Chapter 591: What Identity

Under Fang Hong's guidance, Liu Tianxian thought quietly for a while, as if she had gotten a hint of the trick.

Simply put, if your eyes can speak, you can make people feel depth. How do they speak? Whatever you want to say in your heart, you express it through your gaze.

In theory it's very simple, but in practice it's very hard!

Otherwise, only Liang Chaowei would be able to pull it off. Other great actors can do it too, but they don't leave the same deep impression.

"This is a substitute method. How could a mortal possess the great wisdom of 'Lucy'? Just having that sense of depth is enough—don't get too hung up on it," Fang Hong said again.

This scene is already the closing segment; the whole character and plot are in a state of sublimation, not the revenge-driven thrill of the earlier parts.

"Mm, let me try. I'm looking at you now—do I look like I'm speaking?" Liu Tianxian nodded.

She put on a solemn face, fixed her gaze steadily on the man before her, and thought in her heart about what she wanted to say to him.

As she spoke inwardly, her eyes unconsciously narrowed slightly, as if gaining a touch of that depth.

Fang Hong looked into her beautiful eyes and felt as though her gaze were speaking to him, giving him that sense of immersion; as for what she was saying, he had no idea.

She's progressing fast—got it with just a little guidance.

"Hey, looks like you've got some eye gunk," Fang Hong said, lifting a finger toward her eye, breaking her state at just the right moment.

"Ugh, get lost!"

Liu Tianxian's composure broke instantly; the feeling vanished. She smacked his shoulder several times, quite hard, in protest. "You're so mean!"

"Hahaha!" Fang Hong burst out laughing.

The two started horsing around again, and onlookers watched curiously at the state the two were in.

Some gossiped, some watched the show, some kept working—but those who weren't familiar with the Principal felt he was different from how he usually appeared.

Take Zhang Duo looking at the Principal: he felt the man was different from what he knew. The way he acted around Liu Tianxian was like a couple who'd known each other for ages, very easygoing.

"Alright, alright, don't ruin the suit, I'm just kidding." Fang Hong grabbed Liu Tianxian's wrist—she was wearing a Motion Capture Suit.

"So, did I have any problems?" Liu Tianxian asked.

"Pretty good. Your eyes have a bit of that sense of speaking," Fang Hong nodded.

"Then can we shoot?" Liu Tianxian asked again, seeking his opinion—essentially wanting reassurance.

After so many retakes, her confidence had taken a hit, and this man could give her confidence. If Fang Hong said they could shoot, it gave her the certainty that they really could.

"Yes, shoot it just like that." Fang Hong finished speaking and raised his hand, signaling the two of them were ready.

Xu Laoguai was still thinking when he saw the Principal raise his hand to signal the two were ready, and couldn't help asking, "Have you figured out how you want to play it?"

"We've figured it out, Director. Let's give it a try—I'm not sure if it'll work either." Liu Tianxian didn't dare to make promises.

"Alright then, everyone to your positions." The second half of Xu Laoguai's sentence was spoken into the walkie-talkie—shoot it and see; whether it works or not, they'll deal with it after.

The crew didn't let their guard down; the filming equipment and set dressing were kept as they were, because they still had to shoot—they hadn't finished.

So the moment they heard Xu Laoguai's instruction, they immediately got back into working mode.

Still starting from the reaching-out segment, Xu Laoguai stared at the monitor, saw the aura Liu Tianxian was giving off, along with that gaze, and signaled the cinematographer to push in for a close-up.

Camera 1 immediately pushed in, giving Liu Tianxian an extreme close-up of her face.

Seeing those slightly deep-set eyes, Xu Laoguai couldn't help leaning closer to the monitor—and sure enough, he saw that sense of "wisdom" in Liu Tianxian's eyes.

He hadn't expected her to pull it off in just a short while.

It was really just the feeling of speaking—only that feeling is very abstract; you can interpret it however you want.

But it was still shallow. Still, that was enough—the film needed post-production, needed to be rendered; what you saw now definitely wouldn't match the finished product.

This shot was brief and was filmed quickly.

"OK OK, very good, very good." Xu Laoguai stood up, gave a thumbs-up, signaling this take was in the can.

The rest of the crew also relaxed, powering down and starting to pack up equipment, preparing for the filming of other scenes.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian exchanged a glance, both heaving a sigh of relief. This scene had taken several hours to shoot, and finally it was done.

Xu Laoguai walked over and asked Liu Tianxian, "How did you achieve that kind of gaze?"

"It's just thinking about speaking to someone, wanting to express something to them, but not being able to say it out loud—so you think of speaking through your eyes. Anyway, I don't really know how I did it, I just thought that way." Liu Tianxian explained with a smile.

"Then your aptitude is quite high," Xu Laoguai praised.

"It was all Fang Hong who taught me—I couldn't have done it on my own." Liu Tianxian was modest.

It was because she was thinking about what she wanted to say to Fang Hong that she had the feeling and could pull it off.

If it were someone else—no feeling, nothing to say—she couldn't have done it.

