Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Liu Feng smiled as he looked at the little boy dressed as a little girl on the screen; he had seen many photos like this before.

Feng Xiaogang frowned, finding it incredibly vulgar. The scene shifted to a gathering of friends, where they mocked Niu Geng for being effeminate and not having a girlfriend at 25. Even knowing this was part of character development, Feng Xiaogang still found it tacky.

Yin Junjie, who was watching the entertainment scene, found it very enjoyable. When she was filming behind-the-scenes footage, she thought the movie's costumes, props, and lighting were really good, and the visuals would definitely be beautiful. Now that she's seen it, it's true.

Seeing the Sina editor next to me writing in his notebook, "The picture is beautiful and the characters' makeup and styling are quite trendy and refreshing," I whispered, "Yang Che knows how to dress up."

The Sina editor chuckled: "I know, we've talked. People who understand art and music generally have good taste."

........

That day, Mom asked Niu Geng to visit his aunt, saying that his aunt wanted to introduce him to someone.

Niu Geng didn't want to have a girlfriend, but he couldn't resist his mother's urging and his aunt's indulgence after losing her son, so he agreed.

On the subway, Niu Geng saw a drunk girl swaying on the edge of the platform. He reached out and pulled her back. The girl stared at Niu Geng with a drunken look in her eyes.

.........

Feng Xiaogang frowned again. He didn't want to watch it anymore; he felt the movie was smearing the people of the capital.

A drunk girl is standing on the edge of a Beijing subway station!!! And nobody's doing anything about it!!! Is that even possible? Even if the two people next to her are on the phone, it doesn't make sense.

Playing the hero saves the damsel in distress is fine, just design a male protagonist to take the lead first, that's all.

"No, this part is no good."

Xu Fan spoke up to remind him, "Keep your voice down."

Feng Xiaogang shut up. He glanced at the first row and noticed Yang Che was no longer there. He shook his head, thinking, "I thought you were just some nobody from a humble background, but it turns out you're someone who can influence the anti-illegal activities office." This was probably why the Wang brothers called to invite everyone to support this young master.

It wasn't just Feng Xiaogang who thought the plot was poorly designed; several other reporters shared the same opinion.

Their voices were very soft, but Yang Che heard them. He wondered why no one had mentioned it back then. Perhaps the filming time on the subway was too tight.

As for why he didn't notice anything amiss? It's easy to understand; it's just habitual thinking. After all, he was from 2026... Girls, subway, who dares to move? You could become Old Ye chasing the wind even if you didn't move an inch!

Why do South Korea make films like this? Their citizens have always had low moral standards!

Yang Che's heart skipped a beat. He panicked. This was the first time since his rebirth that he had panicked this much, not even when Bingbing and Yuanyuan were fighting.

He felt a sense of irony, like the Emperor's New Clothes, thinking that people who had seen the movie before thought it was good because he had sold the rights. After all, if foreigners thought it was good, we naturally had to think it was good too.

In reality, it might not be suitable for domestic audiences at all. Thinking about this, Yang Che felt a little stifled and restless. He didn't want to show his weakness in front of others. He couldn't stand it anymore. He didn't want to watch anymore. He might as well bury his head in the sand.

He crouched down and went out through the side door. When he passed Fan Bingbing, she called out to him, but he didn't hear her.

"Mr. Yang? What can I do for you?"

"Hi, I'd like to be alone for a while, haha, thanks."

"Over here."

"..."

The theater attendant watched the departing figure of this prodigy praised by everyone and sighed with emotion, for he could clearly see the immense pressure in Yang Che's heart.

Yes, the reason Yang Che magnified a mistake that wasn't really a mistake was because he was under too much pressure. He himself didn't realize it, and neither did anyone around him, not even Yuan Yuan and Bing Bing. Because in everyone's eyes, he knew everything and everything was under his control.

In such an environment, Yang Che himself thought he was omnipotent. Although he did know a little about everything, he was ultimately just an ordinary person who had never experienced such severe symptoms. When he realized it belatedly, the pressure overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

Yang Che's departure went unnoticed. Deng Jie whispered to Fan Bingbing, who replied, "He's annoying when people repeat themselves. He didn't take a nap today, so he must have gone somewhere to sleep."

That's how it is; apart from professional directors and some film journalists, nobody cares about this.

99% of the audience were immediately struck by Fan Bingbing's slightly drunken, oval face. She was so beautiful without makeup, completely different from how she looked in the ring pillar.

Just like Niu Geng in the movie, who wasn't interested in girls, he kept an eye on this pretty girl after getting on the subway. He liked her appearance but disliked girls who drank alcohol, so his expressions were very rich. Huang Haibo portrayed that feeling of liking but pretending to dislike perfectly.

The group of male students from the Beijing Film Academy were openly and secretly amazed. They wondered if they could have acted with such depth, and each of them had their own answer.

At this point, the first dramatic conflict in the film arrives.

The girl berated a boy in a pink shirt, and when he didn't respond, she slapped him.

When they saw this part, many reporters frowned, recalling similar comments they had previously written down, such as "Producer Yang Che is suspected of being dissatisfied with Fan Bingbing's acting skills."

When the reporters saw the girl vomiting onto Li Ding's wig, they laughed while secretly cursing Yang Che for playing a ploy of understatement.

At this moment, the laughter in the theater was like a sonic boom, especially during the second time the child vomited, when it was almost deafening.

Many people feel nauseous, disgusted, and laughing at the same time.

Feng Xiaogang frowned even more deeply. He disliked the low-level sensory stimulation, first the vulgarity, and then this kind of base stimulation.

Huang Haibo's performance next made him feel comfortable; the boy's acting skills were indeed good, unlike those of an academic.

Correspondingly, Chef Huang was not very comfortable because Huang Haibo had asked him about this performance, and the presentation style was not what he had described; it was very unorthodox.

Of course, we have to listen to the sponsor.

Mr. Chen, manager of Nokia, one of the major sponsors, was very satisfied. His phone's GG poster was in the shot for almost four minutes—four minutes! And listen to the laughter from the audience; they've made a killing. Next year's GG budget is definitely going to increase!

Yang Che, who was taking a nap with his eyes closed in a backstage room, heard laughter, abruptly opened his eyes, then let out a long breath, paused for a moment, slapped himself, and thought to himself:

"Idiot, the original film of this movie has an enormous influence in China and Asia. It's a movie that ushered in a new era of romance. What are you worried about? Even if the box office isn't high because it was released a year later, its influence is still there, and the overseas revenue is real. What are you so worried about?"