Chapter 392: Superstar: The Peak of Acting for a Fairy

As the New Year's Eve approached, Yang Zi, who had kept a low profile for several months, spoke out again.

"The action blockbuster 'Special Identity', fully funded by Juli Pictures with an investment of 200 million, has officially been greenlit. The film will feature two major Chinese action superstars, Zhen Zidan and Zhao Wenzhuo, with a passionate performance by one of the Four Dan Actresses, Huang Shengyi."

Once the news broke, the industry was in an immediate uproar.

One must know that the joke of 'The Sorcerer and the White Snake' had only passed a few months ago; was this guy truly not afraid of death? However, this lineup was actually quite anticipated.

Although Zhen Zidan's reputation and character had suffered somewhat, the three films in the 'Ip Man' series had indeed made him who he was.

As for Zhao Wenzhuo, what people missed most were naturally his classic performances in various Hong Kong films back in the day.

Whether it was the great villain "Nine-Gate Governor", or "Huang Feihong", or even "Da Wei Tian Long", and even the forty-meter-long Blood Drinking Mad Blade of Nie Feng, all had left a deep impression on the audience and film fans.

At this stage, apart from Cheng Long and Li Lianjie, Zhen Zidan, Zhao Wenzhuo, Wu Jing, and others were definitely second-tier action actors, barely worthy of the title "action superstar".

As for Huang Shengyi, everyone had already automatically ignored her; the "Tian Shang Ren Jian" affair was not something that could be washed away so easily.

However, despite not knowing much about the entertainment industry in his past life, Wei Jin remembered that this film had suffered an accident.

It was just that now that Juli Pictures was in control, Wei Jin did not know if history would repeat itself.

Shaking his head, Wei Jin stopped paying attention and walked into the house.

He saw that Yifei had already finished getting ready with the help of Liu Xiaoli and the team.

Today, Yifei was wearing a white dress, simply paired with a pair of tassel earrings, her long, jet-black, shiny hair draped over her shoulders, looking youthful, unrestrained, exquisite, and beautiful.

Wei Jin nodded with satisfaction; as long as this girl didn't handle things herself, there was indeed nothing to worry about.

"Let's go, Yifei, it's time for us to head out."

"Mm."

Although the production budget for 'Once Again' was not large, Wei Jin still chose the Great Hall as the venue for the premiere.

Despite the approaching end of the year, there were still many people who came to show their support; after all, there was almost no such thing as a New Year break in the entertainment industry.

Likewise, the entertainment reporters were the same, having surrounded both sides of the red carpet early on, making it impassable.

When Wei Jin led the main cast onto the red carpet, both sides were filled with the cheers of fans and the flashes of the media.

"Brother, how much box office do you think our movie can get?"

With the film about to be unveiled, Yifei suddenly felt a bit nervous.

After all, compared to Wei Jin's other films, 'Once Again' was far inferior in terms of production cost, scale, and special effects.

More importantly, this was essentially a female-led film; if it couldn't carry the box office, it would drag down Wei Jin's reputation.

Seeming to sense what the girl was thinking, Wei Jin squeezed her hand slightly.

"Yifei, don't worry, have confidence in yourself. Also, have confidence in me, okay? You still have to sing later, get into the right state."

After giving her a pep talk, Wei Jin led the main cast and strode into the cinema hall.

At the premiere, Wei Jin was still surrounded in the center of the circle.

Han Sanping and Ren Zhonglun, the two heads of state-owned enterprises, firmly occupied the positions on Wei Jin's left and right.

Other industry bigwigs like Old Wang from Enlight Media also gathered together, as if they were guardian deities, making many female stars who wanted to get close shrink back.

Apart from industry bigwigs, there were also many stars, artists, and industry insiders who came to show their support.

Huang Xiaoming, Yang Ying, the couple Deng Chao, Fan Bingbing, Wang Baoqiang, including a host of major industry directors, Zhang Yimou, Wu Ershan, Chen Shiren, Gu Changwei, and Jia Kezhang: "Junior brother, this is your first time entering the Spring Festival Film Season, right? This time, it's up to you."

Ning Hao and his wife also arrived at the scene, and upon meeting, they gave Wei Jin a hug.

"Don't worry, Senior Brother."

Wei Jin returned the smile, "By the way, are you going to attend the opening ceremony in Berlin?"

"Of course, this is my first time appearing at the European Big Three, I have to let the foreigners see my style, haha..."

Xing Aina, who was on the side, rolled her eyes and, without giving him any face, spoke up to undermine him.

