Chapter Fifty-Four: I Want to Add a Kissing Scene

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(Chapter Three. Black Car really didn’t go out today, but at this pace, there’s no way I can reach that twelve thousand target. Sigh, sorry, I’ll keep typing. Hope you all support Black Car, recommend and bookmark, thanks.)

How could “That Mountain, That Man, That Dog,” which sold only one copy and had virtually zero domestic box office, possibly have anything to do with fortune?

Wu Xiang spoke slowly. “This film didn’t sell well in the country, but I watched it—it’s beautifully shot, quite lovely. And from what’s inside, I feel foreigners like this kind of thing…” Don’t forget how Wu Xiang got into film school; even without reincarnation, he had an eye for this.

It’s undeniable—the film is exquisitely made, otherwise the sharp-eyed judges wouldn’t have awarded it major prizes. Yet, in the domestic market, films reflecting rural sentiment were already abundant, and so the theaters didn’t value it. But the overseas market is different; they love importing films like this—anything that portrays the gritty, impoverished lives of Chinese people, that’s what they want!

To put it simply, Wu Xiang hoped Yu Dong would handle the international distribution of “That Mountain, That Man, That Dog,” and the operation was especially straightforward: just insist on a revenue-sharing principle for overseas distribution. Of course, they needed to find someone who appreciated the film, but Wu Xiang already knew the target: Japan, and people might even approach you for it.

The film launched the careers of Huo Jianqi, Liu Ye, and Chen Hao. Liu Ye even became a leading actor, but the box office was a tragedy!

Wu Xiang knew very well—in the original timeline, the film’s domestic box office was nearly zero, with only some costs recouped through selling copyrights, TV channel rights, and VCDs. But the film’s actual box office was far from low: while not popular in China, it earned 350 million yen in Japan!

However, that 350 million yen had little to do with the investors and the production company, Beijing Film Studio, because the overseas rights had been bought out for only eighty thousand dollars!

Eighty thousand dollars versus 350 million yen—such a huge gap, but given the circumstances at the time, it wasn’t a mistake. No one could have predicted it would be such a hit in Japan, and the future was unknown. With such poor domestic box office, anyone would first think to recoup costs, and eighty thousand dollars converted to RMB really did cover the costs.

Wu Xiang had been reborn; since he knew about this, how could he let the Japanese profit at his expense?

Absolutely not!

Now, with Yu Dong appearing, Wu Xiang felt he could let Yu Dong handle this, as the saying goes, “borrow a flower to offer to Buddha.”

“You really think this film has potential?” Yu Dong was skeptical.

Wu Xiang knew this was the challenge, so he replied directly, “Just tell me, will you do it or not? If not, I’ll do it myself—no one’s afraid of making too much money. The operation costs nothing; I’ve said, we fix the revenue-sharing principle, that’s all. I’m very optimistic about its overseas prospects. Yu, do you not know what kinds of films get popular abroad? This film has plenty of elements that fit the ‘standards’ for success.”

Yu Dong thought it over—it’s true, there’s virtually no cost. Taking this hot potato from San Ye and running with it was almost too easy. He agreed, straightforwardly, “Fine! I’ll do it. Now tell me your terms: if the film actually makes money, how do we split it?”

Wu Xiang chuckled slyly. “Yu, do you know how much this is worth?”

“Tens of thousands, probably. That’s about normal for films like this,” Yu Dong said, understanding the business.

“I bet you, even millions won’t be enough!” Wu Xiang threw out a figure that stunned Yu Dong.

“How—how could that be?” In these times, making millions wasn’t easy, especially with an effortless deal.

“What if I win the bet?” No one dared wager against Wu Xiang.

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Yu Dong understood and thought it through. “Alright! If you win, I’ll let you take the major share in our company, and I’ll work for you, how about that?”

Wu Xiang thought to himself, this guy is indeed smart, but he had no intention of running a distribution company. “I said I’d give you a windfall, so I’ll only take thirty percent shares at most. Keep the rest to grow the business—don’t forget, I still have my new film.”

