Chapter 124: Wang Zuxian is too pitiful!

In the evening, in the sunset glow, Li Zhenxing, who had just finished work, swayed back home. Just as he pushed the door open and entered, he saw his son leaning over with a fawning face, taking the bag from his hand on his own initiative.

Seeing this, Li Zhenxing immediately understood that his son must be looking to ask him for money again. Sure enough, the next moment:

"Dad, give me 15 yuan~"

Li Zhenxing immediately straightened his face: "Didn't I just give you some last week? You've only just started your vacation and you want money every day to go out and play wildly; did you go to the arcade again?!"

"Dad, no! It's not the arcade; I made an appointment with my classmates to see a movie tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhenxing's expression improved a bit; seeing a movie is better than going to the arcade. Two months ago, he caught his son back from the arcade and gave him a good 'bamboo shoot fried pork' (a beating), which finally made his son learn to be a bit more obedient. Now he doesn't give him pocket money easily.

Li Zhenxing asked while changing his shoes:

"What movie? Who are you going with?"

"Wang Zuxian's!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhenxing was immediately surprised: "Wang Zuxian's? She has a new movie? How come I don't know? You aren't lying to me, are you!"

Although his son is already in middle school, Li Zhenxing isn't an old antique; he has seen quite a few of Wang Zuxian's movies, especially Nie Xiaoqian in "A Chinese Ghost Story," which had him so mesmerized that he didn't know how many times he had watched it.

"Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, look at the newspaper!"

Li Chao hurriedly took a newspaper from the table and handed it to his father.

Li Zhenxing took the newspaper and looked:

"Asian Diva Wang Zuxian's Mainland Search for Relatives

——Berlin Best Director Wu Yuchen Records the Whole Process!"

Searching for relatives? Wang Zuxian has relatives on the mainland?

Li Zhenxing immediately became interested. Looking at the illustration next to it, Wang Zuxian and three young people were hugging together, some crying and some laughing, a picture of deep sibling affection.

Subsequently, he immediately read the main text of the report, which roughly introduced that "My Brothers and Sisters" was filmed by Berlin Best Director Wu Yuchen, using a documentary approach and the most authentic camera to track Wang Zuxian throughout the process of her filming her search for relatives.

Among them, there was also an interview with Wang Zuxian, which was that the whole process was very moving, and she couldn't stop crying.

After reading this whole report, Li Zhenxing still didn't understand whether Wang Zuxian really had relatives on the mainland or not.

This is documentary approach, and authentic camera—could it really be a true story?

It is this kind of half-true, half-false situation that piqued Li Zhenxing's desire to explore; everyone is curious about celebrity gossip!

"Alright, approved; I'll let you go see it tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Li Chao immediately showed joy on his face. However, he hadn't been happy for long before he heard his dad say to his mom:

"Hey, there's a new movie by Wang Zuxian, filming her process of returning to the mainland to search for relatives. Shall we go see it as a family tomorrow?"

"Wang Zuxian searching for relatives on the mainland? Isn't she a Hong Kong star? She still has relatives on the mainland?"

"Who knows; I think that's roughly what it says in the newspaper. It just so happens that Xiao Chao wants to see it, so let's take him to see it together tomorrow!"

Li Chao hurriedly ran to Li Zhenxing anxiously: "Dad, I said I was going to see it with my classmates!"

"Who you see it with doesn't matter; can't you see it with your mom and dad? If you don't want to see it, stay home and do your homework!"

Li Chao pouted, wanting to resist but unable to; having something to see is better than staying home and doing homework.

The next day, Saturday, Li Zhenxing lined up at the ticket window:

"Three tickets for 'My Brothers and Sisters'."

He took the movie tickets handed over by the ticket seller and was just about to leave when he heard the ticket seller call him back from behind:

"Hey, wait a minute, take this."

Only to see the ticket seller pull out a few tissues and hand them to him. After Li Zhenxing took them, he asked curiously:

"What is this for? Do they give away paper when watching movies now?"

"For you to wipe your snot, so you don't have to look for paper if you cry while watching."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhenxing couldn't help but find it funny. Is it necessary? Isn't it just Wang Zuxian searching for relatives? Could this even make him cry?

However, it's better to take advantage of such a bargain, so he tried asking: "There are three of us; can you give us a bit more?"

The ticket seller pulled out several more and handed them to him; anyway, this paper was all bought and sent by the promotional staff, so she didn't feel bad about giving it away.

A moment later, after Li Zhenxing's family of three entered the theater, they found that there were quite a few people, and everyone was chattering and discussing.

"Does Wang Zuxian really have brothers and sisters on the mainland?"

"Fake, right? This should be a movie, right?"

"Didn't you see it says documentary approach, recorded throughout? Do you understand what a documentary is? A documentary is real!"

"I came for this Berlin Best Director Wu Yuchen; he filmed a 'The Two of Us' before, it was super moving."

