You're not playing by the rules, I strongly advise you to think twice about your actions

"Insult~~"

"A blatant insult!"

"Who am I?"

"I'm the top director in the country..."

Pao'er ranted.

As if he had suffered some great humiliation.

And to be fair, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable—this year, he really was number one!

But not in the future.

Han Han’s racing movie would eventually gross more than all of Pao'er’s films combined.

Still,

you couldn’t deny that this was ‘Pao'er’s Year.’

It was the peak of his career.

After this, he’d start his ‘downfall’—his luck would change, and the actors he’d cast in the future would either end up behind bars or get blacklisted by the authorities.

Either they’d be evading taxes or turning into ‘sewing machine boys.’

Like some kind of cursed star.

And then he’d blame the audience for not appreciating his work, for having no taste…

...

As Let the Bullets Fly hit theaters, Pao'er’s pressure grew.

Not only did his wife, Old Xu, urge him to back off.

Even his investors, producers, and industry friends all suggested the same thing.

Avoiding the competition was the smartest move.

Especially for the investors—they were businessmen, not here for petty ego battles.

Why go head-to-head with this film?

What good would cutting your own screenings do?

Besides,

you didn’t even bet against Let the Bullets Fly, so why the stubbornness?

Are you trying to lose money?

...

It made sense.

But Pao'er wasn’t having it.

He was a big-shot director—didn’t he have any pride?

So Pao'er dug in his heels. No matter who tried to persuade him, he refused to budge, insisting on sticking to the original release date.

Exactly one week after Let the Bullets Fly.

...

...

A week passed.

If You Are the One 2 premiered.

Its performance, while not record-breaking like Let the Bullets Fly, was decent—after all, it was a sequel with an established fanbase.

Plus, Ge You still had serious box-office pull at the time.

But the next day,

not a single newspaper or media outlet mentioned If You Are the One 2.

Well.

Actually, that’s not entirely true.

A few paid outlets ran tiny blurbs.

But when Pao'er woke up and saw the news, he was stunned.

"What the…"

"What the hell is this?"

"What is this?"

"Drones???"

Yep.

Cao Cheng had played his trump card.

Back in July, Cao Cheng had handed over drone technology to his own ‘defense’ company.

Five months had passed since then.

The mature tech was already in use, easily on par with 2020-era products.

With this, DJI’s future path was set to soar.

And the night before,

major cities had been lit up by drone light shows.

The dazzling, futuristic spectacle dominated headlines, even making international news.

The hype around Let the Bullets Fly reached unprecedented heights.

Instantly, If You Are the One 2 was crushed—its marketing drowned out without a trace.

Here’s the thing:

The most crucial time for promotion is the early phase. The harder you push, the better the word-of-mouth, the wider the reach, the bigger the box office.

Once that window closes, no amount of ad spending can salvage it.

Cao Cheng’s move left If You Are the One 2 completely blindsided.

Pao'er was shell-shocked.

...

Drones weren’t new.

But consumer-grade civilian drones? This was the first.

Sure, there’d been the ‘Parrot-AR-Drone’ before, but come on—what kind of junk was that?

So,

Cao Cheng didn’t even need to lift a finger after that.

The whole world seemed to be talking about ‘civilian drones.’

Footage of Let the Bullets Fly’s light show spread like wildfire online.

The movie’s name was drilled into everyone’s minds, pulling even non-moviegoers into theaters to contribute to its box office.

Then came the snowball effect.

High attendance led to more screenings.

More screenings meant higher profits.

Since theaters took a big cut, higher profits meant they’d slash other films’ screenings—especially prime-time slots—to make room for Let the Bullets Fly.

And as one rose, the other fell. If You Are the One 2 was left in the dust.

...

Five days after the drone show,

the footage made it into a 30-minute prime-time news segment. Even edited, Let the Bullets Fly got a few seconds of screen time.

Box office and critical acclaim followed.

Everyone was talking about the movie, the drones, and the company behind it—DJI.

The industry was buzzing about Cao Cheng too.

Damn.

How did he keep coming up with these wild promotional stunts?

And where the hell did this drone company come from?

Why had no one heard of it before?

Was tech advancing this fast?

Regular people could just… buy drones now?

...

