How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 93 One whale fall, all things come to life
Public welfare.

In the West, it is the wealthy pandering to popular morality.

In the East, this refers to the rational allocation of certain social resources.

However, most charitable causes are disguised and involve splitting the profits 30/70.

In recent years, the frequent scandals involving celebrity philanthropy have made the public more cautious about the positive image of charity.

That's why the material for this year's Spring Festival Gala's "Donation" segment was created, which in turn boosted the traffic for Qu Shou's "Women's Aid Association".

That night, the pig farm's Weibo account became the biggest beneficiary, with tens of millions of views flooding into the platform in a short period of time, and Ding Lei couldn't stop smiling.

Secondly, Zeng Ziwei, after responding to the donation in a high-profile manner, quickly made it to the front page of major media outlets in Hong Kong. The previous negative comments were swept away, and even those who caused trouble offline were taken away by Arthur and his friends. The movie not only resumed its screenings, but even rose against the trend.

But while he was happy, other artists in Hong Kong were not. "You can do charity yourself, but why are you dragging us into it?"
However, due to public pressure, most people chose to make symbolic donations.

It's the Lunar New Year, so consider it a gift.

What's even more upsetting is that the two films, "Little Big Soldier" and "All Love," which were released on the same day as the Spring Festival, faced difficulties from many netizens and media during their promotional process due to the impact of the Women's Aid Association's public welfare news.

All three popular films released during the Spring Festival have done charity work. Do either of you have any plans to do charity work?

Although "All Love" is produced by Huayi Brothers, the main creators are mostly from Hong Kong. Recently, influenced by Wang Jing, the savior of the film industry, anything related to Hong Kong films is dragged out for comparison and criticism, because that's how the media gets topics.

And since the main creator of "Big Soldier" is Jackie Chan, who is one of the representatives of those who are at odds with Wang Jing, he naturally suffered concentrated attacks.

At first, both sides gave rather official responses, acknowledging the significance of the Women's Aid Association, but ultimately arguing that donations are a personal choice and there was no need to make a big deal out of it. They urged everyone to focus on the film and not be influenced by other things.

But things took a turn for the worse after both production teams released their opening day box office figures simultaneously.

"All Love" grossed over 10 million on its first day, and "The Soldier" grossed over 20 million on its first day!

Normally, this opening day box office performance would be a positive sign to boost moviegoers' confidence, but unfortunately, the film market during this Spring Festival is no longer so simple.

Because immediately afterward, Wang Jing posted a poster on the movie's opening week box office on the movie website to commemorate that the combined opening week box office of the two movies had exceeded 100 million yuan.

Most importantly, the poster also prominently features a donation amount, even more so than the box office figures, indicating that a huge fund of 500 million yuan will be donated as agreed!

If it's just a simple public welfare project, the public will just watch the show. But when faced with huge sums of money, the public's emotions will undergo a subtle chemical change, and the first thing to arise is resentment towards the rich.

Normally, if people only see celebrities making money, they might just make sarcastic remarks about how easy it is for them to earn money, but they can only comfort themselves by thinking that not everyone can make a living as a celebrity.

But now, because of the best moral high ground of 'public welfare,' complaints have become a real outlet for venting, which in turn has led to forced donations.

Director Wang is the savior of the film industry, and now he not only saves films but also does charity work. Aren't you colleagues ashamed? What gives you the right to enjoy such great wealth so comfortably?

Fame, money, movies, and the chance to chat with beautiful women—why?!

As a result, film and television forums like Kanpianer.com saw a surge of calls for the production teams of the films "All Love" and "The Soldier" to participate in donations to the Women's Aid Association.

The joy of the two film crews' successful opening day at the box office vanished instantly.

Because such public opinion will inevitably affect the film's promotion and distribution schedule and even its reputation.

These damn netizens, can't they just pay to watch the movie honestly? Why are they joining in this commotion?!
Do we need to spend an extra amount on public relations to control this?
Just as they were weighing the pros and cons, Zeng Ziwei added fuel to the fire, copying Wang Jing's approach by creating a poster that listed the box office and donation amounts. He also announced that he would lead the Xiangyi Association in a charity performance, with all proceeds donated to the Women's Aid Association in Anita Mui's name, with Anita Mui's eldest disciple, He Yunshi, serving as the host.

