Tremors in Every Direction!

"Don't push yourself so hard. Take care of your health too."

Shen Shanden offered his encouragement.

Ma Youde stood up on the other end of the phone and promised that he would keep it firmly in mind.

Shen Shanden got down to business. "Youde, have someone talk it down a little."

Ma Youde froze. "Huh?"

Shen Shanden explained, "I've looked into it. In the eyes of netizens, I'm becoming 'one of them—a hero who dares to curse bad films on their behalf and promises to make good ones,' someone they think might actually pull it off if they give him a chance. But that means expectations are too high. If The Grand Director falls short, the backlash will be ferocious."

"So we need to lower expectations appropriately. A little scolding can be a big help. It's best if the doubts are stupid and extreme—they can stir up controversy while also defending us from another angle."

This would later be considered a very common form of expectation management.

For instance, a carmaker might first leak an inflated price, then announce a "low price." In truth, that had been the intended price all along, but consumers would feel as though they had gotten a bargain.

Or, say someone wanted to diminish a country's economic influence.

When announcing the next year's projected economic growth at the start of the year, they could have subordinate institutions predict that it would fall short, discouraging capital investment.

Midyear, they could release a GDP report, and the institutions would revise their forecasts upward, clawing back a little credibility.

At year's end, the institutions could raise their forecasts above that country's target; once the GDP figures came out, they would declare that it had "fallen short of expectations," driving away speculative capital.

Besides expectation management, there was also a touch of the tactic of "blackening oneself to wash oneself clean."

As the saying went, the way to harm someone was not to disparage him, but to praise him tenfold, a hundredfold.

Conversely, helping someone did not necessarily mean praising him either—it could mean smearing him a hundredfold, a thousandfold.

"Did you hear me?"

Shen Shanden asked in confusion.

He had not received Ma Youde's response.

"Boss, I'm taking notes," Ma Youde said excitedly.

He had yet to master all ten of the solo combat methods Shen Shanden had taught him, yet now he had caught a glimpse of techniques at the command level. He keenly felt the sun-bright brilliance of Shen Shanden's wisdom.

He had to follow him closely!

With expectation management handled, Shen Shanden relaxed and scrolled through the news.

Da Mimi found it boring. Why was it that men could never forget about work? It was like they never got tired of either work or women.

"I'm done playing. I'm going to sleep."

Shen Shanden wanted to watch a little longer and would not let her leave. "Watch a bit more. I promised I'd keep you company."

Da Mimi hurriedly ran off.

She peeled off her face mask and went to sleep.

The next day.

Preparatory work for The Grand Director proceeded steadily on all fronts.

The project launch meeting had brought everyone's thinking together. Once they got to work, they were all fired up, giving morale a fierce boost!

Shen Shanden intended to use this opportunity to push the project forward in great strides.

"I want the jaw-dropping effect of the liquid-metal robot from The Terminator. Ours will be a physical body made of liquid inner energy. Especially for battles between grandmasters—even if we have to sell the pots and smash the iron, we have to make it happen."

Shen Shanden began recruiting animators and having models made in advance. For this visual, he was willing to throw money at it.

"Our computer production and CGI technology can't match what they have overseas, so we'll use the dumb method: make physical miniature models, shoot them frame by frame, then composite them with blue screens."

The Terminator was twenty years old. Shen Shanden refused to believe his team could not pull it off!

All preparatory work advanced at speed.

Fourth-year Beijing Film Academy students could be recruited directly without waiting for graduation.

The more outstanding ones already possessed a certain level of ability. With a little training, they could be put to use—and the key was that they were free!

Just give them a red envelope and feed them. That was enough.

They were all doing it for their ideals. They lived at the school, so they had to be used to the fullest!

And as the project's influence continued to ferment, people who had previously been impossible to invite would become much easier to bring in.

The launch ceremony had also fueled Shen Shanden's confidence.

The boasts he had made before were turning into reality step by step.

The impact of the project launch meeting spread offline as well.

Traditional media buzz was no less intense than online buzz.

Film industry publications offered in-depth analyses.

[China Film Group's New Attempt at Its "Supporting Newcomers" Strategy: Shen Shanden and the Ambitions of The Grand Director]

[Reflections Sparked by "A Weak Nation Has No Art": Shen Shanden's Commercial Film Declaration]

[Production Practice by a Top Student of the Beijing Film Academy Management Department: A Detailed Breakdown of the The Grand Director Project]

[Wu Jing's Return and Transformation: The Grand Director's New Hope for Action?]

An analysis of Shen Shanden's strengths in project planning and resource integration, stemming from his background in the Beijing Film Academy Management Department.

Praise for Shen Shanden's project control beyond his years, his clear production-minded thinking, and his seasoned handling of the media.

Thanks to having paid up.

The related reports played down the controversial parts.

They also interpreted the significance of Wu Jing's return to the mainland.

For mainland cinema, it was a very positive signal.

The experience Wu Jing had accumulated in Hong Kong—especially in action choreography and on-set workflow—was enormously valuable to The Grand Director.

