Chapter 596 Bet

After reading the script invitations he had recently received, Gu Wei took out the only one that interested him.

"We can consider this next. Let's talk to the crew and see how much investment share we can offer."

"No problem. If we can invite you, boss, we will usually be given a certain share. It's just a matter of how much. This should be easy to negotiate."

The cover of the script that Gu Wei pulled out had a few big words written on it: "Youth of You."

Yang Liwen looked at the script and relevant information flashed through her mind.

“This script is one of the most impressive ones among all the invitations.

Because director Zeng Guoxiang is quite famous, producer Xu Yuezhen is even more famous in the Hong Kong film and television circles.

Furthermore, it is said that the production team of "Better Days" will be the original team of "Soulmate", so the quality of the film is very guaranteed."

Zeng Guoxiang's father is Zeng Zhiwei. He entered the entertainment industry in his early years and worked as an actor for a while, but later switched careers to become a director.

In 2015, Zeng Guoxiang directed the movie "Soul Mate".

The following year, he was nominated for Best Director at the 36th Hong Kong Film Awards and the 53rd Taiwan Golden Horse Awards for this film.

On April 22 this year, he won the 8th China Film Directors Association's Annual Hong Kong and Taiwan Director Award for "Soul Mate".

It was with his help that Zhou Dongyu won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress.

As for Xu Yuezhen, he is a famous producer in Hong Kong. He was in charge of many hit movies in Hong Kong. Later, he went north to the mainland and became the producer of well-known films such as "The Siege of the City in October", "Wuxia", "The Guillotines", and "Chinese Partners".

"It is said that the female lead has been decided, and it is Zhou Dongyu.

She has a strong connection with Hong Kong Island, and after [Soulmate], director Tsang Kwok-cheung still plans to continue working with her."

Gu Wei nodded. He had also heard the rumors between his old classmate Zhou Dongyu and Zeng Zhiwei, so he was not surprised that Zeng Guoxiang supported her.

"Let's get in touch first. The script is good, and the production team is okay, but we still need to discuss whether we can actually cooperate."

He chose "Better Days" because it is one of the few films after 18 years that has achieved both good reputation and box office success.

It is a youth-themed drama that reflects school bullying, and it has also performed very well at the box office.

To be honest, if Gu Wei wants to win awards but doesn't want his movie to have terrible box office performance, "Better Days" is a good choice.

Starting from last night, the first snow of this winter fell in Beijing.

Early this morning, the whole city was covered with a white blanket, becoming a world of silver.

A rather hidden private restaurant within the Second Ring Road. The decoration in the private room is antique, with a dark brown walnut dining table and a steaming copper hot pot in the center. Meat slices, seafood, and vegetables are placed around it, with a very rich variety.

Gu Wei was wearing a light brown sweater and sitting on a mahogany chair beside the dining table.

The soup in the hot pot was already boiling, but he still didn't pick up his chopsticks. He just fiddled with his phone boredly, obviously waiting for someone.

"Sorry, there's a traffic jam outside. I'm late."

The door was pushed open from the outside, and a figure in a long black down jacket walked in. After taking off his hat, he spoke apologetically to Gu Wei.

"Luckily, it was only five minutes late. I just arrived, so I didn't have to wait too long."

"I told you to come to my house, but you refused. It's snowing outside today, and there are a lot of cars in Beijing. I left 20 minutes earlier, but I was still a little late."

The visitor took off her thick coat and casually hung it on the hanger at the entrance. She was wearing a light yellow blouse underneath. The style looked very ordinary, but against the backdrop of her beautiful face, it looked extremely fashionable.

“Auntie is so enthusiastic, I feel embarrassed to go there all the time.

It’s more comfortable to eat out.” Gu Wei explained, then looked at the other person’s fair face.

"Sister Yifei, you seem to have lost weight"

"Really?

I have been doing body training these past few months, so it is normal to lose a little weight."

Hearing what Gu Wei said, Liu Yifei smiled and was obviously very happy.

She knew that Gu Wei had returned to Beijing after finishing filming the TV series, and since she happened to have some free time, she asked him out for dinner.

"I probably won't be able to eat much after ordering so much."

After sitting down, Liu Yifei straightened her back, tied up her loose hair, and glanced at the hot pot ingredients on the table.

"Haven't you been chosen? Do you still need to diet to control your body shape?" When people arrived, Gu Wei also started to prepare meat and vegetables, ready to eat.

"Even though I've been cast, I can't let myself down. The filming is still early, and I have to stay in shape."

"Fat Mulan is also very cute." Gu Wei joked.