Hong Kong was in an uproar.

Following this, the Women's Aid Association released a new list of thank-you notes, the foundation's structure, and the status of its fundraising efforts on its official accounts on mainstream social media platforms such as Myspace and NetEase.

The list of thank-you notes has been expanded to include domestic women's forums and fashion organizations such as Pacific Women's Forum, Pig Farm Women's Forum, YK Fashion, and Fashion Bazaar, as well as numerous celebrities such as Deng Wendi, Su Mang, and Fan Bingbing, totaling over a hundred names. However, the donation amount for each individual/organization was not indicated; only the total donation amount of 380 million was stated.

Then the list of board chairpersons was announced: Qu Shou; vice chairpersons: Han Hong and Li Xue (Li Bingbing's sister); honorary board members: Yang Lan, Sister Ni, Sister Dong, etc.

The list includes female representatives from various sectors such as the entertainment, business, and fashion industries, and its lineup is, in some ways, no less impressive than that of the most prestigious Li Foundation in China.

At the same time, the funds account was made completely transparent and subject to supervision by the whole society. The funds raised so far will be mainly used for the more than 100 legal aid cases received so far, as well as for the establishment of a national women's aid college in conjunction with Principal Zhang of Huaping Girls' High School.

It is projected that over the next decade, hundreds of thousands of impoverished girls will be helped to leave the mountains, and tens of thousands of victimized women will be assisted in overcoming their difficulties.

She also founded the "Her Power" e-magazine, which specifically publishes the unsung stories of Principal Zhang and other representative figures.

The star-studded lineup caused a sensation on the internet almost instantly.

Immediately afterwards, a certain voice emerged on major movie platforms.

"Anyway, the quality of movies these days is so bad, and you have to pay to watch anything, so you might as well watch a movie about doing good deeds."

The next day, influenced by these comments, the box office predictions for "Big Soldier" and "All About Love," which were originally expected to continue rising, actually declined somewhat. On the contrary, the box office of Wang and Zeng's films showed signs of rising again.

This is the benefit of creating a pretext.

"Women's money is so easy to earn," Wang Jingfei exclaimed as she flew to Korea to personally thank Wang Yao.

"This is called girls helping girls. Director Wang, if you want to make a living in this field, you must remember this rule." Wang Yao smiled upon hearing this.

“Of course, of course, I, Lao Wang, always respect consumers the most. But this slogan is indeed quite touching; even I was inspired to create something after seeing it,” Wang Jing said with a smile.

“Slogans are the most important memory tool in marketing, so they definitely have to be catchy, but they don’t really have any practical significance…” Wang Yao laughed.

This slogan is representative, and the underlying logic is actually 'everyone for me, and I for everyone', but once a subject is added, it becomes narrow-minded.

However, narrow-mindedness has its advantages; it can quickly attract the corresponding group.

"But seeing the lineup of the Women's Supporters Association really shocked me. I didn't expect you to go all out like this?" Wang Jing exclaimed.

I originally thought Wang Yao was just using this as a pretext to make money, but I didn't expect it to be for real. Just looking at the announced projects, it would be hard to execute them without tens of millions of yuan.

Donating tens of millions to charity—I don't know if they've lost their mind or have some bigger scheme in mind.

“It’s not that I wanted to make it this big, it just so happens that these people all need an opportunity like this.” Wang Yao shook his head.

In the past two days, he has received calls from almost every force in the country, and finally, after much consultation, this list was finalized.

It's not that he wanted to be high-profile; it's that this group saw an opportunity to stimulate female consumption, which is why they were being so high-profile.

After all, supporting women is not just about shouting slogans; it requires spending real money. Otherwise, how can you justify shouting "GHG"?

Although it's a bit high-profile, it also has its advantages. Things that would normally require his personal attention and headaches can be handled by someone else, allowing him to quietly remain behind the scenes as a strategist.

