The only sun in Huayu

Wu Yusen couldn't help but raise his fist and growl in his hotel room.

The gloom and depression of the past few days were swept away.

In front of the publicity and distribution coordinators sent by China Film Group, his back straightened instantly, and his voice became much stronger.

"I told you, a blockbuster has to look like a blockbuster! Audiences know what they're talking about! If it weren't for your previous influence that distracted me, I think breaking 30 million on the opening day would have been a piece of cake!"

The representative from China Film Group twitched slightly, but after looking at the astonishing data in black and white, he ultimately swallowed his rebuttal.

"The results are indeed gratifying. Director Wu, thank you for your hard work."

When Kurosawa Chiling learned the news in her hotel suite, she practically jumped for joy and hugged her manager in celebration.

Overwhelmed with joy, she lost her senses.

One of the most well-known actresses in mainland China, who became a sensation with "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," played a supporting role to her!

And she, a model who only made her big screen debut at the age of thirty, played the absolute female lead, Xiao Qiao, alongside an international film emperor like Liang Chaowei!

This is simply a meteoric rise, completely trampling the world underfoot and directly ascending to the ranks of top-tier actresses in the Chinese film industry!
She felt so light she could almost fly.

In the other room, Zhetian's feelings were much more complicated.

Her taking on this role was essentially a way to boost the profile of Kurosawa Chiling.

This is an unspoken rule among Hong Kong and Taiwan's capital circles.

I did feel humiliated.

But upon learning of the phenomenal box office performance on the first day, the humiliation vanished.

The price she paid was worth it, and she even received the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards in return.

Interpersonal relationships and resource exchanges are the norm in this industry.

The next day.

Even Han Sanping's brows relaxed for a moment when he saw the report.

"not bad."

However, it's only "not bad".

Considering that this two-part epic had a total investment of nearly 100 million US dollars and a cost of over 300 million RMB per part, and that it was distributed in an unprecedented number of over 1,100 copies.

This opening performance was just above average in his expectations, far from being a pleasant surprise.

After all, how much did "The Eunuch" and "Lost in Thailand" cost?
The next few days.

The box office of "Red Cliff" soared amid astonishing controversy.

In its first four days, the box office successfully surpassed 100 million yuan.

John Woo was still delighted, but his smile was not as flamboyant as it was on the first day.

He keenly sensed that there were more and more piercing sounds.

Moreover, this opening week performance, despite surpassing the opening weekend box office, seems to be lower than that of "Lost in Thailand," which grossed 120 million.

Its highest box office only exceeded 30 million, which is still far from the 40 million of "Lost in Thailand".

Even Friday and Saturday's box office was about the same, with Saturday's only slightly exceeding Friday's, and Sunday's box office falling below 20 million.

When the preliminary daily box office figures arrived on Monday, the numbers were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing all of John Woo's enthusiasm.

It has fallen below 10 million!

The magnitude of the drop is alarming!
"This is definitely a shady deal!"

Wu Yusen flew into a rage in his hotel room and slammed an entertainment newspaper onto the table.

Pointing to an article that compares "The Governor" with "Red Cliff" and launches a scathing attack on "Red Cliff".

"Someone is targeting us! It's Shen Shandeng! It must be him! He can't stand to see us doing well!"

Zhang Jiazhen, standing nearby, felt a chill run down his spine and quickly stepped forward to calm him down: "Johnwo, calm down! It can't be Shen Shandeng. Look at these media outlets that are criticizing him the most; they've also criticized his film 'Lost in Thailand' for being vulgar and plagiarizing. And the Taiwanese and Hong Kong media outlets are also making some noise."

"Its reputation has really started to crumble."

"Collapse? What do you mean by collapse?!" Wu Yusen roared.

Zhang Jiazhen sighed and forced a smile as he explained, "That's right, the audience isn't buying it. The criticisms mainly focus on the drastic changes to history, the inappropriate characters, the cringeworthy dialogue, and the slow pacing."

He glanced at Wu Yusen's ashen face and didn't dare say that Kurosawa Chiling's baby voice and acting skills were the target of public criticism.

Wu Yusen snatched the public opinion briefing from Zhang Jiazhen's hand, his face growing paler with each reading.

Such phrases include "Zhuge Liang had some knowledge of midwifery", "Mengmeng stood up", "Every woman has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation", and "Guan Yu taught the Book of Poetry".

These were carefully crafted, supposedly humorous, scenarios that he and his wife had planned.

They all became a laughing stock and evidence of their crimes.

Some even criticized his style as Westernized, like an old version of Saving Private Ryan, losing its Eastern charm.

"They don't understand! They don't understand movies at all!"

Wu Yusen was so angry that he was trembling all over.

