Chapter 122: Release

Chapter 122: Release

Guo Yingyu spent the whole day scrolling through the audience's negative reviews about "Song of Tears." By the end, she didn't even want to continue scrolling anymore.

She was just an audience member who spent money but ended up feeling let down. However, those who spoke online might have had experiences similar to the protagonist of "Song of Tears," and perhaps they still haven't been able to move on to this day.

They had thought that "Song of Tears" would play the role of a savior, but instead, it became a betrayal.

Reliving those painful experiences was anything but pleasant.

"It must be all about chasing awards," Guo Yingyu sighed. "Even if the crew paid attention to these wounded people, so what? Their purpose in making this film wasn't to save anyone."

Later, the box office of "Song of Tears" indeed plummeted, but for the crew, the 150 million yuan earned on the first day was already a profit. The only ones left hurt were the audience who had trusted the film.

"I shouldn't have supported his film when Qi Di was exposed online."

"I really don't learn from my mistakes, ugh, give me back my ticket money!"

"I will never watch a movie starring Qi Di again, so regretful."

"Why watch 'Song of Tears'? It's better instead to watch 'Feather of Youth,' which is coming out in late October. This film was picked up by Lu Xu after he turned down 'Song of Tears.' The trailer is already out, and it looks incredibly heartwarming and adorable!"

"Is Lu Xu going to face off against Qi Di again?"

Regarding the rematch between Lu Xu and Qi Di, Qi Di's fans were not pleased. After all, "Song of Tears" managed to secure screenings during China's week-long National Day holiday in early October, while "Feather of Youth" couldn't and had to settle for the late October slot.

Everyone knows the movie market during this period is frozen solid.

The timing of the "Feather of Youth" trailer release coincided with the online backlash against "Song of Tears."

Feiyang Entertainment went all out for the marketing of "Feather of Youth"—the first trending topic for the film was #Harboring Victims of "Song of Tears"#.

Netizens: "..."

Birds of a feather flock together, and those close to Lu Xu are shady.

Feiyang Entertainment even came up with the underhanded idea of offering a 30% discount on "Feather of Youth" tickets for those who presented a "Song of Tears" ticket stub. Unfortunately, this violated standard market competition rules, so Feiyang had to abandon the plan.

In fact, although "Feather of Youth" didn't secure a spot during the National Day holiday, its situation wasn't as bad as outsiders thought.

Lu Xu has box office draw, and his draw is at least stronger than Qi Di's.

After all, he was one of the main actors in "Deception," and most of his previous works set heat records, with no shortage of popularity and awards.

The cast of "Feather of Youth" may not stack up to "Song of Tears," but that doesn't mean Lu Xu can't attract an audience.

Even though Hu Yan and Guo Yingyu are newcomers, the audience distrusts them less than they do Zhang Che from "Song of Tears."

...

On the day the "Feather of Youth" official blog released the trailer, it racked up over 100,000 views.

"Feather of Youth" isn't as suspenseful as "Deception." From the trailer, the film is a straightforward youth movie—featuring blue skies, white clouds, a school campus, and teenagers sweating it out on the training field.

After being told he could no longer join the national team, the boy's eyes were hollow and desolate.

This was the only downbeat part of the trailer.

In the next moment, the boy told his friends that badminton meant everything to him.

Then, the trailer condensed the process of rehabilitation, sweating, and regaining skills, turning these scenes into a fast-forward sequence. However, the hardships the boy endured and his longing to stand on the court were palpable to everyone.

The title *Youth Feather* is simple and clear, centering on a boy passionate about badminton.

After a long period of rehabilitation, the boy finally returned to the court. The lights in the stadium were bright, and although there weren’t many people in the audience, he tightly gripped his racket. The moment the racket collided with the shuttlecock, a clear sound echoed. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his arms and chest were drenched, but the joy in his eyes and the smile on his face were enough to inspire everyone.

The final shot of the trailer showed the boy serving the shuttlecock into the air. His dark, clear eyes reflected the shadow of the shuttlecock. In the next moment, with a crisp "bang," the feather soared into the air, eventually forming the title *Youth Feather*.

This trailer was straightforward, clearly telling the audience what kind of story *Youth Feather* was about, without any pretense of mystery.

The movie naturally couldn’t mislead anyone—mainly because it wasn’t capable of doing so.

There was no need for the screenwriter to include a subplot where Yin Pei wanted to play badminton but his parents disagreed. In the trailer, Yin Pei’s parents even supported him through his rehabilitation. As for the psychological trauma Yin Pei might have after his injury, that wasn’t an issue, because the trailer had already provided the answer—Yin Pei returned to the court.

This was a story with a conventional beginning, low point, climax, and ending.

...

In the days leading up to the release of *Youth Feather*, Guo Yingyu and Hu Yan were on edge. After the movie opened for pre-sales, Guo Yingyu couldn’t help but check the data hundreds of times a day, though she didn’t dare to do so too often, afraid the audience might not embrace it.

To her surprise, the pre-sales for *Youth Feather* on the first day topped 30 million.

The moment she saw the data, she was in disbelief.