Two weeks later, the hype still hadn’t died down.

Pao'er watched If You Are the One 2’s daily decline with gut-wrenching regret.

He should’ve backed off.

The losses were brutal.

Especially with a recent media report titled: "If You Are the One 2 Struggles to Break Even."

The article stated that the production cost of If You Are the One 2 was 60 million yuan, requiring at least 200 million in box office revenue just to break even, with profits only possible beyond that.

However, based on current projections, the film will likely cap at around 200 million, and its reception has been lackluster.

Random interviews revealed that most viewers preferred watching Let the Bullets Fly, with some even rewatching it two or three times because the film’s depth demanded multiple viewings to fully grasp.

It must be said, Director Jiang’s skill… blah blah!

And the performances of the lead actors… blah blah!

Including the behind-the-scenes crew and investor Young Master Cao… blah blah!

All of it was praise.

Relentless praise.

After all, praise equals clicks.

...

"Ugh!" Pao'er sighed. "Thankfully, this movie’s actual cost wasn’t that high, or we’d really be in deep trouble."

"That guy’s a jinx. Nothing good ever happens when I cross paths with him."

Pao'er poured himself a drink, muttering under his breath as he drowned his sorrows.

BANG!

Just then.

His assistant barged into his home.

Pao'er snapped, "The hell’s wrong with you? Can’t you knock? Get the hell out!"

"Boss, news—Cao Cheng just roasted you online!" the assistant blurted out in a panic.

Pao'er grew even angrier. "Damn it, I’m already down in the dumps, and now he’s kicking me while I’m down? This kid’s ruthless! No respect for the unwritten rules—I oughta teach him a lesson!"

Pao'er grabbed the laptop and took a look.

Young Master Cao had indeed spoken up.

He posted identical messages on both Weibo accounts:

"Congratulations to Let the Bullets Fly for crossing 600 million at the box office. But now’s not the time for a victory celebration—our sights are set on the stars and beyond. Unlike some people who throw a party the moment they hit 600 million? No vision!"

Damn it.

Pao'er wanted to smash the laptop after reading just the first line.

"No vision" was a phrase he often used to criticize others.

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine a young upstart would one day turn it against him.

Too far, kid.

Reading further:

Young Master Cao continued, "Just saw a media report claiming If You Are the One 2 cost 60 million and will barely break even. Let me tell you—you’re all naive."

"I won’t comment on Pao'er’s character—everyone knows what he’s like. Let’s just say his vision is limited. But his ability to control costs and turn a profit is undeniable. If You Are the One 2 sold over 50 million in ads before it even hit theaters. The costs were covered long ago."

At this point,

Pao'er nodded, feeling a flicker of pride.

Damn right.

But his pride didn’t last long.

"If You Are the One 2 isn’t a movie—it’s a commercial with a film spliced in. The ads are the main attraction."

"Plus, Pao'er’s notorious for cutting corners. The production quality is garbage—at most, 10 million went into actual filmmaking."

"I don’t get why anyone would watch this trash. Talk about getting scammed."

"The ratings are barely above 6, and that’s only out of respect for Shu Qi and the cast. If we’re judging purely on plot and direction, calling it ‘reheated leftovers’ would be an insult to leftovers."

"Garbage film. Garbage director. A disgrace to the talented actors and crew involved."

CRASH—

The laptop hit the floor.

The assistant was stunned.

What the hell?!

That was MY laptop!

Smash your own damn stuff!

Unbelievable!

...

Box office numbers…

Especially for films released in the same period—it’s a zero-sum game.

Simply put, if we’re competing in the same season, even if our genres differ, every extra penny I make is a penny less for you.

Sure, some viewers might watch multiple films.

But with limited screenings and theater screens, it’s a cutthroat battle for space.

So,

Young Master Cao’s aggressive promotion and scathing critique were a no-holds-barred attempt to bury If You Are the One 2.

Sure, some might enjoy it—it’s a rom-com, after all.

Couples aren’t there for the plot; they just want a dark theater to cozy up in.

But overall, if not for the star power and Pao'er’s somewhat decent track record,

This film would be unwatchable.

Or rather,

Not nearly as good as advertised.

...

After holding back for hours,

Pao'er finally reached his breaking point…