SA CH123.2

Scenes from filming Zhuang Hua Luo flashed through her mind—those long conversations under the autumn moon, the heartbreaking moment when Kong Zhao pierced Zhu Molang’s heart, and the disbelief in Zhu Molang’s eyes.

Her face grew redder. She immediately posted a Weibo update—

[QianQian’s Big Adventure: AAAAAHH I can’t wait for Zhuang Hua Luo to be released! You guys don’t get it, but I just really, really want it to come out now!!]

Half a year ago, Luo Xi had tweeted that the film felt a little strange, and she hoped it would be released soon so audiences could help make sense of it. But now, she didn’t need answers anymore—she already knew.

She had become a die-hard CP fan.

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Silent had been out for one week—and made 1.8 billion yuan at the box office!

For a low-budget arthouse film, it had pulled nearly 200 million on opening day. By day four, with strong word-of-mouth and solid marketing, it hit a shocking 400 million yuan in a single day!

The film’s score on review sites had stabilized with minimal fluctuation.

Among professional critics, Silent received ratings from 8.1 to 9.8. Among general viewers, ratings ranged from 1 to 10.

No film could satisfy everyone—not even the most iconic Hollywood hit The Bartender from the last century, or this century’s Huaxia sensation Twilight Voice.

Averaged out, Silent had an impressive 9.1 rating.

Countless ordinary viewers gave this film a perfect score of 10. When they cried their hearts out in the theater, it was almost as if they couldn’t wait to express their feelings—offering silent tears and deep sorrow as a tribute—by awarding it the highest rating possible.

It was now December, and among all the Chinese films released this year, the highest-rated art film held a score of 9.2, with Silent currently ranking second. No one knew whether it would climb higher, but it had already become a classic in the hearts of many moviegoers.

During this time, Director Xu sternly criticized the production group of Silent in their group chat:
[Well, fine, you three were playing cards—nothing wrong with that—but why drag Qin Cheng into it? Couldn’t you just have invited your own assistants? And even if you played cards, did you have to include him in the photo? Lin Xuan, you took that photo. You tell me—now Zhuang Hua Luo is leeching off our popularity again. What are we going to do about that? I’m so mad!]

Rong Xu, the third male lead of Zhuang Hua Luo, was speechless: “…”

But Director Xu was really just ranting. He already knew that once Zhuang Hua Luo was released, it would inevitably take over a large share of the theater screens currently occupied by Silent.

At that point, Silent had already been screening for eighteen days, and its box office momentum was waning, while Zhuang Hua Luo was just about to premiere. It was only natural to make way for the new release. Still, Director Xu couldn’t let it go—especially since his old friend Liu Lao kept texting him thank-you messages, “thanking” him for boosting Zhuang Hua Luo’s popularity.

The two old men bickered endlessly, exchanging jabs with great delight.

Thanks to the promotional tour of the Silent crew, the movie experienced another small box office surge seven days after its release. On the eve of Zhuang Hua Luo‘s premiere, Silent had been showing for 17 days and had reached a total box office of 3 billion—exactly the figure Director Xu had declared at the premiere ceremony.

There was also a small side story. After the premiere of Silent, the reporter who had interviewed Liu Lao published an article on their magazine’s mobile app titled:

“Three Billion Yuan at the Box Office: Can Silent Be 2044’s Surprise Hit for Chinese Art Films?”

The article attracted countless readers and sparked heated discussions.

In the past two years, very few art films had crossed the 3-billion mark. The most recent example was Disciple, a film Qin Cheng starred in last year alongside Xia Muyan. The two were already known in the industry as box office gold; with both of them in one film, success was guaranteed. However, due to the sensitive subject matter, Disciple ultimately made only 4.9 billion yuan.

As for 2044, aside from Silent, the highest-grossing art film had earned just 2.7 billion. That was the 9.2-rated film about a mother who lost her child and searched through the vast world, only to eventually find the child’s remains.

The film had high artistic value and was a strong contender for awards this year, as well as Silent’s main rival. But its devastating ending, despite glowing critical acclaim, limited its commercial success to 2.7 billion.

