Chapter 64: National Day Box Office Champion!!! Secured!

"Director Cheng! Our box office has reached one hundred million!"

"Well, I know."

...

"Director Cheng, our box office has hit one hundred and fifty million! Gosh, our daily box office finally broke one hundred million!"

"I saw it."

...

"Director Cheng, I really can't believe it! This is a movie we made."

"Mm, I can't believe it either."

...

"Director Cheng, our total box office today should break two hundred million, right?"

"Pretty much."

...

As the word-of-mouth praise and box office numbers for *No More Bets* continued to climb, the names of Cheng Cheng, Wen Lian, and Li Yang were once again brought up and re-entered the public eye.

The names of Yan Gou'er, Qi Hao, Meng Cai, and others also became widely known, discussed, and followed by the public.

Happiness came so suddenly that the main creators felt as though they were living in a dream. They couldn't believe that the casual choice they made back then had truly changed their destinies!

*No More Bets* exploded in popularity!

And it exploded into a hit even while three major blockbusters were simultaneously released during the National Day holiday!

You must know that when the news first came and *No More Bets* was suddenly rescheduled for the National Day slot, they had all despaired!

Yan Gou'er: "Director Cheng, our box office should be even better tomorrow, right?"

Cheng Cheng: "Barring any accidents, it should be."

Cheng Cheng knew nothing about the affairs between Quanzhou Entertainment and Lü Zhuofeng, nor did he know about the effect of the Lucky Potion.

He was simply planning to use a bottle of Lucky Potion every day during the movie's theatrical run. As for whoever happened to cross his path, they could only blame their own bad luck.

Within the effective duration of the Lucky Potion, short of a direct confrontation or real-world physical retaliation, resorting to petty, malicious tricks would only result in tying oneself into a cocoon.

In the chat group, the latest box office screenshots were continuously posted. Almost every half hour, the box office would increase by several million.

Looking at the gratifying box office figures, the group of people became excited, thrilled, and ecstatic, showering Cheng Cheng with wild flattery.

Beret: "It's here, it's here, the latest box office screenshot is here! It went up by another three point five million!"

Li Yang: "Awesome!!! This speed is simply unreal! To get these results with a four percent screen share, Director Cheng, you are about to fly us straight to heaven!"

Qi Hao: "So strong, so strong! This box office growth is literally rocket-speed! I could cry, thank goodness Director Cheng let me board this ride. I'm bowing down to Director Cheng online right now!"

Meng Cai: "Bow down too, bow down too!"

Li Yang: "I'll bow down as well. Director Cheng, I am truly so grateful to you! Before this, I honestly never imagined that I could be part of such a blockbuster movie in this lifetime. Director Cheng, you are truly my benefactor! I wasted two years of my life, and now I've finally returned to the industry! What's more, I'm the male lead of a film. Thank you, Director Cheng, for giving me this chance. Without Director Cheng, I'd probably still be performing in a theater troupe to an audience of barely a few people, with no hope of ever making it out."

Li Yang's words struck a chord with many people in the group. Before participating in this movie, they were all nobodies or entangled in negative news.

Qi Hao also chimed in: "Yeah, who looked down on us before? It takes Director Cheng, after all. Director Cheng, as long as you have projects in the future, I, Qi Hao, will be the first to sign up. Following your lead is definitely the right choice! I want to be your loyal dog!"

Meng Cai: "Director Cheng, I'm not good with words, but collaborating with you is truly the best decision I've ever made in my life. In the past, I was just destined to be an extra running errands. Now, I actually have commercial endorsement deals coming to find me, and this is all thanks to you. Director Cheng, if you make another movie in the future, you have to bring me along, no matter what the role is. Even if I'm just an extra for you, I'll be content!"

Compared to the men who had abandoned all self-respect, Wen Lian and Yan Gou'er were much more reserved.

However, their reservation was only on the surface. Now that the movie was a massive hit, who wouldn't want to firmly tie themselves to Cheng Cheng?

Wen Lian: "Umm, Director Cheng, keep me in mind if there's any new project, okay? I'm very cheap, I can even work for free. If worst comes to worst, I'll return the pay I got for this movie."

She also sent a wide-eyed, cute emoji.

Yan Gou'er quickly added: "Me too, I haven't spent my salary yet~"

She also sent a shy little rabbit emoji.

You two!!!

The men were struck dumb with shock:

At best, we weren't picky about our roles, but you two are directly offering to work for free?

You're even going to return your pay?!

Is there any need to be this competitive?!

Meng Cai: "I don't want money either."

Qi Hao: "Plus one!"

Li Yang ended the competition with a single sentence: "I can pay to act."

