Seeing Yang Mi's move, Zeng Jia sighed internally and said, "Fine, seventy-thirty it is!"
With no other choice, all her hopes were pinned on Yang Mi.
Yang Mi had immense potential. Not only did she see it, but Chen Le saw it too.
Therefore, Zeng Jia had no choice but to compromise.
In the early stages, Zeng Jia's help was still necessary; after all, she was a gold-medal manager.
Once Yang Mi established her own company down the line, Yang Mi and Chen Le would undoubtedly hold the lion's share. As for Zeng Jia, Chen Le naturally wouldn't kick her out.
Professional matters had to be left to professionals!
As a workhorse, she had to be given some shares, didn't she?
It was true that Zeng Jia had ambition, but if used correctly, she would also be a huge asset!
She never expected Yang Mi to trust Chen Le so completely, leaving her with no choice but to compromise.
Most importantly, Chen Le was simply too formidable.
Zeng Jia felt she couldn't out-negotiate Chen Le; he knew far too much about signing studio contracts and such.
Once the crucial equity distribution was settled, everything else became easy to discuss.
Before long, the two reached a consensus.
After signing the contract, Zeng Jia gave Chen Le a wry smile and said, "I really envy Mimi for having such a good boyfriend. Since the contract is signed, I'll be off to work."
With that, Zeng Jia left.
She hadn't expected Chen Le to be so well-versed in all these twists and turns—she couldn't have laid a trap even if she wanted to.
They had talked for over half an hour, plus the travel time, and it was already five o'clock without them realizing it.
So Chen Le and Yang Mi hailed a cab home.
In the car, Yang Mi looked at Chen Le, her eyes full of admiration.
She never imagined Chen Le would understand so many things, keeping Sister Zeng firmly in check.
"Old Chen, how do you know so much? You seem to know everything."
"You'll know too if you study more and read more books. If you put effort into studying, I think you can understand everything as well," Chen Le said with a smile.
"Let's forget that then. I can't get myself to read books at all," Yang Mi shook her head hastily.
Reading was torture to her; she just got sleepy looking at books.
"Then you can search for this kind of knowledge online more often, as long as you don't just stare at entertainment gossip."
"Forget that too. I'll just rely on you, Old Chen. With you around, what do I need to study for?" Yang Mi flashed Chen Le a sweet smile as she spoke.
Seeing this, Chen Le felt somewhat helpless.
Before long, the two arrived home.
Since it was getting a bit late, Chen Le cooked a meal himself for a change.
After eating, Yang Mi took out her phone and resumed scrolling through the Weibo comments about *Night Market*.
Seeing this, Chen Le shook his head with an amused smile.
"Mimi, you've been reading about it all day. Still watching?"
"I've got nothing to do, just want to browse Weibo and see how *Night Market* is doing," Yang Mi said, putting down her phone.
"Nothing to do? Then let me find something for you to do," Chen Le said, moving closer to Yang Mi with a mischievous look on his face.
"Hey, Old Chen, what are you doing?"
"Didn't you have nothing to do? I'm finding something for you to do."
The two tossed and turned until the middle of the night, until Yang Mi fell soundly asleep.
......
The next day.
Beijing Film Academy.
Today Beijing Film Academy was extremely lively.
In the cafeteria, several male students sat at a table by the window.
"Did you guys hear about what's on the school forum?" one of the male students asked.
"Hear about what?" another male student asked, puzzled.
"That movie *Night Market* that Senior Chen Le shot has already been released. I heard the box office on the first day was 1.43 million."
"1.43 million? That doesn't sound like much, does it?"
"What are you guys thinking? Senior Chen Le's movie only had an investment of two million. To get 1.43 million in box office in just one day—think about what concept that is!"
"Holy cow, is it really that insane? Only a two-million investment."
"This is the first movie Senior Chen Le directed, and he achieved results like this."
"I heard he collaborated with Yang Mi to make this movie, and Yang Mi even invested money into it."
Aside from them, quite a few people were discussing *Night Market*.
After all, *Night Market* was directed by a senior who had just graduated from their school a year ago, and its first-day box office had achieved such stellar results.
Meanwhile, in the girls' dormitory at Beijing Film Academy.
Naza listened to her roommates discuss *Night Market* with mixed feelings.
On the day *Night Market* was released, she had gone to the cinema with her best friend to watch it.
After watching *Night Market*, she felt blown away; the plot inside was not only hilarious but also deeply meaningful.
What she found even more unbelievable was that this movie had a mere two-million investment.
As a result, the first-day box office hit 1.43 million.
"I never expected the senior to collaborate with Yang Mi."
"And the senior is seriously so handsome."
"I remember the senior is in the same graduating class as Mimi. Do you think they might be a couple?"
"Very likely! I heard the senior has a very close relationship with Mimi."
Hearing her roommates' discussion, Naza felt even more depressed.
She was well aware of the relationship between Chen Le and Yang Mi.
At the thought of this, Naza felt a lingering resentment, wishing only that she had enrolled a few years earlier. Had she been here two years sooner, she might have stood a chance to compete with Yang Mi for Chen Le.
Time flew by, and a week passed. The first-week box office of *Night Market* soared all the way, quickly breaking the ten-million mark.
Due to the high occupancy rate of *Night Market*, theater chains specially added screenings for the film, pushing its popularity higher and higher.
Discussions about *Night Market* on the internet were endless.
A low-budget film achieving such high returns also drew the attention and discussion of insiders in the industry.
"Hahaha, Chen Le, you kid have really blown up!" Dean Wang called Chen Le, speaking with a laugh.
"What's wrong, Old Wang, so excited?" Hearing Dean Wang's loud laughter, Chen Le asked, puzzled.
"You kid don't know? Your movie has thoroughly exploded in the industry—a low-budget film hitting it big is truly rare! I never expected you, kid, to be so calm about it."
"It's just alright. When all is said and done, it actually doesn't amount to much money," Chen Le said honestly.
"You call this not much? You've more than doubled your money, yet you still claim it's not much. Do you want to take it all?" Dean Wang was slightly speechless upon hearing Chen Le's words.
"Haha, if I could, I really would. It's just a pity that Master Xing's and the others' movies are about to be released, so the box office afterward probably won't be much."
Chen Le sighed.
Once Master Xing's *CJ7* and the new movies by those big shots were released later on, *Night Market*'s screen allocations would undoubtedly be reduced to almost nothing. Being able to earn this much now could be considered reaching their target expectations.
Time flew by rapidly.
Before long, the fiercely competitive summer blockbuster season arrived.
Just as Chen Le had anticipated, *Night Market*'s screen allocations began to shrink, and its box office earnings were steadily declining.
However, pulling in ten million at the box office in its first week had already exceeded his expectations. Even with the subsequent drop in revenue, it should still easily rake in thirteen or fourteen million by the end of its run.
Calculated this way, the performance of *Night Market* had already surpassed his expectations. It could completely be considered an exceptional performance.
And as various heavyweight big shots entered the fray, *Night Market*'s online popularity steadily declined, and it was soon forgotten.