Chapter 34: Making Money!

"The Battle at Lake Changjin? Got it!"
"Wolf Warrior 2? Got that too!"
"Dying to Survive? Yes, that's here as well!"
"..."

Chen Jin was busy cross-referencing news details from the box office charts found in his future autobiography against the list of specific role experience cards available in the system. The system was surprisingly thoughtful; it had a mental search function. Whenever Chen Jin thought of a title like *Dying to Survive*, the corresponding specific role experience card would immediately pop up. It saved him the trouble of searching through them one by one.

He had to admit, as quirky as this system was, it was remarkably intelligent. It was warm and incredibly considerate!

It even had the films arranged chronologically. For instance, the first movie Chen Jin ever watched was the uncensored version of *Titanic* at the age of ten. He remembered it vividly because his father, Chen Xianqi, had rented the VHS tape. The scene where the heroine posed nude for Jack had left a significant impact on his young mind, a memory that remained fresh to this day. That film had opened up a new world and broadened his horizons.

He had watched only that one film in 2002, then a few in 2003, a dozen in 2004... all the way up to 2030. The movies from before 2010 were mostly accurate—Chen Jin had indeed watched them. There were even adult films in the list; if the system weren't so private and exclusive to him—much like his own personal computer—it would have been social suicide if anyone else saw it. His secret habits were completely exposed.

"So, everything after 2011 is what the future Chen Jin watched!"
"Good grief, why are this guy’s future tastes all about young married women, black silk stockings, and... what on earth is 'Xiuren.com'?"

Chen Jin didn't dare look any further; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop himself. After all, clicking on these didn't just mean watching—it meant directly *experiencing* them, with all the physiological effects maxed out. As a virgin, he still needed to cherish himself while out in the world.

"Heart like ice, clear and serene; the sky may collapse without a tremor; stay calm amidst all changes, mind at peace, spirit composed..." Chen Jin silently recited the *Ice Heart Mantra* from *Wind and Cloud* to calm his agitated heart.

Finally, after ten minutes, he was able to normally begin browsing the films the future Chen Jin had watched after 2010. He had seen most of the top 250 films on Douban. It was true that he loved movies; he would often hide under the covers in his school dormitory or watch them on an MP4 player borrowed from a classmate.

"*As Good as It Gets*—that’s an old one!"
"*Avatar*—it's currently in theaters. It does seem like my style; I’ll definitely watch it as soon as a web resource becomes available..."

This film was truly a phenomenon. Its promotional campaign was on par with *Titanic*. Back then, even the farmers in rural China knew that a giant ship from the US had hit an iceberg. Everyone initially thought it was news, but in fact, it was just movie marketing.

In 1997, *Titanic* achieved a miracle in China, raking in 360 million yuan in box office revenue, even though it was split into two parts and the tickets were very expensive. That record remained unbroken by any domestic film for many years. Even Zhang Yimou’s *Hero*, which was incredibly popular in 2002, only made 250 million!

Now, *Avatar*, directed by James Cameron—the same "truck driver" who directed *Titanic*—was using a similar strategy. As the world's first 3D film, the publicity was overwhelming. In 2010, when it was difficult for blockbusters in China to even reach 100 million at the box office, it had already raked in nearly 1.3 billion. Considering that the hit film *2012* only made 460 million the previous year, and the domestic film *The Founding of a Republic*—promoted by the China Film Group—finished with 420 million, while Zhang Yimou’s *A Simple Noodle Story* only brought in 220 million, one could intuitively see how terrifying a figure 1.3 billion was for the domestic market.

Chen Jin had actually been keeping an eye on *Avatar*'s box office, though he hadn't gone to the cinema. Seeing his future self watching it online, he couldn't help but recall the snippets from his autobiography about the future of Chinese cinema, where 3 billion or 5 billion at the box office would become commonplace. It felt like a dream!

"The next ten years will definitely be a golden age for Chinese cinema, and it’s my opportunity!"

By comparing the films he had watched in 2010 and 2011 with the news and box office screenshots from his future autobiography, Chen Jin gained significant insights. He was doing this to find out which films would become hits so he could... cut in early! He could buy the copyrights directly.

For example, he had just seen one—*Love Is Not Blind*. He secretly checked on his phone and found it was a post serialized on Douban, published as a book just at the end of January this year, but it was being adapted into a film to be released next year? The speed was incredible! Moreover, the box office was sky-high—over 300 million—making it the biggest dark horse in Chinese film history for 2011, ranking eighth for the year.

"I wonder if the rights have been sold yet. I need to contact them immediately!"

These were all opportunities for Chen Jin. However, his biggest problem at the moment was that he had no money. Copyrights required significant capital; even for a currently unknown novel, a fee of 100,000 or 200,000 yuan would be needed.

"I need to make money!"
"And if the rights to this novel haven't been sold, someone else could snap them up at any moment, especially since it's scheduled for release next year!"

Making money was an urgent necessity. "The Champions League! I'll go check the sports lottery shop tomorrow!"

If it weren't for the fact that it was the middle of the night, Chen Jin would have had the urge to rush to the lottery shop right now, and incidentally, register on Douban to contact Bao Jingjing, the author of *Love Is Not Blind*.

Just then, the title of another movie suddenly surfaced in his mind: *Under the Hawthorn Tree*? It was right before *Love Is Not Blind*. The future Chen Jin had watched both at roughly the same time.

"Wait, isn't that the movie I'm auditioning for right now?"

Chen Jin looked at the film clips—things like *Peach Blossom* and *The Golden Lotus*. In that moment, he realized the preciousness of this specific role experience card. It allowed you to experience the role and the movie in advance. Wasn't this the definition of a "natural" performance? You wouldn't even be acting, because you had actually lived it. As the card description said: "I am him, and he is me!"

"So, was my previous experience as a mortician actually a movie too?"

Chen Jin couldn't help but wonder, but he had no time to dwell on it. The initial impulse to use the card was abruptly stifled. This card was too important to him right now. It concerned whether or not he could land the role in *Under the Hawthorn Tree*!

"Uh, system, can I back out? Can I choose not to use this specific role experience card?"

Chen Jin mused internally. The system was quite user-friendly; the interface for the experience card instantly vanished. In its place, a mysterious card appeared on the system interface, as if everything that had just happened never took place.

"Phew..."
"Good thing I didn't use it. This card is too precious!"
"Lust is truly the greatest stumbling block to a man's success!"
"Thank goodness I have such ironclad willpower!"

Chen Jin let out a long breath, staring at the task reward card in front of him, not daring to spend it. He was terrified of being poor; he had truly been a bit impulsive just now.

"At the very least, I must wait until I'm notified of another audition before I use this card!"

Chen Jin was afraid Zhang Yimou might be stringing him along, so he forcefully curbed the urge to experience *Under the Hawthorn Tree*. Now, he had only one thought: make money! Don't talk to me about some damn love story; I just want to make money and buy copyrights!