Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 142 Hearing Thunderclaps in Subtle Influence!
"It broke 100 million in the first week?"

Nanjing,

film crew

At 2:00 AM on March 31, Jing Tian received a text message from the road administration.

His eyes widened instantly with excitement.

"Correct."

Lu Zheng's eyes were also clear at this moment, and he gasped.

"Not only did it surpass 100 million views, but it also received good reviews. Although some unpleasant comments emerged, overall, there were very few negative reviews. The production team even specifically asked many viewers for their opinions,"

Lu Zhengdao said, "Some viewers said that even just for those two free songs, this movie is worth watching."
Some say that in the end, it really made them cry a lot. The beginning was so absurd that it made people laugh, but later it made people's emotions gradually shift, making it easy to fall into the trap set by the director or screenwriter.

In this case, although it doesn't have many of the characteristics of a blockbuster film overall,

But the complete story, the emotional shifts, the touching reversals, and the occasional humor make this film at least commercially lighthearted enough, making it the most suitable choice for this release window.

Some viewers said that the movie was novel enough. Although the plot was plain, it was not bad. The main thing was that it brought a different viewing experience. It even brought emotional value because of the father-daughter relationship. That was enough.

Some viewers said they watched it purely for Cao Zhong and Xu Zheng, and thought it was alright.

But unsurprisingly, your performance left a deep impression on every viewer; most of the people I asked knew the name of your film character.

"That's good then." Jing Tian was very energetic and couldn't sleep.

"I really didn't expect that. I thought my senior brother was just saying it casually when he mentioned breaking 100 million."

Lu Zheng sighed, "I actually had my doubts back then. Even after 'Nanjing Photo Studio,' I was mostly just taking a gamble. I only boarded the ship after seeing China Film Group and others get on board. I really didn't expect this."

Lu Zheng smiled, then realized he shouldn't have told Jing Tian that, and instead said,

"By the way, Sweetie, Director Cao asked Starlight Brilliant to cooperate with the promotion of the 'Extraterrestrial Virus' dance pose challenge. I also promoted it on major internet platforms as he requested. In order to further expand the popularity, I also set up a poll. Netizens voted to choose the most outrageous dance pose, and finally, based on the ranking, I randomly gave away a little money."

The champion will receive a prize of 300,000, and even those who come in seventh to tenth place will receive a prize of 20,000.

This event will definitely boost the movie's popularity even further! Please cooperate then.

"I understand, Uncle Lu," Jing Tian said. "I need to rest; I still have filming to do during the day."

"it is good!"

After hanging up the phone, Lu Zheng looked out through the starlit French windows.
Beijing is a large city, and with the Olympics in full swing, the city was brightly lit even in the early hours of the morning.

But Lu Zheng looked at the direction of the new property Cheng Ying had bought, and thought of Cao Zhong, and Cao Zhong's previous attacks on the "Left and Right" newspaper. Suddenly he smiled, his expression very solemn.

"Each generation has its own Jinggang Mountain."

A moment later, he made a phone call.

"The China Times should make arrangements to provide Cao Zhong with more support, including relevant internet resources; whatever they can provide, they should provide."

"Yes, Mr. Lu."

A positive reply came from the other end of the phone.

Last year, in the fiercely competitive Beijing newspaper market, the *China Times* resolutely withdrew from the fray, amidst competition from more than ten other metropolitan newspapers in the city.
With Wanda's support, the newspaper changed course and was relaunched, finally surviving.

Since a great battle of ideas and art is destined to take place, the road administration can do something for Cao Zhong within its authority.

And he did it willingly.

Cao Zhong had no idea that a news media outlet with a history of misconduct...

On the battlefield he couldn't see, they had already chosen to stand on his side in the conflict of 'art'.

As long as he wins, there will be people to defend him!
……

"My Disqualified Daughter grossed over 100 million yuan in its first six days of release! Cao Zhong's previous boast was not an empty promise!"

"Shen Aocheng becomes the fifth director in mainland China to join the '100 Million Yuan Club,' following Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Feng Xiaogang, and Cao Zhong!"

"My Disqualified Daughter, relying on its creativity and setting, has crushed National Treasure 2 and Hollywood blockbuster 10,000 BC, with its screenings and national screening rate rising sharply!"

"Xu Zheng, the life transformation from actor to director."