Cheng Cheng put a stop to the boring comparison game and said:

"Wait for the notice. Everyone has already collaborated on a film together; if there are suitable roles, I will definitely prioritize you all."

Beret raised her hand: "Director Cheng, include me too!"

—

Time reached midnight.

The box office results for the second day were also freshly released.

*Glorious Era* had grossed a cumulative total of 540 million over the two days, among which the opening day box office was 305 million. The second-day box office dropped slightly, but still maintained a high plateau of 235 million.

Ranking second was still *Comedy Road Show*, with a total box office reaching 522 million, yesterday's box office at 275 million, and today's at 247 million. Its second-day box office had already surpassed *Glorious Era*.

Next were *Flames of War* at 484 million and *No More Bets* at 212 million.

Don't look at how the box office of *Flames of War* was more than double that of *No More Bets*; in reality, the second-day box office gap between the two movies was only twenty million.

The news spread across the internet and quickly sparked discussion:

"Does this box office trend for *Glorious Era* prove that the film's quality can't sustain a long run?"

"It's very simple. *Glorious Era* has the strongest cast and the best promotion. Everyone initially went to watch it because of Lü Zhuofeng and the main cast, only to find out that what was filmed was a piece of crap, so naturally, nobody went to see it anymore!"

"Right, a long run still relies on word of mouth."

"In terms of single-day box office, *Comedy Road Show* has already surpassed *Glorious Era*. Looking at this trend, it should soon become number one for the National Day slot, right?"

"Lü Zhuofeng is washed up!"

"The word of mouth for *Glorious Era* has already collapsed, a bad movie buried under black material, who is going to watch that?"

"It will be hard for *Flames of War* to even reach two hundred million today; its screen allocation needs to be cut."

"I watched all four movies, and the initial underdog *No More Bets* turned out to be the best-looking one in the National Day slot. It staged a counterattack relying entirely on word of mouth. This movie isn't just about novelty-seeking; it's a good movie with a core, meaning, and righteous values. By its own strength, it has raised public awareness and emphasis on anti-fraud. It's a boundless charitable merit."

"I'm immediately buying a ticket for *No More Bets* to show support!"

"Cheng Cheng is truly awesome, and his acting is genuinely great!"

" *No More Bets* deserves it. Honestly, I also watched *Glorious Era* first since it was my primary choice, but I still recommend *No More Bets*!"

Netizens' comments quickly triggered a counterattack from Lü Zhuofeng's fans and the fans of the main cast of *Glorious Era*:

"The champion is still *Glorious Era*, talk after you surpass us!"

"You can't beat the total box office, what's the use of looking at the single-day figures? Are we going to look at single-day figures in the end? What a pathetic marketing campaign!"

"Well said, be sour after you surpass the champion!"

"Wake up by looking at the total box office!"

Detractors of *Glorious Era* quickly delivered a follow-up blow:

"Based on the current trend, the total box office really might be overtaken by *Comedy Road Show*. The projected box office for *Glorious Era* once reached over three billion, but now it keeps dropping and dropping, and its projected box office is roughly on par with *Comedy Road Show*."

"Bad is bad!"

"Don't rush, it'll be surpassed right away!"

Over the next few days, the box office war grew increasingly fierce.

First was *Glorious Era*. Just as netizens anticipated, on October 3rd, the third day of the National Day slot, its total box office was overtaken by *Comedy Road Show*. This news hit like a heavy punch, leaving the fans of *Glorious Era* instantly speechless. Their previous stubborn bravado now seemed like nothing more than foreplay before the brutal humiliation.

Next was *Flames of War*, whose single-day box office was also surpassed by *No More Bets*.

While the box office of the other three films continued to plummet, *No More Bets* was the only one whose box office kept growing.

And as the attention generated by *No More Bets* grew higher and higher, the public outcry demanding an increase in the screen allocation rate for *No More Bets* became louder as well!

Initially, Quanzhou Entertainment was unwilling to give *No More Bets* more screen allocations because both *Flames of War* and *Glorious Era* had heavy investments from Quanzhou Entertainment. Giving more screenings to *No More Bets* meant harming their own interests.

Moreover, Vance Pictures was also involved in *No More Bets*. How could they be willing to hand over their advantage on a silver platter?

However, after holding out for a few days, under the powerful offensive of the internet trolls, Quanzhou Entertainment still didn't dare to defy public opinion, and reluctantly increased the screen allocation percentage for *No More Bets*.

As for Vance Pictures, they had already increased the screen allocation rate for *No More Bets* as early as October 3rd, and even accepted media interviews on the 4th regarding various incidents that occurred during the National Day holiday. The general content was:

First, Vance Pictures would absolutely never experience any technical malfunctions that caused movies to fail to play normally.

Second, Vance Pictures would absolutely never let factors outside of movie quality and ticket sales influence screen allocations.

