022 "Tai Chi" has plummeted straight to the bottom!

"Well, that's a tough one!" Qian Lang said, looking slightly troubled.

Why did *Crazy Stone* become such a massive hit? Naturally, there were many factors involved. But those were all just cases of "hindsight is 20/20." If you take a successful event and analyze it, you will always find many seemingly vital factors of success. But in reality, if you changed the context, those same factors might not apply at all.

For instance, in his previous life, *Crazy Stone* only grossed a few tens of millions. Yet in this world, the very same film had achieved ten times that amount. How could one explain that? Therefore, one could only say that a work verified by the market is at least unlikely to lose money. Any other so-called technical analysis was, frankly, unreliable.

But could he tell President Pei that directly? Absolutely not!

"President Pei, I think the reason our film exploded in popularity is really just luck. We just happened to pick up the slack left by *Tai Chi*! They made such a huge spectacle beforehand, whetting the audience's appetite, and then failed to meet those expectations. That created a void in the audience's desires, and our film just happened to be there to reap the benefits! I've heard that it wasn't just *Crazy Stone*—even *So Young* benefited quite a bit from it!"

One must be humble. Qian Lang felt this explanation would suffice. After all, who goes around singing their own praises? As the saying goes, "Arrogant soldiers are doomed to defeat." He didn't want any trouble for his future films.

"So that's how it is!" Pei Duoduo lowered her head and scribbled notes furiously. She was getting closer to the truth! This was the reason for *Crazy Stone*'s explosive popularity—it had scavenged the massive leftovers from *Tai Chi*!

Right. Why hadn't she thought of that? On the surface, *Tai Chi* failed, but in reality, they had offended too many people. A classic case of "the wicked bring about their own destruction." For example, those rejected filmmakers from the Daxia industry. Or the Beijing Film Academy, which Wang Xingxing had dragged through the mud. They had been bullied, so naturally, they had to strike back! Wasn't this online trend fueled by them behind the scenes? It wasn't necessarily that they appreciated *Crazy Stone*; they just wanted *Tai Chi* to suffer, so they needed a vanguard. Who would be the best choice? Naturally, *Crazy Stone*, which already had bad blood with *Tai Chi*!

When a whale falls, everything else thrives. *Crazy Stone* had feasted well!

"Hiss!" The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became. The industry wasn't just about fighting and killing; it was even more about human relationships and worldly wisdom. As a rich second-generation living in a greenhouse, Pei Duoduo had finally felt the dark side of society.

She curled her lip. Hmph! She didn't start the company to make money anyway. She might not have much talent, but turning Galaxy Film into a utopian existence wasn't impossible. She refused to believe it. Where there is sunshine, there are shadows, but she was determined to be the sunshine that illuminated the earth! Of course, for now, she was just illuminating the small patch of land that was Galaxy Film.

But she wasn't afraid. The journey was long and the road difficult, but as long as there was light in her heart, she would surely reach the shores of her dreams. Take her investments, for example. Even though this time was a failure, there would always be another chance! Director Qian was still the same Director Qian. This success of *Crazy Stone* was merely because it had become a sharp sword in someone else's hands, which was why it had such a high box office.

Just imagine: without the pushing and pulling of related forces, how could this movie have staged such a rise to prominence so easily? After all, the Daxia film market didn't have that kind of capacity. She hadn't spent money on market research for nothing; those reports weren't written by amateurs. Everyone said the market was sluggish and advised against investing. Otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen the film industry. It was a guaranteed loss, right? This victory was definitely a highly accidental phenomenon!

Pei Duoduo's brain raced. The more she thought about it, the more she felt this must be the truth. Thinking this way, she felt confident again!

"My family, Director Qian is just being modest!" Pei Duoduo shifted her demeanor effortlessly. At this moment, her face was overflowing with a deep, motherly affection.

"The reason this film achieved such staggering results has everything to do with Director Qian's diligent work attitude, his professional eye for talent, and the full support of all our family members! I am so gratified that we at Galaxy Film are such a big family! Here, I see the sunny and friendly side of society! I am gratified that you, my family, are so hardworking! Here, I see the tangible manifestation of 'where there's a will, there's a way'! I am gratified that you all exist in my life!"

Her sincere and impassioned words echoed through the conference room, striking the heart of every "family member." Looking at the holy glow on Pei Duoduo's face, they were moved to tears. Some even covered their faces and sobbed aloud.

So great! So holy! Galaxy Film was like heaven, and they were like angels surrounding the Madonna. "Because of you, I finally live like a human being." Wang Bo bit his trembling lip, crying like a child. He had originally been the humblest speck of dust in the universe. Because of Director Qian, because of President Pei, because of this family, he had finally found his own value!

Ah! I will dedicate everything I have. My leader!

The entire family was overcome with emotion, immersed in the atmosphere, unable to pull themselves away for a long time. Pei Duoduo lowered her head and scribbled something in her notebook, then looked up. Her eyes shone with a firm, indomitable light.

