Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 403 The premiere caused trouble

Local netizens in Ulanqab have spotted the film crew's car and posted photos online.

"We spotted a car from Beijing in our small town. It had the words 'Mojin: The Lost Legend' on its windshield. I never expected that 'Mojin: The Lost Legend' would be filming here. I wonder where the crew will be shooting. I'll go check it out sometime."

“I saw them on the roadside. Their driver was eating at a small restaurant. I mustered up the courage to go up and talk to them. They were delivering props and equipment to the film crew. They said the director and actors would be coming in a few days. They wouldn’t tell me anything else.”

On the night the film crew's convoy arrived at CHEYYHQ, the premiere of "The Invisible Guest" was being held at the Autumn International Cinema.

Transformers 4 has grossed over 10 billion yuan at the Chinese box office, and its momentum shows no signs of slowing down, with daily growth remaining quite impressive.

At the premiere, Li Qiutang did not show any panic or worry, but was optimistic: "This shows that our market is big enough, and we should be happy that such a film can achieve such good results."

But the reporter stirred things up by asking whether "The Invisible Guest" could end "Transformers 4's" winning streak.

Li Qiutang laughed and said, "This is not a task for 'The Invisible Guest'. Let's talk about this again when I'm making a blockbuster."

Since the positive word-of-mouth from the Shanghai International Film Festival screenings, expectations for "The Invisible Guest" have been very high.

The reporter told Li Qiutang, "The Invisible Guest is the most anticipated summer blockbuster among netizens."

This was unexpected for Li Qiutang. He originally thought that the most anticipated films during the summer season were "Tiny Times 3" and "The Continent," since the directors of both films brought huge fan bases, comparable to those of A-list celebrities.

Regarding the upcoming filming of "Mojin: The Lost Legend," Li Qiutang stated that she would join the production team as soon as she finished working on "The Invisible Guest."

The reporter wanted to know how Li Qiutang balanced her work on two film sets, "The Invisible Guest" and "Mojin: The Lost Legend," one of which was about to be released and the other about to begin filming.

Li Qiutang told the reporter frankly, "We can't balance it. We can't release either film. We can only do as much as we can. It will definitely be tiring, but this is our job."

Li Qiutang has been working extremely hard lately. If a reporter were to do a documentary on "A Day in the Life of a Director," they would be amazed by the intensity of her work and her boundless energy.

After a brief pre-screening sharing session, the movie screening began.

Li Qiutang said to Huang Xiaoming beside her, "You have another 'The White-Haired Witch' coming out at the end of the month, right? Are you able to handle it?"

"What's there to be busy about?" Huang Xiaoming said. He actually hoped for a higher workload now, because a high-intensity job could numb his nerves and prevent him from thinking about all the messy things at home.

He found that the rift between Yang Ying and him was growing, and that working constantly allowed him to temporarily escape these problems.

The movie was playing slowly on the big screen, but Huang Xiaoming's attention wasn't on it; his mind was elsewhere.

She really should have found someone obedient and quiet. Director Li and Yifei have a great relationship; they never argue. In contrast, her own relationship crisis has even reached the media, making her a laughingstock for reporters.

I don't know which bastard sent Yang Ying the video of her arguing with Lu Chuan that day, making her think that she still had feelings for him. He couldn't explain this even if he had a thousand mouths.

As he thought about it, Huang Xiaoming glanced at Qin Lan. Apart from having a bit of a temper, Qin Lan was actually a very good woman. Her temper was only bad in certain situations; she would only get angry if someone provoked her. Otherwise, she was very good-tempered.

When we broke up, it wasn't a matter of who was right or wrong. We were both at the peak of our careers, and if we could focus on our relationship, we couldn't focus on our careers, and vice versa. I'm truly grateful that she flew all the way here to take care of me when I was injured.

If I hadn't broken up with her back then, our kids would probably be running all over the place by now, and we'd be a family of four generations, enjoying endless family bliss.

As they were thinking, the movie on the big screen ended, and the audience burst into enthusiastic applause. The creators then went back on stage.

Most of the audience and guests present had not seen a preview screening in Shanghai and were amazed by Li Qiutang's grasp of the story's pacing.

An audience member asked Huang Xiaoming, "Why can you act so well in Director Li's films, but not so well in other films?"

This is a pointed question, but also a very interesting one.

Huang Xiaoming didn't mind being told that; he felt the audience member was being sincere and telling him the truth. He picked up the microphone to answer the question, but Li Qiutang interrupted, saying, "Answer properly."

There was laughter in the audience.

Huang Xiaoming wouldn't criticize other directors on this issue, but instead said, "I take every film seriously and want to give my best, but perhaps it's just that I'm willing but unable. I want to do better, but things often don't go as planned. Qiu Tang is a good director, and his team is also very good. We are all very familiar with each other. Some of the brothers in the crew have been with Director Li since 'Nobody in My Eyes,' so we know each other very well and have a great working relationship."

He won't say why he performed poorly in other films.

Some things were not appropriate to say during the post-screening Q&A session, so they were mentioned in the group interview and exclusive interview after the premiere.

A reporter from PPS asked Qin Lan directly, "Will it feel different to play a couple with Huang Xiaoming?"

Qin Lan reacted quickly, immediately asking the reporter, "How do you think you would feel?"

The reporter wasn't afraid of Qin Lan at all: "Will you get particularly emotional, and recall things from the past?"

Qin Lan's assistant was about to step forward to stop the reporter from asking more questions, but Qin Lan still replied, "We are all professional actors, we know what we are doing. Next question."

In the interview with Li Qiutang, the reporter wanted to know why she paired Huang Xiaoming and Qin Lan together.

Li Qiutang said, "I didn't think too much about it beforehand, I just chose the actors normally. I've known Qin Lan for almost 10 years, and I cast her first. At that time, Huang Xiaoming volunteered to play the role, but I told him in advance that Qin Lan had already been cast, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to come on board."

At this point, Li Qiutang laughed first: "But Huang Xiaoming said he still wants to act in 'The Invisible Guest.' He himself doesn't mind, so I can't say anything."

"Premiere of 'The Invisible Guest'. Li Qiutang reveals: Huang Xiaoming knew Qin Lan was in the film long ago."

"Premiere of 'The Invisible Guest'. Qin Lan talks about working with Huang Xiaoming: We are both professional actors, we know what to do, and we won't think or act recklessly."

"The Invisible Guest premiered in Beijing yesterday. As one of the most anticipated films of the summer season, the premiere was attended by a large number of guests. After the film was shown, it received thunderous applause and cheers from the audience. According to the theater chain, the managers of various theaters are very optimistic about The Invisible Guest. Fang Bing, general manager of Dadi Theaters, who had seen the film in advance, believes that The Invisible Guest can snatch the daily champion from Transformers 4."

Li Qiutang's words caused trouble, and Yang Ying saw his interview.

Huang Xiaoming knew Qin Lan would be in the show, but he still insisted on acting in "The Invisible Guest"!
(End of this chapter)