This director lacks vision.

Chapter 362 Spring Festival Gala Begins

January 30, 2014, Lunar New Year's Eve, 1 PM.

Inside Jiang Yifeng's Hengyuan courtyard house, bright red lanterns were hanging high, and the characters for "good fortune" and colorful decorations were pasted everywhere, creating a very festive atmosphere.

Gao Yuanyuan and Qin Lan, along with the four little flowers, inspected the front and back yards to ensure everything was in place before preparing to rest.

Qin Lan wiped the sweat from her face and complained, "You just had a sudden whim! Why didn't you just let the housekeeper arrange these things? Why did you have to do it all yourself?"
Oh my, I'm exhausted!

The courtyard house has a professional management team. In fact, the housekeeper had already prepared the decorations for the New Year in advance, but Gao Yuanyuan wanted to do it herself and made some modifications to the housekeeper's arrangements.

Even so, the workload is still considerable.

After all, a courtyard house has three courtyards and more than 1,000 square meters of space, which is too large.

Therefore, Gao Yuanyuan and Qin Lan sought help from Song Zuer, Tian Qianwei, Liu Jicun, and Wang Churen.

These four actresses didn't perform on the Spring Festival Gala this year; they all came to help out.

Gao Yuanyuan had taken beauty potions, and with Jiang Yifeng's occasional sparring and training, her physical strength was excellent.

Hearing Qin Lan's complaint, she smiled and said, "The atmosphere of the New Year is all about doing things yourself."

Tian Qianwei immediately chimed in, "Sister Yuanyuan is right!"

Liu Jicun, not to be outdone, said, "Thank you, Sister Yuanyuan, for leading us in the labor. You also taught us a lesson: it only has meaning if we paste the couplets and the character 'Fu' ourselves."

Upon smelling Liu Jicun's tea, Wang Churan instinctively rolled her eyes.

Qin Lan was also speechless.

In the entertainment industry, older female celebrities often see younger actresses as competitors trying to steal their jobs, and they generally have a very poor attitude towards them.

Even if someone is all smiles to your face, they might stab you in the back.

Gao Yuanyuan is quite calm. She relies on Jiang Yifeng and still holds shares in the company. She has the TV series "Dark Glory" and the movie "Lost in..." which is currently showing in theaters and has already grossed over 23 billion yuan.

Whether in terms of popularity or status, Gao Yuanyuan's position is very stable, so she fulfills her duties as the head housekeeper.

Inviting the four young actresses, Tian, ​​Song, Liu, and Wang, to spend the Lunar New Year at the courtyard house is also meaningful.

The main goal is to ease tensions between them and make them understand that arguments and competition are acceptable, but there must be boundaries.

This is also the idea that Jiang Yifeng subtly instilled in the women in his harem.

Otherwise, women are emotional creatures, and when they really start arguing, they can easily lose their temper and do some irrational things.

Compared to Gao Yuanyuan, Qin Lan was not so magnanimous and found the sight of these small flowers annoying.

Whether it's competition in their careers or trying to steal Jiang Yifeng's secrets, Qin Lan feels that these young actresses pose a threat to her.

So she mocked, "If you had been this good-tempered and had such a sweet tongue before, wouldn't you be on the Spring Festival Gala stage tonight? And Chu Ran too, it's such a pity about you two."

These words struck a nerve with Liu Jicun.

Moreover, Liu Yicun really dislikes being called Yicun because it sounds stupid.

Liu Qicun was not intimidated by Qin Lan at all.

She pouted and said softly, "I still suffer from not studying enough. I started acting and winning awards when I was a teenager, and I got a little arrogant."

Unlike her older sister Qin Lan, who went to university first and majored in accounting, she was particularly good at accounting.

"What's wrong with debuting late? You're less likely to suffer losses when you're older."

Liu Jicun's words really have some merit.

On the one hand, she praised herself, pointing out that she won the Cannes Best Actress award when she was a teenager; on the other hand, she satirized Qin Lan.

