Chapter 74.1

A group of people sat scattered in several halls.

Xia Shutong, Yun Feiwu, Director Dai Su, and several other main actors were seated in one screening room. The theater was spacious, with only two or three people per row.

Xia Shutong and Yun Feiwu sat in the middle of the second-to-last row. Jiang Feng and Xi Ao went straight to the corner, and the excitement in Jiang Feng’s eyes made it clear what she was thinking.

Xia Shutong chose to ignore it, but Yun Feiwu walked over and whispered something to them. Immediately, Jiang Feng pulled Xi Ao to sit in the middle with a bitter expression.

When Yun Feiwu returned, there was a mischievous smile on her face.

Xia Shutong couldn’t help but ask, “Maomao, what did you say to those kids?”

“I told them,” Yun Feiwu chuckled softly, “that although the theater is dark, the staff can see everything clearly through the monitors.”

Xia Shutong laughed, “I never knew you could be so bad!”

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

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…

During the roadshow for “Chasing the Light,” it had already sparked some online discussion. Almost all viewers gave it rave reviews. A professional critic even called Director Dai Su “a leading figure of the new generation of directors,” using the phrase “the waves of the Yangtze River drive the waves ahead of them.” This critic was well-known in the industry, and many people outside the circle were familiar with him, so his review garnered a lot of attention.

Among the audience were casual viewers drawn in by the review, as well as malicious detractors who claimed the critic’s words were a double-edged sword. They said he was not only praising Dai Su but also subtly praising Yun Feiwu while taking a jab at Xie Su.

After all, Xie Su’s new film “Finally Meeting You” was also set to release at the end of August, clashing with “Chasing the Light.” The detractors seized this opportunity, and some unscrupulous media outlets didn’t miss the chance to exploit the situation for clicks, producing headlines like:

“Showdown of the Two Queens: And the Final Winner Is Her!”

“Xie Su and Yun Feiwu’s New Films Release Simultaneously—What Secrets Are Hidden Behind This?”

“Wutong vs. Yaoxing: A Battle of Capitals! The Last Ditch Effort of Two Companies!”

Most of these articles had enticing headlines but little content upon clicking in. Wutong Studio had already contacted Xie Su’s management company, and the two sides had agreed to mutually benefit from the online buzz to promote both films.

However, before the official release, no matter how high the discussion was, it couldn’t reach everyone since only a small portion of people had seen the roadshow.

So, after the premiere of “Chasing the Light,” a true frenzy of discussion erupted.

At 2 a.m., social media platforms were almost entirely taken over by discussions about “Chasing the Light.”

“To be honest, I initially watched “Chasing the Light” just for Yun Yun’s beauty. I didn’t expect it to be so good. It’s not a commercial film, but the pacing is so tight that there’s no dull moment. I cried almost the entire time… Yun Yun’s acting is so good and incredibly moving. And Jiang Feng, although she’s a newcomer, her acting is impeccable. If you want to see another side of the housebound young lady, you must not miss this film!”

“Cried from start to finish!”

“Huh? Is it really that heart-wrenching? Now I’m scared to watch it…”

“No, sis! You must not miss this film! It’s not heartbreaking at all! Strictly speaking, it’s an extremely healing film that makes your soul feel elevated, and it’s super exciting to watch! Love you, Yun Yun!”

“Yun Yun’s acting really draws you in. Just watch it, you’ll regret it if you miss it!”

“Everyone’s praising Yun Yun, but what about the Director? No one noticed the absolutely beautiful cinematography? The lighting, the water, the transitions—perfect! I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. I’ve already bought tickets to watch it again tomorrow.”

“Forget a second watch, this film deserves a third, fourth, and even a Blu-ray purchase!”

“Speaking of the director, I was skeptical when I saw the critic’s praise because recent works by new directors have been mostly unwatchable. But Director Dai is different! He seems born for filmmaking. “Chasing the Light” has no wasted shots; every tiny detail is worth savoring. Director Dai is truly brilliant.”

Some discussions even shifted towards Director Dai Su, with people digging up his university photos.

“Ladies! Director Dai is so handsome! (photo.jpg)”

The photo showed Dai Su with his girlfriend. At twenty, Dai Su had neatly trimmed short hair, gentle eyes behind glasses, but an undeniable sharpness in his gaze, full of potential and defined features. His girlfriend was petite, with a mischievous and cute smile, full of life. Just standing together, they looked perfect.

“Hey, is that Director Dai’s girlfriend over there? She’s so cute!”

“I can’t decide if I should be jealous of Director Dai or his girlfriend.”

After gossiping for a while, someone suddenly dug up the screenwriter information for “Chasing Light.”

“If I’m not mistaken, the screenwriter for ‘Chasing Light’ is Director Dai’s girlfriend. But…”

“Oh my god, what a divine romance!”

“Am I the only one curious about the ‘but’? Did they break up?”

Then, someone dropped a news link: “Top Screenwriter from Beijing Film Academy Dies in Car Accident.”

