Entertainment: A whirlwind marriage with a fairy-like mother at the start!

Lunar New Year's eve.

The sound of firecrackers began sporadically in the capital city in the afternoon. By the time it was completely dark, the entire city was lit up by fireworks, one after another, as if someone had poured a basin of broken gold into the night sky.

In the living room of Shengshi Huating, the coffee table was piled high with melon seeds, peanuts, and fruit platters. The television was tuned to CCTV-1, and the countdown to the Spring Festival Gala was playing.

After Yu Le prepared a few impressive dishes, Liu Xiaoli kicked him out of the kitchen, saying that her cooking skills had also improved and she wanted to show off a few more.

Braised fish, sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed sea bass, and four-happiness meatballs—one dish after another was served on the table.

Dongdong squatted next to the coffee table, holding a handful of chocolate coins in both hands, and was stuffing them into his pockets.

Yu Le glanced at him. "Eat less, or you won't be able to eat any more dumplings later."

"Dumplings are dumplings, and chocolate is chocolate. They don't conflict," Dongdong said righteously.

Liu Qianqian is not home.

She went to the Media Center that afternoon for her final dress rehearsal. The Spring Festival Gala live broadcast allows no room for error; every performer has to arrive several hours early to wait for their turn.

It was exactly 8 p.m.

The Spring Festival Gala has officially begun.

In the living room, Yu Le and his family of three sat around the sofa watching TV. Liu Xiaoli would occasionally glance at the program schedule on her phone, calculating how long until her daughter's performance.

The shows came one after another.

Crosstalk, skits, singing and dancing, acrobatics.

Dongdong laughed so hard she rolled around on the sofa while watching the skit, she nervously grabbed Yu Le's arm while watching the acrobatics, and she fell asleep on the cushions while watching the Peking Opera performance.

"That's the seventeenth." Liu Xiaoli gripped the remote control, her voice slightly tense. "The next one is Xixi."

Yu Le held his teacup, his expression calm on the surface.

But when he put the teacup down, the bottom of the cup bumped against the coffee table.

On the big screen, the host walks to the center of the stage.

"The next song is dedicated to every one of you watching TV, and to every light waiting for travelers to return home."

"Please welcome Liu Qianqian."

The lights went out.

The entire studio was plunged into darkness.

A few seconds of silence.

Then, a warm yellow spotlight fell straight down from above the stage.

Liu Qianqian stood in the very center of the pillar of light.

She wore a moon-white long dress, without any elaborate decorations or exaggerated styling. Her hair was slightly curled and fell naturally over her shoulders. She looked as pure and elegant as a lady who had stepped out of a traditional Chinese ink painting.

The piano prelude begins.

The notes flowed from the fingertips, clear and soothing, like a distant light in the dead of night.

Liu Qianqian held the microphone, her lips slightly parted.

"Everyone says you're a brightly lit, bustling, and wonderful place—"

"You are actually a ray of light—"

The first sentence was delivered with a clear and resonant voice, without any unnecessary techniques.

It's singing.

Sing it cleanly and neatly.

Before the chorus, the strings slowly build up. The forty-piece string ensemble layered its parts. The cellos provided the foundation with their low notes, while the violins soared above.

"China illuminated by lights, youthful and graceful—"

"China illuminated by lights, a land of vast expanse—"

As soon as the chorus started, the sound wall in the studio instantly expanded.

Liu Qianqian's voice was enveloped by the strings, but not drowned out. Instead, it was like a luminous thread piercing through the heavy sound waves.

She sang very steadily.

But when the second chorus was sung, the camera gave a close-up.

Her eyes were slightly red.

It wasn't acted.

I was truly drawn into the emotions of this song.

Those lights are the warm glow coming from the windows of thousands of homes, the steaming New Year's Eve dinner on the dinner table, and the missed calls flashing on the phone screens of those far away.

The last note faded.

The string section concludes.

There was a full two seconds of silence in the studio.

Then applause erupted like waves.

In the living room of Shengshi Huating.

Liu Xiaoli's eyes were already red, and she kept wiping them with a tissue in her hand.

Dongdong woke up at some point, leaning on the armrest of the sofa, staring wide-eyed at the TV.

"Dad, my sister is crying."

Yu Le didn't say anything.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip, only to find that the tea had gone cold.

The phone screen lit up briefly.

The blog's trending topics list is updated in real time.

First place: Liu Qianqian's China in the Lights.

Second place: The fairy sister cried while singing.

Third place: Lyrics of "Chinese Songs in the Lights".

.....

The barrage of comments and bullet screen messages was flooding the screen at a rate of thousands per second.

"I cried, I really cried."

"This song really touched my heart. I've been working away from home for three years and haven't been able to go home for Chinese New Year. Right now, all I want to do is call my mom."

"What is Liu Qianqian's voice made of? How can it be so clean?"

"Last year it was 'As You Wish,' this year it's 'Lights.' I suggest the Spring Festival Gala give Liu Qianqian a special performance; I could listen to her all year round!"

Yu Le locked her phone screen and leaned back on the sofa.

The song was completed.

……

The festive atmosphere of the New Year hasn't faded yet.

Mid-February.

North America.

Red Cliff (international version) was officially released simultaneously in North America, Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

Saltyfish Entertainment's North American branch is operating at full capacity in its marketing and distribution efforts.

YouTube ad placements, Facebook news feed, and Twitter trending topics – a three-pronged approach, burning money to acquire users.

All the mid-tier influencers that Old Mike signed are now in place, flooding the internet with film reviews, science posts, and edited mashups.

Also launched simultaneously was the "Tracing the Origins of Chinese Cinema" special feature, personally approved by Yu Le.

Each movie corresponds to a set of text, images, and short videos.

The special feature on "Red Cliff" was the most meticulously done.

Let's begin with the historical background of the Three Kingdoms period.

Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan, Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang—each figure is accompanied by a historical portrait and a concise English introduction.

The geographical location of the Battle of Red Cliffs is marked on Google Maps.

Chibi City, Hubei Province, in the Yangtze River Basin.

At the end of the feature article, a line of text was written in bold.

"The Battle of Red Cliffs took place in 208 AD, in China. This is part of Chinese history."

The strongest response to this feature after it was published came from a place that surprised everyone.

It's a foot basin.