Not only did they say she debuted late and was old, but they also mocked her for not being able to do accounting even though she studied accounting, and for repeatedly suffering financial losses.

If Qin Lan's attack was rated 60 points, then Liu Jicun's counterattack was close to a perfect score.

Song Zuer, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Tian Qianwei and Wang Churan laughed along.

The laughter was loud and boisterous, clearly indicating that these young women had instantly united to deal with Qin Lan.

Qin Lan was so angry that her face turned pale.

Seeing this, Gao Yuanyuan glared at the four little flowers, and the little flowers immediately became serious, lowered their heads and remained silent.

"Is your family pressuring you to get married?" Gao Yuanyuan changed the subject, pulling Qin Lan towards the front room.

Qin Lan glanced at Liu Qicun and said, "I'm too lazy to bother with you. When Mimi arrives later, I'll let her teach you a lesson!"

Then I chatted with Gao Yuanyuan about topics that are exclusive to older women.

Female celebrities also face pressure from their families to get married and have children as they get older.

As Qin Lan walked, she said, "I told my mom I wasn't going home for Chinese New Year this year, and she kept asking me questions, like if I had found a boyfriend and if I was planning to get married and have children."

I told her I didn't have a boyfriend, and marriage was out of the question. Guess what she said?

"How to say?"

"She said it's okay if you don't get married, just hurry up and have a big, healthy son, she wants a grandson! It cracked me up!"

"If you want to have a child, that depends on your ability. You must first obtain the true scriptures before you can achieve enlightenment."

……

Only after Gao Yuanyuan and Qin Lan left did the four little flowers raise their heads.

Wang Churan said proudly, "Wow, Chacha, you really had some skills when you retorted to Qin Lan just now!"

Liu Jicun's lips curled up, and he said smugly, "Of course, you all call me the Tea King, so do you think I'd let you call me that for nothing?"
I am a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress winner and a contracted artist with Fengxing Media.

"Sister Yuanyuan is a senior, it's only right that we respect her. Who is Qin Lan, daring to talk back to us?"

Seeing Liu Jicun's smug little expression, Tian Qianwei commented, "Suddenly I think you're quite cute too."

Wang Churan retorted, "That's right, it's not completely broken yet."

Without Qin Lan as a common enemy, internal strife quickly broke out within Xiaohua.

Liu Jicun stopped Song Zuer, who was about to speak, and said slowly, "Bad and good are relative. For example, it's a pity that I didn't perform on the Spring Festival Gala this year."

But at least I won the Cannes Best Actress award and had my moment of glory, and I'll have the chance to appear on the Spring Festival Gala in the future.

It's a pity for you, Chuanmei. The second generation of Produce 101 appeared on the Spring Festival Gala, such an important occasion. It's a group of 7 people, but one person was missing. This is a lifelong regret.

Have you been watching a lot of Zhang Yimou's movies lately?

Song Zuer, the straight man, asked, "What movie?"

Liu Jicun said, "Not one can be missing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Zuer and Liu Jicun exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

During his break, Liu Jicun focused on learning and gained the biggest insight that he needed to maintain emotional stability. He also practiced his arguing skills diligently.

Now she's both eloquent and persuasive, and her fighting spirit has increased significantly.

Wang Churan is no match for Tian Qianwei.

The main issue is that Wang Churan is indeed very upset. She missed "Youth" last time, and now she's missed the Spring Festival Gala. Her fate is truly full of twists and turns.

Especially when she and Tian Qianwei walked into the hall, a preview interview of the Spring Festival Gala was being broadcast on TV.

The host is interviewing the second generation of Produce 101 members with a microphone.

At this moment, the six girls of the second-generation group were all wearing pink tutu dresses and cat ears on their heads, looking incredibly cute. Seeing her teammates looking so glamorous, Wang Churan felt even more distressed.

