Huayu Entertainment: The Birth of a Succubus Top Star

Gu Zhiyan looked at Mao Xiaotong with pity.

"What are you looking at? Open the door now!" Mao Xiaotong rolled her eyes.

Okay, among all the older and younger women, Mao Xiaotong was the fiercest to him.

She's the sweetest-looking, but the fiercest-talking.

However, she has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, which gives her a unique charm.

"Mom, we have guests."

Gu Zhiyan shouted at his mother, who was watching a TV series.

Gu's mother is also a TV drama enthusiast. She watches dramas whenever she has time, especially those starring Gu Zhiyan. She watches them over and over again and never gets tired of them.

When Gu's mother saw Mao Xiaotong following behind Gu Zhiyan, she was stunned: "We just saw one off this morning, and another one is here this afternoon?"

Is there really a need to rush him to bring a girl home?

Are they planning to line up and lead people in?

That brat didn't even give me a heads-up beforehand, how did he end up with this thing?

Gu's mother got up and went to greet her. She first gave Gu Zhiyan a subtle glare, then warmly took Mao Xiaotong's hand: "This must be Xiaotong. Xiaoyan has mentioned you to me a lot. You're really beautiful."

Gu Zhiyan: Mom's words sound so familiar.

He had originally planned to introduce Mao Xiaotong, since the two had never had any scandals, but he didn't expect his mother to know her too.

Gu's mother: Is it easy being a mother? I've worried myself sick over my son.

Not only those who had been rumored to be romantically involved with Gu Zhiyan, but also all the young and beautiful female artists who had worked with Gu Zhiyan, Gu's mother recognized them all.

This is to prevent the situation we are in today from happening someday.

Poor parents!

Mao Xiaotong smiled sweetly and said, "Hello, Auntie, it's me, Mao Xiaotong. I just happened to be in Beijing today, so I came to visit you and Uncle."

After speaking, Mao Xiaotong glanced at Gu Zhiyan suspiciously: Did he really mention her to Auntie?

This girl isn't as easily fooled as Da Tian Tian.

"Good girl, please sit down. Auntie will pour you a glass of water."

"No need to trouble yourself, Auntie, I'm not thirsty."

"Mom, let me do it. You talk to Xiaotong for a bit." Gu Zhiyan took over and got up to pour water.

After that, they didn't care about Zhiyan anymore; the mother and daughter chatted enthusiastically.

Gu Zhiyan admired his mother for this; she could chat with anyone and never let the conversation fizzle out.

As it was getting late, Mao Xiaotong said, "Auntie, it's getting late, I should go back now."

These words startled Gu's mother: "Why leave? We should at least have dinner together."

"Alright then." Mao Xiaotong nodded.

It wasn't that she didn't want to leave; it was that her aunt insisted she stay.

Gu Zhiyan found it hilarious; Mao Xiaotong had truly mastered the art of saying one thing and meaning another.

Gu's mother glared at Gu Zhiyan: "What are you laughing at? Go and cook."

"Auntie, he can cook?"

Mao Xiaotong asked the same question as Da Tiantian.

"Of course you can! Let me tell you, that brat is a fantastic cook..."

Gu Zhiyan: Sooner or later, my mom will make everyone know that I can cook.

What if all the older and younger women want to eat his cooking in the future?

Sigh, I guess I should switch careers and become a chef.

"What happened between you and Xiaotong? Did you have a fight?"

While Mao Xiaotong was in the bathroom, Gu's mother ran to the kitchen.

"No, it's fine." Gu Zhiyan shook her head.

"Then why did she say she was leaving?"

"She's shy and a little embarrassed. After dinner, if you ask her to stay, she'll agree immediately," Gu Zhiyan said confidently.

real or fake?

Aunt Gu left with a suspicious look on her face.

As it turned out, Gu Zhiyan was right. After dinner, Mao Xiaotong said she wanted to leave, but Gu's mother asked her to stay, and she immediately nodded in agreement.

Bedtime, bedroom.

"You bastard, you got what you deserved," Mao Xiaotong said "hatefully."

Gu Zhiyan...

If you don't want to stay, we can't force you to stay.

As stubborn as ever.

Gu Zhiyan didn't argue: "Yes, yes, my wicked scheme succeeded."

