Chapter 447 Delivered to the Door

December 14th, Friday, people’s hearts have already flown towards the weekend, just looking forward to getting off work early!

As dusk falls, bright lights gradually light up the night sky of Peking.

At Huaying International Cinema, the premiere of the movie "The Chinese Zodiac" was star-studded.

As the 101st film of international superstar Cheng Long and also his publicly declared last pure action film, "Chinese Zodiac" has attracted much attention since its preparation.

For this masterpiece, Cheng Long mobilized all his connections to promote the film.

At the premiere, big stars and famous directors walked onto the red carpet one after another, which excited the media on the scene and the sound of shutter clicks rang out one after another.

"This guy is here too! He's worthy of being Big Brother Chenglong. He's really honored."

"I heard she was so busy preparing for her wedding that she even turned down the National Drama Festival. I didn't expect her to show up at the premiere. It was such a pleasant surprise."

While the reporters were discussing the matter, Liu Shishi walked gracefully onto the red carpet.

Her pretty face was lightly made up, and she did not wear a complicated dress. She only wore a simple white windbreaker with a blue turtleneck sweater inside, but she looked gentle, generous and calm.

Liu Shishi did not stop at the autograph wall, but walked straight to the inner screening room.

She was reluctant to attend the movie premiere, but she considered herself to be the ambassador for the return of the rat and rabbit cultural relics among the twelve animal heads of the Old Summer Palace.

"The Chinese Zodiac" is a movie about the twelve animal heads and calls for the protection of cultural relics. In addition, Chenglong invited me so warmly that I thought about it again and again before deciding to come and support it.

"Shishi, please stay and take some pictures!"

"Mrs. Song, please accept an interview!"

When the reporters saw Liu Shishi actually heading straight for the backfield, they immediately became anxious!

The wedding of the No. 1 lady and the richest man is imminent, and any inside information is enough to become a hot topic.

But Liu Shishi turned a deaf ear to these requests, just waved and walked into the inner court without stopping.

Chenglong was welcoming guests in front of the screening room. When he saw Yijie coming, he was overjoyed.

Having attended the Huo family wedding banquet, he witnessed with his own eyes how the wealthy family heads in Hong Kong treated the eldest sister as a guest of honor, and he was well aware of her status and power.

He walked quickly to meet her, and greeted her with a smile: "Mrs. Song, welcome! I apologize for not coming to greet you from afar."

"Thank you, big brother. I wish 'The Chinese Zodiac' a big box office hit." Liu Shishi responded with a smile, her eyes falling on the young man behind Cheng Long.

Noticing Liu Shishi's gaze, Cheng Long quickly introduced, "Mrs. Song, this is my son Zu Ming."

Then he turned to his son and scolded him, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and pay your respects to Mrs. Song."

Zu Ming seemed a little afraid of his father and said timidly, "Hello, Mrs. Song."

"Hello." Liu Shishi responded softly, carefully looking at the famous "Dragon Prince" in the entertainment industry.

. . .

Chenglong saw through everything and noticed that Liu Shishi's expression suddenly changed after seeing her son. Her undisguised impatience and disgust made his heart tighten.

He hurriedly and cautiously tried to test her: "Mrs. Song, but my son has never offended you. I will ask him to apologize to you right now."

Liu Shishi was stunned. She didn't expect Chenglong to be so perceptive.

Then he warned meaningfully: "Brother, while you are busy with your career, you must also take care of your family and not slack off in disciplining your children. Otherwise, you will end up like Zhang Guoli and regret it deeply."

As soon as these words came out, Cheng Long's pupils shrank suddenly, his heart was shaken, and he turned to his son with a look of disbelief, his voice tense: "You?!"

When Zu Ming saw that his most secret secret was exposed, he immediately panicked and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Seeing his son's panic, Chenglong knew that what Liu Shishi said was true.

Furious, he slapped her in the face. "You beast."

“Bang!”

Chenglong was a martial artist, and in his rage he used all his strength. The slap was so powerful that half of Zu Ming's cheek became red and swollen instantly.

Zu Ming grimaced in pain, but didn't dare to resist at all. He just turned his face slightly to avoid his father's murderous gaze.

Because of the presence of outsiders and the fact that this was not the place to deal with family matters, Cheng Long took a deep breath, suppressed his surging anger, and scolded loudly:

"Go home and stop embarrassing yourself here! I'll deal with you when I get back."

Zu Ming felt as if he had been pardoned. He covered his burning face and ran towards the exit in shame, thinking about how to ask his mother for help, otherwise he would be in real trouble when his father came back.

