Global Film Emperor

Chapter 456, "Exile," begins.

Wait a minute, let's rewind to one day ago.

Langfang.

"Xiaofei, have you packed your things?"

His mother's calls were still clear through the wall as he packed his belongings, but he only had a backpack, because this was a short trip that wasn't very far.

"almost."

With his power bank in hand, and making sure his bank card and train ticket were safely in his wallet, and most importantly, his ticket to the premiere of "Exile" was held close to his chest, he put on his coat, picked up his backpack, and walked out of the room. His father was waiting for him at the dining table. When he saw him come out, his father got up, picked up his car keys, and waited for him at the door.

The mother was a little worried, and had been worried for some time. She came out of the kitchen, wiped her hands with a rag, and cautiously offered a suggestion.

"Or... let me or your dad, either one of us, go with you. You can go in and see for yourself, and I'll wait for you outside. Is that alright?"

These words, full of a mother's love, did nothing to make him feel better; instead, they brought him a touch of bitterness. He turned his back to his mother, put on his shoes, tapped his toes on the ground, and placed his feet in the most comfortable position.

"No need, I'll be back tomorrow night. I'll call you as soon as I get to the capital, okay? Don't worry, Mom."

"Okay then, keep a close eye on the tickets, and don't lose them. Remember to lock the door when you stay in the hotel, and don't lose anything."

"I see."

Following his mother's instructions, he followed his father downstairs. There was no conversation in the elevator, and even in the passenger seat, there was no exchange. This didn't seem like the behavior of a young person before a trip; there was no excitement whatsoever.

He didn't chirp incessantly like a sparrow; he just kept his head down, playing on his phone, silently watching the messages from his friends in the group chat who were filled with envy and jealousy, because...

This was the last time he would ever be a fan of a celebrity.

I've liked Lu Ze since junior high school. As a boy, it's a bit hard to admit. I've liked him since I was fourteen, and I'm twenty-two now. A lot has happened during that time, but now, these stories are about to come to an imperfect end.

He wasn't sick; he was in good health. He was just about to graduate and would be entering the workforce in six months. Although this didn't stop him from continuing to like an actor, after so many things had happened, it was still somewhat sad to want to know about Lu Ze's current situation.

Why not just leave decisively, take this ticket to the premiere of "Exile" that I won in a lottery from an ancient fan group, fulfill my long-cherished wish to see my idol in person, and then go back to being a busy office worker?

"Call your mom when you get there, don't let her worry. Have fun these next couple of days and cheer up."

He carried his luggage, listened to his father's instructions, hummed in response, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and got up to leave. Suddenly, he heard his father call him. He turned to look at his father, but saw that his father looked hesitant and only said one sentence.

"It's alright, let's go."

He watched his son enter the station, took a video, and sent it to his wife. Even after his son disappeared from sight, he didn't leave. He sat in the car, took out the cigarettes he had secretly hidden, lit one, and didn't forget to open the window wider.

He understood why his son broke up with his girlfriend. After all, they were studying in different cities, and it was normal for their feelings to fade. Through his son's simple description, he roughly understood the situation. There was no dramatic third party involved that ruined their relationship. They simply proposed breaking up in a very ordinary way, and his son accepted it in a very ordinary way.

Although Xia Fei could accept it calmly, it didn't mean he wouldn't be sad. He knew his own son well enough. This child was actually a very sentimental person, and perhaps the girl was the one who truly took this relationship lightly.

Mindset is often a strange thing. We can usually accept being separated from someone we like, but it's hard to accept someone else being with someone we like.

He wanted to comfort his son, but he didn't know where to begin. Time had taught him many things, but it hadn't given him eloquent speech. In the end, he could only look at the movie theater next to the train station. It was here that Xia Fei had accompanied that girl named Xiao Yi to watch a movie, and it was here that he and his wife caught them red-handed.

In a daze, he seemed to see the boy holding the girl's hand, who had just finished watching "To Live" and was now coming out of the movie theater, looking at him with a silly expression. In the end, he could only sigh, open the ticketing app, and book two movie tickets for tomorrow, still for "Exile," still Lu Ze's movie.

……

When Xia Fei stood at the entrance of the golf club, he could hardly move his feet. Luxury cars, which he rarely saw before, filled every corner of his vision. For the first time, he truly realized what a high-end place was.

Even though the people getting out of the luxury cars weren't dressed formally, perhaps it was the aura of wealth that made Xia Fei feel a bit too unsophisticated.

Invited media personnel walked past me carrying their equipment, and I could hear them muttering things like, "Lu Ze really has a grand scheme," and "The scene is really impressive."

My phone kept vibrating; it was location messages from other fans who had won tickets. Since the tickets weren't for sale and were only given as a thank you to the fans, all the winners banded together, because there were no outsiders among the winners.

"Are you Xia Fei? I'm Su Bo, the one we chatted about in the group! Our tickets are next to each other, let's go together later."

The man in front of him wasn't one of their group members. Compared to the eloquent Su Bo, he seemed rather dull. After all, most of the winning fans were young women. But after exchanging greetings, he could only stand on the sidelines and watch as this man, who was almost thirty, mingled effortlessly among the group of girls.

