Chapter 641: Farewell My Concubine

Two parts, two styles.

The first is the unrestrained and heroic swordswoman; the second is the cold, glamorous, and enchanting Sect Leader.

Both can be considered symbols with exceptionally distinct characteristics within Chinese Wu Xia culture.

Furthermore, "Bright Moon at the End of the World," as the video's accompanying song, is also filled with the spirit of chivalry.

The lyrics and arrangement aren't just perfect; they are unique, enough to be used directly as the opening or ending theme for a Wu Xia TV series.

Regarding this cosplay, the fans were quite satisfied.

Especially with Miss Luo Quan's image as the Eastern Sect Leader.

Back when Miss Luo Quan was still a minor, everyone felt she was suited for a sunny and pure style.

But who could have imagined that in just two years, she could undergo such massive changes in both appearance and figure?

From a pure girl next door, she has transformed into a mature and charming older sister.

Moreover, she possesses a unique flair when portraying strong women.

To put it simply, Miss Luo Quan is now very well-suited for the "pure-desire" style.

Of course, what style to adopt and what look to create is entirely up to Miss Luo Quan herself.

To satisfy the fans' craving for photo shoots, she can actually pull off most styles.

But in reality, she feels that she isn't actually the person the fans are familiar with.

If she had to say, a decadent style would be more fitting.

After all, the life she hopes for most is just eating and sleeping every day, nothing else.

Currently, she is also working hard toward that kind of life.

Last year was definitely busy; she wanted to be decadent but couldn't manage it.

As for this year, Miss Luo Quan has decided not to take on so many tasks; once the two films currently on her plate are finished, plus "Resident Evil 2," that will be it.

For some films, there is no need for her to do everything personally; providing the script and specific details, then hiring a veteran director to take over is actually feasible.

In this way, the artists in the company won't have to worry about a lack of resources.

The plan is tentatively set like this, but Miss Luo Quan also understands that wanting to remain leisurely forever isn't very realistic.

If you don't look for trouble, trouble will find its way to your door.

Just like that Kalan who asked her to film a movie before.

Although Miss Luo Quan knew what he was up to when he came to find her—that blushing, heart-pounding look, and that gaze.

I'm afraid only a blind person wouldn't know what Kalan had in mind.

It was nothing more than wanting to pursue her, but just like Senior Senior Jinggong, he was afraid that if he confessed, they wouldn't even have a chance to be friends, so he casually made up the excuse of having her film a movie to get close to her.

It's just that he didn't expect that even after finding the excuse, he still wouldn't succeed in getting close.

Miss Luo Quan, in any case, had made it clear from the start: talk only about work, not feelings.

Filming a movie is fine, pay the price, and given your background, it's hard for me to refuse.

But if you want to take it a step further, then I'm sorry.

Fortunately, Kalan was quite sensible; since meeting that one time, he hasn't sought her out during this period, probably realizing there's no chance.

In short, there will definitely be similar scions of official families in the future, approaching her with all sorts of excuses.

Especially as she gradually grows up and her career takes off.

What she needs to consider is how to reject these people one by one without burning bridges.

Of course, these are things that will happen in the future; after all, she is currently in the country.

Since the incident with the young master of the Huang family, there shouldn't be many second or third-generation scions in China who dare to provoke her; lest they fail to win the beauty's heart and end up ruining their own families instead...

"Wow, this is truly extravagant, booking the whole theater."

In a luxury private room at a cinema in Shanghai, three women walked in, arms full of snacks.

Miss Luo Quan looked at the surrounding environment and sighed.

"Farewell My Concubine" is about to start; today they specifically paid a high price to rent a private room, three people occupying a space that could accommodate over a dozen.

Wen Xia laughed: "It's the New Year, being extravagant once in a while isn't excessive."

The three women are not usually wasteful people; the clothes and jewelry they wear are all gifts from the brands they endorse.

Wen Xia used to like collecting limited-edition clothing from various brands, but ever since Miss Luo Quan gifted her an entire wardrobe, this hobby seems to have been satisfied instantly, and she has become less keen on it.

This kind of collecting obsession is actually just like playing a single-player game.

At the beginning, you have nothing; achievements and items all have to be grinded for, and the difficulty isn't low.

But as long as you complete one, you feel a great sense of achievement.

However, Miss Luo Quan's behavior was equivalent to giving Wen Xia a cheat code, letting her clear the game instantly.

