I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Qin Tiantian called out, and the broth in the hot pot was already boiling. She picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth.

"This soup is quite good too."

Lu Ban pointed to the clear soup.

"Eat meat! Why not eat meat? What's the point of hot pot if you don't eat meat? Sigh, let me tell you, when I eat alone, I always eat the spicy broth, with extra numbing and spicy flavors, until I'm sweating all over. That's what I call great."

Qin Tiantian ate another piece of meat.

"What did you think of the movie we just watched?"

Lu Ban asked.

"Movie? What movie?"

Qin Tiantian countered with a question.

"It's what you just looked at."

Lu Ban offered a reminder.

"Did I just watch a movie?"

Qin Tiantian frowned.

Lu Ban also frowned.

"No, you haven't seen the movie."

Lu Ban decided to give up.

It seems that Qin Tiantian has selectively forgotten her memories, thus preventing herself from being affected by the movie.

This is a skill that most people cannot do.

Only someone who is heartless and lacks common sense could do that.

Because simply forgetting the movie isn't enough; you also have to forget that you forgot about the movie.

Otherwise, I'll always remember it.

This is why Qin Tiantian was able to listen to Lu Ban and Feng Yu talk about things related to other realms without being affected by them at all.

Or to put it another way, knowledge from other lands is pollution; once you acquire knowledge, you will be polluted.

Qin Tiantian, on the other hand, can perfectly let things go in one ear and out the other, emptying her mind and making it seem as if she didn't hear anything at all.

This comedic character setting meant that she absorbed almost nothing from the pollution of the alien world.

It seems that the experiment with Qin Tiantian has failed.

Lu Ban looked at Qin Tiantian, who was eating hotpot and singing, and wondered whether this silly child was lucky or unlucky.

Time passed as we ate hot pot while it snowed heavily.

This year's climate is very abnormal. I don't know if it's because of the volcanic eruption or something else, but the winter is exceptionally cold.

As the Spring Festival approaches, Wuhan is covered in a thick layer of snow, to the point that even people from the south are tired of seeing it.

It wasn't just Wuhan; record low temperatures were recorded in various parts of the world, causing problems for both production and daily life.

Lu Ban had a hard time buying groceries, and even considered melting away and going out into the sewers to find food.

Even the southernmost islands, where you can usually wear short sleeves in winter, are covered in snow, turning the entire planet into a world of silver and white, where all is quiet.

Some people online are claiming that the greenhouse effect and global warming are a hoax, arguing that if global warming were real, how could winters still be so cold?

New Year's Eve.

Feng Yu hadn't returned yet, so Lu Ban simply prepared a few dishes for their New Year's Eve dinner, which he, Qin Tiantian, and their dog ate together.

The wind and snow outside the window were pounding against the glass, seemingly growing stronger, and the lights outside flickered as if they were about to go out.

"With such heavy snow, I won't be going out tomorrow."

Qin Tiantian even thought she might have to sleep here tonight. She didn't want to spend the New Year alone at home, at least there was a dog here, wasn't there?

"We can't stay home, it's the premiere."

Lu Ban watched the Spring Festival programs on TV, which were not funny at all. The jokes and吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to roast or criticize) on the Internet were much funnier than these programs.

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM is the first day of the premiere of "The End of the World". The film's pre-sale box office has exceeded 800 million yuan, and it is expected to gross at least 5 billion yuan in China. Overseas pre-orders are also fully booked. The audience for disaster films is larger than that of "All Quiet in Spring" and similar to that of the fantasy epic "The Tide". Therefore, many industry insiders initially judge that the film's box office will at least be among the top ten in film history.

In Times Square in North America, ads for "The End of the World" played over and over again. Various promotions were carried out at any cost, and related introductions could be seen almost everywhere. Only a small part of the money was spent on advertising; most of it was just riding the coattails of the hype and generating buzz.

People wholeheartedly believe that "The End of the World" can make history, and that they are the witnesses to a new era.

However, some people are worried that the weather will make it difficult to hold screenings and affect attendance. Some places have already closed cinemas and other public places a few days in advance to prevent accidents.

However, as midnight approached and the New Year's bells rang after the countdown, the quiet night was devoid of fireworks and firecrackers, only the howling of wind and snow. As the song "Unforgettable Tonight" played, Lu Ban received a message on his phone.

"The film's release has been postponed, and cinemas can't operate?"

Lu Ban frowned slightly upon seeing the message.

Chapter 537 A Difficult Decision

"Brother Li, what's going on?"

