Rebirth Must Be Happy

"It's nothing, just that if Xingruo loses, I'll serve him tea and water."

Chen Xingzhu naturally couldn't say those nonsense things her sister said, like "calling her husband," and laughed, "Besides, it's a bet on 1 billion in box office revenue, which is basically impossible. It's just a joke."

"A billion in box office revenue?"

"Serve tea and water?"

This time, Chen Guiliang and Yu Peishan's focus shifted again. Yu Peishan was concerned about the box office figures, while Chen Guiliang was somewhat dissatisfied with the bet, saying, "She hasn't even served me tea or water, yet she's serving that kid tea and water..."

Yu Peishan said with a laugh, "Didn't you hear? They said the box office would reach 1 billion, which is basically impossible, isn't it?"

"That too."

Relieved, Chen Guiliang asked again, "What if Xu Jinhuan loses?"

Chen Xingruo had just gotten up and arrived late, yawning as she came over. She happened to hear this and happily sat down, saying, "If he loses, he'll lock me in a dark room to write a song for me... How about that, am I smart?"

"Isn't this just another way of agreeing to write a song for you?"

Yu Peishan suddenly realized that she completely understood Xu Jinhuan's intention, but then she became wary again and said with a seemingly unintentional smile, "He's just trying different ways to make Xingruo happy."

'Aunt Shan seems a little worried that Xu Jinhuan might make a move on Xingruo?'

Chen Xingzhu chuckled inwardly. Although she was also troubled by her almost identical appearance to Xingruo, she didn't think Xu Jinhuan would make a move on Xingruo. Although his reputation was ruined, it hadn't fallen to that extent.

These words, of course, could not be said aloud.

She pretended not to know anything and said, "I also think that a box office of 1 billion is basically impossible, but he seems very confident. Let's wait and see."

Chen Guiliang asked, "What was the highest box office gross for this type of film in the past?"

Chen Xingruo picked up a fried egg, took a bite, and said, "For domestic animated films, a box office of over 100 million yuan is the ceiling."

"Is he trying to make history again?"

Chen Guiliang chuckled, then sighed, "Indeed, it's still the world of young people; they have such vigor."

"again?"

Chen Xingruo thought for a moment but couldn't figure it out, so she looked at her sister with a hint of doubt, "Has he made any history before?"

"Weren't all those things that made him famous before part of that?"

Chen Xingzhu answered with a smile, without much pride or boasting, but also without humility, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "A freshman, three games in a row, especially 'Honor of Kings,' every breakthrough in performance, isn't that making history?"

Does this count?

Chen Xingruo clearly disagreed, picked up another xiaolongbao, took a bite, and mumbled, "Anyway, no matter what, he's definitely going to lose this time with a 1 billion yuan box office..."

After swallowing the steamed bun and taking a sip of millet porridge, he hummed a little tune happily, "There's a new song! There's a new song!"

Chen Xingzhu focused on her meal, silently thinking to herself, "I hope the box office will be high today."

Today is Saturday, and the company is finally not requiring overtime, at least Chen Xingzhu doesn't have to. She invited Zhu Xinyao and others to a small gathering. Chen Xingru wanted to come along, but she refused. Song Zhiyu, who was also reluctant to go along because Xu Jinhuan had business matters to attend to, was also refused. So the two of them angrily followed Xie Wanqing to set up an online store, intending to learn some new skills.

Of course, this was just their own idea; Chen Xingzhu believed that this meant Xie Wanqing was taking on the important task of being a kindergarten teacher.

"How's Xu Jinhuan's movie coming along?"

Putting aside Chen Xingzhu's own family's wealth, Xu Jinhuan's current career alone has already created a certain gap between Chen Xingzhu and Zhou Wei, Zhu Xinyao, and Hu Yingxin in terms of "class".

In fact, during the last semester, the huge change in their identities, coupled with the shift in their focus due to entering a new school and a new life, did lead to a period of estrangement between the three of them and Chen Xingzhu, and also reduced the contact between Chen Xingzhu and the three of them. However, she was very open-minded about it and remained almost unchanged.

Moreover, thanks to her increasingly peaceful mindset, many of Chen Xingzhu's original naive and childish ideas are also changing. She knows that friendship also needs to be actively maintained, and she will occasionally take the initiative to contact them.

After several months of readjustment, the four have now largely returned to their original close relationship.

