Chapter 270: The Swap Strategy: Northward, Southward

Before Wei Ming wrote down that familiar English song, The Herdsman was released.

Gong Ying, who had already planned to come to Beijing, had to stay in Shanghai for a few more days to assist Shanghai Film Studio's promotional efforts, so she called Wei Ming long-distance to inform him.

Fortunately, Wei Ming was home at the time; otherwise, she wouldn't have heard his voice.

In fact, Wei Ming had seen posters for The Herdsman when passing nearby cinemas these past two days—after all, it was a film with built-in buzz, and cinemas treated it as the year-end blockbuster.

This was Wei Ming's first film as screenwriter, and the first film adapted from his novel; it held special meaning for him.

But he didn't go to see it right after its release, because he had promised Xue Jie on the phone that they would watch it together.

"You're really not going?" Old Wei asked his son again, confirming.

Wei Ming shook his head: "You two go. I'll see it on my own time."

Wei Jiefang and Xu Shufen exchanged glances, thinking: "On his own"? He's definitely planning to watch it with little Gong. Of course, if he's meeting little Zhu, then he's impressive.

As one of the real-life prototypes of The Herdsman's story, Old Wei and Xu Shufen had to see it—they'd been waiting since they saw the release date in Mass Cinema, and even told Old Sun about it before leaving.

"This movie is about us two. It's really good—you should go see it too, Old Sun, if you have time."

Watching Old Wei strut around showing off, Old Sun sighed: Having a writer son is great—he can even write about his parents' story. Too bad my son's just an ordinary police station chief.

Old Wei and Xu Shufen went to the Daguang Cinema in Dazhalan. Though it was only afternoon and a weekday, the five-hundred-seat auditorium was packed, mostly with young people—all readers who had read the novel. This was what they called a self-generated IP.

The film used a flashback narrative structure, opening with the male lead, Xu Shengfang, picking up his father at Beijing International Airport and taking him to the Beijing Hotel.

The father carried an elite demeanor, while the son wore simple clothes, appearing old-fashioned, even somewhat weathered—but his features were sharp, his handsomeness undeniable.

Since most of the audience had read the novel, they began discussing Zhu Shimao, the new actor, convinced he was exactly their imagined Xu Shengfang.

Only Xu Shufen felt he still fell short of the real prototype: Our Old Wei was far better when he was young—shorter, less straight-nosed, smaller-eyed, less cultured—but so much better.

When Wei Fenfang appeared, though her face was dirty, her eyes were startlingly clear, full of story. After she washed her face, the audience was stunned.

For Gong Ying, Xu Shufen was very satisfied—her fragile, pitiful demeanor instantly transported her back to that era.

Many in the audience saw Gong Ying's performance for the first time; since several cinemas were still showing Good Things Take Time, viewers who saw her beauty on screen now wanted to watch that film too.

In the projection room behind, when one-fifth of the film had played, the projectionist switched to the second reel, and the first reel was immediately rushed to a nearby cinema by a runner.

The Herdsman was a flagship project for Shanghai Film Studio, backed by a major director and the original novel's popularity, so 220 35mm reels were printed—second only to Romance on Mount Lushan and The 405 Murder Case this year.

35mm reels were used mainly in urban cinemas; though their numbers were far fewer than 16mm and 8. 5mm reels, 90% of the studio's profits came from 35mm—these were the reels that actually sold tickets.

But 220 reels were still too few for China's 2, 00 official cinemas—even major provincial capitals couldn't be fully covered—so runners became essential.

One reel held 15–20 minutes of footage; a film usually needed five to seven reels, so multiple cinemas often shared one.

Cinema One finished the first reel and sent it to Cinema Two, then to Cinema Three; meanwhile, Cinema One's second reel arrived at Cinema Two, and so on.

This saved reel costs but was exhausting for the runners.

Today's runner for Daguang Cinema was Wang Qiankun. He delivered the reel to the nearby Hongqi Cinema, then raced back for the second one, pedaling his bicycle as if sparks would fly.

If he encountered any emergency, the Hongqi audience would have to wait—during which time newsreels or animated shorts could be shown to fill the gap.

