Chapter 148: The Ones Who Came Back to Compete / Did They Really Think They Were Worthy?

[Weibo Trending Searches]
Top 1: Removed hot
Top 2: Zhang Huaimou crew starts filming
Top 3: Su Mu "Goodbye Mr. Loser"
Top 4: Derek Tung enters the New Year's Eve season!
Top 5: Boy group Zero-One-Zero-Two?
Top 6: Where did NNQT go?
Top 7... Super topic #This year's New Year's Eve blockbuster!
Hot...
...
There were still a few lingering days of autumn heat left in September.
After the production crew commenced filming, Zhang Huaimou established an official account to publicize the crew's related progress.
Only then did the public finally learn the title of Su Mu's New Year comedy.
It managed to trend for a whole day.
However, perhaps due to the heavy influx of current events lately, it didn't stay at the top for long before being overtaken by subsequent trending topics.
The crew's filming was kept relatively tight, and behind-the-scenes footage could not be released immediately.
Therefore, fans could only wait a few more months until the film's release during the New Year's Eve season.

[Comments:
Goodbye Mr. Loser? Just the name alone sounds unique!
Looking forward to Su Mu's comedy. He's quite funny in his livestreams, so it should be alright, right?
Can the box office reach 500 million? I'm not pouring cold water just because I'm from Hao Ming's camp, but this year your Su Mu might not necessarily make much of a splash.
That's right, did you see the trending search? Derek Tung is returning for the New Year's Eve season! That's Derek Tung we're talking about!
How pitiful. The competition intensity for Su Mu this year is even greater than last year.]

The comments on the internet this time didn't carry too much malice.
They simply spoke objectively about the difficulties of this year.
Indeed, it came as a surprise.
Furthermore, everyone was saying that the challenge for Su Mu had escalated.

Inside the hotel, Qian Jida looked at his phone with a surprised expression: "Derek Tung is actually coming back to shoot a New Year's Eve film?"
Su Mu was eating fruit while massaging his face. Having shot scenes all day, his facial muscles felt somewhat stiff.
This was because the filming process was simply too hilarious.
Everyone laughed from start to finish and couldn't keep a straight face.
Perhaps joy had bred sorrow, because now the difficulty had arrived.
Hearing Qian Jida's words, he also took out his phone to check the trending searches.
Su Mu knew who Derek Tung was; arguably, his standing in the film and television industry was even more formidable than Lin Haoming's.
In his memory, the year he first spent money to win a popularity award, Derek Tung won the Best Actor award at the domestic Feiying Awards with his film "Walking Corridor", and subsequently secured a Best Actor nomination at the "Pan-Asia Film Festival".
At that time, his momentum could be described as unrivaled.
Among young actors like Lin Haoming and Wang Xuan, seemingly none were hotter than him.
However, right after that incident, the company apparently intended to have him try developing his career overseas.
Consequently, he hadn't produced any domestic works in the past two years.
Instead, he participated in a few dramas with foreign film companies, but ultimately failed to make much of a splash.

Su Mu asked, "So he's back?"
Qian Jida clicked his tongue: "Judging by this, he's definitely back. Actually, back then, right after winning the Feiying Award, he should have consolidated his position with a few more domestic works before making a move. Being in such a rush to go abroad was not a wise decision. Moreover, a nomination at the Pan-Asia Film Festival doesn't carry much influence in Europe. Dreaming of becoming an international superstar on par with Hollywood big shots is expecting a bit too much. Still, returning this year means he hasn't lost much."
Listening to Qian Jida, Su Mu sighed: "Damn, there are still so many award rungs to climb?"
Qian Jida smiled: "Of course. What do you think those heavyweights are striving so hard to find good works for every year? If it were just about making money, they could invest anywhere; why bother acting themselves? It's all to catch a glimpse of the view from the summit. As filmmakers, these are lifelong goals: the Golden Roc, Feiying, Chinese Best Actor, Pan-Asia Festival, Cannes, Oscars, Super Screen, Global Box Office Charts, and so on. Putting aside the vanity, if anyone can reach the upper-middle tier, they will be forever remembered in history. Don't you want that?"
Su Mu shook his head with a smile: "That's too complicated. Isn't being remembered in history something you can just buy with money?"
Qian Jida: "..."
Su Mu: "For things that can be solved with money, try to do it yourself as little as possible. Otherwise, making money loses its meaning."
Qian Jida: "How did everything become a business in your eyes?"
Su Mu patted Qian Jida's shoulder: "Director Qian, if I were just a regular soldier, I wouldn't say this, but we're playing the entertainment industry game. Talking about honor to us is just fooling honest people. If you've got the ability, go work for free."
A dark line appeared on Qian Jida's forehead as he directly changed the subject: "Alright, let's talk about serious business. Looking at this, someone is coming to snatch your market share for this year's New Year's Eve slot."

