Chapter 66: The Most Uncomfortable 90 Minutes

After Shi Ningwei finished this series of questions, the people around him cast sidelong glances at him one after another. Shi Ningwei, however, remained calm and composed, his eyes fixed on Chen Nuo.

The host clearly regretted calling on Shi Ningwei to ask questions. Maintaining a smile on his face, he said, "This friend has quite a lot of questions, but they don't seem to be related to our film, haha. Besides, it's getting late. Director, how about this? Let's end our pre-screening interview session here. We can discuss the rest after our audience friends have finished watching the movie?"

Zhang Yi said, "That works..."

Before the words had even faded, Chen Nuo said, "Director, it's fine, I can answer."

This middle-aged man in the audience had kept his eyes on him from the very beginning. Although many people in the audience did that, it was rare for someone to look only at him from start to finish. Chen Nuo was not a wooden statue; he naturally sensed it.

Although he felt that this person had come specifically for him and that the questions were full of malice, Chen Nuo certainly could not avoid them; otherwise, he would truly have become someone just in it for the money.

Chen Nuo looked at Shi Ningwei and said, "First of all, it's *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, not *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, thank you."

A burst of laughter erupted in the cinema. Shi Ningwei also realized his mistake, and his old face immediately flushed red. Indeed, he had been a bit nervous when he stood up just now, and his tongue had slipped.

Chen Nuo also smiled and continued, "Secondly, I disagree with your point of view. What is the difference between a TV series and a movie? In my opinion, it is all acting; there is no distinction of superiority or inferiority. A good actor should treat every role they play with focus, regardless of whether the character is a hero or a beggar, a murderer or a pervert, a bit player in a series, or a lead in a film. My teacher once said, there are no small roles, only small actors. And I would like to say to you, there are no TV actors, and there are no movie actors, only actors. Today I play Yang Guo; perhaps it cannot help me win an Oscar, but it can help me become a better actor. Thank you."

After he finished speaking, perhaps because they were being considerate of the young person's first time answering reporters' questions on the spot, applause broke out throughout the hall.

It was much better than the effect of the crosstalk act between the host and Zhang Yi earlier.

A smile appeared on the host's face, but he was also afraid of any further trouble. As soon as the applause stopped, he immediately said, "Alright, then our interview session ends here. Everyone, please take your seats; our film is about to begin. Please be a respectful audience, thank you."

As soon as Chen Nuo and his group left the screening hall, the cinema manager came over and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, the person who asked the question just now wasn't on the invitation list; I don't know how they snuck in. I'm truly sorry. However, Mr. Chen, you spoke really well! I saw many veteran media members applauding for you."

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "Thank you."

When it came to roasting people online, there was a period of time when, from the comment sections of certain apps to the comment sections of Weibo, Chen Nuo's anonymous alt accounts had once left a trail of carnage, spending every day pretending to be a passerby and furiously scolding the haters who attacked him. How could he be intimidated by this small scene?

In the lounge, everyone else had their own things to do, and for a moment, only Zhang Yi and Chen Nuo were left. Zhang Yi asked with a smile, "What, do you really think movies and TV series are the same?"

Chen Nuo chuckled, "What do you think?"

Zhang Yi laughed, "You're not very old, but you have a whole set of diplomatic answers; you're truly a natural for this business. So, after you finish filming *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, will you still take on TV series in the future?"

Chen Nuo said, "Certainly not in the short term, but if the money is good enough... why not?"

Zhang Yi laughed, "Well said, only a fool turns down money."

While Chen Nuo was chatting with Zhang Yi and the others in the lounge, the movie was playing smoothly in the screening hall.

After hearing Chen Nuo's words earlier, Shi Ningwei was not only not angry, but he actually had a better impression of him.

After all, he hadn't been acting out of malice. Hearing that Chen Nuo understood what he was doing, he felt at ease.

