Chapter 240: Rebirth Begins in 2002 Huayu

【Rebirth Begins in 2002 Huayu】【】

"It's starting, it's finally starting."

"Why do I suddenly feel nervous? I'm just the audience, okay!"

"Everyone, quiet down, don't ruin the chance to watch Boss fall in love…"

Before "We Are In Love" aired, Weibo conducted a poll.

"What's your most anticipated variety show this year?"

Among already aired and announced but unaired variety shows.

"We Are In Love" directly defeated all established variety shows and claimed the top spot.

Perhaps to others this was just an internet vote, and some TV viewers might not go online.

So the voting result might not be fair.

But it was enough to prove Cheng Chen's status among netizens—or rather, young people.

After all, some came for the gimmick of celebrities falling in love, but more came to follow Cheng Chen's show.

Saturday evening, 8 PM, Anhui Satellite TV.

Many people at home locked onto Anhui Satellite TV; after a long commercial break, the TV screen finally showed the opening of "We Are In Love."

"In this city, meeting is a long wait."

"When alone, even when it rains, you walk home slowly."

"Because you know no light will be waiting for you at the door…"

Soft music, lyrical narration, and animated visuals created a sense of loneliness.

As the narration deepened, the six guests began appearing one by one on screen.

Xu Cainv: I like a partner who resonates with my soul.

Deng Chao: I'm someone who values inner qualities; appearance doesn't really matter.

Huang Jiaozhu: As long as the other is filial and gentle, I'm fine.

Lin Zhiling: Criteria for a partner? I like men with depth~

Ceng Li: I want my other half to be someone I like; true standards vanish the moment you meet someone you love.

Cheng Chen: Beautiful faces are all the same; interesting souls are one in ten thousand.

……

"Sister Zhi Ling, I adore you! I couldn't sleep after seeing your photo book!"

"I didn't expect Huang Xiaoming to show up—I love his 'The Son of Heaven'!"

"I think Deng Chao's not bad either; his 'The Son of Heaven' is no worse than Huang Xiaoming's."

"Stop being infatuated—Cheng Chen is the best!"

"Who's Ceng Li? Never heard of her! But hasn't Xu Cainv lost weight lately? Her figure's better now, right!"

"In my opinion, among the three women, Ceng Li is the most beautiful—no arguments!"

As soon as the show began, chat rooms online were flooded with messages.

Weibo enabled a chat room feature, allowing different people to enter different topic rooms.

Once a chat room was created and approved by moderators, users could join—it felt like early group chats.

This feature was Cheng Chen's knockoff version of the future bullet-comment system, though he felt it was more like a Tieba…

Just fifteen minutes after airing, the entire chat room was flooded—wildly popular.

Then the host of this episode appeared.

He briefly introduced the guests and their representative works; aside from Ceng Li's lower fame, all others had loyal fanbases.

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【Rebirth Begins in 2002 Huayu】【】

Among them, Cheng Chen had the most fans and highest popularity, followed closely by Xu Cainv…

"Everyone knows we're a show about couples falling in love.

We've gathered you here to let you experience what love feels like.

Perhaps you've already experienced love in films or in real life.

But have you ever truly dated someone on camera, using your real name and identity?

Welcome to 'We Are In Love'…"

The show arranged partners based on games that tested the six stars' chemistry and compatibility.

This segment added fun to the show and revealed sides of the stars the public didn't know.

As time passed, viewers noticed an interesting phenomenon.

Lin Zhiling and Xu Cainv both subtly moved closer to Cheng Chen, as if both wanted to be paired with him.

Huang Xiaoming, however, immediately targeted Sister Zhi Ling, actively approaching her.

Deng Chao went straight to Xu Cainv, constantly flattering her.

Only Ceng Li and Cheng Chen strictly and seriously completed the games arranged by the production team.

"Hahaha, I'm dying—does Cheng Chen really think this is just a game?"

"Don't be fooled by Cheng Chen—this show was his idea; he understands it better than any of you!"

"Honestly, I'm totally smitten by Sister Ceng Li—she's so beautiful, and she takes everything so seriously!"

