134. Infernal Affairs vs. The Departed

“No, I can’t let his movie heat dominate like this!” Feng Xinliu suddenly stood up, a ruthless gleam flashing in his eyes.
“Xiaoli, no matter the cost, promote ‘The Martial World’ aggressively. We must push down the trending topic of ‘My Home’!”
“But, President Feng…” Xiaoli hesitated. The topic involved the queen of trending topics, Ji Fanxing; it wouldn’t be so easy to suppress.
“Enough nonsense! Do exactly as I say!” Feng Xinliu roared.

On Weibo, the hashtag #Ji Fanxing ‘Father’# continued to surge in popularity.
“Wow! This song is unbelievably good! I’m a grown man, and it made me cry!”
“The lyrics are so well-written—simple and sincere, yet they hit right at the heart, as if I saw my own father.”
“The production quality of the movie ‘My Home’ is stunning. The trailer is so evocative—I can’t wait!”
“Even though it’s a workday, I just can’t wait—I’m going to watch it now!”
“I’ve already bought my tickets; no one can stop me after work!”
...

Although the topic for ‘The Martial World’ occasionally surfaced, it was quickly overshadowed by ‘My Home.’
Feng Xinliu’s face turned ashen with frustration at the lack of results.
“What’s going on? Why can’t ‘The Martial World’ trend higher?”
“President Feng, you should see this for yourself…” Xiaoli nervously handed over her phone.

Feng Xinliu snatched the phone and opened the Weibo trending list.
The hashtag #Ji Fanxing ‘My Home’ soundtrack# firmly held first place, while #The Martial World# lingered outside the top ten.
Clicking into #The Martial World#, the comments were disheartening.
“This movie looks cheap—bad special effects, melodramatic plot, awkward acting—total waste of time!”
“Can Tenghai Pictures stop making such trash? It’s an insult to the audience’s intelligence!”
“Strongly suggest Tenghai Pictures shut down!”
“If I had nothing else to do, maybe I’d watch it—but today my time is for ‘My Home’!”
“Just from the director’s name, you know it’s another flop. How are these garbage films still trending?”

“Director Feng, we’ve spent millions buying trending spots already. We can’t keep buying more…”
Feng Xinliu was so furious he nearly vomited blood.
“How could this be? How could this be?” he muttered, unwilling to believe it as he opened the ‘My Home’ trending page, where the comments were the complete opposite.
“‘My Home’ is genuinely a great movie. I took the morning off to watch it and cried from start to finish—it was so moving.”

—
“‘Father,’ that soundtrack is amazing. I broke down in tears right in the theater.”
“Dad, why don’t you return in my dreams to see your son?”
“I went to see it too, and I was truly touched. Finally, Tenghai Pictures made a good film!”
“I heard Zhang Yu directed ‘My Home’—the same director of ‘Mist in Pursuit.’ No wonder it’s so good!”
“Zhang Yu? The genius director Tenghai Pictures shelved?”
“Exactly. I heard he made a movie before, but Tenghai suppressed it for all sorts of reasons and eventually shelved him.”
“What a tragedy—for such a talented director to be buried by Tenghai Pictures!”
...

Seeing this, Feng Xinliu was filled with deep regret. He hated that he had been so impatient, trying to grab Zhang Yu’s film screening slots.
Who would have thought he’d get Ji Fanxing involved?
If only he had made a good impression when they first met—maybe she could have written a promotional song for him?
Now, all his past efforts to suppress Zhang Yu were wasted...
He had forgotten that anything Zhang Yu produced after a three-year hiatus would be exceptional.
Ji Fanxing even boosted Ye Sanchuan’s “Treasure Hunt Legend”—there was no way ‘My Home’ wouldn’t do well at the box office.
For now, Zhang Yu could only hope that since today was a workday, fewer people would watch the movie...

The attempt to gain by stealth had backfired for Zhang Yu, and his hopes were destined to be dashed.

At 4 p.m., Film Department One.
“Director Zhang, the box office numbers are in!”
Assistant Li burst excitedly into Zhang Yu’s office, phone in hand, the figures gleaming under the light.
“How much?” Zhang Yu stood abruptly, eyes full of anticipation and anxiety.
“Ten million! The first-day box office has surpassed ten million!” Li exclaimed, barely containing his excitement.

Zhang Yu froze, disbelief washing over his face.
Li held out the phone screen to him.
Zhang Yu took it, staring fixedly at the number: ten million!
“This... how is this possible? It’s only 4 p.m., and the peak time hasn’t even arrived yet!”
He muttered, as if dreaming.
“It’s real!” Li said, clenching his fists, eyes slightly reddened.
“Not only have we secured our screening slots, but we’ll also be able to hold our heads high at the next meeting!”
“We can’t celebrate too early though—we must maintain this momentum...”

With the heavy weight lifted, Zhang Yu felt much lighter. After arranging the follow-up work, he asked his assistant to leave.

Alone in his office, Zhang Yu thought of Ji Fanxing’s email.
“Director Zhang, the song usage fee will be paid as usual.
Our company has a film we wish to invite you to direct. Please consider it carefully.”

He solemnly opened the attachment titled ‘Infernal Affairs.’
Just the script itself looked to be several hours’ read.

Calming his excitement, Zhang Yu laughed in relief. Such a great script—what was there to hesitate about?
Even if Ji Fanxing hadn’t helped, he would give his all to make this film!

—
At the same time, legendary director Ji Changming posted a blog on his Weibo account that caught attention.
@Ji Changming: #Undercover# Lurking in darkness, guarding the light!
This time, we focus on unsung heroes who walk the razor’s edge, writing an anthem of loyalty with their lives. @many stars

The post included official headshots of the main cast alongside a concept poster, dominated by black-and-white tones, evoking a tense, suspenseful atmosphere.

“Wow! Ji Changming’s new film ‘Undercover’—the cast is phenomenal!”
“That poster, that lineup—this is clearly aiming for the box office champion of the year!”
“Director Ji must be holding back for a big move! With this cast, if the script is good, the next Magnolia Award for Best Director will be his.”
“Ji Shengxue is in it too! Judging by her poster placement, she’s likely the second female lead.”
“Ji Shengxue? The one who debuted fourth in ‘The All-Round Singer’? I heard her dad is Ji Changming—now it all makes sense.”
“Of course! With a big-name director dad protecting her, it’ll be hard for Ji Shengxue not to become famous.”
“Sigh, same surname but look at Ji Shengxue and then Ji Fanxing—that gap is huge!”
“Our Ashue is beautiful and inspirational—that’s what she deserves! Unlike some ungrateful people who’ve cut ties with their family, stuck writing songs for low-budget films—serves them right!”