Deng Wendi originally wanted to serve as the chairperson, but Wang Yao persuaded her against it, saying that if she were to step in, the matter would become more complicated.

"Actually, when women get ruthless, they can be more terrifying than men. From now on, everyone who wants to make a living in this industry will have to come and pay their respects to you first, boss," Wang Jing joked.

He can no longer regard Wang Yao as a junior.

It's a pity that "Let the Bullets Fly" hasn't been released yet, otherwise he would definitely have given his opinion.

The tax on his beloved daughter's livelihood was collected by Wang Yao a hundred years later.

"It's true that women are indeed more ruthless than men. There's a statistic from the US that shows female employees under female CEOs earn an average of about 10% less than the market average, while working 10% more hours."

Women do indeed possess more empathy, but everything has two sides. Having empathy also means having a more sensitive sense of self. Therefore, when faced with situations that truly affect their personal interests, women's thinking can become extremely aggressive and self-serving.

"You wouldn't want to know how complicated the process of compiling this list was. You need to know that an all-female list is a terrifying thing," Wang Yao said meaningfully.

"Women are like that, they can be very nice when they're in a good mood, but they won't show you any mercy when they turn on you. But no matter what, you did do a good thing," Wang Jing said with a smile.

Regardless of Wang Yao's motives, this action was indeed a good deed.

"Do you think Bernard will compromise?" Wang Yao asked curiously, as he didn't really know much about these production companies.

“Bernard wants to ring the bell this year, and as a starter film, ‘Big Soldier’ will definitely cost a fortune. And even if Bernard doesn’t compromise, Jackie Chan will definitely compromise. He’s been very protective of his reputation these past few years,” Wang Jing sneered.

"We'll be using Chen Weiting and Charlene Choi for Huayi's upcoming promotions. Director Wang, you don't mind, do you?" Wang Yao asked.

Faced with public pressure, Huayi Brothers was the first to abandon its strategy of controlling public opinion. Ren Quan calculated for Lao Wang that controlling public opinion would definitely cost more than the money donated, and it would be a thankless task. So Lao Wang compromised. "All Love" was actually a film with an investment of less than 20 million yuan. The opening day results did show signs of making money, so they only needed to consider how to make a profit while controlling the budget.

They are willing to pay money to avoid disaster.

But "Big Soldier" is different. Although it also had an investment of more than 20 million, Jackie Chan sacrificed his salary to get a share of the profits. So if you pay money to avoid disaster, then you are taking money out of Jackie Chan's own pocket.

You can spend the investors' money however you like, but you must be careful with your own money.

“Use it, my box office is basically there, and I don’t rely on actors to boost the box office.” Wang Jing said dismissively.

He used to think that a strong cast was the foundation for stable box office performance, but he learned from Wang Yao that the real key to stable box office performance is a combination of a good director, a compelling target audience, and effective marketing.

“I’ve had a lot of investors approaching me lately, could you give me some pointers, Yao?” Wang Jing smiled and pulled out a stack of project proposals; that was his real purpose.

Wang Yao took a look and picked out a few projects that he remembered. "This 'Austin Power' is good. You can rehash Chow Yun-fat's old dishes. It suits you. Most of the viewers who grew up watching the God of Gamblers series have grown up and have spending power. You can buy into their nostalgia. It fits your persona."

“I originally thought you would recommend ‘The Breakup Avengers,’ a female revenge comedy that fits the current trend.” Wang Jing said with some surprise.

"The Legend of Macau" is a typical male-dominated drama, so it won't attract much viewership.

“Gluttony will only lead to malnutrition. Director Wang, do you think the women’s films you make are what women want to watch?” Wang Yao retorted.

The last time Wang Jing directed a film about women was probably "Red Lamb," which would be heavily criticized nowadays. Moreover, the "women's film" category is not a good way to make easy money.

Because female viewers are very picky, it's easy to make a mistake if you're not careful.

In terms of tolerance, male viewers do indeed have a broader perspective.

Wang Jing chuckled and said, "Actually, not all of my films are vulgar."

