News quickly spread that Zhang Tiancheng had not only rejected Wang Jinghua, but that their parting had been acrimonious. Everyone in the industry knew Wang Jinghua's reputation—she was glib and persuasive, yet even she had failed to handle him. This deterred Wang Zhongjun and the others from bothering Zhang Tiancheng further. They all worried that if they failed to sign him and soured the relationship instead, they would have no chance of investing in him in the future.
Left alone by distributors and agents, Zhang Tiancheng's life returned to its usual peace. The only noticeable difference was that when he walked around campus, the younger students greeted him with much greater enthusiasm.
On December 20, *Lone Cop* ended its two-month theatrical run with a final box office tally of 75 million. In truth, its run could have been extended a bit longer, as it was still pulling in tens of thousands of yuan daily. However, Feng Xiaogang’s *Be There or Be Square* was about to premiere. Feng Xiaogang had not yet joined Huayi, and China Film Group held the majority of the investment in *Be There or Be Square*. To clear the path for the new film, China Film Group pulled *Lone Cop* from theaters.
Chapter 23