Chapter 61: A Movie Destined to Flop and a Waste-of-Time Premiere

Returning to the capital, Zhang Qianjun took some time to rest. Running around every day lately had indeed been exhausting.

The next evening, Zhang Qianjun made an appearance on the red carpet for the premiere of *An Inaccurate Biography*.

Walking at his usual brisk pace, he signed the backdrop poster and was just about to step down when he was blocked by a host wearing a long blue dress.

Glancing at her briefly, he found her unfamiliar and entirely unremarkable.

The female host eagerly extended the microphone toward him with practiced familiarity.

"Qianjun, we rarely see you attend events like premiere red carpets. Who are you here to support today for the premiere of *An Inaccurate Biography*?"

Zhang Qianjun leaned back slightly, putting some distance between himself and the microphone.

"I am definitely here to support Brother Xiaoming. Brother Xiaoming is the pride of Beijing Film Academy and a role model for countless students there. I wish Brother Xiaoming's film a huge box office success!"

With those words, he gave the female host a slight nod of acknowledgment and quickly stepped off the stage.

The female host looked at Zhang Qianjun's retreating figure with a trace of regret. She had wanted to ask a couple more questions, as this man was usually a rare sight. Moreover, rumors said he was very generous; getting his contact information would have been nice.

Having left the stage, Zhang Qianjun had no idea what the female host was thinking, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. Simply put, he had little interest in people who didn't leave an impression in his mind.

Besides, looking around the venue, Zhang Qianjun felt somewhat bewildered. Who were all these people walking the red carpet? Forget knowing them; he hadn't even heard of a single one.

Weren't Huang Xiaoming's connections supposed to be everywhere in the industry? This reputation seemed entirely unearned.

After scanning the room twice, Zhang Qianjun finally spotted a familiar face. Upon seeing him, the man hurried over a few steps and greeted him.

"Qianjun, long time no see. What have you been busy with lately?"

Seeing this person, Zhang Qianjun also smiled.

"It has been quite a while. The last time I saw Brother Peng was at Enlight Media discussing *So Young*. I'm currently preparing a comedy film, scheduled to start shooting at the end of June."

Zhang Qianjun spoke quite naturally, unaware that calling him "Brother Peng" left Da Peng feeling pleasantly surprised and flattered.

After all, Da Peng was still primarily a host at present. Although he had acted in movies and television dramas, those were mostly self-amusing projects. Compared to a film actor like Zhang Qianjun, who commanded a fifty-million-yuan salary per picture, his status was vastly inferior.

Da Peng observed carefully and, seeing that Zhang Qianjun's tone was natural and devoid of pretense, his heart immediately grew much warmer.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he voiced a thought he had been harboring for a while.

"Qianjun, not to make a joke of myself, but I've actually been writing a script and have aspirations to move into the film circle. For your new project, would it be possible for me to join the crew and learn? Even working as a general crew member, running errands or helping with odd jobs would be fine."

Zhang Qianjun lowered his gaze to appraise Da Peng's smiling face.

"What's there to joke about? I also wrote my own script before gathering a team to shoot my first movie. If you want to come, just come. Don't talk about running errands; you're already a known figure with a name. Why do odd jobs? Come on board as an assistant director, and let my senior fellow apprentice Wen Mu show you the ropes."

Though he didn't know who Wen Mu was, since Zhang Qianjun mentioned having a senior fellow apprentice guide him, the person undoubtedly belonged to the Beijing Film Academy's directing department.

Learning was secondary at this point. If he could establish a connection with Zhang Qianjun, his future cinematic dreams would finally have a solid footing.

With his heart burning with anticipation, Da Peng beamed like a blooming chrysanthemum.

"How could I impose like that? I'm just going there to learn; how could I possibly be an assistant director?"

Zhang Qianjun's expression turned stern and serious.

"You're not just going there to learn—you have to work! You'll work with the crew just like any staff member and draw a salary. If you want to show up when you have nothing to do and leave whenever you please, then you might as well not come. I don't use interns here."

Seeing this, Da Peng quickly收起 (withdrew) his smile and turned serious as well.

"Don't worry, President Zhang, I will definitely give it my all and do a good job!"

Zhang Qianjun nodded. That finally looked a bit more like someone coming to work. Just as he was about to speak, a female voice came from behind him.

"Da Peng, President Wang is looking for you. He said to go on stage later and help liven up the atmosphere. You—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the woman who had walked over finally saw who Da Peng was talking to.