Although *Youth Feather* didn’t have many competitors during this release period, the pre-sales surpassing 30 million far exceeded her expectations. With pre-sales over 30 million, unless the movie’s plot completely collapsed, hitting 100 million was a given.

Guo Yingyu suddenly understood why, when she was worrying about *Youth Feather*’s box office, her studio’s boss and renowned director reassured her: "Don’t underestimate Lu Xu."

Lu Xu’s fans weren’t usually high-profile, but his dramas and movies had always delivered solid results. This at least proved that Lu Xu had a stable fan base. Lu Xu consistently delivered one work after another, never disappointing his fans, and naturally, his fans wouldn’t let him down either.

With decent pre-sales and a less competitive release window, *Youth Feather* had a 29% screening rate on its opening day.

Compared to the situation when *Deception* was released, *Youth Feather* was in a much better position.

...

Han Xiao convinced her boyfriend Zhong Wei to watch *Youth Feather*.

Han Xiao wasn’t interested in badminton, but Zhong Wei had actually been a badminton player. Later, due to an accident, Zhong Wei’s badminton career came to an end.

Zhong Wei didn’t say much, but Han Xiao knew that for an athlete, this reality was devastating.

Unless pushed to the brink, Zhong Wei would never have given up badminton so easily.

Zhong Wei was the kind of boy who was usually very quiet, preferring to keep his emotions bottled up. He seemed no different from a normal person every day, but Han Xiao knew he must have deep regrets.

The opening scene of *Youth Feather* showed Yin Pei giving up badminton due to an injury.

Yin Pei’s actions of picking up the shuttlecock, tying the strings, and the emptiness in his eyes reminded Han Xiao of Zhong Wei.

Back then, Zhong Wei didn’t cry either, but she was the one who cried out of sadness.

For Zhong Wei, that experience must have been like a nightmare, right?

Yin Pei moved on, but Zhong Wei still hadn’t.

Fortunately, this sad part of the story didn’t last too long. Next, Yin Pei and his friends entered university together. At this point, he seemed to have recovered a lot, but he still hadn’t found his goal.

Badminton once again became his support.

The lighting in *Feather of Youth* is gentle, unlike those films with dark and gloomy tones. Yin Pei is saddened by his inability to join the national team, but he gradually realizes that even if he can't make it to the national team, he can still play the sport.

He has steadfast support from close friends, a coach who cares about him, and a flame in his heart that never dies.

Yin Pei's rehabilitation at the rehabilitation center is arduous and lengthy. On the windowsill of the center, there is a pot of flowers. Before his rehabilitation, the pot only had bare soil, but slowly, sprouts emerged. As the spark in Yin Pei's eyes grew stronger, the flowers in the pot also grew from sprouts to leaves, and eventually bloomed into fluffy yellow flowers.

His friends have always been there to steadfastly support him.

Han Xiao noticed that her boyfriend, who had been expressionless throughout the movie, suddenly twitched his arm.

The road to recovery is grueling, and the national team dream remains zero, but Yin Pei never gives up—if *Feather of Youth* were reality, a miracle might not happen, but since it's a movie, Yin Pei receives the miracle he longed for.

In the first match, from trailing to triumph, others only see Yin Pei playing a tough game, unaware of the struggles he has truly gone through during that time.

Yin Pei's beaming smile and gleaming eyes reach the hearts of every audience member through the big screen.

Even though it's just a match in a movie, Han Xiao clearly sees that when Yin Pei falls behind, the theater grows tense, and when he keeps chasing, turning the tide, the audience's excited cheers are unmistakable.

It's hard not to get excited for Yin Pei, hard not to be moved by those eyes filled with joy and hope!

The moment Yin Pei extends his arms to hug his friends, Han Xiao is moved to tears.

She is also swept up in Yin Pei's joy in that moment.

After this part of the story, Yin Pei continues to play competitive matches, with wins and losses. Wang Zixiang and Qin Jinwei are also chasing their own dreams—friends always encourage each other.

Yin Pei is saved by his friends, and his comeback to the court inspires his friends.

Then, *Feather of Youth* builds to its climactic scene—another match for Yin Pei.

He challenges a long-time opponent he has never defeated before, achieving a miracle he couldn't even accomplish before his injury.

But what moves Han Xiao is not the victory itself, but the sight of his opponent smiling and welcoming him back to the court.

Every athlete battling on the court bears scars.

Anyone could leave the court due to an accident.

All they can do is cherish every match and applaud the opponents and teammates who return to the court with all their might.

On the screen, Yin Pei smiles, but Han Xiao can't help but cry. After the movie ends, Zhong Wei beside her hands her a tissue: "Don't cry."

The two walk out of the theater, down the stairs, and into a quiet alley outside the cinema. Han Xiao sees Zhong Wei walking slowly, with drops of water falling to the ground, one by one.

She slows down, waiting for Zhong Wei to finish crying.

"I actually really like playing badminton. I don't feel tired," Zhong Wei finally mutters after a while. "I wish I were Yin Pei."

But after seeing Yin Pei's journey in the movie, Zhong Wei can't help but think that if there were a parallel world, perhaps he, in that world, could also step back onto the court he loves, just like Yin Pei.

If he were Yin Pei's opponent, he would also be happy for Yin Pei's return to the court.