Global Film Emperor

Chapter 130 A New Beginning
The atmosphere in the venue was cold. Most people watched the four return to the stage with blank expressions, while only a few seemed to be still immersed in the plot and looked thoughtful.

To be honest, Lu Ze never expected the film to be edited like this. It has deviated greatly from the script. This is because too much of the plot has been cut. If the plot were still connected as before, the whole movie would be fragmented and torn to pieces.

However, the way it's edited has led to difficulties in understanding for the audience. Most film critics are confused, not to mention ordinary people who don't make a living from filmmaking.

Seeing that the atmosphere at the scene was somewhat lukewarm, Zhuang Yu picked up the microphone and tapped it twice, making a thumping sound.

"Do any of you reporters have any further questions?"

It's absurd to think that a reporter is so impressed by a movie that they forget to ask questions; on the contrary, their enthusiasm is much higher than before the movie was shown.

Because the reporters all knew that this film might not achieve great success, and even breaking even was a question, but it would definitely become a hot topic of discussion in the industry and even among art-house film enthusiasts.

So why not conduct an interview? Quickly ask Zhuang Yu about his original intention in making this film, ask him what exactly caused this story to come about, add some details yourself, and leave it for film enthusiasts to analyze. That should attract some traffic, right?

So the reporters all focused on Zhuang Yu, asking him about the inspiration behind the scripts, the original intentions and ideas behind the filming, and a whole host of other things.

The three main actors could only listen to Zhuang Yu's interview with forced smiles. Of course, when reporters occasionally asked Lu Ze and the other two questions, Lu Ze answered them all to the best of his ability, giving concise and perfect answers.

Overall, the premiere was a great success. At noon, reporters and film critics were treated to a lavish meal at a hotel. They were paid to come and would be expected to write reviews and promote the film, so it was important to take good care of them.

As for the children, they were fine. Even when Lu Ze offered to let them have dinner at the hotel with the reporters as a treat, they quickly declined. No one would feel comfortable going like that.

"Lu Ze, your acting was fantastic! Although I didn't fully understand it, it seemed really impressive. I wish you great box office success!"

As the young girl left, she gave Lu Ze a very practical word of encouragement. Lu Ze smiled and said thank you. After watching them leave, only the four of them remained in the room.

"Well, it's finally over. Now we'll just have to leave the rest to fate. It's lunchtime, so let me treat you to lunch and we can chat over there."

Zhuang Yu glanced at his watch, wanting to treat Lu Ze and the other two to a meal, but Li Wei was the first to refuse.

"No thanks, Director Zhuang. My flight is at 3 PM, and I'm flying directly to Hengdian to film. I can't have this meal now; I'll pay for it later when we have some time to get together."

The timing was indeed a bit rushed, so Zhuang Yu didn't know what to say and could only nod, see Li Wei out, get into his car and leave. Wang Zhen also left shortly after, citing filming as the reason. He had taken leave today and had to film a night scene that evening.

After seeing Wang Zhen off, only Zhuang Yu and Lu Ze remained, so the dinner party naturally couldn't take place. The two returned to the venue and sat for a while, looking at the screen where the movie had already finished, feeling somewhat sentimental.

"You must have suffered a lot these past few days, right? You've gotten so much stronger."

Hearing Zhuang Yu's words, Lu Ze picked up the half-empty bottle of mineral water and drank it all. Then he blew a puff into the bottle, restoring the deflated bottle to its original shape, and shook his head.

"If you're getting paid, don't complain about how tough it is. It's a job, after all."

"You seem to have a pretty open-minded view. Before I entered this industry, I felt that being an actor was quite comfortable, except for the hardships of filming. But after seeing you, I don't think so anymore."

Lu Ze held the water bottle horizontally above his head, looking through the plastic bottle at the few remaining water droplets inside. He gently shook it a couple of times, making a rustling sound, then suddenly felt a little bored, threw the bottle on the table, and stood up.

"Every profession is tough, not just acting. I think actors have it pretty good. They're tired but they earn a lot, so it's only right. Anyway, I'm leaving now."

"Aren't you going to eat something before you leave?"

