I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 372, Shi Tiesheng: Wounds, Healed!

At this time, public opinion was in an uproar.
Li Xuan also saw the escalating public opinion; the discussion on Weibo was quite high.

"Liu Yifei, you can't act well in either art films or commercial films, so what's the point of you acting in art films?"

"I feel like I don't need to waste any more time. I should go and read 'To Live'. It's a book about the scars of the Loess Plateau, and it has a distinct Zhejiang flavor."

"Yu Hua still only has these two tricks up his sleeve—but I like it. I love the vibe of Yu Hua's films, so I'll still support him."

"Support what?"

These are all negative comments targeting Liu Yifei, and some of them are familiar faces.

A propaganda army specifically for the Beijing elite circle.

Judging from her background, Liu Yifei has close ties with the Beijing elite circle, but this time it seems she's trying to bring herself down.

They don't even spare people within their own circle.

"I'm speechless. Those comments compare Liu Yifei to Jiang Wenli, why don't they compare her to Zhang Ziyi?" Wei Ming was speechless at this point: "What kind of comments are these?"

"Um"

Li Xuan looked at the poster for "Li Chun".

Jiang Wenli's performance in "Farewell My Concubine" made her an instant star.

As her first film, it was an instant sensation.

She is a 'Best Actress'.

Indeed, to compare them is to bully people.

But this time, it was indeed a matchup, and from a publicity perspective, there's nothing wrong with what they said.

Audiences won't care about the difference in your status or experience; they'll only know that you're "matching" each other in this time slot.

Even if there is a certain gap between their acting skills and star power, from the perspective of the audience and viewers...
There's no difference.
The only difference between them is 'good' and 'bad'.

This is the most trusted principle in Li Xuan's understanding of the entertainment industry's most fundamental logic.

This is the underlying logic that will remain unchanged throughout future generations, regardless of iterations or changes.
That means that, ultimately, for the audience, there are only two kinds of movies: those that are worth paying for and those that are not.

Therefore, no matter what kind of underhanded tactics or tricks are used, the most important thing for oneself is to ensure 'purity'.
"These gray areas do exist, but they don't affect the quality itself; they're just noise," Li Xuan said, his expression as he looked at the screen completely calm, without the slightest fluctuation.
The current public opinion, the hype, the noise, and the people blocking the release date are all in place.
We've been waiting for this moment to begin.
After getting ready to go to the premiere film set, I saw someone waiting for me as soon as I left the residential area. It was Liu Yifei and Liu Lili.

Liu Lili didn't say anything, put Liu Yifei down and left, giving Li Xuan a deep look before leaving.

"By the way, Aunt Liu, aren't you going to take us to the movie theater?"

"My mom's busy," Liu Yifei said with a bright smile. "Let's go, just the two of us."

"okay."

At this moment, Li Xuan took Liu Yifei's hand and held it tightly as they headed to the premiere theater amidst the heavy snow in Beiping.

This calm continued until the premiere.

Yu Hua and Shi Tiesheng, who had come to watch the premiere, were also present.

They couldn't help but admire this young man.

"Even if Mount Tai collapses before your eyes, you remain calm. This young man is far more outstanding than I was back then," Yu Hua remarked with some emotion.

“The younger generation surpasses the older generation, isn’t it only natural that they are better than you?” Shi Tiesheng smiled, his face pale, his lips slightly dark, and his eyes drooping and tired, but he was still forcibly dragged by Yu Hua to watch “Hidden in the Dust”.

"Come see this movie, you definitely won't be disappointed, I'm telling you."

"How could I be disappointed by your work, my old friend?"

Shi Tiesheng smiled at this moment.
The physical pain made him want to give up on life, but he still lived on. Perhaps, living until his old friend's work was published wasn't such a bad thing.

After all, Yu Hua always said, "Watch this work first, it's not too late to die after watching my last work."

Yu Hua always said that.
Then, looking at Li Xuan, this young man, from the moment he was able to fully understand the script of "To Live", he had a considerable degree of curiosity about this young man. He was clearly not from that era, but simply by relying on his ability to appreciate art, he was able to have such a level of understanding of the script, and then implement that understanding in filming. This in itself was surprising enough.

