Huayu Tianxian: This director is such a hypocrite!

The press conference for Chapter 146 was rife with undercurrents.

1 month 5 day.

Yi Fei officially began recording the song, with Guo Sida of Fei Ye personally in charge and a million-dollar sound engineer assisting, striving for speed and accuracy, with the goal of producing it before the Spring Festival Gala.

Ye Chong, meanwhile, led a group of actors to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong served as a primary filming location and was the main setting for the dramatic scenes in Blade Runner 2.

The remaining special effects shots were completed at China Film Group.

Ye Chong's side will need a month and a half to film the dialogue scenes, while the special effects team in Kyoto will need an extra month and a half to build the special effects sets.

It was nine o'clock that morning.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

Backstage, Ye Chong and Chen Zhixi were discussing some things.

"Are you worried that your rivals in Hong Kong might cause trouble?" Chen Zhixi sat on a high stool, her eyebrows furrowing at some point.

"A little." Ye Chong took a deep breath, a hint of worry in his eyes. "I have no problem with the place itself. But the artists here are different. We've offended too many people, especially the Xiang family. They are—"

Ye Chong stopped speaking abruptly and raised an eyebrow at Chen Zhixi.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhixi across from him clicked his tongue and said, "Don't worry too much. This era is so good now. Besides—what do you mean by 'us'? What does it have to do with me?"

"Hehehe————" Ye Chong smiled faintly.

Joking aside, some of Sister hope's ideas are still too idealistic.

Leaving aside this place, even in Fog City, where Ye Chong is located, it's still in a state of chaos in 09!

"Click—"

The door opened at that moment, and Shen Ze peeked in and glanced around: "President Ye, the press conference for the start of filming is about to begin."

"OK."

Ye Chong responded, raised an eyebrow at Chen Zhixi, picked up his suit jacket, and stood up.

"Let's go, let's face our battlefield."

Ten minutes later, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

-

The huge stage was filled with people, each one incredibly capable.

All the investors sent representatives, and Ren Zhonglun, entrusted by Ye Chong, personally came to show his support.

Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Anne Hathaway, Sean Young, Matt Damon, and a host of other Hollywood A-listers appeared on stage, leaving the reporters in the audience somewhat bewildered.

Oh no! Ye Chong is serious! He's really going to make a sci-fi movie!

Ye Chong, Chen Zhixi, Gao Siling, and Annie were among those interviewed.

At the press conference, the flashbulbs of cameras went off one after another.

Reporters crowded in front of the stage, their recorders and film cameras vying to reach forward. The reporters in the front row stood up first, pointing their microphones directly at Ye Chong.

"Director Ye, may I ask why Ms. Liu Yifei is absent from this press conference?"

Ye Chong, with a serious expression, took the microphone from the host beside him: "She's very busy right now, undergoing closed-door action training for the film."

"She will be following up on the rest of the filming, so there's no need to worry."

""

The reporters in the audience scribbled notes, and someone raised their hand to ask, "Director Ye, you've gathered so many A-list Hollywood actors this time, are you planning to make a splash in Hollywood?"

Ye Chong raised an eyebrow, his tone calm but full of confidence.

"This is China-led! Instead of comparing it to Hollywood, let's broaden our perspective and aim to conquer the world film industry!"

Next, the reporters asked a series of questions, which Ye Chong answered one by one, leaving no room for error.

After a while, the reporters finally turned their microphones to Commander Gao, who was standing to the side.

Commander Gao took the microphone from the host with a calm expression, as if he were not being interviewed.

When asked about his understanding of the film's characters, he simply said he appreciated the script. When asked about his experience working with director Ye Chong, he only said that Ye Chong is an extremely talented director.

After several questions, his answers were all standard and unremarkable, without any unexpected surprises.

When the reporters couldn't get any information, they quickly turned their attention to Chen Zhixi.

The first question went straight to the point: "Mr. Chen, what was the total investment amount for Blade Runner 2?"

""

Chen Zhixi glanced around the audience and replied calmly, "The total investment for this film is US$1.8 million."

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience erupted in chaos, and the reporters were all shocked.