"Hello, President Zhang, I am—"

Zhang Qianjun directly interrupted her.

"I know who you are. Liu Yan, right?"

Looking at the woman before him, Zhang Qianjun couldn't help but sigh inwardly that the styling and makeup of these modern female stars were truly hard to compliment.

Heavy, dense straight bangs fell right down to her eyelashes, paired with thick, dark eyeliner, dead-Barbie-pink lipstick, and what appeared to be a splash of blush.

Adding to that was a matching dead-Barbie-pink bodycon short dress.

Zhang Qianjun muttered to himself, *Big sister, I remember you looked decent enough; how did you manage to make yourself look so ugly?*

No, it was too ugly; it ruined his mood to even look at her assets.

Though Zhang Qianjun said nothing, Liu Yan could still sense the other person's aversion toward her. For a moment, she stood there, not knowing what to say.

Fortunately, Da Peng was quick-witted. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, he hastily suggested they go see Wang Changtian together. Zhang Qianjun readily agreed, and the three of them walked over to Boss Wang's seat.

As soon as Boss Wang saw Zhang Qianjun approaching, a smile immediately bloomed on his face.

"Qianjun, you're here too? Thank you for coming to support Enlight's film. Is that comedy project of yours finalized?"

Zhang Qianjun also smiled and greeted Boss Wang.

"Brother Xiaoming invited me. Is this movie produced and distributed by Enlight?"

Wang Changtian nodded and said,

"Yes, Enlight fully financed it, and Xiaoming's salary was converted into equity investment. After watching it later, give me some feedback and estimate how the market reaction will be once the film is released."

After brief pleasantries, the movie was about to begin. At Boss Wang's request, Zhang Qianjun took a seat right beside him.

Noticing that Da Peng and Liu Yan were still standing nearby without leaving, Zhang Qianjun waved a hand.

"Brother Peng, bring Liu Yan to sit here. Later, you can analyze this movie for me."

Wang Changtian was somewhat surprised. These two hosts under his command actually knew Zhang Qianjun? And their relationship seemed fairly decent, which was quite a rarity.

Given that Zhang Qianjun's social circle was relatively small—consisting either of the youngsters from Beijing Film Academy or senior executives of major film production and distribution companies—theoretically, Da Peng shouldn't have had any intersection with him.

He had expected to sit quietly and wait for the movie to play, but no sooner had they settled in than someone who looked like a staff member approached.

The person first glanced at Zhang Qianjun, then at Wang Changtian sitting beside him, before turning to murmur something to Da Peng.

Seeing Da Peng's troubled expression as he stealthily glanced at him, Zhang Qianjun asked directly,

"What is it?"

Seeing him speak, the staff member stopped whispering to Da Peng and addressed Wang Changtian directly.

"President Wang, Director Gao and his group were originally assigned these seats. This—"

Zhang Qianjun, however, had no patience for such nonsense.

"President Wang, is this your employee?"

Wang Changtian, meanwhile, smiled.

"Probably not."

Zhang Qianjun turned his head to look at the person.

"If the seats were arranged in advance, the names should have been posted on the chairs. If not, anyone can sit here. The movie is about to start, you can leave now."

The staff member wanted to argue further, but before he could, a pair of men in close proximity each grabbed one of his arms.

When he turned his head, he discovered a dense row of men in black suits standing right behind him. The words he wanted to say instantly swallowed themselves back down his stomach.

One of the sharp-looking men who had grabbed his arm said in a low voice,

"Brother, you're just a hired hand. The message has been delivered, you can go now."

Seeing this array of forces, the staff member stopped fussing and walked off to the side along with the crowd.

Boss Wang looked at Zhang Qianjun with a meaningful gaze.

"Your team is growing increasingly grand, aren't they, Qianjun?"

Zhang Qianjun shrugged.

"Can't be helped. The elders at home know my temper isn't great and fear I'll stir up trouble, so they specifically found people in Qiantang to keep an eye on me."

Wang Changtian smiled and shook his head, saying nothing more as the movie began.

One hundred minutes later, the credits rolled, and the film concluded.

Boss Wang looked at Zhang Qianjun beside him.

"Qianjun, what do you think of this film? Can you give an estimate for its subsequent box office earnings?"

Zhang Qianjun curled his lip.

"President Wang, what was the cost?"