"Go to you"

In the second half of the year, Gu Wei joined the crew to film "The Story of Minglan", and Liu Yifei also flew across the ocean to participate in the casting audition for "Mulan".

There is no doubt that she stood out among many competitors with absolute advantage and got the role of Mulan.

This is undoubtedly worth celebrating, so after returning home, I wanted to have dinner with Gu Wei to share this good news.

"Sister Yifei, congratulations on getting the leading role in a Hollywood blockbuster. Your international success is just around the corner." Gu Wei raised his glass and congratulated Liu Yifei.

He was speaking the truth.

Although the box office of "Mulan" was not ideal in the later period, Liu Yifei failed to enter Hollywood and become an international movie star as she had originally hoped.

But the international influence that movies have brought her is real.

After the release of "Mulan", Liu Yifei added several high-end luxury endorsements, and was directly appointed as the global spokesperson for Louis Vuitton and Bulgari, just like Gu Wei now.

She was even hired by Abu Dhabi as its tourism spokesperson. Before her, this endorsement belonged to O'Neal.

From this we can see that [Mulan] definitely brings more benefits than disadvantages to her.

"Thanks.

I didn’t expect this trip to the United States to be so smooth.”

Liu Yifei happily raised her glass and clinked it with Gu Wei.

This was the second best news she had received in the past six months. The first was that she received the script for "Time Raiders" and would be able to work with Gu Wei again to play a couple.

"I've said before that you're the only Chinese actress currently who's best suited for this role. It seems Disney has the same idea as me."

The two took a sip of wine and then started eating hot pot.

There was snow outside the window, and the north wind whistled occasionally. The hot pot in the house was steaming. Gu Wei and Liu Yifei ate and talked, clinking glasses and drinking when they were happy. The atmosphere was very warm.

"Your movie will be released in just over a week.

I just watched your crew’s episode of Happy Camp on TV last night. They’ve been promoting it so much lately.”

"Have you watched Douyin recently?" Gu Wei picked up a piece of mutton and put it in his bowl, coated it with sesame paste, and then put it in his mouth.

"I brush it when I have nothing to do, what's wrong?"

"[Ex-Files 3]'s promotional investment on short video platforms far exceeds that of traditional channels. If you've watched Douyin, you should know that our film is extremely popular there!

And it’s not just Douyin, there are also many related apps on short video apps like Kuaishou and Xigua Video.”

"Now that you mention it, I remember that I've been seeing short videos of your movie a lot lately.

Is this new publicity channel reliable? "

"Of course it is reliable. Currently, there are more than 600 million short video users in China, and most of them are young people.

[Ex-Files 3] tells a story about love and regret, and is suitable for young people aged 20 to 35.

Short video channels can accurately target audiences, and the promotional effects achieved can only be better."

"Then should we also use the same promotional method for the film [Time Raiders] that we will shoot in the future?" Liu Yifei asked after thinking for a while.

"Well, you're thinking too far ahead. You're already considering releasing the film before it even starts shooting.

However, what you said is correct, and I will recommend the publicity company to adopt this promotional method when the time comes."

The current investors of [Super Time and Space Cohabitation] are [Guangguang Media], [Zhenledao] and [Wei Ming Tian Xia]. If nothing unexpected happens, the publicity and promotion will be jointly done by [Guangguang Media] and [Wei Ming Tian Xia]. Gu Wei will naturally have the right to make the decision.

"My previous film, 'The Goblin 2,' was released on the same day as 'Ex-Files 3,' but now it seems to be much less popular."

"Both of these two movies are romances. How about we bet on the box office after they are released?" Gu Wei suggested with a smile.

“How to bet?

If we compare the box office, I will definitely lose.

Although I’m reluctant, I’m still a bit behind you in terms of box office appeal.” Liu Yifei curled her lips and poked the sauce bowl in front of her with her chopsticks.

"Of course it's a box office competition, but it's like playing chess. If you think it's unfair, I can let you..."

"How?"

"One billion. If the box office of "Ex-Files 3" exceeds that of "The Goblin 2" by one billion, I win. Otherwise, I lose.

How about it?" Gu Wei's suggestion was quite tempting.

Liu Yifei knows that her films cannot compete with Gu Wei at the box office, but they are both romances, and "The Fairy Tale of Two Generations" is directed by Chen Guofu, with all the actors being well-known big names, so it is unlikely that the other party will exceed 1 billion at the box office.

"[The Second Generation of Fairy] has already secured a 500 million yuan release guarantee from [Beijing Culture]. What happens if the box office doesn't exceed 500 million yuan in the future?"

