Geng Bochuan had made up his mind. Even though his manager was heartbroken, he still couldn’t change his mind and had to reluctantly give up the new film directed by Lu Cheng.
All of Xi Yang’s scenes were reshot, which was time-consuming and laborious. Fortunately, after such a long period of cooperation, Geng Bochuan and Duan Jingyuan had already developed a tacit understanding, so there was no need for them to readjust. This allowed the originally scheduled one-and-a-half months of reshooting time to be shortened by about a week.
After the film was completed, Ye Zhou locked himself in his studio and edited the film for over a month. After the editing was done, he became a hands-off shopkeeper. This time, he didn’t plan on doing any marketing and directly entrusted Jingzhe with handling the subsequent release and promotion.
After “Chasing the Light” was over, Ye Zhou habitually took a long vacation for himself. He ate and slept every day, and in his spare time, he either watched movies or played games.
Yes, after watching the practice matches of Xu Cheng and others, Ye Zhou developed a great interest in the game “Devour.” Although he was extremely bad at it and was devoured shortly after starting the game, he persisted in struggling in the game.
Not only did Ye Zhou play it himself, but he also invited Boss Jiang to play together.
At first, Ye Zhou wanted to show off in front of Boss Jiang and perform his skills well in the beginner’s league, making Boss Jiang impressed with him.
Ye Zhou did achieve that, but his showing off was short-lived. Once Boss Jiang’s level was high enough, the system would force him out of the beginner’s league, and Ye Zhou naturally couldn’t continue using a trumpet account.
He cleared his throat and logged in with his account, which had just reached the fifth rank, pretending to be profound. “Jiang-ge, this game has ten ranks in total, but did you know that sixty percent of players are stuck at the third rank and can’t advance?”
The implication was that although he was only at the fourth rank, he was already very skilled!
Ye Zhou said this without any sense of guilt because this rank was indeed something he had worked hard to achieve. He had stayed up several nights, getting dark circles under his eyes.
Moreover, what he said was true. In “Devour,” luck played a role in the lower ranks, but as the rank increased, the requirements for operation and cooperation with teammates also increased.
No matter how skilled a player was, they couldn’t overcome teammates who kept throwing the game. The fourth rank was an important dividing line between novice players and experts, and many people were stuck at the third rank for several seasons without being able to break through. The fact that Ye Zhou had reached the fifth rank in just half a month was already considered very impressive.
Of course, the “impressive” part didn’t refer to his skill, but to how impressively he could blow his own horn.
Although Ye Zhou was not skilled, he blew his teammates to the sky with his rainbow fart. He could almost make his teammates’ skills seem 150% of their actual ability.
Most importantly, he played a female character. From Ye Zhou’s limited gaming experience, in any game where male players made up more than 60%, playing a female character would definitely bring surprises.
Ye Zhou was admittedly clumsy, and he was aware of his poor operating skills. However, adhering to the principle that he could lose the game but must buy good appearances, he would spend money lavishly on outfits whenever new ones were released, buying any fancy outfit without hesitation.
As a result, Ye Zhou’s character exuded an aura of wealth. Not only was he wealthy and skilled at blowing his own horn, but he also used an excessive amount of emoticons flawlessly, all while playing an adorable female character. Needless to say, he was like a fish in water in the game.
He might not be skilled, but his teammates were still willing to help him gain ranks!
Jiang Tingyuan looked at Ye Zhou’s character on the screen, with a sexy figure, charming face, and shining special effects, and remained silent for a few seconds before asking, “You play a female character?”
Ye Zhou didn’t feel any shame at all and enthusiastically promoted it to Boss Jiang, “What’s wrong with a female character? Playing a female character has so many advantages when it comes to gaining ranks. I just remembered, why don’t you switch to a female character too, Jiang-ge? It would be easier for me to help you gain ranks that way!”
Seeing that Ye Zhou was dead serious and not joking, Boss Jiang firmly refused, “No, it’s too much trouble. This character is fine.”
Ye Zhou pondered for a moment and agreed that it was indeed troublesome since the beginner’s tutorial for “Devour” was much more complicated than most online games. It would take at least half an hour to complete. He didn’t persuade Boss Jiang any further.
