Chapter 139: Spring Festival Gala and

"Cut! Zhao Ling'er's expression is wrong—do it again."

Director Li Guoli said with a blank expression.

With Li Guoli's words ending, Liu Tianxian trembled.

This was already her fifth NG.

The crew beside her had long grown used to it.

In the main cast of "Immortal Sword I," Cheng Chen is 21, Liu Tianxian is under 16, and Yan Danchen is the oldest at 25.

Peng Yuyan is 21, and the youngest, Liu Pinyan, is only 15.

This group, averaging around 20 years old, was scolded frequently by Director Li Guoli—except for a handful with decent acting skills.

Among them, Liu Tianxian was scolded the most.

Her acting was stiff, her movements unnatural, and even her lines were read mechanically.

If Liu Tianxian's beauty scored 90, her acting hovered below 60.

Liu Xiaoli, as her mother, could only stand by helplessly watching her daughter being reprimanded.

Privately, she helped her daughter rehearse while also apologizing to the director.

When Liu Tianxian performed, Cheng Chen stood beside her.

Cheng Chen had heard of her acting—he could only say she was too young and inexperienced.

And because of her exceptional beauty, many held her to impossibly high expectations.

She was not a naturally gifted actress; this was evident from how, as she aged and trained more, she later attempted complex roles.

The role of Zhao Ling'er wasn't particularly difficult, yet Tianxian could never deliver a performance that earned the director's nod.

Not only was Liu's mother anxious, but Cheng Chen, watching beside her, felt sweat on his own brow.

Finally, after eight NGs, Li Guoli reluctantly approved it.

Seeing Li Guoli exhale in relief, Cheng Chen smiled inwardly.

Old Li must regret having cast Liu Tianxian during the auditions.

Li Guoli indeed thought so—he glanced at Cheng Chen, then at Liu Tianxian, head bowed beside him.

He was filled with regret: why had he ever chosen this role?

Carefully comparing them, only Cheng Chen and Yan Danchen gave him little trouble—the rest were all troublemakers.

Liu Pinyan was still young, but had acting talent; yet she had only recently entered the acting world.

Acting as a profession relies on life experience and accumulated knowledge—talent alone only helps with understanding the role.

To perform flawlessly, more refinement was needed.

Peng Yuyan's acting was average, but he was handsome, and the role of Tang Yu wasn't difficult to begin with.

His performance was merely adequate—he'd need heavy coaching to stand out.

Of course, as a director, he could never complain about an actor's poor performance.

Wasn't there a saying: the director is the one holding the kite string?

For the kite to fly, besides the wind, the flyer must constantly adjust the string's length and angle…

The progress of "Immortal Sword I" wasn't slow; with Cheng Chen's addition, the entire production accelerated further.

…

As time passed, while the filming of "Immortal Sword" was in full swing, Cheng Chen received a phone call, slipped away from Hengdian, and headed to Jingcheng.

"The old tree by the gate sprouts new buds; the withered tree in the courtyard blooms again."

"Half a lifetime's worth of words, buried in white hair."

"The tiny footprints in memory, the plump little mouth…"

…

"Where did the time go? Before I even truly felt young, I grew old."

"Through a lifetime of raising children, my mind was full of their cries and laughter."

"Where did the time go? Before I even properly looked at your eyes, they grew dim."

"Half a lifetime of rice, oil, salt, and firewood—suddenly, only wrinkles remained on my face…"

CCTV Building in Jingcheng.

Cheng Chen stood on stage with a microphone; after finishing the song, applause erupted from the audience.

Producer Liu Qiang stood up, wiping away a tear from his corner with a casual motion, clapping and smiling:

"Teacher Cheng, this song is written so beautifully—it moved me deeply."

」

Other judges reviewing the program also praised it:

"Excellent—emotionally delicate and sincere. Of all the Spring Festival Gala songs this year, I believe this one is the best."

Some emotional female judges were in tears, eyes swollen from crying.

The Spring Festival Gala had invited Cheng Chen before New Year's; this time, unlike last, they didn't ask him to submit a main-theme song as a door-opener.

With Cheng Chen's current fame in the entertainment industry, it was him who could refuse the Gala—not the other way around.

So after receiving the invitation, Cheng Chen, busy preparing for his concert, didn't immediately report the program.

Yet the Gala team still waited for him—now, with only days left before the fifth full rehearsal, he finally arrived.

