Chapter 137 Unless the Box Office Moves Me

"Hong, why don't you just forget it."

The study room in the villa is filled with a strong literary and artistic atmosphere, which makes Chen Kaige feel peaceful.

The tone was gentle yet a little pleading.

He had thought it through and didn't want to get entangled with Hu Ge anymore.

It’s not worth it. Who is he and what is Hu Ge’s identity?

But he still needs the consent of his young wife who still looks as beautiful as ever.

Chen Hong was also exhausted. She had been chased around by entertainment reporters for a long time and was almost on the verge of escaping the earth.

She was tired too, really tired.

"The Promise" will be released in North America on the 5th of next month.

From the couple to the leading actors, no one has any hope anymore.

At the Berlin Film Festival, Jang Dong-gun and Hiroyuki Sanada also showed up to show their support.

This time when they came to North America, both of them used various reasons to avoid coming.

Should we let Pigeon be the lone hero?

Forget it, she couldn't bear it.

"Just listen to you."

Chen Kaige smiled, hugged Chen Hong in his arms, and moved her gently, as if to absorb strength.

"Hong, you're so nice."

Chen Hong leaned on Chen Kaige's shoulder and glanced at the somewhat glaring invitation to the premiere of "Those Years" on the desk.

Gently pushing the old boy away: "Ge, let's go to the premiere openly. I also want to see what "Those Years" is like!"

During this period, promotion of "Those Years" can be seen everywhere.

It always reminds Chen Hong of the grand occasion when “The Promise” took place all over the city.

But "The Promise" is a large-scale commercial film, and it is backed by the reputation accumulated by Ge over the years, which is why it was able to achieve a box office of over 100 million yuan.

Why is "Those Years" so successful? The investment is over 10 million yuan, and it is the director's first time directing a feature film.

Although it stars Liu Yifei and Li Chen, so what.

Last year, Zhao Wei and Lu Yi’s “Lover’s Knot” was released.

The right time, right place and right people are all in place.

It was well received by all parties before its release.

Producer Han Sanping is even more confident.

Zhao Wei and Lu Yi's popularity is no less than that of Liu Yifei and Li Chen.

As a result, the film was abandoned by theaters before even completing its one-month release period.

The box office was only over 500 million.

A romance? Or a youth campus romance?

Even if some people watched it because of Liu Yifei's popularity, the maximum revenue would be only 20 to 30 million.

How much higher can it go?

She wanted to see what Li Chen’s expression would be after the movie was released.

They are both Palme d'Or, so the difference should be huge.

His old boy is gray and dusty, while the other one is brilliant and shining, what a discord!

The same is true of Isabella, which was released last week together with Buried.

It was literally buried together with "Buried Alive".

It was also abandoned within less than two weeks of its release, and the box office revenue was less than 200 million.

"Buried" only grossed four million.

This is the first film directed by Li Chen that failed at the domestic box office.

This means that he is also a human being, just like her pigeon, and as human beings, he always makes mistakes sometimes.

"I'll listen to you. I'll listen to you in everything."

Chen Kaige has soft eyes and is a warm-hearted man.

As long as his Hong promises not to sue Hu Ge.

He would be willing to go to the United States alone to attend the premiere of "The Promise"!

Others who share the same idea as Chen Hong include Han Sanping and a number of bigwigs in the circle.

Although the novel is a best-seller, Liu Yifei is also very popular and Li Chen's script is also guaranteed.

But the subject matter limits the upper limit of this type of film.

What's more, except Tang Yan, no one in the cast has experienced the test of box office.

Liu Yifei has also made two movies, but both were terrible performances.

There is no doubt that Li Chen is a good director, but no one knows how he is as an actor.

No one can say for sure whether the audience will buy it or not.

The effect of Yang Siwei's killing a chicken to scare the monkeys before the premiere of "Those Years" can be said to be immediate.

Originally the invitations were sent out, but many artists were still hesitant due to schedule conflicts.

Even if I have to ask for leave now, I will come here even if I have to crawl.

Huang Shengyi is a lesson for us.

On the 26th, the premiere of "Those Years" was held at the Diaoyutai State Hotel.

Early in the morning, Liu Yifei was woken up by her mother and dressed.

A press conference for the premiere will be held at noon.

There is also the Avenue of Stars in the afternoon.

The premiere is in the evening.

The villa was crowded with people.