He sent Boss Jiang a few outfits from the store and guided him on how to wear them. While sending them, he couldn’t help but complain, “This game is great in every way, except that the appearances are too expensive. It costs 388 or 648 for the cheapest ones, but the most frustrating part is the limited-edition appearances that need to be drawn from the prize pool. It costs twenty yuan per draw, and you could spend thousands without even getting a single one.”
Boss Jiang listened to his complaints without saying a word, not daring to tell Ye Zhou that the prize pool system for limited-edition appearances was implemented with his approval.
After forming a team with Boss Jiang, they started matchmaking and entered the game within seconds.
The three other teammates were all male characters with similar names, suggesting they were likely friends. After entering the game, Ye Zhou sent a few cute emoticons to politely greet his teammates.
Perhaps due to Boss Jiang’s presence, Ye Zhou played exceptionally well today, almost as if he had activated a cheat code. Although he couldn’t decide the outcome, he at least didn’t hold the team back, and sometimes he could even follow his teammates and claim a few kills.
After winning three games in a row and even getting an MVP, Ye Zhou was like a victorious little rooster, his tail almost sticking up to the sky. He asked Boss Jiang smugly, “How’s that? Aren’t I impressive?”
Jiang Tingyuan noticed Ye Zhou’s excited demeanor and knew this kid must have endured a lot of abuse in the past. He complimented him wholeheartedly, “Very good.”
Although it was only two simple words, coming from Boss Jiang’s mouth, Ye Zhou felt extremely satisfied. It was like a spring breeze. He immediately pulled Boss Jiang into another battle.
However, encountering good teammates is not a guarantee in every game. On the contrary, it’s much more likely to encounter incompetent teammates than good ones. Perhaps Ye Zhou had been too lucky in the previous rounds, with decent teammates, but as their playtime grew longer, they encountered more and more incompetent teammates, just like now.
[Team] Blah Blah Blah: Playing like a noob with such terrible control, stupid *****!
Ye Zhou was playing a female character, and with his wealthy appearance, he looked wealthy and not someone to provoke. So, someone set their sights on Boss Jiang instead.
Although Boss Jiang’s character was equipped with outfits, his play style, and level made him appear easy to bully. As soon as they encountered a losing match, the most obnoxious teammate vented their frustration on him with a barrage of insults.
Ye Zhou didn’t mind being trolled for his poor skills, but seeing Boss Jiang being insulted was absolutely unacceptable. Soon, a long string of messages flooded the chat box, one after another, making it difficult for anyone to keep up just by reading them.
Jiang Tingyuan was sitting right next to Ye Zhou, watching him type furiously on the keyboard at an incredible speed, almost leaving afterimages.
The three teammates stared in astonishment as the chat box was continuously flooded with messages, each word biting and witty without a single profanity, yet dripping with sarcasm that almost poured out of the screen and reached their very core.
No one could have imagined that the soft, adorable girl who had just been spamming “TAT” and “qvq” emoticons a second ago would suddenly transform into an aggressive big sister, relentlessly roasting others with an inexhaustible repertoire of insults.
At first, the foul-mouthed teammate wanted to trade insults with Ye Zhou, but who was Ye Zhou? He was someone who wouldn’t back down even against internet trolls. For every insult the teammate hurled, Ye Zhou would fire off four or five in rapid succession, leaving the teammate choking on their own words, unable to swallow or let them out.
By the end of the match, the foul-mouthed teammate had been thoroughly roasted, doubting their very existence. After mumbling a few curses, they quickly left the team in embarrassment.
Playing games was supposed to be enjoyable, but the presence of incompetent teammates had ruined everything. Ye Zhou wished he could fly right in front of that teammate and smash their head with his keyboard, then force the keyboard into their mouth at the end of the game.
Seeing Ye Zhou fuming and losing interest in the game, Boss Jiang patted his head in consolation and said, “Don’t get angry over a game. Do you want to keep playing or go out for a meal instead?”
Ye Zhou shook his head, hanging it low and not daring to look at Boss Jiang. He mumbled, “I’m sorry, Jiang-ge, for causing you to be insulted.”
