Chapter 54

“A very long time ago...”

“When I first walked into a movie theater and saw those interwoven lights and shadows, I was profoundly shaken!”

“Turns out, the screen could be so huge...”

“Turns out, sound could be so clear, so vividly layered, and the images so dazzling...”

“That day, I walked out of the movie theater...”

“That day, I couldn’t sleep all night...”

“Cinema art was like a tiny seed, planted deep within my heart, and over time, nurtured by the years, it slowly sprouted...”

“...”

Outside the window, neon lights spilled over the wrinkles of a suit.

Zhou Yang’s deep gaze fixed on his reflection in the window glass.

In Zhou Yang’s solemn voice, Li Yijie seemed to return to that old film theater of the celluloid era, watching a child stunned into silence by the giant screen.

“I come from Jiangsu Province, from a remote village in a small county so obscure, you’d need a magnifying glass to find it on a map...”

“I was an excellent student, top of my class, but my family was poor—famously on welfare.”

“Since childhood, I remembered one phrase: knowledge changes destiny...”

“If not for that accident, I would’ve finished high school, pursued my childhood dream, worked hard to get into Yanying, and become a screenwriter, cinematographer, or director... Even if I hadn’t succeeded, I’d still have been in the film industry.”

“But fate is so cruel...”

“My mother died in an accident; my father was diagnosed with cancer. The treatment drained every last penny we had—and still, it didn’t save him...”

“...”

As he recalled the past, Zhou Yang’s voice grew rough, as if something choked his throat.

A sorrowful atmosphere drifted through the vast room. Li Yijie listened, and without knowing why, a sharp ache rose in her chest—her eyes slowly reddened.

She wanted to say something, but found she could say nothing at all.

Zhou Yang, after briefly introducing himself, withdrew his gaze and fixed his eyes tightly on the screenplay.

“I had nothing, and once considered ending my life in the simplest way...”

“Two months ago, I jumped into a raging river...”

“The choking sensation of drowning—I still remember it vividly...”

“I thought I was dead...”

“But no one expected that fate ultimately gave me a second life...”

“I washed ashore. I survived.”

“...”

“From then on, I swore I would live my life—once, truly.”

“My pursuit and burning passion for cinema became a force—not only carrying me step by step to Yanjing, but pushing me to do everything I could.”

“In just a few months, I met many people. We shared the same dream and survived together in this unfamiliar city!”

“Then, because we were unprofessional, because we were poor, because we needed to eat—we ended up making a film the entire internet mocked: ‘Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2’...”

“During that time, we were at rock bottom, facing endless ridicule and doubt—even treated as clowns...”

“But we never gave up!”

“We kept pushing forward!”

“I don’t see it as humiliation, or a shameful memory.”

“It’s the path I walked to get here!”

“...”

Inside the room.

Zhou Yang’s gaze gradually hardened; deep within, a flame seemed to burn.

Across from him, Li Yijie kept wiping her tears, wanting to speak, yet saying nothing.

For some reason, as Zhou Yang recounted his story—especially these past months—images kept rising in her mind...

Figures who kept moving forward on their dreams, falling again and again, rising each time, covered in mud, yet never surrendering.

Next door.

When she accidentally overheard those words...

Zhang Jiali trembled slightly.

Then she kept wiping her tears with napkins.

The Zhou Zong who once mooched meals and drinks... had such a painful past.

……………………

After a brief silence.

Zhou Yang steadied his emotions, smiled, and looked at Li Yijie with extraordinary sincerity.

“Miss Li... As long as we persist, as long as we reflect, we can always improve step by step...”

“Some people walk faster; others walk slower...”

“Just like us—after finishing ‘Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2,’ we learned so much. I even compiled detailed cinematography notes...”

“...”

As he spoke, Zhou Yang quietly pulled a notebook from his chest.

On the cover were nine characters: “Filming Notes.”

With tear-blurred eyes, Li Yijie opened the notebook...

【July 1: Our film began shooting. Today was rough—the prop team kept working, but everything still felt off...】

【July 2: Finding the right camera angles is so hard. We held a meeting—couldn’t figure out how to shoot scenes that looked good...】

【July 3: We solved many problems, but realized what we shot looked like crap. Everyone on set was fed up; some left early. We held another meeting and worked hard to identify the issues...】

【...】

Page after page of filming notes filled half the notebook.

Looking at these daily entries, Li Yijie’s heart swelled with mixed emotions.

“You were really...”

“Yes!” Zhou Yang nodded, his gaze even more sincere: “So not attending a professional school isn’t a barrier. No degree doesn’t mean anything. Life is just falling, rising, correcting yourself—again and again—to walk better, more steadily...”

After speaking, Zhou Yang paused briefly, then placed the screenplay back on the table.

“Miss Li, I can’t guarantee how this film will turn out—but I guarantee it will be better. I can’t guarantee how others will judge it—but I guarantee that if you have a dream, if you love cinema, if you’re willing to try, you’ll find countless joys and successes on this journey.” Zhou Yang stood, his eyes fixed on Li Yijie with utter sincerity.

Li Yijie trembled slightly.

After a long pause, she nodded: “I’ll give it a try. But I might not know anything—please be patient...”

“Everyone who knew me before called me a sculptor—they said I had a gift for seeing the strengths in others and shaping them into perfect jade. You can be that way too, Miss Li.”

“Then...” Li Yijie nodded eagerly: “Alright, Zhou Yang—I’ll invest in your film and act in it!”

“You won’t regret it!” Zhou Yang nodded seriously.

“Zhou Yang, I...” Li Yijie hesitated.

“Go on...”

“Can I hug you? I’ve been looking for you these past days...”

“Miss Li, that’s not appropriate. I’m a filmmaker, not a commodity. I think it’s wrong...” Zhou Yang shook his head, his expression growing stern.

Li Yijie looked at him, eyes reddening, her beautiful face filled with earnestness: “I’ll ask my father to increase your investment by 500,000.”

“Miss Li, I’m a man of principle. My principles keep me pure, keep me at a distance from many women in this complicated entertainment world. It’s not about the 500,000—though I do need it now, I believe I’ll earn it back through talent later. But when I think of your sincerity, your devotion to art, your pure and genuine pursuit of dreams... I know you must’ve spent great effort finding me online. So—come here.”

“...”

Zhou Yang, expression solemn, opened his arms, watching the girl with flushed cheeks embrace him, a smile on her face.