"This time it's really rare; the movie theater even took the initiative to give out paper~"

"Heh, I didn't want any; I don't take advantage of the public!"

Everyone was talking all at once. Soon, the lights in the theater went out, and the movie officially started.

As soon as the movie started, they heard Wang Zuxian's opening monologue in a soft voice, murmuring to herself:

"Father said that brothers and sisters were originally snowflakes in the sky; no one knew anyone, but after drifting down from the sky, they would melt into one, freeze into ice, turn into water; no one can leave anyone..."

In the opening monologue, accompanied by beautiful accordion background music, a family of six appeared one after another. When those simple and cute smiling faces of the children were displayed on the screen, the audience couldn't help but surrender their brains to this movie.

This family in a small town in the Northeast is poor but happy enough. Among the four brothers and sisters, the eldest brother is sturdy and reckless, the second daughter is well-behaved and sensible, and the two younger brothers and sisters are ignorant.

The eldest brother would take the younger brothers and sisters to play pranks on the neighbors.

Once, they did something wrong and were beaten. The eldest brother was called out to the ice and snow outside the house to stand in punishment and wasn't allowed to eat. The second daughter felt sorry for her brother, secretly took a steamed bun from the dinner table, stuffed it into her clothes, and gave it to her brother outside the house to eat.

Seeing this scene, Li Zhenxing couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, recalling when he was naughty as a child and beat up a neighbor's child, and when he came back and was punished by his parents, his younger sister also secretly sent him food like this.

The little sister had a fever and was hospitalized. Seeing the child in the opposite bed eating canned oranges, she cried and asked her father for some.

The older brothers and sisters took out their own lucky money, pooled together a can of oranges, and gave it to their little sister. They all said they didn't like to eat it, but couldn't help asking their little sister, "Is it delicious?" "Can you finish a bottle?"

At this time, his wife touched Li Zhenxing's arm lightly:

"Do you remember that you gave me a can of oranges back then? I kept it for a long time and couldn't bear to eat it; in the end, it went bad~"

Li Zhenxing naturally remembered. In that era of material scarcity 20 years ago, canned oranges were a rare item.

These warm scenes seemed to take them back to that poor but warm era.

However, the sweeter and happier the foreshadowing, the more painful it was when it cut people later. Especially when the eldest brother Qi Yiku sent the younger brothers and sisters away one by one.

The clever little sister cried and chased after her older brothers and sisters; the four children hugged and cried; the second sister Qi Sitian blinked her moving eyes and was pushed away by her eldest brother; the eldest Qi Yiku ran until he had no strength in the ice and snow, and alone on the desolate snowfield of the Northeast, howled the names of his family members one by one...

Watching these four lovable children forced to scatter to the ends of the earth at an age when they shouldn't have to experience separation, some of the audience in the theater had already lost control, tears flying everywhere.

This fluctuation of emotion and outburst of feeling became a heavy tear-jerker in the almost unadorned performances of the children; it could be said to be layer upon layer, step by step tear-jerking, pushing the sad atmosphere of the whole film to a new peak.

Li Zhenxing originally wanted to maintain his dignity as a father because his son was by his side, and tried to hold back from crying, but he couldn't help it when he saw the later parts, and tears couldn't stop flowing down.

By the time he wanted to take paper to wipe his tears, he found that it had long been divided up by his wife and son beside him.

He didn't know if that brother who didn't take advantage of the public regretted it or not, but he certainly regretted not asking for more paper.

He glanced at his son and saw that he had already lost control of the floodgates, crying loudly, the paper he gave him had long been used up, snot and tears flowing, and he didn't notice what his dad looked like at all, which made Li Zhenxing silently feel relieved—it's good that his son didn't notice.

By the time the movie finished playing and the lights in the theater came on again, Li Zhenxing adjusted his glasses, saw his wife's eyes were red, and saw his son was crying into a big cat face, and couldn't help but want to laugh.

At this time, there were still quite a few people in the theater sobbing, and some were saying while crying:

"I didn't expect Wang Zuxian to be so pitiful! She looked so lovable when she was little..."

"It's not easy; it's not easy for big stars either!"

This era doesn't lack rustic "fools" who are immersed in the movie and can't extricate themselves.

Actually, Li Zhenxing had already understood that this should be a movie filmed by Wang Zuxian, but he wouldn't argue with people at this time. The movie is fake, but the feelings inside are real, and the moving part is real.

He planned to recommend this movie to his relatives and friends after he went back. Such a good family-friendly movie shouldn't be enjoyed by his family alone; sharing happiness is better than enjoying it alone!

……

"Wang Zuxian posts a notice to find three brothers and sisters lost on the mainland!"

"'My Brothers and Sisters' ignites a summer tear-jerker!"

"'My Brothers and Sisters'——Wang Zuxian's moving journey to search for relatives!"