"In this way, if the final box office of your movie does not exceed 500 million, it will be calculated as 500 million. If it exceeds, it will naturally be calculated based on the actual box office!" Gu Wei said very generously.

"I remember that the current box office record holder for domestic romance films is still your previous film, 'The Left Ear,' right?"

"Yes, a little over 800 million, followed by [So Young] with over 700 million and [The Unbreakable Love Letter When Beijing Meets Seattle] with over 600 million." Gu Wei nodded. He remembered these very clearly.

Liu Yifei blinked her big eyes and stared at Gu Wei.

"Are you so confident about this "Ex-Files 3"?

Do you think it can get more than 1.5 billion at the box office?

After all, this is just a love story, not a film like Wolf Warrior 2 that can stir up patriotic sentiments in the audience."

“Who knows how much the movie will earn at the box office before it’s released?

Isn't this the fun of betting?" Gu Wei continued to dig holes for Liu Yifei.

"Okay, since you said so, if I hesitate any longer it will seem like I have no confidence in myself." Liu Yifei tapped the table lightly and said confidently.

"What should we bet on?" Gu Wei couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth, and he began to think about what he should make Liu Yifei lose.

"What do you think?" Liu Yifei asked after thinking for a while.

"How about if you lose, you can call me dad?" Gu Wei asked tentatively.

However, when he saw Liu Yifei raising her hand to hit him, he quickly changed his words.

"That's a bit rude to Auntie. I think you should decide, Sister Yifei."

"I don't have any good ideas. Let's just decide that the loser must agree to a reasonable request from the winner." Liu Yifei said after thinking for a while.

"Okay, that's settled!" After she said that, Gu Wei raised his hand. Liu Yifei also understood what he meant and clapped her hands with him, which made the matter settled.

"When will the filming of "Mulan" start?" The two chatted while eating. Soon they finished a bottle of wine. Liu Yifei's originally fair face turned slightly red, and she looked very cute.

"In the second half of next year, the crew is tentatively scheduled to start filming in August.

But I have to join the group training in March.

After all, it is an action movie, with war scenes and a lot of martial arts scenes.

I have to train in advance.”

"Then you'll have to go there when [Time Travelers] wraps up. You should be very busy next year."

“It’s okay, it’s just two plays actually.

According to the previously scheduled schedule, "Super Time Cohabitation" will start filming after New Year's Day.

Will your movie promotion delay your joining the crew?"

Gu Wei touched his chin.

"It won't affect me. I've already made arrangements with them. I'll only be on the roadshow with the crew during the release days, and then I'll be filming as normal."

Liu Yifei nodded, then turned her eyes and looked at Gu Wei.

"I was watching the news a while ago, and you told the media about your ex-girlfriend.

You're so busy releasing your new movie, you're even talking about your past relationships?"

"I just happened to be asked. I have nothing to hide. As long as you don't reveal the name, the rest doesn't matter. Just let the media and netizens guess." Gu Wei looked indifferent.

“You are very generous.”

"There's nothing I can't tell anyone. I'm open-minded, so of course I'm generous."

When Liu Yifei heard him say this, she looked at Gu Wei with a smile.

"hehe.

Is it considered open-minded to keep your ex-girlfriend by your side all the time?

But what you said in the interview is indeed true, that we can still be friends after breaking up.

Others never talk to each other again after breaking up, but your relationship seems to have become closer."

Liu Yifei knew Gu Wei for a long time and knew a lot about his two romances.

“Ahem.

Today's plum wine tastes really good."

Gu Wei looked around awkwardly and talked about something else, then raised his glass to clink glasses with Liu Yifei.

When I brag, I am afraid of having friends who know me well around me.

Seeing Gu Wei like this, Liu Yifei didn't continue to expose his past. She picked up the wine glass, clinked it with his, and took a big sip.

Both of them can drink a lot, and they have already finished two bottles of plum wine since the meal started.

Of course, this wine is only 18 degrees, which is not high, and tastes good, making it more suitable for girls.

So Liu Yifei's cheeks just turned red, and she didn't feel anything too serious.

Gu Wei didn't react at all. He could drink a lot. Today he was mainly accompanying Liu Yifei. Otherwise, he and Wu Jing usually drank high-proof liquor with an alcohol content of more than 50%. He rarely drank this kind of fruit wine.

After having a good meal and a drink, Gu Wei and his partner left the restaurant separately and got into the nanny cars that came to pick them up.

After a pleasant dinner, we will have to wait until "Time Raiders" starts to meet again.

(End of this chapter)