Fortunately, Meng Ziyi, Jiang Peiyao, Yang Mi, and others arrived shortly afterward, and the courtyard became lively.

Liu Jicun, who was just quick-witted, was immediately suppressed by Yang Mi and Qin Lan.

Seeing Liu Jicun's frustrated expression, Wang Churan felt much better.

Moreover, she discovered that all the women in this courtyard actually wanted to appear on the Spring Festival Gala.

Everyone who watched the interviews during the Spring Festival Gala was quite envious.

The fact that this year's Spring Festival Gala was directed by Jiang Yifeng adds another layer of significance.

At 6 p.m., the program "Watching the Spring Festival Gala with You" broadcast an interview with Jiang Yifeng.

Everyone gathered around to watch.

The host asked, "As the first foreign director to direct the Spring Festival Gala, did you feel a lot of pressure? What do you think was the biggest challenge in directing the Spring Festival Gala?"

"There is definitely pressure, after all, it is a gala that the whole nation is watching, and we can't mess it up." Jiang Yifeng replied, "The biggest challenge is that it is difficult to please everyone. With more than a billion viewers, everyone has their own preferences, and it is difficult for a gala to satisfy everyone."

The host then asked, "Many people say that the Spring Festival Gala is getting worse and worse every year. What do you think? Are you worried that viewers will criticize your Spring Festival Gala for not being done well?"

"I think that the Spring Festival Gala has been held for so many years, and there are some areas that have improved and some areas that have not been done well, but overall it is still moving forward."

It's just that people have more and more ways to entertain themselves and have seen all kinds of programs, so it's normal that they feel the Spring Festival Gala isn't as good as it used to be.

Moreover, most of the people who criticize the Spring Festival Gala are young people my age.

When we watched the Spring Festival Gala in the past, it was from a child's perspective. We only felt that there were good things to eat and drink during the New Year, and the pressure was all on our parents. Naturally, we felt that the Spring Festival was very happy and the Gala was also very good.

Now that we earn money to support our families and have to manage all aspects of life, we understand the pressure of celebrating the Lunar New Year. If we look at the Spring Festival Gala from a different perspective, it is bound to be less exciting than it was when we were children.

No matter how well I organize the Spring Festival Gala, it can't compare to the feeling of celebrating the New Year when everyone was a child.

Therefore, the Spring Festival Gala I direct will definitely be criticized. I had already thought this through before I decided to direct the Spring Festival Gala.

So I don't feel any pressure; it's actually quite nice to be criticized by everyone.

Hearing Jiang Yifeng's words, Yang Mi sighed and said, "It's really not a smart choice for Director Jiang, with his reputation, to direct the Spring Festival Gala."

The Spring Festival Gala is criticized every year now, regardless of who directs it.

In the past, when the directors of the Spring Festival Gala were not very famous, they could simply remain anonymous.

But he's so famous, if people criticize the Spring Festival Gala, he'll definitely be the first to be criticized.

Hearing this, Wang Churan was still quite worried.

In her mind, she always thought Jiang Yifeng was omnipotent and never thought about the pressure of directing the Spring Festival Gala.

Especially since everyone was watching Sohu Video's live stream, there were quite a few harsh comments in the chat.

"Isn't the biggest purpose of the Spring Festival Gala to be criticized?"

"Even Jiang Yifeng can't save the Spring Festival Gala, we still have to criticize it!"

"After a year of hard work, I finally get a break, but I'm still unhappy watching the Spring Festival Gala, so of course I have to start cursing."

……

Seeing these comments, Wang Churan realized the pressure Jiang Yifeng was under.

But Meng Ziyi said, "What's there to worry about? My cousin isn't afraid of being scolded. This little thing is nothing."

Let's just enjoy this year's Spring Festival Gala.

It's a pity I can't sing, otherwise I'd love to be on the Spring Festival Gala!

Meng Ziyi spoke quickly and continued, "I heard from Nazha that this year's Spring Festival Gala programs were top-notch, especially the song and dance programs, every single one of them was wonderful!"
My cousin's statement in the interview was definitely a tactic of first lowering expectations to elevate the argument.