But as the Heavenly King of the music industry, Cheng Chen instantly won over every reviewer with his song "Time Where Did Time Go."

"Walking Alone to Immortality"

All prior doubts about Cheng Chen—even the program team's plan to make him sing a previously released song—were completely dispelled.

After hearing this new song, every last one vanished.

"Sorry everyone, I didn't come sooner because I was busy preparing for the concert. I apologize for the trouble."

Cheng Chen stood on stage and spoke with sincere regret.

Making the Spring Festival Gala production team wait this long, this apology is only proper.

It has nothing to do with how famous I am now—it's about character!

Seeing Cheng Chen's sincere apology, the panel of reviewers nodded silently.

No wonder he's so famous—truly, talented people are always humble and low-key.

Unlike some diva who came to CCTV acting like a star.

I just don't get it—there wasn't enough makeup room, so why not share one temporarily?

Someone with talent but no virtue—that's exactly what this diva is!

After the program was unanimously approved, Cheng Chen finally let out a breath of relief.

This song, "Where Has All the Time Gone," was one of the biggest tear-jerkers of the 2014 CCTV Spring Festival Gala in the future.

Its gentle melody flowed slowly into the hearts of the audience.

The plain yet moving lyrics, paired with Wang Zhengliang's heartfelt performance, resonated deeply with viewers.

The profound call for family affection pierced straight to the core.

Cheng Chen remembered clearly: when he heard this song back then, many audience members in the front rows were instantly moved to tears.

And the song became the biggest highlight of that year's Spring Festival Gala, with netizens praising it as the most touching performance of the Year of the Horse CCTV Spring Festival Gala…

Of course, beyond the song itself, Cheng Chen also remembered how the photo-wall video played alongside it left a deep impression.

After the song went viral, it was mentioned multiple times on the News Broadcast, and in one episode, the song was played as the program ended, accompanied by a photo of a "family portrait."

This gave Cheng Chen an idea. He turned to one of the reviewing directors and said:

"Director Liu, I suggest that when I perform this song, there be no backup dancers."

Backup dancers were mandatory for Spring Festival Gala songs, whether fast, slow, emotional, or inspirational.

Usually, the singer performed on stage while dozens of backup dancers danced behind them.

It made people feel visually fatigued.

"Huh? Professor Cheng, elaborate a bit."

Liu Qiang looked at Cheng Chen in confusion and asked.

Cheng Chen paused, gathered his thoughts, and said:

"I'm just making a suggestion—take it as an example, see if it sparks any inspiration."

Cheng Chen recalled a video report he'd seen in the future and said:

"While I'm singing this song, the large screen behind us could display some photographs."

"For example, in a 1936 photo, a 24-year-old Xiao Hua is smiling."

"That year, the girl had a round face, short hair cut even with her ears, and a qipao collar—full of youthful energy."

"In 1950, Xiao Hua wore a military uniform, her face thinner, her eyes resolute, her lips no longer curled upward as they once were."

"In 1964, Xiao Hua wore glasses, her hair combed back."

"In 1982, her hair had turned gray."

"By 2004, the photos turned color, and the wrinkles on Xiao Hua's face were rendered with ever-greater clarity by advancing technology…"

Cheng Chen thought as he spoke, giving example after example.

As he spoke, the other judges fell into deep thought, and Liu Qiang, a veteran of stage arts, his gaze grew brighter with each detail Cheng Chen revealed.

He suddenly clapped his hands and said:

"Brilliant! How did I never think of that? Professor Cheng, you're truly a genius!"

"This not only ties Xiao Hua's personal changes tightly to the song 'Where Has All the Time Gone.'"

"It also uses her personal transformation as a microcosm to reflect the changes of an entire era—but…"

Here, Liu Qiang paused, then said:

"Though it reflects the passage of time, it still feels like it's missing some tension."

"But photos aren't videos—you can't use scene transitions or plot construction to build conflict."

Hearing this, Cheng Chen nodded inwardly—no wonder he was a CCTV director; he'd pinpointed the problem instantly.

"I have an immature suggestion—would you mind if I offered it, Director Liu?"

"Oh come on, Professor Cheng, stop teasing! This whole idea came from you."

"I just said a few words—no need to be so modest. Too much modesty is just pride!"

Liu Qiang deliberately put on a stern face, instantly making Cheng Chen and the other judges burst into laughter.