This is probably what is called ability, what is called talent.

It remains to be seen what this work, which is perceived by outsiders as a remake of "To Live," will actually be like, and what kind of feeling and effect it will present.
However, perhaps this time will be the last. At least Shi Tiesheng felt that after watching this work and losing all interest, he would lose his reason and motivation to live.

We originally lived on friendship, and we continue to survive and exist on friendship.

After watching this work, I had no more desires.
"Alright, stop overthinking it, let's watch the movie first!" Yu Hua slapped Shi Tiesheng on the head.

"Your attitude towards patients remains as terrible as ever."

"You're a patient, but you're still a person. I treat everyone this way." Yu Hua chuckled, his eyes narrowed. "Just watch the movie, okay?"

"I wouldn't have been disappointed by your movie anyway."

Shi Tiesheng paused and then smiled, "I won't be disappointed with Li Xuan's work either."

To be honest, Shi Tiesheng felt that if he were facing such a clamor of public opinion, he would definitely feel a lot of pressure as well.

Wang Suo is a bigwig in Beijing's literary circles, and his every move is being watched.

People in the arts and literature circles also have some rumors about his relationship with Li Xuan.

Cultural circles are interconnected in some ways.

It's something that even he, a man nearing the end of his life, would know.

just now.

A young man who has offended a bigwig in Beijing's literary circle is bound to explode under pressure.

So when he saw Li Xuan's perfectly normal demeanor, he was somewhat impressed.

At least, it really gave him that feeling.

The feeling of heroes emerging from among the young
"What do you think of Li Xuan?" Yu Hua asked quietly with a smile.

"He is very pure."

Shi Tiesheng paused for a moment before speaking.

Even purer than you.

"His fearlessness stems from his purity, his purity and trust in his work. Actually, I initially came here with the attitude of watching your work, but now I'm just a little curious about how well Li Xuan can make this film."

This is due to negative public opinion from the outside world.

The lights in the theater slowly went out.

The giant screen lit up.

Shi Tiesheng leaned back in his wheelchair, feeling the envelopment of the darkness, a kind of deathly calm that he had long been accustomed to.

Yu Hua, who was next to him, was watching the movie screen.
Even knowing how the plot unfolds, I still feel a little uneasy.

"That's inevitable. Don't we feel the same way every time we release a new book?"

Even if you know the plot.

But given the current situation...
The movie begins.

There was no fancy opening sequence, only rough, endless yellow earth.

The camera focused on a dark-skinned, silent man driving a donkey.

Then there was a woman, huddled in a corner, timid, sickly, and afraid to look people in the eye.

Ma Youtie.

Cao Guiying.

Two people from the lowest rungs of rural society, abandoned by their respective families, were brought together as a couple.

Shi Tiesheng watched, feeling nothing.

very familiar.

too familiar.

This is the kind of story that he and Yu Hua's generation were best at depicting, the kind of material that was most abundant in that land.

bitter.

From the very first shot, there was an overwhelming sense of bitterness.

As expected.
It's that smell, that incredibly familiar smell.

I glanced at Yu Hua, and realized that these two were the 'two unlucky guys' from this incident.

Shi Tiesheng knew Yu Hua's nickname outside.

To be the protagonist in this story means being the unlucky one.
Watching them suffer misfortune helps one understand the feeling of 'being alive'.

At least for now, there haven't been any surprises beyond Shi Tiesheng's expectations. The film's pace is slow, and there's very little dialogue.

The two people went from strangers to acquaintances not through words, but through working together, eating together, and facing the disdain and indifference of those around them.

They built their own mud house, brick by brick.

For the first time, there was light in that small, simple home.

Cao Guiying looked at the light bulb, and a clear smile appeared on her face—almost the first time in the entire film.

Shi Tiesheng's heart stirred slightly.

Literature of suffering.

First, offer a tiny bit of sweetness, a sliver of elusive hope, and then crush that sweetness and hope completely with a heavier reality.

This is the most classic technique.

He glanced at Yu Hua, who was watching intently.

The movie continues.

They raised chickens, they laid eggs, and the eggs hatched into chicks.