The premiere of Zhuang Hua Luo was right around the corner. On the morning of the 17th, Rong Xu received a call from Director Xu. The old man said he was about to board a plane to the U.S. for an event and wouldn’t be able to call at midnight on the 18th to wish Rong Xu a happy birthday—so he was calling early to give his well wishes. However…

“Xiao Rong, tell Old Liu for me tonight: this debt—I’m keeping tabs! Next time we meet, he’s dead meat! Mark my words, I’ll hijack your birthday next year. We’ll make a movie and schedule its premiere on your birthday, just to piss him off!”

Rong Xu couldn’t help but laugh and nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, of course.”

Director Xu’s promises were only one-third trustworthy. Rong Xu certainly didn’t take them seriously. During filming, he had learned that the director loved to make offhand promises—one moment saying he’d shoot his next film with Xiao Zitong, the next promising another collaboration with Lin Xuan. For every compliment Rong Xu had received from him, there had been just as many unfulfilled promises. He had figured out the man’s unpredictable nature by now.

Time passed quickly. In the afternoon, Rong Xu and Qin Cheng arrived at the capital’s convention center.

Top makeup artists were working rapidly on the stars. Since female celebrities required more complex makeup, when Rong Xu and Qin Cheng arrived backstage, Huang Lei was already seated, having her lip lines refined.

When the award-winning actress saw them, she smiled and waved.

At 6 p.m., Liu Lao arrived backstage beaming. Knowing the premiere’s advance ticket sales had already shattered records, this iconic Chinese director was in excellent spirits. He wore a satisfied smile and looked fondly at the actors and crew backstage.

Rong Xu felt a chill down his spine under that benevolent gaze. He suddenly understood why Director Xu harbored so much “hostility” toward Liu Lao.

In a way, Liu Lao was just… asking for it.

He gained an advantage and still pretended to be modest—that was him to a T.

Fortunately, Director Xu wasn’t on-site today. If he saw Liu Lao so smug, he’d probably stomp a hole in the floor out of frustration.

Half an hour later, every actor and host had reviewed the event schedule and confirmed the segments they were responsible for. At 8:00 p.m. sharp on December 18, the Zhuang Hua Luo premiere officially began!

This time, Liu Lao had the entire premiere broadcast live across the internet. Six cameras filmed the stage from various angles, capturing every moment and presenting it to viewers everywhere.

The live broadcast was limited to the premiere event itself. It would end as soon as the film began screening at midnight. Still, over 10 million viewers had already packed into the livestream room—and the number was still climbing.

[Here for Rong Rong! Dropping a landmine for Rong Rong~~~]

[Ahhhhh I can’t wait to see God Qin! Gotta see Qin Cheng!]

[As a ChengRong shipper, I can die happy tonight. Let me see them on stage together! Our ChengRong is blessed by the heavens! Sending a small torpedo—wishing Zhuang Hua Luo massive box office success and eternal glory for ChengRong!]

 [I’ll throw in a depth charge too—ChengRong is the best~]

Netizens were full of excitement, but as time dragged on, some grew impatient and started asking when the premiere would actually begin. They were here to see the cast, not the press and audience members.

More and more casual viewers began complaining—until suddenly, a barrage of excited comments flew across the screen:

[Ahhhhh it’s Rong! That’s my Rong! My Rong, my Rong!!!]

Everyone looked closely and saw Rong Xu standing behind a curtain, only half his face visible.

Many casual viewers stared at the screen for a long time, leaning in close to confirm his identity. Finally convinced, they were amazed:

[Fans really are incredible. They can recognize even half a face—hats off to Rong fans.]

Ten minutes later, when the livestream audience count reached 21 million, suddenly—the lights in the entire venue dimmed. All the online viewers sat up straight, nerves on edge, waiting for someone to appear.

A dazzling spotlight flashed across the back of the stage, and a beautiful, elegant actress stepped forward with a smile, waving at the audience below.

[Lei Lei!!!]

Huang Lei’s fans immediately flooded the comment section, excitedly expressing their joy.

