Chapter 415: Joining Blue Film Studio?

“Movie tickets, more movie tickets. Emperor Ganjiu has been giving away movie tickets all day. I wonder if this movie is actually any good.”

“I haven’t even heard of this movie, [Demon Slayer Chronicles]. I checked the theaters, and they really are on sale, but it’s weird—except for Tianda Cinema, which has prime-time pre-sales, most other theaters only have it scheduled for the Midnight Slot.”

“I saw that too. There’s been zero promotion for this movie. I checked the cast list, and I didn’t recognize a single name. Even searching online yields nothing.”

“I don’t know if you guys noticed, but the investment for that movie was tens of millions. It’s bizarre to spend that much and then do no marketing.”

“I’m getting curious now. Some of the big streamers on Tiger Head Live are also promoting [Demon Slayer Chronicles]. I wonder what’s really going on with it.”

“I’ve decided. Even if I don’t win in the stream, I’m going to the theater to check it out. If for nothing else, just to satisfy my curiosity.”

“…”

Jiang Jiu looked at the stream’s bullet chat^[1] and smiled faintly. Regardless of anything else, his promotional efforts had basically been a success.

He quickly took a screenshot of the chat and captured the top ten users from the screen, sending the image to his moderators.

“Congratulations to these ten brothers for winning. Keep an eye on your private messages; the mods will reach out to you shortly.”

“It’s 12 o’clock now, time for the Viewer Match^[2]. In addition to the usual rewards, this round includes movie tickets, so everyone feel free to jump in.”

“The first Viewer Match mode will be Ghost Mode. The link will be posted in the viewer group shortly. Brothers who want to play, keep a close eye on the group messages.”

As Jiang Jiu spoke, he opened Ghost Mode on the Game Interface and sent the link to the viewer group.

Soon, the Ghost Mode room was packed with viewers.

After confirming the participants, Jiang Jiu started the game.

…

Changbai Scenic Garden.

“Wow, Sister Zhang Lan, you’re actually a singer? That’s so cool!”

In the living room, Liu Weiwei shouted with a look of pleasant surprise after listening to Zhang Lan’s story.

“I wouldn’t call myself a singer, it’s more of a hobby for music,” Zhang Lan replied with a slight smile. Her Music Studio was essentially starting over from scratch and hadn’t released a single song yet; in her heart, she didn’t consider herself a professional.

“Oh, come on, you’ll be a singer sooner or later. Those former partners of yours were so disloyal, just ditching you because they got scouted by an entertainment company. That’s just too much,” Liu Weiwei said indignantly.

“It’s alright. People strive for higher ground while water flows downward^[3]; I understand why they did it.”

Zhang Lan smiled thinly. Initially, she had been hurt and confused. They had agreed to struggle together to make the Music Studio big and strong, yet in the end, they abandoned their promise the moment an entertainment company intervened.

However, as time passed, she had come to terms with it.

Perhaps the ultimate goal for those three wasn’t music, but rather using music to achieve their true dream: money.

Since an entertainment company could help them earn money faster, they were naturally willing to go. Once she understood that, she stopped dwelling on it. She only needed to focus on her own musical dreams.

“Food’s here!”

Yang Yaoyao and Shen Rou walked in through the door carrying two bags of food. Although they could have cooked in the kitchen, they had ultimately opted for the convenience of takeout.

They arranged the food neatly on the dining table.

The group chatted as they ate.

While they had known since moving in that they were all employees of Mingri Group and had some casual contact, this was the first time they were all eating together.

“By the way, Blue Film Studio’s first movie officially premieres on August 15th. Let’s go see it together,” Shen Rou said slowly after taking a bite of food, looking at the other three girls.

“Sure, I’m pretty curious to see how Blue Film Studio’s first movie turns out,” Yang Yaoyao nodded in agreement.

A few days ago, General Manager Li of Boring Short Video had mentioned this during a meeting. They knew this was not only Blue Film Studio’s debut but also Mingri Group’s first foray into the film industry.

Whether out of a desire to show support or simple curiosity, they all wanted to go.

“Then it’s settled. We’ll go together on the 15th.”

Shen Rou nodded with a smile. As President Chen’s assistant, she naturally wanted as many people as possible to support the film.

“Actually, Sister Zhang Lan, have you ever thought about joining an entertainment company? It’s exhausting being on your own. I think Mingri Group’s Blue Film Studio is quite good. Even though they aren’t famous yet, they treat their employees very well and don’t restrict what they do.”

“It does seem great. I think you should look into it. That way, we’d all be Mingri Group employees,” Liu Weiwei suggested, looking at Zhang Lan across the table. Since joining Boring Short Video, she had researched Mingri Group in detail.

What surprised her most was the company’s attitude toward its staff—the benefits, vacations, and perks were all top-tier.

Join Blue Film Studio?

Zhang Lan fell into deep thought. Her biggest resistance to entertainment companies was the fear that they would force her to do things that interfered with her music for the sake of profit.

But based on how Shen Rou and Yang Yaoyao felt about Mingri Group, it seemed they wouldn’t interfere with her creative process.

If that were the case, joining Blue Film Studio didn’t seem like a bad idea.

After thinking for a long time, she finally looked up and spoke slowly.

“I’ll consider it.”

The song she was currently writing was nearly finished. Regardless of whether she joined Blue Film Studio, she needed to complete this piece first.

“Then Sister Zhang Lan, you must give it some serious thought!” Liu Weiwei said with a grin.

Sitting beside Zhang Lan, Shen Rou looked at her.

She understood Zhang Lan and knew exactly what her concerns were regarding entertainment companies.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Rou spoke up.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go talk to Luo Xiao and see what his thoughts are on you joining Blue Film Studio.”

“Thank you!”

Zhang Lan looked at Shen Rou and thanked her. She knew exactly what Shen Rou intended to ask on her behalf.

“No need for thanks! Just make sure you give me a few autographs once you become a big star.”

Shen Rou chuckled.

“I want some too!”

Liu Weiwei raised her hand excitedly before she had even finished swallowing her food.

Yang Yaoyao laughed along with them.

Translator’s Notes

1. bullet chat: Known as ‘danmu’ (弹幕), these are real-time comments that fly across the screen from right to left in Chinese video streaming, resembling a barrage of bullets. ↩

2. Viewer Match: A common term in Chinese gaming streams (水友赛 – shuiyousai), referring to a custom match where a streamer plays with or against their own viewers. ↩

3. People strive for higher ground while water flows downward: A common Chinese proverb (人往高处走，水往低处流) used to explain that it is human nature to seek better opportunities and personal advancement. ↩