I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

He said something.

The people around him silently agreed.

"We're planning to go to an internet cafe all night; I don't think we'll be able to sleep tonight. Do you want to come along?"

They then invited Zheng Li.

Zheng Liyi thought to himself that whenever his mind was free for even a little while, all he could think about were those images, and he really couldn't fall asleep.

"go!"

He looked at the netizens who had been passionately arguing with him online yesterday, but now seemed like fellow sufferers in the same boat, and waved his hand dismissively.

……

No one expected that "The Crying" would gross less than one million on its opening day, but then surpass ten million on its second day.

From a purely box office perspective, this is undoubtedly the top-grossing film at this year's Yannan University Student Film Festival.

Furthermore, as word-of-mouth spread, more and more people went to the cinema to watch this horror film, which is said to be the most thrilling in the last decade.

Old news about Nanhua Private Renji Hospital was also brought up.

Although Lu Ban had altered the appearances and names of the people in the movie, making it virtually impossible to distinguish their original appearances, some people still managed to connect them with people who had previously been associated with Nanhua Private Renji Hospital.

Upon making this connection, everyone discovered that the background of this movie was incredibly real!

The demolition of Nanhua Private Renji Hospital encountered an unexplained accident. The hospital in the movie also encountered an unexplained accident during its demolition. There are some strange rumors about Nanhua Private Renji Hospital.

This film, shot in a mockumentary style, looks like a real documentary!

Suddenly, Nanhua Private Renji Hospital became a hot topic on various social media platforms, forums, and Weibo. It was like a kind of public carnival, with people discussing the strange things and even paranormal-related topics becoming popular.

For example, popular websites have seen a surge of copycat titles jumping on the bandwagon, such as "The Supernatural: Starting from Nanhua Hospital," "Forbidden Land Exploration: Blowing Up Nanhua Hospital at the Beginning," and "The Weird: I Exposed the Secrets of Nanhua Hospital," which have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.

Then some random people came out, claiming to have been hospital staff or patients, and started telling unverifiable ghost stories. For a time, Nanhua Private Renji Hospital seemed to have become a place haunted by evil spirits.

Fortunately, the hospital has been demolished and the construction site has been fenced off. Even so, many online celebrities still go outside the construction site to take photos with the brick walls.

Of course, there are still more rational people. The appearance of an indescribable monster at the end of "The Crying" and that monster is the culprit is very fantastical. Any normal person can see that this is a fictional story. After all, how could there really be monsters in this world?

Therefore, all those things like walking corpses, doctors stitched together, and ghosts and spirits are fake.

This hospital was probably just built in a rather gloomy style, and it had an accident due to management problems, which is why it was used as material. There were many private hospitals like this before the rectification.

Lu Ban was happy to see this happen. The more heated the discussion and the higher the attention, the higher his film's revenue would be. Reaching ten million in box office revenue would be easy, and winning awards would also be easy when the popularity reached a certain level.

If a film released at the same time has the highest box office, the highest popularity, and the best word-of-mouth, but fails to win any awards at a film festival, then the audience will question whether the film festival's selection process is rigged.

This can be considered a form of manipulating public opinion.

On his second day in Yannan, which was also the third day of the Yannan Film Festival, Lu Ban had already received many interview requests from reporters. However, he did not agree to be interviewed for the time being, as pursuing fame and fortune was not Lu Ban's style.

If an interview is really necessary, it should be on the last day of the film festival, after receiving the award.

After checking into the hotel, Lu Ban went to the main street of Yannan, checked the messages on his phone, and confirmed the address.

He was planning to go have dinner with Feng Yu.

Chapter 168 I think you can be my...

Outside Yannan Communication University, there is a restaurant where the average cost per person is slightly higher than that of university students.

Lu Ban sat at a table by the window waiting. He didn't pay attention to the TV playing the news in the store, but looked outside. He could see pedestrians coming and going downstairs, many of whom were obviously young people, college students from Yannan Media University.

Yannan Media University is a nationally renowned university in the fields of film, television, and media. Many television hosts, actors, and directors are graduates of this school.

The opening ceremony and awards ceremony of this year's Yannan University Student Film Festival will be held here, so Lu Ban naturally chose a hotel near the university that was cheap and full of youthful energy.

More importantly, no one slipped small pieces of paper into the door at night.

He took out his phone and looked at the related news. "Crying" is now showing signs of going viral, and all sorts of comedians are rushing to ride its coattails. It proves that when something becomes popular to a certain extent, you don't even need to worry about it; the traffic will automatically make it even more popular.

Unfortunately, "The Cry" is ultimately a horror film, and many people naturally have a resistance to horror films. They would rather block the keywords and never see it again, let alone go to the cinema to watch it.