At first, she was definitely excited for a while, but once this excitement passed, emptiness and boredom gradually welled up in her heart.

And in the absence of a substitute, desires in all aspects began to weaken.

This is also the reason why Wen Xia doesn't like spending money; because there really isn't anything worth buying.

And this time, since Miss Luo Quan and Su Yu were both together, plus the movie they were watching was one she starred in, Wen Xia was extravagant once, paying a high price to book a private room on the premiere day.

She and Miss Luo Quan, after attending the premiere, came to the cinema with Su Yu, taking the VIP passage to bypass the crowded masses.

As the most anticipated film of this year's Spring Festival slot, "Farewell My Concubine" had its buzz maxed out even before it was released.

As a great tragedy, daring to be released during the Spring Festival slot, this courage is worth praising, and it makes people look forward to its performance even more.

Therefore, with the movie premiering today, the areas outside major cinemas were packed with people, a grand occasion far exceeding previous years.

However, a portion of them came for "The Wandering Earth"; this sci-fi film, after a few days of word-of-mouth fermentation, has completely become a blockbuster.

The audience's enthusiasm for watching it is no less than that of "Wolf Warrior 2" back then.

Moreover, the main-melody color of this film is far less intense than that of "Wolf Warrior 2."

If "Wolf Warrior 2" had reasons for various units to arrange viewings, then "The Wandering Earth" is purely because the fans themselves wanted to go to the cinema, simply because of Wu Jin and the quality of the film.

As for "Farewell My Concubine," the factors are too numerous.

Miss Luo Quan, Jiang Wen, He You—these are all synonymous with high-quality works in the film industry.

Just hearing the name, one can guess it's a good film.

Not to mention that the early-access version was filmed so stunningly.

Many film critics say this might be the best Chinese-language film since the new century.

And many film fans walked into the cinema with the intention of witnessing the best film.

After the time reached midnight, the lights in the luxury private room were all turned off.

The three women chose a comfortable posture, lying in their seats, grabbing potato chips while watching the big screen.

For the beginning of this film, Miss Luo Quan changed the color tone.

Previously it was neutral black text on a white background; this time it is a darker black background with red text.

The four characters "Farewell My Concubine" look as if they were splashed with fresh blood, looking truly chilling.

The beginning of the film also has some changes compared to the previous early-access version.

The first scene is Duan Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Cheng Dieyi wearing costumes, walking into a dim theater.

Just as they entered, they were called out by the person watching the theater.

After some conversation, it was learned that the two brothers hadn't performed opera for over ten years.

And the reason was all because of a man-made disaster.

In the film, some terms were stated very bluntly.

Many fans widened their eyes upon seeing this, thinking that it was so explicit right from the start.

It seems this movie really has someone powerful backing it; it actually passed the censorship review.

So, will it continue to be high-energy next?

The answer is no; the flashback phase ended quickly.

The main film began, still starting from the childhood of the two protagonists.

The content is not much different from the previous early-access version, equivalent to watching it again.

For many viewers, this part of the plot can almost be said to be known by heart.

During the time "Farewell My Concubine" was released, the way they passed the emptiness caused by the early-access version was to repeatedly watch these ten minutes of footage.

However, for those viewers who hadn't seen the early-access version, just this segment of content was enough to make them focus until their eyes were fixed.

There were no explosive points in the content, but it was able to immerse people through the story and the actors' performances.

This is the texture of an excellent film; among the crudely made films currently on the market, one can never experience this feeling.

Soon, the film's plot reached a new stage.

The children of the opera troupe grew up and became teenagers.

Cheng Cheng Dieyi also grew increasingly delicate; although his head was shaved, his brows and eyes were still as gentle and lovely as ever.

And here, it started with the scene where he kept reciting the lines of "Night Run" wrong and was hit on the palm.

Everything was fine before, but he made a mistake on the most important line.

"I am originally a boy, not a girl."

Cheng Cheng Dieyi's eyes were full of tears; even when facing the opera master's repeated corrections and punishments, he still emphasized that he was originally a boy.

But what was to be sung in the opera was the opposite.

And Cheng Cheng Dieyi wasn't unable to memorize it; this was his last bit of stubbornness regarding his gender identity.

Growing up in a pile of women since childhood made him confused.

After entering the opera troupe, he sang the Dan role, and this confusion gradually deepened.

Now, he could only use this sentence to remind himself of his true identity.

