Over the next few days, Wedding Wedding held preview screenings at three more universities in Beijing, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Just like the first screening, the post-film Q&A sessions were attended primarily by the three core creators, Chi Ying and the others.
During the day, Chi Ying still had her regular job, handling the final preparations before the film’s release. Designing the posters, editing the trailer, coordinating promotional tour schedules with film distributors across the country… She was so busy her feet barely touched the ground. By the time she got back to the dorm every night, she felt like a corpse and only wanted to collapse into bed.
Back then, there were no specialized publicity agencies, much less companies that monitored public opinion online. Everything had to be done personally by Chi Ying.
Song Lin, on the other hand, had a much lighter schedule. She was simply waiting for the next stage, when she’d join Chi Ying and the others on the nationwide promotional tour.
During the day, she practically lived at internet cafés, wandering all over the web, mostly browsing university forums to see what people were saying about the film.
To her delight, Wedding Wedding‘s reputation spread rapidly across those forums. Not only were students at the universities that had already hosted preview screenings discussing it, but students at schools that hadn’t screened it yet were also talking about it. Even universities in other provinces had begun buzzing about the film.
As the film’s leads, both Song Lin and Tan Yi saw their popularity among college students rise sharply. Tan Yi, however, seemed to be attracting even more attention. People were even posting candid photos of him from everyday life. She had no idea where they had managed to dig them up.
When she called him, she teased him, asking if he’d uploaded them himself using a fake account.
Tan Yi firmly denied it. He had no idea when those photos had been taken, though judging by the clothes he was wearing, they appeared to have been shot while he was still in college.
Song Lin was more than satisfied.
The film was about to open nationwide, and afterward they would be traveling from city to city for promotional events. According to Chi Ying, Jiangsu Province had received the largest number of film prints, so it would definitely be one of their primary promotional stops. They wouldn’t just be visiting the provincial capital, either. They would be touring multiple cities, and her hometown, Su City, was almost certainly on the itinerary.
Her family had already called to ask whether she’d be coming home while she was there, but she’d declined, half joking and half serious.
She told them she might pass right by her front door without stepping inside. The schedule would be packed, and since the entire promotional team would be traveling together, there wouldn’t be any opportunity to slip away on her own.
Her family understood.
Work came first.
In the eyes of her relatives and friends, their daughter had landed the female lead in a movie. That made her a bona fide star. Song Lin herself couldn’t help feeling a little pleased, though she also felt the regret behind the saying, “Returning home in fine clothes is meaningless if no one sees you.”
During this period, her pager never stopped beeping.
People from near and far, acquaintances and strangers, close friends and distant ones all started reaching out. Many classmates who hadn’t spoken to her in ages suddenly became warm and friendly again.
Even more people tried contacting Chi Ying every day.
Aside from work-related matters, however, she ignored every single one of them, effectively cutting off all meaningless social interactions.
One evening, when Chi Ying returned to the dorm, Song Lin said, “Hey, what do you think about us buying mobile phones?”
“Why would we buy mobile phones?” Chi Ying asked, puzzled.
Cell phones weren’t cheap in those days. On top of that, both incoming and outgoing calls were charged. If you left your local calling area, roaming fees were added on top. It was painfully expensive.
At the time, reimbursement for mobile phone bills was a perk reserved for officials above a certain rank. Newcomers like them had to pay the bills themselves, which was a significant expense.
“It’s just that people keep paging me all the time, and it’s such a hassle having to hunt down a landline every time I want to call them back,” Song Lin explained.
In her previous life, Chi Ying had already been driven crazy by cell phones. Some calls were impossible to avoid.
Now was different.
Even if her pager went off nonstop, she could always claim she hadn’t been able to find a landline and simply ignore it.
“Save your money. The pay I gave you two for this film wasn’t exactly high. The promotional tour is about to start, and neither of you will have time to take on other jobs for quite a while. Don’t spend that kind of money just yet.”
Actors’ salaries were nowhere near as high back then.
This wasn’t the era she remembered from her previous life, when the entertainment industry exploded and actors could casually complain, “I’ve only got a few million in my account. I’m feeling anxious.”
For newcomers like Song Lin and Tan Yi, who had only just graduated, going without work for any length of time practically meant wondering where the next meal would come from.
After hearing Chi Ying’s reasoning, Song Lin agreed.
The film’s promotional campaign alone would keep them traveling for at least several months. Roadshows were one of the most important forms of promotion, and as the film’s lead actors, neither she nor Tan Yi could possibly be absent.
“All right. I’ll wait until after the New Year.”
Then she brought up something else.
“I don’t know if word about this movie has gotten out, but a TV drama director I worked with before recently contacted me about playing the female lead in his new series…”
Chi Ying asked a few more questions about the project.
She quickly realized it was a highly reputable television director. She even vaguely remembered the drama from her previous life. It had a strong production team and eventually achieved excellent ratings. After checking the schedule, she found it wouldn’t conflict with their film in any way.