Yu Dong now fully grasped the situation—it was a trap, and after Wu Xiang dug it, he found himself willingly, even gleefully, jumping in. Wu Xiang was unfathomable…

With the deal settled, Wu Xiang could now go back to training Huang Yi, though not tonight—it was late, and she should return to school.

“Huang Yi, how’s your two-person world with that tall guy lately?”

“Has he drooled over your curves yet? Haha…” In the girls’ dormitory, Zeng Hui and Dini started teasing their best friend again.

“What drool! Disgusting, isn’t it?” Huang Yi recalled that she herself nearly drooled at first.

“You’re getting better and better, I don’t believe that tall guy can resist you!” Dini’s remark was very much in tune with Huang Yi’s heart.

“Let me see.” Zeng Hui was direct, her hands roaming over Huang Yi’s chest.

“Ah! You two are impossible!” Naturally, Huang Yi fought back. Girls, when they mess around, it always turns into a playful scuffle.

After separating, Zeng Hui voiced her concern. “Huang Yi, aren’t you taking your dieting a bit too far? Those two are shrinking!”

“What!?” Now she was alarmed, and measured herself. “There might really be a bit of a difference…” Huang Yi was scared—what if she’d lost weight in the wrong places!

“Haha…” Her friends laughed until they were breathless at her reaction.

“Tall guy! If these shrink, I won’t let you off!” Huang Yi finally made this vow.

Day after day passed. After more than a month of hellish training, when Huang Yi appeared again before the cast and crew of “First Intimate Encounter,” she was so slender and graceful that no one could scorn her.

“Wow.”

“Whoa!”

“Oh my!”—voices rose and fell in astonishment.

She really had slimmed down, really was different from before—the contrast was huge. The old Huang Yi resembled Lu Zhishen, now she was Li Shishi, even the emperor would leave the palace for her.

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Big eyes, small face, moderately high cheekbones, and as long as she didn’t smile, her mouth was as delicate as a cherry blossom. Her figure was perfect—everything that should be large, was large; everything that should be small, was small. Aside from still wearing braces, everything else was flawless!

Of course, in a month, it’s impossible to drop from 138 pounds to 100 pounds, but Huang Yi’s foundation was excellent; at 168 centimeters, she didn’t easily look overweight. Now, just over 100 pounds, with some makeup and clothing tricks, she appeared extremely slender.

Wu Xiang wanted a stark contrast—that’s why he’d previously dressed Huang Yi up as if she weighed over 200 pounds. That way, the visual impact was strong enough.

“Alright, now that everyone’s finished admiring, let’s start shooting!” Wu Xiang looked at the crowd with their piggish expressions, feeling flames rise in his chest.

“Yes, alright!” The crew prepared themselves.

What were they shooting now? The final scene—not the story’s finale, but the last shot in the filming schedule.

Earlier, Wu Xiang had designed the plot this way: after Xiaoyu is rejected by the thug pretending to be A-Tai, she’s heartbroken. But don’t forget, she’s Qingwu Feiyang’s best friend. By chance, she discovers A-Tai and the thug’s secret, and the thug couldn’t deny it.

So, Xiaoyu used her robust physique to overpower A-Tai, forcing him to date her. A-Tai set a condition: if she got slimmer and prettier, he’d agree.

So began the inspirational weight-loss storyline. At this point, the character played by Huang Xiaoming appeared.

Under Wu Xiang’s arrangement, Xiaoming played a tall, handsome, wealthy man meeting Xiaoyu at the gym, and began pursuing her relentlessly—flowers, gifts, constant advances.

This created plenty of comedic conflict. A-Tai started to take Xiaoyu, the formerly overweight woman, seriously—two men competing for one woman.

By then, Xiaoyu had become a mermaid. She now had to forgive A-Tai and be with him, but…

“Do you dare? Let’s share a passionate, wet kiss!” Something must have misfired in Huang Yi’s mind, as she made this request to Huang Haibo.

“Bring it on! Who’s afraid?” With a condition like that, how could Huang Haibo back down?

Wu Xiang, hearing this, felt another headache coming on.

This woman was far too unruly!