Chapter 289: Don't Answer!!!

Regarding the movie Three Body, Jiang Wen was also very much looking forward to it.

Not only because he portrayed Shi Qiang, but also due to the description of the opening content.

If he were to direct it, the experience of Ye Wenjie's father, Ye Zhetai, would certainly deserve a thorough portrayal.

Of course, a careless miscalculation would turn it into a banned film.

Jiang Heng is a very typical commercial film director; he certainly couldn't be as willful as him.

But you simply can't avoid Ye Zhetai's ordeal and Ye Wenjie's inner journey, Jiang Wen thought to himself.

After taking their seats, he chatted casually with Feng Xiaogang beside him.

Director Feng also came from a commercial film background and has always harbored a master's dream.

After the Three Body novel became a sensation, he bought a copy of the original work; after reading it, he was deeply shocked and also felt some regret.

First, such an excellent work never fell into his hands.

Second, for such a film, he had no idea how to shoot it at all.

In the realm of sci-fi subject matter, among all domestic directors, I'm afraid none can compare to Jiang Heng; he truly wants to see what Three Body could be turned into!

"I heard this film went through several revisions during review!" Director Feng first dropped a bombshell.

Jiang Wen laughed: "It seems the censors are still fairly reasonable; they didn't just rubber-stamp it out of respect for Director Jiang's face!"

"Certainly! This film is meant for global release; they won't forbid filming, but they won't let you do whatever you want either."

Jiang Wen chuckled: "I'm talking about Feng Kuzi, are you mocking me?"

Feng Xiaogang said displeased: "If you keep saying that, don't blame me for turning hostile!"

Jiang Wen put his arm around Feng Xiaogang's shoulder, laughing: "Look at you, you're getting worked up!"

Speaking of the term "Feng Kuzi," it originated from the 2006 TV series With Youth Related Days directed by Ye Jing.

In the series, the character Feng Kuzi played by Tong Lei bears some resemblance to Director Feng, though the role's image in the show is really not great.

Anyone with common sense can see that Ye Jing was deliberately spoofing Feng Xiaogang; ordinary people wouldn't bring up that term in front of Director Feng.

But who is Jiang Wen? When his temper flares, he doesn't care about that; I don't believe he'd dare to lose his temper on the spot.

Moreover, the two are old friends; they had just collaborated on Let the Bullets Fly not long ago, so they couldn't really fall out.

After chatting a bit, they talked about next year's summer slot.

Feng Xiaogang laughed: "Following Director Jiang's custom, his films are always scheduled for the second Friday of July; your Let the Bullets Fly, though, is still set for August!"

Jiang Wen said: "Definitely! Next summer we're scheduling the 3D version of Havoc in Heaven; the box office is sure to be high!"

Feng Xiaogang said: "Of course! Even the regular version of such a effects-heavy blockbuster is already shocking; the 3D version ought to sell over ten billion!"

Jiang Wen nodded slightly; given that his previous films weren't box-office hits, he truly didn't dare to release them head-to-head.

While they chatted, the audience inside had nearly all entered.

As before, the host of CCTV Movie Channel came up to give the opening remarks, then immediately moved into the viewing session.

On the big screen, after the logo appeared, there was the vast forest sea of the Greater Khingan Range, within which lay the Red Coast Base.

Inside the base, the characters' costumes and wall slogans exude a strong sense of the era; Zhang Jingchu, portraying Ye Wenjie, nervously gazes at the data on the computer screen, tapping the keyboard to decode.

While waiting, she stood up and paced back and forth anxiously.

When the decoding completion prompt sounded, she turned back to look, only to see "Don't answer!" displayed.

"Don't, answer?"

"Don't answer?"

"You're telling me not to answer?"

Ye Wenjie's eyes turned slightly red; she kept taking deep breaths, but ultimately pressed the launch button!

The camera turns to the massive launcher at Red Coast Base, which suddenly emits an eerie red glow; a faintly visible electric wave shoots straight to the sky, flying out of Earth toward the sun.

Immediately after being amplified by the sun, it heads straight for the distant Three-Body system.

In this process, the shot changes at extreme speed, also a deliberate showcase by Jiang Heng of many space vistas; each frame is a landscape that could serve as a computer wallpaper.

The audience inside exclaimed, "This space scenery is actually quite nice!"

"This has been beautified; real space is black!"

At this point, the radio wave has reached Alpha Centauri, which is the location of the Three-Body system described in the novel.

But we see three golden "suns" entwining and orbiting each other in the black void of space, while a planet alternately circles one and then the other.

When far away, the planet's surface is covered in thick ice caps; when it draws close to all three suns, the ice caps rapidly evaporate and the entire planet ignites in raging flames.

As the fire grows larger, filling the whole screen, the light then dims again.

Finally, a few words appear: "Three Body — Earth's Past!"

A soaring melody swells, the camera cuts back to Earth, and the view returns to China.

First come shots of impoverished, backward regions; then cities develop rapidly, skyscrapers and factories spring up, countless workers stream in and out of plants, the whole world changes day by day, thriving and prosperous…

The camera finally settles on a skyscraper; the girl played by Wan Qian, dressed fashionably, leaps off the roof.

"Bang!"

The audience inside jumped in fright; not all viewers had read the original, and they couldn't understand how such a beautiful girl would commit suicide right away, dying so cleanly.

On the contrary, Wan Qian seated in the guest section lightly bit her lower lip, her expression quite complex.

When she first learned she would be appearing in Three Body, she was still quite excited.

Later she learned she only had one scene, which was somewhat disappointing; but since it's a hugely costly effects blockbuster, she still had to perform it well.

She didn't want to be just a jumping‑scene role with no room to shine.

She reported for work in the morning and wrapped by afternoon, as brisk and decisive as if she were just dropping by for fun.

Of course, deep down she still felt grateful to Jiang Heng.

After all, he gave her a chance to be seen on screen; swapping in a female crew member or assistant would probably pose no problem either.

The film's content officially begins; Liu Yijun, who plays the male lead Wang Miao, is busy in a laboratory that looks very advanced.

An assistant came over and said that outside there were two police officers and two soldiers looking for him.

Then, Jiang Wen, who plays Shi Qiang, appeared.

Wang Miao was taken to a military compound, and there were even foreigners in the meeting room.

Before the meeting, Shi Qiang asked Wang Miao what new material he was researching.

"Nanomaterial."

"I've heard that thing is extremely strong; it wouldn't be used for crime, would it?" Jiang Wen, playing Shi Qiang, said with a teasing expression.

"What do you mean?"

"Heh, I've heard that a strand as thick as a hair could lift a large truck; if criminals stole some to make a knife, that knife could cut a car in two."

"Hmph, you don't even need to make it into a knife; using that material to make a line only one-hundredth the thickness of a hair, stretched across the road, could slice passing cars in half like cutting cheese!"

This dialogue naturally foreshadows the film's final "Guzheng Project," while the meeting at hand is actually discussing the successive suicides of scientists.

(End of chapter)