Chapter 120: Premiere

Chapter 120: Premiere

There was a scene that was particularly perilous for Lu Xu. The weather was bad those days, and the horse he was riding appeared uneasy, growing increasingly agitated once filming began. Halfway through the shoot, the horse actually tried to throw Lu Xu off.

This incident terrified Liu Chunfeng, fearing that something might happen to Lu Xu.

After that, the filming process was halted for two days solely due to concerns about Lu Xu's ability to handle the horseback scenes.

Fortunately, there were no further incidents.

As the plot progressed, on the battlefield, Lu Xu's portrayal of Nie Yunzhang became increasingly focused—though war is exhausting, capable of draining one to the point of collapse, the more intense the battle, the more Nie Yunzhang's eyes gleamed, revealing his fearless nature.

Nie Yunzhang was both a skilled warrior and a wise strategist. In the capital, he would conceal his sharpness, but on the battlefield, his decisions determined the fate of countless lives.

The more critical the moment, the more he could tap into his potential.

After confirming the role, Lu Xu read the script several times carefully. As filming progressed, his understanding of the character deepened.

While battlefield scenes may seem dull, they were a means for the audience to gain deeper insight into Nie Yunzhang. The world knew he was a young general, a national hero, but where did his glory come from? This aspect was sorely underrepresented.

The screenwriters preferred to fish for rumors from historical records or simply invent a romantic backstory for Nie Yunzhang based on someone's later imagination.

Indeed, if this young general and handsome man loved only her, cared deeply for the world, yet was utterly devoted to her, even willing to abandon the battlefield for a peaceful and stable rural life.

Lu Xu filmed scenes where Nie Yunzhang ventured deep into enemy territory to behead the enemy leader, scenes where he witnessed the humiliation of women and children, his eyes burning with rage, and scenes where Nie Yunzhang gently removed his armor to pray for the fallen soldiers.

He was both a war god and a mere mortal.

Nie Yunzhang had once watched his subordinates perish with intense emotion and had cheered loudly when conquering a territory.

This character had countless facets worth exploring.

In Lu Xu's view, since Qin Yu's script could move him, it would surely move the audience—human emotions are essentially universal.

...

On the day of the wrap, Liu Chunfeng firmly clapped Lu Xu on the shoulder, prompting Lu Xu to consider retaliation.

Considering Liu Chunfeng's proposal for future collaboration, Lu Xu chose to forgive.

"But I reckon it will be hard to come across a script like 'Chivalrous Fragrance' again," Liu Chunfeng sighed. "It's not easy for Qin Yu to write a script."

"Historical themes are out of favor these days," Qin Yu said. "Unless some actor wants to win awards and is willing to bring funding to the project, it's tough to get projects off the ground."

The successful launch of 'Chivalrous Fragrance' was partly due to the success of 'The Son of Heaven.'

Not to mention, the combination of Liu Chunfeng, Qin Yu, and Lu Xu was highly appealing in the industry.

'Chivalrous Fragrance' was smoothly prepared, filming ended, and there was no worry about its broadcast—Liu Chunfeng himself was confident in selling the series, and with Lu Xu's involvement, 'Chivalrous Fragrance' could even command a higher price.

For the subsequent battlefield scenes, according to the original budget, Liu Chunfeng couldn't achieve the desired effect. He temporarily found a financier, added more funds, and completed filming without exceeding the budget.

The financier was willing to invest in 'Chivalrous Fragrance' naturally because the lead was Lu Xu.

Liu Chunfeng and Lu Xu's collaboration created the heat myth of 'The Son of Heaven,' and Lu Xu and Shao Yao's previous series 'Voices of the Dead' was even more astonishingly popular.

Before 'Chivalrous Fragrance,' the last series Lu Xu filmed was 'The Year I Was 18.' The success of 'The Path of Bones,' 'Voices of the Dead,' and 'The Year I Was 18' made people think the TV drama market was thriving. However, Lu Xu went on to make movies, two in a row, yet the series' viewership records still belonged to him.

With so many series aired, including the movie 'Deception' earning billions, Lu Xu's knack for picking scripts was undeniable.

Lu Xu picked "Chivalrous Fragrance," so the show must have something going for it.

...

Lu Xu came back from filming "Chivalrous Fragrance," and the promotional period for "Feather of Youth" officially began.

During this time, Lu Xu had been sweating buckets and caked in mud every day, even ending up with a sunburn. When he returned to the company and met with his agent, the agent was shocked by his rough appearance.

"Your fans can’t see you like this, no way. You make a living off your face."

Lu Xu: "Pretty sure they already have."

His homepage had a push notification saying, "Lu Xu looks like a black monkey in his new drama."

Lu Xu: "..."

Black? Monkey? Whatever! He was just wiped out from traveling and looked totally out of it.

"Feather of Youth" was originally scheduled for release during the National Day holiday, but the competition during that time was brutal, with big-budget films rolling out one after another. Although the number of films released during this period wasn't as high as during the Spring Festival, the scale was just as huge.

When it came to the cast, "Feather of Youth" couldn’t even hold a candle to "Deception." Yue Hui at least had some clout with theaters and could secure some screenings for "Deception." For "Feather of Youth," just banking on "starring Lu Xu" wasn’t enough to lock in screenings.