Zhou Wei and the others were obviously aware of Xu Jinhuan's movements. The group strolled around the pedestrian street—although Chen Xingzhu occasionally attracted some attention, everyone was basically used to it—and after buying a few small items, they rested with their milk teas. Before Chen Xingzhu could bring up the movie, Hu Yingxin took the initiative to ask about it.

Zhou Wei also said, "I saw people discussing it on Weibo this morning, strongly recommending that movie, called 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back,' right?"

Zhu Xinyao asked curiously, "Isn't it an animated film?"

Hu Yingxin also said, "That's right, shouldn't that be for children?"

"No, this movie is for adults, but children can watch it too."

Chen Xingzhu herself actually had similar stereotypes, so she patiently explained and then said, "If you're interested, you can go and take a look when you have time."

Zhu Xinyao asked, "Is it really pretty?"

“I think it’s pretty.”

Chen Xingzhu answered confidently, "The visuals are excellent..."

Zhou Wei rolled her eyes at her and replied, "The story is also very good. You posted it on your WeChat Moments, and I saw it."

Hu Yingxin took a sip of milk tea, swallowed it, and blinked, saying, "Then why don't we go take a look first? There should be a movie theater nearby."

"sure."

Zhou Wei responded immediately, then glanced at Chen Xingzhu and said with a grin, "Don't worry, it's on me."

Chen Xingzhu smiled and said, pursing her lips.

Zhu Xinyao asked, "Haven't you already seen them all? Are you going to watch them again?"

"Go ahead and watch it, I won't give away any spoilers."

"Okay, let's go."

The group then searched online and bought tickets before heading to a nearby cinema. Chen Xingzhu was also curious about the cinema. When they arrived, Zhou Wei went to collect the tickets, while Chen Xingzhu secretly observed her surroundings. Some of the movie posters had been changed to those for currently showing films like "Tiny Times 4" and "Forever Young," while others featured "Jurassic World," and even some films that had already finished their run. However, there was no sign of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back."

When someone next to her was picking up their ticket, she secretly glanced at it and saw that it was for "Gardenia Blossoms." She quietly pursed her lips, then realized that the other person was also looking at her and had clearly recognized her, so she smiled slightly at them.

"I'm going to buy popcorn."

Chen Xingzhu saw a line at the counter and went over with Hu Yingxin to buy snacks. As they walked over, they saw a couple in front of them, whispering to each other while waiting in line.
"Everyone online says that 'Tiny Times' and 'Forever Young' are terrible movies, so why are so many people still watching them?"

"I guess I came here because of my idol."

"What if it doesn't look good?"

"I saw the online reviews, and they all say it looks great."

The guy in the couple had clearly prepared in advance. Seeing that his girlfriend seemed a little hesitant, he advised her, "Tiny Times and Gardenia have Douban scores of less than 5 points, and everyone is criticizing them. Monkey King: Hero Is Back has 8.8 points, almost 9 points, and it was invested in by Xu Jinhuan... Even if it's not good, it certainly won't be bad."

Chen Xingzhu was surprised that the name "Xu Jinhuan" seemed to have a similar reputation effect as its high score on Douban. She was both surprised and proud.

Hu Yingxin, who was standing next to her, obviously heard it too. She turned her head and looked at Chen Xingzhu with a smile, then looked back at the couple in front of her, looking forward to seeing how they would react when they recognized Chen Xingzhu.

Unfortunately, after the couple bought movie tickets and snacks, they turned around and saw Chen Xingzhu. They had almost no reaction—not that they had none at all, but it was just the kind of reaction one has when seeing a beautiful woman. The boy was amazed, but his girlfriend was next to him and didn't dare to look too much, only stealing a couple of glances. The girl, on the other hand, looked at him several times, clearly very envious.

"No way, they know Xu Jinhuan but not you?"

After the couple left, Hu Yingxin couldn't help but whisper, "That was so strange!"

Chen Xingzhu was also a little surprised, but still said, "That's normal. The guy who recognizes him might just play games and not listen to music."

Her fame mainly stems from Chen Xingruo, so this explanation is basically about why the other party recognizes Xu Jinhuan but not Chen Xingruo. After all, from a normal perspective, Chen Xingruo undoubtedly has more fans.

"So you and Xu Jinhuan are a couple, and he doesn't even know you?"

Hu Yingxin still felt a little indignant for Chen Xingzhu. This was actually a "legacy issue." After all, they had all watched Chen Xingzhu and Xu Jinhuan grow up step by step. Back when Xu Jinhuan was penniless, Chen Xingzhu was already a well-known "school beauty" in the entire school.

