Married in a Daze - Chapter 164
Chapter 164
The filming progress for the movie was much faster than Qin Zhenzhen had anticipated. Lu Ruyun occasionally still faltered during the scenes, but this didn't raise any alarm. The crew simply attributed it to her astonishing acting skills, never connecting it to anything else.
Only those closest to her understood why she reacted that way.
Although Qin Zhenzhen felt distressed, she never advised her to give up. She would just hold her, keep her company, and talk to her to soothe her mood whenever she was having a hard time.
Lu Ruyun's progress was evident. From the initial moments of losing composure, she gradually became more natural and measured in her performance. Qin Zhenzhen knew she wasn't having an easy time because she often woke up at night to find Lu Ruyun sitting by the window. Yet, it was heartening to see she was truly developing in a positive direction. Even Vice Dean Ding had praised her.
By mid-June, the movie filming was about one-third complete. Qin Zhenzhen asked Duan Qiuhan for leave to attend the premiere ceremony. Lu Ruyun naturally accompanied her, so the entire crew had a few days off. Everyone happily wished Qin Zhenzhen's film great success at the box office. Even Duan Qiuhan offered several words of blessing before she left.
Qin Zhenzhen naturally accepted them all with a smile.
The premiere was scheduled for June 16th, not in City A. She and Lu Ruyun had to fly to L Province in advance, as the premiere was at ten o'clock the next morning.
The fact that Mountain Girl and Zheng Shaoyuan's film were scheduled for the same period had caused quite a stir in the industry.
Putting aside the past dispute between Zheng Shaoyuan and Qin Zhenzhen, the fact that his film was similar in genre to Yu Changlin's, and coincidentally on the same day, was enough to give industry insiders a headache.
Because they didn't know which side to attend.
Yu Changlin's films naturally had good box office records, but that was in the past. No one knew if his style had changed after three years of silence. Zheng Shaoyuan was different. His recent films had achieved remarkable results, evident for all to see. Everyone was very familiar with his style, shooting techniques, and narrative arrangements.
Moreover, his film had already been hyped to the skies by fans before its release. So, industry insiders were momentarily unsure whether to attend Zheng Shaoyuan's premiere to show support or come to Yu Changlin's to offer congratulations.
Artists found it difficult to decide, and film critics also faced scheduling challenges.
As everyone knew, after the premiere, it was the critics' turn to work. Their reviews formed the first impression for most netizens regarding the film. So, it didn't matter much if artists didn't attend, but critics absolutely had to be invited.
When Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun arrived at the venue, it hadn't started yet. Staff led them to a backstage lounge to rest. This time, He Shuangshuang didn't come along; only Ji Lu was running around handling everything.
It was just past 9:30, half an hour before the premiere. Qin Zhenzhen was so nervous she kept going to the bathroom. In the end, she fell back into her old habit—sitting on the closed toilet lid in her gown and full makeup, refusing to get up.
Outside the partition, the sound of high heels clicking came intermittently. Hearing other people's chatter made her palms sweat.
"How many have arrived?"
"Old Chen and the others didn't come. I heard they went to Director Zheng's side."
"Sigh, we should have gone to Director Zheng's too. I have a feeling his film will be a hit."
"Isn't it aiming for the Shengshi International Film Festival? I bet he's fully prepared."
"Eighty percent chance it's promising. Hey, did you see Gu Changyun just now? He actually came here."
"Gu Changyun..."
Gu Changyun?
Hearing that name, Qin Zhenzhen's heart skipped a beat. Who in the industry didn't know about the conflict between her and Gu Changyun? During that time of being blacklisted online, fans even jokingly called him the number one anti-fan because of his sharp, blunt criticisms of her, never minding her status.
Actually, she wasn't the first to be criticized by Gu Changyun. Most of the popular young actresses online had faced his remarks. It was just that his criticism of her happened to coincide with the lowest point in her career, and it resonated widely, causing quite a commotion. That's why netizens particularly remembered the conflict between them.
Just like Qin Zhenzhen, who remembered it deeply.
Rubbing her slightly aching temples, her phone chimed twice with a message from Lu Ruyun.
—Zhenzhen, it's almost starting.
Qin Zhenzhen gathered her composure, pushed open the partition door, took several deep breaths, and walked out in her high heels. She wore a pale blue gown, her slender waist seemingly easy to encircle. Her long hair cascaded down her back as she walked with graceful sway.
Lu Ruyun was waiting for her near the entrance. Seeing her approach slowly, she lifted her lips in a smile. "Let's go in."
Qin Zhenzhen blinked. Before she could react, Lu Ruyun took her right hand. Qin Zhenzhen glanced at her sideways; her expression was calm, her bright eyes sparkling.
After entering, they sat in the second row. Qin Zhenzhen instinctively glanced towards the seats behind and indeed saw Gu Changyun in a suit. Several people were talking to him, all familiar critics. Qin Zhenzhen's heart, which had just settled, began pounding again.
"What's wrong?" Lu Ruyun, noticing her sweaty palm, couldn't help but ask.
Qin Zhenzhen pressed her lips together and gestured with her eyes. "Look behind us."
Lu Ruyun glanced back out of the corner of her eye and smiled. "Teacher Gu?"
Qin Zhenzhen gave a slight nod and took a breath.
Seeing her so tense, Lu Ruyun gave a light laugh. "Relax."
Qin Zhenzhen wished she could relax, but she couldn't. Fortunately, the movie started shortly after.
The lights slowly dimmed, and the entire venue gradually quieted down. Everyone's gaze instinctively turned towards the source of light.
The movie began with a chase scene. A beast in the forest pursued the male lead, played by Chen Feng. In the quiet woods, a man ran desperately, a beast hot on his heels. As Chen Feng stumbled and fell to the ground, the beast opened its bloody maw and lunged straight for his face!