They planted wheat, harvested wheat, and for the first time had their own food.

Life seems to be getting better little by little.

But suffering is ever-present.

The wealthy farmers in the village needed blood transfusions, and Ma Youtie was the only one in the entire village with "panda blood".

So, drawing blood became his obligation.

Once, twice, three times.

The rich peasant's family offered them a cheap coat and a little grain in return, but wouldn't even let them eat in the house.

Ma Youtie simply accepted it in silence.

Cao Guiying felt sorry for him, but could only silently hand him a cup of hot water.

As Shi Tiesheng watched this scene, the pain hidden deep within his body seemed to be stirred up as well.

He understood all too well that sense of powerlessness, that feeling of being manipulated by fate and others.

That's life.

Sad, bitter.

The suffering in the movie is not a desperate cry, but a silent endurance.

After Cao Guiying lost control of her urination and became incontinent, Ma Youtie silently covered her with his coat.

The houses they had painstakingly built were to be demolished due to policy changes, all in exchange for subsidies for the son of a rich peasant.

Of the grain they harvested, very little was left after paying off their debts.

On the screen, there are two people as humble as dust, living with all their might.

But the harder you try, the louder fate slaps you.

Shi Tiesheng felt that he had already seen the ending.

Such a story is bound to end in a complete tragedy.

Only tragedy can elevate this suffering.

Only death can make this struggle meaningful.

really.

The cruelest moment is yet to come.

Cao Guiying is sick and has a high fever.

Ma Youtie was working away from home, so she thought she would bring him some freshly cooked steamed buns and eggs.

She staggered to the ditch at the edge of the village, then felt dizzy.

There was a pop.

The person then fell down.

Shi Tiesheng's heart sank straight down.

coming.

That's it.

With the most inconspicuous accident, that little bit of warmth was taken away.

He had even envisioned what would happen next: Ma Youtie would return to find his wife's cold body lying there. He would be numb, he would despair, and in the end, he would sell all the grain, pay off all the debts, and then quietly end his life on the yellow earth he loved.

He closed his eyes, unable to bear watching any longer.

This is too cruel, and too real.

This is the work that Yu Hua said would not disappoint him.

However, the expected deathly silence did not arrive.

A suppressed gasp rippled through the theater.

Shi Tiesheng suddenly opened his eyes.

On the screen, there are not cold corpses.

Ma Youtie jumped into the water like a madman, and the villagers rushed over, all in a chaotic frenzy.

The camera was shaking.

Finally, the soaking wet Cao Guiying was dragged ashore.

She coughed up water, her whole body trembling, but...

Alive.

She is still alive.

Shi Tiesheng felt as if his brain had been hit hard, and it was buzzing.

how come?
why?
This is not right.

This is against the rules, against all the ironclad rules governing this type of subject matter.

Shouldn't the pinnacle of suffering be death?
Isn't the complete shattering of hope the core of the tragedy?
What exactly does this young man, Li Xuan, want to do?
The movie didn't stop.

Ma Youtie carried Cao Guiying home on his back. The two of them shivered from the cold on the kang (a heated brick bed). He clumsily started a fire for her and warmed her with his body.

Not a single complaint, not a single word of blame.

Only those who survived the catastrophe depended on each other for survival.

Shi Tiesheng was completely stunned.

He originally thought it was a movie about "suffering".

But when the suffering reached its peak, the film took an abrupt turn.

It did not let death end everything, but chose to let life continue.

Let these two people continue to struggle in the mud, supporting each other, and survive.

This requires even greater courage than directly depicting death.

It also conveys a completely different kind of power.

That was not a surrender to suffering, but an almost stubborn obsession with "living" itself.

Shi Tiesheng slowly turned his head and looked at Yu Hua, who was sitting not far away.

Yu Hua didn't look at him, but stared intently at the screen, a slight smile playing on her lips.

See, this is "Hidden in the Dust".

A work that is different from my novel "To Live".

He then looked at Li Xuan in the front row.

The young man sat quietly from beginning to end, as if everything on the screen had nothing to do with him, or as if he were the yellow earth itself, silent yet encompassing everything.

The suffering did not continue.

(End of this chapter)