Huayu: Enjoy Yourself

Chapter 53, Winter/Spring Edition, Premieres!

A heavy snow fell in the capital in December.

The entire capital city was covered in thick snow, with a thick layer of snow in Chen An's courtyard and on the roof of his house.

The scenery of the northern country is on full display.

Fortunately, Chen An's house has underfloor heating, otherwise he would have frozen to death.

Chen Wei is back, and Chen An invites Chen Kun and Zeng Li to his house for hot pot.

The boss occasionally gives his employees special treatment.

Originally, there was also Duan Long, but he wasn't going with Chen An; he was going to Tao Hong's house instead.

Therefore, the only people having hot pot in Chen An's courtyard were Zeng Li, Chen Kun, and Chen Wei.

Instead of using a copper hot pot for mutton hot pot, they used a divided pot (one side hot pot and one side spicy). Chen An wanted something spicy, but he wasn't sure if the others could handle it, so they split it up.

"Pear and Chen Kun, I'll send you invitations to the premiere of 'Little Forest,' you can come too."

While hiding in the house having hot pot with a few people, Chen An said to his two employees:

"You should also make an appearance first. Director Han will be inviting a lot of media, actors, and celebrities. You should all come along too."

Because the previous film was a success, Han Sanping wanted to make the premiere a bigger event.

Chen An also planned to let Zeng Li and the other actress appear in public, which would be a good opportunity for them. After all, they are actors and they can't just film Chen An's movies.

Chen Kun looked up and asked, "Should we dress a bit more formally?"

To be honest, his financial situation isn't very good right now. He's still a student and has only acted in one of Chen An's films.

Chen An nodded and said to the two of them:

"You and Pear are the same, go and get ready, get a dress, the company will reimburse you, consider it my New Year's gift to you."

Chen Wei already has one; he bought it at the last premiere, so he doesn't need to get a new one.

Chen An's own items were all gifts from Lin Dajiang at the Cannes Film Festival.

Steam rose from the room, and the soup in the pot was boiling. Chen An occasionally served food to the group.

How can you finish if you don't eat more? Especially since Zeng Li barely touched her chopsticks in order to maintain her figure.

"Brother An, please put less food in my bowl, I can't eat anymore." Zeng Li looked at the bowl, which was already half full of pieces of mutton.

"What do you mean you can't eat? You're still growing at such a young age, eat more! It's a rare treat to treat you to a meal, and you won't have this chance again."

Chen An felt that Zeng Li, who was 1.7 meters tall, needed to eat more to grow.

After saying that, he put more meat into her bowl, and Zeng Li quickly took the bowl and ate the mutton inside.

Seeing that she didn't want it, Chen An turned around and put it in Chen Wei's bowl. The latter had worked hard on the set for several months and didn't hold back, stuffing it into his mouth.

On the evening of October 23nd.

The same place as the last premiere.

The premiere of "Little Forest: Winter/Spring" was held.

Just like the previous one, this time a lot of media outlets and celebrities were invited.

Han Sanping and Chen An co-hosted the event, thanking all the celebrities who came.

Most of the actors who received invitations have arrived; some were invited by Chen An, and some were invited by Han Sanping.

Many actors that Chen An knew came.

For example, actors like Chen Daomin and Wang Zhiwen were all brought in by Han Sanping.

Everyone should come to the premiere to boost its popularity.

Most of them were invited by Han Sanping; Chen An himself invited relatively few people, only a few actors and directors.

For example, Jiang Wen, who came with Uncle Ge, didn't need an invitation.

Uncle Ge smiled and waved to the surrounding media, while Jiang Wen, wearing sunglasses and with one hand in his pocket, quickly walked across the red carpet.

He walked up to Chen An, put his arm around his shoulder, and said, "You've made quite a splash. Next time, brother, you have to come to my movie premiere too."

"That's no problem, but you should find the script first. It's been so long since 'In the Heat of the Sun' was filmed, and I haven't seen you have any plans to film it."

"Slow and steady wins the race, right? I'll definitely take a picture and show it to you once I find it!"

After saying that, he didn't say much more. He patted Chen An on the shoulder, chatted with Han Sanping for a while, and then went inside.

