Don’t know if he really admitted to being wrong, or because of Li Xiaoheng’s presence he had no other choice. Cheng Baodong’s attitude at the dinner table was quite good, he offered a toast to make amends, and put on a subordinate demeanor, voluntarily offering to drink three glasses of wine as self-punishment. From time to time, he would glance at Li Xiaoheng who was sitting next to Tao Mu, afraid that Tao Mu would take advantage of the Li family’s power to make things difficult for him.

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This was so obvious that Principal Liu and Guo Yaning, who were at the same table, were a little embarrassed. Cheng Baodong was originally born in an affluent family and had an arrogant temper. And over the years, because of his successes, he had been praised too much by the film crew and investors. Now that he suddenly had to lower his head, he still couldn’t put down his pride. Therefore, it was inevitable that his attitude would be awkward, and a bit too contrived.

Fortunately, since Tao Mu came, he never thought of putting on airs to embarrass Cheng Baodong. It was not that Tao Mu wanted to smile away his grievances, it was just for the sake of Principal Liu and Guo Yaning. With Tao Mu’s temperament, since he agreed to make peace, he would pull it off beautifully. Embarrassing Cheng Baodong at the dinner table was not embarrassing Cheng Baodong, but embarrassing Principal Liu and Guo Yaning.

Sure enough, seeing Tao Mu decisively drink a glass of wine, Principal Liu and Guo Yaning both showed smiles on their faces. They quickly struck up a conversation, and the atmosphere at the dinner table became much more lively.

On Cheng Baodong’s side, his agent and Wang Boyuan accompanied him. Speaking of which, Tao Mu and Wang Boyuan also have some affinity. Back then when Tao Mu served as Wang Boyuan’s martial arts stand-in, Wang Boyuan already felt that Tao Mu was not a mediocre person. On the set, he had an intention to bring their distance closer. It was a pity that although Wang Boyuan had a good vision, his temperament was indecisive and his management company was also short-sighted. Fearing that Wang Boyuan would suffer losses if he took the initiative to show his friendship to Tao Mu, they used all kinds of coercion both openly and secretly to prevent him from doing so. So when Tao Mu’s usefulness began to show itself and they wanted to show goodwill, FlyNews.com had already soared up into the skies. Thus, when most of the entertainment industry was vying to please Tao Mu, Wang Boyuan’s icing on the cake became unnecessary.

This time when Beijing Film was going to make a big production movie, Wang Boyuan, as an outstanding graduate of Beijing Film, an A-list superstar in the circle, and Cheng Baodong’s best partner, naturally wanted to join in with all his strength. Although he failed to win the double male lead, the role played by Wang Boyuan in the film was also a very important male supporting role. It was the instructor who trained the male protagonist back then, and was later sent abroad to perform missions. In the film, the hero and several other special forces went on missions to support Wang Boyuan’s role.

It was also because of this that Cheng Baodong wanted to give Wang Bo a chance to play the double male lead role. In Cheng Baodong’s view, Wang Boyuan, as an A-list superstar in the circle, had a large chance of winning, but he didn’t expect to kick the iron plate. Not only didn’t he get to eat the mutton, he ended up getting rubbed off with a foul smell. Even Wang Boyuan himself felt very embarrassed.

Fortunately, Tao Mu didn’t want to quibble with Wang Boyuan. The several people chatted about film preparations at the dinner table. Guo Yaning even asked for a cameo role for fun. The meal could be regarded as having ended on a happy note. During the dinner, Principal Liu also successfully persuaded Mr. Li, who made it clear he wanted to support his boyfriend, to inject 20 million yuan into the film, which added with the 40 million yuan from Tao Mu’s film and television company, and the 20 million from Beijing Film and Huajing Production Studio, the crew had not yet fully finished with pre-film preparation, yet the filming funds have already been pulled to 80 million. Principal Liu, who was a little drunk, even expressed excitedly that he would find a way to attract two more investors and strive to increase the cost of the filming to 100 million. At that time, it would also be a publicity point for the public.

For many colleagues in the industry, it was not easy for a film to attract an investment of 100 million even ten years into the future. But for capital parties like Tao Mu and Li Xiaoheng, it was not difficult to find two more investors to contribute 20 million.

For example, Longteng Entertainment and Summer Star Entertainment, which have been cooperating happily with Tao Mu, and so long as Tao Mu called, raising another 20 million was not a problem at all. Even if they were to go home and tell their family members, whether it was the Fengxing Group or the Li family, they could also easily hand over 20 million.

Cheng Baodong originally had a lot of complaints about his speaking power. But seeing that the crew’s filming funds have risen, as a commercial film director, even he had never made a major production with a capital of more than 100 million. It was practically comparable to a Hollywood blockbuster. So considering the huge benefits involved, Cheng Baodong didn’t say anything anymore.

Winning on a matter of pride was important, but it was not so important that Cheng Baodong would put his career achievements on the line. Even Cheng Baodong’s attitude when facing Tao Mu became more friendly. Afraid that if Tao Mu was truly dissatisfied he would really squeeze him out as the director——although it seemed that this kind of thing was unlikely to happen at present.

