Huayu Tianxian: This director is such a hypocrite!

Chapter 99, "The Strange Tale of the Stone Seeker" 2

The movie continued in the auditorium.

The movie is now one-fifth complete, and the protagonist, Shi Xun, is growing taller as he encounters a deformed child played by Huang Bo: a dwarf with an ugly face, indeed quite deformed.

He traveled all over the country, experiencing many strange and wonderful things, and regarded Shi Xun as a friend rather than an old man.

It was at this time that Shi Xun met Tan Hua from his childhood.

The young actor here is Jingqian; at only fifteen years old, his acting skills are already quite good.

Shi Xun and her friendship made him feel like a young man for the first time, rather than an old man on the verge of decay.

"That was the first time I saw Tan Hua. Her eyes, like black pearls, and her radiant smile reminded me of peach blossoms in early spring. She was beautiful, just like her name."

The male protagonist's voice-over rang out, highlighting his instant attraction to Tan Hua.

In the story, the male protagonist meets an old woman who teaches him to play the piano and also teaches him many valuable lessons.

"The story unfolds in segments, giving it a feel similar to The Bridges of Madison County," Yifei said.

Ye Chong curled the corners of his mouth, but did not refute.

His fake serious system is just an aid; if he really wants to gain a foothold in the entertainment industry, he still has to rely on himself.

He had analyzed quite a few films in his previous life, and he was not ashamed at the fact that he could copy good foreign films to strengthen Chinese-language cinema. On the contrary, he was quite proud.

"Let's continue, Ms. Qian."

"Mmm-hmm!"

Their gazes returned to the screen.

As Shi Xun entered puberty, he experienced many of the anxieties that are common to teenage boys.

This scene amused many people present.

One day, Shi Xun went to the dock to relax. The old man from the orphanage told him his story again, "Did I say that I was struck by lightning seven times? Once was when I was herding sheep on the pasture."

Then the screen flashes, revealing the texture of old film. In the movie, a young man is herding sheep on a hillside when he is suddenly struck by lightning.

"This is so profound. I feel like I need to read the whole thing to truly understand this underlying theme."

Many film critics share this idea.

The story then begins to subtly hint at its central theme.

Shi Xun, a young man with the body of an old man, was surprisingly chosen by a fishing boat to become a sailor.

The old captain, played by Zhang Yu, appears.

At his early twenties, playing a captain seemed a mismatch in terms of age, but Ye Chong was drawn to his charisma: a roguish charm and a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) spirit.

"Can you still play Pochi?"

Shi Xun rolled his eyes, a hint of doubt in them: "Probably?"

Zhang Yu, sporting a full beard and smoking an old-fashioned pipe, asked, "When was the last time you slept with a woman?"

"Never."

"Never before?"

Zhang Yu abruptly closed his eyes, then opened them wide, his face filled with disbelief: "You mean, you've lived for countless years, yet you've never touched a woman?"

"No!"

Zhang Yu frowned, picked up his pipe, and took a deep drag: "My God, this is the most pitiful thing I've ever heard."

"Hahaha----"

Laughter erupted in the theater.

The joke came at just the right time; amidst the blend of fantasy and seriousness, many viewers felt much more relaxed after laughing at it.

"Ouch—it hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"

In the first row, Yi Fei watched Shi Xun moving freely on the screen, and angrily grabbed Ye Chong's elbow.

"Do you really have to come up with this kind of plot? Do all art films have to have some erotic elements?"

Ye Chong winced as he was being pulled, thinking to himself, "You know you can't have too many passionate scenes!"

But he couldn't say it, so he could only hold Yifei's soft little hand and interlock their fingers again.

"Honey, this is dramatic."

Yifei rolled her eyes: "What a dramatic turn of events. You directors are really good at talking."

Ye Chong let out a long breath and dared not reply.

The story continues on screen.