Su Mu replied, "One more doesn't make a difference."
Qian Jida argued, "Derek Tung just came back, so his first New Year's Eve film definitely won't be too bad. An extra competitor will squeeze out theater screen counts and prime time slots. Coupled with his influence, do you think that won't affect you?"
Su Mu: "I'm not competing with him."
Qian Jida: "You might not compete, but the fans will. You might not fight, but the market will make its own choices. So it's impossible for there to be no impact. Competition looks fierce this year, and with him around, your goal of one billion might be a bit shaky."
Su Mu smiled inwardly.
If someone said twenty billion was shaky, he would agree.
But ten billion was truly not a problem at all.
One must remember that when "Goodbye Mr. Loser" was released in his past life, it went head-to-head with a pantheon of fierce competitors, and it wasn't just competing against a single film.
That year, "Lost in Hong Kong", "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe", "Mojin: The Lost Legend", "Mr. Six", "Wolf Totem", and many other fine films were released.
Under such circumstances, it still plowed its way to the top like a dark horse.
Therefore, the current competitive landscape didn't seem nearly as brutal as those.
Su Mu wasn't flustered at all.
Glancing at his phone, his gaze suddenly drifted downward.
"Director Qian, did NNQT get UFO'd? What does this trending search mean? Did they disband or something?"
Qian Jida shook his head helplessly: "I heard recently that Zhang Huaian took those four and terminated their contracts."
Su Mu was stunned: "Zhang Huaian is capable of doing such a thing?"
Qian Jida: "Yeah. I guess leading those four didn't go smoothly over the past half year. Word on the street is that many of their resources were entirely snatched up by that boy group Zero-One-Zero-Two. Not long ago, they had an unpleasant falling out during a TV station's variety show, and now they're even taking up roadshows."
Su Mu was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of crisis: "Just as I thought."
Qian Jida: "What?"
Su Mu: "We still need to hurry up and rake in the money, Director Qian!"
Hearing this, Qian Jida deeply agreed: "Sigh, looking at it this way, making money is indeed paramount."
...
...
Fengjun Media.
At this moment, the office was shrouded in cigarette smoke.
Huang Wenshan lit three sticks of incense for Guan Yu, and then bowed to the Guanyin statue beside him.
A few days ago, he had hired a master to perform a consecration ritual for the company.
And it seemed to have taken effect just a few days later.
Of course, it wasn't that their company had suddenly improved, but rather that an even greater rival had appeared in the opposing camp, which was virtually equivalent to benefiting themselves.
This naturally made him even more superstitious.
Lin Haoming looked on helplessly: "President Huang, that's quite enough."
Huang Wenshan turned around, his body adorned with ritual instruments: "Haoming, you don't understand. This was consecrated; it's extremely effective."
Lin Haoming was speechless: "Effective?"
Huang Wenshan: "Didn't you see the trending searches? Derek Tung is back, and he's preparing a New Year's Eve movie this year."
Lin Haoming chuckled. Of course he had seen the trending searches.
How on earth could this be considered "effective"?
"President Huang, he came back to compete in the box office market."
"But at the same time, he'll disrupt the box office for Su Mu's side, isn't that a good thing? This means our feng shui and fortune have returned."
A dark line crossed Lin Haoming's forehead: "Even without Derek Tung, I would definitely win. Besides, President Huang, have you ever thought about why Derek Tung didn't return sooner or later, but had to come back at this exact moment?"
Huang Wenshan: "Huh?"
Lin Haoming: "Do you think there's any chance he's aiming for Dong Xuefei's major sci-fi production?"
Huang Wenshan's expression shifted slightly, finally returning to normal: "To be honest, there are many people eyeing roles in Dong Xuefei's project, and their star power isn't low. With such fierce competition, adding one more isn't surprising. Now it seems that even Derek Tung has returned to compete. Relying on internal maneuvering might make it hard for us to get a role; we'll have to rely on the quality of our work."
Lin Haoming felt helpless.
He had thought that having Su Mu as an extra competitor was troublesome enough.
If Derek Tung was added to the mix, it would be hellish difficulty.
He still had a fighting chance against Su Mu, but facing Derek Tung, whether in terms of seniority or award honors, he fell slightly short.
If he were Dong Xuefei, he might choose Derek Tung as well.
Huang Wenshan remarked, "Looks like Derek Tung is your real rival. As for Su Mu..."
Lin Haoming chuckled softly: "Choosing anything else and he chose a comedy, calling it 'Goodbye Mr. Loser'... I reckon he'll be the one feeling quite 'loserish' by then. Not only will he fail to surpass my box office, but he might even get crushed by Derek Tung's New Year's film."
Huang Wenshan smiled: "Then let's see what moves Beijing Media makes after Derek Tung's return."
...
...
Beijing Entertainment Building.