When delivering the third reel, Wang Qiankun had an accident—he hit someone. After much pleading and paying fifty fen, he was allowed to leave, and he was heartbroken.

The Hongqi audience was waiting for him now—including Zhu Lin.

Zhu Lin was even more eager to see The Herdsman than Wei Ming—she came on opening day, wanting to see how Gong Ying performed on screen.

If you're going to compete for a man, compete on every front—including movies.

Her The Traitor had indeed been inferior to Good Things Take Time, but early fat doesn't mean you're fat—late fat knocks you off the bed.

After watching over half an hour, Gong Ying's scenes were still scarce, and then the film suddenly stopped—three full minutes passed before the story resumed, making them think another newsreel was coming.

Later, Gong Ying appeared only in the male lead's flashbacks, mostly alongside Xi Zi, and only briefly at the end—her total screen time in the 100-minute film was maybe twenty minutes, possibly less.

But Zhu Lin had to admit honestly: Gong Ying's dozen or so minutes were even more captivating than in Good Things Take Time—this showed the difference between a master director and an ordinary one. Xie Jin shot Gong Ying beautifully, yet her image blended perfectly with the Northwest pasture setting, never jarring.

Wei Ming's character design also greatly enhanced Gong Ying's appeal. Zhu Lin could feel it from the audience's atmosphere—Gong Ying was about to become a star, even bigger than with Good Things Take Time.

Ultimately, the film's quality was far superior. The Herdsman excelled in both artistry and storytelling. In the coming period, both the film industry and audiences would focus on this film and its two lead actors.

While Zhu Lin was happy for Wei Ming, she felt a pang of envy for Gong Ying's impending stardom—when would she ever have a day so widely noticed?

When she finished the film, Wei Jiefang and Xu Shufen—who had watched the earlier reel—were already outside, buying groceries to cook dinner.

On the way, Xu Shufen kept praising it, calling it the best film she'd seen this year—even Romance on Mount Lushan, this year's blockbuster, didn't earn such high praise from her.

Old Wei thought of his elderly father in distant Hong Kong—a secret known only to him and his son. But his wife was his closest person; they'd walked twenty years together, raised two children—what couldn't he tell her?

So when they got home and Xu Shufen began preparing dinner, Old Wei helped her, chatting casually.

"Shufen, what if I suddenly had a father—what would you think?"

"An overseas billionaire? Will he take you abroad?"

"Not overseas—he's in Hong Kong. Not a billionaire, but he runs a decent shop. Won't take me abroad—he wants to return to China himself," Old Wei said precisely.

Xu Shufen froze mid-motion. This doesn't sound like a hypothetical.

"Jiefang, isn't our dad long gone?"

Old Wei: "He came back."

"Huh?"

Old Wei pulled her onto a small stool: "Remember last year, right before New Year, we got a strange letter from Hong Kong, and then we came to Beijing to see our son?"

"Of course I remember."

"That was Xiao Ming's grandfather writing…." Then Old Wei recounted the entire story: how he'd been severely wounded, how his elder uncle had faked his death to get him to Taiwan for treatment, how he later escaped to Hong Kong, wanting to return but unable to.

Xu Shufen stared, speechless—her husband's life story was even more tortuous than the male lead's in the movie!

"I—I'm confused."

Old Wei: "Don't be confused. I'm not asking for advice. I just felt I couldn't hide this from you—not from my wife. I can keep it from Xiao Hong and Ping'an, but not you. Whether he comes back or whether we visit him—that's up to our son. Who else but him has the ability?"

Xu Shufen nodded. Her husband was right—complicated matters should be left to clever, capable people.

At this moment, the clever Wei Anping was taking the whole family to see The Herdsman—to support his nephew's work and cheer for his son's acting debut. They were all curious how Xi Zi would perform.

The cinema was packed; the ticket line stretched far. Since this cinema was near Qingbei, most attendees were students from those two universities—Wei Anping recognized several: Liang Zuo, Liu Zhenyun and his girlfriend Guo Jianmei, among others.

Though Xi Zi hadn't appeared yet, the film had already deeply absorbed them. Reading the novel was one experience; watching the film was another kind of immersion.

"Oh, brother!"

