It's reasonable for me, a stuntman, to live a crazy life, right?

Chapter 1414 Some went mad with demonic possession, while others achieved enlightenment...

Breaking news! Liu Yifei's directorial debut, "The Room Next Door," has been successfully selected for the 80th Venice International Film Festival. Director Liu, along with Gong Li and Maggie Cheung, will be vying for three major awards!

"Chinese films take center stage on the international stage again! The art film 'The Room Next Door' becomes the biggest surprise at Venice, and Liu Yifei's crossover directorial debut attracts attention!"

"Two Best Actresses Compete in the Same Venue! Gong Li and Maggie Cheung are nominated for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for their roles in 'The Room Next Door.' Netizens: The Scene of Gods Fighting is Already Reserved!"

When August 1st arrived, the headlines on major entertainment platforms were dominated by the news that "The Room Next Door" had been shortlisted for the Venice International Film Festival.

The trending topics on Weibo, #TheRoomNextDoorIsNominatedForVeniceShow# and #GongLiAndZhangManyuBestActressCompetition#, quickly climbed to the top of the list, easily exceeding 100 million views within half an hour.

Industry insiders widely shared their congratulations, saying, "This is a significant breakthrough for Chinese art films on the international stage in recent years!"

Fans excitedly flooded the comments section with messages:
"Wishing Liu Yifei the best of luck in winning the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival!"

"Even if we don't win the Golden Lion, winning the Best Director award would be great!"

"This film profoundly illustrates what it means to be a 'heroine among women'—a female director and a female lead, proving that women can hold up half the sky!"

The online buzz continues to grow, with various analysis posts and well wishes flooding the screen.

Meanwhile, Chen Fei and Liu Yifei seemed to be isolated from the outside world's noise, sleeping soundly until noon the next day before slowly waking up.

Last night, without their son disturbing them, the two of them were so excited that they couldn't help but drink a few more glasses. Then, without realizing it, they didn't fall asleep until after 4 a.m., and now they both looked a bit sleepy and languid.

Chen Fei got up and drew back the curtains. The midday sun streamed in, casting a warm glow on the carpet.

Liu Yifei stretched and yawned as she sat up, a few tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice was hoarse from just waking up: "What time is it...?"

It's almost midnight.

Chen Fei walked over and ruffled her hair. When his gaze fell on her face, he couldn't help but smile.

Although she looked a little tired, she looked radiant, with a natural blush on her cheeks and her eyes shining brightly, as if she were completely enveloped in happiness.

"It's all your fault, you wouldn't let me go to bed early last night." Liu Yifei gently slapped his hand away, complaining, but the corners of her mouth were turned up high. "Now I feel so weak."

"It's just that some people can't stop when they're happy," Chen Fei joked, handing over a glass of warm water. "Get up and eat something. Don't you have a few interviews to attend this afternoon?"

Liu Yifei took the water glass, sipped it, and her gaze fell on the trending topics notification that popped up on her phone, her smile deepening.

Although I was exhausted from all the activity last night, the joy in my heart felt like a piece of candy, and it has been sweet since last night until now.

……

Interview with Liu Yifei: Directing her first film, "The Room Next Door," I wanted to show audiences the power of women.

Talking with Liu Yifei about actors: Gong Li and Zhang Manyu's "divine acting duels" are the "truths of acting" that these seniors taught me.

From Actress to Director: Liu Yifei's Transformation Isn't a Cross-Industry Adventure, But a Greed for "Storytelling"

"..."

All afternoon, the internet was filled with updates about Liu Yifei.

From the behind-the-scenes stories of her directorial debut to the details of her collaborations with Gong Li and Maggie Cheung, every piece of information has been widely circulated.

Meanwhile, in the dressing room of the "Hot Wave" crew, Jia Ling, who had lost a lot of weight, was looking at her phone screen, meticulously recording the press release that Feiyue Films had created for Liu Yifei.

Her notebook was filled with writing:

"Emphasizing the female perspective without deliberately creating antagonism," "Highlighting the integration of the director's and actor's identities," and "Using 'original intentions' to downplay crossover controversies"...

Looking at each one, you can see that each one is marked with a key point and an arrow next to it, explaining the underlying logic.

There is a shortage of female directors in China. Xue Xiaolu and Xu Jinglei, who were previously the most popular, have rarely produced new works in recent years. At present, the most popular female director is Han Jianu.

Jia Ling herself is a self-taught director who only officially entered the directing industry after becoming a sensation with the film "Hi, Mom".

Therefore, in terms of seniority and resources, she cannot compare to Han Jianu, who has formal training and a stable body of work.

