The only sun in Huayu

Chapter 88: We're Going to Heaven!
"Don't tell anyone that. We still need to attract investment!"

Han Sanping quickly tried to dissuade him.

"You see, that's it."

Shen Shandeng said with a hint of helplessness, "I said 1, and you went straight to 100. What's wrong with doing a few cultural things? Our return on investment here is the highest in the world, except for Eastern Europe."

"The reason Eastern Europe is number one is because it was outright robbery. Our return on investment is comparable to that of outright robbery, so you can imagine how high it is."

"India, which also invests heavily in Western countries, is far less than us."

"They'll only get anxious if you stop them from investing. They're the ones who should be benefiting, but they're being treated unfairly. How twisted! How frustrating!"

Shen Shandeng became increasingly angry as he spoke.

If it was like this in 2007, it must have been even worse in the 1980s and 90s.

Han Sanping had mixed feelings: "We must focus on hard power and not confuse strategy with tactics."

"That's called only talking about the general and not the specific!"

Shen Shandeng retorted: "Cultural struggle is a battle of words! Its special feature is that if you don't kill someone, they can recover after a while, and not only recover, they can also boast that they won! To put it bluntly, a battle of words is about who is more willing to go all out!"

"To put it more bluntly, it's a competition to see who is more shameless, more deceitful, more prone to lying, and has the least moral bottom line."

“We are different from them,” Han Sanping disagreed, “and we could also be collateral damage.”

Shen Shandeng shook his head: "It doesn't matter. We're only in the tactical domain, aren't we? Accidental injuries are accidental injuries. A few more people outside making a fuss won't shake anything. On the contrary, the ability to execute is crucial. Whether it's intentional or not, demonstrating this ability will make others wary."

“Now we’re just limiting ourselves. Actually, killing a few people wouldn’t cause any problems. Although I agree with occupying the moral high ground, if we’re too pretentious, we’ll really think we’re saints, and the result will be that we’re tying our own hands.”

“People know you’re pretending to be a saint, so they dare to spit on you in public. If you fight back, they yell at you. Even though they’re insulting us, it’s like we’re the ones who did something wrong. In the end, ordinary people suffer too.”

"Too much consideration for others will only chill the hearts of most people."

“Get a few, and at first they’ll make a lot of noise, but over time they’ll convince themselves.”

Han Sanping felt that Shen Shandeng's logic was absolutely flawless, just like when he was reviewing the "Brotherhood of Blades" project.

"If we actually do it, others will exploit it and amplify it. What if it backfires on us?"

Shen Shandeng said happily, "That's great! That's where our industry's advantage lies. We're not afraid of generalizations! We're not afraid of collateral damage!"

"We worked with the outside world to develop all the maps. You see, we still made a profit in the end. We indiscriminately drove away a hundred of them, and in the end, we made over 190. Of the hundred they drove away, more than 90 were on their side."

"Maybe eliminating a whole batch of them would actually improve the overall situation."

Han Sanping was convinced; the logic was seamless.

"We can't go to extremes. Those things will drain us; we need to focus on the industry. The success of 'The Eunuch' has opened up a new path for period dramas, showing that there's great potential for industrial upgrading!"

"You've also broken through the industry ceiling, with a local team and local production. Keep going at this pace. Don't lose your rhythm, and don't lose your direction."

"The current situation is that the funds come from Europe, the United States, and Japan. It has been like this for many years, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan."

"We've only just started here. Time is on our side. Stay focused and don't rush."

Shen Shandeng said, "I'm not in a hurry at all. I want to start with 'Creating Sins.' I want to eat the celestial dog eating the sun one bite at a time, slowly swallowing and digesting it!"

"Start with period dramas, begin with film, and then gradually, through commercial means, reclaim what we've lost and the ground we've been forced to vacate!"

Shen Shandeng painted a rosy picture for Lao Deng.

Han Sanping was startled. So you're going to become the Jiajing Emperor? You want to ascend to heaven?
But then I realized that this kind of scam wasn't the first time.
"Tell me the truth."

Shen Shandeng: "."

Heaven have mercy, I'm telling the truth!
Am I the kind of person who lacks integrity?
It was just something I did to deal with the management.

Isn't this pie in the sky sincere enough?
Full of sincerity!

In mainland China, there aren't many directors who have achieved a box office of over 100 million yuan. Once they've made it, they've made it; that's what makes them famous.

Shen Shandeng was well aware of his own scarcity; as long as "The Eunuch" was successful, he would not lack investment.

Yu Dong was just waiting for him to nod so they could form a group.

The huge investment in "The Sun Also Rises" was also intended to secure a partnership with a top director, giving Bona Film Group the ability to produce top-tier resources and propelling the company to further success.

I really must thank my senior here; no need for quotation marks.