Lu Xu was surprised to see "Song of Tears," which he’d passed on, drop during this time.

"For this one, Liu Rennong's studio put in some effort," Xu Wen said. "The post-National Day slot is too dead, and that film wouldn’t fit well during the New Year or Spring Festival."

"Why not just bump it to next year’s first half?" Lu Xu asked curiously.

"Which period next year would be suitable?" Xu Wen countered. "A bunch of award-bait films are already lined up for next year."

Lu Xu nodded, indicating he understood.

"Song of Tears," with its downer vibe, was indeed suitable for awards, having "depth." Liu Rennong’s studio was a pro at playing the awards game. If the film performed well at the box office and received good reviews, Qi Di’s past dirt could be swept under the rug.

Lu Xu had originally thought "Song of Tears" would be released alongside "Feather of Youth," setting off a youth showdown.

"If it went up against you, it would definitely be at a disadvantage," Xu Wen said. "Qi Di is afraid of being associated with you, which would remind people of his double standards."

Moreover, "Song of Tears" being released during the National Day holiday was proof of the production team's strength—Lu Xu was hyped as the ultimate, yet he couldn’t grab any screenings during National Day.

"Song of Tears," however, managed to grab screenings during the fiercely competitive National Day period. It was clear who had the upper hand.

Lu Xu stopped keeping tabs on "Song of Tears" but noticed that an unexpected person had joined the cast—Zhang Che.

He thought Zhang Che’s film career was done for.

"What's going on?"

"Not sure," Xu Wen shook his head. "We’ll see how the reviews shake out after it drops. If the reviews are good, the production team will reveal more."

Before "Feather of Youth" was scheduled, Feiyang Entertainment also tried to secure screenings for the film. Unfortunately, the theaters offered too few slots, making it difficult for "Feather of Youth" to replicate the success of "Deception."

After careful consideration, the production team decided that securing less than 7% of screenings during the National Day period wasn't worth it, so they opted to try another period.

After all, "Feather of Youth" wasn’t a high-budget film, and youth films could be watched at any season or time. If the reviews were positive, it would naturally attract more viewers.

Lu Xu didn’t see "Song of Tears" as competition for "Feather of Youth," but "Song of Tears" sure did.

Qi Di seethed at the mere thought of Lu Xu. He had never faced such a major setback in his career, but after competing with Lu Xu once, he became the butt of everyone’s jokes.

By taking on "Song of Tears," Qi Di aimed to beat Lu Xu at the box office and in awards.

Qi Di was well aware that the theme of "Song of Tears" might not appeal to a wide audience, but it would definitely attract a specific group of viewers. Releasing it during the National Day holiday could at least guarantee a strong opening.

To ensure that "Song of Tears" made a splash during this period, Qi Di took a pay cut so that the production team could afford more marketing.

The production team did not disappoint him—on major video platforms, the homepage was plastered with stories of a young man crushed by his dysfunctional family.

Stubborn parents, a child who wanted to escape but was held back.

A responsible daughter, who hadn’t received a single penny of living expenses since high school, put herself through college, only to be asked to help her brother out on the day she received her first paycheck after graduation.

"Want to know what happens next?"

"Watch 'Song of Tears'"

"A raw look at reality"

"A must-see for every young person"

The marketing for "Song of Tears" was everywhere you looked. Even when Lu Xu occasionally rode his bike past a subway station, he could see the tearful eyes of the protagonist on nearby billboards.

He could only envy their deep pockets.

However… after watching the trailer for "Song of Tears," Lu Xu felt that "Feather of Youth" was still the superior film.

His envy suddenly turned into pride.

It was like shopping on an e-commerce platform—if he managed to buy the same item for a hundred yuan less than Zheng Xiao, he would feel pretty damn proud.

And if "Feather of Youth," with a smaller budget than "Song of Tears," managed to produce a better film, Lu Xu would feel that the crew he worked with was totally awesome.

Hu Yan and Guo Yingyu felt the same way.

The three main actors of "Feather of Youth" were all young, with Hu Yan and Guo Yingyu even younger than Lu Xu, which made their expressions bolder.

This was evident in their openly trashing "Song of Tears."

"What do they mean by 'the best youth film you can imagine'? Do they even know we exist?"

"Tsk, are they really pulling out all the stops?"

"I bet 50 yuan that this movie will definitely try to one-up us."

"Honestly, his face on the big screen isn’t even as good-looking as Lu Xu’s, who’s been tanned to a deep shade."

In her excitement, Guo Yingyu mistakenly typed "black dog" instead of "black monkey," and Hu Yan didn’t even notice the error, eagerly backing her up.

Lu Xu: "..."

Was that a compliment or an insult?

Hu Yan and Guo Yingyu even decided to sneak into a showing of "Song of Tears" once it was released.

"If it’s good, can we give it a low rating?"

"Of course, we’re not exactly saints."

"We’re not giving it a low rating; we’re keeping the team humble and putting them in their place."

"We paid for it, so it’s fine!"

Lu Xu: "...You don’t have to announce it."

Just keep it on the down-low.