Fang Hong had already walked off to take off his Motion Capture Suit; it required a specialist to remove, and the suit was quite expensive.

"Well then, you have real potential. Keep working at it, and you'll definitely become a fine actress." Xu Laoguai was quite appreciative.

At her age, having acting skills like that already made her outstanding.

"Thank you, Director Xu." Liu Tianxian was polite.

Now that the scene was done, the crew was starting to disperse—of course, other parts of the set still had people filming.

Fang Hong came out after struggling with the suit for a while, already changed back into his original clothes. Liu Tianxian had long since removed her makeup and put on a casual coat; it was still quite cold outside.

She was with Liu Xiaoli. Seeing Fang Hong come out, she went up and looped her arm through his, proudly saying, "Director Xu just praised me."

"Praised you for what?" Fang Hong asked.

"For acting well, of course!" Liu Tianxian gloated.

"That was all thanks to me—without me, you never would have figured it out." Fang Hong took the credit for himself.

"Who says it was thanks to you? I figured it out on my own." Liu Tianxian slapped her chest, refusing to admit it.

Liu Xiaoli stood by, smiling and shaking her head.

"Then why'd you still need me to give you ideas?"

"I was testing you."

The sound of their bickering grew more distant, until it faded away completely.

In April, the international release of Gravity was nearing its end, with North American total box office reaching $219 million.

Compared to its predecessor, it was about $60 million less, or 420 million yuan.

It's normal—it's a Chinese-language film!

In the international market—that is, excluding North America and China—the total box office was $359 million.

Compared to its predecessor, it was about $90 million less, or roughly 630 million yuan; overall, it fell more than a billion yuan—over $100 million—behind its predecessor.

There's nothing to be done; Chinese-language films lack the advantages Hollywood enjoys internationally.

Excluding China, Gravity's international box office totaled $578 million, roughly 4.046 billion yuan.

Including China's box office, the global total reached 7.416 billion yuan, or about $1.05 billion in USD.

This performance ranked 16th in global film history.

It ranked just behind Transformers 4 and just ahead of The Dark Knight Rises.

In this year, surpassing $1 billion globally was extremely impressive, as Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Infinity War, and The Lion King had not yet been released.

But records are meant to be broken.

Yet that didn't stop domestic media from blowing it out of proportion—suddenly, the news was everywhere.

"Everyone stand up! Gravity's global box office broke 7.4 billion, ranking 16th in global film history!"

"16th in global history! Gravity broke 7.4 billion, topping international box office for three consecutive weeks."

"Principal Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian broke new film records, becoming the highest-grossing director and actress."

"Gravity broke 14 records—why is it so 'awesome'?"

"The spin-off 'Liu Tianxian Literature' went viral—netizens: So talented!"

This involved treating past interview quotes from Liu Tianxian as exemplary models of success and motivation.

Even CCTV's evening news dedicated two full minutes to reporting Gravity's entry into global film history rankings.

A beautiful, elegant female anchor stood before the camera and said:

"Gravity's cumulative box office, including overseas earnings, surpassed 7.4 billion yuan—this is the first Chinese film, the first Asian film, to cross the 7-billion-yuan mark, and it now ranks 16th in global film history."

Then, clips of audience reactions were played; the screen cut to Vancouver Xingpulaikesi Company's General Manager, who said: "Many viewers were extremely excited by this film—it achieved outstanding box office results worldwide."

The screen cut again, showing Hollywood director Yu Xian, who faced the camera and said: "This film, in both visuals and Best Special Effects, has become world-class."

This dismissed all other space sci-fi films.

The screen cut once more, showing an American audience member, excitedly saying: "I really love this film—the viewing experience was fantastic, and the lead actress was amazing."

CCTV knows how to show off—no one knows when they got these overseas clips and interviews.

But this helps boost national pride.

The Film Bureau also issued a notice, vowing to crack down hard on piracy to protect Gravity!

This post targeted piracy links.

The piracy originated from Southeast Asia, where piracy is rampant.

They only thought to crack down after the film had already finished its run.

Still, issuing a dedicated notice is already quite good—other films don't get this treatment.

Zhang Hongsen of the Film Bureau posted on his WeChat Moments, lavishing praise on Gravity, calling director Fang Hong a true filmmaker, with the original text stating:

"He never says much, but once he commits to creation, he throws himself into it wholeheartedly—'filming space with fearless spirit!'"

He also praised actress Liu Tianxian and the entire crew for enduring pressure and persisting in their work, all for: "For our mighty motherland, for our powerful aerospace industry, for the rising Chinese film industry!"

He always speaks this way in public—always correct, always polished—but privately, he's exactly as he is.

People at the top always give off an air of stern authority.

Fang Hong usually doesn't buy into that—he knows they're just people.

Gravity's success not only made Liu Tianxian explode in fame, elevating her status without limit, but also made Guo Jinfei hugely popular.

Just these two actors—no others.