It must be said that Meng Ziyi is quite knowledgeable about the situation.

In the interview, Jiang Yifeng then elaborated on his vision for the Spring Festival Gala.

"The theme of this year's Spring Festival Gala is 'Water Conservancy and Success,' which takes the gentleness and strength, inclusiveness and dedication of water as its core spirit, and the galloping and striving success of the horse as its footnote to the times. It uses cutting-edge visual effects technology to break the boundaries of the stage and create an immersive viewing space that blends reality and fantasy, ancient and modern."

After saying this, the production team took the opportunity to announce the program list for this year's Spring Festival Gala.

1. Opening dance: "Underwater Flying Dance - Jingwei Filling the Sea", performed by Tang Shiyi, Li Yiran, Meng Qingyang...;
2. Opening song: "Wanjiang", performed by: 101 Girls' Group, Air Force Blue Sky Children's Art Troupe, etc.
3. Musical/Dance Drama: "Ten Thousand Horses Galloping," Performers: Wang Jia'er, Jiang Mingyang, Zhang Aoyue...

……

The announcement of this program list immediately sparked even greater controversy.

Just as the Spring Festival Gala production team had previously advertised, most of the programs were custom-made by Jiang Yifeng.

Fengxing Media has a large number of artists on board, totaling more than 40, which is more than the number of artists on board with Huayi in the previous life.

Despite the publicity, people's feelings are more direct after seeing the actual program list.

Some people have already started criticizing Jiang Yifeng.

But many people feel that Jiang Yifeng is playing with fire. Nepotism and domineering style are fine, but the quality of the Spring Festival Gala programs must be good.

If this year's Spring Festival Gala is not well-done, the negative public opinion will definitely be significant.

Regardless of how much people criticize it, the Spring Festival Gala still receives a lot of attention.

Moreover, this year's Spring Festival Gala was directed by Jiang Yifeng, which further amplified its popularity.

At 8 p.m., the women in the courtyard gathered together, sitting in a fan shape, to watch this year's Spring Festival Gala on time.

With the sound of flowing water, the television screen lit up.

Two beautiful women floated serenely in the clear, bright water.

They wore magnificent, colorful gowns, which floated and unfurled in the water as the bubbles rose, making them look like celestial fairies.

The light penetrates the water, creating rich layers of color on the underwater surface and giving it a dreamlike feel.

Wang Churan's mouth dropped open at the very beginning.

She pictured Liu Yifei's Little Dragon Girl diving in Jiuzhaigou.

But this time the lighting effects are better, and the scene is even more stunning.

Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da... ta-da, ta-da, ta-da...

The sound of the pipa rose up, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, shattering the tranquility beneath the water.

Tang Shiyi and Li Yiran also moved. At first, the two did not touch each other, but performed the same dance underwater, as if they were mirror images.

Water has buoyancy, which makes the dancers' movements look lighter and more agile, enabling them to complete all sorts of incredible movements. It also makes their feathered clothes look like ribbons, creating a beautiful sense of flowing garments.
Water also has resistance. As the dancers move, the ripples and changing light and shadow on the water's surface, combined with various lighting techniques and editing, create a stronger visual effect.

This is accompanied by a slowed-down version of the instrumental version of "Jingwei" played on the pipa.

These elements combined bring the new Chinese aesthetic to its extreme, constantly stimulating the audience's senses.

Jiang Yifeng's underwater flying dance is a completely upgraded version of He Nan TV's.

When viewers see it for the first time, cultured people will say that they feel the romance and magnificence of Chinese culture, while uncultured people can only keep saying "Holy crap!"
Only by swearing can they vent their feelings of being amazed.

Everyone had only one thought—Jiang Yifeng is a real genius, how could he have come up with the idea of ​​dancing classical dance underwater!

That's absolutely amazing!

(End of this chapter)