Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

The CEO of China Film Group read half of Chapter 168: Director Lu is awesome, a different kind of superhero narrative!

On the silver screen.

The movie continues.

Seeing the message Xue'er sent, Lu Yunzhou picked up his phone and quickly typed two words in the text box: "No time."

""

Just as he was about to send the message, he suddenly hesitated and muttered to himself, "If I reply, won't she know that I received the message?"

"If she asks me why, won't I have to answer her again?"

"never mind."

"Just don't reply, pretend I didn't receive it."

After careful consideration, Lu Yunzhou deleted the text message and then happily carried his supermarket shopping bags home, humming a song.

Next shot.

Lu Yunzhou happily opened the door, but suddenly froze and stood there.

The camera gave Lu Yunzhou a close-up of his face, showing a stunned expression.

Immediately afterwards, the camera switched to an indoor setting.

In the dimly lit room, a table lamp was on. The female lead, played by Liu Haocun, was wearing tight high-waisted jeans, and her legs looked incredibly long.

She sat cross-legged in Lu Yunzhou's office chair, her face illuminated by the warm light, casually flipping through a sketchbook.

One of the pages depicts the scene where she slowly appears atop the sand dune under a huge red sun.

Standing atop the sand dune, the wind tousled her long hair.

To create that atmosphere, Lu Yunzhou blurred her facial features, with most of them backlit by the sun.

Only the bridge of the nose, cheekbones, and brow ridges retained a little reflection.

This gives her a unique sense of stubbornness.

To emphasize this stubbornness, Liu Haocun in this painting has a particularly sharp chin and a slightly raised neck, exuding a sense of unyielding resistance.

At the same time, she slightly raised her hand, as if summoning the super divine sword from the mysterious sword box behind her.

The sword was half-drawn, not fully unsheathed.

From the location of the sword box, the sword light was shooting out in all directions like the sun.

After all, there's a saying: true power lies not in showing off, but in the moment of gathering strength!

The energy that is accumulated yet restrained is the most anticipated.

"You draw so well, Master."

Liu Haocun murmured something under his breath.

Just then, the door was opened.

She calmly put down the sketchbook in her hand and stood up.

She wore a white top, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders. Under the dim yellow lamplight, half of her face was hidden in shadow, while the other half was shrouded in a soft halo.

Especially her eyes, which were jet black and incredibly pure, yet concealed a hint of darkness and an indescribable aura.

At that moment, when she looked up at Lu Yunzhou, her eyes flickered, and she gently pursed her lips, as if she had a thousand words to say, but hesitated to speak.

It was full of restraint.

The dramatic tension in that moment was simply at its peak.

"Cunzi's acting is amazing!"

"She probably has a lot to say to the protagonist. However, the protagonist doesn't remember anything, so it's probably pointless to say anything."

.

"She knew this too, so even if she had a thousand words to say, she could only swallow them down."

"Chunzi clearly tried to force a gentle smile just now, but it seemed like she hadn't smiled in many years; her facial muscles were stiff—I don't know how she managed to act it out!"

"That's really impressive."

"Cunzi truly deserves her title as the youngest newly crowned Best Actress!"

"Is Cunzi a shoo-in for Best Actress at this year's Hundred Flowers Awards?"

-

The female lead, played by Liu Haocun, makes her official debut.

Its very appearance has filled the audience with anticipation for the film's plot.

After all, the protagonist no longer wanted to be a hero; he just wanted to be an ordinary person. He had plenty to eat and drink, and fairy companions to play with—life was very happy.

Liu Haocun herself didn't actually want the protagonist to become a hero. Because she had personally witnessed how the protagonist died in front of her.

But this is their fate, one they cannot escape.

Moreover, Liu Haocun knew that this time, it was her turn. She was merely coming to see her beloved before she died.

What's wrong with that?

Unfortunately, the protagonist knew nothing about it.

He thought Liu Haocun was trying to drag him to his death, so he kept avoiding Liu Haocun.

Standing at the door, the protagonist, played by Lu Yunzhou, saw Liu Haocun and was momentarily stunned.

Then, he kept telling himself, "Don't panic."

He then cleared his throat and politely said to Liu Haocun, "Our shop is closed now. If you would like to commission a painting, please come back tomorrow."

"I have something important to tell you."

Liu Haocun ignored him and stood up.

Lu Yunzhou feigned reluctance, taking a few steps back and placing the shopping bag in the corner: "Miss, it's getting late, and we're alone together—"

"Bang."

Liu Haocun took an envelope out of his pocket and threw it directly on the table.

The envelope contained something that seemed quite thick; when it was slammed onto the table, it actually made the table tremble.

Lu Yunzhou's gaze immediately turned towards them.

The fairies inside the potted plant also woke up, and their branches all turned towards the envelope.

There are 10 yuan inside.

Liu Haocun spoke magnanimously, smiling at Lu Yunzhou: "Tonight, your time is mine."

"10 yuan?"

Lu Yunzhou wiped his hands, rushed to the table in three steps, and looked at what was inside. It was indeed a stack of money.

"Liu'er, you don't need to cook tonight."

Lu Yunzhou put away the money, but didn't want to have any contact with Liu Haocun inside. So, he had a sudden idea and said, "Guys, let's not sleep anymore. We have money now. Let's go out for a big meal."