"Did you notice? Cheng Chen keeps glancing at Ceng Li, but she won't even look at him—hahaha, Cheng Chen, it's your turn to suffer!"

"It's true! Just now Cheng Chen deliberately walked up to Ceng Li, and she ignored him—do they have some history?"

The chat room was buzzing with gossip about Cheng Chen and Ceng Li, but no one could figure out anything conclusive.

"Alright, after two rounds of game interactions, I now have our production team's selections and votes."

"The six guests will form three couples—so who will be the perfect pair? They are..."

Just as the host was about to announce the couple pairings, the TV suddenly switched to an advertisement.

"Speechless, again with the ads?"

"Ah, it's already over—the final results won't come until next week."

"This show is really great—I can't wait for next week to find out the final result!"

"I don't care about anyone else—I only care about my Brother Cheng Chen. Who will he be paired with?"

"I'll be heartbroken no matter who he's paired with, wu wu wu wu."

"I think Cheng Chen will be paired with Lin Zhiling—they've already been rumored to have had a candlelit dinner together in Tai Sheng."

"Over the years, she's the only one who's had any real contact with Cheng Chen amid all the gossip."

"I think it might be Xu Cainv—they're both incredibly talented, and as they say, a gentleman suits a virtuous lady; I think they're a perfect match."

"Forget it—Xu Cainv's backer is a big shot from Beijing's circle; Cheng Chen's small frame can't afford to offend her."

"In my opinion, Xu Cainv shouldn't have even joined this show—anyone paired with her is doomed!"

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【Rebirth Starting from Huayu 2002】【】

"This one isn't it, that one isn't it either—could it really be Ceng Li? Ceng Li is beautiful and does suit Cheng Chen well."

"But judging from the show so far, the two have zero chemistry—could the production team really be forcing mismatched pairs?"

"We'll have to wait until next week~"

…

The first episode's launch performed extremely well, with Anhui Satellite TV's viewership completely crushing its competitors during the same time slot.

In this time slot, We Are In Love was utterly unbeatable!

Cheng Chen looked at the viewership report and chuckled into the phone:

"Director Zhang, now you can rest easy—I told you this show would be a hit."

"Hahaha, General Cheng, I just didn't have confidence before—but now the ratings are out."

"I won't say another word. Do whatever you need to do going forward—just tell me if you need support."

Hearing this, Cheng Chen shook his head and said:

"Alright, I understand. Let's leave it at that, Director Zhang—I've got other things to do. We'll talk later."

"Good, good, go ahead and busy yourself. We'll chat another day."

Cheng Chen put away his phone and turned to Su Qingya, who was organizing his desk:

"That old man—he used to oppose our making We Are In Love."

"Said filming while broadcasting was too risky, and that the show's nature clashed with mainstream values."

"If it weren't for Director Wang standing by us, this show would've been killed by him."

"Now he's crawling back to me with a smile—such an old man really… sigh."

Su Qingya rarely heard Cheng Chen complain about others, and of course, she wouldn't discuss this with her boss.

As a boss's agent—or rather, secretary—say less, do more, and you'll never go wrong.

"Feng Xiaogang called today. You were in a meeting, so he asked me to check in on you—how's the preparation going for his new film?"

Su Qingya said.

"Hmm…" Cheng Chen rubbed his chin and asked:

"Did he say what stage his film is at now?"

"Casting."

"Looks like Director Feng really wants me involved in this film..."

Cheng Chen had recently met Feng Xiaogang at Huayi to discuss his next film, The Banquet.

The Banquet had both admirers and fierce critics.

Those who criticized it called it a mongrel—after Hero's release, a wave of big-budget films swept across China.

My Healing Game

This stirred Feng Xiaogang's ambition, leading to his first attempt—and thus, The Banquet.

Whether in crew size or star-studded cast, The Banquet deserved the label of a big-budget production.

Yet despite this lavish setup, Director Feng ended up with The Banquet being mocked as a mongrel, turning it into a joke.

For example: to pursue breakthrough and innovation, Director Feng vowed to make The Banquet different.

He wanted the etherealness of wuxia—so he added the bamboo forest battle.