Mao Xiaotong rolled her eyes at Gu Zhiyan and continued, "By the way, what did you say to Auntie? This afternoon, Auntie talked to me about having a baby."

At this point, Mao Xiaotong blushed, a rare occurrence for her.

"You're wronging me. I didn't say anything. Hmm, it's probably just that Mom is desperate for a grandson. Just listen to her and don't take it to heart."

"What do you mean, 'our mom'? You're not allowed to make any moves on me. Let me tell you, at most we're...we're..." Mao Xiaotong was speechless for a moment.

"What does it count as?"

Gu Zhiyan watched Mao Xiaotong with great interest, wondering how she would make up such a story.

"He was my lover, yes, my lover."

"There's something wrong with your thinking. Looks like I need to give you a good lesson."

"Class? What class?" Mao Xiaotong asked in confusion.

"Of course it's the Ideological and Political Education class!" Gu Zhiyan put his arm around Mao Xiaotong.

We must remain steadfast in our central mission, focus on two fundamental aspects, and ensure that both are given equal importance and strength.

Soon, Mao Xiaotong's feedback came in class. Yes, she was very enthusiastic and passionate about learning, which could be heard from her loud reading aloud.

However, Gu Zhiyan not only wanted to give her a political lesson today, but also planned to teach her a lesson about her stubbornness.

As it turns out, this woman was all bark and no bite.

After a long while, Mao Xiaotong raised her head: "Ptooey, you stinky guy, you're going to kill me, I'm going to rinse my mouth first."

"Go on, come back and continue with your class."

Upon hearing this, Mao Xiaotong stumbled.

Waaah, all I did was be a little harsh with him, and this is blatant revenge! I'm going to be tortured to death!

……

The box office performance of films during the Spring Festival holiday was a dramatic and unpredictable affair.

Despite the strong IP effect and massive publicity surrounding the first film, "Monster Hunt 2," which raked in over 500 million yuan at the box office on its opening day, suffered a critical flop, with its box office performance declining after a strong start.

It received a 5.1 rating on Douban and was criticized by viewers and film critics for its childish and clichéd plot, empty story, and excessive reliance on marketing and celebrities.

Moreover, during its release, it was exposed for "box office fraud." Although the official explanation was that it was an individual cinema's violation or mistake, those in the know understand.

In addition, it was revealed that the marketing and distribution company used its platform advantages to "coerce" cinemas to increase screenings, otherwise it would threaten them with technical means.

Then it was accused of artificially manipulating the number of "want to see" and ratings on the platform, raising the ratings in the early stages of release to attract viewers and create a false impression of positive word-of-mouth.

That's not all. Media outlets and industry insiders have also revealed that "Monster Hunt 2" engaged in "box office manipulation" and "ghost screenings" in an attempt to inflate box office figures.

The "Monster Hunt" franchise was completely ruined, and the Monster Hunt film series came to an end.

In this situation, "Monster Hunt 2" was overtaken by "Detective Chinatown 2" on the third day of the Lunar New Year due to its good word-of-mouth, thus relinquishing its title as the daily box office champion.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the box office revenue for that day was surpassed by "Operation Red Sea".

In contrast to the high start and low finish of "Monster Hunt 2", "Operation Red Sea" is a typical example of a low start and high finish.

Reviews such as "exciting," "authentic," and "not boring at all" spread rapidly through social media, attracting a large number of viewers.

As word-of-mouth spread, cinemas began to significantly increase screenings, creating a virtuous cycle.

On its second day of release, "Operation Red Sea" surpassed "The Monkey King 3" and gradually demonstrated its strength as a "dark horse".

Subsequently, "Operation Red Sea" began to stage a "comeback" drama.

On its fourth day of release, Operation Red Sea surpassed Monster Hunt 2 to become the runner-up at the box office that day.

On its seventh day of release, Operation Red Sea surpassed Detective Chinatown 2 to become the top-grossing film of the day for the first time, and then firmly held onto that position.

Gu Zhiyan did not return to the "Joy of Life" crew at this time because he had to travel with the crew for promotional tours. There was no other way; it was his job.

When Gu Zhiyan left home, Mao Xiaotong, who hadn't had many engagements at the beginning of the year, hadn't left and was still staying at his house.

This time, she wasn't as stubborn as she was on the first day, insisting she was leaving.

They've really gotten addicted to staying here!