Chinese entertainment: What's wrong with actresses wanting to improve?

At six o'clock the next morning, Fu Yibai got out of Fan Binbin's bed.

Fan Binbin was still asleep. He quietly washed up, took a clean set of clothes from the dressing room, changed, and left a message for Fan Binbin before leaving.

Zhang Xinyu has already driven her car downstairs.

After Fu Yibai got into the car, she handed him a hot Americano and a sandwich.

On the morning of April 17, filming continued for "The Wandering Earth 2".

Zhang Xincheng was in great form today, and he nailed many of his shots in one take.

Guan Xiaotong, on the other hand, had a minor problem; her emotions weren't quite right in two scenes.

Fu Yibai had her watch the playback on the monitor and then explained the character's psychological logic to her separately.

Guan Xiaotong listened very attentively, and her performance was noticeably smoother when she went back to act.

After Fu Yibai called out, the little girl breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and ran back to the rest area.

After finishing work that evening, Fu Yibai flipped through the briefing sent by Chen Xi in his hotel room.

The Sino-Foreign Film Cooperation Forum opened today. Han Shanping represented China Film Group and held talks with Luc Besson and others.

At the forum, several international producers mentioned the box office performance of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in China, believing that the demand for high-quality genre films in the Chinese market is still growing rapidly.

The forum had a somewhat official tone. Chen Xi said the atmosphere was good, and several European distributors expressed interest in Chen Xi's upcoming films.

Fu Yibai replied, "Just follow up."

The "Focus on the Future" section of this year's Beijing International Film Festival is located at the Beijing Film Academy and will run from April 17 to 23.

Fu Yibai knew about this unit and its prize money structure for this year.

He has always supported initiatives that support young directors.

Fu Yibai did not attend the International Film Group Summit Forum on April 18.

Chen Xi represented Chenxi Media at the event, sharing the stage with Ye Ning of Wanda, Wang Zhongjun of Huayi Brothers, Wang Changtian of Enlight Media, and others.

The forum's theme was "How can China's film industry integrate with the global market?" The speakers each had their own focus. Chen Xi mainly talked about Chenxi's exploration of science fiction films and its experience in overseas distribution.

Fu Yibai took some time off on set to watch a few live replays. His overall performance was decent, and he didn't make any major mistakes.

The film market event concluded at the China Millennium Monument on April 20.

Fu Yibai heard Zhang Xinyu relay some data: the number of exhibiting projects increased by 20% compared to last year, and the transaction amount also increased.

On the evening of April 22, Fu Yibai received a call from the organizers of the Beijing International Film Festival, asking if he could attend the closing ceremony on the evening of the 23rd.

Fu Yibai initially wanted to decline, but the other party said that there was a "Focus on the Future" segment in the awards ceremony, and several leaders hoped that he could go on stage to present awards to the winning young directors.

Fu Yibai glanced at tomorrow's schedule. The afternoon's performance was expected to wrap up at six o'clock, and the closing ceremony would start at eight o'clock, so there was enough time.

At 4 p.m. on April 23, Fu Yibai went directly from the film set to the Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center.

When Fu Yibai got out of the car, he heard someone call his name. He turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound. There were several young girls holding light boards and standing outside the railing behind the media area.

He raised his hand and waved, then walked straight into the inner area without stopping.

The closing ceremony and awards presentation were more compact than the opening ceremony.

The ten awards of the Tiantan Awards were presented in turn. Best Film went to Mexico's "The Twilight Years" and Best Director was won by Jean-Jacques Annaud for "Wolf Totem".

Tony Leung Ka-fai won Best Supporting Actor for his role in "The Taking of Tiger Mountain," while Best Actor and Best Actress went to actors from the Russian films "White Nights" and "The Female Sniper," respectively.

Fu Yibai sat in the audience, his face expressionless.

He knew these results in advance; the process sheet sent to him by the organizers clearly stated them.

When the "Focus on the Future" awards were presented, he was invited to the stage by the host.

