Chapter 64: If There's 1 Million, It's 1 Million

The premiere was scheduled for 10:00 PM, and Chen Nuo and his family arrived at Chengtian Cinema at 8:30 PM.

Because of the premiere, the moment Chen Nuo stepped through the cinema entrance, he was met with a large display board featuring a poster for *The Mute*.

The poster was divided into two parts: the bottom half showed a black silhouette in profile, holding a hoe and standing on a yellowish-green slope, hunched over as if digging the earth. The top half displayed the film's title, with the side profiles of Chen Nuo and Nini in the background.

"Doesn't look good," Chen Bi said, standing before the board with his hands behind his back, inspecting it from top to bottom and judging it with the aesthetic standards of a coal boss. "It's pitch black; looks very mediocre."

Pan Chengrong retorted angrily, "What do you know?"

Chen Nuo looked left and right, seeing that the cinema was quite crowded, though no one paid them any mind. After all, he wasn't some super superstar yet; Chen Nuo still had a long way to go before this face of his became a household name.

Chen Nuo said, "Mom, you and Dad take the tickets and head into Hall 5 first. I'm going to find the director and the others. See you in a bit."

"Alright," Pan Chengrong agreed, pulling Chen Bi away.

Zhang Yi had originally reserved a dozen tickets for Chen Nuo, but Chen Nuo only took three in the end—for Chen Bi, Pan Chengrong, and Qi Yuntian. He hadn't mentioned it to any other relatives or friends at all.

He found a staff member to ask where the cinema lounge was. The young man looked at Chen Nuo with great surprise; he probably hadn't seen a star who came alone and still had to ask for directions.

But fortunately, his face was printed on such a large poster that the young man led him to the manager's office inside the cinema. Besides Zhang Yi and Li Xiaotian, the room was packed with the cinema manager, the on-site host, and several other staff members, all talking over each other about the upcoming premiere.

As soon as Chen Nuo arrived, the office became even livelier. The cinema manager had seen the film in advance and seemed quite impressed by Chen Nuo's performance, shaking his hand repeatedly.

After some polite exchanges, Chen Nuo and Zhang Yi left the room and found a corner in the stairwell to talk.

Just as Zhang Yi lit a cigarette, Chen Nuo pointed to the "No Smoking" sign on the wall. Zhang Yi spat, then put the cigarette out.

Chen Nuo chuckled, "Smoke less, your lungs are already black."

Zhang Yi glanced at him and said, "Sometimes I really can't figure you out. You're handsome and rich, yet you don't smoke, don't drink, and don't chase women. Are you 18 or 48? If I had your conditions, I'd be living it up every day."

"Just pretend I'm 48," Chen Nuo said. "Speaking of today's premiere, is it just you, me, and Li Xiaotian?"

Zhang Yi rolled his eyes and said, "Otherwise what? Nini has class, and who else is there? The photographer? The makeup artist? Do you think that's appropriate?"

Chen Nuo said, "If I don't participate, wouldn't there just be two of you?"

Zhang Yi laughed, "If you don't participate, why would we even hold a premiere?"

He didn't know if it was the success of the film that had given him confidence. Looking at the Zhang Yi of now, and then recalling the artistic youth smoking at the entrance of the Film Academy a few months ago, Chen Nuo felt they weren't the same person.

"We didn't really have high hopes for the box office this time. It's an art film, after all; being able to screen it is already a victory. As for how much it can make? If it makes 1 million, it's 1 million; if it makes 10 million, that's an unprecedented victory. But we must do everything we're supposed to, because we are the first independent film to successfully screen in domestic theaters. We have a duty to set an example for those who come after. Although we're poor and can't afford much for promotion, and this premiere has no red carpet, no signature wall, and no podium interview area—even the media photos are being taken inside the theater—I'm not afraid of people laughing at us for being a ragtag group. Since we are the pioneers, we must do the pioneer's job well."

Chen Nuo stared at him while he spoke. Well, he hadn't changed; he was still that same guy who would get all animated whenever he talked about film.

The film was scheduled for a midnight release, and the premiere was to start at 11:00 PM. Just as Zhang Yi said, everything for this premiere took place inside the theater hall. Fortunately, the hall Chengtian Cinema provided was considered large by today's standards. The massive hall was packed with four or five hundred seats filled, a sea of heads that looked quite impressive from the front.

Zhang Yi poked his head out from backstage to take a look. Chen Nuo noticed he seemed quite agitated and couldn't help but laugh, "Wasn't the scene in Berlin bigger than this? Why are your legs shaking?"

Zhang Yi shook his head repeatedly, "It's different, it's different. This film wasn't made for foreigners to watch. Even though those foreigners gave you a Best Actor award, the core of this film is something only our own people can truly understand. They were just watching for the spectacle."

Zhang Yi's explanation was a bit profound, but Chen Nuo summarized it as: "Success without returning home is like wearing silk robes in the dark."

When the host finished the introduction, he followed behind Zhang Yi and stepped onto the stage below the screen.

When the three of them appeared, the audience in the hall was very supportive, applauding one after another, and some even stood up. Chen Nuo had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Qi Yuntian standing in the third-to-last row, cheering and whistling. Chen Bi and Pan Chengrong were sitting next to Qi Yuntian, looking a bit shy but wearing smiles on their faces.

Once the applause subsided slightly, the male host in a suit and leather shoes said with a beaming smile, "Welcome Director Zhang Yi, Producer Li Xiaotian, and our lead actor, Chen Nuo. Come, the three of you, say hello to our audience friends first."

And so, the premiere began.

It was all scripted in advance. After the three of them greeted the audience, the host said, "I once heard a rumor that Director Zhang, you chose Chen Nuo to be the lead actor because of a very accidental coincidence. You could say you 'picked him up' at the entrance of the Film Academy. Is that true?"

As soon as the words fell, Zhang Yi took over, "That's right. I remember it was about 8 or 9 o'clock at night. Xiaotian and I were chatting with some friends at the school gate when I saw him. I still don't know what he was doing there that day. I just saw a guy standing at the gate with his hands in his pockets for a while, then he was about to leave. At that moment, I suddenly felt he was the person I was looking for, so I hurriedly ran over to chase him."

At this point, Zhang Yi paused.

The host played along, "And then?"

Zhang Yi said, "Then he didn't believe me; he thought I was a scammer. I felt very wronged. As we talked, we both got heated, and we even had a fight."

"Ah? A fight? There's such a thing?" the host asked with exaggerated surprise.

The theater hall erupted in laughter and murmurs.

Zhang Yi laughed along, "Yes. Of course, I just sparred with him a bit. After all, I'm much older than him, so I couldn't take it too seriously, right? I held back my strength and pinned him down after a few moves."

The host let out a "Wow," and said, "I didn't expect that. Could it be that Director Zhang knows kung fu?"

Zhang Yi said modestly, "A little bit."

The two of them sang in harmony like a crosstalk act. Chen Nuo stood to the side, keeping a straight face, because he had been right there when they were rehearsing the lines backstage.

"Alright, let's interview the other party involved. Chen Nuo, is what Director Zhang said true? Did you get into a physical altercation with him back then?"

"Yes, I was too young at the time..."

(End of chapter)