Moreover, "The Cry" didn't have much pre-release publicity, relying almost entirely on word-of-mouth from Lu Ban's old fans and those who had seen the film. It was also only shown in some cinemas in Yannan, so the box office didn't explode.

In theory, these films should be taken off the screens after the film festival ends. However, Lu Ban has received invitations from the film festival organizers and cinemas to extend the screening time of "The Crying".

After all, anyone with a discerning eye can see that this movie has far more potential than it currently has. If it could be released nationwide or even exported overseas, the profits would be unimaginable.

Lu Ban didn't think that much about it. He was a content person. Now that he had bought a house, he didn't need to pay rent. He had enough money for food and drink, and he had a new computer. He had no extra expenses at all.

Money meant little to Lu Ban.

He is a person with aspirations.

As Lu Ban pondered these things, he felt someone approaching him.

He looked up and saw a girl.

The girl was dressed in a stylish knit sweater and skirt, with small leather shoes. Her outfit looked no different from the college students outside the window. She wasn't the kind of girl who would immediately amaze you, but upon closer inspection, you could appreciate her unique temperament and charm. Her small ears could be seen through her slightly light-colored short hair, and she had a warm smile on her face, like a spring breeze.

This is indeed the same as Lu Ban's impression.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Feng Yu sat down opposite Lu Ban and put the cloth bag he was carrying on his shoulder to one side.

No, not at all.

Lu Ban didn't glance around randomly, but instead handed over the menu.

"I just ordered a few things, see if you need anything else."

"Uh-huh."

Feng Yu nodded slightly and flipped through the menu.

"Wow, what you ordered is a bit greasy. It's not good for your cardiovascular health. Young people should eat less takeout and more fruits and vegetables..."

She then ordered some dishes that are good for cardiovascular health. For some reason, Lu Ban felt that the class monitor was behaving a bit like his mother.

"By the way, I saw it all. Your movie is really popular right now. Everyone on Weibo is talking about it, and some people are even calling you a cinematic genius."

While waiting for the food to be served, Feng Yu said jokingly.

"It's alright, it's probably just that the market lacks this type."

Lu Ban said seriously, then paused and asked again.

"How's it going on your end? I mentioned before that your film crew also has a movie being released?"

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, Feng Yu's expression darkened slightly.

"Sigh, because of problems with the director and the production company, the movie's release has been postponed. I really envy you, being able to make movies freely."

Her gaze shifted to the television in the living room, which was broadcasting the latest news. The news seemed to be of great importance, but upon closer inspection, it also seemed somewhat distant.

“You need to take care of your health. I see you like to go to dangerous places to film. You need to protect yourself. There was a celebrity who died in an accident while filming a car chase scene. It was such a pity.”

After exchanging a few words with Lu Ban, Feng Yu became less polite and reverted to her usual nagging, motherly manner.

"There shouldn't be any problem, they usually won't die."

Lu Ban offered an explanation.

"If he really is dead, then he is probably dead."

"puff--"

Feng Yu chuckled.

"You're just sitting here."

"Sometimes you have to take the lead when making movies. Look at those big shots who receive lifetime achievement awards; they don't even use stunt doubles."

Lu Ban was very serious.

"You're still young and your body can handle it. But once you're old and have a lot of injuries, you'll regret it."

Feng Yu started muttering again.

"Feng Yu, there's something I've been wanting to say since just now."

Lu Ban suddenly became serious, causing Feng Yu to stop chanting and sit up straight.

"You...you tell me."

“I think you are the kind of person who can be my mother.”

Lu Ban shared his thoughts.

"?"

Feng Yu subconsciously leaned back and then asked.

Are you saying I'm long-winded?

"I mean you know how to take care of people."

"Thank you so much."

The waiter quickly brought out the dishes, and indeed, just as Feng Yu had said, they were all vegetarian dishes that were good for cardiovascular health.

But the taste was pretty good.

As the two ate, the news on TV seemed to be reporting something.

Lu Ban looked over.

The television was showing a cruise ship burning fiercely in a storm.

"...According to a report just received by this station, the cruise ship 'Stars,' which is sailing in the South Pacific, has caught fire in the port of Pohnpei Island. Search and rescue operations are currently underway, but a fierce storm has delayed the rescue progress. The number of casualties is currently unknown..."

Lu Ban remembered that this was a cruise ship that encountered a storm in the Pacific Ocean and could not return. He also seemed to have seen some strange islands.

Is this the calamity we've brought upon ourselves?

He felt things weren't that simple.

Feng Yu didn't pay attention to these things and ate happily.

"A cruise ship, I'd love to go on one too, but I'll pass on the one that catches fire."

That's her assessment.