On the second day of the dinner, the news that Beijing Film and Tao Mu’s film and television company was going to make a big commercial movie with a shooting cost of more than 100 million yuan spread all over the entertainment circle. Like a drop of cold water falling into a pan of hot oil, the already lively entertainment industry immediately exploded. The major media reported and shared the news one after another. They invariably compared this movie with those big-investment Hollywood blockbusters, and even compared this movie to “the light of the rise of domestic movies.” Tao Mu and the investors behind him have also become representatives of conscientious producers in the industry. Because of this 100 million shooting budget as a gimmick, “Soldier Elite: Unsheathed Knife”, which was not yet even officially launched, instantly topped the major search rankings and news headlines. Many entertainers and actors who could get in touch with Beijing Film began looking for ways to increase their connection, all wanting to play a role in the movie.

For Tao Mu’s fans, “Soldier Elite: Unsheathed Knife” was also the first time Tao Mu would be playing the leading role in a movie. This young and handsome idol made his debut three years ago. His career path was very different from those artists of his generation who devoted themselves to developing in the film and music circles. Tao Mu was repeatedly evaluated by the media as “the most unprofessional actor in the entertainment industry”. Because every time he made a big splash, it was either in the business sector or in the financial sector.

Clearly he was an actor, and he studied in the acting department of a prestigious film and television school, but he had not made many serious works. The works produced by him have been great successes and as an actor he actually won the title of domestic top tier producer. Even FlyNews, which was created from scratch, has become an indispensable social software for young people in China. The number of real-name registered users was soon to exceed 200 million. Not to mention his achievements in the financial market.

It was a great honor for the fans to become a fan of such a multi-talented idol. However, more often than not, it was also a painful thing. Because Tao Mu didn’t participate in commercial performances other than filming, he didn’t take entertainment gigs, and he didn’t even have many scenes in the movies and TV dramas he filmed. The edited videos with him in it on BulletScreen.com did not even exceed twenty minutes. Such a brutal reality lasted for three full years, one could imagine how much Tao Mu’s fans were suffering.

But the long wait finally ushered in the light at the end of the tunnel. With the completion of “Soldier Elite”, everyone could finally look forward to the summer vacation next year. From a single episode, at least a 20-minute cut could be made for the male protagonist. For many fans, this was simply commonplace. But for Ceramics, this was probably the happiest thing in the world.

Not to mention that after “Soldier Elite”, there would be “Soldier Elite: Unsheathed Knife”. A TV series broadcast during the summer vacation, and a big movie presented on National Day, which meant that Tao Mu’s figure would be active in the second half of the year!

For a while, Tao Mu’s FlyNews and the official FlyNews of “Soldier Elite: Unsheathed Knife” had fans checking in every day. In such an atmosphere of great joy and restless enthusiasm, “Soldier Elite: Unsheathed Knifed” finally started filming.

On the day of the start-of-filming ceremony, all the famous media in the entertainment industry came to join in. The location of the opening ceremony was set at the auditorium of Beijing Film. The atmosphere was a bit like a school orientation meeting. At the beginning, there were speeches by the principal, the military and other leaders.

Tao Mu and several other actors were all wearing their combat uniforms during filming, and sat neatly on the stage. The young men in their twenties, who had just been trained in the army for more than half a year, sat there upright, all tall and straight like poplars. Full of vigor and sharpness, it made people’s eyes shine when they looked at them.

In contrast, Wang Boyuan, who was also an important supporting role and also appeared in a combat uniform, was not so energetic in appearance. At least at first glance, it couldn’t be seen that he was a soldier.

However, considering Wang Boyuan’s special status in the film, that he had not undergone military training was actually more in line with the background of his role in the film.

The start-of-filming ceremony had come to the question-and-answer period for reporters. All the media reporters eagerly raised their hands, all directed at Tao Mu. The questions asked were also varied, except for some perfunctory questions related to the movie, almost all of them were asking about Tao Mu’s relationship. Especially the engagement ceremony two months later. Some media even directly asked Tao Mu whether he would invite the media or friends in the circle to attend the ceremony.

The media would definitely not be invited. But all friends in the circle would be present. Tao Mu jokingly said: “I have been in the circle for a while, and I have sent many people red envelopes. Of course, I have to take this opportunity to earn it back. It is okay for everyone not to come, but the red envelope must be delivered.”

This caused everyone to roar with laughter. Another reporter asked Tao Mu about the song he composed. After all, the registered users of FlyNews.com would exceed 200 million very soon. Everyone wanted to know when Tao Mu would sing. Some people even began to look forward to what kind of gifts Tao Mu would present to everyone when the registered users of FlyNews.com exceeded 300 million.

Tao Mu didn’t want his presence to steal the spotlight from the rest of the crew. So he didn’t answer too many questions that have nothing to do with the movie, but just told everyone to pay attention to his official FlyNews account. Then he gave up the microphone to Wang Boyuan and others.

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After the start-of-filming ceremony, all the actors took film stills. The style of the photos inherited the tradition of all war movies, highlighting the tough guy temperament. Tao Mu was standing alone in front, wearing a combat uniform, with thick camouflage paint on his face, and holding a submachine gun. Wang Boyuan and several other main actors were standing on both sides of Tao Mu in a herringbone pattern. The background of the poster was gunpowder and the fires of war, and the visual effect was very rough and grainy. In addition to this, a solo poster of each person was also shot. As the most popular actors in the circle, the posters of Tao Mu and Wang Boyuan were snapped up by many fans as soon as they got off the press. Li Xiaoheng, who had always regarded himself as a fan of Tao Mu, even secretly custom ordered a huge life size poster photo of Tao Mu, and hung it on the wall of his office.

But Tao Mu didn’t know about it yet. Because after the film stills were taken, the wealthy crew went directly to Africa to shoot the location.

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