I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 2: The strong never complain about their environment!
Early June, 2003.

The news that the Hollywood film "Superman II" is about to have its world premiere has caused a huge stir in the Chinese film industry.

This superhero movie, which cost nearly $150 million to produce, attracted countless investors as soon as it was announced in the early 2000s.

During the three years of filming, news and gossip flooded the national film magazine sections and various related news outlets across China...

Data shows that from 2000 to 2003, sales of countless toys related to Superman in China skyrocketed exponentially...

It all started with the 1987 Hollywood movie "Superman 1," which swept the world.

How much impact did "Superman 1" have on the global market?
When "Superman" was released in Japan in 1987, its box office record, set in the Japanese market known as the "graveyard of superheroes," remained far ahead of others until after the millennium.

Meanwhile, in China, "Superman 1" attracted nearly 8000 million viewers to the cinema, and with a ticket price of 3 cents, it grossed 2400 million RMB.

The highest-grossing domestic film in China during the same period, "Kung Fu Little Dragon," only grossed 1500 million RMB!

Because of the movie's immense influence, it even spilled over into comics, leading many artists to specifically recreate Superman's image in the comics in the style of Reeve himself!
It's fair to say that Superman is the childhood hero of countless young children around the world!
Sixteen years later, when "Superman 2" was about to be released and rumors circulated that it would bring the world's most advanced Hollywood visual effects, most of the Chinese film industry was in an uproar.

……

"This is a cultural export. As the founders of Chinese cinema, we must make films with style, quality, and confidence!"

Inside the rental house.

Zhou Yang pushed up his glasses, looking at director Shen Long with burning eyes.

Shen Long's throat moved slightly as he trembled as he gripped the script titled "Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2".

He lowered his head and shakily opened the script. When he saw the first line on the first page, he felt his vision go black.

[Superman was swept from America to China by a tornado, encountered a time warp, and finally landed in the Journey to the West world, where he met Sun Wukong.]

Spacetime turbulence, time travel, tornadoes, the Journey to the West world—elements piled up together, making his head buzz.

He took a long time to recover, but he still couldn't.

"Mr. Zhou, we...I,I..."

He started to stutter, and he couldn't even look Zhou Yang in the eye.

day!
What makes him worthy of directing such an explosive film?
Zhou Yang seemed to have anticipated his reaction, handed him a cup of coffee, and smiled: "Director Shen, don't you... want to make a movie?"

“I, I… I am, but I…” He felt his hands holding the script burning hot.

"Director Shen, I know you are very talented, but in all these years since graduation, you have been drifting around in Beijing. No one wants you. Apart from working as a wedding photographer and earning a hundred or so yuan a day, you still don't have any representative works of your own. Do you know why?"

"I……"

"Do you really want to spend your whole life as a wedding photographer, living an unknown life? Are you willing to see your classmates, who are clearly less talented than you, all go on to win Golden Rooster Awards, Hong Kong Film Awards, and even Oscars, becoming world-renowned directors?"

"I don't want to, but, Mr. Zhou, I, I..."

Zhou Yang sat down in the chair, straightened his tie, and patted Shen Long on the shoulder: "Make this movie a success, and I'll send you soaring to new heights!"

In a rental house.

Suddenly, there was silence.

Shen Long lowered his head, opened his mouth as if to say something, but after his throat trembled for a long time, he finally couldn't say anything.

In 2000, he graduated from the Photography Department of Yanying Film Academy...

For three years, he stayed in Yanjing with great ambition, intending to make a name for himself through his talent.

Over two years, he was cheated out of tens of thousands of yuan by an unscrupulous film crew, worked for free for a year, and after failing to get his wages, he was so hungry that he couldn't stand it anymore. In the end, he went to work for a wedding company as a photographer.

Then, the wedding industry requires a festive atmosphere, high emotional intelligence, and the ability to handle situations. He was of average appearance, somewhat shy, and had only average emotional intelligence. In the competition for jobs, he repeatedly lost out. Starting in March of this year, he lost his job and has been unable to find a suitable one since...

His younger brother, Shen Hu, fared even worse. For some reason, he dropped out of high school and followed him to Beijing with his guitar, insisting on being exceptionally talented and constantly creating his own music.