Wang Zuxian's fame itself is already very big, and coupled with these reports, many audience members were attracted into the movie theater, basically all going in laughing and coming out crying.

And soon, the topic of Wang Zuxian searching for relatives also spread on a large scale.

"Do you know? Actually, Wang Zuxian is from our Northeast; she's super pitiful. Her parents died in an accident when she was little, and she was forced to go to Hong Kong with someone, only then becoming a big star!"

"What? No way, I remember reading in a magazine before that she was from Wanwan?"

"That's not it; she was sent by her brother to a neighbor who was going abroad. The one you're talking about is definitely not her biological parents. Don't believe it? That movie theater already showed her returning to the mainland to search for relatives!"

"Ah?! Really or fake?"

"Of course it's true; it was even filmed throughout by that Berlin Best Director, absolutely authentic!"

"Then I have to go see it."

"Let me tell you, bring paper when you go; the paper given by the movie theater isn't enough at all. I cried until I couldn't stop; it was super moving!"

……

Xiao Tang is the distribution staff for "My Brothers and Sisters" in Hangcheng. At this time, he is answering phone calls one after another:

"Add more prints? No problem, but it will be at least a week later!"

"What? Not enough paper? Manager Lu, you guys at the movie theater cushion it today; I'll go buy it and send it over tomorrow!"

"Not giving you the print? Didn't you agree at the time that the two movie theaters would share one print? Alright, alright, I'll make a phone call to persuade him, but if he doesn't listen, I can't help it; you guys solve it yourselves!"

Don't think it's strange for two theaters to share one print; a movie print can actually be divided into four or five parts, and theoretically, four or five theaters can share one. That is, the first theater plays disc A first; after 20 minutes, the runner rushes to send disc A to the second theater. After the second theater finishes playing disc A, it rushes to take disc B sent by the first theater, and disc A is sent to the third theater, and so on.

Now, this is clearly one movie theater seeing that "My Brothers and Sisters" is popular and refusing to give the print to the other, wanting to eat alone. This kind of thing might even lead to a fight in the end.

When Xiao Tang did distribution before, he was basically a grandson, begging every movie theater to promote the movie and the print, but this time the situation for "My Brothers and Sisters" has completely reversed; the movie theaters are chasing him for prints, which also let him enjoy the feeling of being a big boss.

However, he didn't dare to delay and naturally had to hurry to report the situation here to his superiors by phone.

……

"Hurry! Now the whole country is urging us; every second delayed is less box office. Give me three shifts, 24 hours, and produce the prints for 'My Brothers and Sisters' as soon as possible!"

After the director of the production department finished listening to Han Sanping's order, he hurriedly ran out of the office.

Han Sanping was very excited at this time. He had thought before that with Wang Zuxian's participation, the box office of "My Brothers and Sisters" would be quite good, but he didn't expect it to be this good!

In just the two days of the weekend, according to rough statistics, the box office of "My Brothers and Sisters" had already reached 13 million!

13 million in box office in 2 days—Han Sanping wouldn't have dared to imagine this kind of result beforehand; after all, the film's production cost was only 1 million-plus!

At this time, he thought of Wu Yuchen telling him to prepare according to a 50 million box office, but he only thought Wu Yuchen was joking.

It's not that Han Sanping hadn't seen this movie, but he felt 20 million was about right, and 30 million was the limit; after all, the times are changing, and it's impossible for everyone to create a myth like "Mama, Love Me Once Again" ten years later, right?

Actually, it's not just Han Sanping; the purchasing managers from various places who saw the movie at the screening meeting had similar views. 20 or 30 million was already a very good box office.

Han Sanping couldn't help but sigh. Now it seems that they really underestimated Wu Yuchen and Wang Zuxian! Underestimated this "My Brothers and Sisters"!

Now theater chains in various places are urging him, and he is also urging the production department, only hoping to work overtime to produce them earlier and lose less box office.

In Wanwan, Wang Zuxian saw her phone ring, took a look, and answered with a smile:

"Director Wu, is there a good movie you thought of me for?"

Following Wu Yuchen winning Berlin Best Director, his status in Wang Zuxian's heart naturally became different again; at the very least, it was raised by two levels.

This time, Wang Zuxian didn't go to the mainland to participate in any movie promotion; after all, "My Brothers and Sisters" didn't even have a premiere ceremony. However, Wu Yuchen had explained the relevant promotional plan to her before, and she smiled and indicated that she didn't mind at all.

Wu Yuchen's hearty laughter came from the phone:

"Hahaha, not yet, but I want to tell you some good news~"

"Good news?"

"Hmm, I think it's good news, but I don't know if you, Sister Xiaoxian, will like it. 'My Brothers and Sisters' has been released for two weeks, with a box office of 42 million."

"How much?!" Wang Zuxian stood up with a start upon hearing this. ===== CHAPTER 125 =====