The fans of Rong Xu and Qin Cheng sighed softly, somewhat regretfully continuing to watch the video while silently anticipating the appearance of their idols.

So where were their idols at the moment?

In fact, before Huang Lei went on stage, the original schedule had Qin Cheng going up first. According to Director Liu’s arrangement, Qin Cheng, as the lead actor, was supposed to go first, followed by Huang Lei, then the veteran actor playing the second male lead, then Rong Xu… and finally, Director Liu himself would take the stage to wrap things up nicely.

However, just as the group was standing backstage, Qin Cheng calmly said, “Ladies first.”

And so, Huang Lei went on stage first.

Once she had taken her position, Qin Cheng turned to the young man beside him and met his eyes.

In those deep, dark eyes seemed to lie an entire ocean. Looking at the youth in front of him with a bright smile on his face, Qin Cheng’s fingers quietly brushed over the back of Rong Xu’s hand as he softly said, “I’ll wait for you.” Then, he stepped onto the stage.

When Qin Cheng appeared on stage, the applause was clearly louder than when Huang Lei came out. In the livestream, countless comments flew across the screen like a barrage, completely covering the view—unless one turned off the comments entirely, it was impossible to see a single figure on screen.

Even after Qin Cheng had fully taken his place on stage, the applause from the audience still hadn’t stopped. Many fans were shouting his name with hoarse voices, and their joy and anticipation were so intense that even Rong Xu, backstage, could hear it.

The handsome, graceful youth stood backstage, smiling faintly as he watched the man on stage.

At this moment, the dazzling lights shone down on the man, as if a brilliant path had been illuminated beneath his feet. The thunderous applause and cheers seemed enough to blow the roof off the venue.

This wasn’t the first time Rong Xu had shared a stage with Qin Cheng—back when they filmed Black Cloud it had happened before—but this was the first time since he had become famous that he was appearing on the same stage as that man.

A ten-year gap wasn’t something that could be erased easily. That man now stood at the pinnacle of the Chinese—and even global—entertainment industry, and Rong Xu was still making his way toward that summit.

Just then, the veteran actor playing the second male lead stepped onto the stage. The camera quickly shifted to focus on him. Taking advantage of this moment, Qin Cheng casually turned his head toward the veteran actor—but his gaze met Rong Xu’s directly backstage.

His thin lips moved, mouthing three words.

Seeing this, Rong Xu suddenly froze, unable to tell what Qin Cheng had just said.

At that moment, the host’s voice rang out from the speakers, and as the host introduced him, Rong Xu walked up to the stage with a smile.

As soon as the graceful and elegant youth appeared under the lights, the hall erupted into loud applause and cheers that echoed continuously. The barrage of comments once again drowned out his figure on the livestream. In terms of fanbase and popularity, Rong Xu and Qin Cheng seemed almost equal now—but to this day, Rong Xu still hadn’t won a single film award.

He strode forward and stood firmly at Qin Cheng’s side. After that, the actress playing the second female lead also came on stage, and finally, Director Liu appeared.

As if completely unfamiliar with the man beside him, and according to the prior arrangement, Huang Lei stood to Qin Cheng’s right, and Rong Xu to his left. The host chatted with them warmly, making the entire premiere event filled with laughter and an enthusiastic atmosphere.

Director Liu wasn’t like Director Xu—when the old man spoke, he could make the entire audience laugh until they were doubled over.

The fans on-site kept their eyes glued to their idols, not wanting to miss a single second. Meanwhile, in the livestream, countless fans of the Qin-Rong pairing were watching with wide eyes, excited to see their CP sitting together, chatting and smiling.

[“Just standing next to each other is enough, just standing next to each other QAQ this dog food is too sweet, I’ll eat it, I’ll eat it!”]

No words were needed. The image of these two standing together was already beautiful enough to leave a lasting impression.

When Director Liu and the host had worked the audience into a frenzy, they exchanged a glance. Then, the host smoothly shifted the topic to Rong Xu’s birthday. Many reporters quickly picked up their cameras and began frantically taking photos of Rong Xu.

The host smiled and said, “I wonder what birthday wishes the other cast members have for our Rong Rong?”

