The family head just vomited blood and fainted. If you have some time soon, you should go home and visit your elderly father

 

 

On the sixth day of Fallen Home’s theatrical release, its box office revenue exceeded one hundred million yuan for the day. At the same time, an overwhelming wave of publicity for The Record of Upholding Integrity swept across the country.

Unlike Fallen Home, which had been quietly released and promoted in a hurry, The Record of Upholding Integrity had been publicized even before filming began.

From the director and casting choices to behind-the-scenes footage, every development had made it onto several trending topics. Many fans had been following the film for a long time, and the cinema chains had also invested heavily in its promotion.

A five-hundred-million-yuan budget, a renowned director, stars with proven talent, filming entirely on location, grandiose scenes, an epic-scale production, and the pioneering work of Chinese-made 3D films about ghosts and deities... Countless impressive-sounding labels adorned the promotional posters for The Record of Upholding Integrity. All this publicity had made the film a hot topic even before its release. For a time, it seemed that everyone who loved watching films was being bombarded with its advertising.

In fact, according to the director and production team, the ideal release date for the film would have been during the Chinese New Year holiday period. From their perspective, the promotional period was clearly still too rushed; they had not yet managed to publicize the film on a sufficiently massive scale. For some reason, however, the investors behind The Record of Upholding Integrity insisted on releasing it during the National Day holiday period, determined to go head-to-head with Fallen Home, deliberately competing directly against it.

To be honest, in the eyes of the production team behind The Record of Upholding Integrity, a film like Fallen Home was still somewhat not up to standard.

The amateur sees the excitement, the expert sees the details. Anyone in the industry could tell at a glance that Fallen Home was a rather shabby, low-budget production. It had only one villa for its setting, and its actors were completely unknown. The only aspect that showed any real care was the costumes, but even those could not have cost much. No matter how they calculated it, the investment could not have exceeded ten million yuan.

The director’s filming techniques, however, were rather interesting. He clearly had potential and, given time to grow and learn, might one day become an excellent director.

But so what if Fallen Home was currently enjoying strong box office results? After six days in theatres, it had earned only 250 million yuan, less than half of The Record of Upholding Integrity’s investment. The Record of Upholding Integrity was aiming for a box office of at least three billion yuan. If the two films were really placed side by side for comparison, The Record of Upholding Integrity would only feel that its own standing was being dragged down.

“The Record of Upholding Integrity is about to be released. Our screening allocation will definitely be slashed, and our box office revenue will drop sharply and suddenly. Boo-hoo-hoo!” Qian Duoqun said, clutching his chest in distress.

Luo Huai asked, “Then how far will our box office revenue fall?”

Qian Duoqun opened a box-office prediction app and said, “According to these predictions, our box office will reach a small peak on National Day, possibly exceeding one hundred million yuan at most. After that, it’ll gradually decline. If The Record of Upholding Integrity earns more than four hundred million yuan on its opening day, our screening allocation will definitely be reduced to between ten and twenty percent. At that point, we’ll earn only thirty or forty million yuan a day. That’s such a tiny amount of money!”

“But Director Zhong said our investment was only a few million yuan,” Luo Huai pointed out. “Even if our revenue drops, we’ll still be making money every day.”

Luo Huai’s words managed to console Qian Duoqun a little. He nodded and said, “That’s true. If our final box office reaches 800 million yuan, we’ll make a killing. And streaming platforms will also buy the rights to our film. Several platforms have already contacted me. I’m still considering whether to release it on multiple platforms or make it exclusive to one.”

As they left the auditorium, Shen Leshan overheard the conversation between Qian Duoqun and Luo Huai. He silently approached Zhong Jiudao and said in a low voice, “Director Zhong, we can’t go on like this. We have to come up with a plan.”

“What do you mean, we can’t go on like this? What’s the problem?” Zhong Jiudao asked, puzzled, as he looked at the powerful ghost who was always full of devious ideas.

“Our film is so excellent. How can we let it be pushed out of the way so quickly?” Shen Leshan said. “Here’s what we’ll do. The thirty-four of us ghosts will have to work a little harder and run around the various cinemas, frightening the audience until they fall ill. Jiang Fen can move between different mobile phones, can’t he? We’ll have him open a music app while people are watching the film and play terrifying songs to scare them to death. That’ll ruin The Record of Upholding Integrity’s reputation, and then we can keep making money.”

“Do you know how many cinemas there are across the country?” Zhong Jiudao asked. “There are only thirty-four of you. Even if you ran yourselves ragged, the number of viewers you could frighten would amount to less than one-thousandth of the total audience. It wouldn’t have the slightest effect on the film’s overall reputation.”

“Then we’ll have to cut off the problem at its source!” Shen Leshan declared. “We’ll find the person with the final say over this film, frighten him, give him nightmares, possess him, and force him to withdraw the film from the release schedule!”

“You even know the term ‘withdraw the film from the release schedule’ now?” Zhong Jiudao asked.