Guo Jinfei suddenly received endless film offers and interviews, and inevitably, his interviews mentioned Fang Hong.

He said: "I've been with him since the beginning. Principal is a deeply grateful person. Don't be fooled by his silence—he's never let anyone down."

"Everyone who followed him from the start has done well—like Zhang Songwen, Zhu Yilong, Zhao Xiaodao, Cai Wenjing, Nazha—who isn't famous? All those early behind-the-scenes staff bought houses in Beijing."

Fang Hong has always benefited those who followed him earliest—it's true—and now he's benefiting another group, continuously, without pause.

Guo Jingfei said Liu Tianxian described him this way: "A very genuine girl, like a clear stream."

Though few words, the praise is high.

Most people can't know what Principal is like, but Liu Tianxian has collaborated with him several times and is skilled at socializing, so she understands him better than she understands Principal.

Currently, Liu Tianxian is in a closed-mic state—she refuses all interviews, features, and public events, needing time to cool down and let her popularity subside.

So the outside world turned to Guo Jingfei to share gossip, which indirectly satisfied some fans and moviegoers.

But Liu Tianxian can't stay low-key—even after Gravity gradually left theaters worldwide, another piece of news ignited global public opinion.

"Principal Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian appear on the cover of Newsweek—each named Person of the Year."

The Newsweek cover had a bright red background, symbolizing the East; Fang Hong wore a black suit, legs crossed; Liu Tianxian sat on the floor, leaning against his legs.

Both stared straight ahead, serious and expressionless, exuding a sense of pressure.

The inside pages detailed their life stories—how one, an actress, and the other, a director, climbed step by step to global prominence.

The headline read: "Leading Chinese Culture to the World."

After this cover was released, it spread widely and was cited globally.

Newsweek is distributed in over 160 countries worldwide, covering nearly every nation on Earth; though its reach still can't compete with TV news or newspapers.

But in authority and irreplaceability, it remains the most internationally influential news weekly.

Other media are timely—today's news is forgotten tomorrow—but once you're on Newsweek, the influence endures.

This pushed the influence of the two of them up another level.

Of course they weren't the only directors and actors to appear on TIME Magazine — Gong Huang, Man Huang, Wang Fei, and Fang Long had all graced its pages before.

Chen Kaige and Zhou Xingchi had also appeared on it.

Even so, it proved its rarity and status — everyone who had appeared on it was a superstar-level figure.

Every single one of them had achievements on the international stage!

Liu Tianxian now stood at the same height as those once-glorious figures, her status reaching straight to that of a superstar.

Among her peers she had no rival — of course, that was in terms of achievement.

At her age, who had ever appeared on TIME Magazine? One had to remember she wasn't even thirty yet.

The only one who could compare with her was the former Guoji Zhang — back then, Guoji Zhang was truly in her infinite glory, hailed as a youth leader, the spokesperson of Dongfang Satellite TV in Hollywood, a model of the modern "China Dream"!

Of course, Liu Tianxian's achievements didn't come from artistic accomplishments, but from good works, from the steady accumulation of box-office success.

Guoji Zhang, too, had been built up one art-house film after another by great directors — who could ever receive the kind of treatment she had!

Liu Tianxian had only just finished shooting a little over ten films; the road ahead was still long. But as long as she had Fang Hong, as long as she had Jade Rabbit, she could go even further.

Everything is propped up by people!

Now Liu Tianxian's achievements had far surpassed those of the old The Forbidden Kingdom — both in influence and in accomplishment — letting overseas audiences shed their old impression of her.

Before, people had only a vague sense of her; any influence she had stayed stuck in the days of The Forbidden Kingdom. Now, when people mentioned Liu Tianxian, they thought of her Gravity.

That incomparable masterpiece!

Liu Tianxian's appearance on TIME Magazine naturally sent her fans into a frenzy of joy, proud of their idol.

As for her rivals, those little ones were of course consumed by envy, jealousy, and hatred — and one by one they all imitated the two's styling.

Da Baobei lay across Huang Jiaozhu's lap; Xia Jie lay across an older man's lap; Da Mimi lay across Liu Kaiwei's lap; Sun Li lay across Deng Chao's lap.

Riding the hype like mad — who could blame them, when the two were so popular, when their every move set the media ablaze and drew the public's eye? It gave off a feeling of being high-class.

Of course, some of it was parody imitation — for instance, Deng Chao and Sun Li did a parody bit on a Variety show.

On Happy Camp, Xie Na also did a parody, saying she wanted to lie across Li Weijia's lap, sending the studio audience into roars of laughter.

It was a gimmick — the audience loved watching it.

It seemed the entire entertainment industry was wrapped in the atmosphere of Liu Tianxian and the Principal.

But the two of them never appeared, never responded at all.

Liu Tianxian had already gone to Macau. Reporters and invitations to events and announcements were all looking for her. Of course she knew everything going on in the outside world — she simply wanted to fade into the background, so she paid it no attention.

If Fang Hong bothered with these people, he'd be the one losing — what kind of status was he?

(End of chapter)