Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

Friday night.

The North American opening day box office figures for "The Shawshank Redemption" have been released.

The producer sent the data to the group chat, saying only one sentence: "Let's see how it goes."

North American arthouse cinema: $940,000 on opening day.

With fewer screenings and fewer theaters, and fewer than forty theaters, the numbers aren't bad, but compared to other films, Hollywood blockbusters released at the same time had ten times the number of screenings on their opening day.

Lin Yuan lay on the top bunk in his dormitory, his phone screen lit up. He finished reading the data, looked at it again, and then turned his phone over and placed it face down on the bed.

I didn't sleep.

Foreign media reports come back much faster than box office data.

The Hollywood investor who withdrew their funding gave an interview to foreign media, speaking in a rather lukewarm manner, which, in essence, meant:

"Our decision to withdraw was based on sound business judgment. It's good that young people are talented, but Hollywood doesn't operate on talent alone; the market won't buy into sentimentality."

After saying that, he paused, smiled, and said, "Of course, I wish him good luck."

As soon as the article was published, domestic marketing accounts rushed to reprint it, using increasingly sensational headlines:

Hollywood Investors Exposed: Lin Yuan's Unprofitable Film and the Inside Story of Withdrawal of Investment Revealed

Early Fame Ends in Failure? Lin Yuan's Hollywood Debut Ends in Disappointment

From 4 billion to 940,000, Lin Yuan fell from grace.

The Weibo post started generating buzz, and the comments section began to stir.

@EntertainmentGossipSquad: To be honest, I've long felt that he's gotten arrogant. He dares to go directly to Hollywood after making a few movies in China. This isn't confidence, it's arrogance.

@PasserbyDoesNotChaseStars: He's a Chinese director who went to Hollywood to make a prison movie. There were no stars and no publicity. Why would the audience there buy it?

@FilmIndustryProfessor says: With this screening data, anyone in the know can see that with this opening day performance in arthouse cinemas, large-scale expansion is basically out of the question.

The posts kept piling up and getting higher and higher.

My phone vibrated.

Gu Zhiwan sent a WeChat message with just one sentence: "Lin Yuan, you're only nineteen. Even Hollywood has very few people who can make a movie like yours. Stop thinking about it, go to sleep."

Lin Yuan stared at the screen, and after two seconds, replied with a single word: "Okay."

the next morning.

Zhou Zixuan started scrolling through his phone early in the morning, his expression growing increasingly grim until he finally threw his phone onto the bed.

"Damn it, what is this? Low opening day box office means it's a loss? Don't you even know what a preview screening is?"

"I just can't stand these people. The film hasn't even been released on a large scale yet, and they're already writing obituaries?"

Qian Zhuangzhuang poked his head out from the top bunk, his eyes still closed: "What's wrong?"

"Brother Yuan got scolded."

Who said that?

"A bunch of people."

Qian Zhuangzhuang was silent for three seconds, then got off the top bunk, walked to the table, and took out two bags of potato chips, a bag of nuts, and a box of milk candy from the drawer, piling them all onto Lin Yuan's bed.

"Brother Yuan, eat something, don't think about it, they're all idiots."

Lin Yuan looked down at the pile of snacks and couldn't help but chuckle. "When did you stock up on this?"

"I always keep things prepared, just in case," Qian Zhuangzhuang said seriously. "When you have low blood sugar, you tend to overthink things."

Chen Mo didn't say anything, sat down at the table, turned on his computer, put on his headphones, and started doing his own thing.

Lin Yuan thought he was editing a video, but when he got closer, he saw that he was flipping through English movie reviews one by one, taking screenshots, saving them, finding the next one, and taking another screenshot.

"Brother Mo, what are you doing?"

Chen Mo didn't turn around, but turned the screen slightly in his direction.

The screen is filled with a folder of screenshots, named "A Collection of Positive Overseas Reviews of 'The Shawshank Redemption'".

"Why save this?"

Chen Mo paused for a second and said, "I'll use that to swear at people later."

Lin Yuan was silent for two seconds, then smiled and said nothing more.

Zhou Zixuan was still arguing with the comments, typing faster and faster, replying in rapid succession—

@Zhou Zixuan: Do you even know what a preview screening is? Arthouse cinemas don't rely on the opening day for their first week anyway. Who taught you to look at the data?

@Zhou Zixuan: You use the word "arrogant" to describe someone who made a film with 42 billion yuan at the box office at the age of nineteen. Don't you think it's ridiculous?

@Zhou Zixuan: Those who withdrew their investment back then are now coming out to criticize. I just want to ask you, if this movie becomes a huge hit, will you say "we were optimistic about it all along"?

