So what if I work with celebrities?

Country club.

On the lush green grass, cars head to different plots of land, with caddies carrying golf clubs and following behind the owners to provide service.

Wearing a striped shirt, white trousers, and sunglasses, Deng Guangrong calmly swung his golf club, sending the ball flying in a long arc into the distance.

"Mr. Deng, that was a beautiful shot!" the caddie flattered, noticing the ball had fallen into the water.

Deng Guangrong led him toward the artificial lake. At that moment, a car pulled up beside them, and several people got out.

"Sixth Brother, the box office results are in! 'Love Runway' grossed 30 on its opening day!"

The caddie listened intently as he placed the golf balls away, and as he stood up, he didn't forget to say, "Congratulations Mr. Deng on the film's great success!"

Deng Guangrong steadied himself, swung the club slightly to get a feel for it, then twisted his body and swung the club hard, sending the white ball flying.

He was mentally prepared for this result. Who in the Chinese-speaking world doesn't know him, and who in Taiwan doesn't know Brigitte Lin?

With two big stars joining forces, how could the movie not be a box office hit?

"Great! By the way, how's that movie called... 'Joyful Encounters' doing at the box office?"

Qin Xianglin took his club and hit a shot from that spot, laughing as he said, "Only 15."

"How many?"

"15?"

Deng Guangrong took off his sunglasses, tossed the golf club to the caddie, and exclaimed in surprise, "15? That much?"

"Is it a lot? It's 150,000 less than my brother's movie! I estimate that today's box office will be even more impressive!" Qin Xianglin said.

"Of course there are many! That movie was only shown in a few cinemas in Taipei, and there weren't many screens allocated to it. The owners were waiting to see how the market would react."

Deng Guangrong looked unwell, somewhat regretting his decision made while drunk. He had heard that Lianzhuhui had made a film and wanted to compete with it.

"So what? Can it surpass 'Love Run'? With you and Brigitte Lin forming a powerful alliance, who in Taiwan can rival you? Do they even have Brigitte Lin or Zhen Zhen?"

Qin Xianglin didn't care. A new director and a new female lead, a movie with no foundation at all, how could it easily surpass a movie starring a big idol star?

"It doesn't need to surpass my films, just come close, and that will be enough to create a stir in the Taiwanese film industry! Oh my, where did the Lien Chan Film Association find such a director?" Deng Guangrong said.

There are many people in Taiwan as surprised as him, and people in the industry have begun to inquire about who Xu Zan really is.

When the people of Si Hai learned that the Bamboo Union was making a movie, some of them were immediately unhappy and sent their underlings to "invite" Hsu Tsan to make a movie for Si Hai as well. The box office didn't need to be high; it just needed to exceed the Bamboo Union's one dollar!

Xu Zan, the instigator, was having breakfast at the moment. Her phone had been ringing all morning, with people from the crew calling to express their hope for future collaborations.

The sailor was quite funny last night. He learned that the box office on the first day was 15, and thought that he could recoup his costs in a few days.

"We'll recoup our costs in five days, no, six days!"

"Brother, didn't you sign an agreement with the theater chain that you would only get 35% of the box office revenue in Taipei? To break even, you need at least three million in box office revenue!" Hsu Tsan explained patiently.

"Oh? Right, right, haha, I forgot that theaters also need to make money." Clearly, this guy was already thinking about whether he could make the theaters stop making money for the time being.

Clang! Clang! A series of urgent knocks sounded at the door.

Before Xu Zan could answer, the door was pushed open, and Hu Huizhong ran in, excitedly straddling a chair.

A bowl of tender steamed egg custard was placed on the table with a clatter.

"Have the box office results been released yet? Have they been released yet?"

Seeing Xu Zan eating steamed egg custard spoonful by spoonful with her head down and not saying a word, Hu Huizhong was so angry that she grabbed the bowl and pinched the spoon between her fingers.

"Tell me! Nobody's going to read this? Huh? Won't I become a laughingstock? How am I supposed to go to school then?"

Her mouth seemed to be blessed, constantly chattering away, and she had even planned to go to America to study and avoid the limelight after the box office flopped.

"Alright!" Xu Zan shouted, then grabbed her hand and threw it aside, scooping up a spoonful of steamed egg custard. "The box office is booming, so you can relax! Aren't you on vacation?"

"Really?" Hu Huizhong jumped up, spun around, then placed her hand on the table and pinched Xu Zan's cheek with her right hand. "I love you to death! You've made me the star among our classmates!"

"I love you too, you're so tender!" Xu Zan took another bite of steamed egg custard.

"What?" Hu Huizhong realized she had said the wrong thing and misunderstood the other person's words, and her face flushed red. "I...I'm not ready yet."

"Huh? You need to prepare for a holiday? I remember when I was in high school, Saturday mornings were considered a holiday." Xu Zan held a spoon, recalling memories as if watching a documentary.

School hours on Taiwan during this era differed from those in mainland China later on. Lower elementary grades attended only half-day classes, while middle and upper grades typically had one class on Wednesday afternoons and half-day classes on Saturdays. Junior high and high school students generally attended classes until Saturday half-day.

This six-day weekend system ended in 1998, when it was changed to a two-day weekend every other week, and later, after the millennium, it became a two-day weekend for everyone.

"No, no...yes, yes, yes," Hu Huizhong shook her head and nodded, then pulled up a chair and sat down next to Xu Zan. "Brother Zan, how much do you think this movie will ultimately gross?"

"Hmm... then we need to do the math. It's currently showing in several Taipei cinemas, with a first-day box office of 150,000 NTD. At about 15 NTD per ticket, that's 10,000 viewers..."

Monday's movie attendance wasn't high, and the theater chains didn't have many screenings on their first day of testing.

Xu Zan estimates that audience numbers will gradually increase from Monday to Friday, and will explode on the weekend. The first week has basically set the tone, and it will be clear whether the movie makes a profit or a loss.

"I estimate it could reach over seven million!"

"So many?" Hu Huizhong grabbed Xu Zan's hand, her knuckles turning white from the pressure. She exclaimed excitedly, "Then, does that mean we're famous?"

"Nonsense, with me, how could you not become famous?" Xu Zan was confident enough. After all, if you can't even copy homework properly, you might as well quit and become someone else's lackey.

All he needs to do now is take the script of a blockbuster movie, and then film the climax using techniques far ahead of this era. He's guaranteed to make money.

When making commercial films, you only need to remember one rule: 70% old and 30% new.

"Who wants to be with you..." Hu Huizhong chuckled sheepishly and gently nudged him.

"I'm handsome and talented. By the way, what's going on between you two? Are you dating? That bastard Tang Chongsheng keeps telling me to pursue you and win you over, damn it!"

"What?" Hu Huizhong raised an eyebrow and asked, "We haven't even officially defined our relationship yet! What right does he have to tell me what to do?"

"Huh? Don't tell anyone I told you this. Just keep it to yourself!" Xu Zan said.

Hu Huizhong suddenly grabbed Xu Zan's hand, "Who I'm with is none of his business! He has nothing to do with me!" With that, she suddenly kissed him and then ran out.

As Hsu Tsan predicted, "Joyful Face" began to see a surge in box office revenue, and the release of the album "Olive Tree" further boosted the film's box office.

The film grossed NT$2.94 million in its first week, causing a stir in the Taipei film industry. Cinemas that hadn't yet shown the film approached Hsu Tsan, hoping to purchase the screening rights.