There is a team from Red Star House, but more are teams from Rongchen Pictures.

There's nothing special about Li Chen's styling.

He randomly picked a sky blue shirt and matched it with a pair of light-colored casual pants, and headed towards Liu Yifei's villa in a refreshing and clean manner.

After entering the door, Liu's mother was sitting alone on the sofa in the living room drinking coffee.

People were walking up and down the stairs.

"Li Chen is here." Mother Liu put down her coffee cup and said with a smile.

"Well, Auntie, is Sissi awake yet?"

Mother Liu pointed upstairs and smiled meaningfully: "She's picking out clothes."

Li Chen thought to himself, Auntie, you are so careless. Don’t you know your daughter’s fashion sense?

You dare let her choose!
"Well, Auntie, I'll go upstairs and take a look!" Li Chen said this and went upstairs.

Mother Liu smiled and shook her head, muttering to herself: "Xixi, Mom can only help you so far."

Li Chen went upstairs and entered Miss Liu's fitting room, where he saw several assistants and Shu Chang.

"My brother Chen is here." Shu Chang said with a smile, waiting to see the show.

Sure enough, Miss Liu had changed into a short skirt, black leather boots and black stockings.

Li Chen secretly thanked that he had arrived early, otherwise all his previous efforts would have been in vain if he had to go out now.

My fashion sense, which I had worked so hard to improve, has returned to where it started.

"How did you come in? Didn't I ask my mother to stop you? Get out quickly! I want to change my clothes!" Miss Liu stood up and drove Li Chen out.

The assistants smiled softly.

Li Chen came in, why would he go out? It’s not like he hasn’t seen it before.

"I won't go out. I know your assistant can't make the decision for you. I have to do it!"

"Listen to me and sit down." Without saying a word, Li Chen put his hands on Miss Liu's shoulders and pressed her to sit on the bed.

"Just listen to Brother Chen, Xixi." Shu Chang on the side said while trying to hold back his laughter.

Having said that, Li Chen ignored Miss Liu's pouting lips and turned around to pick out clothes for her.

Angry Miss Liu turned around and rubbed Shu Chang's face hard to vent her dissatisfaction.

"Let go of me, Sissi! You've ruined my makeup!"

"If you mess it up, I'll paint it for you again! I'll make you a traitor!"

Ignoring the playfulness between the two girls, Li Chen was picking and choosing in Miss Liu's wardrobe.

Today's premiere is full of youth.

She doesn't have to wear a dress, but she can't be allowed to go the unconventional route!

Li Chen was very efficient. He picked up a white shirt and paired it with a pair of light blue casual pants and nodded secretly.

"These are the only two I have. Try them, Sissi."

When Liu Yifei saw that they were these two pieces, she thought it was okay as they matched Li Chen's outfit quite well.

She was afraid that Li Chen would pick another heavy dress that would be difficult to take off and even more difficult to put on.

There was a whole day of activities scheduled today, and she just wanted to make herself comfortable.

Miss Liu took the clothes and said fiercely: "I will listen to you again this time! Next time I will make my own decision!"

Li Chen laughed and said, "Okay, when your taste is proportional to your face, I will let you choose."

Shu Chang couldn't help it any longer, he turned his head away and laughed so hard that his shoulders trembled slightly.

In fact, she also looks down on her best friend's aesthetic taste.

It’s a waste of this good-looking body.

After Li Chen finished speaking, he walked out without waiting for Miss Liu to get angry: "Auntie and I are waiting for you downstairs, don't worry, take your time."

After changing clothes, you still have to do your hair and put on makeup, and some have to wait.

About two hours later, Miss Liu came downstairs.

Li Chen nodded secretly, pure and beautiful, elegant and free and easy.

Mother Liu hesitated and said, "Li Chen, isn't this too casual?"

Li Chen smiled and said, "No, Auntie, I'm wearing a shirt too. A premiere is not a film festival, there's no need to dress too formally."

Liu Yifei stepped forward and took Li Chen's arm: "Mom, I don't want to change, I just want this outfit."

Shu Chang, who was standing by, also stepped forward and took Liu's mother's arm and said with a smile, "Auntie, if you ask her to change again, she will probably have to wear her fishnet stockings again."

"This is good, no need to change it!" Liu's mother nodded.

Li Chen and Shu Chang couldn't help laughing.

Only Liu Yifei pinched Li Chen hard and glared at Shu Chang angrily.

