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

Chapter 135 Profits from Filming Ends and Release Dates

"Director, why are you so nice to me?"

Gao Yuanyuan came to Magic Visual Effects Company to take costume photos for "Breakup Buddies". After the shoot, the two had coffee together. During the coffee, Shen Qing mentioned that Gao Yuanyuan would also be invited to star in the novel "Net Lost". Upon hearing this, Gao Yuanyuan's fingers slid lightly across the glass, and the atmosphere became somewhat ambiguous. At this moment, she suddenly asked Shen Qing a question.

The entertainment industry is very realistic. There is no appreciation without a reason. Shen Qing wanted her to play the female lead in two movies. No wonder Gao Yuanyuan felt that Shen Qing was interested in her, so she couldn't help but ask him to test the waters.

Although Gao Yuanyuan only recently broke up with Yu Xiaowei, the two had actually been in a cold war since April. Gao Yuanyuan had been emotionally empty for more than half a year. If Shen Qing really liked her, she wouldn't object.

She's not lacking in ambition, but rather not that she's career-driven. She lacks the drive and ruthlessness of someone like Zhang Ziyi, and in relationships, she tends to seek a powerful and influential backer, under whose protection she can relatively easily develop her career.

However, most of these men already had wives or girlfriends, so her previous relationships were met with considerable criticism. After being criticized so much, she tried to change, so she dated Yu Xiaowei, whose career was less successful than hers. This relationship ended up leaving her in the most difficult situation. Now, she's determined never to date a boyfriend worse than herself again.

Shen Qing was the most talented and influential person she could meet, and he wasn't married. Although he was a womanizer, he didn't even have a serious girlfriend. Dating him didn't seem like she'd get scolded like before. Besides, she could leave him later if she met a man she truly wanted to marry.

"Don't you know why I'm good to you?"

Shen Qing looked into her eyes and said.

"I don't know."

Gao Yuanyuan was overjoyed. Shen Qing's meaning was already quite clear, but she needed to be more explicit.

Why would a man be so good to a woman?

"You don't like me, do you?"

"Yes, I like it."

"Oh? Really?! But what do you like about me?"

"I love that you're beautiful, I love that you're completely my ideal woman, okay?"

"No way." Gao Yuanyuan observed Shen Qing's reaction and said, "Liking a woman's beauty, isn't that being lustful?"

Shen Qing grabbed the other person's hand and said, "I am a lecher, haven't you heard?"

After a while, the two came out of the private room and got into a car together, heading straight to Shen Qing's home. Shen Qing's attitude towards different women varied slightly. For example, if it wasn't a woman he had slept with, he would generally be more aggressive and less tender.

Women who have been in Kaifeng for a while tend to be more gentle. So, after the two arrived at Shen Qing's house, what followed was a fierce and passionate encounter. Shen Qing had initially planned to soothe her afterward, as he still liked Gao. However, he later discovered that he didn't need to soothe her at all. After the passionate encounter, Gao was clearly even more infatuated with him; she liked Shen Qing treating her the way he had the night before!

"Have your uncle and aunt gone back?"

"I went back yesterday afternoon."

During the National Day holiday, Zhao Liying's parents and younger brother came to Beijing to visit her and did some sightseeing along the way. Zhao had mentioned this to Shen Qing, which is why Shen Qing asked about it after the National Day holiday.

Zhao Liying also came to Magic Visual Effects to take her costume fitting photos. She plays the role originally played by Zhou Dongyu in "Breakup Buddies".

"They know about our relationship." Zhao Liying lowered her head, somewhat avoiding Shen Qing's gaze, and continued, "I didn't mean to, they insisted on looking at the house I'm living in, and that's when they saw your clothes—"

Zhao Liying's annual income is now around 5000 million yuan. Even a house in Beijing is not unaffordable for her. In fact, she already owns several properties in Beijing, but she still lives in the small 100-square-meter house that Shen Qing gave her. Moreover, many of Shen Qing's clothes are still in this house.

"What did your uncle and aunt say? They don't want to beat me up to vent their anger, do they?" Shen Qing pulled Zhao Liying to sit down next to him.

Zhao Liying looked up at Shen Qing and said, "No, they wanted to beat me up."

Shen Qing was silent for a moment, then asked her, "And what about you? What are your own thoughts?"

Zhao Liying hugged Shen Qing and said, "Even if they break my legs, I'll stay with you in a wheelchair, as long as you don't mind."

Shen Qing hugged Zhao Liying to comfort her.

Zhao Liying lay in Shen Qing's arms, thinking about the conversation she had with her parents some time ago.

The truth is actually the opposite of what Zhao Liying said.

Her parents had known about her relationship status for a long time. This was the first time Zhao Liying had admitted it herself, acknowledging that she was just one of her boss Shen Qing's many women, a mistress who was looked down upon by others.

"Dad, Mom, once my career is more stable and I no longer need to rely on others, I will leave him. Please don't pressure me now."