Speaking of which Beijing media companies possessed the strongest foundation,
it was naturally the time-honored Beijing Media.
Ning Yuyang, Chen Yang, and Yang Hao, whom Su Mu had met previously, were all artists from Beijing Media.
And Derek Tung was too.
Inside the office building at this moment, a welcome ceremony was underway, and several media outlets were invited to conduct interviews in the building's banquet hall.
Standing at the front was a man in a black suit with sharp, handsome features—none other than Derek Tung.
Compared to the mostly slender male stars of today, Derek Tung gave off a powerful vibe. With his model-like temperament, he certainly had great presence.
Reporter: "Qianfeng, do you have any specific plans upon your return this time?"
Derek Tung: "I learned a lot abroad and also saw the gap, so I will properly ground myself before setting off again."
Reporter: "Since your return, you're immediately participating in this year's New Year's Eve season. I wonder if you've seen the recent gossip—the New Year's Eve season is truly packed with buzz this year."
Derek Tung smiled: "I just got back and don't know what happened, but I believe that as an actor, in the profession of filmmaking, I have confidence in myself. A box office of several hundred million won threshold-lock me out."
Reporter: "Does Qianfeng plan to use this New Year's movie as a strong start to win an opportunity to collaborate with Teacher Dong Xuefei? Right now, everyone in the circle is trying every means to compete for her upcoming major production worth over one billion."
Derek Tung's eyes burned with determination as he answered directly: "Yes, I do want to join Teacher Dong's project, and I am currently working hard toward it..."
Derek Tung answered the reporter's questions confidently.
Meanwhile, in an office directly opposite the reception hall,
Ning Yuyang, Chen Yang, and the others were all present.
Derek Tung's return this time caused quite a stir among Beijing Media's artists.
Yang Hao looked outside: "Brother Feng's popularity is still as blazing as ever. His return this time is bound to stir up a storm. It's just a pity for Su Mu; he's going to collide with Brother Feng in the New Year's Eve slot."
Chen Yang glanced at him: "Not necessarily."
Yang Hao: "Not necessarily? What do you mean? Do you think Brother Feng can lose?"
Chen Yang narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the Golden Roc Award ceremony.
Su Mu had been sitting right next to him, uttering those words: "Undefeated in six years since debut, I have some expectations."
One must remember that the person sitting closest to him at the time was Chen Yang, so no one could feel the aura Su Mu exuded then more clearly than he did.
While he acknowledged Derek Tung's natural talent in acting and physical presence,
Chen Yang still held onto that same thought in his heart.
Participating in the New Year's Eve slot was fine, but one must never treat that man as a rival. As long as one didn't treat him as an opponent, life would be wonderful—and that was the truth.
Yang Hao: "Chen Yang, I remember you told me before not to compete with Su Mu. Fine, I admit I'm not in his league, but that's Derek Tung! Pan-Asia Film Festival nominee, Feiying Best Actor!"
Chen Yang: "And?"
Yang Hao: "..."
Chen Yang wore a crooked smile: "You still don't understand that man."
Yang Hao sighed helplessly, turning to look at Ning Yuyang: "Ning Yuyang, you've collaborated with him before, you tell me—isn't Derek Tung going to crush Su Mu?"
Hearing this, Ning Yuyang smiled and declined to take up the topic.
Having been in this circle longer than Yang Hao, she naturally knew what should be said and what should not.
Even in such a private setting, it was best to maintain some vigilance.
However, deep down in her heart, she was genuinely weighing the situation.
Derek Tung's standing in Beijing Media might even surpass her own, so his capability went without saying.
As for Su Mu...
When she first met him, she only thought of him as a traffic actor with some acting skills,
nothing particularly special.
Yet over the past two years, her best friend had forcibly demanded she keep tabs on Su Mu,
so she also understood his growth during these years.
Ning Yuyang could only say that she truly could no longer figure this man out.
Still, one point had to be conceded: Su Mu was indeed more formidable than imagined.
After a long silence,
Ning Yuyang suddenly spoke up: "I think the opportunity with Teacher Dong Xuefei is what they really want."
Yang Hao: "True."
Chen Yang remained silent.
Thinking inwardly: *You really think just any major production is worthy of matching Su Mu?*
*Naive.*
...
...
Beijing Film and Television Base.
Su Mu arrived at the set early.
He was wearing a loose high school uniform and holding a guitar.
This was the attire Xiailuo wore after returning to his high school days.
The scenes for this past week were all centered around campus life.
Today's scene was also relatively important.
Zhang Huaimou had arrived as well. Spotting Su Mu, he quickly pulled him over and said,
"Su Mu, this year's New Year's Eve won't be easy."
Su Mu smiled: "I have some expectations."
SP:
(End of this chapter)