Chapter 164: Halloween Showdown
Han Sanping made an international call to Li Chen.
“You boy are really a firecracker, igniting at a touch.”
Miss Liu, covering her chest, jumped out of bed.
She smiled at Li Chen and pointed to her mouth: “Firecracker!”
Li Chen slapped Miss Liu’s firm, perky butt and mouthed back: “Feels good.”
Miss Liu let out a soft gasp.
Han Sanping heard a ‘smack’.
“What was that sound?!”
“Nothing, Han Dong, there are too many mosquitoes in Hollywood!”
Miss Liu’s face flushed, and she wrinkled her nose at Li Chen in a fierce way.
Seeing Li Chen reach out to hit her again, she quickly ran into the bathroom.
“What are you doing? Are you listening to me or not?”
“I’m listening, Han Dong, go on.”
Han Sanping calmly said: “You’ve vented your anger, and you’ve made a splash, so delete the blog post.”
Li Chen scoffed: “These people only know how to play these games!”
“They can humble themselves to beg others, but they can’t seriously reflect on where the problem truly lies!”
“Alright, everything needs to be taken one step at a time, and reforms also need to be gradual. Haste makes waste.”
Li Chen chuckled: “Han Dong, I’m still young. I only know to show my talent and seize the moment.”
“You still need to have the necessary big picture view!”
“Do you want Director Tong to call you personally?”
“Sigh! Fine, I’ll delete it after one more day.”
Han Sanping was resigned; this kid was becoming increasingly unyielding.
“Suit yourself. I’ve said what needed to be said; you decide what to do.”
With that, Han Sanping hung up the phone.
After a while, Miss Liu, wrapped in a bath towel, pattered onto the bed.
She sweetly snuggled into Li Chen’s arms and laughed: “Were you lectured by Han Dong?”
Li Chen burst into laughter: “Not really. Han Dong is probably thinking something else entirely.”
The Rongchen Film and Television QQ group was also buzzing.
“Senior is so fierce, who would dare to provoke Yifei in the future?”
“Siwei said it early on, don’t provoke the boss, but especially don’t provoke the boss’s wife!”
“The people from the red sorghum crew look at Sister Xun and me differently now. Xiao Zhu, I feel honored too!”
“Xiao Zhu, stop chatting! The press conference is about to start, did you fall into the toilet?!”
“Ew—, Xiao Zhu, you’re so disgusting, you even hold your cell phone when you go to the bathroom.”
In Li Xue’s office at Huayi Brothers.
“Xue’er, what exactly does CEO Wang mean? What am I now?”
Li Bingbing had just returned from Hangzhou.
She heard news from the company that made her feel incredibly wronged.
The company had already secured a share in the film that Jackie Chan and Li Lianjie had mentioned earlier.
And a female role had been added.
But for this role, she would have to compete with Fan Bingbing and Fann Wong, two people named Fan.
For other films, she might just yield.
But a Hollywood film, how could she yield?
If she yielded again, she might as well retire from the industry!
Li Bingbing had just suffered a setback at the Hundred Flowers Awards.
Returning to Huayi Brothers, she was hit by one blow after another.
She regretted it so much her intestines turned green.
What was she thinking back then, introducing Fan Bingbing to Sister Hua?
Now she had become her greatest concern!
“Don’t rush, Sister, sit down and listen to me.”
Li Xue pressed her sister onto the sofa and said patiently.
“CEO Wang is still negotiating with the other party. I heard that one role has already been internally decided for Liu Yifei.”
“CEO Wang requested an additional female role, and the other party reluctantly agreed.”
“Fann Wong’s chances are slim, after all, this is a co-production.”
“You and Fan Bingbing, both of you have an inherent advantage.”
Li Bingbing, with red eyes, said: “So what? CEO Wang is trying to keep her, so he’s working on you?”
Li Xue smiled: “You’re confused with anger, aren’t you!”
“We are sisters. How could I ever betray you in such a matter?”
Li Bingbing secretly thought she was right, she had indeed lost her composure a bit.
“Don’t blame me, Xue’er, all the annoying things are piling up.”
Li Xue sat beside Li Bingbing, smiling confidently.
“Sister, I’ve already sounded out Siwei, and Director Li’s side should be fine.”
“If CEO Wang insists on going his own way this time, then we don’t need to stay at Huayi Brothers any longer.”
Li Xue sneered: “Huayi Brothers! There can only be one Bingbing!”
With Li Chen’s commotion.
The Film Association also stopped playing ostrich.
Secretary-General Kang, representing the Film Association, spoke out publicly.
“As a well-known director both domestically and internationally, Li Chen should not be furious and incoherent just because he didn’t win an award.”
“The Hundred Flowers Awards selection is voted by cinema chains and audience judges together; there is no such thing as a black box operation.”
The Secretary-General spoke at length to the media.
The central idea was that the Hundred Flowers Awards were absolutely fair, just, and open.
It would have been better not to explain; the explanation only made it seem more like a cover-up.
But it was quickly debunked.
Several cinema managers stated that they had no idea about this matter.
Even Guo Degang, the cross-talk performer, couldn't resist and jumped out to make a sarcastic remark.
“Wu Jun has become Best Actor, is there no one left in the country?”
Several major directors were even more blunt.
Zhang Yimou chuckled in response to the media: “Although Li Chen was a bit emotional, art is art, don’t make it too complicated!”
Feng Xiaogang: “I have nothing to say, just one sentence, that famous director was talking about me.”
Jiang Wen: “If I were a few decades younger, I’d become sworn brothers with Li Chen. He’s much stronger than me, much more daring to speak up!”
Li Chen, far away in Los Angeles, saw all this.
He simply decided not to delete it, leaving it up.
No one could make him change his mind.
If they had the guts, they should go find Cao Guowei and have him delete it from the backend!
Li Chen no longer paid attention to domestic news.
Instead, he focused on Halloween, which had already become a cutthroat competition.
insidious 2 and saw 3 competed head-to-head.
Hollywood time, October 27th, midnight.
insidious 2 and saw 3 simultaneously premiered in North America.
Variety reported with the headline ‘A Life-and-Death Battle Between an Eastern Panda and a Western Lion’.
To describe this Halloween showdown.
To see whether Chiyou Films or Lionsgate would be the King of Horror.
Domestic time, October 29th.
Sina quoted the Hollywood Report.
“insidious 2, produced by Chiyou Films, with a first-day box office of 13.25 million US dollars, surpassed Lionsgate’s saw 3, which took in 11.30 million!”
“Hollywood industry insiders predict that insidious 2 will top this week’s box office with over forty million US dollars.”
As soon as the news broke, it immediately became the top headline on Sina Entertainment.
It also indirectly relieved some of the pressure on the Hundred Flowers Awards.
Film and television companies in the industry could only stare helplessly; this money was too easy to make.
The box office for that single day was equivalent to the annual box office of many film and television companies!
Moreover, the revenue-sharing ratios between China and foreign countries were different.
The cost of insidious 2 was only five million, and it broke even on its first day.
Netizens’ comments were incisive.
“Xiao Li Zi’s waist has gotten thicker again!”
“Did Hurun get paid off! Is it that hard to figure out Xiao Li Zi’s net worth?!”
“Brother, it’s not that Hurun is incompetent, but that Xiao Li Zi is not simple!”
“Haven’t you noticed his name hasn’t appeared in Forbes for the past two years?”
October 31st
The first weekend box office was released: insidious 2 strongly topped with 40.55 million US dollars.
saw, however, only had 33.20 million.
The King of Horror, the winner was immediately clear.