Boss Wang replied,

"Xiaoming's salary was converted into investment. Including publicity and distribution, the actual cost is around 20 million."

Zhang Qianjun clicked his tongue.

"Enlight is handling the distribution too, right? If that's the case, it'll probably lose a little over 10 million."

Hearing this, Boss Wang immediately became unhappy.

"You mean this movie's box office won't even reach 30 million?"

Zhang Qianjun nodded.

"I estimate around 20 million or so. Since Enlight is distributing it, it might lose a bit less. Look at the slot you chose—releasing on a Monday. In a couple of days, Ning Hao's *Guns and Roses* and Huang Bo's *Design of Death* are coming out, and the 3D version of *Titanic* and *Battleship* are still running hot. Starting in May, *The Avengers* arrives. Look at the slogans of these three domestic films: 'Resist Hollywood.' And *An Inaccurate Biography*'s promotional slogan is even more laughable: 'Support Chinese cinema, every citizen bears responsibility.' Isn't that moral kidnapping? Besides, what qualifications does it have to represent Chinese cinema? Anyway, I watched it and thought it was mediocre."

After listening to Zhang Qianjun's stream of criticism, though Boss Wang still harbored doubts, he roughly got the picture: there was an eight-tenths chance it really was going to lose money.

Seeing that the movie was over, Zhang Qianjun said goodbye to Boss Wang and Da Peng, then stood up to leave. The moment he moved, over a dozen people instantly flanked the aisle and the front and back of the theater, leaving Liu Yan clicking her tongue repeatedly in amazement.

"Da Peng, how did you hook up with him? That lineup is terrifyingly grand."

Da Peng didn't put on airs with his good friend and spoke the plain truth.

"Today was only our third meeting. I'd only seen him twice before in the Enlight building. I just wanted to build a connection, never expected it would actually work. Maybe he just finds me agreeable?"

Liu Yan curled her lip.

"Whether he finds you agreeable is unclear, but he definitely finds me disagreeable. After speaking, he didn't even give me a proper look."

Da Peng disagreed with this assessment.

"Not necessarily. He might not have looked at you, but when he told me to sit next to him, he called you over too."

Liu Yan looked indignant.

"As if I'm some sort of hideous monster."

If Zhang Qianjun had heard this, he undoubtedly would have agreed. That makeup really was quite hideous; it couldn't even compare to the rough charm of an alleyway romance.

Though Zhang Qianjun had left, the discussions surrounding him did not stop.

Gao Qunshu asked the person next to him,

"Who the hell is that kid? So damn arrogant! He just sat right down next to Boss Wang."

Gu Changwei, sitting two seats away, smiled.

"Zhang Qianjun? The fastest-rising newcomer in the film circle last year—two movies, half a billion at the box office. Young people, you know; it's normal to be arrogant once they achieve something."

Huang Jue, who had brought his wife along, chimed in,

"Our President Wang pays special attention to this guy. He mentions him in the company whenever he has the chance."

A nameless minor player in the back row chuckled.

"Could it be that President Wang has a crush on him?"

This elicited a round of teasing laughter from those nearby.

Huang Jue, however, did not laugh.

"I suggest you'd better not say things like that to his face. As far as I know, he actually beats people up."

Gao Qunshu spat out disdainfully.

"So young and so arrogant, sooner or later he's going to take a huge tumble. Damn it, not an ounce of manners—didn't even come over to say hello on an occasion like this."

Gu Changwei smiled without speaking, thinking to himself: *The guy is that rich, who do you think you are putting on airs here? People who come from directing television dramas really are hopeless; their horizons are far too narrow.*

Disregarding the invisible hierarchy of disdain inside the theater, Zhang Qianjun, upon walking outside, was currently on his phone chewing someone out.

"Brother Xiaoming, you're really something. You had me come to your premiere, but you didn't even show up yourself. Is this movie supposed to be starring me?"

Huang Xiaoming repeatedly apologized over the phone, explaining that he genuinely had work he couldn't get away from. After exchanging a few more words, Zhang Qianjun hung up.

"Let's go, let's go. Catch the evening flight back to Qiantang. There are so many things left undone, these people in the entertainment industry are truly unreliable. Xiaoyu, from now on, don't take on these kinds of gigs for me when there's nothing going on—it's a waste of time!"

Chen Xiaoyu instantly had ten thousand curses he wanted to hurl. *You were the one who took this job on yourself, wasn't you?!*