This was clearly a jab at Quanzhou Entertainment, targeting the fact that a massive enterprise like Quanzhou Entertainment had made such a low-level mistake as having movies unable to play normally, as well as their behavior of sacrificing the audience's viewing experience for commercial interests.

Quanzhou Entertainment was gnashing its teeth with anger, but was utterly helpless.

In this round, Quanzhou Entertainment could be said to have lost both the army and the princess; not only did they fail to gain any benefits, but their reputation was thoroughly ruined.

Starting from October 4th, the screen allocation rate for *No More Bets* rose all the way.

10%, 15%, 20%, 35%!

The box office also skyrocketed all the way.

500 million!

800 million!

1 billion!

1.5 billion!

On October 3rd, the single-day box office of *No More Bets* surpassed *Flames of War*, making *Flames of War* the first competitor to exit the intense box office race of the National Day slot.

On October 5th, the single-day box office of *No More Bets* surpassed *Glorious Era*. *Glorious Era*, which had been teetering for days in this box office war, ultimately failed to withstand the fierce offensive of *No More Bets*!

On October 7th, the single-day box office of *No More Bets* surpassed *Comedy Road Show*. This was an important milestone, signifying that *No More Bets* had successfully staged a counterattack and begun its pursuit.

October 8th!

The total box office of *No More Bets* surpassed *Flames of War*, climbing to third place!

October 10th.

The total box office of *No More Bets* surpassed *Glorious Era*, climbing to second place! It was now just one step away from *Comedy Road Show*!

October 11th.

The total box office of *No More Bets* finally overtook *Comedy Road Show*, becoming the strongest film of the National Day slot.

At this time, the total box office of *No More Bets* had already reached 2 billion!

With this, the National Day slot battle finally came to an end.

*No More Bets* became the strongest movie of the National Day holiday.

Next came the steady, grinding effort.

—

"Little Gou'er, wait for me a little longer, I'll be ready in a minute, right away!"

Early in the morning, several girls in dormitory 211 were busy putting on makeup and getting dressed. It was a scene of utter chaos and frantic scrambling.

The first and second periods this morning were Professor Cai Tianxiang's acting class, which was also their major course.

Cai Tianxiang was not only an acting professor at the Beijing Film Academy, but also a well-known director and actor in the domestic entertainment industry, as well as a resident judge on a popular variety show, famous for his sharp and ruthless critiques.

Therefore, nobody dared to skip his class.

Wang Hong skillfully applied foundation and eyeshadow to her face, finally putting on bright red lipstick, adjusted the shoulder straps of her dress, letting her plump bust bounce along, and said:

"Alright, Little Gou'er, let's go, let's go. If we don't leave now, there won't be time to eat."

Yan Gou'er, however, had already packed and prepared long ago.

She hadn't dressed up excessively; she had simply tied her hair into a neat ponytail, worn a clean, modest tracksuit, and stepped into a pair of comfortable, simple white sneakers.

Her face wasn't heavily made up either; she just lightly applied some lotion and a layer of sunscreen, and even her lips were merely coated with a simple lip balm.

Yet she naturally possessed the beauty of a lotus emerging from clear water, completely devoid of artificial carving.

With her high crown, the ponytail hairstyle made the shape of her head look full and perfect. At her temples and hairline, faint wisps of baby hair were vaguely visible, looking like an unfaded youthfulness and cuteness.

Her delicate skin was as white and clean as porcelain, and her cherry-red lips had a healthy color, dewy and tender.

The slightly fitted tracksuit wrapped around her figure. Although she didn't have a sultry body like Wang Hong's, the gentle curve budding at her chest still filled her with feminine softness.

Wang Hong linked her arm through Yan Gou'er's, and the two of them headed out together.

After eating at the cafeteria, the two arrived at the classroom.

By this time, half the seats in the classroom were already filled.

Seeing the two of them walk in, everyone cast their gazes toward Yan Gou'er, their expressions somewhat complicated.

Half a month ago, Yan Gou'er was still the target of everyone's mockery, viewed as a disgrace to the Beijing Film Academy. Some even posted anonymously, demanding that Yan Gou'er drop out so she wouldn't sulk the reputation of the Beijing Film Academy.

Yet in just over a dozen days, Yan Gou'er had suddenly leaped to become the female second lead of a two-billion-box-office film, hailed by the media as the "Little Bai Bei" and one of the post-00s four rising starlets, while her follower count broke one million overnight!

One could say that solely in terms of fame and popularity, Yan Gou'er had debuted straight into the tier of near-second-rate starlets.

How were they supposed to accept this?

The past targeting, suppression, contempt, and gossip had now all turned into jokes, transforming into slaps across their own faces that stung with pain.