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

Chapter 374, Li Xuan: Is it because the Hollywood director is not skilled enough, and what does that have to do with Liu Yifei?
Wang Su's finger remained motionless on the mouse.

The number on the screen, that glaring "9.1," was like a needle piercing his eyes.

impossible.

This is absolutely impossible!

He subconsciously closed the webpage, then reopened it.

The Douban Movies page reloaded, and the number next to the poster for "Hidden in the Dust" was still clearly displayed.

9.1.

I picked up the teacup on the table, wanting to drink some water to calm my anger, but found that the tea had gone cold.

How could it be 9.1 points?
Scar literature was the battlefield he, and their Beijing circle, were most familiar with.

In this field, they are the authorities, the standards.
Guan Hu's "Bullfighting" and Gu Changwei's "Spring Begins" both scored just over 8 points, which is normal and in line with market rules and artistic standards.

What makes Li Xuan's film so special?
Just because Yu Hua only knows "To Live"?

Or is it because of Liu Yifei, who can't even act properly in commercial films?

Was there a mistake in the score?

Wang Suo was stunned.

He thought of Liu Yifei's performance in "The Forbidden Kingdom," a beautiful face that, besides being pretty, couldn't support her acting skills.
What are art films?
Art films are an arena for actors!

Unlike commercial films, it doesn't use special effects or grand scenes to divert the audience's attention.

In art films, every smile, every subtle expression, and every tone of voice of an actor must be part of the performance.

Liu Yifei? Does she have that ability?

Putting her in front of Jiang Wenli would be humiliating, wouldn't it?

Wang Shuo found it increasingly absurd.

There must be something wrong here.

Scoring fraud!

Yes, it must be score manipulation!
I haven't even started browsing yet, and you've already started?
"Old Zheng, have you seen the rating on Douban?"

Zheng Long's voice on the other end of the phone also sounded incredulous.
"I saw it, 9.1! I thought I was seeing things. Are you crazy? 9.1 points!"

"That's outrageous!" Wang Su sneered. "He's guilty. He knows his film is no good, so he can only rely on these crooked methods to create hype. Once the comments section opens tomorrow, he'll know that just boosting scores won't work."

"Um"

After hanging up the phone, Wang Su's agitation subsided slightly.

Right, that is it.

What depth can a piece of literature about trauma be made by a female lead with an idol-like face?
If viewers find that the product doesn't match the description after watching it, the backlash will be even more severe.
Wang Su leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest, but he was really feeling a bit irritable.

As a bigwig in Beijing's elite circles, he knew he shouldn't behave so rudely.

I have my own pride and I stand by it.

Scar literature is my pride and my perseverance on this path.

But now.

How did he manage to 'cut' a score of 9.1 with such a script?
However, when Wang Su sat in front of the computer again the next day, the scene he had envisioned did not appear.

The rating for "Hidden in the Dust" not only didn't drop, but it stayed firmly at 9.1, and even showed a tendency to climb higher.
The comments section is now open.

moment.

He clicked on the comments, and what greeted his eyes was not the condemnation he had imagined, but a chorus of... cries.

[I'm a grown man, and I cried like a baby in the movie theater. It wasn't sentimental; it was the kind of pain that comes from being slowly cut by a dull knife, bit by bit, making it hard to breathe.]

[Best of the year, no arguments allowed. Li Xuan is awesome, Yu Hua is awesome!]

After watching the movie, all I want to do is go home and hug my parents.

Wang Su frowned and quickly scrolled down.

These comments were still within his comprehension.

He had witnessed Li Xuan's ability to stir up emotions, and this could be considered one of his artistic strengths.

But when he saw the top-rated comments below, his expression froze completely.

[I must apologize to Liu Yifei! Before watching *The Forbidden Kingdom*, I was the most vocal critic of her, calling her a "pretty face but no substance." After watching *Into the Dust*, I just want to slap myself! Her portrayal of Cao Guiying—where's the ethereal beauty? She's just a rural woman toiling in the fields, her timidity, her inferiority complex, yet her glimmer of hope for life—absolutely brilliant!]

[I agree with the comment above! Especially Cao Guiying's expression when she first turned on the light bulb in her own home—from bewilderment to surprise, and then to cautious happiness—it broke my heart as a woman. Is this what you call bad acting?]