With a cheer, all sorts of potted plant fairies transformed into human form and rushed into the next room, opening various boxes to search for their beautiful clothes.

Zhang Tianai picked out a red Kou Rui dress from a small box.

She gestured in front of the mirror, then looked at her grey dress and immediately showed a hint of disgust.

Then, with her back to the audience, she slowly unzipped her gray dress.

As the zipper went down, her slender and fair back was gradually revealed to the audience.

"down."

"Continue down."

"The director gave us some perks."

For a moment, all the male viewers stared wide-eyed—to see if Lu Yunzhou's film had any issues with its content.

It is purely critical.

At that moment, Zhang Tianai turned her head and revealed a sneer, as if it were mocking her.

The camera pans to reveal a little fairy on the other side, rummaging through a laundry basket, searching for her clothes.

Zhang Tianai picked up the little vixen and kicked her away.

Immediately afterwards, she turned off the light.

"Depend on!"

Immediately, a lot of complaints arose in the movie theater.

At this moment, many viewers felt the same way. It wasn't the little vixen who was kicked away, but rather those of them who wanted to see Zhang Tianai take off her clothes.

Camera angle change.

.

A group of fairies followed Lu Yunzhou through the streets and arrived at the best restaurant in their neighborhood.

Lu Yunzhou ordered a feast according to the fairies' tastes.

All the fairies, disregarding their image, began to feast.

Zhang Tianai sat next to Lu Yunzhou, quietly sipping a cup of tea, while Zi Guang kept his eyes fixed on Liu Haocun, full of vigilance.

When she saw Liu Haocun looking over, she immediately lowered her head, seemingly feeling guilty and a little scared.

"After years of investigation, I've discovered a deep abyss in the nearby sea that's about to burst open. I'm not sure of the exact time, but it should be soon."

"You should leave now."

As Liu Haocun began to speak, the camera quickly switched from the restaurant to a falcon circling above the city.

The eagle flew to the nearby sea and looked down from its high vantage point.

That stretch of sea was chillingly cold.

There are huge oil and gas fields in the sea, and various heavy industrial facilities are under construction, with many workers working overtime.

Meanwhile, the camera shifts to the seabed.

Keep going down, down, down, all the way down to the depths of the sea.

The audience could clearly see wisps of strange black mist rising from the depths of the sea.

Just then, a small fish swam by and was caught by the black mist. It instantly underwent a strange transformation, becoming incredibly ferocious. Its eyes turned completely red, and all the scales on its body turned into barbs, exuding an evil aura.

It turned around and began to slaughter its companions.

After its companion died, the fish's life force was also exhausted, and it slowly fell into the abyss at the bottom of the sea. Then, it was swept up by the black mist and sank into the abyss.

The camera switches back.

In the luxurious restaurant, Lu Yunzhou took a sip of his drink and said nonchalantly, "What abyss? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Liu Haocun gave a soft "hmm," looking quietly at Lu Yunzhou, his voice gentle: "Live well. I'll handle things properly."

After saying that, Liu Haocun picked up his large black umbrella, turned around and left the restaurant.

As Liu Haocun left, the bell at the restaurant entrance rang.

Looking out the window, Lu Yunzhou saw Liu Haocun leaving alone on the street outside, gradually disappearing into the darkness.

"What is the abyss? Do you know?"

Lu Yunzhou turned his head to look at the fairies who were eating voraciously.

Everyone stopped eating and drinking, nodded in unison, then shook their heads in unison, their faces showing fear.

Zhang Tianai didn't say anything, but her face showed that sad expression again. She turned her head and hugged Lu Yunzhou tightly, her eyes instantly reddening.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying so hard?"

"Last time I went bankrupt and ran away with all of you, you didn't even cry."

"This is terrible."

Lu Yunzhou gently patted Zhang Tianai's back while looking up and sighing.

Next shot.

【Xiao Li Art Studio】.

"Is everyone ready?"

The house was now empty. Lu Yunzhou had packed all his belongings and called a taxi. He was carrying things out box by box.

He planned to flee overnight.

As for the plant fairies, he had already packed them up, ready to take them on the plane back to China.

Next shot.

airport.

Lu Yunzhou packed his bags and prepared to return to China, but when he arrived at the airport, he found that his flight was delayed.

He waited for two whole days.

Flights are constantly delayed.

No matter which flight he buys, that flight will be delayed, the plane will have an accident, and he is afraid that even if he has already boarded the plane, he will suddenly encounter a problem.

Then, he was kicked off the plane.

Camera angle change.

In a luxurious oasis mansion on the Qatar coast.

A bearded man dressed in Qatari attire extended his arm.

Immediately afterwards, a falcon swooped down from high above and landed precisely on his hand.

He tossed out a piece of fresh meat, which the falcon bit into, tilted its head back, swallowed, and then shook its wings, turning its head to look at him with cold eyes.

Following the eagle's gaze, not far away, the female lead, played by Liu Haocun, gradually materialized from nothingness and finally sat on the sofa in the living room.

"Miss Xue, you are a truly delightful guest."

This Qatari native character is played by Abdullah, a member of the Royal Guard.

Abdullah is the most important character in this movie. Lu Yunzhou racked his brains to give Abdullah more screen time.

-

Lu Yunzhou finally decided to let him play the villain.