"I'm not eating anymore. The driver is still waiting outside. All the hard work I put in to build this physique would be wasted if I eat with you. Just give me a call after the first day's box office results are out. I'm leaving, Director Zhuang."

The two hugged, and Zhuang Yu saw Lu Ze to the door. After Lu Ze got into the car, he waved to Zhuang Yu. Liu Bin started the car and returned to the boxing gym. The official script for "The Boxing King" had been received, and Lu Ze was about to begin formal preparations for the new film.

At 8 PM, at Rongchuang Cinema.

"There are so few people." A couple walked into Hall 2. The girl glanced at the seats and saw that eight out of ten were empty. She seemed to prefer screenings with more people. Seeing that there were only a dozen or so people in the entire hall, she was a little disappointed. If it weren't for her boyfriend's preference, she wouldn't have watched this kind of arthouse film.

"It's an art film, so it's normal for there to be fewer people. I'm used to it. Let me check the seats. Here they are."

The boy comforted her, found a seat in the last row, put out popcorn and cola, and let his girlfriend sit down first. Judging from their thoughtfulness, they must be a couple who have just fallen in love.

The boy didn't actually like art films, and there was no anticipation for them in his eyes; instead, his gaze was filled with something strange.
It makes sense, really. In the pitch-black movie theater, in the last row where no one was around, the boy must have had some really wicked thoughts.

The couple settled into their seats. Advertisements were playing on the screen, and because the lights were still on, the other moviegoers weren't hushed, so the noise reached their ears.

"I don't know if it'll be interesting. It's a movie by a new director, so I guess it won't be very interesting."

"Yeah, and the lead actor is Lu Ze, right? I watched Qin Ming before, but I turned it off after less than one episode. He had a completely expressionless face the whole time, but his delivery of lines was still pretty good. I feel that if the lead role in this show is a bit more challenging, Lu Ze definitely wouldn't be able to handle it."

"That's hard to say, but my expectations aren't that high."

"You still have expectations? I'm prepared to leave if the movie is too bad and not watch it."

"Shh, it's starting, get ready to watch."

The boy was secretly pleased to hear the two men talking. He was actually hoping they would leave so that it would be best if they were alone in the movie theater. He wasn't going to leave anyway, because the girl wouldn't agree to go to a hotel. The only place he could have a chance to be intimate with her was in the movie theater.

From the beginning of the movie, the boy became increasingly unruly, constantly fidgeting with his hands. The girl didn't seem to mind much, just a little shy, and would slap the boy whenever he went too far.

"Stop messing around~ Don't you like watching movies? Then go watch one."

"But I like you more than the movie."

The two men behind were exchanging cheesy sweet nothings, while the two men in front were completely absorbed in the film, occasionally commenting on Lu Ze's acting and the movie's plot, and getting quite excited at the exciting parts.

Until the scene where the tree gets beaten up by its younger brother, Zhuang Yu gave art-house film fans a surprise. It's estimated that none of the art-house film fans expected that this movie would actually be so good.

But for the two people behind them, it wasn't a good movie. Before doing anything naughty, they had to observe the external environment, right? Although the two were touching each other, at least their eyes were on the screen.

"I'm a little reluctant to look at it because I don't understand it, and I'm also a little scared."

The girl suddenly grabbed the boy's hand and said weakly, "Because of fear, many things have lost their flavor." It wasn't that she disliked the boy's behavior; being handsy during the honeymoon phase is normal. It's just that she's lost interest now.

"But I'll miss you if you just go home like this."

"Then please stop moving, okay? I only came with you because you said you like watching art films. If you move again, I'm leaving."

The girl was genuinely angry, and he instantly became obedient. He did like the girl, even after setting aside lust; it was just that his hormones had clouded his judgment.

Her family would never agree to her living outside, so she'll stay wherever she can for as long as possible.

After the movie ended, the boy gave "Mr. Tree" a bad review. Boys at this age have the most active hormones, and they are also the most vengeful if anyone interferes with their sexual happiness.

On the contrary, the two guys in front, along with other scattered people who came out of Hall 2, were all talking enthusiastically about when the tree had started to go crazy, and about their praise for the plot and Lu Ze's acting skills.

Several people have already bought tickets for the second showing of Mr. Tree at 11 p.m., planning to watch it again.

(End of this chapter)