After hearing this, her parents both fell silent. Finally, her mother asked her privately, "Is he good to you?"

"Okay," Zhao Liying said, "but he won't only be nice to me."

"Whatever you choose, your dad and I will support you—actually, it's not easy to find someone who treats you well—"

Zhao Liying's appearance isn't considered a great beauty in the entertainment industry; she wouldn't be stunning at first glance. All the directors she encountered early in her career said she was only suitable for playing maids, and she indeed played maids for many years. It was only after transferring from Huayi Brothers to Shenqi Film & Television and starring in many of Shenqi's classic dramas that she soared to become a top-tier actress. In her parents' eyes, their daughter's status as a big star with an annual income of tens of millions was all thanks to her boss, Shen Qing. They wondered if their daughter could keep everything she had now without Shen Qing.

A daughter from an ordinary, even impoverished, family is suddenly promoted to a top-tier celebrity with an annual income of tens of millions. If an ordinary family like ours suddenly had so much money, could we handle it?

It might be better for the daughter to stay with her boss!

In fact, Zhao Liying didn't want to leave Shen Qing either. She told her parents that she would leave in the future because she was afraid they wouldn't accept their daughter following someone else without any status or recognition. But telling Shen Qing that her parents wanted to beat her was a way of expressing her determination to him—even if the whole world forbids me from being with you, I won't listen; I'm willing to be your woman forever!

While overseeing the post-production editing of "Lost in Thailand," Shen Qing also had to keep an eye on "Our Times" and "Back to 20." Fortunately, the post-production of all three films was handled by their own companies, Magic Visual Effects and Tiangong Pictures, making it relatively easy to keep an eye on them.

"Since there's enough time, let's settle on that."

Chen Zhixi came to Shen Qing's office to discuss the release dates of the company's three films. The two discussed for more than an hour, and finally Shen Qing made the final decision, and the plan was finalized.

On December 3rd, the drama "Our Times" starring Yang Mi will premiere.

Films released at the same time include "Sacrifice" directed by Chen Kaige, and "The Laughing Swordsman" starring Xiao Shenyang and Zhao Benshan.

Chen Zhixi originally wanted to schedule the film for December 16th, but when Shen Qing checked, he found that the "Let the Bullets Fly" crew had already announced that date. Shen Qing didn't remember the box office figures for "Sacrifice" and "The Great Laughing Swordsman," but he knew that neither of those films would be as big as "Let the Bullets Fly." So he preferred to compete with the two films rather than face the challenge of "Let the Bullets Fly."

On December 31st, the movie "Back to 20" starring Wan Qian premiered.

The movie "Lost in Thailand" premiered on February 3, 2011, the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The release dates of the three films are quite close together.

"Then the company will announce the schedule to the public."

"9

"Reveal it!"

The announcement of release dates for three films by Magical Films has caused quite a stir both inside and outside the industry. Those outside the industry are primarily concerned with the plots of the three films.

"About Time" is still showing in theaters, and its cumulative box office has reached 8.25 million yuan, while its Douban rating has increased by 0.1.

The film received a score of 9.2. The vast majority of viewers had an excellent experience with the movie, and naturally, they hoped that the next film from Magical Films would reach the same level as "About Time".

"I just finished watching 'About Time' and was deeply moved. A romance film breaking 8 million is unheard of! What I want to say is that only those who have actually seen it will understand. 'About Time' deserves its 9.2 rating on Douban and its 8 million box office! According to the announcement, 'Our Times' is a youth film, and it shouldn't be too different from 'About Time.' Now I'm just waiting for the new movie from Magical Films to be released. I'm still very curious about the content of the film."

-

"It shouldn't be bad, but expecting it to reach the level of 'About Time' is asking too much of Shen Qing. Everyone should lower their expectations a bit. The female lead in this movie is Yang Mi, while the female lead in 'About Time' is Shen Qing, Liu Shishi, Wang Zhiwen, Li Xuejian, and Fan Bingbing also joined the cast—the two movies are not in the same league. Don't set the bar too high for the movie beforehand, and then turn around and start criticizing it when it's released and you find it's not that good."

"Will 'Back to 20,' starring Wan Qian, be any good? I watched an American film called 'Back to 17' last year; the two should be about the same, right?"

"Of the three movies, 'Back to 20' is probably the worst, 'Our Times' is average, and I'm most optimistic about 'Lost in Thailand'. I laughed so hard watching 'Lost on Journey' in 07, I'll definitely go support 'Lost in Thailand' when it's released."

"Have you noticed? 'Lost in Thailand' and 'About Time' are actually quite similar. Both were directed and starred by Shen Qing, and both had Fan Bingbing in a cameo role."

"That's true. I just don't know if 'Lost in Thailand' can be as popular as 'About Time'."

Compared to those outside the industry who focus more on the film's content, those inside the industry are more concerned about the film's box office expectations!