The real turning point happened at noon.

Lin Yuan was sitting in his dorm reading when Zhou Zixuan suddenly pushed his phone towards him.

"Brother Yuan, check Weibo."

Someone posted a Weibo post with no picture, just one sentence:

"I've been in Shawshank for three years, not knowing when I'd be able to climb out, but today, for the first time, it feels like climbing out is real."

There weren't many reposts, but people started responding in the comments section:

"My Shawshank experience is preparing for the civil service exam; this is my fourth year."

"My Shawshank was the family's expectation that had weighed on me for ten years."

"My Shawshank is the job I want to quit every morning when I open my eyes, but I can't."

Then this Weibo post was forwarded by more and more people, and the topic naturally emerged.

#EveryoneHasTheShawshankDilemma# It surged to third place on the trending topics list within an hour, with over 80 million views.

Lin Yuan opened the comments section and scrolled down:

@PostgraduateEntranceExamFugitive: Day 300 of my second attempt. After reading this Weibo post, I cried for half an hour in my rented room. My high wall isn't an iron gate, it's my mom calling to ask, "Did you get accepted?"

@On the eve of my graduation defense: That rooftop beer scene broke my defenses, not because it was particularly sentimental. It was because that was the only thing I truly wanted all year—an afternoon without anyone rushing me.

@Xiao Chen, who's preparing for exams: I cried three times at the preview screening today. The last time was when Red stepped onto that beach. I don't know where my beach is; maybe it's far away, maybe it'll be a long walk. But one day, I will reach my own beach.

@PasserbyCollegeStudent: I thought tonight was just about watching a movie, but I didn't expect to see myself.

@Film critic Han Shu: Choosing to screen the film at universities and prioritizing students was the most accurate judgment Lin Yuan has ever made. "The Shawshank Redemption" isn't just a movie about prison; it's a mirror, and Lin Yuan knows who needs to look in that mirror the most.

The following questions appeared on Zhihu's trending list:

Why did the preview screenings of "The Shawshank Redemption" resonate so strongly with students?

Top-rated answer by @陈晓筱:

Because there are too many hidden Shawshank stories in this era.

The college entrance examination is one, the postgraduate entrance examination is another, the civil service examination is yet another, family expectations are yet another, and the intense competition in the competitive arena is yet another.

These things won't put you in a real prison, but they will gradually wear away the true self within you.

Why is Andy so moving? It's not because he escaped from prison. It's because he was imprisoned for twenty years, and when he got out, he was still himself.

That's the hardest part.

Two hours: 41,000 likes.

The topic's popularity is still rising, but the number of marketing accounts has already started to decline.

The account that posted "Lin Yuan's Hollywood Failure" yesterday quietly changed the title today and reposted: "The Shawshank Redemption Sparks a Crazy Screening at Universities; Lin Yuan Gambled Right This Time."

Qian Zhuangzhuang showed Lin Yuan a screenshot of the article and said, "Brother Yuan, he changed the lyrics."

Chen Mo poked his head out from the top bunk and calmly said, "Archived."

Zhou Zixuan roared, "These people—"

"Alright, forget about the marketing accounts."

In the afternoon, Lin Yuan posted a Weibo post, not using his studio account, but his own.

He looked at it one more time before sending it out.

When you're tired, give yourself some time to drink beer on the rooftop. Hold onto that opera in your heart, even if you're surrounded by high walls, don't let it be completely worn away.

send.

Ten minutes later, the number of reposts exceeded 50,000.

The topic continued to gain traction, with #EveryoneHasTheShawshankDilemma# climbing from third to first place on the trending topics list, overshadowing all other entertainment news at the same time.

Marketing accounts have fallen silent, and the sarcastic comments section is being gradually pushed down by newcomers.

A few days later, I received a private message from the studio.

Not a media outlet, not a partner, just an ordinary North American viewer. It was written in English, and the text isn't long; the translation is roughly as follows:

I worked for a company in Los Angeles for six years before being laid off earlier this year. During the months I spent looking for a job, I didn't know what I was waiting for every day.

Last week, a friend dragged me to see this movie. After the movie ended, we stood in the parking lot for a long time, neither of us saying a word.

Then my friend said, "Let's go for a drive." So we just drove along the coastline, with no destination in mind.

I don't know if there's a sea near my Pacific Ocean, but after watching the movie, I updated my resume that very night and sent it out.

Thank you for making this film.

Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair and read through the private messages from beginning to end.

Outside the window, the city night is a deep blue.

He suddenly realized that some things were now far more important than box office revenue.