Chapter 64

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

Because of the premiere, as soon as Chen Nuo stepped into the cinema's main entrance, he saw a large display board facing him, covered with the poster for *The Mute*.

The poster's image was divided into two parts: the bottom half was a side profile of a black silhouette holding a hoe, standing on a greenish-yellow dirt slope, hunched over as if digging the ground. The top half was the movie title, with a background of the side profiles of Chen Nuo and Miss Ni Ni.

"Not good-looking." Chen Bicheng stood in front of the display board with his hands behind his back, examining it up and down, and evaluated it with the aesthetic standards of a coal boss: "It's pitch black; it looks very average."

Pan Chengrong said angrily: "What do you know."

Chen Nuo looked left and right and saw that there were still quite a lot of people in the cinema, but no one was paying attention to them. After all, he wasn't some super superstar; Chen Nuo still had a long way to go before his face became known to everyone.

Chen Nuo then said: "Mom, you and Dad take the tickets and go into Hall 5 first. I'll go find the director and the others; see you later."

"Alright." Pan Chengrong agreed and pulled Chen Bicheng away.

Zhang Yi had originally reserved a dozen tickets for Chen Nuo, but Chen Nuo only took three in the end, for Chen Bicheng, Pan Chengrong, and Qi Yuntian; he hadn't told any other relatives or friends at all.

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

But fortunately, the person's face was printed on such a large poster, so the young man took him to the manager's office inside the cinema. Inside, besides Zhang Yi and Li Xiaotian, there were also the cinema manager, the on-site host, and several other staff members, crowding the office quite full, all talking over each other about the premiere later.

As soon as Chen Nuo arrived, the office became even livelier. This cinema manager had seen the film in advance and seemed to have a deep impression of Chen Nuo's performance, clutching his hand and shaking it continuously.

After some pleasantries and greetings, 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 and put out the cigarette.

Chen Nuo chuckled: "Smoke less; your lungs are 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 treat me as 48," Chen Nuo said. "Speaking of today's premiere, is it just the three of us, you, me, and Li Xiaotian?"

Zhang Yi rolled his eyes and said: "Otherwise? Miss Ni Ni has class; who else is there? The cameraman and makeup artist? Do you think that's appropriate?"

Chen Nuo said: "Then if I don't participate, wouldn't there be only two of you?"

Zhang Yi laughed: "If you don't participate, what kind of premiere are we holding?"

He didn't know if it was because of the movie's success that gave him confidence. Looking at the current Zhang Yi and then thinking back to the artistic youth smoking at the entrance of the Film Academy a few months ago, Chen Nuo always felt it wasn't the same person.

"This time, we actually didn't hold much hope for the box office. It's an art film, after all; being able to be released is already a victory. As for how much box office we can get? If it's 1 million, it's 1 million; if it's 10 million, that's an unprecedented victory. However, we must do everything we are supposed to do, because we are the first independent film to be successfully released in domestic cinemas; we deserve to set an example for those who come after. Although we are poor and can't afford much promotion, and holding a premiere has no red carpet, no signature wall, and no podium interview area, and even the media photos are taken inside the cinema, I'm not afraid of those people laughing at us for being a ragtag team. Since we are the pioneers, we must do this pioneering work well."

While Zhang Yi was speaking, Chen Nuo kept staring at him. Alright, he hadn't changed; he still had that virtue of being all smiles when talking about movies.

The movie was released at 12:00 midnight, and the premiere started at 11:00. Just as Zhang Yi said, everything for this premiere took place inside the cinema hall. Fortunately, the hall Chengtian Cinema prepared for them was considered large by today's standards. In the spacious hall, the four or five hundred seats were packed full, with heads moving; looking over from the front, it was very impressive.

Zhang Yi poked his head out from backstage to take a look, and Chen Nuo noticed his expression was a bit excited, so he couldn't help but laugh: "Isn'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. Filming this movie wasn't for foreigners to watch. Although those foreigners gave you a Best Actor award, the core things in this film can only be understood by our own people; they were just watching for the spectacle."

Zhang Yi's words were quite mysterious, but Chen Nuo summarized it as: "Returning home without showing off one's success is like walking in silk robes in the dark."

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

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

When 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 male lead Chen Nuo. Come, the three of you, say hello to the audience friends first."

The premiere started just like that.

Everything was scripted in advance. After the few of them said hello, the host said: "I once heard a rumor that Director Zhang, you chose Chen Nuo to play the male lead because of a very accidental coincidence; it can be said that you picked him up at the entrance of the Film Academy. Is that so?"

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

Speaking of this, Zhang Yi paused.

The host played along: "And then?"

Zhang Yi said: "Then he didn't believe me and thought I was a liar. I was also very wronged. As we talked, we both got angry, and we even had a fight."

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

The cinema hall also erupted in laughter and discussion.

Zhang Yi laughed along and said: "Yes, of course, I just sparred with him a few times. After all, I'm so much older than him; I couldn't be serious, right? With a few restrained moves, I pinned him down."

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

Zhang Yi said modestly: "A little bit."

The two sang in harmony like a crosstalk act. Chen Nuo stood to the side without changing his expression, because when they were rehearsing off-stage, he was right there.

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

"Yes, I was too young back then……"

(End of chapter)