Huayu: This director specializes in promoting young actresses.

Chapter 46 Let the Bullets Fly a Little Longer

On Monday morning, Li Yitong woke up to a gentle kiss and opened her eyes to meet Lin Feng's smiling eyes.

"woke up?"

Li Yitong's cheeks flushed slightly, and she shrank further into the blankets: "Mmm..." The intense intimacy of last night still seemed to leave a lingering effect in her body, making her afraid to look him in the eye.

"Get up and eat breakfast," Lin Feng pinched her cheek. "You have to go to the company today."

Upon arriving at the company, Lin Feng immediately called Li Yi into his office.

"What are the online reviews like?" He leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

Li Yi handed over a report, her face beaming with excitement: "Director Lin, the situation is fantastic! The approval rating for 'The Beginning' is consistently above 90%, and we have a lot of casual fans. Many people are watching it two or three times and are still analyzing the details."

She turned to another page, "On the other hand, 'The Lost Tomb' received almost universally negative reviews, except for a few bought positive ones. Even the lead actors' fans couldn't control the negative reviews."

"Oh? Tell me more."

"Li Yifeng was criticized for 'only knowing how to stare,' and Yang Yang was said to 'not have the temperament to play Zhang Qiling,'" Li Yi read aloud the online complaints. "There were also complaints about the drastic changes to the plot, the poor special effects, and the blatant product placement. It was criticized in almost every aspect. Now everyone on the internet is saying that 'The Lost Tomb has driven the audience to the Beginning.'"

Lin Feng nodded: "Very good. From now on, we just need to maintain stability. We don't need to add any more promotion. Leave it to Tencent." He paused, "By the way, the promotion for 'Take My Brother Away' can start now. Release a few trailers first to test the waters."

"Okay!" Li Yi replied, turned to leave, then remembered something, "By the way, Director Lin, a lot of people in the industry are asking about you now, saying you're a 'dark horse in web dramas' and a 'genius director'."

At the same time, almost everyone in the conference rooms of major video platforms was discussing "The Beginning".

The atmosphere at the iQiyi executives' meeting was incredibly tense. The person in charge slammed his fist on the table, his face ashen: "How can a low-budget web series surpass 'The Lost Tomb'? Tell me, where exactly is the problem?"

The operations director said cautiously, "The main problem is... the content gap is too big. 'The Beginning' has a solid plot and excellent acting, while our drama..." He didn't dare to finish his sentence, but the meaning was obvious.

The manager roared, "We have big IPs! We have top-tier celebrities! How could we lose to a bunch of newcomers? It's incredibly embarrassing if word gets out!"

At the Tencent Video meeting, however, the scene was quite different. Wang Man stood confidently in front of the screen, pointing to the viewership data of "The Beginning": "See that? This is the power of good content! Without big IPs or top stars, we can still break records!"

She looked around at everyone and said, "This serves as a reminder that when choosing projects in the future, we can't just look at IP and traffic; content is king!"

"Mr. Wang is right!" someone echoed. "Lin Feng, the director of 'The Beginning,' is amazing. He was the screenwriter, lead actor, director, and post-production director all by himself. Such an all-around talent is rare in the industry."

Wang Man instructed, "See if we can poach them, or establish a long-term partnership."

The shock in the industry didn't stop there. Executives from various platform companies were meeting to discuss the success of "The Beginning." A low-budget web series with no IP, no famous actors, and all the main creators were newcomers, actually outperformed "The Lost Tomb," which had a big IP and top stars. This completely overturned everyone's understanding.

"Who exactly is this Raymond Lam?" In the conference room of Youku, the person in charge of web dramas asked with a frown. "To be able to handle the scriptwriting, directing, leading role, and post-production all so well, he must be quite capable."

The assistant handed over a document: "He is a freshman in the directing department of Beijing Film Academy. He has a reputation as a 'genius' at school. 'The Beginning' is his first work. It is said that he also has a movie called 'Take My Brother Away', which will be released in the second half of the year."

"A freshman?" The person in charge was stunned. "His first work is already this amazing? If the movie is a success, this kid has a limitless future."

He immediately ordered, "Find a way to contact him, whether it's signing a contract or a collaboration, do everything you can to secure it!"

Similar conversations took place in the conference rooms of various platforms, and everyone realized that Raymond Lam might be a rising star. Whoever could get in touch with him early would gain an advantage in the future film and television market.

In the office of Fengrui Film and Television, Lao Yang walked into Lin Feng's office with a stack of business cards in his hand and a wry smile: "Boss, you're really famous now."

"What's wrong?" Lin Feng looked up.

"Look," Old Yang put the business card on the table, "these are all people who came to see you. Several investment company owners want to meet with you." He sighed, "My old acquaintances in the industry have been calling non-stop today, all asking about you."

"What do they want from me?"

"What else can they do?" Old Yang smiled helplessly. "They just want to sign you, or cooperate with you, or invest in your projects. Some people have even offered exorbitant contracts, saying that as long as you join their company, they can name their terms."

Lin Feng picked up a business card, looked at it, and then put it down: "No rush."

"Not in a hurry?" Old Yang was stunned. "Boss, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! So many people are scrambling to cooperate with these big companies..."

"I know," Lin Feng interrupted him, "but it's not the right time yet." He looked out the window. "Take My Brother Away hasn't been released yet, and our company is just starting out. If we cooperate with them now, we'll only be led by the nose."

He paused, then said firmly, "Let the bullets fly a little longer. We'll talk again once the movie is released and we have more leverage."

Old Yang nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll just say you've been busy with movie promotions lately and haven't had time to see guests."

"Um."

After Lao Yang left, Li Yitong came in with a cup of tea and overheard their conversation. She placed the tea on the table and said softly, "A lot of people want to poach you now."

"Are you afraid I'll be poached?" Lin Feng joked with a smile.

"I'm not afraid," Li Yitong snorted. "If you dare to leave, I'll..."

"What will you do?"

Li Yitong was stumped by the question, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she whispered, "I'll follow you."

He reached out and pulled her into his arms: "How could I leave? My company is here, my movies are here, and so are you. If I leave, who will care about you all?"

Li Yitong leaned against him, listening to his strong heartbeat, and felt a sense of peace.

In the afternoon, Li Yi released the trailer for "Take My Brother Away". Unexpectedly, the trailer attracted a lot of attention simply because it was labeled as "the new work of the director of 'The Beginning'".

"Wow! Director Lin actually makes a movie? I have to support him!"

"Is this a comedy? It looks hilarious, I'm kind of looking forward to it!"

The trailer quickly surpassed one million views, and the comments section was filled with anticipation. Li Yi looked at the data and couldn't stop smiling. It seems that the popularity of "The Beginning" can really boost the movie.