Cheng Chen calmed his smile and said:

"What if the photos showed two generations? Like a parent and child together in each photo?"

"One photo per year—or every few years, they take a joint photo."

"From the first photo up to near 2004, the contrast between their aging becomes clear…"

Hearing this, Liu Qiang didn't react as dramatically as before—he pondered carefully.

"When you were a child, I was in my prime."

"When you were full of youthful vigor, I was slowly growing old."

"When you had your own child, I was already completely gray-haired…"

"Now there's drama, contrast, and tension!"

"Professor Cheng, you're… incredible!"

Liu Qiang gave Cheng Chen a thumbs-up, his eyes filled with admiration.

Although the other judges weren't involved in stage performance, through Liu Qiang's vividly cinematic description,

they felt as though they had watched a feature-length film, a film with only a father and a daughter in it…

"Where has the time gone… yes, before you've even savored youth, you're already old…"

"It suddenly made me think of the children in our family… from the moment they came crying into the world, to now starting their own careers and families, time really does fly!"

"Art comes from life—Cheng Chen's song and this concept are truly wonderful!"

The conversation between Cheng Chen and Liu Qiang inevitably stirred emotion in some of the older judges.

Now they themselves were already past fifty, just as the lyrics said:

Raising sons and daughters a whole lifetime, heads full of nothing but the children's cries and laughter…

After the program passed review at the CCTV Building, Cheng Chen took his leave.

As he was leaving, the director named Liu Qiang took the initiative to ask for Cheng Chen's contact information.

The directors of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala program team had seen no fewer than eight hundred, if not a thousand, celebrities in their time.

Heavenly Kings like Cheng Chen, they knew a few.

But Cheng Chen was the first person for whom Liu Qiang had ever taken the initiative to keep contact information.

……

After returning to Jingcheng, Cheng Chen decided to visit Gao Yuanyuan on set.

Ever since their last collision, Gao Yuanyuan seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.

She wouldn't reply to messages, wouldn't answer phone calls, and even when she did pick up, she'd only say a few casual words before hastily hanging up.

This left Cheng Chen somewhat baffled—how could the distance become negative and yet the relationship grow more distant?

So he decided to go visit her on set in person this time, to see what exactly Gao Yuanyuan was up to.

Gao Yuanyuan was currently filming Xiao Shuai's directorial work "Qing Hong."

This was also her second collaboration with director Xiao Shuai after "Seventeen Years' Bicycle."

Mm, this film was essentially made by the original cast and crew of "Seventeen Years' Bicycle."

Female lead Gao Yuanyuan, male lead Li Bing.

The very Li Bing who played the male lead Lu Xiaoqian in "Magic Cellphone."

In fact, "Qing Hong" is also known as the sister piece to "Seventeen Years' Bicycle."

This film tells a story set in the early 1980s.

The father (played by Yao Anlian) was convinced that moving back to Modu was the only path to happiness, so he imposed his own ideals on his daughter (Gao Yuanyuan).

Thus he cut short the most precious and beautiful years of youth in Qing Hong's Renshen…

The Qing Hong played by Gao Yuanyuan has parents who were workers who moved from Modu to Qian Sheng to support the Third Front construction.

They were determined to take her back to Modu, but she considered Qian Sheng to be her home.

She appears delicate, yet in the face of her father's opposition she mounted an unusually fierce defense of her first love…

That said, director Xiao Shuai has a unique perspective in depicting the hazy, rebellious adolescence against the backdrop of a grand era.

Those who have seen "Qing Hong" know that it employs a plain, documentary-style shooting approach.

Through on-location shooting, natural lighting, mixed sound effects, and long takes, it authentically recreates life in the 1980s.

The film was shot entirely in Gui Shi, the place where director Xiao Shuai grew up.

He poured a certain amount of personal color and life experience into this film, telling of a generation's perception and contemplation of that era…

Of course, the biggest problem with art-house films is that they feel extremely dull, even sorrowful.

"Qing Hong" is no exception—many people also developed peculiar notions about Gao Yuanyuan from this film.

Some said Gao Yuanyuan didn't act well in the film.

But the truth is otherwise; in this film she is like a flower blooming against a gloomy backdrop.

As if awaiting ravaging and destruction—and indeed, the tragic ending bears this out…

After buying a plane ticket to Gui Shi, Cheng Chen hurried off without a moment's delay…

……