Jiang Tingyuan was someone who had likely never been insulted like that from a young age. How could he endure such humiliation? The more Ye Zhou thought about it, the angrier and sadder he became, filled with immense regret. He should have expected that all kinds of people exist online while gaming. Why did he have to bring Boss Jiang to play games in the first place? Had he been kicked in the head by a donkey?!
Jiang Tingyuan exited the game, pulled Ye Zhou close, and said, “Didn’t you insult them back for me? Don’t apologize, I’m happy.”
“Huh?” Ye Zhou looked bewildered, unable to grasp Boss Jiang’s thought process. They were insulted like that, yet he was… happy?
Jiang Tingyuan gently tapped Ye Zhou’s overthinking head with his curled fingers, his voice tinged with a hint of resignation, “What I mean is, I’m happy to see you defending me like that.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing! This is what I should do!” Ye Zhou finally understood. His usually glib tongue seemed to tie itself in knots, and it took him a while before he could firmly reassure Boss Jiang, patting his chest, “Jiang-ge, rest assured, I will always be on your side, forever!”
Perhaps it was Ye Zhou’s imagination, but after making that promise, he seemed to catch a glimpse of amusement in Boss Jiang’s eyes. However, it vanished as quickly as it appeared, and Ye Zhou dismissed it, thinking he must have been mistaken.
After that incident, Ye Zhou completely abandoned the idea of playing games with Boss Jiang. For a long time afterward, he didn’t play games much himself either. Whenever he logged in, it was solely to report that foul-mouthed teammate. After reporting, he would log off immediately, not lingering in the game.
After all, his life was more important than showing off.
He diligently reported the player for about half a month. One day, when Ye Zhou logged in to carry out his daily reporting task, he was surprised to find that the player’s profile indicated that it no longer existed. After searching on the game forum, he learned that the player had been banned.
Ye Zhou was overjoyed. To thank the game company for actively addressing player feedback, he enthusiastically spent tens of thousands in the game. He almost emptied the store, leaving him with a few thousand game coins that he couldn’t spend, so he decided to use them all on the prize draw. But no matter how much he spent, he couldn’t draw a decent outfit, instantly dissipating all his gratitude towards the game company into thin air.
With less than fifty draws remaining, Ye Zhou shook his hand, which had gone numb from all the drawing, and turned to Boss Jiang, handing him the phone, “Jiang-ge, help me draw a few times. I need to use the restroom.”
Jiang Tingyuan took the phone and glanced at the draw rules before helping Ye Zhou with the draws.
Ye Zhou didn’t have high hopes for Boss Jiang. He was just tired of drawing and didn’t want to waste the remaining chances, so he asked Boss Jiang for help. He didn’t expect to actually get anything good. After all, Boss Jiang did not even get as many coins as he did during the New Year. Instead of counting on Boss Jiang, it would be better if he made the draws himself.
But when Ye Zhou returned from the restroom and saw the shimmering golden light on the phone screen, he leaned in and was stunned to find that it was the limited-edition outfit he had always wanted.
“Is this the one you wanted to draw?” Jiang Tingyuan shook the phone.
Ye Zhou nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes, that’s the one! I heard there are only ten available across the entire server. I spent so much trying to draw it but never got it. Jiang-ge, you’re so lucky!”
Taking back the phone and checking the remaining draw tickets, Ye Zhou’s feelings were a jumble. The reason was simple – Boss Jiang had only used two tickets to draw the outfit that Ye Zhou had failed to get after at least a few hundred attempts.
While feeling a tinge of jealousy, he couldn’t help but sigh in his heart. It seemed that the saying about eating coins in dumplings for good luck was just a superstition. No matter how many coins one ate, Boss Jiang was simply luckier!
In early July, “Chasing the Light” began its preview screenings. After being a carefree boss for a few months, Ye Zhou was finally forced to return to work and travel between various cinemas across the country with the crew.
Although Ye Zhou had emphasized to Jingzhe’s promotion department in advance that a large-scale promotion was unnecessary and a low-key approach would suffice, it wasn’t because he didn’t value this film. Rather, the film’s subject matter predetermined that it couldn’t be accepted by the mainstream audience, which meant that the box office wouldn’t be particularly high. Instead of wasting money on promotion, it was better to save it for other films.