However, this stubbornness didn't last long.

The opera troupe always had to perform on stage; soon, the big shot Na Ye came to the troupe to scout for new talent.

He took a fancy to Cheng Cheng Dieyi at a glance, then randomly pointed to a script, which was "Night Run," the one most likely to cause problems.

Sure enough, Cheng Cheng Dieyi recited it wrong.

But this time, it was entirely out of habit; one could tell from his stunned expression that it wasn't intentional.

But there was only one such opportunity; his mistake alone ruined the efforts of the entire troupe.

Just then, the big brother, hating that he wouldn't improve, pinned him down and shoved a rod hard into his mouth as punishment.

It was at this very moment that he changed.

The Cheng Cheng Dieyi who was a girl finally overwhelmed the Cheng Cheng Dieyi who was a boy, gaining the upper hand.

He seemed to have had an epiphany, walking with firm steps, reciting the lines skillfully; everything was so natural.

Such a performance also made Na Ye change his mind.

However, no one expected that the big shot the two brothers were taken to see was actually a eunuch from the previous dynasty.

An extremely perverted eunuch.

It was also on this day that Cheng Cheng Dieyi psychologically transformed completely from a boy into a girl.

The film didn't specifically say what he encountered, but in fact, everything was clear.

The scene shifted again; it was many years later.

By this time, Duan Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Cheng Dieyi had both become stars.

Duan Duan Xiaolou was tall and sturdy, heroic and unrestrained.

Cheng Cheng Dieyi was thin and gentle, peerlessly beautiful.

Their "Farewell My Concubine" was the most famous performance in the entire Beijing opera circle.

However, their bumpy fate had only just begun.

War arrived, and the appearance of Juxian caused a rift between the two brothers.

Yuan Siye added fuel to the fire.

However, the two had years of affection, plus Cheng Cheng Dieyi had special feelings, so although they faced heavy obstacles, even life-threatening danger.

In the end, they still supported each other with their senior brother and made it to the end of the war.

But unexpectedly, the second crisis came from their own countrymen.

Previously, the one in life-threatening danger was the senior brother; this time, the one arrested and tried was Cheng Cheng Dieyi.

And Duan Duan Xiaolou didn't retreat either, running around for his junior brother, even taking out a precious sword to ask Yuan Siye for help.

This crisis was safely passed during Yuan Siye's impassioned speech.

That sentence: "Anyone with a little knowledge of national studies understands that the Peony Pavilion is the quintessence of national drama culture; how did it become lewd and vulgar in the mouth of the prosecutor?"

Speaking up for justice, how domineering.

It made countless viewers unable to help but applaud.

Unfortunately, Juxian's child was lost in this crisis.

The relationship between the three had a complete rift, also laying the groundwork for their future breakup.

Soon, the climax of the plot arrived.

This was the final crisis, forged by the era, and also proof that the affection between the brothers was no longer what it used to be.

At the same time, it also symbolized the decline of Peking Opera.

Just like what Cheng Cheng Dieyi said when he was pointed at by thousands of people:

"The Abyssal Abyssal Bawang has knelt down; can Peking Opera not perish?"

In that kind of environment, everyone's spirit collapsed.

Duan Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Cheng Dieyi began to attack each other; Cheng Cheng Dieyi even brought up the fact that Juxian had been a prostitute, and Duan Duan Xiaolou, as a husband, only kept blaming his wife; everyone became strangers.

After the chaos ended, Cheng Cheng Dieyi sat on the road, looking ahead with a withered face; his beautiful opera face looked so old and ugly.

Yet it was heartbreaking.

And even more heartbreaking was Juxian, betrayed by her two lovers, who hanged herself.

She couldn't accept her husband's betrayal, nor could she accept the betrayal of her husband's junior brother.

These were the only two relatives she had in the world; life at that moment suddenly had no hope.

The film ended here, more or less.

The scene continued from the beginning, the two wearing costumes, coming to the stage for a rehearsal.

What they were performing was their most proficient "Farewell My Concubine."

But this time, Cheng Cheng Dieyi held a real sword.

Amidst Duan Duan Xiaolou's panicked shouts, Cheng Cheng Dieyi, like Concubine Yu at Gaixia, swung the sword to commit suicide before the Abyssal Abyssal Bawang.

The film froze on this scene, and the audience in the cinema also seemed to be frozen, no one moving for a long time. ===== CHAPTER 642 =====