Hollywood Frontline News: "The second and third highest-grossing films in world history? Both him."
L'OFFICIEL: "Over the past two months, Fifth Avenue in New York has been filled with men in black coats and sunglasses. He single-handedly shifted global aesthetic trends, even if only temporarily."
The New Yorker: "Davis proved he could strike a balance between commerce and art. The Matrix's $2.501 billion box office cemented Davis as a director more widely recognized by the public. It also highlighted his talent for discovering actors' potential. According to Warner's PR head Sam Warner, credit also goes to Mr. Davis's persistence—he personally traveled to Huai'an multiple times to secure the actors."
Seattle Times: "A flashy film that only scratches the surface of deep philosophical ideas. If it had a different lead actor, I wouldn't have lasted through it. Its success confirms that a well-cast hero matters. I hope the sequel will give me a different experience."
The film earned the third-highest box office in cinematic history. Almost all reports were positive, with only a few scattered criticisms. No matter how the movie was reviewed, Chu Zhi received widespread praise.
It wasn't that Chu Zhi acted exceptionally well. The main character was simple, without complex emotional arcs. Most of the time, looking cool was enough.
Still, the performance was polished. After all, he had been nominated for Best Actor at Europe's three major film festivals.
Like spring ducks sensing the warming river first, the real market buzz is known first in Yangcheng, or more precisely, the city's clothing wholesale market. Warner underestimated the star power of Chu Zhi, not producing any related merchandise. But as L'OFFICIEL noted, men in black coats were everywhere, and Europe's huge demand? Yangcheng's clothing wholesalers happily picked up that pie.
"Last batch—there's not much demand from Europe and America anymore."
"Too bad we still don't have enough clothing. This time Danyang made the big profit. The movie's sunglasses sold out worldwide."
"After watching the movie, you feel like putting on a black coat and sunglasses would make you look as cool as The Matrix, but most people don't have the legs, or they're a bit chubby. It just doesn't look good."
"Who cares if it looks good? If the customer feels good wearing it, that's enough."
"Finally got a hot item. Hope that star makes a few more films so our small factory can earn some real money."
Yangcheng workers' expectations were simple and innocent. A blockbuster movie alone couldn't trigger a fashion trend. Even Unsinkable didn't start one, which made sense since it featured 19th-century costumes. Star charisma was the deciding factor.
Those expectations were dashed. Chu Zhi didn't take another Hollywood role. Warner execs "Hammerhead Shark" and Davis came to China twice to negotiate a sequel, but they left disappointed both times.
Aiguo's team analyzed the situation perfectly. Chu Zhi was essential to the film's success, but optional for the sequel, so they demanded a sky-high price.
It wasn't just about salary, but investment stakes. With the current market, a sequel with the original cast would make money for sure. Asking for a bigger stake would be like taking Warner's share.
In July, Hammerhead Shark visited Aiguo three times, each ending in failure. A few days later, a Warner exec "accidentally" leaked that The Matrix 2 might recast the male lead, which "coincidentally" was reported by media online, sparking heated discussion.
"Trying to pressure us to reduce our investment share?" Chu Zhi saw the news. He believed the recast wasn't fake. If Aiguo insisted, Warner might actually do it. But they didn't realize Chu Zhi truly didn't want to film more action movies. Without enough profit, it was goodbye.
"Annual App Awards again didn't pick us. Exhausting. BeReal, GoodNotes 7, MacFamilyTree 15, ViX… Apple's doing this on purpose." Chu Zhi muttered, looking at the App Store Awards. Orange Home's international version had enough users and reviews to win, yet three years in a row it was ignored.
Chu Zhi knew why. The Chinese phone he endorsed was competing with Apple worldwide, so Apple's stance was hostile.
"A little petty." Chu Zhi shrugged. Awards aside, the real focus was the yearly Summer Wish event, where one fan's comment gets granted each year. This surprise was reserved both domestically and internationally.
In 2027, two wishes were granted.
The domestic fan was a Little Fruit from Henan, with a simple wish: "I really want a collector's edition signed album of Little Fruits are Sweet."
The international Little Fruit came from Hamburg, Germany, with a slightly romantic wish: to visit the Dazu Rock Carvings with Chu Zhi.
Chu Zhi's promotions were effective. The MV drove foreign tourists to places like Dazu Rock Carvings, the Three Gorges, and Fairy Mountain.
Both wishes were easy to fulfill. Chu Zhi not only gave the Henan Little Fruit a collector's edition album, but a unique custom version. Granting the German Little Fruit's wish took just two days. Chu Zhi knew fans were the foundation of a star—no amount of fame could change that.
While busy, Aiguo released two albums: Chu Zhi's eighth Chinese album In Harmony (including his previous two albums) and Miao Chen's EP.
The latter sold 110,000 copies, a solid result.
Chu Zhi's In Harmony sold over 6 million in a single month domestically, and roughly 8 million across Japan, Korea, and other Asian countries. Since it wasn't promoted in Europe or America, the 1 million copies there were minimal.
Even with his previous mega-sales topping 60 million, selling 15 million physical copies globally for In Harmony didn't warrant a company celebration—standards were high now.
"I'll have the company throw a celebration for you. Once it hits 100,000 copies, it should break into the top 20 Chinese albums," agent Lao Caitou said happily to Miao Chen.
"…Boss didn't even celebrate selling over ten million copies. Why celebrate my 100,000?" Miao Chen immediately refused, quietly thinking his promotion effort couldn't compare to his boss.
"Silly kid, why compare yourself to the boss? No singer in the global entertainment industry competes with him in album sales. It's a different level, you get me?" Lao Caitou said. "In the domestic market, no EP has sold over 100,000 copies in four or five years. Don't you think that deserves a celebration?"
Miao Chen's expression was complicated. Lao Caitou added, "If you set your boss as the target, you'll never get a celebration in your life."
In the end, Miao Chen agreed. He saw the reception for his boss's album In Harmony online. Even without Aiguo promoting, it was widely praised.
"Walking in the Rain" comment section: "Six months until college entrance exams. I can't fall behind again. Brother Jiu woke me up back in middle school, and now again. I'll keep moving forward, even in the rain. This is a turning point in my life."
"Dancing Van Gogh" comment section: "At first, I didn't like it. Listened twice, and hmm, it's interesting. Then I got hooked. Weird and gorgeous. Dear Van Gogh, so lonely…"
"Back to Lhasa" comment section: "Few songs make me feel like I'm seeing the grasslands, or feeling the holiness of the Potala Palace. This one does both."
"Revolution" comment section: "Listening to this while watching a horror movie made me wanna drag the ghost out and beat it up, damn it!"
…
"No wonder he's the boss," Miao Chen could only sigh.
He knew he had to work even harder.
Time pushed on, and by the end of September, it was almost the day the 2027 Nobel Literature Prize would be announced.