While listening to "Unforgettable Tonight" and the constant notifications from Qin Tiantian's phone about grabbing red envelopes, Lu Ban called Li Zijian to confirm.

"Here's the thing, the weather station has observed intensifying snowstorms. Tonight and tomorrow, most parts of the country will experience severe blizzards, so a warning has been issued. Our local cinemas have received notices to postpone all screenings, and other shopping malls and restaurants will likely receive similar notices soon..."

Li Zijian's voice was a little hoarse, obviously because he hadn't rested well. On the other end of the phone, his wife and children's voices came through, completely unaware of the current situation, still laughing and joking.

"However, this delay may not be so simple. Some overseas cooperating cinemas have also stopped operating for major films, so it seems that there is no hope for them to be released on time at present."

Upon hearing Li Zijian's words, Lu Ban remained silent for a moment.

"Let me think about a plan and I'll call you back later. By the way, Brother Li, Happy Chinese New Year."

"...Yes, Happy Chinese New Year."

Li Zijian hung up the phone and returned to the living room.

"What, are you still on the phone with some young girl so late?"

My wife made a sarcastic remark.

"Lu Ban, regarding his movie, it's possible that the movie won't be able to be released on the first day of the Lunar New Year."

Li Zijian replied.

"Oh? That means we'll lose a lot of money!"

His wife also became worried.

“He usually takes a normal share of the profits. If the film cannot be released, he will definitely earn less money. This time the special effects are so good, and there are also publicity and distribution expenses, so he may lose money.”

Li Zijian did a quick mental calculation and figured Lu Ban would lose at least several hundred million yuan in this round.

However, while feeling sorry for Lu Ban, Li Zijian thought again that Lu Ban had earned billions from his previous movies, so even if he suffered a huge loss, he would still be somewhat affected.

For a moment, he felt that the Joker was actually himself.

“A delayed screening usually means waiting for the next release date, and the costs and rights disputes that occur in between are troublesome enough. I don’t know how he will handle it.”

Li Zijian was also terrified. Cinemas were an important source of revenue for Jiangcheng Industry. If the heavy snow continued, the commercial plazas under Jiangcheng Industry would also be affected. The Spring Festival was the best time for revenue, but now that everyone was unable to go out, it was estimated that there would be significant losses.

Even bigger problems lie ahead.

Compared to all of this, whether the movie can be released on time is no longer the main point.

Just then, Li Zijian's phone rang.

He saw that it was Lu Ban calling, so he immediately answered the phone and went to the balcony where the windows were tightly closed and only the wind and snow were pattering against them.

It was a bit cold on the balcony, but Li Zijian was very nervous. He didn't know what measures Lu Ban would choose, but after thinking about it carefully, there was no other way but to postpone it. With that as the only option, he felt relieved.

"So, regarding the postponement, I'll communicate directly with the theater management. Our time zone is earlier, so there shouldn't be any issues with early screenings. It's just a matter of compensation for the pre-sold tickets..."

Li Zijian started rambling on and on, but Lu Ban quickly interrupted him.

"Brother Li, I've made up my mind. We won't postpone the release."

Lu Ban said with certainty.

"Right? We can get a refund, or we can keep the tickets until after the movie is released. We should be able to afford it... Wait, what did you say?"

Li Zijian said a few words in response before he came to his senses.

"The release will not be postponed."

Lu Ban repeated the sentence.

"But the movie theaters definitely won't be open, and I doubt that moviegoers will go out shopping either, which will cause a lot of trouble!"

Li Zijian had never encountered this situation before and had no idea what Lu Ban was thinking.

"I know you may have invested a lot of money in this movie, but delaying it doesn't mean it won't be released. We can still make money. We need to get through this first and not act impulsively."

He tried to persuade him, fearing that Lu Ban was a young man holding back his anger and wanted to make a big splash.

"Brother Li, calm down."

Lu Ban, on the contrary, began to persuade Li Zijian.

"Damn, I'm calm, you're the one who should be calm. Even if we don't discuss the money, with this much snow, you're letting people go to the movie theater. What if something happens halfway through? You can't not consider other people."

Li Zijian called out, and even his wife peeked over, looking around timidly.

"Don't worry, audiences don't need to go to the cinema."

Lu Ban replied.

"what?"

Li Zijian was completely baffled.

"Brother Li, could you help me contact the TV station and major video websites to find a time when it can be broadcast tomorrow, so that it can be broadcast simultaneously on the entire internet and on TV?"

Lu Ban's words completely shut Li Zijian down.

TV station?

Video websites?