There was also analysis of Wu Jing's box-office pull and how well his image fit the role, whether he could handle his multiple positions as "assistant director, associate producer, and action director," as well as the pressure and drive brought by his all-in investment.

When it came to influence, social news and public opinion still mattered most.

Fortunately, Shen Shanden's identity labels were naturally attention-grabbing!

From the civil engineering department at Petroleum University, to an online singer, then a graduate student at Beijing Film Academy, before becoming the director of a ten-million-yuan China Film Group project—this path itself was immensely topical and highly shareable.

After this battle, the negative label from his "online singer" days faded substantially.

More emphasis was placed on Shen Shanden's "talent" and "courage."

Shen Shanden in jeans and a white shirt, looking every inch the student—Chinese audiences simply ate up that scholarly air.

One look, and he was clearly a gentleman!

Even more explosive was "A weak nation has no art," which broke straight out of the circle.

Concise, forceful, and brimming with defiance!

Even if many people did not understand the exact context, they would still be drawn in by its sheer momentum and controversy.

That signature "golden quote" further expanded Shen Shanden's public recognition.

And recognition from a "national team" like China Film Group dealt a massive blow to the stereotype of "online singer = non-mainstream = low-end."

From a "online singer" people looked down on, he leaped into becoming a central figure of broad social attention and discussion, completing an extraordinarily dazzling transformation of identity and public image.

Shen Shanden's highly distinctive image also rapidly broadened his fame, and he was even seen as an inspirational idol.

For those active in the entertainment industry, practical gain was what they watched more closely.

Whether praised or criticized, Shen Shanden had forcefully entered the center of the film industry's field of vision.

"Shen Shanden is quite interesting. We should keep in closer touch from now on."

Seeing Shen Shanden in jeans and a white T-shirt in the report, Sun Li felt she ought to develop the relationship further.

The moment Teacher Huang Li heard this, he became irritated.

He had even given a written interview last night, criticizing him at length.

Yet it had not been published today; they said to wait a while.

Shen Shanden was not one of their circle. Huang Li had always disliked people who did not fit in, and there was no need to be too considerate toward them.

Some people in this circle could fall a hundred times and still have another chance.

Others could not afford to fall even once.

If he did not know how to maintain relationships and made enemies everywhere, his end definitely would not be a good one.

Huang Li changed the subject. "You forgot to turn off the light last night, didn't you?"

Sun Li was baffled. "Wasn't it you who forgot?"

"Fuck!"

Little Steel Cannon, still busy on the set of The Assembly, let out an exclamation.

The film was nearing wrap, and he had begun to learn about some of the goings-on in the industry.

He had been preparing to find an opportunity to dominate the pages.

Then he saw Shen Shanden forcefully slaughtering the headlines.

A sense of crisis hit him!

Feng Xiaogang did not care about academies or art. What he saw was that The Grand Director, before it had even begun, was already on fire!

Not only that, it had stirred up potential viewers' dissatisfaction with the flood of terrible ancient-costume blockbusters, saving a huge sum in publicity costs!

"The younger generation is to be feared!"

Feng Xiaogang was known as Little Steel Cannon, but compared to Shen the Cannon, he was like a raw recruit.

"Damn, in the future, if the scale of my cannon fire isn't big enough, won't I be unable to grab the headlines?"

Little Steel Cannon thought of a less-than-pleasant future.

Vicious competition!

Huayi.

Wang Zhongjun said, "The rumors were right after all. Shen Shanden is determined to become a sharp blade in President Han's hand—leaving himself no way out and drawing a clear line between himself and the academy faction."

"Steel that is too hard is easily broken." Wang Zhonglei did not think highly of it.

Wang Zhongjun said calmly, "As long as President Han supports him, he'll have an amnesty token. I heard The Grand Director is still short on funding shares. Have the investment department ask around."

Wang Zhonglei said, "That one is a Ming Dynasty subject. The big production afterward praises the Ming Dynasty."

Hearing this, Wang Zhongjun was speechless.

Who had his younger brother been hanging around with all day? Instead of thinking about making money, he kept fussing over all sorts of nonsense.

Wang Zhongjun gave the order directly. "The Grand Director is a good project. With Wu Jing joining, the finished film should be guaranteed. President Han is clearly determined to promote it. Even if we don't make a profit, we can use this to curry favor with President Han."

"Right now, there's no precedent for Film and Television Companies in the mainland going public. Use every possible means to get the company listed first."

Shen Shanden was bringing change to Chinese Cinema.

The wind rose from the slightest ripple.

And the Hong Kong and Taiwan circles grew uneasy!

I ordered an eel-and-pork-cutlet combo. The kelp was bleeding dye, while the imitation crab and eel were both horribly fishy. At the time, I thought it would be a waste not to finish it. Then that night, I vomited, had diarrhea, and came down with a fever. I did not sleep all night. I took norfloxacin and drank six packets of montmorillonite powder before it barely stopped. Even getting COVID hadn't been this miserable. I almost felt like I was about to die. When eating in summer, if something feels off or tastes bad, absolutely don't eat it. Trust your body's reaction. Of course, it might also have been related to having just recovered from COVID—my resistance had probably dropped.