Whether it's Wang Zhongjun and Feng Xiaogang, or the combination of Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou, they all demonstrate the importance of renowned directors to film and television companies.

In particular, Feng Xiaogang first left a state-owned factory, then joined Huayi Brothers, and then left Huayi Brothers again before returning, which established his special status as a great director.

For top directors who can produce high-quality, top-tier projects, they certainly need to handle matters outside of filmmaking, such as filing for record, finding investors, and business partners. However, compared to funding, top directors are still more scarce.

A negative example among directors is Zhang Yimou, who was completely controlled by Zhang Weiping.

Shen Shandeng doesn't like to show off or embarrass himself; he just wants to adjust the relationship to avoid future unpleasantness.

Of course, Shen Shandeng didn't lie to Han Sanping; in the long run, this was exactly what he was going to do.

Anyway, Han Sanping was also exploited by Hong Kong and Taiwan, so compared to him, Shen Shandeng was considered better off.

Shen Shandeng suggested, "In the second week, I plan to make a poster to fight against traitors. Don't misunderstand, it's not aimed at 'The Sin,' but at Sun Shichang and Zhao Wenhua in the movie."

Han Sanping: "..."

So you're still using that trick of tearing down houses and opening windows, huh? It's not the first time!

After hanging up the phone, Han Sanping was still troubled.

"The Eunuch" was a success. Shen Shandeng's previous promises are gradually being realized. What if it succeeds this time too?
Han Sanping dared not think too deeply about it, yet he couldn't help but think about it.

It's not about making rapid progress; I just want to contribute to the cause of culture and propaganda.

"Anyway, I have nothing to do. I guess I won't have any work tomorrow, so I'll play cards."

Shen Shandeng pulled Chen Hao, Huang Xiaoming, Zhou Qifeng, and two more people together to play Gouji, the kind with Qing Shao, Bie San, and Kai Dian Fa Si.

Chen Hao secretly admired Shen Shandeng, thinking that he had the bearing of a great general and an invincible mentality.

Early the next morning.

Preliminary box office figures for Friday are in: 17 million, far exceeding expectations!
It has once again broken the record for the highest single-day box office for a domestic film this year!

At this time, everyone is pushing the box office figures too high, and there aren't many films as honest as "The Eunuch"!
Traditional media also could not remain reserved.

The entertainment section of the Beijing News featured this story as its headline.

Shen Shandeng's "The Grand Eunuch" breaks records to reach the top, but controversial remarks reignite the storm!

Southern Metropolis Daily

Shen Shandeng's profanity has torn away the last veil of civility.

The article points out that "The Eunuch" achieved box office success by using a marginal story and crude hype techniques, which shows that the artistic attributes of films are gradually fading while their commercial attributes are continuously rising.

China Film Report

The phenomenon surrounding "The Eunuch" continues to heat up! How was this single-day box office miracle achieved? Audiences' choices provide the most resounding answer!

Focusing on the film's popularity, deliberately downplaying controversial remarks, and letting market data speak for itself.

The academics, however, remained collectively silent.

Professor Huang from Beijing Film Academy was trembling with anger.

"Bully! Disgraceful! A disgrace to film art! This kind of person should be blacklisted by the industry!" In private, he sighed with his students Wang Xiaoshuai and others: "The wolf is coming, and this wolf will eat people."

When interviewed by reporters, he chose to avoid the topic.

Shen Shandeng utterly destroyed "The Creation of Evil".

No matter how big the problems are with the movie, from the outside perspective, it was he who messed it up.

In other words, Shen Shandeng executed a "classic" film directed by an internationally renowned director, supported by both mainland China and Taiwan, and certified by Western film festivals and media.

When Shen Shandeng once again relentlessly attacked the fallen dog of "The Sinful Creation" despite various controversies, anyone with a little status should consider the consequences. Most directly, can they bear such a blatant insult?
Professor Huang didn't want to get involved anymore.

Shen Shandeng is not Ning Hao; he won't listen obediently when criticized.

He actually dared to fight back.

Professor Huang is upright and has nothing to fear, and he will not yield to such bullying practices, but preserving his useful body is more important.

The big news that Shen Shandeng created received little response from academics.

Previously active directors and scholars have all disappeared from the public eye.

On the contrary, the voices supporting Shen Shandeng grew louder, and the emotion returned to rationality.

"Finally, I dare to speak up."

A young director posted a long review he had written in advance on Mtime.com, which instantly became a hot topic.

Word-of-mouth continues to grow, audiences are voting with their feet, and box office sales are soaring!

Shen Shandeng's scathing rebuke did not deter the audience; instead, it acted as a shot in the arm, igniting an even more surging wave of movie-watching frenzy!

Audience members who entered the theater influenced by the comments found that the movie was not a scam and was genuine.

The pacing is fast, unlike anything we've seen in domestic films. It's exhilarating from beginning to end, a thrill that feels unfamiliar to the audience!