When they reached the middle section, Shi Xun's father, Shi Wang, appeared and took Shi Xun out for a drink, but they did not acknowledge each other.

"This name."

Yifei frowned.

Although the English translation was simple and included notes, she still gleaned a deeper meaning from the Chinese.

"Every Chinese name here has a meaning."

Ye Chong was about to explain to his wife, "Look, Shi Xun—"

"Shut up!"

Yifei interrupted him again.

Seeing him looking at her, she proudly raised her head again.

"I want to see it myself. I can understand it. I'm the older sister!"

Ye Chong pursed his lips and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, sister is very understanding and righteous. Sister will live forever."

"Keep joking! I'm going to Chongqing tomorrow to learn some husband-taming techniques from there!"

"...

'

Ye Chong seemed to have thought of something and shook his head to stop her: "If you want to learn, you don't need to go to Chongqing. I'll recommend my mom's contact information. She's a master at disciplining her husband."

'

There was no reply. Turning around, I saw that Qian's face was red.

Wow, he's a master of trash talk!

Ye Chong chuckled and leaned close to her ear: "Does your sister need anything else? My mom's number?"

Yifei rolled her eyes at him: "Annoying! Let's watch a movie!"

What kind of guy introduces his mother to his girlfriend and teaches her how to discipline her?

What a shameless scoundrel!

The movie continues.

Shi Xun continued to age in reverse. He took the young Tan Hua out to sea and followed the old captain to experience the scenery of the world.

Finally, one day, he decided to go on a long voyage with the captain to see the outside world.

The captain was a rotten man, but also a hopelessly kind one.

He drank heartily in the tavern and vented his frustrations about life and fate on the high seas.

That day, in a restaurant, a room full of working-class people were drinking and eating.

They were wearing cheap short-sleeved shirts, their faces stained with black and gray dirt. The captain leaned against a support pillar, with Shi Xun listening attentively to his story.

"The hummingbird isn't just any bird; it's a miracle. Movies, which are a foreign import, slowed down the hummingbird's movements and discovered that it flies in a motion resembling infinity (∞). Do you know the significance of that number?"

After speaking, the captain looked at Shi Xun, whose white hair was getting longer and longer, and whose skin was no longer as wrinkled as before.

"It symbolizes infinity!"

"Hahaha----"

This was a minor incident, yet it was recorded by film critics once again.

Later, Shi Xun met a woman, the wife of a politician played by Qin Hailu.

She wasn't particularly alluring, but she exuded the aura of a mature woman.

She was a pitiful woman, a swimmer, whose existence was unacceptable to the world in an era when men were valued above women.

Not only are they dressed provocatively, but they also have to embarrass themselves by wearing swimsuits abroad.

In 1964, China only had two spots for the Olympic swimming event, but those spots did not belong to her.

The limitations of the times and family, her husband's lack of understanding, and the blows to her dreams led her to have an affair with Shi Xun.

Shi Xun was now twenty years old. It was a distorted relationship that was eventually forced to end due to the war.

The U.S. military laid mines in the air at all major ports in North Vietnam, cutting off the Soviet and Chinese sea transport routes to North Vietnam.

Some fishing boats spontaneously began crossing the minefield to transport supplies northward into Vietnam.

"Damn it, those damn Americans, they're already struggling to survive, and they still come and pressure me!"

Looking at the captain's righteous indignation, Shi Xun wondered if he was cursing America or cursing life itself.

Or perhaps both.

At that moment, a loud roar came from ahead of the boat, and the fishing boat finally struck a torpedo laid by the US military.

After a burst of flames, the captain, played by Zhang Yu, is about to exit the story.

The theater fell silent.

Perhaps Ye Chong had too many personal agendas, because many viewers didn't understand why a fishing boat would go through American torpedoes.

Only some Chinese people were deeply moved.

In an era when human life was cheap, dying on the road to safeguarding the unity and security of the motherland was far more meaningful than wasting one's life in a daze.