Chenglong looked at Zu Ming's embarrassed back as he left, a trace of sadness on his face.

He had high hopes for his son and invested countless resources in supporting him, but now he has gone astray and his future is ruined. From now on, he will have to discipline him strictly and let him live a stable and wealthy life.

A wave of heartache hit him, he turned to look at his sister and sighed softly: "It's a misfortune for our family, and it makes Mrs. Song laugh!

It was my neglect of discipline that led him to do such a shameful thing. If it weren't for your reminder, I would have been kept in the dark. Thank you, Mrs. Song!"

Liu Shishi witnessed the entire farce, her expression calm and her tone indifferent: "Brother, your family affairs have nothing to do with me. Now that you know about this, you should deal with it as soon as possible and quit."

"I understand." Cheng Long seemed to have aged a few years in an instant, and his energy and spirit seemed to be not as strong as before.

Liu Shishi shook her head helplessly, and secretly warned herself: I must take this as a warning and strictly discipline my own children in the future.

Many stars, directors and producers have already arrived in the inner screening room.

The leading actor of "The Chinese Zodiac" is Jacky Cheung, and the investors are Huayi and Emperor Entertainment Group. People in the circle will give some face and come to support the show.

In a corner of the backstage, Wang Zhonglei was discussing something with his brother. He caught a glimpse of the elegant Yijie arriving and was slightly surprised: "Chenglong actually invited Liu Shishi?"

Wang Zhongjun turned around upon hearing the voice, a smile flashing in his eyes. "That's great news! We'll arrange a few press releases to capitalize on her popularity. Maybe her fans can even contribute to some box office sales."

I can’t count on Xiaogang’s “1942” anymore. The only movies I can watch during the Spring Festival are “Chinese Zodiac” and Stephen Chow’s “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons”!

Wang Zhonglei cursed, "Xiaogang is just too bored to make a movie about famine and suffering. During the Spring Festival, people go to the movies for fun. Who wants to watch something this depressing?"

The movie "1942", directed by Feng Xiaogang and produced by Huayi Company with a budget of 250 million yuan, was released at the end of November.

It has been two weeks since its release, and the box office is dismal. It is estimated that the total box office will not exceed 400 million at most. Huge losses for Huayi are a foregone conclusion, and the stock price has already started to fall.

Wang Zhongjun also sighed helplessly: "With the box office performance of '1942', Xiaogang should give up. We can start working on 'Private Tailor'."

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Shishi had already stepped into the core area of the inner court. Her appearance was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, instantly capturing the attention of the entire audience.

The stars, directors, and producers who were originally chatting and greeting each other, involuntarily focused their attention on her.

Deng Chao, who was standing by, saw Sister Yi and his eyes lit up. He hurried forward and greeted her, "Boss Liu!"

Liu Shishi raised the corner of her mouth slightly, and said in a gentle manner: "Brother Chao, we are old friends. Just call me Shishi like before. There is no need to be so formal."

Deng Chao sighed inwardly and had to admit that this number one sister had a really good temper. She didn't have that arrogant or domineering air at all and was always friendly in dealing with people.

"Shishi, I won't be polite then. How are the wedding preparations with Mr. Song going?"

"It's almost done."

"That's great! I wish you a happy wedding in advance!"

"What has your Majesty been busy with lately?"

"She's filming a TV series called 'Hot Mom' produced by Hairun Films."

The two chatted for a few words, and Deng Chao rolled his eyes and asked tentatively: "Shishi, I plan to change my career and become a film director. Are you interested in being my angel investor?"

Liu Shishi was slightly taken aback. Seeing that Deng Chao's cynical smile had faded and he looked serious, she knew this was serious business. She immediately asked, "Why did Brother Chao suddenly want to be a director?"

Deng Chao's expression straightened as he explained, "To be honest, I've reached a bottleneck as an artist.

"If I want to move up further, I can only gain experience and win awards, but this path doesn't mean much to me. Now is the era of internet traffic, and the weight of awards is just that."

“The industry is very lively nowadays, with all kinds of capital flowing in, which has given many people the opportunity to become directors. I also want to try it.

They say good actors can become great directors, and I think I have some ability. I don't plan to make award-winning art films, but rather focus on comedies that audiences will enjoy.

His goal is clear: to make money through high box office and transform into a capital-oriented one. Currently, there are only two ways for celebrities in the entertainment industry to move towards the capital circle:

One is to open your own studio or film and television company and invest in film and television projects, but this path is difficult and risky, and requires support from giants.

