1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 234 Tickets Are Hard to Come By! (Please Subscribe!)
The venue for the Spring Festival gathering was naturally in the lake.

Moreover, it is a hall with a strong traditional charm.

Outside, large red lanterns hang high, while inside, colorful paper decorations adorn the area, creating a festive yet dignified atmosphere.

When Chen Fusheng entered the venue under the guidance of the staff, it was already crowded with people.

At a glance, most of the people were dressed in Zhongshan suits or military uniforms, and they came from all walks of life. Their average age was over forty. Chen Fusheng appeared at this event at the age of 25. Even if he was not the youngest, he was one of the youngest.

He himself was involved in the arts and culture scene, so naturally, he ended up in that circle after coming here.

People in this circle include Zhu Muzhi, Ding Qiao, Xia Yan, Shi Ju... as well as Wang Feng, the CCTV director whom I just met last night, and Wu Lengxi, a leader from the State Administration of Radio and Television.

"Xiao Chen, you don't look too well. Have you not been resting well lately?" As soon as Chen Fusheng walked over, his old superior, Director Shi, who was most familiar with him, noticed the fatigue on his face.

Before Chen Fusheng could speak, Wang Feng said on his behalf, "Director Chen has worked tirelessly for our Spring Festival Gala these past few days. He's really worked hard."

"No, no, I just knew I was going to attend such a high-level meeting today, and I was so excited when I got back last night that I didn't get much rest," Chen Fusheng said, making up an excuse.

"Xiao Chen, don't be modest. The reason why last night's Spring Festival Gala was so wonderful was largely due to the programs you performed, especially the song 'Unforgettable Tonight' that you sang with Comrade Li Guiyi at the end. I still remember it fondly."

"《吉祥如意》is also good; my grandchildren love it. By the way, Xiao Chen, do you have any cassette tapes of these songs?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I'll send it to you when I have time."

No sooner had Chen Fusheng finished speaking than Ding Qiao said, half-jokingly, "Then we want some too."

"Haha, yes, yes, Xiao Chen, you can't show favoritism," Director Shi chimed in with a laugh.

“No problem. Once the recording is finished at the studio, I’ll have them send it directly to the leaders’ workplaces.”

Wang Feng chimed in: "Director Chen, perhaps you could collaborate with a music company. With the influence of your songs, they're sure to sell a very respectable number of copies."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Director Wang, but unfortunately I probably won't have time later."

"No time?" Wu Lengxi asked, "Is Director Chen very busy next?"

Chen Fusheng nodded and said, "My movie will be released in North America on March 1st, and I need to go there at least one or two weeks in advance to do some promotion."

At this point, Chen Fusheng paused, then turned to Xia Yan and said, "That's why I hesitated when you, Elder Xia, advised me to serve as a judge for the third Golden Rooster Awards, because I was worried about a scheduling conflict."

Xia Yan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright. The judging work for the Golden Rooster Awards will last for more than a month. Try your best to make it if you can, but it's okay if you can't. Anyway, you'll be back by the time the awards are presented, right?"

As they chatted and laughed, the time quickly approached ten o'clock.

People are no longer gathering in twos and threes, but have each found their own place to sit down.

Shortly after, the leaders entered, and everyone stood up to greet them.

After a round of enthusiastic applause and greetings, the New Year's gathering officially began.

Before arriving, Chen Fusheng thought there would be food, but in reality, there was only a cup of tea in front of each person.

'Luckily I ate breakfast before I came.'

That's what he was thinking.

At the same time, the relevant leaders also began to speak on the stage. They started with some polite words, and then, just like Chen Fusheng at the company's annual meeting, they talked about the achievements of the past year.

"In the past year, we have achieved encouraging new accomplishments on all fronts..."

In closing, the leader also affirmed the Spring Festival Gala from the previous night.

"This year's CCTV gala was very well done! The format was novel, the content was rich, and the atmosphere was lively. It truly suited all ages and tastes. I think it was a very successful attempt, a grand event that truly brought joy to every household!"

"The innovative spirit and the awareness of being close to the masses demonstrated in the gala are particularly commendable."

"Like Mr. Zhang's rendition of 'My Chinese Heart,' the song is sincere and melodious, expressing the deep affection of overseas Chinese for their motherland and enhancing our national pride and cohesion. Comrade Chen Fusheng's composition 'Good Fortune and Prosperity,' performed by his family of three, is full of childlike charm and heartwarming, expressing the most basic aspirations of Chinese people for family harmony and a happy life… These programs are both thought-provoking and artistic; the audience enjoys watching and listening to them, and that is the greatest success!"

In conclusion, the leader said, "In short, the success of this gala tells us that arts and culture are an important part of our cause. They can unite people, boost morale, and enrich lives. I hope that our artists will continue their efforts, adhere to the principle of 'letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend,' and create more outstanding works worthy of our times and our people! Let our cultural undertakings, like the rising sun of spring, be full of vitality!"

……

At almost the same time, in Harbin, thousands of miles away, the freezing weather did nothing to dampen people's enthusiasm for watching the film.

A long queue had formed early in the morning outside a movie theater near Central Avenue.

The white breaths exhaled by the crowd merged into one, mingling with the aroma of candied hawthorns and roasted melon seeds that filled the air, creating a unique atmosphere for the New Year in northern China.

Among the people queuing was Chen Fusheng's brother-in-law and his family.

Wrapped in a thick cotton coat, Liu Xiaojun stamped his feet to keep warm while excitedly telling his wife, "I heard that the movie 'Floating Life' has a huge scale; it's our country's first real blockbuster! Luckily we came early; if we had come any later, we probably wouldn't have been able to get good seats."

"You can argue with that, but with so many people, it's already a miracle that we were able to buy tickets at all."

After the family bought their tickets and entered the cinema, they could always hear gasps of surprise from those around them during the climax of the plot.

"Wow, Director Chen's movie this time is amazing, the action scenes are really intense."

"You bet! But who's this big-nosed actor? I don't think I've ever seen him in a movie before?"

"The subtitles in the previous text seemed to say that he was from Hong Kong."

"Then who is this Japanese expert who fought the protagonist to a standstill? He looks kind of familiar."

"Li Lianjie, the one who starred in 'Shaolin Temple'."

"Oh, it's him! Why is he playing a Japanese guy in this movie?"

"..."

"Wow, how was that scene of someone jumping off a building filmed? It's terrifying."

"No wonder it's called a blockbuster, it really is exciting to watch."

Similar scenes were not only happening in this one movie theater, but also simultaneously in theaters in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Wuhan.

Even Hong Kong's Sil-Metropole Cinemas is showing "Die Hard" today.

Although Hong Kong lacked the promotion of the Spring Festival Gala compared to the mainland, this film benefited from the reputation built up by Chen Fusheng's previous films, the presence of stars like Cheng Long and Jet Li, and the significant promotional resources invested by Sil-Metropole Organisation. As a result, tickets were extremely difficult to obtain on the day of its release.

(End of this chapter)