CHAPTER 332: CHAPTER 328 BOTH BEAUTIFUL AND USEFUL (REQUESTING MONTHLY TICKETS)

Qi Hao definitely wouldn’t respond to Feng Xiaogang.

Firstly, although "Great Earthquake" is a commercial film, it does indeed have a higher significance.

Secondly, Qi Hao indeed used the official announcement to promote the film.

Lastly, the popularity of "Those Years" is simply inexhaustible; there’s really no need to interact with Feng Xiaogang for promotion.

Different paths never coalesce.

Qi Hao and Mrs. Hua are almost at daggers drawn, and now with An Feng publicly announcing they’re together, there’s even less room for cooperation between both parties.

Moreover, Mrs. Hua’s status as the top company in the film industry is facing serious challenges from Zhonghao Entertainment.

This year has just passed halfway, and Qi Hao’s side has already released three films with box office revenue exceeding 200 million.

Mrs. Hua can’t keep up even if she works herself to death.

Zhonghao Entertainment, with Zuo Feiyang on the left and West Hao on the right, involves film investment, production, distribution, and holds an unchallenged position in animation films.

The most crucial thing is, they have money.

Even though Mrs. Hua has gone public to raise funds, she can’t compare to Qi Hao’s wealth.

If Mrs. Hua wishes for any company to quickly go bankrupt, now Qi Hao has replaced Bern as the Wang Brothers’ most pressing concern.

In the past, they could maintain superficial harmony.

Now, it’s like they are enemies.

As soon as something happens to the other party, they would definitely spend heavily to buy a bunch of negative reports to send to each other.

Since it’s impossible to be friends, let’s not mess around with irrelevant matters.

"Tangshan Earthquake" had a box office of 160 million in the first four days of its opening week.

"Those Years" released on August 16 during the Qixi Festival, which was a Monday, meaning the box office for its first week was seven days.

The total of seven days directly reached 250 million.

The first week’s box office exceeded the total box office of "First Love, This Little Thing" over two months.

It’s fair to say, the official announcement of two top idols is just that unreasonable.

When the first week’s box office for "Those Years" was out, "Great Earthquake" had been in theaters for a month, though its screening would be extended with a secret key for at least another month.

"Great Earthquake" exceeded 600 million box office after a month, temporarily becoming the highest-grossing domestic film.

Why say temporarily?

Obviously, everyone can see the momentum of "Those Years" is even fiercer than "Great Earthquake."

It can be anticipated that the first-week box office of 250 million for "Those Years" will inevitably replace it as the new box office champion.

So, Feng Xiaogang and Mrs. Hua are not happy.

If it weren’t for "Those Years," the 600 million box office of "Great Earthquake" would surely be the time for a crazy celebration, yet with "Those Years," it’s like there’s a fish bone stuck in the throat during a fish meal.

No matter how much you endure, it’s uncomfortable.

Feng Xiaogang knows he’s a senior, having been a director for fifteen years, while Qi Hao has just been a director for two years.

If he insists on not letting Qi Hao go, it would give people the impression of bullying the younger generation.

Not only won’t it gain support, but it would instead garner sympathy for Qi Hao.

His few fans are nothing compared to Qi Hao.

His previous act of belittling Qi Hao resulted in ridicule and mockery across the internet, people felt they should watch whatever movie they wanted; as consumers, they have the right to decide who they spend their money on.

No need to make a big fuss out of it.

This is still with no response from Qi Hao; if he really retaliated, Feng Xiaogang would likely feel even worse.

Feng Xiaogang also backed down.

Later, when asked about "Those Years," he could only change his tone to praise Qi Hao as a formidable young talent.

Then he brought up old matters, saying back in the day Qi Hao even played small roles in his crew.

As if he had done a favor for Qi Hao.

Qi Hao didn’t bother with him at all.

He and An Feng chose to get engaged on An Feng’s birthday, which is August 25.

In the ancient times, engagements were affirmed by matchmaking and marriage documents, or roughly followed ancient rituals with gifts.

In modern times, engagement isn’t a necessary pre-requisite for marriage.

Whether engaged or not doesn’t affect the legality of marriage.

It’s different from "ceremonial gift" in rural marriage customs.

"Ceremonial gift" in marriage customs is often described as "massive expense," as it’s the largest dowry payment the groom’s family needs to make before the wedding.

In some places, the gift is lighter, in others, it’s heavier.

In fact, the poorer you are, the more you emphasize the rituals, making it easier for the bride’s family to demand benefits from the groom’s family at various stages.

Qi Hao and An Feng didn’t have that many cumbersome rituals.

Just had a simple meal.

It was all arranged in the Siheyuan area.

Qi Hao hired chefs from the restaurant opened by Gao Yang to cook at home.

They were absolutely chefs of various cuisines.

It was also equivalent to "bottoming the pot," a custom in Henan and some parts of Northeast China when moving to a new residence.

Those who participated even needed to give some cash gifts.

Not only wouldn’t they lose money, the couple could earn some as well.

Since it was just an engagement, it wasn’t a big event, only inviting close relatives from both sides.

