It has to be said that "Eavesdropping 3" was indeed a good movie and had its own dedicated audience, so the box office growth had been very steady.

At eight o'clock, its box office reached 24 million, by nine o'clock it had successfully broken through to 26 million, and by ten o'clock it had further risen to 28 million.

But its failure also lay precisely in being too consistent.

After a quiet day, the box office curve for "Love Lost in 23 Days" shot up dramatically.

At eight o'clock it was 24 million, by nine o'clock it reached 27 million, and by 10 o'clock it had already broken through 30 million, reaching 33 million.

When the day ended, the opening day box office for "Love Lost" finally settled at 37 million.

In contrast, "Eavesdropping 3" managed only 30 million.

Therefore, after leading for an entire day, the box office for "Eavesdropping 3" was incredibly overtaken by "Love Lost"!

That evening at midnight, when the results came out, the entire entertainment and film industry were somewhat stunned.

What kind of movie was "Eavesdropping 3"?

A movie featuring two Xiangjiang celebrity actors and one Mainland actress! It had the strong flavor of old Hong Kong films and was praised as one of the best series of Hong Kong films in recent years!

What's more, its production company was an established company from Xiangjiang, and the distribution was handled by a veteran company from the Mainland.

How did such a trump card of a movie get bested on its first day?

And the one to beat it was just an urban romance film? Just a second-tier popularity actor named Lu Man? Just a newly established company called Chenlu Film Company?

So, at the moment everyone in the entertainment and film industry heard the news, they found it hard to believe.

Even many were consoling themselves: maybe it was just for one day? After all, movies with popular celebrities typically start off with explosive box office results and then plummet.

Perhaps the second day, the box office for "Love Lost" would plummet just like those movies!

This thought was not unique.

Everyone was watching the box office for the following day.

To everyone's surprise, when Saturday's daily box office was released, it simply knocked everyone's glasses off!

It had expanded! The gap had actually widened!

Originally, everyone thought that "Eavesdropping 3" would catch up to the box office of "Love Lost," but not only did it fail to catch up, it fell behind by an even larger margin!

At the end of the second day, "Eavesdropping 3" earned a box office of 50 million, which was a good 20 million higher than yesterday.

But... the box office for "Love Lost" that day shot directly up to an impressive 75 million. A full 38 million higher than its opening day!

At this moment, everyone following the two movies was somewhat speechless.

Was "Eavesdropping 3" truly unable to beat "Love Lost"?

Two celebrity actors and one actress, were they really unable to beat Lu Man?

Two established film companies, were they really unable to beat the rising Chenlu Film Company?

Could it be... the entertainment industry was really changing?

While the entire entertainment and film industry was dazed, the box office for "Love Lost" continued its vigorous advance.

Generous promotions from Chen Yan, along with a perfect release schedule selected by Song Chuang, fully capitalized on Singles' Day, a holiday traditionally not emphasized by domestic films.

Already amidst the shopping frenzy of the Singles' Day, plus this movie's theme fitting the occasion perfectly, the effect was explosive!

During the holiday, those who wanted to go to the cinema chose "Love Lost in 23 Days" as their first pick. Simply mentioning "Let's go watch 'Love Lost in 23 Days'" in a group almost always resulted in an enthusiastic response.

Many went with classmates, good friends, or besties to watch in groups.

After all, going to the movies together on this singles' holiday somehow created an atmosphere of "single people need not fear loneliness."

Of course, it must be mentioned that in the process of the box office steadily climbing, the quality of the movie also played a key role.

After a few "quarrels" and "dropped watches" with Chen Yan, Lu Man portrayed the feeling of the female lead's heartbreak to the depths.

Her own willfulness and petulance also matched the female lead perfectly.

That kind of proud arrogance, where the heart aches inside but refuses to admit defeat. That kind of personality where tears swirl in the eyes, yet stubbornly declaring "I don't love," truly harvested lots of tears and affection from the audience and fans.

Those realistic and heart-wrenching plots made many viewers and fans feel as if they were seeing the shadows of their own heartbreak, resonating widely.

This not only kept the movie's box office soaring but also caused a 180-degree complete reversal for Lu Man's online reputation.

Fans previously skeptical about the casting choice beneath her Weibo posts were now apologizing, saying they had wronged "Sister," never expecting her to make such an appealing movie.

Moreover... the fans reversed their stance from a few days back when they criticized Lu Man's styling and now forgot what they said back then.

Instead, they said Lu Man's ordinary appearance looked even better. Not only was it pretty, but it also made them feel as if Lu Man was like a friend nearby...