"With you looking like that, what style? A prison haircut, big gold chains, looking like a social idler; I'm embarrassed to even talk about you."

Wei Jin was stunned on the spot; his senior brother's status in the family was worrying.

After some pleasantries, the premiere soon began.

The host, Liu Yan, wearing a long black dress, walked onto the stage, and after a simple opening, she invited the opening guest to the stage.

Yifei took a deep breath and slowly stepped onto the stage.

Both the guests and the fans at the scene held their breath in anticipation; after all, opportunities to hear Yifei perform live were extremely rare.

As the music started, Yifei instantly forgot all distractions and was completely immersed in the melody of the song and the simple yet affectionate lyrics.

Fortunately, this track, which was quite difficult to sing, had no slip-ups today.

After finishing the song, Yifei bowed to thank the audience, and then Bai Yu and Jin Zhiwen went on stage to perform. Perhaps because of nervousness, Bai Yu went off-key a few times in the middle.

But because it was the first time the song was presented, most of the audience at the scene did not notice.

As expected, the debut of the three songs won thunderous applause from the audience.

Liu Yan then continued to invite the main cast of the film to the stage.

Wei Jin led the rest of the cast onto the stage, standing in the center, with Yifei and Bai Yu standing on his left and right respectively.

After some polite deferring, Wang Zhiwen and Wang Kai left the positions on the sides to the elderly Wang Deshun and Wu Yanshu, who stood at the very edges.

Several people talked about the stories of filming the movie, and the media interviewed them one after another.

"Yifei, this is your second collaboration with Director Wei Jin after seven years. What kind of movie do you think this is? How does it compare to 'Those Years'?"

"I think this is a fantasy film like no other, telling a story about time and the bond between mother and son."

Yifei's exquisite face carried a touch of seriousness.

"Perhaps when everyone finishes watching this movie, you will understand what I mean. Personally, I think this movie moved me even more than 'Those Years'."

"Teacher Wang Zhiwen, this is your first time working with Director Wei. Do you have any thoughts?"

"The experience this time was great and very novel, especially the efficiency of Director Wei's crew, which really opened my eyes. In addition, Director Wei is also very humble; working with him is truly very pleasant..."

As soon as Wang Zhiwen said this, Chen Shiren's expression in the audience immediately turned sour. Was this damn guy pointing at him? Many people at the scene who knew a bit of the inside story also smiled knowingly.

It is no wonder; Chen Shiren has always maintained a very rigid persona on set, and no matter what status the actors he faces have, he never drops his airs as a big director.

Wang Zhiwen and Chen Shiren have collaborated several times; although they are all smiles in front of the cameras, they have a sense of rivalry in private.

The interview on stage continued, and the other main cast members expressed their own views one after another, until finally, Liu Yan pointed the microphone toward Wei Jin.

"Everyone knows that Director Wei has always been the record holder for domestic film box office, and his predictions for film box office are also very accurate. I wonder, Director Wei, what are your expectations for this film's box office?" "This time, I won't make a prediction; I will leave the answer to the audience."

A confident smile appeared on Wei Jin's handsome face, "However, I believe the audience will definitely be very satisfied. By the way, please have tissues ready when watching the film."

After the main cast interview ended, the film began to screen.

When a 70-year-old woman transforms into a 20-year-old girl, what will she do?

Carrying this question, the audience followed the young female lead into a fantasy world.

Shopping and buying clothes are indeed a woman's eternal topic; the female lead played by Liu Yifei finished shopping through a whole street and finally settled on her final look.

"Xiao Long Nu's Republic-era young lady look actually looks pretty good."

On the screen, Liu Yifei's expressions and demeanor were different from the playful girls of the past, carrying a lingering, mature arrogance—that was the unbridled nature of an old lady.

Such an image was not as ethereal as before, nor was it the cold, tough-girl image, but instead, it made the audience's eyes light up.

Then, the plot developed further.

The 20-year-old female lead was undoubtedly the most stunning person at the senior activity center.

Subsequently, she joined her grandson's rock band, received a round of applause for the song "Echoes of the Rainbow," and caught the eye of the music director played by Wang Kai.

A fantasy romance seemed to be about to unfold, and the female lead gradually adapted to her new identity.

But the turning point soon arrived; the female lead discovered that as long as she bled, she would age, and her identity was discovered by the old servant and her son.

But at this moment, the female lead no longer wanted to change back.

But the story had to continue to develop; the grandson got into a car accident, and only the female lead's blood could save him.

The film's plot reached its climax; the female lead wanted to save him without hesitation, but her son stood up to oppose it.