The villain, Xi Dehao, has more dramatic tension than the protagonist, and he is definitely memorable.

At this moment, the character played by Abdullah turned his head, speaking politely, but his eyes were very gloomy and indifferent.

"Mr. Hassan, why do you need to do something unnecessary? Why are you preventing him from leaving?" Liu Haocun asked.

As Liu Haocun spoke, the audience instantly realized that the reason why the protagonist, played by Lu Yunzhou, could not leave Qatar was because someone had used a special method to prevent him from doing so.

Let's talk about the person in front of us.

Hassan is considered to hold a high position of power in the area.

"He can't be taken away."

The character played by Abdullah turned and stared at Liu Haocun. Their eyes met, and the atmosphere became tense and gloomy.

Then, Abdullah turned around and remarked, "None of us can escape."

boom!

The next moment, the camera work provides the explanation.

Liu Haocun recited a mantra softly, a glint of inspiration flashing in his eyes. He turned to look at the city center, the most densely populated area.

Countless threads shot into the sky, locked onto by a mysterious substance from the direction of the abyss.

After the camera locked onto one of the threads, it quickly plummeted from high to low, eventually landing on top of Lu Yunzhou's head.

Lu Yunzhou, however, was completely unaware of this and was in his studio, finishing his work.

Liu Haocun's eyes blinked slightly, his brows furrowing deeply: "Why is this happening?"

"I have no idea."

Abdullah shook his head.

He stood before the window, gazing at the boundless sky outside: "Could it be because of the sea? The black mist from the abyss has polluted the seawater, and the seawater, in turn, has polluted this city."

"This process is slow, but irreversible."

"I've spent decades trying all sorts of methods, but I still can't seal it off."

"Perhaps you have a way?"

Abdullah turned to look at Liu Haocun with a hint of expectation.

Liu Haocun remained silent, only staring at Abdullah.

In Liu Haocun's eyes, Abdullah's body was surrounded by a black aura, and there was a huge black thread on his head that was connected to the abyss deep in the sea.

She immediately understood, and left with the words: "Take care of yourself."

The next moment, Liu Haocun turned and left.

"Take care of yourself? Ha."

After Liu Haocun left, Abdullah scoffed and extended his right hand.

That hand began to tremble slightly.

He rolled up his sleeves, and on his arm, a black line was slowly bending like a pair of pincers.

Camera angle change.

I don't know how many years ago.

Abdullah and a group of companions, all dressed in white robes but possessing magical powers, held the spiritual systems of the Arab world.

They used magic to summon aquatic plant fairies from the ocean to accompany them as they dived into the depths of the sea to find the source of that polluting power.

All his companions went mad upon coming into contact with the corrupting power and began to kill each other.

He is also included.

After a fierce battle.

All his companions died in the depths of the sea, leaving only Abdullah, who crawled out of the sea covered in wounds and blood.

Under the ultra-wide-angle lens.

Desert seaside.

Abdullah, covered in blood and with water droplets clinging to his robe, limped out of the sea and continued along the desert.

Until he completely collapsed.

At the same time, his eyes began to turn an unnatural black, and his pupils began to dilate, filling his entire eyeballs.

The deep seawater made a rushing sound.

Dark clouds drifted overhead, obscuring the moon and plunging the world into darkness.

The audience could tell at a glance that he had been completely corrupted by the power of the abyss, and was now a villain.

Camera angle change.

【Xiao Li Art Studio】.

Lu Yunzhou plays the protagonist Xi, who is on the phone again, but is told that all the plane tickets he wants to take back to China are sold out.

If he wanted to return to China, the other party suggested going to Oman first, but the price would be several times higher.

"never mind."

"If that abyss is breached, it won't matter if I run to the ends of the earth."

"At least, the income here is not bad."

Although he couldn't leave Qatar, the portrait that Lu Yunzhou painted for that nouveau riche suddenly became a hit.

His business is booming.

Portrait orders are already booked for several months.

He works from dawn till dusk every day, focusing on taking on jobs.

Stacks of banknotes were tossed into his drawer.

Later on, when the drawers were full, he even bought a safe.

He put all the money into the safe, and as for the key, Lu Yunzhou thought for a while and then put it under the willow tree fairy's potted plant.

This shows that the willow tree spirit was the person he trusted most.

Upon arriving at the Wan family, the willow tree spirit transformed into human form. Zhang Tianai looked at the key in her hand, then glanced at Lu Yunzhou, who was still restless in his sleep.

She shook her head helplessly and covered Lu Yunzhou with a blanket.

Then, she turned on the lamp, put several pieces of wood together, and that became her cutting table.

"Cough cough."

Suddenly, she coughed a few times, and some green liquid appeared on her hand, making her look older in an instant.

In addition, she noticed that her hands had developed many cracks.

She turned her head and glanced at Lu Yunzhou of the Chuang family, and saw that he had turned over.

She withdrew her light and carefully wiped away the plant blood from her hands.

Standing in front of the mirror, Zhang Tianai touched her cheek.

Just then, cracks like those on a tree suddenly appeared on her snow-white skin and smooth cheeks.

Among her black hair, quite a few white hairs have appeared.

Seemingly realizing something, her gaze suddenly turned sorrowful as she turned to look at Lu Yunzhou.

This moment in the shot is quite charming.

