The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Chapter 102 ends its run, breaking a ten-year record, adapted.

Filming for "The Nameless" officially wrapped on January 22nd, and Shen Qing returned to Beijing the following day. By then, "Nanjing Photo Studio" had already finished its run in theaters.

The film ultimately grossed 4.46 million yuan.

Last year's champion, "Little Girl's Kung Fu Uncle," only grossed 3.35 million yuan, while "Nanjing Photo Studio" directly raised the ceiling for the year's champion by 1.11 million yuan.

The film also broke an even more significant record: becoming the highest-grossing film in mainland China.

Previously, this honor belonged to an imported film, namely "Titanic," released in 1998, which grossed 3.6 million yuan at the Chinese box office.

It held the record for ten years, from 1998 to 2008, until it encountered "Nanjing Photo Studio".

Chen Zhixi compiled the company's investment in the film into a table and showed it to Shen Qing.

The film had a total investment of 9000 million yuan, of which 6000 million yuan was for production and 3000 million yuan was for marketing.

Of the 6000 million production budget, Shen Qingxian took 1500 million as personal compensation.

Of the total box office of 4.46 million yuan, 5% must be paid to a special fund and 3.36% to income tax, leaving 91...

The figure of 64 represents the revenue-sharing box office, which is 4.087 million yuan.

Shen Qing remembered that the share of box office revenue in the future was 91.7%, and the 5% special fund had never changed. So the most likely reason was that the income tax rate was reduced from 3.36% to 3.3%.

Of the 4.087 million yuan in distributable box office revenue, a portion was deducted from China Film Digital's share, leaving 4.06 million yuan. Of this, 43%, or 1.7458 million yuan, belonged to the production company.

After deducting the agreed-upon 8% distribution agency fee, the production company still had 1.62 million yuan left.

The production company accounts for approximately 36% of the total box office revenue.

Magical Films Company owns 50% of the shares, which means it will receive 8100 million.

"Why is it only this much? 50% is still too low. We need to increase it in the future," Shen Qing said with a sigh as she looked at the table.

Chen Zhixi nodded upon hearing this.

In fact, "The Unknown" was 100% invested by Magic Films. Even if its box office is far less than "Nanjing Photo Studio", the money it earns for the company may far exceed that of the other film.

If you are confident in the film and the total investment is not large, you should try to get as much of the share as possible.

A luxury mansion in Beijing.

Liu Yifei learned from the news that Shen Qing had returned to Beijing, and her mind was thrown into turmoil.

I couldn't even deliver the goods to his door last time, and my face still burns when I think about it. I'll never be able to see him again unless I actually give myself away!

But why didn't Shen Qing take her that day? She had already made her point so clearly!

Liu Yifei searched online.

Some netizens say that if a beautiful woman doesn't want anything but to be with a man, then that man might actually back down.

The subtext of saying "I don't want anything" might be that you want more, such as a title or marriage. Men are afraid they can't provide that, so they choose to back down.

Another possibility is the fear of a trap. Imagine a stunningly beautiful woman who wants nothing but to sleep with you? Men are generally self-aware and would definitely worry about being set up or trapped.

"A trap? A honey trap?"

Liu Yifei was amused by the answer.

Shen Qing is definitely not in the second situation, so he must be afraid of the first one?

But she didn't force him to break up with other women, so what's so scary about it?

Netizens also wrote down how to deal with the first scenario.

It means that a woman can actually ask a man for something, and when the man is sure he can give it to her, he will accept it without any guilt.

When we last met, Shen Qing mentioned that he would be making a movie called "Original Code" next, and after "Original Code" he might make a movie called "Out of Control Player".

"He also said I'd be perfect for the lead role in 'Out of Control,' and it seems like he wants to give me that role. I'm asking him for it now, and he's sure he can afford it. I don't have any other demands, just this condition that he can definitely provide. I don't think he'll back down then, right?"

Thinking of this, Liu Yifei took a deep breath and dialed Shen Qing's number.

"Coward, you've gone back to the capital?" She immediately labeled Shen Qing with a accusation.

"Me, a coward?"

"You're a coward, you know what I mean."

"I only said that because you'd had too much to drink—never mind, do you need something?"

"Actually, when I asked you out last time, I did think about how great it would be to act in one of your movies again, preferably as the female lead. Last time you played the coward and sent me straight home. If you play the coward again next time, you'll really never have another chance in this lifetime."

