The next day, at the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.
Humming a tune as he entered his office, Ye Sucheng hadn't even sat down when his secretary knocked on the door from outside.
*Knock! Knock! Knock!*
Three light taps.
The secretary, with a smile, entered the office holding a stack of documents.
"Director Ye, this is the latest report on the overseas box office performance of the film *Black and White Edge*."
Ye Sucheng took the documents and scanned the box office data.
His already pleasant morning became even brighter upon seeing the latest box office figures.
While waiting for him to review the documents, the secretary noticed the empty teacup on his desk and immediately turned to prepare some tea, brewing a cup of hot tea.
As soon as the cup was placed down, Ye Sucheng said without looking up, "Xiao Liu, I'm not so old that my hands can't move or my legs can't lift. I can get tea myself."
"Yes, Director!"
Liu Yuan maintained his smile, showing no embarrassment or discomfort.
After taking the reviewed documents, he spoke, "Director Ye, Hank Antonia from Gaul arrived in Dragon Country last night. Should someone be sent to meet him?"
Ye Sucheng's pleasant mood of the morning was suddenly shattered by these words.
He put down his pen, his brow furrowed in displeasure. Liu Yuan's heart sank, realizing he had said the wrong thing.
However, Director Ye's displeasure lasted only a moment, and he then said calmly, "Hank Antonia is a top-tier, ace screenwriter from abroad, and it is indeed necessary to meet him.
But it won't be us meeting him. Someone will meet him on our behalf."
"And who would that person be?"
"Gao Fei!"
Liu Yuan nodded thoughtfully and, following his superior's lead, said, "Then I'll go notify Gao Fei right now and have him..."
Having navigated the official world for decades, Ye Sucheng knew what was coming. He interrupted before Liu Yuan could finish.
"Xiao Liu, it seems you're not suited to be my secretary after all. How about this, I'll have a word with Old Chen at Kyoto Television, and you can report there shortly."
Liu Yuan's expression changed. He forced a smile and withdrew from the office.
Ye Sucheng took a sip of hot tea and shook his head with a sigh, "As someone in an official department, to try and curry favor with a foreign screenwriter, how ridiculous."
Secretary's office.
After returning from the office, Liu Yuan's face was somber and he was visibly unhappy.
When colleagues wanted to offer words of comfort, they stopped short upon seeing him staring blankly at his desk with unfocused eyes.
Before long, he was summoned to the director's office.
As soon as he closed the door, Li Yunwen, the head of the secretariat, asked directly, "Do you know why Director Ye is transferring you to Kyoto Television?"
"I... I..."
Liu Yuan opened his mouth and gritted his teeth. "I just wanted to notify Gao Fei to entertain Hank properly. Was that wrong?"
"Your intention wasn't wrong, but you misunderstood who should entertain Hank."
"Director, what do you mean...."
Seeing that Liu Yuan still hadn't grasped the situation, Director Li frowned. "Let me ask you, besides being a rising star in the Dragon Country film and television industry, what other identity does Gao Fei have?"
"He... he is also the chief engineer of the civilian navigation system."
Prompted by the director, Liu Yuan suddenly froze.
With that identity, it was hardly his place to give orders to Gao Fei.
Seeing that Liu Yuan had finally understood, Director Li continued, "Moreover, Gao Fei is a young talent whom Director Ye highly values. Whenever the General Bureau issues any regulations or notices, Director Ye personally informs Gao Fei.
You bypassed Director Ye to inform Gao Fei and even tried to direct him. It seems you have more authority than I do, Xiao Liu!"
After the director's sarcastic reprimand, Liu Yuan, who had only been a director's secretary for four months, realized how foolish he had been.
"Xiao Liu, being reassigned to Kyoto Television is not a bad thing. Work hard and hone your skills, and there's still a chance."
"Yes, Director!"
Having had his eyes opened, Liu Yuan had no more complaints. He responded and returned to his desk to pack his belongings, preparing to head to his new workplace.
...
Ten o'clock in the morning.
News of Hank's arrival in Dragon Country the previous night had already spread throughout the film and television industry.
Learning that Hank had been picked up from the airport by an unknown film and television company,
and that the meeting between them ended unhappily, immediately sparked heated discussions in the industry.
Now, Zero Degree Film and Television was no longer the obscure, unknown small company it was just a day ago.
After the meeting with Hank, Zero Degree Film and Television had gradually emerged and stepped onto the stage.
Although Zero Degree Film and Television was not yet known to hundreds of millions of Dragon Country viewers,
within the film and television circle, it had become the subject of discussion among industry insiders over their morning tea.
At this moment, executives from major film and television companies, as well as renowned directors and actors, were all curious about one question:
How did Zero Degree Film and Television manage to pick up Hank before Global Pictures?
Who exactly was behind this company?