Because the camera doesn't directly show Zhang Tianai going to see Lu Yunzhou.

And let it be seen through the mirror.

The audience is given a first-person perspective, standing in Zhang Tianai's shoes, realizing that she is about to die and dares not look Lu Yunzhou in the eye.

He could only see Lu Yunzhou reflected in the mirror.

Although she is a fairy, she seems to love the protagonist even more than Liu Haocun, the female lead, and wants to stick to the protagonist's side every day.

-

She gave all the money she earned to the main character.

She cooks for the main character every day.

The protagonist fell asleep, and while she worked late into the night, she didn't forget to tuck her in. Every time she looked at the protagonist, her eyes were filled with an overwhelming love and tenderness.

At this moment, the background music suddenly turned mournful.

As a music student, Lu Yunzhou also has his own little tricks for making music full of sorrow.

Then let the rhythm reverse.

When two instruments play together, they fit together, with one side continuously ascending in rhythm and the other continuously descending, creating a rhythmic collision in the melody.

It was like a struggle against fate.

The play "The Butterfly Lovers" uses this technique.

Very classic.

-

"It's over."

"The protagonist doesn't want to save the world. He doesn't want to play the hero. He doesn't care about his disciple Liu Haocun at all. However, Miss Liu Zhao is the most important person to him, and judging from the current situation, Wu is probably about to die."

"What should we do?"

"Even after reincarnation, can the protagonist still not escape the fate of sacrificing himself?"

"I want the protagonist to understand that even if Wu were to do something in this situation, the protagonist wouldn't care whether Liu Hao lives or dies, but he definitely wouldn't abandon Miss Liu Zhao!"

Liu Haocun wanted to trick the protagonist into saving the world, but the audience felt that if they were in the protagonist's shoes, they might not necessarily want to go.

Because, the main character is also Miss Liu.

But now, Miss Liu'er is going to die—the protagonist is afraid he'll have to risk his life.

"Holy crap!"

"Zhang Tianaixi's is really good."

"There wasn't a single line of dialogue, but it was incredibly heartbreaking."

In the second row of the audience, Cai Xukun sat in the center, watching the screen, Zhang Tianai's heartfelt performance.

He was almost drunk.

If he were to meet such a devoted girl in his lifetime, wouldn't he instantly fall in love?

Liu Haocun, a scourge from Northeast China, is dead if he's dead.

But who would want to let a little vixen like Zhang Tianai die?

"Coconut, see that? Learn from it. The things presented in the movie are all projections of Daoxi's inner self."

Cai Xukun glanced at Zhou Yi beside him.

The most exciting highlight of this movie so far is Zhang Tianaixi's willow tree fairy.

Simply perfect.

Lu Yunzhou's plan to kill the willow tree demon is sure to cause an uproar among the entire audience.

Even if others didn't say anything, Cai Xukun would be the first to disagree. He would definitely go to Lu Yunzhou overnight, hoping that he would change this tragic ending.

Tragic aesthetics are fine, but don't apply them to the willow tree fairy.

If someone absolutely has to die, let Liu Haocun be the one to urge them to die.

Silver Screen.

As mournful music played, the image of Lu Yunzhou, which the willow tree fairy was secretly observing through the mirror, gradually became blurry.

Such shots give the audience an illusion.

At this moment, the willow tree fairy must have been unable to hold back her tears.

But she is a fairy, and she can't speak, nor does she know what love is.

This restrained yet ambiguous love, which transcends species, inexplicably evokes sorrow.

If Lu Yunzhou were willing to delve deeper into the love story between these two, he might be able to emulate "The Shape of Water" and win a Venice Golden Lion Award.

Ten years ago, he might have even won an Oscar for Best Director.

At this moment, the entire audience only hoped that Lu Yunzhou would not accidentally kill the willow tree demon.

As for Liu Haocun?

Anyone who has watched the first part of the series knows that this guy is doomed.

The next morning.

The willow tree fairy went out early.

After Lu Yunzhou got up, he saw that the willow tree fairy's bonsai was empty, which puzzled him.

Quickly, he saw the willow tree fairy's message at the table: "Ah Yuan, dress up smartly today, I want to take you to meet someone."

"I'm already handsome. Do I need to dress up?"

Lu Yunzhou scoffed lightly.

But despite what he said, in the next shot, he was standing in front of a mirror, wearing a handsome suit and sporting a stylish hairstyle.

In addition, he also went to a car dealership and rented an Audi supercar.

As the Audi supercar slowly pulled up in front of a coffee shop, Lu Yunzhou got out of the car and casually pressed the key.

匙。

This cool move immediately attracted the attention of many foreign women.

Many female tourists whispered among themselves, their eyes fixed on Lu Yunzhou.

At this moment, Lu Yunzhou's fans in the theater were behaving similarly.

"Wow!"

"Zhouzhou is so handsome!"

"That shot was the coolest of the whole thing!"

"In this movie, Zhouzhou only knows how to show off his coolness. In this movie, he deliberately made himself look ugly, making his hair so messy and his clothes so sloppy."

"I thought he wanted to use this aversion to mask his handsomeness, so that the audience wouldn't just focus on his looks all day long and ignore his acting skills."

"Turns out, I was naive. He just wanted to make himself look cool after transforming!"

If the main character is handsome from beginning to end, the audience will only find it boring and tedious.

