complete storyline, higher quality, and better publicity and marketing. He wondered how much the final box office would reach.

As it turned out, the impact he had was evident from day one.

Originally, "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" premiered on July 10th and ranked third in the daily box office with 17 million yuan. However, when Xu Jinhuan returned the next night after washing up, Song Zhiyu was lying lazily on the bed, already secretly reading messages on his phone.

Seeing him return, she felt no guilt and exclaimed with delight, "There are 2100 million in box office revenue! That's almost surpassing the total box office revenue Chen Xingruo mentioned!"

"That's not bad."

Xu Jinhuan did the math and realized that this was 400 million more than in his previous life. For a domestic animated film, this increase was quite considerable, especially considering that the screening rate had not changed at all.

'Looks like I do have some marketing skills...'

He felt secretly pleased with himself, thinking that he had learned a little bit of Lei Jun's skills. He lay on the bed, picked up his phone and looked at it carefully. The top two films were "Tiny Times 4" and "Forever Young". He didn't remember the box office data for these two films in his previous life, but he could see that their current screening rates were 45.4% and 32.2% respectively, accounting for 77.6% of the total screenings.

The total box office for the day was 2.5 million yuan, with "Tiny Times 4" accounting for 1.11 million yuan, or 44.4%, slightly lower than the filming rate; "Forever Young" accounted for 1.02 million yuan, or 40.8%, slightly higher than the filming rate.

In its previous life, "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" accounted for 6.8% of the total box office, which was lower than the filming rate; now it accounts for 8.4%, which is higher than in its previous life, but is still lower than the filming rate.

In reality, one cannot calculate contributions in such a crude way, but it can still give a simple idea of ​​a film's "potential" or box office appeal. However, Xu Jinhuan was well aware that "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" was completed under the debuff of the "domestic animation" label, which was already very good.

However, the situation and interpretation are quite different online.

"Peking University prodigy's downfall"

"Xu Jinhuan, who has never made a mistake, also stumbled with domestic animated films."

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back" underperformed at the box office on its opening day, and even Xu Jinhuan couldn't save Chinese animated films.

……

Before even waiting until the next day, Xu Jinhuan checked Weibo late at night and saw that many media outlets were stirring up trouble and criticizing the situation, while many passersby were also mocking it. Even some fans were just trying to defend themselves, unable to refute the "failure" in the face of it.

However, he was surprised to find that many people were speaking up for him, and he even saw that Chen Xingruo posted a Weibo to retort: ​​"2100 million yuan in box office on the first day is called a failure? Before you people lie through your teeth, do you want to look at what the results of domestic animated films were before?"

"Holy crap, now that Ruoruo says that, I did some research and found out that Chinese animated films used to have such terrible box office results?"

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back's opening day box office was comparable to the total box office of most domestic animated films. Is that considered a failure?"

"All I can say is that Mr. Xu did his best, but the domestic animation market is just too bad; the audience simply doesn't accept it."

Chen Xingruo still has influence, and given the generally poor performance of domestic animated films in the past, many casual viewers have found that "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" has actually achieved remarkable success in comparison.

"This is already a very good result, don't be discouraged."

The next morning, Chen Xingzhu roughly learned about the box office results and even sent Xu Jinhuan a message to comfort him, saying, "The total box office shouldn't be bad, and there's a good chance we'll break even."

Xu Jinhuan smiled and sent a voice message: "Don't rush to comfort me, you should think about how to comfort your sister later."

Chen Xingzhu also sent a voice message: "You still think you can win?"

Xu Jinhuan: "You'll know when today's box office figures come out."

Chen Xingzhu: "Tch!"

Although she felt that Xu Jinhuan was still a bit arrogant, when Chen Guiliang asked about the box office during breakfast, Chen Xingzhu still showed great trust and composure, replying, "It's pretty good. We should be able to recoup our costs. And from the online comments, most of the audience's reviews are very positive. The box office should go up a bit more, and we might even make a small profit."

"That's good."

Yu Peishan chuckled, "Investing in domestic films, especially animated films, is already quite an achievement if you don't lose money."

He hesitated for a moment, then laughed and said, "I was surprised when I first heard about it, wondering if he was trying to launder money or something... I didn't expect it to actually guarantee the principal."

Chen Guiliang also laughed and said, "If he wants to invest, he has plenty of ways to make money. Investing in movies is probably just a hobby for him."

Neither Yu Peishan nor Chen Xingzhu disagreed with this statement, as they had both witnessed Xu Jinhuan's ability to make money through investment. However, Chen Xingzhu did not quite agree with the statement that investing in movies was merely a hobby.

Or rather, she felt that way in her heart, but in front of Chen Guiliang and Yu Peishan, she felt that they were underestimating Xu Jinhuan, so she said, "That's not necessarily true. He seems very confident, saying that this movie can make money, and he even bet with Xingruo that the box office can break 1 billion."

"A billion in box office revenue?"

Chen Guiliang was a little surprised, "So confident?"

"He made a bet with Xingruo?"

Yu Peishan's focus was completely different, and she even seemed a little wary. "What are we betting on?"

(End of this chapter)