This director lacks vision.

Chapter 38 Qin Lan's Disappointment

June 1st is International Children's Day.

The homepage of Sohu.com has been updated with a news item.

[Exclusive Interview with Jiang Yifeng, the "King of Web Series"—A Self-Made Director Who Came to the Scene Later in Life]

Those who follow Sohu Video should have heard of the name Jiang Yifeng.

In the past two months, he has filmed several web dramas, including "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils: Jiang Xiaoyu", "King of Bathing", and "Jogging". He also produced and planned the entertainment program "Dashan Talks", which brought a lot of laughter to netizens.

As of May 31, Jiang Yifeng had 205 million followers on Sohu Video, making him the video blogger with the most followers in China.

Today we have invited Jiang Yifeng for an exclusive interview to answer some of the questions that netizens are most concerned about.

Sohu Entertainment conducted an exclusive interview with Jiang Yifeng, partly to counter competition from Baidu and to promote its Creator Partner Program.

By promoting Jiang Yifeng, we can attract more content creators and solidify our position as the number one video website in terms of market share.

On the other hand, it's also an advertisement for Jiang Yifeng's movie "Old Boys".

In the interview, Jiang Yifeng revealed some of his experiences, talked about his income after filming web series on Sohu, and also mentioned that he is currently filming a web movie called Old Boy, which will be released on July 1st.

To achieve better promotional results, Jiang Yifeng abandoned the concept of micro-movies and directly called Old Boys an online feature film.

This name is more catchy and easier to remember.

This interview was broadcast in both text and video formats on Sohu.com and Sohu Video.

This attracted a lot of attention and comments from netizens.

"So Jiang Yifeng was a law student, not a directing major. He became a director halfway through his career. That's really impressive."

"Director Jiang is a top student from Beijing Normal University, with a college entrance examination score of over 600. He is a true academic superstar. People like him can succeed at anything."

"Are 'The King of Bathhouses' and 'The Hero Jiang Xiaoyu' really that profitable? Two web series earned more than 400 million yuan? Such high profits make me want to start making videos too."

"Jiang Yifeng is the absolute top performer at Sohu Video. With the support of Sohu's internal staff, others certainly wouldn't earn this much, but it's still a very high income."

"Sohu is really awesome. Zhang Chaoyang truly deserves to be called the godfather of the internet. He's willing to lead everyone to make money together. We netizens also benefit, with more great videos available. This is what a healthy business ecosystem looks like."

"Looking forward to Jiang Yifeng's online movie 'Old Boys'! As Jiang Yifeng said, he is the director recommended by netizens, and we should support him."

"I must support it! I'm eagerly awaiting the release of 'Old Boys'!"

"Jiang Yifeng doesn't eat steamed buns? That won't do! Steamed buns are the most delicious thing in the world, especially pan-fried ones!"

"Haha, everyone has different tastes, but it seems there aren't many Chinese people who don't eat steamed buns. Director Jiang, would you like some dumplings?"

"So the 'Da Shan Kan Da Shan' show was also produced by Director Jiang. Director Jiang is awesome! Let Lu Chuan Tai Jun see what a real director is!"

"Lu Chuan should make a real movie of his own first. You're a trashy director who's just trying to gain fame."

In the comments section, some netizens mentioned Lu Chuan.

In response, Lu Chuan reacted as if he were under pressure and immediately posted a blog entry.

"I've seen 'The Great Hero Jiang Xiaoyu' and 'The King of Bathhouse,' and they're not even as good as comedy sketches."

This kind of video is low-quality garbage and doesn't deserve to be called a drama, let alone a movie.

Jiang Yifeng is an amateur who doesn't understand what film is at all. He should just go and memorize the laws instead of insulting the art of film!
Today, I'll analyze from a professional perspective the shoddy nature of videos like "King of Bathhouses"...

That evening, at the Yanjing Yuanyang New Line residential complex.

Qin Lan looked at Lu Chuan, who was constantly typing on the keyboard in the study, and felt very helpless.

She poured a cup of tea, placed it on the desk, and advised, "Forget it. You're a well-known director now; there's no need to take a newcomer so seriously."

In Qin Lan's view, her boyfriend Lu Chuan had already achieved great success.

The film "Kekexili" has won numerous awards, including at the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Hong Kong Film Awards, the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards, and the mainland's Golden Rooster and Huabiao Awards.

Although "Nanjing Nanjing" was not a complete success, it grossed 1.5 million yuan and generated considerable buzz, which is considered a testament to the director's influence.

Given Lu Chuan's current status, it would be both beneath him and unwise for him to grudge against someone as insignificant as Jiang Yifeng.

Lu Chuan didn't speak, he just typed away.

After finishing his blog post, he clicked send, and then said resentfully, "You don't know, the second episode of 'Da Shan Kan Da Shan' has already surpassed 700 million views!"
This only represents the number of views within the Sohu video site.