Fu Yibai stood in front of the microphone. The audience consisted mostly of young directors and film school students.

He glanced down at the envelope in his hand, opened it, and read out the name of the Best Director winner.

A student from the Beijing Film Academy, in his early twenties, stood up from his seat and walked somewhat awkwardly onto the stage.

Fu Yibai handed him the trophy, took a half step back, and let the photographer take a picture.

The closing ceremony ended close to 11 p.m.

Fu Yibai did not attend the celebration banquet; he came out through the side door and got into his car directly.

Zhang Xinyu handed over her phone, saying that there was already a lot of discussion on Weibo about "Old Age Dilemma" winning Best Picture.

Fu Yibai took the phone and flipped through a few pages.

Several well-known film critics published a lengthy article in the early hours of the morning, arguing that the Beijing International Film Festival has been held for five sessions, but the Best Film award has never been given to a Chinese film. They believe this is a result of the organizers pandering to the tastes of international judges.

The comments section was even more heated, with some arguing that good movies transcend nationality, while others pointed the finger at the composition of this year's jury.

Fu Yibai returned the phone to Zhang Xinyu without saying a word.

The car drove along the Jingcheng Expressway in the night, the streetlights flashing across the windows, casting flickering shadows on his face.

"Mr. Fu, several media outlets want to invite you to do an interview about the Beijing International Film Festival. Would you like to accept?" Zhang Xinyu asked.

"I won't answer."

"OK."

Fu Yibai arrived home close to midnight.

The living room lights were still on, but no one was there. There was only a glass of cold milk and a note on the coffee table, left by Yang Rong.

"I saved the hot milk for you. Drink it when you get back before you go to sleep."

Fu Yibai picked up the cup and took a sip; it was cold.

He put down the cup and tiptoed upstairs.

On April 25, the filming progress of "The Wandering Earth 2" reached 4%.

Zhang Xincheng and Guan Xiaotong's on-screen chemistry is getting better and better; in some scenes, Fu Yibai only needed two takes to get them right.

On April 28, Bai Mengyan returned to Beijing from Changzhou.

She took leave from school under the pretext of an internship.

It was already four o'clock in the afternoon when they arrived at Yuanyang. Fu Yibai was not at home. Yang Rong and Liu Yan were flying kites with their children by the lake.

Bai Mengyan put down her luggage and went to the lakeside to find them. Zhao Ning was sweating profusely from running, and when she saw her, she pulled her along to put it down.

Bai Mengyan played with the children until dark, and Fu Yibai didn't return until dinner time.

"When did you arrive?" Fu Yibai asked her.

"Four o'clock in the afternoon."

"Has everything been arranged by the school?"

"Yes, I took a month's leave."

"Then stay home more."

Bai Mengyan nodded, lowered her head to eat her rice, and her ears turned a little red.

By the end of April, the weather in Beijing had become completely warm.

The women started wearing light clothing. Zhao Ning and Jing Chen changed into thin coats, while Jing An and Jin Yu took off their cotton-padded jackets.

On May 2, filming for "The Wandering Earth 2" wrapped up.

When the last scene was filmed, Fu Yibai stood in front of the monitor, watching the camera slowly zoom out in the viewfinder, and after a few seconds said, "That's a wrap!"

The entire audience fell silent for a moment, then erupted in applause and cheers.

The wrap party was held at a restaurant in Huairou. The crew of more than 300 people had 30 tables, and Fu Yibai drank quite a lot.

Deng Chao led several young actors from table to table, toasting guests. Guan Xiaotong followed, holding a glass of orange juice, while Zhang Xincheng was plied with drinks until his face turned red. Fu Yibai sat in the main seat, watching with a smile on his lips.

The banquet ended in the early hours of the morning.

When Fu Yibai returned to Yuanyang, everyone in his family was asleep, except for one light still on in the living room.

He took a shower, tiptoed to bed, and Liu Yan, still half asleep, leaned closer to him, mumbled "You're back," and fell asleep again.