But the songs he created were completely ignored. So he sang under the overpass for three years, until he was heavily in debt and couldn't even afford a guitar. He was practically begging for food.

By chance, they met "General Manager Zhou," a man always dressed in a suit and tie and carrying a thick leather bag.

That night, Mr. Zhou treated the brothers to a barbecue, then handed them a business card with the name "Xuan Shi Entertainment" and said, "Come with me! I'll push you."

In just over ten days, Mr. Zhou moved into the brothers' rented apartment under the pretext of "testing" their talents.

Although it's called testing, they seem very busy, leaving early and returning late every day. However, I often bring them meals.

Sometimes it's steak, sometimes pasta, sometimes Japanese food...

Yes, the prices aren't cheap.

Today, as usual, Mr. Zhou brought them steak, and then he told him that he was going to invest in his movie.

The movie was called "Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2," a name that makes one's anus tighten.

……night.

Profound.

A gust of wind blew in through the window.

The sound of a street singer singing could be heard from under the overpass not far away.

He sang with heart-wrenching intensity and a hoarse voice.

Zhou Yang sat in the chair, listening to the song in the wind, silently watching Shen Long with his head down, a bright smile on his face.

He came into this world a month ago and found that he only had 100 yuan on him.

After thinking it over carefully, I realized that the original owner was a penniless man whose father had just died of cancer, who had been laid off from the factory, and who had been evicted from his rented house by his landlord.

In a moment of despair, the original owner jumped into the river and was washed ashore.

Then, Zhou Yang was jolted awake. He then resolutely went to a street stall and bought a cheap secondhand suit and a bag. He then took scissors and gave himself a haircut.

As someone who used to make a living through shady dealings, Zhou Yang didn't think it was a big deal after he became familiar with these memories.

Ha, as long as he has a suit, Old Ma will have to bow his head and call him "General Manager Zhou".

This month coincided with the Asian financial crisis, a time of economic transformation for the entire Chinese economy, and a period when many small businesses were struggling to survive.

While learning about the world through various channels, Zhou Yang actively contacted unlucky people from all walks of life, taking them to various places under the guise of investing to scam them out of food and drink.

Originally, seeing that Shen Long and Shen Hu were both clueless, I thought I could swindle some money and find a place to stay.

But then he discovered that this guy was even poorer than him, and couldn't even afford to eat.

Just as he was about to give up, Zhou Yang suddenly realized that although Shen Long seemed a bit silly, he actually had a little bit of talent and was just missing a chance to soar to great heights.

What is most important in the 21st century?

Talent is the most important thing!
"Director Shen, what's your decision? Will you film it or not?"

"I..." Shen Long lowered his head, remained silent for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth: "How much should I invest?"

"One million, maybe."

“One million…” Shen Long lowered his head, pondered for a long time, and finally said bitterly, “One million to make a movie seems like not enough investment…”

"Just tell me what you need, and I'll help you solve it." Zhou Yang smiled as he looked at Shen Long's expression.

"There's a lot missing..."

"Here's what you're missing: write everything down on a piece of paper, and I'll take care of it for you. For the next couple of days, don't go looking for work. Just stay here at [Xuan Shi Entertainment] and help polish the outline of our movie, 'Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2,' understand?"

"Mr. Zhou, are we really going to film this?"

"shoot!"

"But……"

“Strong people don’t complain about their circumstances. In two days, I will turn the outline of ‘Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2’ into a qualified script, and then I will get it approved…”

"..."

"By the way, it must be positive, understand?"

"..."

Shen Long lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before revealing an expression more painful than crying: "President Zhou, it's fine, but President Zhou, could you take me to see our [Xuan Shi Entertainment] headquarters?"

"The headquarters is under renovation right now, there's not much to see. We'll go when the time comes..."

"Mr. Zhou, I have to say something outrageous, but I'd like to ask, do you really have a company?"

"Have!"

"That……"

"Time is money, stop hesitating, our movie needs to be released before 'Superman 2', understand?"

"In such a hurry?"

"..."

Zhou Yang didn't say anything, but instead pushed up his glasses, patted Shen Long's shoulder again, and looked out the window.

After a long silence, he finally smiled and said, "Director Shen, in two months, let 'Superman 2' be your stepping stone to success!"

(Back to the entertainment industry, writing lighthearted stories, absolutely no artsy writing!!!!)
(End of this chapter)