Zhang Long was not about to suffer this loss.

He simply raised his leg and kicked Principal Wang.

Haven't you heard the saying, "It's better to go with the flow than with the fire; going with the flow is annoying"?

He seemed very unhappy.

Strangely enough, he remained very calm when a special supply package was taken, but he was very unhappy when a lighter worth a few dollars was taken.

Principal Wang's shamelessness is unparalleled.

Since starting his business, he has come to realize a truth: "If you're too thin-skinned, you won't get anything; if you're thick-skinned, you'll get enough."

If time could turn back a year, he would never have done something so shameless.

Looking back on the past, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

This exclamation confused Zhang Long. "I just asked you to get the lighter out, what are you lamenting about?"

"Ah Long, oh no, Brother Long, how about we start planning the next few sequels?"

"We need to strike while the iron is hot."

Principal Wang skillfully shifted the topic, blurring the lines and implying that he would continue to invest in the sequels.

To be honest, upon hearing Principal Wang's words, Zhang Long completely forgot about the lighter incident.

He looked the man up and down, wondering to himself, "Is this still the same Principal Wang from before?"

He wasn't this shameless before.

"Haha, you, our relationship is great!"

"You can continue to invest then, and the share will be the same as before."

Zhang Long immediately agreed to the suggestion, saying that it wouldn't be a problem to finish filming the movie in one go.

"Anyway, Zhang Yimou doesn't have anything urgent to do right now, so it's good to keep him busy."

"As long as the film is of good quality, we can start preparations once it finishes its theatrical run."

"By the way, I heard that Zhang Yimou is a bit short on cash right now. How about we give him a 5 million yuan raise for each of his films as a token of our appreciation?"

"If the second movie is just as successful, I'll give him another big red envelope."

"Don't break their hearts. After all, you should understand the principle that sharing wealth brings people together."

Principal Wang nodded in agreement after hearing Zhang Long's words.

As long as he can retain his investment share, he doesn't care about this small amount of money at all, and he wouldn't even mind covering it all.

After all, the film was so successful that Wanda Cinemas made a fortune; in fact, they were the biggest beneficiaries.

Zhang Long didn't put on any airs, after all, making movies wasn't really his main job.

Filming these special effects blockbusters was purely to fulfill my own wishes as a fan.

When Hu Xinxin returned home in the evening, she found the house looking brand new and filled with the scent of air freshener, which told her that she had guests over that day.

"Yeah, it was that bastard Principal Wang who even stole one of my lighters."

Zhang Long said angrily.

After Principal Wang left, he remembered he needed a cigarette, but couldn't find his lighter, and that's when he remembered this incident.

"Goose, goose, goose!"

Hu Xinxin's clear goose-like calls echoed from the living room.

Zhang Long instantly changed his expression and said gently, "Oh my, my little darling, you can't let your emotions get so high and low right now. What's so funny about this?"

Since becoming pregnant, Hu Xinxin's threshold for laughter has inexplicably decreased significantly. This fluctuating threshold for laughter is truly unpredictable.

The two of them sat quietly together on the sofa watching TV.

Peaceful and serene – isn't this the most beautiful depiction of real life?

Zhang Long would occasionally glance down at Hu Xinxin's belly, their eyes would meet, and they would both finally reveal happy smiles.

Because Hu Xinxin was pregnant, Da Li, Xiao Li, and the seven or eight kittens were all sent to a breeding base.

Unexpectedly, these little guys are having a blast there and don't want to come back.

Especially the raccoon, the grasslands of the breeding base are full of wild rabbits and mice, and these prey are raised on high-tech feed, which is extremely nutritious.

Li Lanxiang, Batel and his wife, along with their two children, loved playing with Da Li and Xiao Li's kittens.

After all, who doesn't love cute little animals?

What's more, these little guys have special abilities, which makes them even more adorable.

October has passed in the blink of an eye, and "The Great Calamity of Dragon and Phoenix in the Primordial Era" has also finished its run.

Actually, I could have applied for a key extension, but I gave up on it in the end.

The film grossed $8.34 billion in October and nearly $540 million internationally.

This success has made various film and television companies extremely envious. It's not that they haven't considered it, but the momentum of this movie is just too strong.

Wanda Cinemas gave 70% of the screenings from the very beginning, which was unreasonable, and at its peak it even reached 90%.

After all, Wanda has an investment in this film, and with its box office success, it would be crazy not to give it strong support.

In the end, the film grossed RMB 11.985 billion, or USD 1.774 billion, breaking the domestic box office record.

The key point is that this is only half of the film; the other half is reserved for release during the Lunar New Year holiday season.

Domestic film companies that originally planned to release films during the Lunar New Year holiday are now terrified, crying out, "The wolf is coming!"

Now look what's happened! The people who were originally laughing at us have become the laughing stock themselves. Who can accept that?

They were initially relieved that this blockbuster was released during the National Day holiday, preventing it from competing for market share during the Spring Festival. However, it turns out that the other party had a backup plan, and now they're all doomed.

If the first half of the first movie is this good, once it establishes a brand effect, even if the second movie doesn't surpass the first, it probably won't be too far off.

Moreover, these two episodes were filmed at the same time, but were released separately.

Zhang Yimou is now beaming with joy, never expecting that his first film after joining HL Pictures would be such a success.

According to Yang Tianzhen, her boss said that as long as the second film does well at the box office, he will receive a huge bonus as a reward, the amount of which will not be less than the remuneration he receives for directing a film.

This caught Zhang Yimou's eye; he desperately needed money, and to have such a wealthy and influential boss appreciating him...

When Yang Tianzhen heard Zhang Yimou's idea, her eyes lit up, and she was almost ready to vouch for it.

So, the two sides hit it off.

After hearing Yang Tianzhen's words, Zhang Long seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, he nodded and said, "Okay, as long as Zhang Yimou still has the ability to direct, that's fine. Anyway, after our company made a name for itself with this film, we won't be short of money."

"Tell Zhang Yimou that if he wants the company to fund the production of an art film, he has to make a commercial film first."

"HL Company does not employ idle people, and this should be made clear in advance."