But what if the main character behaves very ordinaryly throughout the entire movie, even dressed somewhat sloppily, but at a certain moment, their appearance suddenly takes a dramatic turn for the better?

That will definitely leave a deep impression on the audience.

Just like in "Titanic", Leonardo DiCaprio was initially sloppy, until a rich woman gave him a suit. When he dressed up carefully and appeared in the restaurant, he was at the peak of his good looks.

This explains the effects of anti-Asianism.

Like a stock, if it rises by 1% every day for 20 consecutive days, climbing up like a snail, although the profit is considerable, not many people will remember it.

But if this stock suddenly drops one day, and you choose to buy at the bottom, two minutes later, you watch it rise straight up.

Such an experience will definitely be unforgettable for a lifetime!

Inside the coffee shop.

Zhang Tianai abandoned her usual glamorous attire and deliberately dressed more simply.

When she saw Lu Yunzhou arrive, dressed so handsomely, her eyes flashed for a moment, but then dimmed.

She forced a smile and pulled Lu Yunzhou over.

"What's going on today? So mysterious."

Lu Yunzhou asked Zhang Tianai with a smile as he followed her toward a window seat in the coffee shop.

Suddenly, a face with a strange and exotic appearance appeared there.

Bathed in the sunlight, this face was so beautiful it seemed unreal.

It's Gulnazar.

Naza was sitting there quietly, listening to music, when she suddenly froze when she saw Lu Yunzhou appear.

Their eyes were wide open.

She hurriedly got up, took off her headphones, and blushed immediately.

As she pulled Zhang Tianai to sit down beside her, she said in a low but excited voice, "This is your brother? He's so handsome! Why didn't you introduce him to me sooner?"

Zhang Tianai smiled but offered no explanation.

At that moment, the audience suddenly realized that her simple attire today was to highlight Nazha's beauty.

Seeing that the two were attracted to each other, Zhang Tianai smiled warmly and gestured to them, indicating that they could get to know each other.

As for Zhang Tianai herself, she went to the restroom and gently lifted the end of her hair.

The outside is black hair, but the inside is 80% white hair.

She looked deeply at herself in the mirror, carefully concealing her gray hair.

She went outside and saw from afar that Nazha and Lu Yunzhou seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation.

To avoid disturbing the two, Zhang Tianai didn't go to the front of the table, but instead took a long detour and went home alone early.

Before leaving, she looked back once.

Their gaze fell upon Lu Yunzhou.

In this shot, only Lu Yunzhou is in the frame; Nazha doesn't appear on screen at all.

Zhang Tianai gave him a deep look, and a warm smile appeared on her face before she pushed open the door and left.

That smile touched the hearts of everyone in the audience.

"I retract my previous assessment."

"I think Liu Haocun is inferior to Zhang Tianai!"

"I vote for Zhang Tianai."

"Cunzi is still too young-looking—Zhang Tianai is simply my goddess!"

The character Zhang Tianai is even more captivating than Nie Xiaoqian in "A Chinese Ghost Story".

Nie Xiaoqian wanted to absorb the protagonist's yang energy, but Zhang Tianai was acting as the protagonist's nanny the whole time.

Even when she knew her days were numbered, she wanted to introduce a girlfriend to the protagonist.

She's practically every man's dream girl.

Since meeting Nazha, Lu Yunzhou has been leaving early and returning late every day.

Naza accompanied him to buy various paints and played with him in Qatar. The two playfully wrestled and teased each other at the fountain.

They were still embracing intimately in the sunset.

The opposite of this is the order.

Zhang Tianai grew older day by day; her hands were covered with wrinkles, her skin began to crack, and her cheeks became aged.

"Liu Ye, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

Lu Yunzhou returned from his date in high spirits and asked Zhang Tianai about her, but the house was empty.

"Liu, what's wrong?"

He came to the potted plant and saw that the willow fairy's potted plant had withered branches and leaves, and all the leaves had fallen off.

He then realized something was wrong.

"Liu Ye, I'll take you to see a doctor!"

The next moment, Lu Yunzhou, carrying the willow bonsai, hurriedly ran out.

"We are a hospital here; we treat people, not trees."

—"We have a veterinary hospital here, and we have doctors for cats, dogs, lizards, or pliers—but we don't treat willows."

Lu Yunzhou went to human hospitals and animal hospitals. However, the information he received indicated that no one could cure the willow tree spirit—

A disease of the sperm.

He returned to his studio alone, carrying a willow bonsai.

"I remember now, you like to hug me."

Suddenly, Lu Yunzhou had an idea: "Would you feel better if I held you while you slept?"

A solitary lamp.

A cramped little bed.

Lu Yunzhou lay on his side, holding the willow fairy's bonsai in his arms.

Moonlight streamed in from outside, and his face showed signs of painful struggle, as if he were having a nightmare.

In a dream.

The color tone warmed up, with a touch of dreamy bubbles, and the music softened as well.

Lu Yunzhou opened his eyes and found himself in a mysterious place.

.

He stood in the living room, looking around with surprise in his eyes.

This is an incredibly beautiful ancient castle. Through the windows, you can see snow falling all around and a sapphire-blue lake.

Just then, Lu Yunzhou looked up and saw an extremely familiar figure sitting on the sofa, dressed in a suit and tie, exuding elegance.