"What do you mean there's no chance in this lifetime?"

"Stop playing dumb, you know what I mean."

"Time, place, do they really think wolves don't eat meat?!"

"That depends on when you can prepare a script that suits me."

Liu Yifei hung up the phone after she finished speaking. She touched her chest; her heart was pounding.

She genuinely likes him, so how did she end up looking like the kind of woman who would rather sleep with a director for resources?

It's so shameful.

There's also a sense of novelty and excitement in becoming a bad woman.

Magical Film Company.

Shen Qing was lost in thought in her office.

Liu Yifei called and said she wanted to star in his movie. In exchange, she could... She also said that if she played a coward again this time, she would never have another chance in her life.

Shen Qing only took her home last time because he didn't want to have sex with a drunk woman, not because he wasn't interested in her. If he missed this opportunity, he would truly regret it.

"The script—the script—yes, the script! I'm taking a good script that suits her to see her!"

Actually, "Out of Control" would have been quite suitable for her, but Shen Qing incorporated the movie into the "Source Code" universe. "Source Code" hasn't even been filmed yet, so I wonder if she'll have a hard time understanding this movie.

Speaking of which, she is more suited to period dramas. So, are there any period dramas that have both good box office and critical acclaim and are also suitable for her?

"Monster Hunt" did well at the box office, but received only so-so reviews, and it didn't seem to suit her very well.

What about Stephen Chow's "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons"?

Miss Duan is bold, forthright, straightforward, passionate, and daring; Liu Yifei is aloof, ethereal, and quiet.

Delicate and frail.

Their personalities are completely different.

But sometimes, when handled well, such a huge contrast can become a major highlight of a film.

What about time? Is there enough time?

As far as I remember, Stephen Chow found Jin Hezai to write the script in the winter of 2010, so there was still time.

What about the plot? Should it be changed?

Although the original "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" portrayal of Sun Wukong was highly controversial, this complete deconstruction and subversion is likely one of the reasons why the film achieved such high box office success.

If changes are needed, how can they be made? And will the box office still be high after the changes?

Shen Qing began to ponder.

In his opinion, "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" was okay overall, but the image of Sun Wukong was too subversive, which he personally didn't like.

So Shen Qing decided to give it a try, even if it damaged some box office potential.

Then—when Sun Wukong was imprisoned under the Five Fingers Mountain, Buddha said, "I will send someone to release you in the future, but from then on you will have to obey the person who releases you."

How would Sun Wukong react?

Sun Wukong vowed to make his own way out; the Great Sage Equal to Heaven would not obey anyone!

The Buddha could say: The person who released you naturally has the ability to control you.

Later, when Chen Xuanzang arrived, Sun Wukong tricked him into releasing the seal. Then, through Miss Duan's words, the film reveals the agreement between Sun Wukong and Buddha: Miss Duan stipulated that Sun Wukong not only must not harm Chen Xuanzang, but must also obey his orders as agreed.

Sun Wukong claimed he escaped using his own wisdom. Miss Duan then remarked that he possessed the Fiery Eyes of Truth, able to discern Chen Xuanzang's true form (the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi) and guess that he was the one Buddha had arranged to release him. Yet, he continued to deceive him into lifting the seal, which was self-deception. If he truly wanted to escape on his own, he should have ignored Chen Xuanzang after recognizing his identity. Even if the seal were lifted, he should have remained within his own confines.

Chen Xuanzang said that he only needed to release him and Miss Duan, and that they did not need to obey his orders.

When Sun Wukong heard Miss Duan say that he had deceived Chen Xuanzang, he laughed and said that the one who deceived Chen Xuanzang the most was actually Miss Duan!

"You are nothing more than a magical artifact of the Buddha. Your meeting and falling in love with him was nothing more than a scheme of the Tathagata."

Miss Duan was bewildered and couldn't understand.

Chen Xuanzang did not believe it, and even said that he was willing to be deceived.

Sun Wukong killed Miss Duan, who then revealed her true form: the Unfixed Flying Ring (the golden headband). Chen Xuanzang still didn't believe it, thinking that Miss Duan's soul had been scattered, leaving only her weapon, the Unfixed Flying Ring. It's somewhat like a prelude to the Three Battles with the White Bone Demon.