While industry insiders were still speculating about the person in control of Zero Degree Film and Television,
on the internet,
following the arrangements made by the chairman of Global Pictures, news of Hank's arrival in Dragon Country was finally released online.
Through the public relations department of Global Pictures, news about Hank Antonia was continuously pushed by three major platforms.
Within half an hour, dozens of reports about Hank's arrival in Dragon Country had already appeared.
The reports were mostly illustrated.
Besides recounting Hank's classic works, they also revealed that Mr. Hank would be engaging in a deep discussion with Mr. Zhang Zhiwei, the chairman of Global Pictures, about the future of Dragon Country's film and television industry that morning.
With dozens of reports published, coupled with the impact of paid comments and online marketing,
the news of Hank's arrival in Dragon Country and his meeting with Zhang Zhiwei immediately became a trending topic.
Within about an hour, the trending topic of Hank and Zhang Zhiwei had already climbed into the top twenty.
With promotion from the three major platforms, it immediately attracted a large number of netizens.
Upon learning that Hank and Zhang Zhiwei were meeting that morning and that there might be film collaborations, netizens began to comment.
[Hank Antonia, my favorite film of his is *Goodbye, Lover*. The title suggests a love story, but the actual content is a revenge plot for the male and female leads. It was so thrilling to watch.]
[The one above, *Goodbye, Lover* was only co-written by Hank, not his main screenplay. I suggest you watch *The Bell of Dawn*. That film truly showcases humanity and darkness, a classic work.]
[Mr. Hank has many classic works. Few of them are available for broadcast and approved in our country. But I must say, his three works in our country are all god-tier films. Compared to domestic films, the quality is absolutely high-yield.]
[The three films that could be released in our country are indeed classics. Take *His Eyes*, for instance. The title sounds ordinary, but the plot describes how a serial killer descends into hell. It's not only thrilling but also incredibly satisfying! Compared to Mr. Hank's films, domestic movies are truly hard to describe.]
[If only our country could relax its restrictions, Mr. Hank Antonia's works would definitely be insurmountable by any domestic production.]
[Alright, alright, Hank's movies are indeed brilliant, but don't over-praise them too much. Does our country have no good movies? Teacher Zhang Liming's *Lost Lamb* is also a classic work, its plot is no less than *The Bell of Dawn*.]
Many netizens, unsure whether they were fans of foreign films or ardent fans of Hank,
were now commenting that domestic films were garbage.
Hank's works absolutely dominated everything.
As the praise grew louder, it was bound to attract resentment from others.
In a blink, some netizens could no longer stand it and began to fight back against the sycophants.
[It's just artistic titles and exciting content, is Guo Peng's directed film *The Horn Calls* with its passion and suspense, any worse than Hank's *His Eyes* from the trilogy? Please, watch more classic domestic films, don't look down on domestic productions just because you've seen a few foreign films.]
[Exactly, it's not like there are no classic works in our country. A few foreign films and you think you're a critic, saying who's classic, I'm impressed.]
[Let's not talk about older films, I'll just mention one: Gao Fei's film *Black Edge*. Isn't it a phenomenon-level work? It absolutely dominated at international film festivals, winning multiple awards for one film.]
[Although I'm a detractor of Gao Fei, based on his *Black and White Edge*, which won four awards and led the US to shamelessly create the Double Golden Tree Award, dare you say it's not a classic?]
[Fine, fine, we know there are good domestic films, okay? You don't need to bark like dogs for your master. We're just giving professional evaluations.]
[Some fans are really unreasonable. I didn't even specify which domestic film was inferior or couldn't be compared to Hank's, and they immediately started barking like dogs.]
[It's probably because it hurt someone's self-esteem. We're saying our piece, why bother with their household dogs? The more you engage, the more excited they get.]
Instantly, viewers of foreign films and domestic films began to clash in the comment section, neither willing to back down.
At this moment, domestic film audiences, regardless of whether they were black fans or neutral observers, grabbed their keyboards and started fighting.
As they were locked in a heated battle, over a dozen film review accounts with tens of millions or millions of followers could no longer stand it and finally spoke out.
[Everyone, calm down! Mr. Hank's films are indeed classics, but our country also has many masterpieces. Domestic films are also very popular abroad. There's no need to fight. Everyone, please calm down.]
[Indeed, everyone should evaluate objectively. And please, audiences who like foreign films, don't compare and put down domestic works. We film critics are watching, no need to be so absolute in your words.]
[Everyone, now is not the time to evaluate films. We are discussing whether Mr. Hank can collaborate with Global Pictures to produce a film. Can we return to the main topic, please?]
The renowned film critics finally couldn't stand it and began to mediate.
As they continued to speak, the comment section, which had been full of hostility and full-blown attacks, gradually quieted down.
Just as everyone began to discuss whether Hank could collaborate with Global Pictures to produce a classic work,
a film and television company account with only a few thousand followers went online.