The person in charge of Jingzhe’s promotion team for “Chasing the Light” was a young and approachable woman. She smiled and nodded in agreement to all of Ye Zhou’s requests, but whether she would actually follow through was another matter.
However, since Ye Zhou had decided to hand over the reins to Jingzhe, he naturally wouldn’t interfere with their team’s decisions as long as they didn’t violate any principles. In most cases, Ye Zhou would agree to most things that he could cooperate with.
On the preview screening night, Ye Zhou organized the crew members to arrive at the cinema early. Based on his experience, there were many preparations needed for a film’s premiere, and having more hands was better. If there weren’t enough people, it would be chaotic, so Ye Zhou had the foresight to bring extra help.
However, to his surprise, when they arrived, he found that everything had already been set up. The theaters had been appropriately divided into sections for general audiences, critics, and media. Drinks, snacks, promotional materials, and merchandise were all ready.
Compared to the preview screening of “A Farce,” which was rough and shabby, this was on a completely different level.
Everything was perfect. If Ye Zhou didn’t know that “Chasing the Light” was a niche film with a total investment of less than twenty million, he would have thought this was the preview screening of a blockbuster or a major franchise film that had invested hundreds of millions!
Ye Zhou pulled the person in charge aside, his expression indescribable, “Manager Miao, isn’t this a bit over the top?”
Just as Ye Zhou spoke, he spotted two very familiar critics entering the theater, one after the other. One was a rising critic with some fame in the industry, and the other was Ye Zhou’s old friend, the renowned critic Jun Yi, who had publicly spoken in support of “A Farce” and Ye Zhou during its release.
Both of them were at the top of the pyramid in terms of fan base and reputation in this circle. Inviting them was clearly no easy task. It was only possible if the film was sufficiently buzzworthy or if the organizers were willing to spend big money.
“Chasing the Light” obviously didn’t meet the first condition, leaving only the second as a possible explanation for the current situation. Ye Zhou couldn’t comprehend it. Jingzhe invested in and produced dozens, if not hundreds, of films every year, including many excellent works to choose from. Could it be that Jingzhe had too much money to spend and was determined to throw it at his film?
Could it be that… Boss Jiang spoke to the company’s executives, resulting in this special treatment?
Miao Qing seemed to notice Ye Zhou’s confusion and shook her head with a smile, “We’re not throwing money away carelessly. After our discussions, we unanimously agreed that ‘Chasing the Light’ deserves this.”
Ye Zhou: “…”
“Manager Miao, have you watched this film?” After a moment of hesitation, Ye Zhou voiced his doubts.
It wasn’t that he lacked confidence, but the subject matter was too niche. It lacked the potential to compete for box office success. This was a fact even outsiders could see. It didn’t make sense for a Jingzhe manager to be unaware of this issue. If she had watched the film, she wouldn’t have said something like that.
“Of course,” Miao Qing’s smile deepened, unfazed by the questioning, “To be honest, Mr. Ye, I didn’t originally plan on wasting efforts on a film with an unpopular subject matter. As you know, Jingzhe releases so many films each year, and my marketing department has plenty of choices.”
“The marketing department has twelve teams, each with twelve members. Each team only gets two opportunities per year to utilize company resources for promotion. This opportunity is undoubtedly precious. Unlike other companies, once a film’s final box office performance is determined, the team responsible for marketing is eligible to receive a share of the revenue directly from the company.”
“In other words, a film’s box office performance determines the bonuses we’ll receive during this period. So… we wouldn’t waste our efforts and resources, especially such precious resources, on films without confidence. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
After speaking, Miao Qing looked at Ye Zhou, her smile gradually fading, replaced by unprecedented seriousness and solemnity, “Please trust my team’s professionalism and eye for quality. We’ve watched ‘Chasing the Light’ repeatedly, no less than thirty times, and held at least fifteen meetings, big and small. In the end, we still believe that the quality of ‘Chasing the Light’ is worth us taking the risk.”
Ye Zhou’s expression was complex. As the director, he had personally overseen every step of this film’s creation from scratch, meticulously crafting and polishing it over half a year. No one understood this film better than him, and even he, the director, had no high expectations for its box office performance. Yet, someone was now telling him with utmost sincerity that they were very optimistic about the film and willing to invest substantial resources into it.