Is her fashion sense that bad? She thinks the fishnet stockings look pretty with the black skirt.

Several people got in the car and drove towards the Diaoyutai State Hotel.

Xue Xiaolu, Yang Siwei, Shen Teng, Qiao Shan and others have arrived.

Tang Yan, Yang Mi and others also arrived one after another.

The press conference started on time at 11:00 am.

The host invited the main creative staff out one by one.

The media's focus at the scene was all on Liu Yifei and Li Chen.

"Yifei, this way."

"Yifei, look over here."

"Director Li, this."

There were hundreds of media outlets in the audience, and cameramen were taking pictures on both sides.

Xue Xiaolu had foreseen this, and as the director, she was the first to appear and sat at the edge of the long table on the stage.

Li Chen sat right next to her, leaving the space between Liu Yifei and Tang Yan.

Beautiful women always attract the spotlight.

As for Shen Teng, Qiao Shan and his team have become accustomed to being treated as semi-transparent by the media during their nationwide roadshow.

After a brief greeting with the media, it was time for reporters to ask questions.

The host pointed to a media outlet from an island country and said, "That reporter, please ask your question."

"I want to ask Director Xue Xiaolu, this is your first feature film."

"The lead actor is Director Li Chen, who is also the producer. Do you feel any pressure, such as box office?"

Xue Xiaolu smiled and glanced at Li Chen: "I don't feel any pressure. If there is any pressure, it is the producer who has it. You can ask Li Chen if he has any pressure."

The host took over the conversation: "Director Li, do you feel any pressure?"

Li Chen smiled and said, "Of course I feel pressure. After all, this is Director Xue's feature film debut."

"If I mess up, I don't care. At worst I can just be a director in the future."

"But that would be a burden to Director Xue."

There was laughter at the scene, and Xue Xiaolu also pointed at Li Chen and laughed.

But I wasn't worried at all.

If you drag me down, I will have to turn to you for investment in the future.

The atmosphere immediately became lively, and Li Chen maintained his usual humorous style when facing the media.

"Director Li is still so humorous. Okay, please let the next reporter ask questions." The host said again.

A reporter from Taiwan raised his hand and said, "I want to ask Miss Liu Yifei."

"This is your third youth romance film. Are you worried that it will be the same as the previous two and fail at the box office?" Liu Yifei also glanced at Li Chen, and then said crisply, "I'm not worried. Director Li is not worried about his big screen debut, so why should I, as a senior, worry?"

"Hahaha"

There was laughter at the scene again. No one expected Liu Yifei to be so witty.

Compared with Li Chen, a newbie on the big screen, Liu Yifei starred in at least two films and made a guest appearance in one.

He can indeed be called a senior! Even though his box office performance was poor.

Immediately afterwards, the third reporter to ask the question was from a gossip media in Hong Kong Island.

"I'd like to ask Ms. Liu Yifei, are you and Director Li Chen in love because of the filming and are you dating?"

Tang Yan on the side thought to herself, it’s finally here.

The boss and his wife didn't fall in love during the filming, they had been doing it secretly for a long time.

Now the media has finally revealed their true intentions, and this is what they want to know most.

Li Chen did admit publicly that he liked Liu Yifei.

But Liu Yifei has never admitted whether the two are in a relationship or not.

And whether she likes Li Chen or not.

How could the media miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have the two of them in the same frame today?

Liu Yifei was well prepared. She would be surprised if the media didn't ask her!

"I can only tell you that I have someone I like. As for whether it is Director Li, it depends on whether the box office of Those Years can move me."

This answer made the media's eyes widen.

Even Li Chen was surprised.

He wailed in his heart. This operation completely confused him.

Miss Liu had curved eyelashes and a hint of smile in her eyes. She pursed her lips and looked at Li Chen affectionately.

She was very satisfied with her action today, which could be regarded as adding fuel to the popularity of "Those Years".

The media reacted quickly, which was equivalent to indirectly acknowledging the relationship between the two.

Another media outlet immediately asked with a smile.

"Yifei, how much box office revenue will move you?"

"Yeah, there must be a number for the box office, right?"

Liu Yifei tilted her head as if thinking: "It has to be better than Tang Yan's Painted Skin at least, otherwise I'm too wronged to be the rumored girlfriend."

Tang Yan couldn't help but chuckled and leaned close to Liu Yifei's ear: "You really know how to have fun."

