Chapter 102: Two Words I Want to Say

Chapter 102: Two Words Are All I Have to Say

When the original version of *Flirting Scholar* was released in the mainland during his previous life, it was similarly lambasted by mainstream media, only to become a classic ten or twenty years later.

Zhang Le did not care about the criticism from those mainstream outlets. What he truly cared about was the audience's reception of the film.

Movies are made for the masses, not for so-called professionals. Both in his past life and this one, Zhang Le had never been fond of those so-called "art films."

They are understood by only a handful of people, praised by those self-proclaimed experts, and then the creators act all profound and pretentious, spouting nonsense about art.

Zhang Le disdained such behavior, which is why he preferred commercial films over art-house cinema.

The most common criticism of *Flirting Scholar* was, naturally, the subversion—or rather, the complete distortion—of classical figures. Tang Bohu was no longer the Tang Bohu people knew from history. As for the others, like Zhu Zhishan, he was further caricatured into a degenerate gambler.

Aside from the names, nothing remained of the characters people were familiar with, and even the folk legend of the "Three Smiles" was rendered unrecognizable.

Zhang Le found the criticism somewhat unreasonable. Some experts even jumped out to claim he was tampering with history.

Thinking of this, Zhang Le felt a mix of frustration and amusement.

He had indeed distorted historical figures and legends, but he wasn't making a historical biography—why would he bother researching history? *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* isn't history either, yet both in his past and present lives, that television series was constantly praised as a classic.

Of course, some reviews highly praised the film, but those voices were drowned out into obscurity.

The characters in *Crazy Stone* were insane, yet they felt grounded in reality, as if they truly existed in our lives. But the characters in *Flirting Scholar* were maniacal—so detached from reality that no one would believe such people could exist in the real world.

They simply defied logic.

Despite the controversy, nothing could stop the climbing box office. Normally, after the Spring Festival holiday, people return to their busy schedules; while the festive atmosphere might linger, the number of people heading to cinemas usually drops significantly.

However, *Flirting Scholar* proved to everyone that it wasn't a lack of moviegoers, but a lack of good films to attract them.

As his hometown, Sichuan Province showed a level of box office support for Zhang Le that exceeded all other regions. When news of the romance between Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er broke, amid a chorus of condemnation, Sichuan was the only place where cheers outweighed the insults.

When the film was released, Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er flew to Jincheng, the provincial capital, for promotional events, much to the delight of their fans. Naturally, they didn't realize that the primary reason for this trip was simply to make it easier for them to get home for the Lantern Festival.

Promotion, of course, meant dealing with the media. The stark contrast between the box office success of *Flirting Scholar* and the mainstream media's reception—coupled with the internet’s overwhelming praise—was a topic the press was eager to probe.

"Mr. Zhang Le, the box office for *Flirting Scholar* is booming, but the critical reception is lukewarm. Do you have anything to say about that?" a reporter asked.

"It's hard to please everyone! It’s impossible for any film to receive universal acclaim. I think those who like this movie are in the majority. Isn't the box office the best proof of that? As for those who criticize it, I have only two words: 'Hehe!'" Zhang Le replied with a smile.

"'Hehe'? Mr. Zhang, are those two words meant to express disdain?" the reporter quickly pressed.

"Not at all! Don't go putting words in my mouth. 'Hehe' just means I’m laughing it off," Zhang Le said with a chuckle.

The reporters clearly didn't believe him, but there was nothing they could do since he wouldn't admit it. Besides, "laughing it off" was a more convincing explanation for those two words than "disdain." Yet, for some reason, the reporters felt that Zhang Le’s "hehe" was indeed a jab at his critics.

Disdain—Zhang Le certainly had the capital to be disdainful. The booming box office of *Flirting Scholar* was his leverage against the critics. Moreover, there was no shortage of people who praised the film to the skies.

"Miss Yang Xin'er, do you have anything to say about this?" another reporter asked.

"Hehe!" Yang Xin'er replied with a smile.

The reporter was momentarily stunned into silence, only to suddenly notice the strange looks the surrounding journalists were giving him. Upon reflection, he felt nothing but annoyance.

Yang Xin'er was famously known as a "die-hard supporter of her man." Since Zhang Le had just used "Hehe" to answer the question, what else could one expect from her?

"Do you two have any box office projections for this film? Can it reach the numbers of *Crazy Stone*, or perhaps match *No Way Out*, which starred Mr. Zhang? What were your expectations for the box office when you were filming?" a reporter asked.

"We honestly didn't think about it. The film is already profitable. As for how much it will make, that depends on how many fans come to support it. When we were shooting, we didn't have high expectations; we just hoped not to lose money," Zhang Le said with a smile.

The investment in the film was low. Even including Yang Xin'er's salary, the budget was just over 20 million. Compared to *Crazy Stone*, it was several times higher, but it still didn't qualify as a large investment—it wasn't even a mid-sized one. If you excluded Yang Xin'er's salary, it was a low-budget production.

And yet, this small-budget film was putting some big-budget productions to shame at the box office. Although the two-day box office total hadn't quite caught up to *No Way Out*, the gap was closing.

In the current state of the film industry, big-name stars were having less and less influence on box office performance. A film didn't necessarily succeed just because it had famous actors. Even if the film was well-regarded by critics, it wasn't a guarantee.

Audiences were increasingly prioritizing whether a film suited their personal tastes. Just like in his previous life, *Saving Mr. Wu* featured stars like Andy Lau and Liu Ye, directed by the well-known Ding Sheng. The film was critically acclaimed, yet it still failed to beat *Goodbye Mr. Loser*, which starred Shen Teng and Ma Li—and the director of *Goodbye Mr. Loser* was a complete unknown who had previously only directed stage plays.

Box office performance is determined by the film itself. Of course, big-name stars, especially popular ones, still play a role, but that role is by no means decisive.

After the press conference, Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er hurried off toward Zhang Le's hometown.

"Are you tired?" Zhang Le asked Yang Xin'er.

"I'm okay. It's a good thing I've been working out with you; my physical stamina is much better than before. If it were in the past, I wouldn't have been able to handle such a hectic schedule," Yang Xin'er said with a smile.

"After the Golden Dragon Awards, why don't we set work aside and go somewhere to recharge?" Zhang Le suggested. "I don't want our memories to be dominated by work when we get old."

"That sounds great! We haven't been on a vacation together in such a long time," Yang Xin'er said happily, clearly excited by his proposal.