Do you think "Our Times" and "Back to 20" have a chance to become as popular as "About Time"?

"Like 'About Time,' which was a huge hit? You mean it also made over 8 million at the box office?"

"Um!"

"Impossible! Shen Qing herself stars in 'About Time'! This is extremely important! My assessment is that if 'Our Times' can reach 1.5 million at the box office, it will be a huge success, and if it can exceed 2 million, it will be an extraordinary achievement! This movie only had an investment of 2000 million, so reaching 2 million is a 10-fold return, which is already incredibly impressive!"

"Our Times 1.5 million, 20 Once Again 1.5 million, Lost in Thailand 8 million—that's about it."

"Lost in Thailand is overvalued, maybe 6 million. The others are about the same as my estimate."

"The budgets for 'Our Times' and 'Back to 20' are too low; 2 million is no problem."

"That's impressive! Three movies combined have grossed 10 billion yuan, while the total cost of the three films was only 1.2 million yuan. Magical Films seems to be very profitable!"

10 o'clock in the morning.

Mao Xiaotong came to Shenqi Films to meet her agent, Chen Zhixi, but was unexpectedly blocked at the company entrance by her father, Li Chao. The company security guards, seeing a strange, thin old man harassing their artist, were about to go out and chase him away, but hesitated when they heard the old man claim to be Mao Xiaotong's father.

"Even if you become like Thatcher or Elizabeth, and I become like Saddam, I'm still your father, and you're still my daughter. I don't want to acknowledge you anymore, but I have no choice. You have my blood in your veins, and no one can change that. Who can change genes? Nobody can! Now that you're famous, I know celebrities are very rich. Let's not waste time. Let's settle this once and for all. Give me 1000 million, and I will never appear in front of you again."

"Let me go! I don't have a father like you!"

Mao Xiaotong flung the skinny old man's hand away, her voice filled with anger and grievance, "How dare you ask me for money? You threw me in the trash can when I was a kid! If my mother hadn't picked me up from the garbage dump, I'd be dead! Don't tell me I don't have 10 million; even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you. I wouldn't even give you 1000 yuan!"

When Li Chao heard his daughter mention throwing things in the garbage dump, he became furious and instinctively slapped her, only to have his wrist firmly grabbed.

"Where did this old scoundrel come from, causing trouble here!"

As soon as Shen Qing stepped out of the elevator, he saw Mao Xiaotong struggling with a thin old man, who was even about to hit him! Shen Qing didn't care whether the old man was Mao Xiaotong's father or not; he pretended not to know anything. Shen Qing gradually increased the pressure on his hand, and with his strength, the old man immediately couldn't take it anymore. He saw sweat starting to bead on his forehead and began to groan and moan.

"Mr. Shen, he's my father! Please let him go!"

Mao Xiaotong was still somewhat soft-hearted, just like when she visited Li Chao in prison two years ago, even though this person had thrown her into the trash can behind her mother's back when she was very young.

Shen Qing did not let go of Li Chao, but instead increased the pressure on his hand until Li Chao screamed in pain. It was more than half a minute before he finally released him.

"Mao Xiaotong is an artist under my company, and her matter will naturally be handled by our company's lawyers. You can leave now. Come back another day when you look presentable. Our company is not available to receive guests today!"

Shen Qing turned to Mao Xiaotong and said, "Let's go in."

Mao Xiaotong nodded and obediently went into the company with Shen Qing.

Li Chao hesitated for a while, then rubbed his wrist, which was almost broken from being squeezed, and left with a look of fear and resentment on his face.

He had been searching for Mao Xiaotong and her mother, but to no avail, until the huge success of "About Time." Mao Xiaotong played the male lead's sister in the film and gained some popularity as a result, which finally led Li Chao to learn of his daughter's whereabouts—she had signed with Magical Film Company! That's when the old man came knocking on his door.

Everyone knows that celebrities are rich. If your daughter becomes a celebrity, how can you not give her father money to spend?

"What do you think? Do you still want to control him?"

Shen Qing brought Mao Xiaotong into the office to inquire about the reason and her opinion.

"I have no idea!"

Tears welled up in Mao Xiaotong's eyes. She couldn't understand how a father could treat his own daughter like this.

"In your situation, even if he takes it to court, he'll only get a couple thousand dollars a month in child support at most. It's up to you, but I suggest that no matter how you handle this, it's best to go through the company's lawyer."

"Okay, boss, I'll do as you say."

"Um,"

Shen Qing looked at Mao Xiaotong and thought that it was indeed a bit tragic for this girl to have such a father.

In late October, Shen Qing led a team to the Indochina Peninsula to film "Taken 3". The filming locations will cover all five countries of the Indochina Peninsula: Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.

At the same time, "About Time" officially ended its theatrical run, with a final box office of 8.42 million yuan. A rough estimate suggests it will recoup 2.8 million yuan.

The total profit is over 2 million, in addition to copyright revenue.

Making movies can be quite profitable.