Later, although Xu Jinhuan rose to fame, Chen Xingruo also became popular. Therefore, subconsciously, they still felt that Chen Xingzhu was above Xu Jinhuan... uh, referring to fame, not sex position.

Chen Xingzhu found it amusing but didn't say much. Since they already had milk tea, she bought two buckets of popcorn and four grilled sausages, and they found an empty seat to sit down and wait.

She was enjoying a grilled sausage when she was finally recognized. Two girls came over to ask for a photo, which she politely declined as usual. However, she couldn't stop them from secretly taking pictures with their phones afterward. She was already used to it and calmly continued eating.

However, to prevent "Chen Xingruo's ugly photos" from circulating online, she consciously covered herself with her hand while eating.

When it came time to check tickets, Chen Xingzhu was surprised to find that there seemed to be quite a few people watching "Monkey King: Hero Is Back". After entering the theater, she was even more pleasantly surprised because the occupancy rate was obviously quite high, even abnormally high.

Normally, cinema occupancy rates are significantly higher on weekends, but before the show started, Chen Xingzhu took a look around and estimated that the occupancy rate was at least 70%.

Even if she hadn't investigated these figures, she knew they must be terrifyingly high.

Wow, there are so many people!

Zhou Wei and the others also noticed this and whispered among themselves, becoming increasingly excited about the upcoming movie.

"Long ago, there was a Monkey King named Sun Wukong..."

The movie started soon. Chen Xingzhu had just watched it once last night and was already familiar with the plot. This time, she was more focused on appreciating the visuals and found herself liking it even more. She even felt that she could learn from and draw inspiration from the visuals when she drew skin concept art in the future.

Zhou Wei and the others were watching the movie plot. They were familiar with the opening scene of Monkey King causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace and being imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain. Then, when Jiang Liuer appeared and Monkey King came out from under the Five Elements Mountain, it felt novel. Then, when Pigsy appeared, they even had a feeling of surprise and joy, like "meeting an old friend".

"Jiang Liuer is so cute!"

During a break in the movie, Zhou Wei leaned over and sighed.

"what……"

When the Monkey King's powers were sealed and Jiang Liuer was in danger, some people in the theater made sounds that were hard to tell, whether it was regret or pity. But when the Monkey King's powers were restored, they exclaimed "Wow!" and "So cool!"

Chen Xingzhu sensed the audience's emotions being stirred, and for some reason, felt an unusual joy in her heart, secretly thinking, "Today's box office should be higher than yesterday's, right?"

"It's really pretty."

After the movie ended, many people stayed to watch the final post-credits scene. One was for Liu Xiao Ling Tong, and the other was foreshadowing a second movie added by the production team after Xu Jin Huan strongly suggested adding a "pie in the sky" scene.

However, since no second part was planned when the story was originally written, it is uncertain whether it can actually be made. After all, based on the ending of the first part, it is highly likely that the battle to Heaven will resume, which would be equivalent to "making trouble in Heaven again," and there is nothing new about it.

However, if the story were to depict the journey to the West later on, with Jiang Liuer reincarnated as Tang Sanzang, it would overlap with the content of "Journey to the West".

Rewriting a story is not easy, especially a classic like this; it's easy to mess it up if you're not careful.

When Chen Xingzhu heard someone praising it, she instinctively thought it was Zhu Xinyao or her friends, but then she realized it was a girl next to her talking to her boyfriend. "I'm so glad I came to see this... The Great Sage is so handsome!"

I told you it looked good.

Many people in the theater were whispering among themselves. After watching the two post-credits scenes, they started discussing whether there would be a sequel.

Hearing this, Chen Xingzhu was delighted and became even more curious about the box office. She had downloaded the app on her phone beforehand and made a point of checking it out before leaving.

It's afternoon now, and the real-time box office figures are 62 million for "Tiny Times 4" and 58 million for "Forever Young," roughly 50-60% of yesterday's figures, while "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" has already surpassed 22 million.

It's higher than yesterday all day!

"so much?"

Chen Xingzhu's eyes widened in surprise. Zhou Wei and the others, hearing this, also curiously came over to look, but their reactions were completely different: "Only third?"

They were all used to Xu Jinhuan's legendary success in everything he did, so they were clearly disappointed to see that the box office was so much worse than the previous two.

"This is an animated film, it's already quite high."

Chen Xingzhu had no choice but to explain to them how impressive the box office figures were. She then took a screenshot and sent it to their group chat, along with the text: "Today's box office for most of the day has already surpassed yesterday's!" (End of Chapter)