Because of Miss Duan's tragic death, Chen Xuanzang changed his mind and wanted Sun Wukong to obey him, as he wanted to convert Sun Wukong's demonic nature. Sun Wukong was suppressed by the celestial Buddha summoned by Chen Xuanzang through three hundred children's songs.

Miss Duan herself was unaware that her true form was the Buddha's magical artifact, the Unfixed Flying Ring. She genuinely loved Chen Xuanzang. She had heard from her master about the agreement between the Buddha and Sun Wukong, and she wanted to use that agreement to save Chen Xuanzang. That's why she was bewildered when Sun Wukong revealed her true form. Then she was killed and transformed into her true form, the Unfixed Flying Ring.

The true identity of Miss Duan could be foreshadowed in the first half of the movie.

For example, Miss Duan could have a line to Chen Xuanzang: "My master always said that my heart was made of iron, very hard, until I met you."

Made of iron, it suggests that she is a boundless flying ring (a tight headband).

For example, we could add a line for Sun Wukong: "A cicada nymph got caught in a broken iron ring and thought it had found a treasure! How ridiculous! How ridiculous!"

Miss Duan's true form is the Unfixed Flying Ring (the Tightening Ring), which Sun Wukong belittled as a broken iron ring; Chen Xuanzang is the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, and the cicada is the cicada monkey, which is why Sun Wukong said that a cicada monkey was trapped by a broken iron ring.

But in the end, this mockery will come true for Sun Wukong himself—a real "monkey" will eventually be trapped by the broken iron ring (the Unfixed Flying Ring, the Tightening Headband) that he mocked, becoming the most ridiculous one.

The cicada nymph and the real monkey, the broken iron ring and the tight headband, are somewhat prophetic. The reason why Sun Wukong chased after Chen Xuanzang after being released was because Buddha had said that whoever released him would definitely have a way to subdue him. He longed for freedom and was afraid of this.

The three exorcists were killed because their aim was to enslave him, which was something Sun Wukong found most unacceptable. Five hundred years ago, Buddha had made a pact that whoever released Sun Wukong would be his servant. However, this promise was distorted into the belief that whoever defeated Sun Wukong would control him. The three exorcists sought out Sun Wukong precisely to defeat him and then enslave him.

Miss Duan's master is a Bodhisattva, but there's no need to explicitly state it in the movie; just leave some clues for the audience to fill in the blanks.

In this way, Sun Wukong's image is transformed from the Sun Wukong that Zhou Xingchi completely subverted and deconstructed, from the violent, cruel, and cunning Sun Wukong, back into the tragic hero Sun Wukong who yearns for freedom, challenges the rules, and rebels against fate.

The image of Sun Wukong has been greatly changed, but in reality, it's just a few lines of dialogue that have been added.

According to the agreement with Buddha, whoever releases him must obey his orders.

Two lines were added that reveal Miss Duan's true identity:

The master said that Miss Duan's heart was made of iron and very hard, until she met Chen Xuanzang.

Sun Wukong said, "A cicada nymph got caught in a broken iron ring and thought it had found a treasure! How laughable! How laughable!"

Adding just a few lines of dialogue is enough to completely bring back the image of Sun Wukong, preserving as much of the essence of the original version as possible, except for the image of Sun Wukong.

Shen Qing has taken a photo with Zhou Xingchi. In terms of nonsensical comedy, he possesses almost all of Zhou Xingchi's peak abilities, but he hasn't used them much. Zhou Xingchi once considered playing Chen Xuanzang himself, but ultimately gave up due to age issues, while Shen Qing was just the right fit.

With Shen Qing starring in the film, the effect is not only likely to be better than Wen Zhang's, but may even be far better than if Stephen Chow had starred in it himself.

This is like taking a test on a completely nonsensical subject.

Stephen Chow can score 95 points, but his previous works scored 99 points, so even if he plays the role himself, the audience will likely still be disappointed.

Anyone else who takes this nonsensical test will only get a maximum of 30 points; nonsensicality is practically Stephen Chow's unique label.

Shen Qing, who possesses the strength of Zhou Xingchi at his peak, even has the opportunity to score 99 points on this exam paper.

No one has ever imitated Stephen Chow's nonsensical comedy before, and now a comedy that's even better than Stephen Chow himself has come out.

Zhou Xingchi only got second place in the Zhou-style nonsensical comedy competition!

It should surprise a lot of people!