Chapter 35: Kickoff and Premiere

At the Shaw Brothers Studio in Jiulongcheng, the kickoff ceremony for "The Lost Ancient City" was underway.

A red carpet covered the ground, a high incense table was set up, and offerings of the three sacrificial animals were neatly arranged; Wang Jing held three sticks of incense, standing in the front row with a beaming smile.

"Come, come, everyone bow and pray, may we have a blockbuster box office!"

Liu Furong (playing Hu Bayi), standing beside him, joked with a laugh: "Brother Jing, you don't even need makeup for the role of Fatty Wang; you're playing your true self!"

Wang Jing patted his beer belly and laughed heartily: "That's right! I call this dedicating myself to art!"

Zhan Senduo (playing Big Gold Tooth) leaned in with a shrewd expression: "Brother Jing, if this film blows up, you must add more scenes for me!"

"Add, add, add!" Wang Jing waved his hand broadly. "If the box office exceeds thirty million, I'll let you play Uncle Ming in the sequel!"

The crowd burst into laughter, the atmosphere fervent.

At that moment, Xiang Qian arrived as the screenwriter; the scene fell silent for a second, then everyone rushed forward to greet him—

"Brother Qian!"

"Master Wu!"

"Qian-zi, the script is absolutely brilliant!"

Xiang Qian nodded lightly, responding politely, yet his eyes revealed a hint of detachment.

Observing his demeanor, Wang Jing immediately leaned in: "Qian-zi, what do you think? Are you satisfied with this cast?"

Xiang Qian swept a glance over them and nodded: "Not bad."

Liu Furong approached and voluntarily extended his hand: "Brother Qian, I have long admired your reputation."

Xiang Qian shook his hand: "Rong-zi, act well; the role of Hu Bayi has great depth."

Liu Furong nodded solemnly: "I will certainly live up to your trust."

Seeing Xiang Qian's lack of enthusiasm, Wang Jing's eyes darted, and he whispered: "Qian-zi, there's a private gathering tonight; would you like to..."

Xiang Qian shook his head: "No, I have other matters."

With that, he turned and left, leaving the group staring at each other in bewilderment.

Returning home, Xiang Qian sat directly at his desk, spread out manuscript paper, and began writing the script for "Parasite."

The fountain pen scratched against the paper; his gaze was focused and cold.

"The smell of the poor..." he murmured the line, his pen never stopping.

Suddenly, the ringing of a telephone interrupted his thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Qian-zi!" Liu Guanwei's excited voice came from the other end. "Mr. Vampire premieres tomorrow; you and Ah Min must be there!"

Xiang Qian frowned: "Tomorrow?"

"Yes! Executives from Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers will all attend; Sixth Uncle personally named you to be seen!"

Xiang Qian pondered for a moment: "Very well, I will be there."

Hanging up the phone, he rubbed his temples and dialed Wang Jing's number.

"Brother Jing, give Ah Min a day off tomorrow."

Wang Jing chuckled on the other end: "What's up? The young couple have plans?"

Too lazy to explain, Xiang Qian said: "The premiere of Mr. Vampire."

"Oh, oh! Understood, understood!" Wang Jing immediately turned serious. "No problem, I'll reschedule her scenes!"

The next day, at the Lisheng Theater in Tongluowan.

Reporters and fans crowded both sides of the red carpet, camera flashes popping continuously.

Xiang Qian and Zhou Huimin stepped out of the car together, instantly triggering screams—

"Qian-zi! Ah Min! Look over here!"

"Ahhh! Are they really together?"

Zhou Huimin held Xiang Qian's arm, smiling sweetly, while Xiang Qian remained indifferent as always, only occasionally lowering his head to whisper a few words to her, causing her to cover her mouth and laugh lightly.

Liu Guanwei welcomed them from afar: "Qian-zi! Ah Min! We were just waiting for you!"

Xiang Qian nodded: "Director Liu, congratulations."

Rubbing his hands together excitedly, Liu Guanwei said: "The internal screening received an excellent response; Sixth Uncle is here today, so you must perform well later!"

Xiang Qian smiled faintly, saying nothing more.

Entering the theater, Shaw Yifu was seated in the VIP section; seeing Xiang Qian approach, he smiled and waved: "Qian-zi, come, sit beside me."

Xiang Qian walked over and said respectfully: "Sixth Uncle."

Shaw Yifu patted his shoulder: "Mr. Vampire was filmed well; I hear you are writing a new script again?"

Xiang Qian nodded: "An art film."

A sharp light flashed in Shaw Yifu's eyes: "Good, you have ideas! Shaw Brothers will fully support you!"

Xiang Qian smiled in thanks, yet in his heart he knew clearly that this old fox was testing his loyalty.

Halfway through the premiere ceremony, as Xiang Qian went to the restroom, he was suddenly blocked by someone.

The film ended, and thunderous applause erupted.

Shaw Yifu nodded with satisfaction: "Qian-zi, this film will be a huge hit."

Xiang Qian smiled faintly: "That is Director Liu's merit."

Zhou Huimin quietly tugged his sleeve and whispered: "Qian-zi, shall we go?"

Xiang Qian nodded and took his leave from Shaw Yifu.

Stepping out of the theater, the night breeze was slightly cool. His phone rang again.

"Qian-zi!" Wang Jing's voice brimmed with excitement. "I've seen the footage from the first day of shooting The Lost Ancient City; it's incredible! Do you want to come take a look?"

Xiang Qian glanced at Zhou Huimin and said indifferently: "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, he gazed at the night sky, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.