Uncle Ge also greeted Chen An warmly: "Little Chen, I'm here this time. You have to come and support me at my next movie premiere too."

Chen An knew, of course, that the movie Ge Da Ye was talking about was "The Dream Factory." Even if Ge Da Ye hadn't mentioned it, Han Sanping would have invited him anyway.

After all, he had just called Feng Xiaogang over, so he definitely had to go too.

"No problem, I'll definitely go then." Chen An also smiled and chatted with Grandpa Ge.

Afterwards, the people Chen An invited arrived one after another. Ning Jing, the previous leading actress, even complained to him about why he didn't cast her, saying he thought she wasn't pretty enough.

Chen An chuckled and said something that sounded like something you'd hear under a video by a content creator on a certain platform: "I'll definitely do it next time."

My senior brother Zhang, Chen An, was also invited, and his appearance surprised the media.

After all, the most popular directors in mainland China today are still him and Chen Kaige, one winning two of the three major awards and the other winning the only Chinese-language Palme d'Or.

His arrival still attracted a lot of attention.

Not long after, everyone who was supposed to arrive arrived. Zeng Li and Chen Kun also made an appearance, and Chen An even led the two of them to show off in front of Jiang Wen and Zhang Yimou.

The meaning is quite clear: if there's an opportunity, please take good care of them.

Of course, it's all mutual. If you have anyone to recommend, I'll accept it. Although Chen An is young, he still has the ability.

The Cannes Best Director award is well-deserved; although it may not be as prestigious as Zhang Yimou's, it is still the first award for a Chinese-language film.

The circle is only so big, and resources are all exchanged.

After chatting with the group and arranging their seats, Chen An went on stage with Yu Jinghong to give some promotional interviews.

The film then began to play.

The "Spring and Winter Chapter" is actually an extension and summary of the "Summer and Autumn Chapter".

Only by combining the two parts can this simple little story and the inner world of the female protagonist, Persimmon, be fully told.

From beginning to end, from escapism to final confrontation.

The thoughts of summer and autumn are suppressed and burst forth in winter, while the persimmons resolutely depart amidst the vitality brought by spring.

Just like her sudden return to Komori, and then her sudden departure.

Adding some food as a garnish to her otherwise dull presentation also serves as an introduction.

It gradually reveals her past and inner world, and is also a dialogue with her departed mother.

Understanding the mother's feelings and reconciling with each other is also a form of reconciliation with oneself.

Like the previous film, the story unfolds at a slow and unhurried pace, yet it never feels boring, gradually drawing the audience's attention.

But then, in a sudden turn of events, news of Persimmon's sudden departure came from his friend Orange.

This also allows the audience to indirectly perceive the persimmon's determination and transformation.

No longer resorting to procrastination to get closer, they let go of the past and returned to the city to face everything on their own.

Finally, the scene shifts to several years later, and Kaki returns to Komori, bringing back more than just himself.

The character of the nameless husband, played by Chen An, also illustrates the growth of the persimmon.

Unlike the original, Chen An saved the scene of Shizi reading the letter for the very end.

We returned to the scene before the persimmons left, amidst a sky full of pink peach blossoms.

Sitting on the swing he used to play as a child, Shizi reads the letter his mother sent him, which also explains why his mother left.

From this moment on, the persimmon has finally completed its transformation!

The scene lingered at that moment, ending the film amidst a sky full of peach blossoms.

The last segment features credits with the cast and crew, and also includes many behind-the-scenes clips from the filming process.

The film has officially ended!

Everyone applauded; after all, they had been invited, so they had to give them some face.

Of course, whether he truly likes her or not is anyone's guess.

Chen An's senior brother Zhang clapped with a smile but didn't say anything, while Jiang Wen didn't mince words and directly said to Chen An beside him:

"Your camera work has improved a lot, but the story has regressed; it's become too bland."

He didn't think much of the story, but he didn't say anything too harsh either. Directors of his generation don't usually like making this kind of film.

This kind of light and refreshing theme is simply an anomaly in mainland China.

Chen An didn't mind: "I'm just practicing and shooting something lighthearted. You guys always preach, so I'm going against the grain and showing the audience something relaxing."

Please, please, please, please vote!

(End of this chapter)