Liu Yifei's situation is similar to hers; she is also an actress who crossed over to become a director.

But they have Chen Fei and Feiyue Films backing them up, with a top-notch team protecting them from script polishing to publicity and distribution strategies.

But Jia Ling had no one behind her and could only rely on herself to figure things out little by little.

Therefore, she put in extra effort to "study".

She studied the marketing rhythm of Liu Yifei's team, the publicity techniques of the film "The Vanished" produced and distributed by Shanghai Film Group that accurately touched women's emotions, and even the online discussions about the "female director" label.

She always felt that if she learned these "essences," her new film would avoid many detours.

Zhang Xiaofei walked in with a glass of warm water and saw Jia Ling frowning and pondering over the screen again, so she couldn't help but sigh.

As a longtime friend, she knew all too well the pressure Jia Ling was under.

But seeing her focusing all her energy on "imitative marketing," and even forcing herself to become so thin that she looked unrecognizable in order to fit the label of "female director's transformation," she really felt something was wrong.

"Ling'er, take a break, you've been watching all afternoon." Zhang Xiaofei handed her a glass of water, her voice softening. "The core of a movie is the story itself; marketing is just an aid..."

Jia Ling didn't even look up, her finger still swiping across the screen: "You don't understand. That's how the market is now. If you don't grasp these key points, no matter how well the film is made, nobody will watch it."

Her voice was a little hoarse, and because of excessive dieting, her tone always carried a sense of tired urgency.

Zhang Xiaofei wanted to say something more, to advise her not to take such a distorted path, and not to let "pleasing the market" overshadow the creative process itself.

But seeing the dark circles under Jia Ling's eyes and her almost obsessive gaze, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

She knew that Jia Ling was no longer willing to listen to advice.

The weight loss left me physically weak, and my desire for "success" was so intense that I was on the verge of losing my mind.

She now only hopes that this almost self-torturing "learning" will not lead Jia Ling astray on the path of directing.

On the other hand, in the dressing room of the "All or Nothing" crew, Yang Mi was adjusting her sexy card dealer costume in front of the mirror.

The skirt accentuated her slender waist, and her makeup, though bright, carried a hint of aloofness required for the role, yet the expression in her eyes remained unusually calm.

In the past, she couldn't help but use Liu Yifei as a benchmark... comparing resources, box office, and fashion resources. Even though she knew the gap, she still had a strong desire to catch up.

But today, when she saw the news that "The Room Next Door" had been shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival, and saw Liu Yifei being lauded by domestic and international media as a director, she suddenly understood.

The difference between the two was already enormous!

Liu Yifei is now not only a top-tier actress but also a director with tickets to international film festivals. Backed by Chen Fei and Feiyue Films, her resources, vision, and overall perspective far surpass Liu's. Even if Liu were to ride a rocket, or even a space shuttle, she probably couldn't achieve such success.

The moment this thought popped into my head, the obsession that had lingered in my heart for so many years deflated instantly, like a punctured balloon.

However, she felt no resentment, but rather a sense of relief and enlightenment.

She tugged at the corners of her mouth in front of the mirror, revealing a self-deprecating smile.

After competing for so many years, it turns out we're no longer on the same track.

As the thought process became clear, a new idea quietly emerged: "Since we can't catch up, could we try a different approach?"

She suddenly thought of Jing Tian, ​​Zhao Liying, Shu Chang, and Liu Yifei, these four "golden flowers" of Feiyue Film and Television, each of whom now has hit works, enjoys high popularity, and has resources that are the envy of many.

They no longer need to rely on red carpets to attract attention, nor do they need to create a persona for the sake of traffic. The name "Feiyue Film & Television" alone carries the endorsement of quality.

The original "Four Dan and Two Bing" are long gone, and most of the young actresses selected in the past two years have been short-lived. Only the few from Feiyue Film and Television have remained at the center of attention, becoming synonymous with "having works and style" in the eyes of the audience.

Yang Mi gently traced the mirror surface with her fingertips, her eyes filled with longing.

If I could rejoin Feiyue Films and become a member, would I be able to escape my current predicament?

No longer needing to rely on a sexy image to gain attention, no longer needing to appear in various bad films, one can now steadily produce a few decent works.

She took out her phone, scrolled to her chat with her agent, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't type anything.

This is easier said than done.
Feiyue Film & Television has always had strict standards for selecting artists to work with, not to mention that she and Liu Yifei had some ambiguous comparisons in their early years, so they might not be willing to accept her.

But once this idea takes root, it can't help but sprout and blossom...

Yang Mi took a deep breath in front of the mirror and straightened her skirt.