Starting with the veteran actor who played the second male lead, the elderly man gave Rong Xu high praise in front of the entire nation: “This child is very diligent on set. He’s always one of the first to arrive and the first to start makeup. He often came to rehearse scenes with me. In fact, in this movie, he has the most scenes with me. I can see clearly—this child is hardworking and very talented. Happy birthday in advance, Rong Xu.”

Next was Huang Lei: “I don’t have much to say. I just want to say, if I were twenty years younger… well, none of you would have a chance to fight me for Rong Xu.”

The audience burst into laughter.

Then it was Director Liu’s turn. After thinking for a while, he suddenly said seriously, “Rong Xu is the most talented actor I’ve ever seen. I hope I’ll have the chance to work with him again. He has both talent and dedication. He’s an outstanding actor. I feel honored to have worked with him this time.”

The previously joking Director Liu suddenly turning so serious shocked the entire crew. Even Rong Xu looked at the old man in surprise, only to see him smiling gently and earnestly repeating, “Will we have a chance to work together again in the future, Rong Xu?”

For just a moment, Rong Xu was stunned. Under the bright lights, the young man smiled lightly and nodded, “It’s my honor.”

At this moment, the host laughed and said, “I wonder what kind of birthday wishes Qin Cheng has for our Rong Xu?”

The camera immediately focused on Qin Cheng. Under the eyes of millions of viewers, Rong Xu calmly and casually turned his head to look at the man.

Qin Cheng naturally lifted his gaze to look at the young man beside him.

This simple gesture felt completely natural, yet it made many Qin-Rong fans excitedly clench their fingers. Before their excitement could die down, the man’s low and elegant voice slowly sounded:

“Rong Xu is my favorite…” He paused, “…actor.”

Favorite.

Those three words were spoken sincerely and deliberately by the man, with a slight, meaningful pause that stunned all the Qin-Rong CP fans instantly.

Rong Xu’s eyes slightly narrowed, a trace of surprise flashing across them, as if he hadn’t expected Qin Cheng to say such words.

“When acting with him, it’s very easy. You can instantly reach your peak state and get fully into character.”

For a good actor, performing an intense scene is an exhilarating experience.

“When communicating with him privately, he is also a very gentle young man. I am eight years older than him, and we worked together on Black Cloud. We had even more scenes together in that movie, but I could see his growth. He already impressed me greatly in Black Cloud, and in Zhuang Hua Luo he amazed me even more.”

His voice suddenly paused. The man’s smiling eyes fixed tightly on the youth as he spoke slowly and clearly, “In Zhuang Hua Luo, my favorite character is Zhu Molang. I think for Kong Chao, the person he most admires, respects, and likes the most is also Zhu Molang.”

Ten minutes later, the guest interaction segment ended, and media reporters began to ask the crew questions.

By this time, many Qin-Rong CP fans slowly came back to their senses. When they realized what had just happened, they saw that many Qin fans and Rong fans in the livestream chat were expressing their feelings.

[Although I’m a pure God Qin fan, I suddenly kind of understand how CP fans feel now.]

[I’m also a pure Rong Rong fan, but I have to say, Qin god is so handsome, Rong Rong is so beautiful. When these two are together, it really feels like the world lights up.]

[Switching to CP fan.]

[Waiting eagerly to eat the huge sugar candy of Zhuang Hua Luo! Qin god said Kong Chao’s most admired, respected, and liked person is Zhu Molang — this is basically a cosmic super ultra mega sugar! Waiting to eat the sugar, hahaha.]

One hour later, the premiere of Zhuang Hua Luo officially ended. Many fans watching the livestream on their phones in the cinema walked in quickly with joyful anticipation, waiting for the movie’s debut.

“So exciting! This huge Qin-Rong sugar candy—hurry and overwhelm me!!!”

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Author’s note:
Qin-Rong CP fans: (≧▽≦)/ lalala, let’s eat sugar! I love Qin-Rong for ten thousand years!

Qin Chengcheng: … Promise the baby to love Qin-Rong for ten thousand years, no changing (,,???,,)!