After a long while, Ye Zhou sighed and said sincerely to Miao Qing, “Thank you, Manager Miao. I hope you get what you wish for, and I hope ‘Chasing the Light’ lives up to your trust and doesn’t let you down.”
At this point, there was nothing more to say. Ye Zhou had even started considering that if the box office failed, he would dip into his own pockets to give them a bonus.
Half an hour before the preview screening, Ye Zhou stood in the restroom, slowly smoking a cigarette while gazing at his reflection in the mirror. Although he had seen this face countless times, he still felt a sense of unfamiliarity and a rare moment of disorientation.
As Ye Zhou stood dazed in front of the mirror, the restroom door suddenly opened from the outside, and someone squeezed in. The person looked around, seemingly searching for someone. Upon spotting Ye Zhou’s back, he called out uncertainly in a low voice, “Director Ye?”
Ye Zhou turned around at the sound and was slightly surprised to see the person, “What are you doing here? Aren’t you busy with your schedule recently?”
Seeing that he did not mistake him for someone else, Zhu Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief and closed the restroom door. He looked at Ye Zhou up and down as he remarked, “Director Ye, you must have been eating well lately. You seem to have gained some weight since the last time I saw you!”
Ye Zhou was amused and circled around Zhu Ning, nodding in satisfaction, “You’re not doing too bad yourself. You look much better and healthier than before. How have you been lately? Has your manager been giving you a hard time?”
“No, don’t worry about that, Director Ye.” Zhu Ning took a couple of steps closer and leaned in to whisper, “Once I’m done dealing with these annoying matters, I’ll come find you to hang out.”
Ye Zhou was momentarily stunned but quickly understood the implication. Glancing around the environment, he didn’t say anything further but patted Zhu Ning’s thin shoulder, “If you have any troubles, just say so. Don’t bear it all yourself. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Zhu Ning’s emotions were quite stable at first, but upon hearing Ye Zhou’s words, he couldn’t hold back anymore. His eyes instantly reddened, and he took a few deep breaths to compose himself, trying to sound cheerful, “Today, I came with Xiao Fei-ge. He’s outside, so let’s go join him.”
The “Xiao Fei-ge” Zhu Ning mentioned was none other than Xie Gefei, the actor who played No. 3 in “A Farce.”
When the two exited the restroom, they saw Xie Gefei waiting nearby, holding a bucket of popcorn and waving at them from a distance.
The three hadn’t gathered much since filming “A Farce,” so they had a lot to catch up on. After chatting with Ye Zhou for a while, they finally entered the theater.
With only ten minutes left until the film started, Ye Zhou saw two more familiar faces – director He Feiyang and screenwriter Liu Zhao, who were currently working on the film “Tears Behind Bars.”
Ye Zhou was a bit surprised to see them. If he remembered correctly, “Tears Behind Bars” should be in the middle of an intense filming period, especially with Movie Emperor Zhong involved, where every minute was precious. Yet, they had squeezed out time to attend the preview screening of his film, which was undoubtedly touching.
Not long after sending the two into the theater, Xu Wei came rushing over, out of breath. Behind her were a few exceptionally good-looking youths, strutting with an air of confidence.
“Mr. Ye, these are the champions from the provincial selection rounds of our program over the past period. Today, I’m taking the opportunity of your preview screening to introduce them to you. The selection is almost complete, with only a few provinces remaining. Once it’s over, I’ll formally bring them to meet you!” Xu Wei introduced the youths to Ye Zhou before leading them into the theater.
After seeing off Xu Wei, it was almost time, so Ye Zhou exchanged a few words with Miao Qing and was about to enter when he heard a chorus of shouts from behind.
“Ye-ge!”
“Mr. Ye!”
Ye Zhou turned around, completely stunned. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and asked, “Weren’t you supposed to be at the competition in D City today? How did you end up here?”
Everyone looked a bit disheveled from running intensely. Xu Cheng and the others exchanged glances and said in unison, “We rushed over as soon as the competition ended!”
As they spoke, Ye Zhou noticed Boss Jiang walking out from the elevator.
Finally, everyone is gathered!
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