The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

"Is Mr. Han not planning to invite me to the premiere?"

Just kidding.

Han Sanpin shook his head and said, "The people in the movies are watching that film, and they won't be back for a while."

Gu Ning suddenly realized that the title "The Founding of a Republic" alone indicated how serious it was, and that a whole host of leaders would probably have to read it in turn.

"Alright, I won't keep you any longer."

Han Sanpin said, "Let's have a good talk when you're done with your work."

He was quite satisfied with "Back to 20," which proves that Gu Ning's talent was not just a flash in the pan.

He was thinking of persuading Gu Ning to make a blockbuster, since Zhang Yimou's "Hero" had ushered in the era of domestic blockbusters.

However, nowadays, every domestic blockbuster he makes flops, and he is under a lot of pressure.

The higher-ups have spoken to him, and although they didn't say it explicitly, they hinted that he should make fewer big-budget films.

If you only look at political achievements, Han Sanpin wouldn't want to do this.

If no blockbuster films are made domestically, the progress of the film industry will be very slow, and the domestic film market will truly become a backyard for foreign countries.

Therefore, China desperately needs a good commercial blockbuster to inspire people.

Gu Ning had no idea what Han Sanpin was thinking. After seeing Han Sanpin off, she continued with her work.

…………

That day, Gu Ning was editing when Liu Yang called.

As soon as the call connected, before Gu Ning could even speak, Liu Yang's anxious voice came through.

"Mr. Gu, something terrible has happened. Several media outlets have reported negative news about you."

"Reporting negative news about me?"

Gu Ning was taken aback. What negative news could she possibly have?

At most, he might sleep in on the street; he didn't evade taxes.

"The newspapers say that Liu Yifei and Shu Chang slept in President Gu's room while filming, and hotel staff also confirmed that Liu Yifei's room was always empty while she was on set," Liu Yang said.

"Don't worry."

Gu Ning said, "I'm going back to the company right away!"

When Liu Yifei was on set, she did not stay in the room that the production team had booked for her; she always slept at Shu Chang's place.

During the time Shu Chang was away from the group, she didn't stay in her own room because all her things were in Shu Chang's room, and she didn't want to move them because it was too much trouble.

Such unfounded rumors are not a serious problem.

However, Gu Ning sensed something unusual about this.

These kinds of tabloid news usually only break out during filming or when the film is about to be released.

Most of them are scripts. When a TV series or movie is about to be broadcast, the media will break the news that the male and female leads meet in private and fall in love on set.

Either the male and female leads deliberately let the paparazzi take the photos, or the production crew secretly sent them to the paparazzi.

The purpose is simple: to create hype.

Distinguishing between true and false information is actually quite simple; just look at when the information is leaked.

The filming period and the upcoming broadcast time are 99% fake.

However, after the broadcast, or after a period of time, it becomes difficult to say whether it is true or false.

Even if it's a true story, it usually wouldn't be revealed between the time it's filmed and the time it's released.

Paparazzi are all in it for the money. If they film something and it gets to the point of release, it could have a huge impact on the TV series or movie.

Naturally, they're willing to spend money to suppress the matter.

However, no one contacted the company about his news; it was published directly.

Gu Ning's first thought was Lu Chuan.

"If it really is him, then he's incredibly stupid," Gu Ning thought with a cold laugh.

The period between when filming wraps up and when the release date is set is when the film receives the least attention.

Releasing this kind of news at this time is tantamount to helping him, isn't it?

Gu Ning drove back to the company and went straight to Liu Yang's office, where he saw the newspapers.

The first newspaper I received had a very eye-catching headline: Young director Gu Ning has won the favor of two popular A-list actresses.

The content was simply that Gu Ning took Liu Yifei and Shu Chang out at night, along with pictures.

The photo was taken when he picked up Liu Yifei and Shu Chang at the back door of the hotel, and the two were getting into the car.

The image is blurry, but judging from the angle, it was taken from a high altitude, likely from inside a hotel through a window.

Although it didn't explicitly state that Gu Ning had a private relationship with the two, the words implied that.

It was written last that Liu Yifei's scenes were filmed long ago, but she never left the set.

Furthermore, according to staff at the hotel where the crew stayed, Liu Yifei did not stay in the room arranged by the crew during the entire production.

I must say the reporter who wrote this article is very skilled.

Such sensationalist news is most effective when it's ambiguous and unlikely to lead to lawsuits.

If someone were to speak with absolute certainty about the relationship between the three, most people wouldn't believe it.

There are many silly netizens, but they still need to conform to basic logic.

Most people would believe it if you told them that Gu Ning had some kind of relationship with two second-tier actresses with ordinary names.

Gu Ning is only somewhat known within the industry these days. The general public only realizes his identity by reading about him in newspapers: "Oh, so he's the director of 'Lost in Thailand'."

Even if we only consider one person, they would probably receive many replies.

Mentioning two A-list celebrities at the same time, especially in the same production crew, would only make idiot netizens look foolish if they actually believed it.

After all, given their current fame, what would they possibly want from Gu Ning?

Is it because he's handsome? Or because he's big?

Although he possesses these strengths, outsiders are unaware of them.

This kind of ambiguous story is different. Although most people know it's fake, many people have a gossipy nature and a penchant for making up stories.

This report leaves plenty of room for the public to make up stories.

In the minds of those who make up stories, such an obviously fake story, which they fabricated so ridiculously, is bound to be unbelievable; it's just a joke.

However, as the ancients said, one should simply follow the crowd.

As more people talk about it, many who haven't paid attention to this topic, or whose information about it comes from friends, tend to believe it once they hear it.

When more and more people take it seriously, the truth or falsehood no longer matters.

Gu Ning put down the report and picked up another one, reading it with great interest.

Seeing that Gu Ning was watching with great interest and showed no signs of anxiety, Liu Yang asked anxiously, "President Gu, why aren't you in a hurry at all?"

"What's the rush?"

Gu Ning said calmly, "This also has a promotional effect on the movie."

"But this kind of thing is not honorable, and Liu Yifei has a lot of fans. If it gets out of hand, it might have a negative impact on the movie," Liu Yang said.

Even if some unspoken rules are exposed in the industry, or someone sleeps with others for resources, it's not a big deal.

But if there's one man and two women, and they're all currently popular celebrities, it could cause a lot of trouble if the public objects to it.

"Don't worry, when we face the interviews later, we can just say that Shu Chang and Liu Yifei are good friends and live together." Gu Ning waved his hand.

Liu Yang cautioned, "But this matter is somewhat unusual; there might be other methods involved later."

Gu Ning gave Liu Yang an approving look. The fact that he could see this showed that Liu Yang was quite capable.

"Old Liu, do you think he would have leaked this kind of news if he really had other tricks up his sleeve?" Gu Ning said disdainfully.