The impressive quality of the movie, in turn, allowed the good results at the box office to carry on.

On Sunday, "Love Lost in 23 Days" broke new records: a box office of 82 million.

In the first three days of the week, "Love Lost in 23 Days" turned in a fantastic performance of nearly two billion at the box office, shocking everyone!

In contrast, the comparatively steady "Eavesdropping 3" had just crossed a hundred million after three days of screening. It was getting harder to catch sight of "Love Lost's" taillights....

.....

Monday, 9 a.m. Lu Man bouncily arrived at the game company again.

Compared to last Friday, today she was the picture of triumph.

The movie's blockbuster success and her excellent portrayal of her role had greatly enhanced her fame, national popularity, and the affections of passers-by.

Not only had she firmly established herself among the ranks of second-tier actresses, but she had also begun to shed the label of a traffic celebrity and had a representative work.

These past two days, Sister Meili had been calling just to share good news.

For instance, certain film directors had begun sending invitations to Lu Man, certain TV dramas wanted to cast her, and certain variety shows wanted her to come for promotions.

These glories and attention, once distant due to the ban, had finally come back to Lu Man!

The entertainment industry was just that realistic. When you could exhibit sufficient value, bans and marginalization ceased to exist.

Furthermore, due to her excellent performance in this movie, Sister Meili was using her connections to actively work on awards for Lu Man.

If Lu Man could snag a significant award at a film festival, her position in the entertainment industry would truly be solidified, not as unstable as before, like a duckweed, which could be swept away into the trash the moment a new wave of traffic celebrities "logged in."

Arriving at Chenyu Game Company.

Wearing sunglasses, Lu Man walked in with a cool aloofness.

Because she had her full aura on display, even though a few employees were itching to come over for autographs, they dared not move.

In this manner, Lu Man entered the twin offices as if no one else were there.

She first glanced through the window at the clay sculpture room.

Now that school had started and Yu Qiao Qiao, having moved up to her sophomore year, was busy, she hadn't come to work today.

Lu Man breathed a sigh of relief, didn't knock, and directly pushed open the door to the general manager's office and walked in.

The employees who already knew that Lu Man had partnered with their boss to start a company, and had a good relationship with him, withdrew their gazes and went back to their work.

Chen Yan was looking down at a game plan at the moment. Hearing someone barge in without knocking, he immediately guessed who it was.

As he continued to write, he asked without looking up, "Why have you come to my side again? Have that much free time? I remember Sister Rou's side is planning a new variety show; why don't you go discuss your thoughts?"

Having entered the office, Lu Man no longer needed to keep up her facade. She walked over to Chen Yan with a grin, hugged his arm, and rubbed against it, "I trust Sister Rou; when she finishes planning, she'll just notify me. I don't like using my brain."

Chen Yan smiled and glanced at her, "I can see that. You're not the worrying kind."

Having said that, he asked, "Did you come here for something?"

Lu Man pulled up a chair next to Chen Yan, sat down, and proudly announced, "Of course! I've decided to take your villa!"

Chen Yan looked at her in surprise.

Oh. A virtual girlfriend taking the initiative to accept a gift was quite rare.

Lu Man obviously misunderstood Chen Yan's expression, assuming that he was surprised by her confidence. So, she continued proudly, "The movie has already made over two billion! And although the box office on Monday has decreased quite a bit, it still looks strong. I believe breaking five billion won't be a problem!"

Chen Yan chuckled, "Five billion and you're already acting so proud?"

Lu Man tilted her head up, willfully stating, "Of course! There aren't many actresses with a five billion box office. The whole industry is now singing my praises!"

Chen Yan curiously said, "Really?"

Lu Man pulled out her phone from her LV bag, unlocked it, opened WeChat, and handed it over to Chen Yan, "Of course! Look for yourself!"

Chen Yan took the phone and noticed that Lu Man's unread messages were already 99+.

He casually scrolled through and they were all either congratulations to her or chats about her.

Some were private messages, some were group chats.

Chen Yan casually clicked into one group and saw that they were discussing Lu Man.

[Have you guys watched "Love Lost in 23 Days"? I'm telling you, it's definitely a classic!]

[Watched it, watched it! Really good. I cried.]

[I watched it too. At first, when I heard this movie got a six billion box office guarantee for the theaters, I thought it was just bluffing. But when I actually saw the movie, I realized that was an understatement!]

[Right! It should be ten billion!]

[Agree.]

[Agree.]

Chen Yan chuckled upon seeing these effusive messages.

He clicked on the group member list.

Just as he expected, Lu Man's profile picture was among the last few.

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