Shen Leshan smiled knowingly. “There’s always more to learn. We’ve entered a new society, so naturally we should learn new things. I’m not like those ghosts who can’t recognize a single character and have no desire to improve themselves. I have ambitions. Recently, I’ve been planning to study the reasons behind the changes in this society. Jiang Fen told me it has something to do with scientific materialism. Director Zhong, could you advance me some of my salary? I’d like to buy a few books.”

Zhong Jiudao: “...”

Shen Leshan wanted to read books on scientific materialism? Wasn’t he afraid that he might end up being spiritually liberated and sent to the afterlife while reading them?

No wonder there were hardly any decent powerful ghosts left in this era. Just look at the employees in his company! They had originally been tragic products of the most chaotic era in history, had then been refined by celestial masters, and had even caused the deaths of more than a thousand people. These powerful ghosts, burdened with such grave sins, had arrived in the modern age only to busy themselves with voluntarily resolving their resentment and seeking their own spiritual release. In an age like this, what use was there for celestial masters at all?

Zhong Jiudao deeply felt that the world of celestial masters needed a reform that kept pace with the times.

“Director Zhong, what do you think?” Shen Leshan asked eagerly, rubbing his gloved hands together. “If you agree, I’ll go straight to the investor’s home and make him withdraw the film.”

Zhong Jiudao: “...If you go to his house, it’s hard to say whether he’ll withdraw the film or you’ll have your soul and spirit completely scattered.”

The largest investor in The Record of Upholding Integrity was the Zhong family. Even if the current generation of celestial masters was weaker than the generations before them, the Zhong family was still a clan with a history of more than a thousand years. If Shen Leshan dared to cause trouble at the Zhong family’s home, he probably would not even make it past the peach trees at the entrance.

Things had come to this point. They could only take things one step at a time.

That evening, after watching the film, Qian Duoqun and Pang Xinhao simply booked a room at the hotel where Luo Huai’s film crew was staying so they could rest. As usual, Zhong Jiudao returned to sharing a room with Luo Huai and the rest of the company.

When they got back to the hotel, Ji Pan arrived at Zhong Jiudao’s room with her assistant, her face pale. She spoke with considerable reluctance. “I don’t know what kind of spell you’ve used to bewitch Qi Wanlian, but since she insists on staying with your company, there’s nothing I can do to persuade her otherwise.

“But you can’t just let her accept every job that comes her way. Fallen Home has gained some recognition, and all kinds of collaboration offers will start coming in. The companies involved will vary greatly in quality. Your company entered the industry late and doesn’t understand how things work in this circle, so it’ll be very easy for you to fall into a trap.

“Tomorrow, I’ll have my assistant bring you a list. I’ll tell you which kinds of collaborations you can accept, which ones you can reject outright, and which partners are difficult to deal with and require a particular approach when turning them down. I’ll explain everything to you one by one. Please treat her well.”

By the end of her speech, Ji Pan’s eyes were nearly brimming with tears. She looked as though she were painfully handing her own child over to Zhong Jiudao.

Seeing that Ji Pan had been so frightened in the nest of ghosts earlier that the yang fire protecting her was nearly extinguished, Zhong Jiudao poured a bowl of soup from the thermos on the table and handed it to her. “I don’t really have any way to thank you for your kindness, so have a bowl of soup.”

“I have to maintain my figure in the evening, so I can’t eat...” Ji Pan declined politely. The soup did not look particularly appetizing, either.

Luo Huai hurriedly urged her, “Panpan, you should drink it anyway. Director Zhong made this soup using his own secret recipe. The girls from our previous film crew said that if they drank a bowl every day, even their period pain would disappear. They used to compete with one another to get some. Director Zhong saw how exhausting filming was for me, so he specially makes a thermos of it every day to nourish my body.”

“Really?” Unable to refuse such a heartfelt offer, Ji Pan drank the soup with a mixture of belief and doubt before returning to her room to rest.

The next day, The Record of Upholding Integrity was released nationwide. Its advance ticket sales alone had already brought in 100 million yuan. Countless fans of the director, the actors, and special effects rushed into cinemas at the first opportunity. Meanwhile, Fallen Home had a gloomy performance at the box office during the daytime, earning only 30 million yuan over the entire day.

However, by evening, the situation took a sudden turn. The Record of Upholding Integrity’s box office growth slowed more and more, while Fallen Home’s box office figures began rising in a straight line.

All these changes stemmed from the overwhelmingly furious reviews flooding the internet.

【The Record of Upholding Integrity runs for a full two and a half hours. I fell asleep right at the beginning. The last thing I saw before dozing off was an old man drawing talismans, and when I woke up at the end, that same old man was still drawing talismans. Did I miss some exciting plot development?】

【As someone who stayed awake, I can tell you: no, you didn’t.】

【I should never have watched this director’s films. Every single one of his movies is full of long takes and slow-motion shots. Nobody speaks. The two leads just silently stare at each other, accompanied by beautiful music and an ending that makes absolutely no sense. No matter what the subject matter is, by the time you finish watching, you’re left with nothing but emptiness!】

【It’s not entirely without merit. The scenery is particularly beautiful, and the special effects are outstanding. They could be considered the best special effects in Chinese cinema. You can tell they put a tremendous amount of effort into them.】

