Chapter 60

Feng Xiaogang gathered a few of the main actors for dinner the night before to discuss the publicity for the next day. Although it was close to the Spring Festival, the main actors were all from the capital and were familiar friends.

Even Ye Ming, who was not very well-known, had become a friend of Ge You and the others.

The restaurant was a traditional Beijing-style establishment, the Qianmen Restaurant, not a super-luxurious five-star hotel, but it exuded a unique Beijing flavor.

It was very down-to-earth.

In a private room on the second floor, Liu Pei was cracking sunflower seeds and chatting with Ge You when Ye Ming pushed the door open and walked in.

Liu Pei immediately called out, "Ye, over here. You’re really bold, aren’t you? You’re not afraid of offending people, saying whatever comes to mind. You even talked about the unprecedented ratings of a show. Isn’t that just asking for trouble?

"Listen to your sister, be more careful in the future."

The crew members were very concerned about him. There was no backstabbing here; it was all the warmth of family.

Ge You also laughed and said, munching on peanuts, "You jump into the pit others dig for you. So many people are waiting to see you make a fool of yourself. You don’t know, shouting in front of Tiananmen Square, hahaha, only you could come up with such an idea. I’ll see how you handle it."

At this moment, Feng Xiaogang pushed the door open and said, "Third Master has a meeting and will be back later. Let’s start eating and discuss how to handle things tomorrow. Ye Ming, you’re a brave one. No matter what, you’re a man. I heard about that incident. It’s clear someone is trying to set a trap for you. But if anyone asks you to predict something tomorrow, remember one thing."

Ge You and Liu Pei almost said in unison, "I won’t say a word, even if I’m beaten to death."

Feng Xiaogang grunted and gave Ye Ming a stern look, "That’s right, be careful."

He Bing, always joking, said with a smile, "Ye Ming, give us a prediction too. This time, our pay is based on profit sharing. Ye Daxian, tell us, how much will we earn? I’m counting on this money for the New Year."

Ye Ming shrugged, in a heroic manner, "Director Feng has already said it, what else can I say? Anyway, I’ll say one thing: this time, Brother You might be a bit at a loss."

Feng Xiaogang was taken aback. This kid really dares to speak. He immediately said, "Don’t talk nonsense. What do you mean by a loss? Ge Dada is very meticulous. You don’t know how to manage your life, always making rash statements. In the future, you should learn from Ge Dada."

Actors’ pay is usually kept confidential, and they generally don’t ask each other. However, since the production team was all familiar, there were no secrets.

Ge You’s pay was 600,000 yuan, his market value as a superstar and a film emperor, a Cannes Film Festival Best Actor, which was worth 600,000 yuan.

The entire production team of "A World Without Thieves" used a profit-sharing model for their pay.

But there was one exception: Ge You. His pay was 600,000 yuan, but he contributed 100,000 yuan to the profit-sharing.

In fact, in the end, Ge You’s earnings were less than Director Feng Xiaogang’s, which was a fact.

Ge You didn’t mind, laughing and saying, "Even the landlord has no surplus. Ye Ming has a lot of confidence in our movie, which I appreciate. But don’t say that at the press conference, or some reporters might write something else."

Ye Ming quickly said, "Brother You, don’t worry, I remember. I won’t say a word, even if I’m beaten to death."

Feng Xiaogang called the waiter to bring the dishes and then said, "I won’t say much. After the premiere in the capital, we’ll go to Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, then to Harbin and other cities in Northeast China. Twenty-one cities in total, and time is tight. We’re not done yet, so I hope everyone supports me. Although it’s the New Year, I feel bad making everyone run around, but it’s for work. Please understand. That’s all I have to say. Now, let’s eat and drink."

Feng Xiaogang was straightforward. For such a big event, he only said a few words, and then everyone started eating and drinking.

Han Shanping arrived last, had a drink with everyone, and expressed his concerns. He thought the northern market was fine, but the southern market was uncertain, especially Guangzhou and Shenzhen, where the box office results were hard to predict.

Finally, Third Master encouraged everyone to work together to promote the movie.

The next day, in the capital, the snow was still thick, but the sky had cleared. The cold wind made people hunch their shoulders and quicken their steps.

On the streets, the posters for "A World Without Thieves" had been up for a while.

A newlywed couple, Ge You and Liu Pei, were dressed in traditional wedding attire, red and festive, making the poster look very cheerful.

Even though the snow hadn’t been completely cleared, it couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the fans.

"A World Without Thieves" had indeed put a lot of effort into promotion, making it almost a household name. Directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Ge You, it was the first New Year’s comedy in China, which was a selling point in itself.

In front of the Qianmen Cinema, many enthusiastic fans had gathered, surrounding the square in front of the cinema.

The first car to arrive was a Volkswagen Santana. The first person to get out was Ye Ming, as he was the least experienced among the main actors and, according to the rules, was the first to come out. Next were He Bing and Li Qi.

Finally, the actress Liu Pei got out from the front passenger seat.

Although the fans cheered when they saw them, it was clear that they were just going through the motions.

However, a few female fans of Ye Ming shouted loudly, "Ye Ming, sing a song, sing a song!"

In this grand scene, Ye Ming seemed to be the main character.

This made Liu Pei, Li Qi, and He Bing feel very uncomfortable. How could a newcomer be more popular than them?

Another Volkswagen Santana arrived, and only one person got out: Ge You.

The appearance of the film emperor Ge You completely ignited the square, with cheers everywhere.

The fans were沸腾, and a few even broke through the security barriers to take photos with Ge You.

Ge You didn’t have the fans driven away but happily took photos with them, showing the down-to-earth attitude of a people’s film emperor.

Ge You had been in the industry for many years and remained popular, not without reason.