"Jing Tian, ​​a new actress, became an instant sensation, and the second 'Loyal Girl' was born!"

"Shen Ao beat Emmerich, director of 'The Day After Tomorrow,' and 'My Disqualified Daughter' overtook '10,000 BC' in just five days, becoming the highest-grossing imported film of the first quarter of this year!"

The entertainment media was in an uproar.

When Shen Ao was interviewed by the media, he brought up the comparisons between himself and Emmerich, and also talked about "10,000 BC".

"I have great respect for Emmerich, the director of '10,000 BC,' but the failure of '10,000 BC' was actually inevitable."

Facing the crowd, Shen Ao smiled and said, "In '10,000 BC,' white men are always at the center, symbolizing non-Western civilization as a primitive and barbaric term, and reinforcing stereotypes with fantasy elements such as 'four-legged monsters' and 'rainforest dinosaurs.' It's unlikely to achieve a box office of over 100 million yuan in China."

This is a mainstream American film with a 'Western-centric' perspective. It is a declaration of freedom and speech given by the ancestors of Americans to the vast oppressed people of the Third World, and it is an export of their values.

The online reviews of this movie, such as "too childish" and "very boring," seem to reflect a similar sentiment in the case of "My Disqualified Daughter."

My film lacks the suspense and multi-task convergence of Cao Zhong's previous film "Nanjing Photo Studio," as well as the multi-narrative twists and turns of Ning Hao's "Crazy Stone." The setup for the twists and turns is relatively simple.

But for this film, I used strong genre elements and traditional Chinese family storytelling to move the audience with sincere emotions.

I believe that this display of kinship among Chinese people, and even across Asia, is a true expression of civilization for Chinese audiences, in contrast to so-called superior civilizations.

Because he represents the steadfast love of a father in Chinese tradition, and also promotes the moral concept of respecting fathers in our country.

I don't want to create a cold, hopeless, or unresolved atmosphere, nor do I want to convey the theme of growing up without a father's love. Instead, I want to tell every Chinese viewer...
In most cases, you may have felt abandoned by everyone in the world, but your parents will most likely stay by your side.

But in short, I've taken all the criticism from the audience into account, and I'll learn from that experience to bring you even better works in the future.

Shen's humble remarks quickly sparked a wave of public discussion.

This also resonated with many netizens.

Some viewers even took their parents to the cinema on the weekend to experience the movie.

Some media outlets that had previously criticized "My Disqualified Daughter" for its simple plot and abrupt plot twists were silenced by Shen Ao's remarks.

Shen Ao not only proactively discussed his film issues, but also outlined his future prospects, and even talked about the deeper reasons behind his film surpassing "10,000 BC".

When reporting, it's important not to show favoritism.

When discussing "Disqualified Daughter," it's essential to also discuss "10,000 BC."
Discussing "10,000 BC," this film is so idiotic, and the export of American values ​​is too blatant.

Therefore, when the media talks about it, they can only praise the visual spectacle.

But Shen Ou also brought up the values ​​behind the film. This caused some media outlets to break down, comparing Shen Ou's speech to the film "10,000 BC," which they interpreted as attacking their "father," the United States—a red line that should not be mentioned.

Simply criticizing the Olympic bid without discussing "10,000 BC" has led netizens to label them as some media outlets infected by the "extraterrestrial virus" mentioned by Cao Zhong recently, making them too conspicuous. And this infection is indeed real; some media outlets are afraid of creating a media frenzy.

This put many media outlets in a difficult position, leaving them completely at a loss.

Some media outlets were completely dumbfounded!
Ultimately, they could only resort to indirect and malicious actions in the media, angrily criticizing screenwriter Cao Zhong and director Shen Ao for using parental love to swindle money from audiences. They argued it was exploiting family bonds, just like the exploitation of suffering in "Nanjing Photo Studio."

This made the audience very disgusted.

"Making a movie about fatherly love is just exploiting family affection."

Then why was Yasujiro Ozu's "Tokyo Story," a film about the alienation of family ties, considered art and the pinnacle of East Asian cinema? Wasn't that also exploiting family relationships?
The positive aspect of filming family dramas is that it allows people to exploit family bonds.

Filming the negative aspects of family relationships is the pinnacle of art.

What's wrong? Is it because there's only one household registration book left in the family? So you've never seen a father love his daughter?

Have you no shame?