Let's focus on doing this role well first, at least... I need to make myself qualified to stand at that threshold.

……

August has passed by in a flash.

As the summer heat gradually subsided, Chen Fei's focus shifted from the film and television industry to a larger stage.

After finalizing the storyboard for "The Three-Body Problem", he devoted himself entirely to the preparations for the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The opening ceremony date has been officially set for the 23rd of next month.

As the chief director, his daily schedule is packed to the brim!

From adjusting the venue lighting to rehearsing the program flow, from designing the athletes' entrance routes to finalizing the singer of the theme song, he personally oversaw every detail.

Fortunately, he had several capable assistants, including Ning Hao, Guo Fan, and Jiaozi, to share the pressure, which prevented him from being overwhelmed with work.

Ning Hao is good at controlling the pace of the scene and can always find order in chaos.

Guo Fan has unique insights into the integration of technology and art; the digital fireworks design for the opening ceremony was his creation.

Dumplings was responsible for the animated short film, using delicate strokes to showcase the spirit of the Asian Games.

The division of labor and cooperation among several people allowed the preparations for this grand event, which involved a great deal of work, to proceed steadily.

What's even more remarkable is that Zhang Yimou often takes the time to come over and, drawing on his years of experience directing large-scale events, offers many constructive suggestions.

For example, incorporating more elements of the Jiangnan water towns into the ceremony can allow traditional culture and modern sports to blend more naturally.

Meanwhile, the fierce competition in the film market continues.

The Hollywood import "The Meg 2: The Abyss" has made a strong debut, with Jason Statham and Wu Jing's "double hero combination" bringing box office appeal.

The terrifying scenes of the deep-sea monsters attracted a large number of viewers, and the film grossed 2 million yuan on its opening day, adding fuel to the already hot summer movie season and creating a new box office tug-of-war with other domestic films such as "The First Part of Fengshen" and "Hot".

Meanwhile, compared to the bustling film market, the turmoil in the music scene has stirred up even more waves.

Dao Lang, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly returned with his new song "Rakshasa City".

The new song has garnered over 10 billion plays in just a few days since its release.

The lyrics, such as "Ma Hu doesn't know he's a donkey, and the bird doesn't know he's a chicken," have been repeatedly analyzed by netizens, who have linked them to the rumors that Dao Lang was "blacklisted by the music industry" back then, pointing directly to four "music industry bigwigs": Na Ying, Wang Feng, Yang Kun, and Gao Xiaosong.

In an instant, a wave of interpretation swept across the internet.

Some people have dug up comments from several singers in the past criticizing Dao Lang's works for "lacking aesthetic appeal" and "lacking musicality," and compared them with the lyrics.

Some people have created a "timeline of grievances," outlining the intersections and disagreements between the two sides over the years.

Some people even went to the four singers' social media accounts to leave comments, creating a frenzy of "donkey chicken" memes.

Even though the parties involved have not responded, this media storm triggered by a song has drawn the entire entertainment industry into it, with its popularity even surpassing that of movie news at the same time.

Chen Fei would occasionally come across related news during his breaks, but he would just smile faintly and eat his melons with an indifferent attitude.

Such is the nature of feuds and grudges in the entertainment industry.

The fact that a song could stir up such a huge storm ultimately comes down to the fact that Dao Lang's work resonated with the public's emotions.

This includes discussions about the power dynamics between the "mainstream" and the "niche," as well as implicit dissatisfaction with the "rules within the circle"...

Time quickly slipped into late August, and the summer movie season, which had lasted for nearly two months, gradually cooled down.

Several popular TV dramas that once dominated the trending topics have come to an end and left the theaters, and cinemas have begun to shift their screening schedules towards new films.

"The Vanished," which was delayed for a month, finally came to an end with a box office of over 30 billion yuan!
This figure is enough to secure its place among the top box office earners of the year, but it has also been accompanied by constant controversy.

Some criticized it for "selling gender antagonism" and "deliberately sentimentalizing the plot," while others felt that "the suspenseful logic is full of loopholes"...

However, it cannot be denied that it accurately tapped into the current social sentiment, making a fortune amidst criticism by using content with strong conflict and high topicality.

However, what worries the industry is that this "relying on controversy to boost box office" model seems to have set a bad precedent for the market.

Many film studios are already quietly imitating its marketing tactics, trying to use buzz to cover up the shortcomings of the content.

However, Chen Fei didn't pay much attention to all these disturbances.

He temporarily handed over the follow-up work of the Asian Games opening ceremony to Ning Hao and a few others, while he accompanied his wife on a flight to the Venice International Film Festival...

(End of this chapter)