The director genuinely wanted to entertain the audience!

This is a rare sight these days!
The movie is lighthearted and the theme is not heavy. It features eunuchs as the main characters but is not sensational, and it is interspersed with jokes from time to time.

The characters' lines are so captivating that you'll want to take notes.

What's most impressive is the systematic martial arts design, from realms to action design.

It's not slow motion in the traditional sense, nor are there any set moves. Chen Mo kills people with a single sword strike, and his main focus is on overwhelming opponents with his superior skill level, which is truly overwhelming and refreshing.

There aren't many special effects, but they are realistic and shocking. Say goodbye to "fake" qi blasts and establish a physiologically realistic impact.

"Too good!"

As soon as the audience left the theater, they called out to their friends.

There's a current craze for martial arts films, but it's mostly TV dramas that have been doing it well.

After watching the movie, martial arts fans were completely blown away!

The scene of the Grandmaster fighting Wu Zhenhai has a visual complexity and impact that far surpasses any other martial arts film.

This elevates martial arts combat from the aesthetics of its moves to the level of physiological destruction and reconstruction, and the materialized confrontation of energy.

It allows the audience to truly see and believe how internal energy circulates within the body, how it repairs the body, and how it enables martial artists to transcend their physiological limits.

This gives martial arts an unprecedented sense of physical realism and a cool, science-fiction-like feel.

A longtime martial arts fan even brought his whole family, including his children, to watch it a second time: "It gave me the same feeling as when I watched 'Shaolin Temple' back then, I couldn't stop watching."

"The director is audience-friendly, which is most evident in the Grandmaster battle. The special effects are realistic but not bloody, making it more shocking than scary."

The cinema manager has gone mad!

All crazy!
"The prime spots are full! Even the corner spots are taken!"

The cinema manager yelled into the phone, "Additional copies?! As many as you want!"

"It went so smoothly! It went so smoothly!"

Shen Shandeng communicated with Wu Jing, but Wu Jing only did a half-day promotional tour, and the cinemas began to politely decline.

Tickets are in high demand, so there's no need for the main creators to boost box office sales.

Fan Bingbing even broke away from the group and seized the opportunity to appear in various magazines.

Zhou Qifeng reported: "Saturday's box office has surpassed Friday's in every aspect, and it's definitely going to break 20 million, and by a large margin!"

Shen Shandeng looked at the data from China Film Group Corporation and saw that even Friday's box office figures had been revised upwards by one million, reaching eighteen million.

They still haven't adjusted the decimal point; they're still correcting it upwards.

It doesn't even need to be injected with water; this number is already somewhat exaggerated.

"Let's each do our own thing for now."

Shen Shandeng drew his sword and looked around, feeling lost and confused.

One punch, and the world is at peace.

The academics have stopped criticizing.

Other criticisms exist, but they have lost their influence in the industry and are merely noise.

Incredibly smooth!

Did the noise actually decrease after I cursed?
Do those "artsy" types really like this kind of thing?
Paperclip tried to cut it, and Jiang Zhiqiang also asked someone to pass on a message that he wanted to talk.

They can talk, it seems they can all be patriotic.

The first weekend wasn't even over yet, and Shen Shandeng was getting a little bored. When luck turns, everyone pitches in; how lonely it is to be invincible!
Looking for Yuanyuan? Shishi? Tangtang? Or Tiantian, who got tanned during military training?
Or, should we teach Sun Li a lesson for sending him text messages every day?

You can give her a good scolding to relieve her boredom and teach her a lesson so she can become a good woman.

"Good sister."

Just then, Shen Shandeng saw Chen Hao coming over, and a thought struck him: this girl was also a good one.

Chen Hao smoothed his hair, smiled broadly, and Shen Shandeng was taken aback.

"I haven't even said thank you yet. This film has given me a glamorous makeover."

Shen Shandeng said, "I should be thanking you, dear sister, for not minding that the role is small."

Chen Hao said, "There are no small roles, only small actors."

"Well said," Shen Shandeng exclaimed.

Chen Hao said, "There are very few people in the film and television industry as brave as you. Is the project 'The Sin' finally over?"

"This is just the beginning."

Mentioning "The Creation of Evil," Shen Shandeng's eyes immediately turned cold: "I want to stop the cultural fervor surrounding 'The Creation of Evil,' not only stop it, but also publicly execute it! Bury it completely!"

"What they can do, we can do too. We want to innovate and make that innovation a trend, a standard!"

"I want to change the underlying logic. Celebrities shouldn't always be thinking about awards, as if they aren't truly recognized unless they are recognized by the academics. They shouldn't always be thinking about the three major European awards or the Oscars."

"I want to change this atmosphere and make black and white distinct!"

Chen Hao's pupils contracted sharply, and his mind was shaken!
(End of this chapter)