The $06 million in 1.8, converted to RMB 14 billion, was an unprecedented figure in the Chinese film industry.

Gasps of astonishment filled the air, and the reporters' interest was instantly piqued.

Chen Zhixi raised his hand to quiet the scene, and the noisy atmosphere became much quieter.

Another reporter quickly followed up with, "How were the filming and release dates planned?"

"The filming of the dialogue scenes took one and a half months and was completed by the end of April. The post-production special effects will take one and a half years, and the film is expected to be released globally in early 08."

The reporters in the audience quickly scribbled down these figures.

Chen Zhixi's interview was fairly standard; while it didn't produce any bombshells, the $1.8 figure itself was quite explosive!

The interview continued, and the reporters quickly handed the microphone to Anne Hathaway.

Anne, dressed in a black chiffon dress, blinked her big eyes as she took the microphone. Her serene and composed demeanor drew the attention of many men.

The first question was: "Ms. Anne, this is your first time in China, how do you feel?"

Annie's eyes lit up, her voice brimming with excitement, and she spoke faster than usual: "This place is so much fun! The local food is amazing, like Peking duck and ginger-fried duck. I even went to the Forbidden City yesterday, it's so magnificent!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but give a thumbs-up, which drew a few chuckles from the reporters below the stage.

Another reporter followed up with a smile, "So, when you come to China, do you have a personal tour guide to show you around?"

Without a second thought, Annie blurted out, "Of course! Crystal!"

Who is Crystal?

"Liu Yifei, get your bedding ready!"

On stage, when Annie mentioned Yifei, her tone was full of praise, and she immediately started talking: "She is a very, very wonderful girl, beautiful and gentle, and speaks English exceptionally well."

"She told me a lot about Chinese history and stories, and also took me to eat lots of delicious food. I was really happy to be able to film with her, and I'm really looking forward to our next collaboration."

Anne's praise was sincere and straightforward, and the reporters in the audience all took notes.

The subsequent interviews were all conducted in a very proper manner. No matter how much the Hong Kong media tried to stir things up, the entire crew, including Ye Chongchong, behaved themselves as if they were completely different people.

The press conference interview session concluded amidst a flurry of camera shutter clicks.

The scene shifts to the top-floor office of ZG Star Group headquarters.

The floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of Victoria Harbour, with its vast expanse of blue waters.

Xiang Hua sat in his executive chair, with a live text broadcast of the press conference on his computer screen.

He tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes darkening as he looked at the $1.8 million investment figure on the screen.

Mrs. Xiang walked in carrying a cup of hot tea and gently placed it on the table in front of him. She followed Xiang Hua's gaze to the screen, and curled her lips: "This Ye Chong, he's not very old, but he's got quite the big mouth. Does he really think Hong Kong is his territory?"

"Spending $1.8 million on a sci-fi movie? I think he's crazy. He'll probably lose everything."

As she spoke, she leaned down to look at Xiang Hua, her tone laced with malice: "Should we find someone to do something? He's been filming in Hong Kong for so long, there are plenty of opportunities to make things difficult for him."

Xiang Hua raised his hand, stopping her from speaking, and shook his head.

Mrs. Xiang was stunned for a moment, her face full of confusion: "What? This kid offended us before, and we're just going to let it go like this?"

Xiang Hua leaned back in his chair and let out a soft breath: "Didn't you see in the broadcast that Ren Zhonglun from Shanghai Film Studio went to the scene in person? He's clearly supporting Ye Chong, and there are also the shadows of China Film Group and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television behind him."

"If we take action now, we'll be going against the official film and television system in mainland China, which is unwise."

He had spent his entire life navigating the industry and was an expert at assessing situations. He knew exactly when to act and when to be patient.

Mrs. Xiang frowned, still somewhat unwilling, and leaned forward again: "We can't just watch him swagger around in Hong Kong, can we?"

"So tell me, when should we start? We can't just wait until he finishes filming and it's released smoothly, can we?"

Xiang Hua narrowed his eyes, leaned back into the sofa, and pulled Xiang Tai into his arms.

"No rush, no rush, there's plenty of time."