The man had his back to him, slowly turning the pages of the book. In the fireplace beside him, ash wood burned quietly and unhurriedly.

The willow tree fairy sat down next to the mysterious man, occasionally making him tea.

The willow tree fairy's eyes looked exactly the same when she looked at that person as when she looked at herself.

Suddenly, Lu Yunzhou saw that the mysterious man flicked a drop of emerald green liquid from his fingertip, which landed on the willow tree fairy's body.

The willow tree fairy immediately beamed with joy.

The next moment, after the willow tree fairy absorbed the drop of emerald green liquid, its body emitted a vibrant green light.

early morning.

Lu Yunzhou's eyes were wet with rain.

He looked at the willow tree spirit in his arms, a strange sadness welling up inside him: "It was my fault."

"You demons need spiritual energy to thrive. But I have no spiritual energy, so you go hungry every day while you're with me."

Lu Yunzhou's face showed some pain as he gently touched the willow tree fairy's branches and leaves: "I'm sorry, I'm not a good master."

The willow tree fairy didn't speak, but struggled to lift a branch and gently rubbed Lu Yunzhou's cheek.

Next shot.

Lu Yunzhou frantically searched inside an ancient box and actually found a cultivation manual.

This revealed the willow tree fairy's most treasured possession.

He excitedly opened the cultivation manual, but after a moment, he said helplessly, "Oh no, I can't understand it."

The willow tree fairy wrote a line in her notebook: "Don't rush, feel it with your heart."

"Um."

Lu Yunzhou nodded, took the cultivation manual, and went to the vast, empty seaside.

Amidst the seamless blend of sea and sky, beneath the vast expanse of the universe, captured by an ultra-wide-angle lens, he stands alone.

He sat upright on a huge rock by the sea, with a potted willow tree beside him swaying gently in the breeze.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Dwarf Red Pine and the other little fairies sat side by side by the seaside railing, yawning listlessly.

The sun is about to set.

At that moment, a faint emerald green light emanated from Lu Yunzhou's body.

In the ocean, countless water elements surged forward, rising and falling around Lu Yunzhou's body like leaping fireflies.

"Wow!"

The group of little fairies were stunned by what they saw, then threw the ice cream aside and ran frantically toward Lu Yunzhou.

They were overjoyed.

After regaining his power, Lu Yunzhou immediately infused the potted plant fairies with various kinds of spiritual energy.

Under Lu Yunzhou's careful care, these potted plant fairies gradually returned to their original appearance.

The willow tree fairy regained her usual spirit and started making all sorts of delicious food for Lu Yunzhou again.

Seeing this, Lu Yunzhou finally felt relieved.

He went out on dates again, getting up early and staying up late.

"Ah Yuan, Miss Liu Ye, aren't you being urged by your sister? You two don't look alike at all."

During their date, Nazha suddenly spoke up, catching Lu Yunzhou off guard.

"Don't overthink it. I just feel it's a little strange that the two of you, a single man and a single woman, are living together. But of course, I trust you."

As she spoke, Nazha took out her bank card, her face suddenly flushing red as she said, "I've saved some money, but it's only enough for the down payment. The monthly payments will probably require us to work together—"

"what?"

Lu Yunzhou was stunned, staring blankly at Nazha, clearly not expecting this outcome.

Naza hesitated for a moment, then gently nudged Lu Yunzhou with her shoulder: "Silly boy, shouldn't you propose to me right now?"

Naza waited shyly for Lu Yunzhou to propose.

"Buzz~~"

But at this moment, Lu Yunzhou suddenly felt an extremely cold aura, even stronger than Shi Ci's.

The camera shifts to that point.

Deep underground, an incredibly thick, viscous black mist, like paint, surged out from the subway tunnel.

The camera occasionally pans to the subway entrance.

People were coming and going there, and everything seemed perfectly normal.

"Ah Yuan, what's wrong?"

Naza looked at Lu Yunzhou with a puzzled expression: "Did you hear what I just said? We're not young anymore—"

Immediately afterward, Nazha seemed a little suspicious and asked jealously, "Does your girlfriend have someone else in her heart? That oil-obsessed woman keeps pestering you to talk about Leonardo da Vinci. What's her name again? Malzahar?"

"Ha ha!"

Upon hearing the name, the entire audience burst into laughter.

Silver Screen.

Lu Yunzhou didn't hear what Nazha was saying clearly.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, he grabbed Nazha's hand, and shouted loudly, "Adeline, let's go!"

Adeline is the character played by Gulnazar in this drama.

"Boom—!"

Just then, a loud bang came from below the subway.

The ground shook violently, and people screamed and scattered in all directions.

Lu Yunzhou shielded Nazha behind him and retreated step by step.

But the black fog gushing out of the subway entrance was becoming more and more abundant and thicker, and there seemed to be some kind of entity wriggling inside.

"boom!"

Suddenly, a sticky, dark object, resembling an octopus's tentacles, emerged from the subway and swirled towards the crowd.

Lu Yunzhou's body stiffened for a moment, and he subconsciously wanted to make a move.

But he glanced at Nazha beside him and held back. If Ling couldn't win, not only would he die, but Nazha would die too.

"Get him in jail, get him in jail quickly!"

Lu Yunzhou didn't want to be a hero; he just wanted to protect the people around him.