People from An Feng’s father’s side also came.

Qi Hao and An Feng were together, but didn’t meet the father-in-law to seek his consent.

According to An Feng, her dad had reorganized a new family quite early and even had another daughter.

The two of them only occasionally had a meal together, without extensively interfering in each other’s lives.

She and Qi Hao chose to get engaged but still informed her father.

Mr. An didn’t find out about his daughter’s romance from the news.

Before, he had meals with his daughter, asking if she had paid special attention to any boy, advising her to have higher expectations for love, not to be disillusioned by the unpleasant marriage of her parents.

An Feng had talked about Qi Hao.

At that time, they hadn’t been together yet, and she hoped to get some advice from her dad.

When Mr. An found out his daughter had a love interest, he felt a twinge of jealousy.

When they divorced, An Feng was already quite grown up.

He had witnessed An Feng’s most adorable moments.

Even after remarrying and having more children, it could never replace An Feng’s position in his heart.

That feeling of seeing your precious daughter being wooed is something only parents with daughters can understand.

However, he knew quite a bit about Qi Hao.

Some he heard from his daughter, some he found online, and others through his own channels.

He knew Qi Hao was an outstanding man.

Decent-looking, able to make it in showbiz just with his looks.

Both presentable and practical.

Successful in his career, more accomplished than most of his peers.

Basically a self-made man, which gives more security in his achievements.

Moreover, he’s very tall.

Taller than his daughter by a long shot.

In all aspects, he was a good match for his daughter.

A while ago, Qi Hao and An Feng went public with their relationship.

He also had a long talk with his daughter about their future plans over the phone.

He came alone to this engagement.

No matter what conflicts he had with Ms. Liu before, he didn’t want his daughter’s side to be without a father figure present.

Ms. Liu was quite gracious.

The two of them sat on either side of An Feng, looking just like a complete family.

An Feng’s stepmother and that sister didn’t come.

Grandparents were too old to attend, and besides, it would be awkward if they came.

However, they sent presents.

When it comes time for the wedding, they’ll attend if possible.

At least in terms of etiquette, there’s nothing lacking.

On Qi Hao’s side, it was mainly his parents and a few close relatives.

Qi Hao’s father had a sibling; his aunt passed away early.

His mother had no siblings but had quite a few close cousins.

The main dining room in this courtyard was very large.

A revolving dining table could seat dozens without a problem, and they even set up a separate table for the children.

The engagement banquet was lively and festive.

"Our Qianqian has found a good match; Qi Hao is a good kid."

Since the grandparents didn’t come, An Feng’s grandmother was the oldest and the matriarch on the bride’s side.

She was particularly pleased with Qi Hao.

Felt that her granddaughter was likely not to have an unfortunate marriage like her mother’s.

For a woman, marriage is a lifelong affair.

A happy marriage can make life much smoother.

"Qianqian is a good kid too. Our Qi Hao hasn’t found anyone for years; we were so worried. Didn’t expect he’d suddenly find someone so great. We often laugh ourselves awake from dreams about it, and once Qianqian marries in, we’ll have another daughter."

Mrs. Qi quickly praised the future daughter-in-law.

With this engagement, it’s pretty much like she’s already married in.

"As long as the two kids can live well, that’s what matters. Career is important, family is also important. We only hope Qi Hao doesn’t neglect the family."

Ms. Liu countered Mrs. Qi’s words.

The two had interacted several times and knew neither was easy to deal with.

"You can never earn too much money, having enough to spend is enough."

An Feng’s grandmother, thinking along similar lines, worried about Qi Hao being too focused on his career.

For ordinary people, the sense of accomplishment from winning over a beautiful woman brings great satisfaction.

But for someone like Qi Hao, a career powerhouse and billionaire, getting a beautiful woman is too easy.

To someone at this level, beautiful women are merely playthings.

There’s no way for them to make him feel "fulfilled."

That’s why many billionaires, despite already being so wealthy, continue to strive for more money.

"I’ve discussed it with Qianqian; we’ll set aside a few months each year for travel."

Qi Hao has planned to act in two to three films a year.

An Feng even less.

She’s set for one to two films.

Decidedly not more than two.

Normally it would be one film a year.

Now she’s mainly transitioning to a film actor, plus Qi Hao has many projects, that’s why she’s acting more.

This year, the films she’s in include "First Love, This Little Thing," "Lost on Journey," "Those Years," and "Heartbreak 33 Days," making a total of four.

It’s certainly her most productive year since debuting.

"We women still need to have our own careers, Qianqian, don’t you dare believe Qi Hao’s sweet talk about being a housewife."

This remark was originally something Ms. Liu was going to say.

However, Mrs. Qi snatched her line, leaving Ms. Liu with nothing to say.

"Mom, I didn’t!"

Qi Hao was wrongly accused, "Mom, you can’t tear down your own son just to please the in-laws."

"Young folks should still work hard," Granny Liu said to An Feng. "Your mother is lounging at home, and your mother-in-law is retiring next year. Even if you have kids, you don’t have to worry about not having help."

The mention of having children got both sides of the family excited.