As the son of the male and female leads first appeared, Lele was the first to shout out. Lü Xiaoyan quickly covered her mouth, while Xi Zi fell silent—he'd never imagined seeing himself on the big screen felt so strange.

Later came his crying scene—crying over a car. He felt embarrassed and slid under his seat, only sitting up again after the scene ended.

As they walked out of the cinema, Wei Anping listened to the students' conversations.

As the country grew more open, foreign ideas flooded in, and university students gained their first impressions of the outside world, especially America.

America was the beacon everyone aspired to.

"Didn't five students from our department go to the U. . last year? I heard one senior and his girlfriend won't come back."

"Compared to Xu Shengfang, they have zero faith. He turned down billions overseas. These guys have nothing abroad, yet they'd rather wash dishes just to stay. The contrast is clear."

"Yes. Like Xu Shengfang, I believe in our country's future. I'll apply to study in the U. ., but I'll return with foreign technology to build our homeland! I believe our country won't let talents like me down—here, I have a brighter future."

Hearing this, Wei Anping felt reassured. Ordinary people might live better abroad, at least materially. But as top talent from China's elite universities, in this era of reform and opening, staying meant a promising future.

In recent days, as The Herdsman gained popularity, the novel from a year ago was reborn. People's Literature Publishing House had already reprinted Animal Fierce in advance; many who hadn't read the original rushed to get it.

Newspapers revived the nationwide debate that had surrounded The Herdsman's original publication—only now it was about the film. Beyond discussions of plot and values, there was new praise for director Xie Jin and extra attention for the two newcomers, Zhu Shimao and Gong Ying.

Seeing the reports, seeing his own photo in major national newspapers, Old Mao's thick eyebrows curled into a smile—he'd finally made it!

Zhu Shimao was from Yantai, Shandong. At sixteen, he joined the Fuzhou Cultural Troupe as a theater actor.

Five years earlier, his handsome looks had already earned him the male lead in two major projects: Children of the Xisha Islands and Jinggangshan.

The former was directed by Shui Hua, the latter by Cheng Yin—both among the Four Great Directors of Beijing Film Studio, with lavish casts and budgets.

But due to policy reasons, the first was nearly finished before being canceled; the second was halted right after filming began.

Old Mao felt his luck was cursed—he thought he'd never become famous. Then, at twenty-six, Wei Ming recommended him to director Xie Jin, giving him the role in The Herdsman.

After just a few days of screening in major cities, he already felt the joy of fame.

From Fuzhou to Shanghai, on every train, people called out his character's name: "Xu Shengfang!"

In Shanghai, he saw his and Gong Ying's giant posters outside the Da Guang Cinema. He heard that for half a year prior, the posters had featured Guo Kaimin and Zhang Yu—even during Good Things Take Time's peak, they hadn't been replaced.

When he entered Shanghai Film Studio, in high spirits, Director Xie Jin gave him more good news.

"The August 1st Film Studio called—they want you. What do you think?"

Since Old Mao was from the cultural troupe system—he was technically military—if he switched to film, the August 1st Studio was the best choice—he wouldn't have to leave his uniform.

"I—I'd love to!" Old Mao replied without hesitation, with no attachment to his old unit.

In his past life, after The Herdsman, he was transferred to the August 1st Studio, became colleagues with the pretty-boy Tang Guoqiang, and met his destined Chen Xiao'er.

But Gong Ying chose Beijing Film Studio—she didn't want to wear a military uniform, and she was cohabiting unmarried; she feared tarnishing her original unit's reputation.

Moreover, if she married Xiao Wei and he remained entangled with Zhu Lin, her status made her fear Xiao Wei might be shot.

Zhu Shimao had dinner with Gong Ying, Niu Ben, and other old friends at the Shanghai Film Studio canteen and learned Gong Ying had been officially transferred to Beijing Film Studio and invited by Director Wang Haowei to star in Wei Ming's new script, Mom, Please Love Me Again. Old Mao was truly envious.

He'd read the script. If the male lead weren't such a scumbag, he'd have volunteered himself—though really, the true male lead should've been the little gourd.