【What about the story? Can someone tell me what the entire film is actually about? It starts with an old man reciting poetry—not even poems we’re familiar with. Apparently, it’s the opening of some secret foundational text passed down within a celestial-master family. The middle section covers five thousand years of celestial masters, and the ending calls on everyone to carry on ancient cultural traditions. Am I supposed to join the Maoshan Sect after watching this?】

【Sounds like a beautifully shot, meticulously produced documentary.】

【Calling it a documentary is giving it too much credit. Have you ever seen a documentary that consists of completely disconnected segments? This film constantly gives me the feeling that I’ve somehow missed fifteen minutes of footage, even though I haven’t missed a single second! What on earth is going on? What was the screenwriter thinking when they wrote something so disjointed?】

【Maybe the screenwriter doesn’t know how other screenwriters work. I looked it up online, and this film has more than ten screenwriters.】

【Weren’t several Best Actor and Best Actress award winners supposed to be in it? Wasn’t their presence enough to hold the film together?】

【If you mean those famous actors who were covered in blood, torn to pieces, and had their intestines hanging over their heads before the old man at the beginning slapped them to death, then sorry, they really didn’t help at all.】

【I originally thought this was a special-effects film. After hearing your descriptions, I thought it was a documentary. Now I’m wondering whether it’s actually a horror film.】

【If making people feel sick counts as horror, then yes, it certainly is one.】

【Fallen Home is a horror film too, but it has very few disgusting scenes! Even the scene where Sister Qi licks tomato ketchup manages to be a little sensual amid all the shivers. The scariest scene of all is probably the one with an eyeball in a bowl. Everything else relies on sound effects, music, and the actors’ performances. There aren’t bloody scenes with intestines crawling all over the floor!】

【Fallen Home is a restricted film, and you have to verify your identity to get in. Children under sixteen are completely prohibited from entering, while those aged sixteen to eighteen must be accompanied by an adult. The viewing experience is excellent. Even during the scariest parts, the audience manages to hold back their screams. The Record of Upholding Integrity, on the other hand, is so bloody, yet it has no age restriction. When I watched it, more than a dozen children in the theater were crying together. The whole experience was terrible.】

【From the way you describe it, I’m glad I fell asleep. At least the old man is quite handsome.】

【You’ve all been talking about this old man. Who exactly played him? Is he the main character?】

【The old man really is the protagonist, and he has the dignified, otherworldly bearing of an immortal. But I looked up the cast list, and he isn’t listed as an actor. It just says “Elder Mr. Zhong.” I have no idea where they found him.】

In order to know his opponents as well as he knew himself, and to learn from other directors’ filming techniques, Zhong Jiudao had also bought a ticket to watch the film. He was stunned right at the beginning, because the protagonist of the movie was none other than his own father, a man who always took everything with the utmost seriousness.

Zhong Jiudao: “...”

The head of the Zhong family had not only personally invested in the film and supervised its production, but had also acted in it himself. He wanted to strike a blow against his son and make him return home, while also allowing the world to learn about the mysterious realm of celestial masters. His father really had gone to great lengths!

Unfortunately, things had developed in a way that was completely contrary to the head of the Zhong family’s plans.

On the first day of its release, The Record of Upholding Integrity had earned 200 million yuan at the box office by 6 p.m. The production team had already begun preparing to celebrate their success. However, the evening hours, which should have been the busiest time of the day, brought in only another 50 million yuan between 6 p.m. and midnight.

Meanwhile, Fallen Home, which had earned a mere 30 million yuan during the day, somehow brought in 100 million yuan after 6 p.m.!

On the second day of the National Day holiday release period, cinemas made slight adjustments to their screening schedules. They moderately reduced the number of screenings for Fallen Home and added more showings for an animated film that was performing well during the holiday period.

Yet despite the reduction in its screening allocation, Fallen Home’s box office revenue exceeded 200 million yuan on the second day. Instead of declining, its earnings had increased. The Record of Upholding Integrity, by contrast, earned only 100 million yuan.

On the third day, which was also the day Luo Huai finally wrapped up filming, Fallen Home earned 230 million yuan, while The Record of Upholding Integrity brought in a mere 40 million yuan.

By then, the cinema schedules for the fourth day had already been finalized. The number of screenings for The Record of Upholding Integrity had plummeted by half. This was a clear sign that the cinema chains were preparing to give up on the film.

Various box-office prediction websites also updated their figures. The Record of Upholding Integrity was now projected to earn 800 million yuan, while Fallen Home was expected to reach three billion yuan.

Just as Luo Huai happily packed his luggage, preparing for a schedule that would leave him with only three hours of sleep the following day, Zhong Jiudao received a call from his older cousin, Zhong Hongyan.

“First, let me congratulate you on your film’s success,” Zhong Hongyan said. “Now, let me give you some news. The head of the family just vomited blood and fainted. If you have some time soon, you should go home and visit your elderly father.”

--

The author has something to say:

Zhong Jiudao: “Well, that said, I might be the one who made my elderly father so angry that he vomited blood.”

Zhong Hongyan: “Or perhaps he was heartbroken after watching several years’ worth of profits from the honey peaches go down the drain.”

 

Translator : DarNan