132. Film Promotion for "Father"

Before long, Feng Xinliu swaggered into Zhang Yu's office.

"What are you doing here?" Zhang Yu looked at him coldly, his tone filled with revulsion.

In his desperate scramble for profit, Zhang Yu would stop at nothing, churning out films of such abysmal quality that he had tarnished the reputation of Tenghai Film and Television in the public eye. Zhang Yu loathed him.

For once, Feng Xinliu didn't seem to care about Zhang Yu's attitude. "Director Zhang, I don't want to be here either, but Vice President Bi sent me to deliver a message."

Hearing that the Vice President had something to say, Zhang Yu finally looked at him squarely. "What is it?"

"A small matter." Feng Xinliu strolled around the office. The modest room was filled with materials related to the film *My Home*. Seeing how much heart Zhang Yu had poured into this project, Feng Xinliu’s smirk grew more repulsive, the malice in his eyes nearly overflowing.

"Vice President Bi says that if your box office doesn't hit 5 million this month, the cinema screenings allocated to Group One will be cut in half starting next month!"

Originally, Tenghai had no such thing as monthly box office quotas for directors; this was a requirement Feng Xinliu had set for himself. He had been practicing this for years, repeatedly earning praise from Qian Huanxi and Bi Deng. The staff in Film Group Two had followed suit, setting similar targets for themselves. To suppress Zhang Yu, Feng Xinliu had twisted the concept, elevating his own self-imposed standard into a company-wide mandate.

Zhang Yu had his own stubborn, dedicated approach to filmmaking. If not for the fact that he had directed a few films that helped establish Tenghai in the entertainment industry and held a small amount of shares, Qian Huanxi would have fired him long ago. Thus, Feng Xinliu wasn't afraid of Zhang Yu escalating the matter. If he made a scene, it would only prove he didn't want to make money for the company, and Qian Huanxi and Bi Deng—leaders who valued profit above all—would certainly not side with him.

"What?! 5 million!" Zhang Yu couldn't believe it. Today was the 30th; tomorrow, the day the film launched, was the final day of May!

"That's right. If your box office doesn't reach that by midnight tomorrow, the screenings cut from Group One will go to our Group Two. And that's not all; you'll have to meet the quota every month, or the screenings will be halved again."

*Heh*, Zhang Yu, don't you look down on me? Once you abandon those ridiculous principles and act just like me, will you loathe yourself, or will you sink into the mud along with me?

Feng Xinliu left after delivering the message. He needed to promote his own film, *World of Martial Arts*, to ensure the theaters were packed when he expanded his screenings next month.

"It’s not a holiday tomorrow, and it’s a workday. How could we possibly hit 5 million in one day?" his assistant paced frantically.

In recent years, Zhang Yu had been sidelined, and his treatment at the company had steadily declined. By the time he was shooting *My Home*, the funding had even dried up, and he had paid for it out of his own pocket every time. As a result, *My Home* was being released with almost zero promotion.

Originally, according to their internal assessment, this film could have followed the trajectory of *Mist Pursuit*—building word-of-mouth early on and seeing a box office explosion later. After all, the filming alone took two years, post-production took over a year, and the script itself had been refined by Zhang Yu over a decade based on a true story. It was a sincere work into which he had poured his heart and soul.

Although the subject matter wasn't a hot trend, the final cut had moved many people. Within the industry, everyone who had seen the film called it a masterpiece, one that might even surpass *Mist Pursuit*, saying they would take their families to see it again once it hit theaters.

However, the people of the Dragon Kingdom weren't fond of going to the movies. If the screenings were really cut in half, the time needed for word-of-mouth to spread would be infinitely prolonged. The most likely consequence was that by the time the film was pulled from theaters, *My Home* might not even have entered the public eye.

"Contact the company's artists—every single one of them—and ask them to help promote the film..." Zhang Yu looked as if he had aged significantly. He wasn't one for socializing, having spent all his years in the industry making films within the company. Now, he had to swallow his pride and ask for their help.

Just as he was wondering what else he could do, his assistant returned in tears. "Director Zhang, the manager of the Artists Department said that Feng Xinliu has already approached them for promotions. They said such promotion can't be too frequent, or it will hurt the fans' affinity, and told us to wait until next month."

"Damn it!"

The assistant suddenly had a thought and said excitedly, "I just overheard them saying that Director Ye Sanchuan's *Treasure Hunting Legend* from Group Two broke 10 million on its first day. The reason for such an outrageous box office is that Ji Fanxing made a cameo and sang the theme song... What if we also..."

"Ji Fanxing?" Zhang Yu recalled the musical genius who had been compared to a top-tier star the moment she debuted. He shook his head helplessly. "She charges 10 million for one song. We can't afford that..."

"Then what are we going to do... *My Home* is such a good film..."

The assistant slumped his shoulders. Zhang Yu hadn't expected things to turn out this way. His eyes hardened; if it really came down to it, he would rather stop making films than compromise his principles and bottom line, or trash the film industry.

*Ding, ding, ding.*

A crisp ringtone broke the silence. The caller was Xu Yuelang.

***

In the evening, Ji Fanxing returned to her hotel.

"Should I buy a house?" She looked around, muttering to herself. No matter how nice a hotel was, it was never home. After drifting for so many years, now that she had finally returned to her own world, a part of her deep down longed for a place of her own.

After a refreshing shower, Ji Fanxing opened her computer to study the documents Xu Yuelang had just sent.

"Director Zhang is a truly excellent director. *My Home* is a film that doesn't lose out to those major blockbusters. He is willing to give half of his share of the box office as payment if you help him promote it... You just need to use your own account to post that the film is launching tomorrow..."

Xu Yuelang's voice was sincere, and one could tell from her tone how much she sympathized with Zhang Yu's plight. She hadn't expected Tenghai to be so ruthless, not just to their artists, but to their directors as well.

It was clear that Zhang Yu was desperate. To prove that the film was worth recommending, he had even sent her the script and clips of the content. After reading through it, Ji Fanxing couldn't help but sigh, "This is so much better than the trash Ji Changming makes."

Whether in terms of plot or production quality, this film would be considered quite good even in China, and in the Dragon Kingdom, it was a dark horse. If promoted properly, the box office could easily exceed 100 million. It was just a pity that it was scheduled during a slow season with zero marketing.

Such an outstanding director shouldn't be buried. She stroked her chin, pondering—he was a man worth using.

Providing help when it was needed most was always the best way to win someone's loyalty. If she wanted him to work for her, how could a simple shout-out be enough? She wanted to give him a big surprise.

At 8:00 PM, the lights in Zhang Yu's office were still on, the pale glow illuminating his face, which was etched with exhaustion. The staff of Film Group One hadn't left either; they sat with solemn expressions, wilted like frost-bitten eggplants.

"Hey, do you think Ji Fanxing will actually help us?"