"It's always better to be more cautious when making money," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you. Do you want to participate in this project?” Wang Jing was very receptive to advice.

"You can ask Ren Quan. I'm not in charge of this, but you can discuss publicity with me," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Then when it's finalized, you can help me choose the female lead." Wang Jing rubbed his hands together. In the past, the female lead was just a decorative vase for publicity, but now it's different.

It turns out that actresses have other ways of playing besides slapping each other and engaging in erotic games!
In the afternoon, the official account of the "All Love" production team posted a new message on the movie website.

She posted a charity statement signed with the Women's Aid Association, agreeing to donate 5% of the film's box office revenue, along with a promotional video filmed by the film crew.

Several actresses' comments received positive feedback, especially newcomer Yang Ying, who openly expressed the view that "it's not just a girl's first time that's important, it's every time," quickly gaining her a lot of goodwill on Myspace.

This is because she is the first fringe female celebrity to directly address the issues of chastity and devirginity.

Soon after, a lot of information about Yang Ying's early years as a model appeared on various forums, including her relationship with Chen Weiting, the male lead of the recently released movie "The Secret".

Recently, thanks to this movie, Chen Weiting has gained some recognition in China through his sweet interactions with Ah Sa. His looks are rare in the Chinese entertainment industry, and with Royal Entertainment designing a promotional campaign for him and Ah Sa as an on-screen couple, news and gossip are flying everywhere.

But just when things were going well, Yang Ying was also pushed into the spotlight, and the three of them quickly found themselves in a love triangle that the public loves to watch.

Faced with the shift in public opinion, Chen Weiting chose to remain silent and not respond, but this behavior hurt Ah Sa.

Recently, Ah Jiao has been deeply immersed in the image of an independent woman, and as her best friend, she naturally had to whisper sweet nothings in Ah Sa's ear, which led to a cold war between Ah Jiao and Chen Weiting.

In an interview, he even subtly mocked Chen Weiting for hiding and acting like a nobody at this time.

"Dating him isn't the same as dating me, why are you asking me? Ask him!"

Yang Ying, on the other hand, directly addressed the public opinion, stating that she had broken up with Chen Weiting last year, and that Sister Ah Sa was an actress she admired very much, from whom she had much to learn.

She also posted a Weibo on Myspace, showing off her ticket stub for "Mei Mi" and Ah Sa's album.

Charlene Choi (Ah Sa) then liked the Weibo post.

The two female protagonists in the scandal acted so openly that they shocked netizens.

Male netizens were very puzzled. Even if they broke up peacefully, why were the two women so nonchalant about it? And how could Chen Weiting's move seem so seamless?

How can this be forgiven?
Has the version been updated to include traditional Chinese virtues like having multiple wives and concubines?
However, Yang Ying's frank and honest behavior has earned her a lot of goodwill among male netizens. She dares to love and hate, and she didn't entangle herself even when the man was suspected of cheating. Isn't that the ideal ex?
Moreover, she is quite pretty, and viewers who have seen "All About Love" have praised her acting skills, indirectly attracting many new viewers to the film.

Female netizens were even more agitated, because the current information clearly suggests that Chen Weiting cheated on Ah Sa and seamlessly transitioned into a relationship with her, making Yang Ying the primary victim, right?

Moreover, judging from Ah Sa's actions, it seems she was also unaware of being the third party? That would make her the second victim.

Then Chen Weiting is a complete scumbag!

Soon, Chen Weiting's "scumbag" label was slammed by GHG's female fans, who even called on Wang Jing's various social media accounts to make him apologize to Chen Weiting.

For the first time, under news reports of male celebrities cheating online, there were no forgiving comments like "Men make mistakes," but rather sharp ones like, "If you've done it, you should have the courage to take responsibility. What kind of person hides like a coward?"

Despite the massive traffic on the Women's Supporters Association website, the news of "Chen Weiting, get out!" actually appeared on the front page of major portals.