The most shocking scene for me was when Ma Youtie printed wheat blossoms on her paper, and she smiled shyly yet happily. My God, that wasn't Liu Tianxian at all, that was Cao Guiying herself! Let's get to know this celestial being in a new light!

So what exactly happened with *The Forbidden Kingdom*? How can the same actor look so different? I strongly suspect it's the director's fault!

Wang Suo was stunned.

Liu Yifei...acting skills?

That's fucking amazing?
He seemed to disbelieve in superstition, and continued reading down the list, one by one.

Hundreds of comments are discussing Liu Yifei's acting skills.

Those words that were once used to mock her, such as "expressionless" and "wooden beauty," have now become targets for reverse argumentation.

Summarizing these comments, they all ask the same question: Why?
Why is it that Liu Yifei, who was so lackluster in "The Forbidden Kingdom", suddenly became so amazing in Li Xuan's "Hidden in the Dust"? Her acting was phenomenal.

The answer is quite simple.

Wang Suo was shocked.
This overturned his decades-long understanding of this industry.

How could an actor's acting skills undergo such a dramatic transformation in such a short period of time?
unless……

Unless she is naturally a good actress.

It was just not shown in a certain movie.

The moment this thought popped into Wang Su's head, he was startled.

If Liu Yifei was capable of playing the role, then who should take the blame for the problems with "The Forbidden Kingdom"?
The public opinion that previously shifted blame.
That director from Hollywood? Or the entire production team?

That's a project that the Beijing business community is deeply involved in.
They tacitly blamed all the failures on the youngest actress, which is the most common and "correct" practice in the industry.

But now, Li Xuan has turned this "correct" approach into a huge joke with just one movie and one role.

He not only proved that Liu Yifei could act, but also slapped everyone involved in the "The Forbidden Kingdom" project in the face.

Wang Shuo felt very cold inside at that moment.
This is another slap in the face for the art-house film industry.

The slap in the face of the commercial film industry—also landed on top.

The Beijing art circle's "interpretive power" over art films.
The phone screen lit up, and a special notification popped up from Weibo.

It's Li Xuan.

He updated his Weibo account.

Wang Su opened Weibo.

"The thing I feared most has happened."

Who says Liu Yifei has no acting skills? It's just that the director of "The Forbidden Kingdom" was incompetent.

Liu Lili sat on the sofa, the coffee on the coffee table in front of her had gone cold.

She was restless all day.

Since the premiere ended yesterday, she hasn't dared to go online or ask her daughter any more questions.

She knows this industry too well.

For an art film, especially one with such a poignant subject, to be released at the same time as two major productions heavily promoted by the Beijing film circle, the implications are quite obvious.

What's more, the lead actress is her daughter.

A "pretty face" who was just ridiculed online for her acting skills because of "The Forbidden Kingdom".

She could almost imagine the uproar that would rage online.
How those harsh film critics will compare *Hidden in the Dust* with *Cow* and *Spring Fever*, then use the most biting words to dissect her daughter's "overestimation of her abilities." Yes, that's how those "veterans" in the Beijing film circle act, with comparisons like Jiang Wenli vs. Liu Yifei.

She had even mentally prepared herself for a new wave of public opinion and to comfort her distraught daughter.

But when my daughter came home last night, she was very calm, even... somewhat relaxed.

This made Liu Lili even more uncertain.
Finally, she couldn't resist and picked up the tablet next to her. Her finger hovered over the screen for a long time before she tremblingly clicked on a browser icon.

Douban.

She took a deep breath, as if she were going to her execution.

When the page for "Hidden in the Dust" loaded, Liu Lili's breath caught in her throat.

The bolded number on the screen felt like a heavy punch, slamming into her temple.

9.1.

Her first thought was that she was seeing things or that the website was malfunctioning.

She closed the page, searched again, and clicked on it once more.

It's still that number, bright red, glaringly obvious.

9.1 points.

Liu Lili's mind went blank.

Brush.

It must have been faked.

She knows the ropes here too well; it's standard practice for film studios to spend money to boost ratings in order to get good scores.

But... this is just too outrageous.

What does 9.1 points mean?
How many art films are there?

Is this the score?
"To Live"?
Is a reprinted version of "To Live" better than the original?
That sounds a bit unlikely.

Liu Lili's fingers clicked on the comments section uncontrollably.