He wanted literary atmosphere—so he included the song "Yue Ren Ge."

He wanted to expose the ugliness of human nature and desire—so he added endless killings.

He also wanted commercial blockbuster success—so he gathered a host of big-name stars.

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【Rebirth Starting from Huayu 2002】【】

But when all these elements were crammed together, Feng Xiaogang's vision vanished—and no one could understand what the film was trying to say.

Some considered The Banquet a barely passing work among commercial films.

Because Feng Xiaogang wanted too much, he stuffed in too many things, resulting in a chaotic narrative.

Many plot points couldn't be logically explained, giving the impression of being different just for the sake of being different.

Even the wuxia elements—though many action designs showed originality—still felt jarring, as if echoing the shadows of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero, making viewers suspect plagiarism.

So Cheng Chen was worried, worried that after taking the role, he would be nailed to the pillory and ridiculed.

Just as Cheng Chen was struggling over whether to accept the role, his phone rang again.

A stranger's phone number.

"Hello, who's this?"

Cheng Chen asked.

"I'm Zhang Yimou."

"Huh? Zhang, Director Zhang?"

"Yes, you're Cheng Chen, right?"

"Yes yes yes, I'm Cheng Chen."

Upon hearing the man's name, Cheng Chen immediately lowered his voice and spoke with immediate respect.

That was Zhang Yimou—the future National Teacher!

You must know that Feng, Chen, and Zhang were the soul figures of China's cinema.

For over thirty years, Director Zhang Yimou had been the undisputed number one in China's film industry.

He established the glorious status of Chinese art films on the international stage and launched the era of Chinese commercial blockbusters, making him a milestone figure in Chinese film history.

In fact, Zhang Yimou and his films had always drawn the most controversy, yet finding someone higher than him was an even greater controversy, so the number one could only be him.

Over the years, Zhang Yimou had won more than a hundred film awards, half from within China and half from abroad, having swept all three major Chinese-language film awards: the Golden Rooster, the Golden Horse, and the Hong Kong Film Awards.

At the Golden Rooster Awards, he achieved the ultimate grand slam: Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor.

Moreover, Zhang Yimou was the first Chinese actor to become an international A-list Best Actor.

Mainland directors had been nominated for the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film four times: Chen Qingzuo once, and the other three were all Zhang Yimou. In terms of film awards, whether international or domestic, whether in quality or quantity, no one could reach Zhang Yimou's height.

Many people spoke of the "Mou Girls," who were precisely the female leads who had appeared in his films.

So when this man personally called Cheng Chen, how could Cheng Chen not be thrilled?

"Hello Cheng Chen, I have a film I'd like to invite you to audition for—do you have time to come in?"

"Audition? Okay, I'll make arrangements."

Hearing that Zhang Yimou wanted him to audition, Cheng Chen was momentarily dazed and agreed half-consciously.

After the call ended, Cheng Chen finally realized: Zhang Yimou wanted him to star in a film!

What film?

It was 2005 now—this film would be shot this year and released next year. Zhang Yimou's film to be released next year… got it!

Curse of the Golden Flower!

Uh… another adaptation.

Director Feng's The Banquet was adapted from Hamlet.

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【Rebirth Starting from the Chinese Entertainment Industry in 2002】【】

Director Zhang's Curse of the Golden Flower was adapted from Thunderstorm.

Both films were big-budget productions, and both were considered relatively poor in critical reception for their respective directors.

"My god, why do all the master directors' flops keep coming after me?!"

Of course, "flop" here was only relative.

Curse of the Golden Flower had earned 290 million RMB in Mainland box office, making it the top-grossing Chinese-language film of the year, while the second place was The Banquet with 130 million RMB.

The story of Curse of the Golden Flower was also quite simple.

After a victorious campaign, the King returned home and secretly sensed subtle changes within the palace.

The Queen had entered an illicit affair with the Crown Prince, and the love triangle between the Queen, the Crown Prince, and a palace maid was even more complex.

All sides engaged in open and covert struggles for power and desire, until the conflict inevitably exploded.

Everyone involved in the struggle paid a terrible price…

…

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