Liu Yifei also whispered to her: "This is not over yet!"

Tang Yan looked at Liu Yifei with a surprised smile, not knowing what else she would do.

Yang Siwei and Yang Mi in the backstage were also very happy.

"It's a pity that Yifei didn't come to be my agent. She is fully capable of taking on the role of publicity director."

“I think so too, hahaha.”

The media gasped? It would be better if you just said that it's not Director Li you like.

After going around in circles, the box office of "Those Years" surpassed "Painted Skin", so it must have exceeded 300 million.

Maybe it's possible to just dream.

Whether they like Li Chen or not, the media already have the answer.

The press conference is over.

Several people returned to the backstage.

Yang Siwei and Yang Mi stepped forward immediately.

"Yifei, you are so smart and a perfect match for my boss." Yang Siwei said excitedly.

Liu Yifei looked at Li Chen proudly and smiled: "Director Li, what do you say?"

Li Chen chuckled and leaned close to her ear: "Let's talk in the room."

After saying that, he walked towards the elevator first.

There were so many people in the hotel that it was not convenient for him to go to Miss Liu's room.

Just now, Miss Liu was in a good mood and used the scandal between the two of them to stir up hype.

He didn't know what to say, but the effect was hard to say.

Put yourself in his shoes, if he were a true fan of Miss Liu.

Then he definitely won't go to see "Those Years". If the box office really exceeds that of "Painted Skin", wouldn't that mean he would be helping his idol and Li Chen?

Liu Yifei and Tang Yan rested in a room.

After entering the door, Liu Yifei held back her smile, turned on the computer, and opened Li Chen's blog.

Under Tang Yan's stunned gaze.

A sentence was typed out with a crackling sound.

“The box office success of Those Years is in your hands!”

Tang Yan was stunned. Is this even possible?

Once this blog post is published, will someone try to please the boss and book the entire place?

Li Chen, the person involved, still doesn't know what happened.

The afternoon Avenue of Stars show hasn’t started yet.

The live recording of the press conference was posted online.

"Liu Yifei joked that whether the box office of Those Years can surpass Painted Skin will determine whether she will accept Li Chen."

"Li Chen and Liu Yifei are in love in "Those Years", and Liu Yifei indirectly admits their relationship."

After the news was posted online, the artists who followed Li Chen’s blog knew what Li Chen’s new blog post meant.

"Got it, Director Li."

"I understand, Director Li, look at my performance!"

"Just wait and see, Director Li!"

It wasn't until Wang Changtian called him that Li Chen knew what had happened.

"Brother, your way of publicity is worth learning from. You really use every possible means. Should I also do my part?" Wang Changtian said with a smile.

"What did you say? Why didn't I understand a word you said?"

"Don't pretend with me. Every time you post something on Weibo, thousands of people pay attention to it!"

Li Chen immediately realized that it must be Miss Liu who logged into his account again.

"What did I post?"

"Don't you know what you are sending?" Wang Changtian said with a displeased smile.

After hanging up the phone, Li Chen turned on his computer and saw the blog post on his blog.

I couldn't help but shake my head and chuckle. My lovely Miss Liu was really having a great time.

This blog post definitely helped the box office, but the impact was not significant.

The key lies in how well the story is told.

The red carpet Walk of Fame begins at 5pm.

Li Chen and Xue Xiaolu, as the producer and director, walked the red carpet first.

Following closely behind were Huayi’s Wang Zhonglei and Feng Xiaogang.

Gu Changwei, Lu Chuan, Jiang Wen, Wang Xiaoshuai and others also arrived one after another.

Except for Zhang Yimou who moved to Hengdian, most of the well-known directors came.

Andy Lau and Sam Leung from Hong Kong Island.

Xia Yu and Hu Jun from Orange Sky.

Sun Li and He Rundong of Hairun.

Celebrity artists including Fan Qiaoqiao, Li Qiaoqiao, Deng Chao, Huang Xiaoming and many more walked on the red carpet.

Han Sanping and Wang Changtian also arrived late.

The fans on both sides of the red carpet cheered loudly.

When Liu Yifei, Tang Yan and other main creative staff walked onto the red carpet.

They had to shout to each other in order to be heard.

It’s really because Liu Yifei is too popular.

The media had long guessed that today's red carpet would be star-studded.

I just didn't expect so many people to come. I'm afraid even the Avenue of Stars of the International Film Festival to be held in Shanghai will be no more than this.