If we include external platforms and other channels, the number of views has definitely exceeded ten million.

Because of this episode, everyone is calling me Lu Chuan Taijun and saying I'm a plagiarist.

This had a great impact on me.

"Even Mr. Qin is unwilling to invest in my next film!"

Hearing her boyfriend say this, Qin Lan realized the seriousness of the situation and asked, "Is it really that serious?"

The main reason why Xingmei was unwilling to invest in Lu Chuan's new movie was that "Nanjing Nanjing" had lost money.

Nan Jing claims to have invested 2 million yuan, but after removing any exaggerations, it's definitely around 1 million yuan.

The film grossed 1.5 million yuan, but after accounting for revenue sharing and the sale of the copyright, it still resulted in a small loss. This was personally confirmed by Wang Zhongjun.

Wang Zhongjun said in an interview, "If we had known that 'Nanjing Nanjing' would only result in a small loss, we would have invested in this movie."

His words were very sarcastic.

Because Lu Chuan's director contract with Huayi Brothers requires him to direct at least three films.

Huayi Brothers only filmed two movies before voluntarily giving up Lu Chuan's contract, which can be considered a successful way to avoid trouble.

Star Media is currently losing money, so naturally they are unwilling to invest in Lu Chuan's next film.

Instead of looking for the cause within himself, Lu Chuan blamed the program "Da Shan Kan Da Shan".

He nodded and said, "It's more serious than you think. I was chatting with President Qin the other day, and he hadn't even read my new script."

Lu Chuan's new script is "Hongmen Banquet", which later became "The King's Feast".

The investment for this movie was very difficult to negotiate. It is rumored that Qin Lan even took out her own savings to invest in the movie in order to support her boyfriend.

Upon hearing this, Qin Lan frowned.

She was convinced that Lu Chuan was her soulmate and hoped that he would become more and more successful so that she could be content being a director's wife.

I never expected my boyfriend to encounter a career crisis.

Seeing that the time was right, Lu Chuan said, "There is a possibility that this matter may turn around."

"Do you have any idea?"

"President Qin said he really likes your portrayal of Zhihua. As long as he's satisfied, the investment is still worth discussing."

Snapped!
Qin Lan was furious upon hearing this, and her straightforward temper flared up, so she slapped Lu Chuan across the face.

"What do you take me for! Ever since I've been with you, I've always used camera tricks for kissing scenes, and I'm very careful in general, but you want to give me away to someone else to play with!"

A handprint appeared on Lu Chuan's face. He was furious, but he held back and said in a low voice, "Lanlan, please help me this once."

Do you know how important the Feast at Hongmen was to me?

This is my first truly commercial blockbuster, a crucial step in my directing career, and a testament to our love.

Can you bear to let this movie be aborted because it can't find investment?

You know, I believe in Platonic love.

As long as we love each other spiritually, physical intimacy can be ignored.

I guarantee that as long as the filming of "The Feast at Hongmen" begins, you will be the female lead.

This movie is sure to be a success. Once it grosses over 3 million, I will propose to you publicly at the celebration party.

We will become a model couple that everyone envies!

Hearing Lu Chuan's words, Qin Lan wavered.

Qin Lan, who rose from an ordinary person to a second-tier actress, has certainly encountered unspoken rules and unethical practices.

At this time, she still had some illusions about love.

Qin Lan was silent for a moment, then said, "Give me a few days to think about it."

Lu Chuan understood Qin Lan and knew that if Qin Lan said this, there was a good chance of success. He couldn't pressure her anymore, or it would backfire.

He stood up and said, "Then take your time to think it over. I'm going home now. Call me if you need anything."

After Lu Chuan left, Qin Lan plopped down on the sofa, feeling very confused.

At this moment, she felt that she had entrusted herself to the wrong person and wanted to break up with Lu Chuan, but she couldn't bear to give up this relationship, and even more so, she couldn't bear to give up the dream of being the wife of a famous director.

During her time dating Lu Chuan, Qin Lan experienced many benefits.

Having a famous director as a boyfriend means that people will give you face when you go out.

Her sisters all envied her, and her vanity was satisfied.

After thinking it over, Qin Lan decided to call Gan Wei, the fifth sister of the Teddy Sisters, to see if she could secure some investment.

She didn't want to go to President Qin unless absolutely necessary.

Qin Lan understood that men are petty, and once they take that step, their intimate relationship will be cracked.

If Lu Chuan becomes successful in the future, he might not necessarily marry her.

"Sister Lan, it's not that I don't want to help you, but LeEco is in a critical period of listing and doesn't have extra funds to invest in movies."

"Once LeEco goes public, I'll definitely tell my husband to support Lu Chuan."

Since Gan Wei's approach was blocked, Qin Lan wanted to call Gao Yuanyuan again.

I'd like to ask Gao Yuanyuan to help me take down the program videos; that might make a difference.

(End of this chapter)