The second is to transform into a director. As long as a movie is a hit at the box office, people will naturally rush to invest. By making three or four movies, you can save up a lot of money. Then you can take the lead in raising funds and have the opportunity to turn around and become a capital.

Liu Shishi nodded. Deng Chao's approach to development mirrored Xu Zheng's. Both were actors turned directors, and both were pragmatists.

They only make commercial films, clearly aiming for high box office profits. Judging from the returns alone, they are indeed worth investing in.

If Deng Chao can replicate Xu Zheng's achievements and successfully transform himself, then everyone in the circle will know that it was Liu Shishi who supported him, which would be a good story.

Thinking of this, she nodded slightly. "Since Brother Chao is interested in making a career change, I'll be your mentor again and invest in the film! Tell me, how much funding do you need?"

"It works! Sister Yi is indeed wealthy and powerful." Deng Chao was delighted, and a familiar smile appeared on his face. He said happily:

"Shishi, this movie is adapted from the play 'The Breakup Master'. I asked someone to estimate the cost, and it's about 50 million."

"No problem. For the specific coordination, you can contact the studio's general manager Jiang Yuanyuan. I will tell her." Liu Shishi agreed readily. 50 million is just a drop in the bucket for the Song family.

Deng Chao beamed with joy and promised, "I will play the male lead myself, and I will find a popular actress for the female lead. I am confident that the film will get 200 to 300 million at the box office, and I will definitely not let you, the investor, lose money."

"I wish you success."

"Thank you for your good wishes!"

The two were having a great conversation, and just as they were getting into the mood, a voice interrupted them.

"Mr. Liu, good evening."

The two turned around and saw that it was Han Geng.

"Shishi, you guys chat. I'll go over there and say hello to some acquaintances." Deng Chao was quick-witted and saw that Han Geng obviously had something to discuss with Yijie, so he tactfully said goodbye and left.

Sister Yi chuckled and asked, "How come you have time to attend the premiere today?"

"Brother Chenglong is a senior in the industry, so it's only natural for him to come and show his support." Han Geng saw that this was a rare opportunity, so after a moment's thought, he got straight to the point, "Mr. Liu, actually, I'm here today to solicit investment for a movie."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi blurted out subconsciously: "You want to be a director too?"

"Being a director? No, no." Han Geng was stunned and shook his head quickly, "Mr. Liu, I'm just trying to attract investment for the movie."

"I misunderstood. Go on."

"I've taken on a movie called 'Ex-Files', a low-budget comedy romance. I'm short on investment, so I was planning to ask Huayi for investment. But when I saw you, I took the liberty to ask."

Liu Shishi looked puzzled: "You want to make a movie, but Lehua Entertainment won't invest?"

Han Geng helplessly explained: "Boss Du is busy with Idol Producer, and all the company funds are invested in it."

“How much money is needed?”

"13 million is enough."

Liu Shishi looked a little strange. "You and Lehua can't come up with this little money? You're so famous, you can't even come up with 13 million, right?"

Han Geng looked conflicted: "Boss Liu, it's not easy for me to make money. Movies are risky after all, and I can't afford it.

So even if we can raise this amount of money, we will still look for large companies to invest. After all, we are not as wealthy as you, Tengda Culture, or Huayi. We can only wait until we have more funds before trying to get involved."

Liu Shishi suddenly realized that she had always spent money casually, but ignored the difficulty for other people in the circle to make money.

Even though the entertainment industry is becoming more and more prosperous, only a few top stars can really make a lot of money.

The investment in a movie can easily reach tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, so celebrities have to be extremely cautious when investing. If the box office is not good, they may lose all their fortunes.

"I'm also a shareholder of Lehua Entertainment. How can a leading artist ask outsiders for help in filming a movie? I invested 13 million. By the way, if you want to make a movie, why don't you contact my studio?"

"I know you are preparing for the wedding, so I don't dare to disturb you." Han Geng said this, but he had other plans in mind.

He had not originally planned to seek investment from Liu Shishi Studio. After all, with a small budget of 13 million, he could easily get investment from any film and television company by using his connections.

He wanted to save the opportunity to ask for help until a crucial moment, in case he encountered a big production and a huge funding gap, then it would not be too late to ask for help. But since it was happening now, it didn't hurt to ask.

"The studio has a fixed investment process, and it doesn't require my involvement. Okay, I'll invest the 13 million."

"Thank you, Mr. Liu." After getting the confirmation, Han Geng's smile became much more sincere.

Liu Shishi nodded. "Just contact Jiang Yuanyuan for the details. No need to communicate with me again. If you have investment needs in the future, follow the normal process."

(End of this chapter)