“That’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself. It really is a good opportunity.”
She could tell Song Lin was tempted, but she couldn’t make the decision for her.
If this had happened in the past, Song Lin would have rushed over without hesitation to discuss the role, preferably signing the contract on the spot.
But things were different now.
She had already starred as the female lead in a feature film.
Even though the TV series also offered her the female lead, she found herself hesitating.
“I’m really torn. It’s honestly an excellent opportunity. I’m just worried that if I go do television now, I won’t get any more movie roles afterward.”
“As far as I’m concerned, that’s not an issue. If I direct another film in the future and there’s a suitable role, I’ll definitely cast you again. What worries me is other directors. They might notice you through this film and plan to cast you, but then see that you’ve gone back to doing television and decide you’re not what they’re looking for anymore.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
Song Lin sighed as she sat there worrying.
“Why don’t you ask Tan Yi?” Chi Ying suggested. “He’s in almost the same situation as you. Maybe he’s dealt with something like this before. You can hear what he thinks and use it as a reference.”
Song Lin sighed again.
“There’s no need to ask. He’ll definitely stay firm and turn it down.”
“He told me the paycheck from this film is enough to support him for at least a year. He can afford to wait. He only wants to make movies. He won’t even consider television.”
“Besides, Tan Yi’s family is from Zhejiang Province, and they’re very well-off. His parents were only worried that he’d have no future staying in Beijing after graduation, so when nothing happened through the school, they kept urging him to come home.”
“But now that they’ve seen him land the male lead in a real theatrical film, there’s no way they’d stand in the way of his future. They’re probably quietly supporting him financially behind the scenes.”
Chi Ying caught the faint envy hidden beneath Song Lin’s words and smiled.
Then she lowered her voice.
“Actually… I’ve heard a bit of gossip around the Planning Center lately. Just keep it to yourself. Don’t repeat it.”
“Go ahead. I won’t tell anyone. You know how tight-lipped I am. When have I ever leaked something you asked me to keep secret?” Song Lin leaned forward curiously.
“I heard that the director who wanted Tan Yi for his film recently secured a pretty substantial amount of overseas funding. His movie is supposed to go to the Cannes Film Festival next year…”
Song Lin sucked in a sharp breath.
Cannes!
Just hearing the name instantly made the project sound prestigious.
In that moment, she finally understood why Chi Ying had been worried about delaying Tan Yi’s opportunity.
“Our movie isn’t any worse. It’s about to open nationwide. Tan Yi’s the male lead here. Isn’t that a much better future than making one of those underground films?”
“Are you worried he’ll regret not going? Trust me, he wouldn’t be that heartless. I can guarantee it.”
“That’s… not really what I’m talking about.”
Chi Ying struggled to find the right words.
“Then what is it?”
“You really can keep a secret?”
Song Lin nodded solemnly.
“Don’t you trust me?”
“I’ve heard some rumors recently. That director’s been making too much noise. It sounds like some people higher up aren’t happy with him anymore. I don’t know what’ll happen next, but don’t tell Tan Yi. After all, Liu Xiaojun only got that role because Tan Yi recommended him.”
Song Lin felt a chill run down her spine.
“It shouldn’t drag our classmate into it, right? Liu Xiaojun’s just a small-time actor, and it’s his first movie.”
“I’m just afraid that when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer with it. If something really happens, Tan Yi will take it hard.”
“What does it have to do with Tan Yi? Liu Xiaojun was the one who asked him to make the introduction in the first place. If anything goes wrong, nobody can blame Tan Yi. Sometimes people just have different fates.”
“I just have a bad feeling about it. If something does happen, that director has connections overseas. He can simply pack up and leave the country. Liu Xiaojun’s the one who’ll end up paying the price.”
“There’s nothing we can do. We’re just minor people. What power do we have? This time we were lucky enough to finish making our movie and get it released without any problems. We should just focus on taking care of ourselves.”
“If Tan Yi finds out, he’ll definitely feel awful. Don’t tell him.”
“I know. I won’t. In situations like this, looking after yourself is the most important thing.”
Song Lin understood the message behind Chi Ying’s words.
She didn’t think Chi Ying was being coldhearted.
Just as she’d said, protecting yourself came first.
Seeing that Chi Ying still looked troubled, Song Lin quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, did you know several of our old roommates have been looking for you?”
“You’re probably too busy to catch, so they’ve all been asking me instead. They said since we’re all in Beijing, we should get together sometime.”
“Forget it. Right now I wish I could split myself into eight people just to get everything done.”
Chi Ying refused without hesitation.
She hadn’t seen those girls in years. Even when they’d lived together back then, they had never been particularly close. Sitting down for a meal together now would only feel awkward.
“I think so too. At a time like this, we’d better focus on what’s in front of us.”
Song Lin quickly let the matter drop.
“If we ever strike it rich, don’t forget each other.”
That depended on how deep the friendship had been in the first place.
…
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