Everyone fell silent.

When Xia Shutong and Yun Feiwu saw the discussions, they exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with profound sorrow.

Xia Shutong would always remember the first time she saw Director Dai Su. His hair and beard were a tangled mess, his eyes bloodshot with deep despair, dark circles under his eyes, and his skin a sickly yellow and rough. Though a year had passed and Director Dai Su’s condition had improved considerably, he still lacked the hidden sharpness and ambition he once had in the photos.

Now, Director Dai Su was like a damaged blade, slowly regaining its former sharpness.

Thinking of this, Xia Shutong sighed lightly, even feeling that the small doll Dai Su had given her wasn’t so ugly after all.

…

At its premiere, “Chasing Light” actually had a lower box office than “Eventually Meeting You.” But after the premiere, thanks to word-of-mouth recommendations, “Chasing Light” quickly soared and surpassed “Eventually Meeting You” by a large margin within just a week.

At the same time, the web drama “Crimson” quietly premiered.

“Crimson” had only twelve episodes, which is quite small even for a web drama. This meant that “Crimson” had excellent pacing and didn’t drag on like some current dramas that stretch out for more views, filled with unnecessary scenes.

“Crimson” wasn’t just tightly paced and full of twists and turns; as a period mystery drama, its logic was also airtight, with no plot holes. Such a well-crafted drama, even without any pre-broadcast promotion, quickly caused a sensation online once it aired.

Later on, although “Chasing Light” was a movie and “Crimson” was a TV series, they brought each other a lot of traffic because both starred Yun Feiwu.

Online evaluations of Yun Feiwu’s acting skills also rose to a new level. Previously, some people had criticized Yun Feiwu for winning the Best Actress award by luck, but now, anyone with eyes could see that her skills were on par with Xie Su’s. Many viewers who had previously thought Xie Su would win the award switched their support to Yun Feiwu.

“Xie Su’s ‘Eventually Meeting You’ is undoubtedly a delicate emotional film, but compared to ‘Chasing Light,’ it feels like it’s missing something. Xie Su’s acting has always been flawless, but Yun Yun’s acting is right up there, too. Her immersion and emotional impact are incredible, even stronger than Xie Su’s.”

After “Crimson” aired, some people initially tried to attack Yun Feiwu online, but the fans quickly shut down those comments without the company needing to step in.

“Yun Feiwu can portray a vicious, cunning character like Liang Haoyue so realistically; she must be like that in real life, too.”

“When your argument is confusing enough, I can’t tell if you’re genuinely stupid or just trolling.”

“??? Didn’t Yun Yun play Du Yuan in ‘Chasing Light’ realistically? Why don’t you say that Yun Yun is also an angel like Du Yuan in real life? Just picking on Liang Haoyue?”

“Don’t be angry. The fact that someone can make such a dumb argument shows how well Yun Yun acted. Maybe not just Best Actress, but this year’s Best TV Actress could also be Yun Yun~”

“Yes, yes, I really love Yun Yun’s acting! I’m going to watch ‘Chasing Light’ for the fourth time today, and then catch the new episode of ‘Crimson’ tonight. So happy~”

“Count me in; I’m on my third watch!”

Seeing the success of “Crimson,” Xia Shutong was, of course, happy for Yun Feiwu, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit melancholic. Because the shippers for Ouyang Chao and Yun Feiwu had resurfaced.

Whenever she searched for anything related to “Crimson,” Xia Shutong would find a bunch of discussions about them, making her so annoyed she wanted to point at Ouyang Chao’s nose and scold him until he cried.

So to console Xia Shutong, Yun Feiwu had been exceptionally obedient every night recently, letting Xia Shutong have her way with her.

During the day, Yun Feiwu was busy with her schedule, and Xia Shutong was immersed in her work. Before they knew it, it was already golden October.

The 20th Golden Laurel Film Festival opened.

Last year, Xia Shutong was supposed to be the presenter for the Best Actress award but couldn’t attend due to a car accident. This year, she unsurprisingly received another invitation from the committee. She finally had the chance to personally crown Yun Feiwu as Best Actress and witness her achieving the highest honor an actor can receive.

However, because each presenter could only go on stage once, the Best TV Actress award at the first-half TV festival was presented by Zhou Hanqi.

Though she couldn’t present both awards to Yun Feiwu, Xia Shutong was content just to watch her closely from the audience and accompany her.

Just thinking about it, Xia Shutong couldn’t help but smile proudly, wanting to share her Maomao’s achievements with everyone around her.

Xia Shutong and her group didn’t have to walk the red carpet, so they entered the venue a bit earlier than the actors. After sitting down, she immediately sent a message to Yun Feiwu: “Maomao, I’m here.”

Yun Feiwu replied instantly: “Mm, I’m in the car. It’s almost my turn.”

“Sweetie, remember to watch the big screen.”

Xia Shutong smiled: “Okay.”

Looking up, she could see a large projection screen showing the live stream of each actor walking the red carpet.