At that moment, he grabbed Nazha and started running backwards. However, the shadow seemed to be fixated on them, following them relentlessly across the entire block.

On the road, various cars collided, and people ran wildly.

The shadow seemed to realize that it couldn't catch up with Lu Yunzhou, and suddenly turned around and found a new target.

That was another pair of twins.

Their parents were pushing a baby stroller out for a walk.

At that moment, as the giant shadowy claw slammed down, the parents were so frightened that their legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground, watching helplessly as the shadow descended.

Before Lu Yunzhou could even play the hero, Nazha rushed out first!

Damn it.

This gave Lu Yunzhou two reasons why he had no choice but to save her!

"Swish, swish!"

He drew talismans in mid-air.

A green light flashed before his eyes, forming a giant, prominent rune that appeared on his hands and feet.

The runes rotate.

As if he had stepped on a super engine, he almost teleported away in the next second, arriving in front of the twin infants.

He raised his hands.

The emerald green runes swelled in the wind, forming a giant screen.

boom!

The giant shadowy hand slammed down, and the runes trembled violently as if struck by a heavy hammer. The concrete road beneath Lu Yunzhou cracked open, and his feet sank deep into it.

boom!

The giant shadowy hand slammed down again.

The rune on his right hand shattered in half.

The immense force pressed down on his body, causing him to sag. One of his feet, which was half-kneeling on the ground, was violently rubbed by the force, instantly turning it into a bloody mess.

Fresh blood flowed down his trouser leg.

"Hurry up!"

Lu Yunzhou turned his head and roared.

The couple suddenly realized what was happening and quickly ran away with their child.

"Adeline, you too!"

Lu Yunzhou's hands and feet were trembling, and at the same time, a mysterious power within his body began to rage wildly.

A small tornado, centered on him, began to surge wildly out of control.

A jet-black divine sword gradually floated up in the void behind his body.

"Oh, heavens!"

Seeing this from a distance, Nazha immediately covered her mouth and murmured, "No one ever told me that my boyfriend is a superhero."

Lu Yunzhou glanced back at Nazha and waved.

After Nazha reached a safe area, Lu Yunzhou took a deep breath and immediately unleashed his full power!

"Bang bang bang!"

At this moment, various forces surged within Lu Yunzhou's body, and a sword aura accidentally shot out, piercing straight through a luxury car parked on the side of the road.

"I hope you have insurance."

Lu Yunzhou turned his head and glanced at the car owner, even feeling sorry for him.

-

-

Next, in a 5-minute battle sequence, Lu Yunzhou unleashed his full power.

The moment the sword spirit of the Demon-Suppressing Sword within him was summoned, he was like a super battle maniac, fighting madly against the monster hidden deep underground.

At this moment, the special effects are on fire.

The realistic and physics-based impact of the attacks captivated the audience.

"That feels so good!"

"Special effects blockbuster, this is the one to watch!"

"One sword strike, and the subway station was completely flattened!"

"Furthermore, the protagonist's various runes are 100 times more powerful than those in 'Doctor Strange.' Doctor Strange can only draw circles and has no other abilities. This makes our Eastern Taoist cultivators even more versatile. As long as they awaken their spiritual power, they can draw any rune."

Holy crap!

"What did I see? A city folding! The city folding from Inception has appeared in Qatar."

-

"Have the sea and desert both reversed? And are they suspended in the sky?"

"This is so cool!"

The audience thoroughly enjoyed the five minutes of special effects.

Many viewers go to the cinema to watch superhero movies, mainly to see superheroes save the world.

Special effects are the most important.

How can you call someone a superhero without special effects?

The movie spent a lot of time setting up the protagonist's fighting motivations, which greatly enhanced the audience's sense of identification with the protagonist.

Finally, in the second half of the movie, the protagonist activated the "Special Seat Mode"!

The audience was thrilled.

"Joe, these special effects are amazing!"

"Haha, this movie is going to be a huge hit!"

-

Former Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinoff, upon witnessing this scene, finally couldn't help but clench his fist tightly.

He turned to look at Mr. Qiao of Fosun Group: "Qiao, there are many special effects movies on the market this year, but this movie has the strongest sense of impact I have ever seen."

"It also provides the best sense of immersion."

"Based on this sense of immersion and special effects, this movie will have no problem in the European and American markets."

"Eastern Taoist magic battling monsters from the Persian Gulf abyss—no one has filmed this before, it's very novel."

"Besides that, our male protagonist also has a perfect lover, a willow tree fairy—and the girl he goes on a date with. They are both very beautiful."

"Are both of these people pressuring Kou Rui's spokesperson?"

"Lu, what a genius."

Commercial drugs have their own fixed formula, and Lu Yunzhou's summary is: Sword and Rose!

Jeff Robinoff wholeheartedly agrees with this.

Sword and Rose, when translated, evokes male heroism and female beauty, suggesting that their coming together creates all sorts of sparks, making it a commercially successful film.

"These special effects are really good."

"The special effects that Yunzhou personally led are truly exceptional. They're far superior to those outsourced effects."

Ms. Kang, Fu Bingxing of Huace Film & TV, gave the film's special effects a thumbs up.

The earlier scenes had some minor special effects, but apart from the first few minutes, the later ones were all rather frivolous, making one wonder if Lu Yunzhou had embezzled the money.

