I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

"Yanyan, I want this role. I'll ask Director Li Shaohong for leave and go back to Beijing right now," Yang Mi said excitedly.

“Mimi, there’s no need to rush! You can come back after your promotional tour is over,” Jiao Junyan said.

"It will be too late by then."

Yang Mi said something, and a surge of strength, seemingly from nowhere, swept away her previous fatigue, and she stood up from the sofa.

She knows all too well how important an opportunity is to an artist.

Take Zhao for example. If she hadn't taken on the role of Little Swallow back then, how could she have remained a popular star for so many years?

Looking at the film and television industry as a whole, there are many talented and good-looking actors who are overlooked because they can't find suitable scripts or good directors who can appreciate their talents.

A good work and a good director can turn an unknown actor, or a talented actor who has been unable to become famous for a long time, into a well-known actor.

For actors, opportunity is like a discerning eye for talent and a gifted horse.

“Okay, call me when you get to Beijing, and I’ll drive to pick you up,” Jiao Junyan said.

"Thank you, Yanyan, you're such a good sister to me."

After Yang Mi finished speaking, she hung up the phone and went to find Li Shaohong.

Yang Mi didn't use any excuses when asking Li Shaohong for leave; she told the truth.

After listening to her story, Li Shaohong did not force Yang Mi to stay and continue the movie promotion tour, as this opportunity was very rare for Yang Mi.

If she were to force Yang Mi to stay, she would only completely offend Yang Mi, and the two might even have a falling out.

After all, hindering someone's future is like killing their parents.

After taking leave, Yang Mi packed her things, took a car to the airport, and boarded a plane to Kyoto.

Less than two hours later, Yang Mi walked out of Kyoto Airport.

Jiao Junyan had already driven his car to the airport parking lot and was waiting there.

After Yang Mi got into the car, Jiao Junyan drove towards the company.

"Mimi, you're so lucky. I just went to talk to Sister Aina about you, and I didn't expect the boss to be there too. When the boss heard that you were going to play Princess Xianning, he asked me to take you to see him," Jiao Junyan said while driving.

"Director Cheng wants to see me?" Yang Mi's ears turned red with excitement.

"Yes, it seems you're definitely going to get the role of Princess Xianning," Jiao Junyan said, happy for her best friend.

"That's great, Yanyan. After we meet with Director Cheng, I'll treat you to a big meal," Yang Mi said with a smile.

"Hehe, I want to eat Australian lobster and Japanese Wagyu beef..."

"Hey, are you treating me like a pig to be slaughtered?!"

"This is a rare opportunity. If I don't take advantage of you this time, I might not get another chance like this."

The two chatted and laughed all the way, and soon arrived at Shengli Film and Television Company.

Jiao Junyan led Yang Mi to the outside of Cheng Sheng's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Upon hearing this, Jiao Junyan pushed open the door and led Yang Mi inside.

"boss."

"Hello, Director Cheng," Jiao Junyan and Yang Mi greeted each other.

Cheng Sheng, who was reading the script in his hand, looked up at the two of them and said, "Please sit down and wait for me for a moment."

After saying that, Cheng Sheng continued reading the script in his hand.

Ten minutes later, Cheng Sheng finished reading the script and felt a little emotional. He really didn't expect that the script for "Lost in Thailand" would end up in his company's hands.

Indeed, the script in Cheng Sheng's hand is the groundbreaking work of the road comedy film "Lost in Thailand".

A film with an investment of only a few million and a box office of less than 100 million, yet it made a fortune, made audiences across the country laugh until they were doubled over and cry until their clothes were soaked with tears.

The success of "Lost in Thailand" is mainly due to its well-chosen subject matter.

"Having a ticket but no money to go home for the New Year," this simple lyric expresses the deep-seated conviction in the Chinese people.

The film focuses on the Spring Festival travel rush—the world's largest human migration—and instantly strikes a chord with the entire nation.

The surging crowds at the station, the anxiety of not being able to get a ticket, the disarray on the transportation – every detail carries a familiar, everyday feel.

When Li Chenggong, the elite boss played by Xu Guangtou, meets Niu Geng, the migrant worker played by Wang Baobao, at the airport, the audience sees not only the clash between the two characters, but also a reflection of their own journey home.

One viewer remarked, "I first watched this film on a minibus on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. With the Lunar New Year approaching, it was so fitting."

This narrative, so closely intertwined with reality, allows the film to take root in the hearts of the audience from the very beginning.

The encounter between Li Chenggong and Niu Geng was essentially a fierce clash between two cultures.

The well-dressed boss represents sophisticated egoism, while the poorly dressed migrant worker embodies unadorned simplicity.

The awkwardness of sitting in a hard seat on the train, the absurdity of sharing a bed in a small hotel, the disheveled state of trying to warm himself by a fire in the wilderness after the train overturned—every conflict eroded Li Chenggong's sense of superiority.

When Niu Geng was "scammed" out of his only money but still believed that "there is true love in the world," the audience in front of the screen, like Li Chenggong, had their softest spot touched.

The most dramatic turning point came late at night when Li Chenggong reflected on himself: "I am not a good boss, a good husband, or a good father. I am a failure."

Niu Geng, who was illiterate, used his purest soul to interpret what true wealth is.

The film delivers a dense barrage of laughs, averaging one per minute—Wang Baobao's adorable antics at the airport while chugging milk, his embarrassing beating after going to the wrong hotel room, and the absurdity of his van overturning into a ditch, turning the theater into a sea of ​​laughter.

But director Yip Wai-ming's wisdom lies in the fact that laughter is never cheap.

When Zhang Xinyi's character, a "female con artist," reveals her disfigured face and chokes up as she recounts her story of raising funds to save students; when two children hand over their naive drawings to thank a stranger; when Li Chenggong finally embraces his wife and daughter, the ice in his eyes melting away... after the audience bursts into laughter, they savor the sweet aftertaste of life.

This blend of joy and sorrow elevates the film beyond a typical comedy, making it a remedy for modern anxieties.

High school graduates release their stress here, working professionals vent their frustrations, and housewives find emotional resonance here.

What impressed Cheng Sheng the most was that, compared with the later "Lost in..." series, which often featured big-budget productions filmed overseas, "Lost on Journey" became a classic due to its simplicity.

The handheld camera captures the various aspects of the Spring Festival travel rush, showing the hardships of the journey under natural light, and even the extras have a real sense of fatigue.

The director adopted the most basic road movie structure: time progression + location change = spiritual redemption.

There are no complicated subplots or flashy narrative techniques; it's like the audience experiencing "a Spring Festival travel adventure firsthand."

This almost documentary-like realism makes even the absurd premise of Wang Baobao being a "jinx" seem reasonable.

The movie "Lost in Thailand" was a huge success, grossing nearly 4000 million yuan at the box office. Xu Guangtou and Wang Baobao went from unknown third-tier actors to A-list stars.

Following this success, Xu Guangtou capitalized on his momentum, directing and starring in the "Lost in..." series of films, creating a film brand as famous as the "Detective Chinatown" series. (End of Chapter)