Liu Pei, standing on the second floor, watched Ge You walk into the cinema amidst the cheers and said with a sigh, "Ge Dada is amazing. His entrance is so impressive. Just for him, many fans will come to watch the movie."

He felt envious and a bit sour.

Actually, it wasn’t just Liu Pei. Ye Ming and He Bing also thought that if they had Ge You’s appeal, they would truly be at the top of the entertainment industry.

Li Qi, however, was more open-minded and said with a smile, "There are so many people in the film industry, but only a few are like Ge You."

The combined pay of all the actors was less than Ge You’s, even including the extras.

No wonder they felt sour.

The last to arrive were Director Feng Xiaogang, Han Shanping, and the investor Zhang Heping.

This time, there were quite a few media outlets, over twenty, which was a good number for a well-known director.

Although it couldn’t compare to Jackie Chan’s "Rumble in the Bronx," for a new director like Feng Xiaogang, it was quite impressive.

At this moment, Yu Guo suddenly spotted an acquaintance in the crowd of reporters and said, "Brother Bai, didn’t you say you were going home for the New Year? Why didn’t you go?"

Old Bai glanced at Yu Guo, who always went against him, and felt uncomfortable. But Yu Guo’s newspaper was a local power, and he had to consider the boss’s reaction if he wanted to deal with Yu Guo.

So, he said irritably, "I was going to go home, but because of Ye Ming’s bold statements, I refunded my train ticket and applied to come and report."

It seemed that Yu Guo didn’t notice Old Bai’s resentment and said excitedly, "I’m glad I came. I didn’t expect Director Feng Xiaogang’s new film to have such a big draw. Over twenty media outlets, I’ve seen it."

Old Bai snorted, "What’s the big deal? You haven’t seen over a hundred media outlets. Jackie Chan’s "Rumble in the Bronx" was a grand event. This is a small scene. Half of these people are here for Han Shanping, and a few for Ge You. Feng Xiaogang, a director who started as a screenwriter, honestly, not many people have confidence in him."

Yu Guo asked doubtfully, "Really? I’ve seen TV shows and movies written by Feng Xiaogang, and they were great. There should be a lot of support for him in the industry."

Old Bai said disdainfully, "If you don’t believe me, ask how many of these media outlets are here for Feng Xiaogang."

At this moment, Old Bai thought to himself, I don’t know about others, but I’m not here for Feng Xiaogang. I’m here for Ye Ming. I want to see if Ye Ming will behave at the press conference. If he causes trouble, that would be great.

Before "A World Without Thieves," Feng Xiaogang had directed two films, "Losing My Love" and "Father and Son."

But these two films didn’t have much impact.

However, in TV series, he had some influence, such as "Beijingers in New York," which he co-directed with Zheng Xiaolong.

Before "A World Without Thieves," Feng Xiaogang was more famous as a screenwriter, known for works like "Big Shot" and "The Story of the Editorial Department."

It’s worth noting that before "A World Without Thieves," Feng Xiaogang was more famous as a screenwriter than as a director.

The premiere officially began, and the host introduced the main cast and crew. Ye Ming was the last to come on stage.

But Ye Ming’s appearance caused the biggest stir after Ge You, not with applause but with murmurs.

Because of what Ye Ming said in the "The Story of the Editorial Department" production, he had almost offended everyone in the TV industry.

This was a clear case of stirring up trouble. How could a newcomer have such audacity?

Many reporters, like Old Bai, were there to see Ye Ming’s downfall.

As usual, the leaders, Third Master, and Zhang Heping gave their speeches, followed by Feng Xiaogang and Ge You’s words of gratitude.

Next was the media Q&A session. A female reporter stood up and said, "Director Feng, I’m Liu Sisi from the News Times. I want to confirm a rumor. I heard that all the actors and the director in 'A World Without Thieves' are on a profit-sharing model, which is a first in China. Does this mean you have a lot of confidence in your movie?"

Feng Xiaogang smiled and said, "I have confidence in our team. We worked hard for over forty days, and I know what we’ve been striving for: to make the audience happy. I believe the audience won’t refuse happiness."

His answer was standard, neither too bold nor inappropriate.

It was clear that Liu Sisi was a plant, arranged by someone. Ye Ming knew this and understood that her question set the tone for the Q&A, limiting the scope of future questions.

Next, a few reporters asked questions related to the movie, such as why Ge You took the role and how he evaluated his performance.

Ge You, used to big events, handled the questions skillfully, and the reporters couldn’t get any valuable news from him.

Everyone understood that a film emperor like Ge You wasn’t easy to crack.

So, Ye Ming became the focus of the reporters.

One reason was his youth, and the other was his past, predicting unprecedented ratings for "The Story of the Editorial Department." This made him a favorite among reporters.

So, a reporter with black-rimmed glasses stood up and said, "I’m Zhou Zhou from Film World. I have a question for Mr. Ye Ming. I heard you predicted that 'The Story of the Editorial Department' would surpass 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' in ratings. Readers want to know why you have such confidence."

This reporter was part of the group trying to bring down "A World Without Thieves."

The question was very sharp and, in this situation, a bit out of line.

At this moment, Feng Xiaogang’s face turned sour.

But Ye Ming said calmly, "This is the premiere of 'A World Without Thieves,' so I won’t answer questions unrelated to the film."

At this moment, Ye Ming’s stance was clear: he wouldn’t say a word, which was quite provocative.

This made Zhou Zhou furious. As a reporter, he had never been treated like this before. It was a blatant challenge.

So, Zhou Zhou quickly changed the topic, "Alright, I think many readers would also like to know your prediction for the box office of 'A World Without Thieves,' the first New Year’s comedy in China