Inside the venue, Xue Xiaolu and Li Chen each entertained guests.

Xue Xiaolu's former colleagues at CCTV also came to support her.

It's really hard to keep a low profile.

In such occasions, all aspects of life are displayed vividly.

The focus always revolves around that small group of people.

Liu Yifei is also the focus now.

Li Chen had previously asked Yang Siwei to keep an eye on her, and Yang Siwei was basically inseparable from her all night.

Wu Bin and Liu Dehua were chatting about the two plays.

Han Sanping said a few words to directors Lu Chuan and then walked towards Li Chen.

Just after dealing with Wang Zhonglei and Feng Xiaogang, Han Saping intervened.

Wang Zhonglei and Feng Xiaogang said hello to Han Han Saping and walked away.

"What should I say to these two people?" Han Sanping asked.

"Nothing much, just some polite conversation."

Han Sanping sneered: "By the way, would it be inappropriate to hand over Painted Skin 2 to a newcomer?"

"There's nothing wrong with that, Mr. Han. I'm the producer, and the director has to listen to me."

Han Sanping nodded: "Hurry up and sign the contract in the next two days. Don't delay any further. The share will be the same as last time."

Yang Siwei, who was not far away, saw the boss and Han Saping standing together.

He immediately understood what she meant and bumped into Liu Yifei: "The boss wants you to come over."

Liu Yifei looked back and her eyes met Li Chen's.

He said hello to Zhang Jingying and a few classmates and walked towards Li Chen.

Han Sanping also saw Liu Yifei, glanced at Li Chen, and said nothing.

Liu Yifei walked closer and took the initiative to say with a smile: "Boss Han, I'm Liu Yifei."

Han Sanping nodded slightly, and Li Chen smiled and said, "Director Han, you love to support newcomers the most."

"You have to take better care of Yifei in the future."

Han Sanping said unhappily, "With a boyfriend like you, Yifei can be considered a newcomer? What support does she need?"

Li Chen laughed.

Liu Yifei was also delighted.

Han Sanping looked at the smiling Liu Yifei and said, "Yifei, keep an eye on this boy, young Mu Ai, don't let him make any mistakes!"

"Don't learn from those people!" Han Sanping's eyes stayed on the famous directors not far away.

Liu Yifei nodded and smiled: "Thank you, Mr. Han, for reminding me. He doesn't dare to do that!"

Han Sanping also smiled, saying that it was good for the little girl to be confident.

He said no more.

Seeing Chen Kaige and his wife coming over, Han Saping didn't leave.

Many people in the field were staring at Li Chen. They were so envious when they saw him taking Liu Yifei to recognize people.

When they got closer, Chen Kaige and Chen Hong nodded and greeted Han Sanping first.

Li Chen took the initiative to greet the two: "Director Chen, Sister Hong, thank you for coming to support us."

Chen Kaige still nodded slightly with a determined look, while Chen Hong smiled and said, "It's my duty, Li Chen."

"Let me introduce you, this is Liu Yifei, my girlfriend."

"Yifei, I don't need to introduce Director Chen and Sister Hong." Li Chen looked at Miss Liu and smiled.

Chen Kaige's expression was slightly stiff, and it was unknown what he was thinking about.

Liu Yifei greeted the two with a smile, following Li Chen's way of addressing: "Hello, Sister Hong, Hello, Director Chen."

The two of them smiled and said something for Li Chen's sake.

Seeing that both of them were there, Han Sanping remembered something and said, "By the way, both of you have to come to the Beijing International Sports Film Week in June."

"As representatives of the industry, you two should set an example. The Olympic Committee has also sent an invitation to Zhang Yimou."

Chen Hong smiled slightly: "Don't worry, Mr. Han, we will arrive on time."

"I'll see how the situation goes. If I'm in the country, I'll definitely be there to show my support." Li Chen didn't dare to agree too early.

"Why, I can't invite you anymore." Han Saping raised his eyebrows.

Li Chen smiled and said, "I will definitely come when I have time. I still have this awareness."

Han Sanping didn't know what to say, and Li Chen saw Chen Jingfei had also come.

"Boss Han, Director Chen, Sister Hong, Yifei and I will go over to entertain them, you guys chat."

Chen Jing flew over to support Miss Liu, and for the sake of Miss Liu's good conduct, Li Chen had to be friendly with him.

(End of this chapter)