Still, Zhu Shimao wasn't empty-handed at Shanghai Film Studio. Director Zhao Huanzhang's new film, Happiness Comes, was casting a male lead. The story was set in Shandong, and he wanted actors with a northern demeanor.

He'd originally wanted Ma Xiaowei, from the Jiangsu Theater Troupe, but Ma had been summoned to Beijing by Beijing Film Studio. So Zhu Shimao, tall, strong, and also from Shandong, became Zhao Huanzhang's alternate.

Then Zhao Huanzhang and screenwriter Xin Xianling rushed to Beijing to scout for more suitable leads—Shanghai Film Studio actors were too southern in temperament.

Since Gong Ying was also heading to Beijing, they traveled together. Along the way, she was frequently recognized—half because of Good Things Take Time, half because of The Herdsman.

Director Zhao Huanzhang joked: "In another month or two, once The Herdsman's influence fully blooms, you'll be the next Zhang Yu—too bad you're with Beijing Film Studio."

Gong Ying joked back: "I've lived in Beijing for years—I'm more used to the north."

Screenwriter Xin Xianling smiled: "Too bad your aura's still a bit Jiangnan. Otherwise, we'd have cast you as the second sister-in-law."

Gong Ying asked curiously: "Mr. Xin, can you tell me about your film?"

The screenwriter glanced at the director, then smiled: "Alright, I'll tell you. Happiness Comes begins with Chen Renwu, the second son of the Chen family, and his bride Xue Shuilian's wedding…"

Sister Xue is coming to Jingcheng, and she may be stationed in Yanjing long-term, but she won't stay long this time because both the research and principal filming for "Mom, Please Love Me Once More" will be primarily in the south.

So she and Director Zhao Huanzhang moved into the Beiyingchang guesthouse; now the proportion of Shangyingchang personnel in the guesthouse has clearly increased.

Zhao Huanzhang had barely arrived when he found Ma Xiaowei—Ma Xiaowei's first film, "Love of the Sea," was also Zhao Huanzhang's debut as an independent director.

But this time Ma Xiaowei was offered the role of the villainous father in "Mom, Please Love Me Once More"; no one else wanted it, but since he'd dared to play the Commander-in-Chief, what was there to fear? So he accepted—and the director said the female lead was Gong Ying!

Two people who were supposed to collaborate on "The Happy Bachelor" met early.

"I'm truly sorry, Director Zhao," Ma Xiaowei apologized.

Zhao Huanzhang sighed: "Forget it. Since you won't take it, I'll have to choose Zhu Shimao."

"Ah, Zhu Shimao from 'The Herdsman'?"

"Yes, a famous actor," Director Zhao said with a touch of pride.

Later, Zhao Huanzhang met his Shangyingchang colleague Da Shichang; "Sorrowful Departure" was nearly finished, and he could return to Mogu for the New Year.

When Zhao Huanzhang mentioned the main casting needs for "Joyful Gate," Da Shichang suggested: "I know a female actress—her ancestral home is Shandong, she's very tall, and her personality is thoroughly northern. Would you like to meet her?"

"What's her name?"

"Zhu Lin."

"Ah?" Zhao Huanzhang froze. "Why is it this Zhu Lin again?"

"Again? Has someone else recommended her?" Da Shichang immediately realized.

Zhao Huanzhang nodded: "On the way here, we traveled on the same train as Comrade Gong Ying. After hearing our script, she also recommended this actress—but I heard she's not a professional actor; they said she's very close to Second Sister-in-Law."

Da Shichang smiled knowingly: "Then it seems Comrade Gong Ying and I share the same insight."

During his long stay at Beiyingchang, Da Shichang had seen Wei Ming visit Zhu Lin more than once.

He'd also seen Wei Ming visit Gong Ying at Shangyingchang.

These three people—there's something odd about them~

"What? You want me to act in a film?" Zhu Lin looked at the Shangyingchang director in surprise.

Director Shui Hua said: "It's just a screen test—you're not guaranteed the role. First, read the script."

"Oh." Zhu Lin was dazed.

Then Director Shui Hua began praising Zhu Lin to Director Zhao Huanzhang—hardworking, diligent, quick-witted, and so on—clearly pushing her hard~

……

(Today's minimum)

(End of chapter)