Seeing that public opinion was drawn to this scandal, Jackie Chan and the "Big Soldier" crew finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When they saw "All About Love" being rejected, they did waver for a moment, but because of Jackie Chan's insistence, they did not bow to this "bad trend" and chose to stand up to it.

He firmly believes that with his influence and popularity accumulated over the years, the film will not flop because of this inexplicable pressure to donate.

He even planned to wait until things calmed down before calling on audiences to return to the essence of film and not be influenced by irrelevant or chaotic things.

Movies should be kept simple, wouldn't it be better?

But before he could even rejoice, another post popped up on the movie website, similar to the previous posts promoting Wang Jing and Zeng Ziwei. The post introduced Jackie Chan's resume and affirmed his achievements in the film industry.

The article also highlighted Jackie Chan's romantic history and his "harshness" towards his wife, even quoting an interview with Yang Lan from years ago about why he doesn't let his wife manage the money.

Finally, the little-known scandal involving his illegitimate daughter, Little Dragon Girl, brought up his classic quote from when he cheated: "I just made a mistake that all men make."
The sisters, already provoked by Chen Weiting's actions, instantly transformed into GHG justice warriors once again, pointing their guns at Cheng Long, who was still gloating.

By the time Jackie Chan realized something was wrong, the reputation of "Big Soldier" had already collapsed because of him. The box office, which was supposed to continue to break 10 million in the past few days, was almost halved.

But when he was meeting with his team to discuss emergency public relations, another bombshell news broke on the Myspace platform, leaving him completely speechless.

Wu Qili, the biological mother of Little Dragon Girl, accepted an interview with Yang Lan and accused Jackie Chan of being an irresponsible man who deceived all the audience, bringing up the mess from ten years ago again.

It seems they're planning to kill "Big Soldier" during the Spring Festival season.

"A conspiracy! This is definitely a conspiracy! Find out who is trying to frame me!" Cheng Long, whose temper had become much milder after turning fifty, finally erupted in fury.

Director Ding Sheng quickly advised, "Brother, calm down. Why don't you contact Director Wang?"

Ding Sheng was someone Wang Jing mentored. Although he later started his own business, there was still some friendship between them. Moreover, some inside information about Kanpianer.com has been circulating in the Beijing film circle recently.

He didn't want to ruin his future because of Cheng Long at this time.

"Why is that fat bastard messing with me? What good will it do him? If he gets rid of me, his lousy movie can still make another 200 million!" Jackie Chan roared in fury.

"It's not that Director Wang is targeting you, it's that Director Wang might know someone who can resolve this matter," Ding Sheng quickly explained.

Cheng Long tried his best to control his temper, but in the end he decided to back down.

When a whale falls, all things are born.

Jackie Chan is definitely one of the biggest whales in the film industry. Countless people want to bring him down, so when they saw these news reports, many people gloated.

Even Zeng Ziwei and Zhen Zitan, who were recently "accidentally" affected by Kanpianer.com, couldn't help but add fuel to the fire when they saw this news.

Especially with the case of Zhen Zitan, if Jackie Chan were to fall from grace, then the path of martial arts films would become his smooth road to success.

Keep it up, bro!

　感谢秋意随风起佳人入梦来、乌衣巷风帆依旧、抟风而上龙骑士、文Loong、天上青云、GD小乐、萌新收藏者、Richard517、守望老鼠、慢半拍的木偶人、四碟花生、我本譱凉、anpingluyil、guo1、无聊滴滴、邓鲲养殖户、给我认真写、星雨泪、叶天浩、长安小私塾、水粉誓言、球球挑战、白日鸣笛、河南坏小子、易_尘、诗酒趁豪华、喜欢茶妹、雪中带剑莫带伞、米闲、你中奖啦、风吹过的地方带走所有忧伤、双手插兜不知道什么是对手、迷梦行者、汐汐秦、孤者、amoid、纯洁如一i、林旭升、书友20230326231627046、书友160405102004289、书友20230326170426011、书友20220325142212569、书友20220505140630474、书友20230918382_CD、书友20210301106571728236、书友20220129234202104、书友20210417131151400的月票和推荐票支持~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)