A young couple sat behind Shi Ningwei. Ten minutes into the film, they had been whispering to each other, and some fragments of their conversation even reached Shi Ningwei's ears. It seemed the boy had just received a text message from someone, which the girl had seen, making her very angry.

Shi Ningwei also felt annoyed; he wanted to turn around and scold them several times, but he held back.

Because regardless of whether the audience was arguing or sleeping, the plot on the big screen proceeded minute by minute, methodically. The trivialities in the alleyway all revealed a deep malice toward the mute, and the young girl Xiaozhu became the only ray of light in the mute's life.

Shi Ningwei gradually became immersed in the analysis of Chen Nuo's acting style, forgetting about the couple breaking up in the back row. He was very surprised by the method acting style Chen Nuo presented in the film. In this film, he could not feel that the fashionable and handsome young man from earlier and the mute in the movie were the same person. It wasn't just the personality; there were huge differences in appearance as well.

Shi Ningwei studied it carefully and discovered that it was because Chen Nuo kept his facial muscles in a tense state while acting, which changed his contours significantly from his usual appearance. Combined with the rustic clothing and facial makeup, it was truly difficult to recognize them as the same person if one didn't look closely.

He believed this must be due to Director Zhang Yi's excellent guidance.

And after this discovery, Shi Ningwei watched even more intently. He almost forgot about time. When the film ended with that wide-angle high-altitude shot, he woke up with a start. He checked his watch and found it was only 1:30 AM, meaning the film's duration was only about 90 minutes.

Shi Ningwei didn't know if it was because it had been edited, but these 90 minutes were likely the most uncomfortable 90 minutes Shi Ningwei had spent in recent years.

Shi Ningwei had seen countless films and considered himself hard-hearted, but even he couldn't quite take it. The young couple in the back row had stopped arguing at some point, and the girl was sobbing in a low voice.

When Zhang Yi, Chen Nuo, Li Xiaotian, and the other main creators returned to the stage with the host, the applause that rang out was somewhat sparse.

The host was a veteran of many battles and had a contingency plan for such scenes. He gave a laugh and said, "Audience members, come, let us applaud for the wonderful performance of Director Zhang Yi and Chen Nuo."

The applause remained sparse because the vast majority of the audience was wiping away tears.

The host kept a straight face and said, "In the face of such enthusiastic applause, let us invite the three main creators to say a few words to everyone here in turn."

During the post-screening exchange session, Shi Ningwei didn't care much about what Zhang Yi or Chen Nuo said anymore; he couldn't even remember if there had been a truly enthusiastic round of applause later on. After returning to his hotel from the cinema as quickly as possible, he barely rested before immediately opening his laptop and starting to type away furiously.

In Shi Ningwei's view, what the movie was about didn't matter, and how it was acted didn't matter; what truly mattered was that this heavy, realistic work could actually be screened domestically, which was absolutely a miracle in itself.

He could be said to have had a fountain of inspiration, typing out a film review of nearly 3,000 words in one go. When he looked at the time afterward, he realized it had taken less than two hours, which was also a miracle to him.

After re-checking it and modifying some wording and typos, Shi Ningwei felt this was likely the best, most profound, and most thoughtful film review he had written in recent years.

Copy and paste. He hesitated slightly while writing the title, and finally wrote: "We Are All Mutes." OK, publish.

Shi Ningwei clicked the mouse.

The feeling at this moment was as satisfying as having just ejaculated.

He lit a cigarette to refresh himself and then opened QQ.

As expected, more than 500 messages had accumulated, and they were still constantly updating. One had to know that it was already around 4:00 AM.

As soon as he clicked it open, several of the latest messages popped up.

Shencheng Ebert: "Those judges in Berlin really aren't messing around..."

A Clear Lotus: "I think he was just playing himself. A newcomer who has never acted before—I don't believe he could act like this."

Ningning: "Same opinion. Just like Xia Yu."

(End of chapter)