The girls were all in their twenties or thirties, the youngest being eighteen, and there were no younger ones. After all, tickets were only drawn from the old fan group, and since the group no longer added new members, there were naturally no minors among those who liked Lu Ze.

They chatted excitedly and had already made plans to have dinner and sing karaoke together that evening. As adults, the girls naturally had high emotional intelligence and hadn't completely forgotten about Xia Fei, occasionally mentioning him in conversation, even though he was just a junior among them.

"Xia Fei, do you want to come with me? How about we go clubbing tonight?"

"No, I don't want to. My train ticket is for 5:30 this afternoon."

"That's a pity. But it's okay, there's always another time." After the last thing they could have talked about was cut off, he officially became an outsider. While they were commenting on the luxury cars, he was watching the media check in.

"We can go in now!"

He was left at the back, but Su Bo was waiting for him. Despite the fact that a boy was sitting next to him, he did not show any indifference but remained enthusiastic, which made Xia Fei's impression of him suddenly improve.

After his ticket was checked and stamped with an invisible mark visible only under ultraviolet light, followed by a security check, he could then freely tour the upscale private club without any hindrance.

Everyone took a group photo by the pond at the stadium, and then entered the banquet hall. Their seats weren't at the back, but they were positioned slightly to the side, with the same level of protocol as the media and guests. On the long table were thank-you notes signed by the members of "Exile," and the fans' IDs were also handwritten. This gesture truly warmed the hearts of the fans, and then everyone's movements became perfectly synchronized...

"Stuff it in your bag! Stuff it in your bag!"

The lights suddenly dimmed, eliciting cheers from the girls. Since this was not a formal occasion, the fans' actions instead won good-natured laughter from the other guests and media.

The waiter served each fan a dessert, a perk that no guest had ever received. The plates and forks were not disposable; they were formal dessert utensils. A knowledgeable girl glanced at the small chocolate swan logo next to the super-high-value cake and said to the girl next to her, "It's a black swan cake... Even the smallest cakes sell for several thousand. This one may not be big, but it should be worth three to five hundred. This is a steal."

As the Hermes of the dessert world, no girl can resist its beauty and taste. Seeing that they had all taken a bite, Xia Fei also took a bite. When it comes to food, especially ingredients, the difference between good and bad is particularly obvious on the tongue. This is definitely the best dessert Xia Fei has ever eaten, without a doubt.

The door was opened again, initially without attracting anyone's attention, until a girl suddenly screamed, drawing everyone's attention.

"Isn't that Lu Ze?"

"Where? Where?"

With a flick of their fingers, everyone saw that it was indeed Lu Ze, dressed in a sharp suit, and another middle-aged man, each helping an elderly man into the venue. Many guests in front of them stood up to greet the three of them, which also made fans who knew Lu Ze's background know who the elderly man was.

"Is that Master Lu Ze and his wife?"

"Yes, I have seen Teacher Chen's photo."

Originally, Lu Ze didn't want the old couple to come, as they were too noisy. However, Grandpa Chen insisted on coming, so Lu Ze had no choice but to help them to the head seats with his second brother. After waving to the fans, he went backstage.

"Brother Lu is so handsome!"

I love it!

The girls around him started to swoon over him, and Xia Tian didn't deny it either. Seeing Lu Ze's splendid success, as a ten-year fan, he felt proud as well. He especially liked Lu Ze. However, his first girlfriend also liked Lu Ze, which was why he was sad. Lu Ze was the origin of his once beautiful relationship.

Amid cheers, the main creators took to the stage. As the host introduced them, he didn't hold back his applause, and he burst into laughter when Mickey led the way in abstracting the characters.

The funniest moment came during the quiz segment, where the host handed out whiteboards to everyone and asked them to describe their impressions of Lu Ze. As a result, except for Fanny, all six people wrote down the same words.

"Boring."

"Old-fashioned".

Autism.

Wait a minute… Mickey seems to have written a bad word. Instantly, a pair of hostile eyes met his gaze. He pouted, hugged the whiteboard to his chest, gave an awkward smile, and tilted his head at the host: “Can I rewrite it?”

To be honest, Mickey is indeed a meme-creating master. Maybe tomorrow Lu Ze will be labeled an autistic person.

The next part of the process involved everyone sharing their thoughts and expectations for "Exile," giving the media enough material for their articles. Finally, the director gave a speech, thanking the guests present. Lu Ze did not speak again and left the stage with the group, but sat alone on his master's right.

The dim lights have now been completely turned off. The large screen slowly descends, and a green low screen illuminates it. A golden dragon travels through the screen and finally stops in the red square in the very center, displaying publication number 0002.

A small hand appears on the screen, attempting to piece together a puzzle. After moving it three times, it manages to create a complete Earth. Suddenly, the camera drops, and the Earth puzzle transforms into a real Earth. A shooting star streaks across the sky, drawing a silver line in the middle of the Earth. Finally, the image pauses, and text appears.

Universal Brothers Pictures.

"Exile," Lu Ze's first film to be released since his return to theaters, is highly anticipated.

The show is now officially starting.

"..."

Currently, there are no outstanding debts.

No update tonight.

I will start writing "Exile" tomorrow night.

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(End of this chapter)