However, now Miss Fu Bingxing can confirm that Lu Yunzhou did indeed spend all his money on Blade Clan.

How much money must have been spent on those 5 minutes of special effects? It's absolutely the pinnacle of special effects in Chinese films!

In addition, Ms. Fu Bingxing recalled her thoughts on the film.

The protagonist is an ordinary person.

The female lead, Liu Haocun, plays the role of Xi. Although her presence is strong, her overall performance is just average. It remains to be seen whether she will have any extraordinary moments later on.

The role that truly surprised and delighted people was Zhang Tianai's.

Compared to the female lead Liu Haocun, Zhang Tianai has more screen time, and her character is very likable.

At least, male viewers definitely love Zhang Tianaixi's willow tree fairy.

The male protagonist embarks on the path of cultivation not because of Liu Haocun's destiny, but because Zhang Tianai is about to die, he is forced to go to the furnace to become a hero.

This is an inevitable consequence of having no other choice.

The separation from the male protagonist is filled with a sense of struggle.

Because he knew that once he became a hero, his death was not far off, and he would lose everything.

After all, he had nine dreams in a row, all of which were the same, suggesting that if he were to become a hero, he would surely die.

But in the end, he still made Lu choose to be a hero.

His motive was quite simple: not to save humanity, but to save his best friend.

Zhang Tianaixi's willow tree fairy is worth everything he gives.

"Mr. Kang, what's your opinion?"

Ms. Fu Bingxing felt that the groundwork had been laid well and the character was also very likable.

At that moment, she turned to look at Mr. Kang, the general manager of China Film Group, another producer of the film.

After a moment of silence, President Kang said, "The first version of Master Li is just like a tragic hero from ancient Greece, born with a sense of destiny. He lacks the warmth of a living person."

"In this version, our director Lu changed the language and actually used the characters' inner conflicts as the core tension of the drama."

"This is quite a challenge."

"Hollywood commercial films have basically abandoned the creative technique of using the characters' inner conflicts as the core dramatic tension, and now rely mainly on external events to drive the plot."

"The protagonist of this movie failed in real estate speculation, tried to make money in Qatar but was scammed again. He is struggling financially, unable to pay rent, has no one to appreciate his paintings, and doesn't even dare to date."

"The most important person in his life was a few plant fairies."

"I think the concept of plant fairies is really interesting. Unlike animal fairies, they aren't as lively, but once they take root, they never leave."

"I feel that Director Lu deliberately set this up. He may have wanted to express the idea that a man should be like a tree, firmly rooted and taking root in the ground."

"Back to our main character, Little Li."

"He didn't want to be a hero; he just wanted to live a simple life. But at the same time, he was even more unwilling to see the willow tree spirit gradually age and die because it lacked spiritual nourishment."

"He knew that he would die if he became a hero, so every time Liu Haocun came to find him, he only thought about avoiding him and didn't want to cause trouble."

"Faced with Nazha's sincere feelings, he knew that he had already begun his spiritual journey, and once he embarked on the path of becoming a hero, there was no turning back, and he could only let Nazha down. When the topic of marriage and buying a house came up, he stammered."

"In this film, I saw a vibrant human being. The inner struggle of an ordinary person after becoming a hero."

"It's a bit like the most classic version of Spider-Man."

"However, it's also a little different."

At this point, Mr. Kang had a vague feeling that the ending of this movie might be unexpected.

Regardless, based on the amazing special effects of those last five minutes, Mr. Kang felt that the movie should be a success.

Unfortunately, times have changed.

"If Director Lu had emerged 10 years ago, he might have been able to compete for an Oscar."

This might be the only regret for President Kang.

In the early years, Chinese films mainly relied on Europe and America to learn their art film production styles.

After all, artistic styles are easy to learn, but how could China 20 years ago learn from Hollywood's purely industrialized films?

The hardware conditions simply don't allow it.

Now, China's industrial technology has caught up, but there are very few directors in the film and television industry who can shoot special effects films.

The main problem is that no one is investing.

For feature films, the exact budget is often unclear to the audience. You can't exactly label some actor as a "5-cent actor," can you?

However, for special effects films, the cost is something that viewers can easily discern with their own eyes.

It can't be faked.

"Forget about the Oscars."

Upon hearing President Kang's words, Ms. Fu Bingxing laughed heartily and said, "President Kang, could you please give a heads-up about next year's Golden Rooster Awards and ask the judges to be a little more impartial?"

"If you trick him again, he might not play with you anymore."

"I heard that 'Queen of Tears' was a huge hit in Europe. The place where it was filmed was originally just an industrial town, but it became a tourist town after the show became popular."

"What was that place called again?"

"Alexandria? Yes, that's the place."

"Thanks to this drama, he didn't even have to campaign much and still became a city councilor. Next, he's planning to run for office in the Kang District."

Fu Bingxing and Miss Kang's subtext is that Lu Yunzhou has brought a lot of tourism resources to the area, boosting local employment and income. His Zhenzhen became a city councilor directly because of this drama.

Lu Yunzhou has been tricked by you several times in a row. He went straight to the competition for the furnace. Maybe he can become a councilor in Milan by virtue of his title as a descendant of Leonardo da Vinci.

They'll be the ones who are dumbfounded then.

Lu Yunzhou has multiple escape routes anyway.