China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 966 My Dear

It was the last day of July, around dusk.

The heatwave in Beijing has not yet completely subsided, but the area in front of the Starry Sky International Cinema flagship store in Chaoyang District is already dazzling with stars, a red carpet, and flashing lights as bright as day.

The premiere of "Dearest," a realistic masterpiece focusing on combating child abduction and reuniting families, produced by Starry Sky Pictures and directed by Li Ruijun, is being held here.

In front of a huge movie poster, lead actors Zhang Yi, Zhou Xun, Luo Jin, and other key members of the production team, dressed in formal attire and smiling politely, were being photographed and interviewed by the media.

Facing the camera, Zhang Yi abandoned his usual playful demeanor and became serious; Zhou Xun also appeared composed, her eyes carrying the unique resilience and sorrow of the mother searching for her son in the film; Luo Jin also appeared reserved.

They all knew that tonight's movie was different; it was a serious film and there was no room for entertainment.

Liu Yifei and Sun Yi did the same, both choosing understated and elegant attire, without anything extravagant or stunning.

Sun Yi was still wearing a black fitted suit with a matching shirt, but without a tie, making him look slightly more casual. Liu Yifei, on the other hand, wore a simple light purple dress without any extra jewelry, exuding a simple and elegant style.

When the two walked hand in hand onto the red carpet as representatives of the production company and special guests, they immediately attracted the attention of all the media and movie fans present.

The cheers and flashes of light were even louder, but the two didn't linger. They simply smiled and waved to fans on both sides of the red carpet from time to time.

There were no complicated procedures, and even the pre-screening media and fan interaction was canceled.

After the main creators briefly introduced the story behind the film's production, the premiere began immediately.

Perhaps everyone knew in advance that "Dearest" was a serious film, because as soon as the lights in the premiere theater dimmed, the air became still for a long time, with only the light from the screen reflecting on the faces of the audience.

As the movie began, shortly after the opening scene depicting Tian Wenjun and Lu Xiaojuan's frantic search for their son, faint gasps could be heard from the front rows, and some emotionally sensitive female viewers had already quietly clenched their tissues.

When Tian Wenjun, played by Zhang Yi, called out "Pengpeng" through the iron gate outside the human traffickers' den, only to be met with the child timidly turning away, the sobbing in the theater gradually became a continuous sound.

A couple sitting in the middle row clearly had children. They held each other's hands tightly, as if they were sharing the same pain. The woman's shoulders were trembling slightly, while the man turned his face away, his eyes reddening.

Several young girls buried their heads in their companions' shoulders, and the rustling sound of tissues wiping away tears was particularly clear in the quiet theater.

Although she doesn't have children yet, Liu Yifei, who is also a wife, felt uneasy seeing this. Her eyes reddened slightly, and she held Sun Yi's hand even tighter.

When Liu Yifei saw the scene where Zhou Xun, who played Li Hongqin, knelt on the ground, crying with tears streaming down her face, saying, "I also lost my child," she clearly couldn't hold back her tears, which began to flow freely.

The premiere theater was filled with sobs.

Some people were secretly wiping away tears. They were clearly heartbroken, but their eyes were glued to the screen, afraid of missing any detail of the search for their loved ones.

At the end of the film, Tian Wenjun holds the child he found, and the camera pans across the list of parents still searching for their children. The sobbing in the theater seems to subside, but a heavy silence settles in. When the lights come up, the audience wipes away tears and applauds for several minutes.

The main creators, guided by the host, went on stage to pay tribute to the audience.

Sun Yi, as the representative of the production company, spoke first.

"Tonight is a special day. Thank you all for coming to the premiere of 'Dearest.' This film is of great significance to us at Starry Sky Films. It is not just a story, but a microcosm of countless broken families."

His voice was steady and powerful, and his gaze swept across the entire room with a heavy sense of mission.

"We hope that through this film, more people will pay attention to the social issue of 'combating child trafficking and finding missing children,' and we hope to gather more strength to light the way home for those lost children, and bring a glimmer of light and support to those parents who are still searching desperately. The power of film may be limited, but we believe that a single spark can start a prairie fire."

Liu Yifei stood beside him, her eyes still slightly red. She nodded gently and replied:
"Yes, as filmmakers, we may not be able to do much. The only thing we can do is to use our works to speak out and awaken the attention and conscience of the whole society. I hope that 'Dearest' can touch every viewer and let us work together to protect the integrity of families and reject harm."

Their speeches were met with enthusiastic applause from the audience.

During the group interview, the reporters were well aware of the significance of the film, so they asked very enthusiastic questions, with most of them revolving around the film's social significance and the actors' performances.

Zhang Yi talked about his emotional journey in playing the role of "Tian Wenjun," a father searching for his son. When he mentioned the real-life person in the story, he choked up several times while simply recounting the events. Zhou Xun also shared how she experienced and got closer to the complex character of "Li Hongqin."

When asked by reporters about the film's expected box office performance, director Li Ruijun replied:

“From the very beginning of the film’s preparation, Mr. Sun told me that the original intention of making the film ‘Dearest’ was never for the box office, but to draw the public’s attention to those tragic families of abducted children and those poor abducted children through this film.”

"Here, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Sun for giving me this opportunity. I am honored to be able to make such a film that helps society and helps abducted families and abducted children."

Upon hearing Li Ruijun's words, the audience was excited and applauded Sun Yi.

Sun Yi clasped his hands together, bowed in return, and gestured to Liu Yifei with his eyes.

She picked up the microphone and announced to everyone present:
"Today, on behalf of Starry Sky Pictures, I would like to announce to all media friends and audience friends that we will not take a single penny of the box office and copyright revenue from the film 'Dearest.' Instead, all of it will be used to support the search for children by abducted families across the country and to establish a human trafficking tracking fund in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security to recover abducted children!"

Good! Well done!
There was thunderous applause.

Not only the audience, but even some media reporters put down their microphones and applauded.

Liu Yifei stood on the stage, her pretty face flushed with excitement, feeling as if she had done something truly great.

She turned her head slightly, glancing at Sun Yi, her eyes overflowing with admiration and gratitude.

(End of this chapter)