Chen Feng's body tensed, his face etched with despair, waiting for the pain to strike. The audience tensed up too, their pupils dilating, waiting to see how Chen Feng would escape this crisis. Then, two large black characters appeared on the screen.
Mountain Girl.
The opening captured the essence of the entire film. The beast in the film symbolized power, money, and desire—things that relentlessly pursued the male lead, placing him in a dilemma, unable to choose, until he was eventually devoured by the beast.
Looking at the two characters on the screen, Qin Zhenzhen squeezed Lu Ruyun's hand. In the darkened environment, they exchanged a glance and smiled faintly.
The main feature began.
On the screen, in a hospital room reeking of disinfectant, a person lay sleeping. Her thin body was wrapped in a hospital gown, her complexion slightly sallow, her wrists slender. IV fluid dripped through the tube into her body. The room was quiet, with only the steady beeping of monitors.
The hospital door suddenly opened with a click. A nurse entered, performed a simple check on the patient, glanced at the sleeping girl, and couldn't help but gently brush aside her long hair, revealing half of her profile.
A call came from outside the door. The nurse responded and quickly left the room.
The moment the door closed, the fingers of the person on the bed twitched slightly. The camera zoomed in. Her eyelashes fluttered, her eyelids moved, and then slowly, she opened her eyes.
Gu Changyun couldn't claim to have watched ten of Qin Zhenzhen's TV dramas, but eight was a sure bet. He had even seen the previously popular Cold Palace. His impression was that she had progressed from amateurish at first to merely competent now. Her acting was better than those young stars who only knew how to generate hype, but not good enough to evoke genuine resonance.
Even today, he was here out of respect for Yu Changlin.
He thought he was just going through the motions. He never expected to be proven wrong.
Gu Changyun's gaze fixed on the screen ahead, as if locking eyes with Qin Zhenzhen through the film. Those clear, bottomless bright eyes, containing the beauty of mountains and rivers, brimming with spirit, lucid and luminous.
Not an indescribable beauty, but one that made your heart tremble, involuntarily drawn to those eyes.
At that moment, he felt like the male lead in the film, his gaze unable to leave Qin Zhenzhen.
The Mountain Girl Qin Zhenzhen played in the film was essentially a mute girl. She couldn't speak and couldn't understand others, communicating mostly through gestures. At first, this led to some laughable situations, but faced with her bewildered eyes and innocent expression, Chen Feng couldn't bring himself to scold her. Instead, he began to dote on her.
And doting on her led to developing feelings.
Originally, he only wanted to use the Mountain Girl's status to enhance his own political standing. She was merely a sacrificial pawn for his power. But as time passed, facing someone as pure as a child, someone who relied on him wholeheartedly and trusted him, facing those clear, clean eyes, he hesitated.
He couldn't choose between a person and his career.
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Chen Feng's veteran acting skills perfectly conveyed this dilemma. His pain and anguish, with no outlet, led him to drown his sorrows in drink.
Everyone in the audience wore complex expressions. Even Gu Changyun lightly furrowed his brows because he had put himself in that position. He found that he, too, couldn't make a choice.
On one side, a career he had worked towards for half his life. On the other, someone who made him feel that flutter of the heart again.
An impossible choice.
And in the film, reality made the choice for Chen Feng.
He abandoned the Mountain Girl and chose power.
This choice also pushed him into an abyss.
The ending mirrored the beginning: he was chased by the beast. Only this time, the Mountain Girl couldn't save him. She could only watch as he was devoured by the beast and transformed into an even larger beast.
The dramatic moment came when the Mountain Girl, who had never spoken a word throughout the entire film, uttered her only line. Standing in the witness box during the trial, she pointed at the defendant and said, "Su Jin'an."
Her pronunciation was clear.
Chen Feng had taught her that name countless times because he wanted her to remember him, to remember his name. He never imagined that the person who would ultimately push him into the abyss was himself.
As the Mountain Girl resolutely uttered those three words, the scene cut to Chen Feng teaching her, over and over, to call his name.
The warmth of the past contrasted starkly with the cruelty of the present.
This vivid contrast left everyone in the audience slightly open-mouthed, hearts filled with melancholy.
For several minutes after the film ended, the venue remained silent. Then, from the back row, someone started clapping twice, immediately followed by a round of applause and endless praise. Qin Zhenzhen instinctively looked towards Gu Changyun's seat and saw a faint smile on his face.
It was a smile she hadn't seen before the movie started.
Qin Zhenzhen let out a sigh of relief.
After the premiere, promotional content flooded the internet—naturally, not for her film, but for Zheng Shaoyuan's. For his new film, Zheng Shaoyuan had not only invited numerous critics but also Tang Ya.
Tang Ya rarely attended such events. So, her appearance at Zheng Shaoyuan's premiere immediately attracted media frenzy and attention. Entertainment headlines and Weibo were buzzing, filled with news about her.
In just one afternoon, Qin Zhenzhen and Yu Changlin's premiere only occupied two spots on the hot search list, while Zheng Shaoyuan's premiere and Tang Ya occupied four.
On Weibo, opinions about the two films varied, with veiled praise, subtle criticism, and indirect insults flying from both sides. Articles comparing and trying to outshine the other were rampant, with neither side giving ground.
This lively atmosphere continued until evening, when Gu Changyun posted on Weibo.
@Gu Changyun: A friend asked me how I felt after watching Mountain Girl. I thought for a moment and replied: It's probably the only film in the last five years I wanted to watch a second time immediately after the first viewing. Also, I retract my previous statement that Qin Zhenzhen has zero acting skills. I apologize. Her performance in Mountain Girl was truly stunning.
Comments
Post a Comment