Accompanied by the background music of "After I Leave," Wang Zhiwen's explosive line-delivery skills were fully unleashed.

"Do you know a woman named Shen Mengjun?"

The son recounted his mother's life of hardship and setbacks. "She gave everything to this child, but this unfilial son wanted to send her to a nursing home."

"If you know her, please tell her not to return to this home again, not to marry that short-lived husband, not to give birth to this unfilial child, and even more so, not to mend shoes and sew clothes for others for the sake of that child, or to pick up trash late at night just to fill her stomach... If her life could be lived over again, then this time, please, don't live it like this."

"Impossible."

Liu Yifei was in tears, but her gaze gradually became firm.

"If I could do it all over again, I would still live it this way!"

Without a doubt, this was the peak of Liu Yifei's acting, and her performance with Wang Zhiwen could be called perfect.

Coupled with the camera work and background music, the tear-jerker was detonated at this moment! Wei Jin noticed that many people at the scene had tears in their eyes, and even the few big shots beside him seemed to be deeply moved.

Mother-son affection is an eternal human topic; although Asian regions generally express such emotions very subtly, the film's more than an hour of foreshadowing, leading to the final outburst, was natural and inevitable.

"You kid, if you bring everyone a tragedy during the New Year, watch out for being cyber-bullied."

Han Sanping pulled a smile at the corner of his mouth and teased, as if to cover up his own emotions.

"Han Dong, keep watching."

The plot continued; the grandson was saved, the female lead returned to her elderly state, and the family was together, happy and harmonious.

The grandson's music career became increasingly successful, his family gave him great support, and the old lady was even the leader of his fan club.

Only occasionally would the old lady think of the music director played by Wang Kai; it ended just like that before it even began.

However, the appearance of Liu Tianwang in the post-credits scene drew a warm and touching period to the story.

HAPPY ENDING!

The two-hour film came to an end, and the audience let out a long sigh of relief, followed by thunderous applause that shook the heavens.

"Impressive. Wei Jin didn't play with big scenes and special effects this time, but the camera work, color grading, music, and the actors' performances are all very high-level."

"The core of the story is very interesting; it focuses not on young people's romance, but on the deeper level of mother-son affection. It really is thoughtful."

"The humor isn't stiff or pretentious, and the tear-jerking moments have buildup and release. Above standard, impressive."

Many professionals at the scene, and even big directors in the industry, gave their own evaluations.

"This is a film dedicated to female moviegoers. I hope everyone can have a happy family."

In the final reporter interview, Wei Jin gave his blessings, which was also the theme of the film.

Afterward, it was time for the banquet, and everyone seized the last time to gather before the New Year.

"Xiaogang, how much do you think the box office can reach? Can we do it?"

Wang Zhonglei held a wine glass and chatted with Feng Dapao, and the meaning in his words was very clear.

Compared to Wei Jin's previous big-budget special effects films and large-scale productions, this kind of low-budget commercial film is undoubtedly very easy to follow and copy.

If this film could be a box office hit, it would mean that this type of film could easily arouse the audience's willingness to watch, and Huayi would definitely not miss out.

"This film focuses on family and love, the cast is also good, and it has a happy family reunion ending. Plus, there's no competition during the Spring Festival Film Season. I estimate 500 million shouldn't be a problem; it's doable."

Feng Dapao gave his own judgment.

As for Wang Zhonglei's thoughts, he didn't mind; taking some advantages, learning how to handle them, and appropriately following the trend—this is a very common operation.

"Alright, I'll think about it."

That same night, media reports about "Once Again" were already out.

"Commercial big-name director Wei Jin tries a heartwarming comedy for the first time; it has both humor and tears, and is full of humanistic care!"

"'Once Again' premiere scene, rave reviews, thunderous applause; the film is expected to dominate the Spring Festival Film Season!"

"Liu Yifei's acting peak, Wang Zhiwen's explosive lines, 'Once Again'—a brilliant film not to be missed this Spring Festival."

"Wei Jin: 'Once Again'—a film dedicated to all women!"

Looking at the reports online, Liu Yifei was so happy she couldn't close her mouth.

"Brother, look, the media all say this is the peak of my acting, and at the banquet just now, many directors also said I acted well."

"Hmph, who do you think deserves the credit for this?"

"Mm, Brother, it's all your credit, mwah."

"Just like this, there's no sincerity."

Liu Yifei playfully rolled her eyes, then crouched down, wrapping Wei Jin tightly in her tenderness. (End of chapter)