She is prepared to be bombarded with "one-star reviews" and "paid trolls get out".

However, the scrolling text on the screen completely stunned her.

There was no abuse.

There was no question.

Looking around, one sees a scene of stunned silence and an uncontrollable outpouring of emotions.

I was speechless after watching it; the aftereffects were too strong. I'm sitting on the subway home now, and I still can't stop crying.

This isn't a movie; this is life itself. Thanks to Li Xuan and Yu Hua for showing us the true face of this land.

[Best book of the year! Who's in favor, who's opposed?]

Liu Lili's heart began to race.

She swiped the screen quickly, her fingers turning white from the force, as she searched anxiously for the name she cared about most.

Then she saw it.

I'm here today to apologize to Liu Yifei! I'm sorry! I apologize for the things I said to you under the comments section of "The Forbidden Kingdom"! You're not just a pretty face; you're a real actress!

Cao Guiying is alive! She wasn't played by Liu Yifei; she *is* Cao Guiying! She brought to life that insecure, timid woman, yet kind and resilient at heart!

[Anyone who says Liu Yifei has no acting skills, I'll argue with them! Just one question: when she was curled up in the corner, too ashamed to look up, did you see even a trace of the "Fairy Sister" image? And that ashamed and helpless expression after she lost control of her bladder—did you see even a hint of idol image?]

[The most amazing part was her smile when she saw the light bulb light up—the layers of surprise, disbelief, and then genuine joy were incredible! As a casual observer, I'm completely captivated!]

So, whose fault is "The Forbidden Kingdom"? Now it's self-evident, isn't it? Just as Director Li said—it's the Hollywood directors' fault. It's not that our Fei Fei is incompetent, but that the Hollywood directors are incompetent!

One, two, ten, one hundred...

Hundreds of comments are discussing her daughter's acting skills.

Those words that once stung her eyes—"facial paralysis," "wooden," and "beautiful waste"—have now become arguments used to refute these comments.

As Liu Lili watched, she became somewhat dazed.

She remembered the photos her daughter sent back from the Northwest when she was filming.

He was tanned dark and dry, his lips were chapped, his hands were covered in mud, and he was wearing ill-fitting old clothes. He squatted on the edge of the field, grinning.

She was heartbroken and cried, even questioning whether letting her daughter take on the role was the right decision.

She had her doubts too.

They doubted whether Li Xuan was just making empty promises, and they questioned whether their daughter could truly pull off such a role that was so different from her own image.

Now she understands.

All that suffering wasn't in vain.

Li Xuan did not lie.

He really did turn her daughter into an actress.

A true actor recognized by the audience.
Li Xuan did it!

Just then, a phone call came in, the voice trembling with excitement.

"Sister Lily! Did you see it? Did you see it?!"

"I saw it, I saw it..."

"No, no, no! It's not the ratings! It's the box office! The opening day box office figures are out!" Someone from Hongxingwu called and said, "You have to go see it right now! It's insane! Utterly insane!"

Liu Lili's heart skipped a beat.

box office?

What kind of box office can this kind of movie expect? Even with great reviews, if it gets three to five million in opening day revenue and manages to break even, it's already a stroke of luck. Art films are all about winning awards.
If it can achieve results in winning awards, then it's a good art film.

That's why there was such a strong reaction within Beijing's social circle—compared to sensitive and realistic subjects like "Southern Photo Studio."

"Hidden in the Dust" seems to have an advantage.

With a touch of trepidation, she opened the box office report.
When Liu Lili saw the string of numbers following "Hidden in the Dust," she gasped in shock.

First day box office: 1580 million.

15.8 million.

Liu Lili stared at the box office report that had been sent to her via email on the screen!

She stared intently at the number.

How can this be?

A film about trauma literature, starring an actress who has been labeled a "box office poison".

On its opening day, it beat out a host of commercial films, soaring to over 15 million at the box office.

Art film.
"Li Xuan."

It left Liu Lili feeling quite shocked.

Regardless of public opinion regarding her daughter's acting skills—

Even at the beginning, Liu Lili realized that she subconsciously felt...

Based on her performance in "The Forbidden Kingdom", it is quite reasonable for Li Xuan to withdraw from the schedule.

But that didn't happen.

Li Xuan.

He trusted Liu Yifei's performance more than he trusted himself.

(End of this chapter)