"So rushed? Are you terrified, like you've lost your parents?"

This put some media outlets in an extremely awkward position.

……

"Is this meant to awaken the Chinese people's concept of respecting their fathers and mothers?"

"Why don't our media outlets attack these kinds of narratives on our behalf? Why? Are we just throwing our money at them for nothing?"

Inside the office of the US Cultural Commissioner,

Gustavo narrowed his eyes, his expression growing increasingly grim.
He glanced at the office staff around him, pounding his fists fiercely on the table, seemingly oblivious to the pain.

The atmosphere in the office was extremely heavy, and the air pressure seemed much lower.

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

"answer me!"

Gustavo looked at those people.
"A movie that broke 100 million in such a short time, and involved such an incorrect red line, why did I only receive a report after the movie broke 100 million? Are you all just sitting around doing nothing? Huh?!"
Moreover, I am very angry that this was mentioned in "10,000 BC".

What use are those media outlets we support if they don't dare speak up for us?

"We'll contact the relevant media immediately to launch an attack," someone said.

Gustavo let out a long sigh.

Narratives of Fatherly Love! Narratives of Fatherly Love in China!
This is something that the United States strongly opposes.

They are well aware of the terror of Chinese civilization, but what frightens them most is not just the system, but the difference in ideology.

The West respects Christianity, therefore they emphasize equality for all. God's children are equal, with no one obligated to support or care for anyone else. There is no reverence or obedience, but rather freedom and fraternity.

Even some Europeans still have an "Oedipus complex".

This is something that China cannot accept.

Even Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) was ridiculed by the vast majority of Chinese people for his marriage to Empress Wu Zetian.

This concept is completely different from that of the Chinese.

There are too many similar sayings like "our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents," "our ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke," and "our family genealogy has a separate page"...

If there were a religion in China that would terrify the West the most.

That is the concept of respecting fathers and mothers, and valuing family and country brought about by thousands of years of Confucian civilization.

It is ancestor worship.

Historically, this is the fundamental reason why Chinese civilization has never been interrupted despite setbacks over thousands of years.

This is also something the West least wants to see China promote vigorously, and something it has been continuously trying to attack.

They couldn't say it directly, but as long as it's in a Western film,
In Chinese families, they have been trying to create a "father's death" narrative to subtly influence the Chinese people.

When dealing with the role of the Chinese character, it's necessary to design the concept of the absent father figure and create different versions of the narrative, such as "evil father," "foolish father," and "absent father."
However, when it comes to shaping Eastern men, they involve "de-sexual" tendencies, rather than family aspects.

For example, actors like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Chow Yun-fat played characters who couldn't possess the allure of a romantic partner or feminine charm.
Rather, they are simply tools for fighting and for vilification.

But today, Gustavo feels the challenge.

As the newly appointed Mr. Smith, this Chinese film that grossed over 100 million yuan, and even surpassed the box office success of "10,000 BC", is a warning to him!

How could Gustavo not be furious?!

“Mr. Smith,” someone said, looking at Gustavo with trepidation.

"We overlooked the fact that Shen is a newcomer. We didn't realize that a film with such a strong genre would involve this kind of content."
Our attention has been mostly focused on Cao's new film, and on the movie "Li Yannian."

Some people tried to explain, but it was to no avail.
Gustavo looked at everyone, speaking coldly and sarcastically.

“From now on, all vacations are canceled. I don’t care what methods you use, I will subject this narrative technique to the most severe attack.”

"In the global film industry, I will not allow China to have any chance of rising to prominence."

What we want is for them to become more feminine, more civilized, and more liberal.

Don't let me down!

All those present could only agree.

Gustavo glared angrily at everyone, clenching his fists.

But in his heart, he was thinking of Cao Zhong.

"Cao, did I underestimate you?"

"But thankfully, this year we've prepared a generous gift for you Chinese people: Kung Fu Panda. How long can your narrative of fatherly love last with my marketing and box office success?"

"When it comes to subtle influence, America is truly unrivaled!"

Gustavo muttered to himself, feeling a vague unease as he thought about the box office success of "My Disqualified Daughter".

The film shocked him like a thunderbolt.

He didn't know whether it was an accident or whether Cao Zhong had truly discovered their long-standing, subtle psychological manipulation and secret plans.

If it's true, then Cao might not be able to be kept alive!
(End of this chapter)