Worried that John Woo might cause trouble, Terence Chang lowered his voice and hinted, "Johnwo, this time, it's probably not entirely a problem with the film itself. There are some forces at play outside the film; after all, Hong Kong and Taiwan are also involved."

He didn't say it explicitly, but the meaning in his eyes was clear.

Wu Yusen was stunned.

Also stunned was Kurosawa Chiling, who had just been strolling on clouds.

In just a few days, she was almost overwhelmed by a deluge of negative comments.

Newspapers, online forums, and even television entertainment news are all mocking her acting skills and her voice. They are scrutinizing her portrayal of "Xiao Qiao" with unwavering intensity.

In an instant, they fell from heaven to hell.

She didn't care about the mockery, but the volume of the voices was too great.

They dug up all sorts of gossip about her outside of mainland China.

These things that mainland media wouldn't have reported in the past seem to have lost some kind of protection now.

This means that her efforts, her long-cherished dream of making money in mainland China, are more difficult than she imagined.

Kurosawa Chiling hid in her room, her eyes red from crying.

She and her agent also called their home in Taiwan to cry to their parents.

The response from the other end was hesitant and evasive.

"Ah Ling, this time, the situation is a bit special. It doesn't seem to be targeting you personally."

After hearing the explanation, Kurosawa Chiling was completely dumbfounded.

Her family, however, prides themselves on standing with the "civilized world" and enjoying a certain kind of "freedom" as a form of protection.

Was this a case of being mistakenly harmed by the "civilized world"?

Even the sky-covering barrier was not spared.

She was also caught in a storm of criticism, with people saying she shouldn't have lowered herself to promote a newcomer and shouldn't have taken on such a bad film, ruining her reputation.

She used her extensive network of contacts, especially those closely connected to the Japanese side, to inquire, but the feedback she received left her speechless with frustration.

She felt as if she had been lightly brushed by a tremendous force, and that single touch sent shivers down her spine.

However, she was not angry; instead, her desire to join the "civilized world" intensified.

Nortel.

In July, the campus is less bustling than usual, as most undergraduates have already left for vacation.

Only a few scattered figures and the incessant chirping of cicadas remained.

After completing the final procedures, Shen Shandeng received the heavy graduation certificate and degree certificate, marking the end of his university career.

"Take a picture of me here."

He pointed to a lawn in front of the teaching building and handed the camera to his girlfriend, Da Mimi, who was standing next to him.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on him.

Da Mimi took the camera and carefully looked for the right angle.

Looking at the tall, upright man in his graduation gown in the camera lens, her heart skipped a beat.

No matter how many times she saw him, the man's aura always captivated her.

After taking several photos, a surprised yet slightly shy voice chimed in.

"Senior Shen? It really is you!"

The two turned around and saw Da Tian Tian standing not far away, wearing a refreshing dress.

She jogged over.

"Senior, are you going back to school today to complete your graduation procedures? That's great, I didn't expect to run into you!"

Da Mimi's smile was a little stiff, but she quickly smiled again.

Tell yourself that this is normal social interaction; it's just upperclassmen and underclassmen greeting each other when they meet, and it's no big deal.

But the string in my heart involuntarily tightened.

Why are there so many girls throwing themselves at Shen Shandeng?

Shen Shandeng nodded: "Yes, just finished. What are you doing here?"

"I have something to do at school, and I was just about to go eat."

Da Tian Tian smiled radiantly, her gaze sweeping over the degree certificate in Shen Shan Deng's hand, her tone filled with admiration.

"Senior, you're amazing! You graduated so quickly and achieved so much."

Shen Shandeng smiled noncommittally, glanced at the time, and said, "It's lunchtime anyway, shall we go together?"

Jing Tian's eyes lit up, and she immediately nodded: "Okay, okay!"

Da Mimi: "."

Thus, what was originally a group of two became a group of three.

Just as I reached the school gate, I "bumped into" Shuangzi, Da Tiantian's classmate.

The little girl looked timid, but the curiosity and excitement in her eyes were unmistakable.

After a brief greeting, Shuangzi said, "I haven't eaten either."

She looked at Shen Shandeng, her face flushing.

"Can I come along?"

Shuangzi is a bit eccentric, but she's currently a freshman in college.

Shen Shandeng glanced at Yang Mi, whose mood had clearly dropped, and said indifferently, "It's okay, let's go together."

The group got into a low-key but luxuriously furnished car. Just as the car started, Shen Shandeng's phone rang. It was Ma Youde calling: "Boss, congratulations on graduating! I have great news! The latest data and analysis I just got show that *Red Cliff*'s box office has plummeted, and its reputation has collapsed! The media are all saying you've surpassed John Woo and even the three major directors!" (End of Chapter)