"Family, we cannot sleep on our laurels." Her encouraging gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Qian Lang. "Director Qian, you can start preparing for *Little Big Soldier*."

"Understood, President Pei, you can count on me!" Qian Lang was excited. He had given the script to Pei Duoduo days ago and hadn't heard back, so he had worried she might have reservations. Now, the stone in his heart had finally dropped!

"Moving forward, Director Qian's new film will rely on all of you!" Pei Duoduo gave Qian Lang plenty of face. After all, the new trashy film still had to be completed by him.

"We will definitely cooperate with Director Qian to do our jobs well!"

"Let's keep up the momentum and create more glory!" The family responded with enthusiasm. Qian Lang was deeply moved. The new film was starting, and the journey was ahead. He could finally direct a film with a budget over a hundred million! He hoped everything would go smoothly!

"Let's have a celebration feast tonight!" Profit was already a certainty, so they might as well spend it freely. In any case, that money wouldn't end up in his own pocket anyway!

Pei Duoduo's suggestion was once again met with unanimous praise from the entire family. What a divine boss. Working here was so motivating.

When you're happy, time flies. Soon, the summer season ended. After a month of competition, the seven films released reached the moment for their final results to be revealed.

Without surprise, *Crazy Stone*, directed by Qian Lang, had come from behind. From having the lowest opening day box office, it had leaped to first place with a total box office of 490 million. Its audience rating had exceeded 9 points.

Second place was *So Young*, directed by Li Duolyu, with a total box office of 200 million and an audience rating that had risen to 8.4. This result was truly unexpected; not just the fans, but Director Li himself was somewhat bewildered.

Third place went to *The Jester*, directed by Todd Flanders, with 180 million at the box office and an audience rating of 8.9. Veteran film buffs were unhappy, feeling that the Daxia audience still had a lot of room for improvement in their standards; *The Jester* being ranked here was like a pearl covered in dust.

Ranked fourth and fifth were the animated films *Green Grassland* and *Great Bear Ridge*, with 150 million and 170 million respectively. One had to admit, the spending power of the diaper-wearing demographic could not be underestimated.

Sixth was *Black Liquid*, directed by Kelly Marshall, with 140 million and an audience rating that had climbed to 8.1. Perhaps veteran fans were all too laid back, as the box office appeal of this film hadn't managed to beat the two animated features.

Seventh was *Tai Chi*, directed by Zhang Mou. It had originally ranked first in opening day box office, but because the premiere had caused a bad impression on the guests, coupled with their failure in the online PR war, *Tai Chi* had few buyers afterward. As for the theaters, they had directly reduced its screenings. Thus, its total box office had only reached a meager 110 million. It meant that half of its box office had been earned on the very first day. One could imagine what a box office vacuum it would have been if *Tai Chi* had been decent. It was a pity!

All this glory had been taken by *Crazy Stone*. Not only that, but the audience rating had plunged from its original 7.4 to below 3! Yes, you read that right! Only 2.9 points! *Tai Chi* had hit rock bottom! Whether they had seen the film or not, netizens would curse and stomp on *Tai Chi* whenever it was mentioned.

Wang Xingxing had long since stopped struggling in vain. But the resentment in his heart was hard to erase. How excessive! What did these people know about art? They only knew how to push someone when they were down! With no one coming to their defense, they were just running wild. They were all just clowns. He had seen through this society! It was nothing but mindless conformity!

That flop Qian Lang and his trashy *Stone* film—he had gone to see it. There was nothing special about it! It was just some cheap gags. How vulgar! To lose to such a film, he was ten thousand times unwilling. And the various award committees—they must have had something wrong with their eyes. Did such a film deserve a nomination? He couldn't believe it! It was just a trashy, vulgar comedy without any depth. Why did it deserve so many award nominations?

And that Wang Bo, who relied on playing the fool to get a laugh from the audience, and then was liked by the masses? He had to say, the aesthetic taste of Daxia's audience was truly vulgar. But then again, he shouldn't have had any expectations for them. They were just commoners, after all. Otherwise, Errenzhuan and those crosstalk acts wouldn't have a market.

That flop Qian Lang must be very pleased with himself now. Having left Xingyao, he had found his own bottom-tier organization, right?

Wang Xingxing grew angrier the more he thought about it. Just then, a young man trotted over. "Wang Xingxing, the boss wants to see you!"

"Which boss?" Wang Xingxing frowned. Was the big boss, Jiang Yan, in the office? He hadn't heard.

"Vice President Cheng!" The young man delivered the message and walked away. *Heh, just joined the company and already gained Cheng Jie's favor. Looks like there's a bright future at Xingyao.*

"What does that old thing want with me now?" Wang Xingxing felt a sense of déjà vu. But at this moment, he couldn't think too much; after all, Jiang Yan wasn't there. Cheng Jie was the one in charge of Xingyao for now. No matter how reluctant he was, he couldn't fight the hand that fed him. However, it wouldn't hurt to stir up some trouble for Cheng Jie. With that in mind, Wang Xingxing deliberately dragged his feet for a few minutes.