I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 85 New Year
In the beginning of the film "Red Cliff", the role of Zhou Yu was to be played by Zhou Runfa. However, before filming, Zhou Runfa listed more than 80 conditions for taking the role.

The investors felt he was being arrogant and eventually fired him. Zhou Runfa responded, saying that he quit because the production team kept not providing him with the script, and that he didn't want to damage his friendship with director Wu Baige because of this.

When the "Red Cliff" crew exposed Zhou Runfa's diva-like behavior, netizens criticized him, since Zhou Runfa's popularity was entirely due to Wu Baige's "A Better Tomorrow".

Now that he's famous, he's started acting like a big shot. People like that are definitely not well-liked.

Although Zhou Runfa came out to explain, very few people believed him.

But at this moment, Cheng Sheng believed it.

Zhou Runfa may have questionable personal ethics, but if we accept what he said, then we really can't blame him.

Not showing them the script is clearly a way of fooling people.

Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, Chow Yun-fat must know some of the dirty tricks inside.

Clearly, he had been fooled by Wu Baige before, which is why he was on guard. Therefore, he would not easily agree to star in "Red Cliff" before seeing the script.

Fortunately, Chow Yun-fat didn't agree, otherwise he would probably have made another bad movie.

Cheng Sheng saw the post Wu Baige sent featuring Zhao, who played Sun Shangxiang.

He smiled inwardly; Wu Baige was really good at conning people.

Even a shrewd person like Zhao can be fooled.

However, Cheng Sheng did not feel wronged for Zhao; on the contrary, he wanted to applaud.

After all, Zhao isn't a good person either.

Zhao appears to be the female lead in "Red Cliff," but her screen time in the movie is similar to that of Lin Chih-lin, who plays Xiao Qiao. At that time, Lin Chih-lin had never acted in a movie or TV series before, which shows Wu Baige's attempt to put her down.

It's worth noting that Zhao is currently a very popular A-list actress in mainland China.

This is to get Zhao to elevate Lin Chih-lin's status!
If Zhao knew, he would probably be furious.

With public opinion reaching this point, the media expected Cheng Sheng to retaliate, but Cheng Sheng didn't retaliate at all, as if he hadn't even released a single message.

Many people thought Cheng Sheng was scared and mocked him online.

Wasn't Cheng Sheng very arrogant? How come he suddenly became so subdued?

[At least Cheng Sheng is sensible. If he dares to spout nonsense again, he's truly beyond saving.]

[The five directors are awesome! They just released the cast information for "Red Cliff," and Cheng Sheng was so scared he hid.]

[Wu Baige vs. Cheng Sheng, Wu Baige wins this game.]

I initially had high hopes for Director Cheng, after all, "The Origins of the Tang Dynasty" was truly a classic. Now it seems that this was Director Cheng's swan song.

[Director Cheng, if *Three Kingdoms* can't beat Wu Baige's *Red Cliff*, why not make a sequel to *The Tang Dynasty*? I'm still waiting to see Li Shimin's reign of Zhenguan!]

【…】

Despite the uproar online, Cheng Sheng paid no attention. He spent his days either helping his parents with chores at home or going out to play with his childhood friends.

Time flew by and the New Year arrived.

Three o'clock in the evening.

Cheng Sheng helped his mother carry the food for the ancestral worship to the ancestral hall.

My hometown is called Chengjia Village. Eighty percent of the villagers are surnamed Cheng, and they all share the same ancestor.

Every year during the Lunar New Year, families would prepare several dishes around noon and then take them to the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors.

Afterwards, they burn paper money. After burning the paper money, the villagers light incense and worship their ancestors. After the worship, once the firecrackers have finished, everyone takes the food offered to the ancestors back home, stir-fries it again, and it becomes the New Year's Eve dinner.

From hanging lanterns and pasting Spring Festival couplets to setting off fireworks and firecrackers and having New Year's Eve dinner, all these activities filled the village with a strong festive atmosphere during the Spring Festival.

As night falls, every household becomes even more lively, with the rousing sounds of gongs and drums, the crackling of firecrackers, and the joyful laughter of children after setting off fireworks.

After having New Year's Eve dinner with his parents, Cheng Sheng gave them his blessings and a large red envelope before stepping outside to enjoy the joyful atmosphere of the village.

From another memory, Cheng Sheng knew that the 'New Year's flavor' would gradually fade in the future.

Nowadays, people can only enjoy some rare delicacies during the Spring Festival. However, in the future, many people will eat similar dishes during the Spring Festival to their daily meals.

In the past, New Year's goods were made at home, with every household busy making salted meat, rice cakes, dried fish slices, and so on. However, in the future, many people will be used to buying ready-made New Year's goods from supermarkets, and the handmade New Year's flavor will disappear as a result.

Listening to the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers around him, Cheng Sheng thought of the future ban, which had robbed the 'sounds' of much of their color during the Spring Festival.

Many cities have banned fireworks for safety and environmental reasons. The sound of firecrackers no longer echoes through the streets and alleys, and the traditional "New Year's flavor" has also disappeared.

Many traditional Spring Festival activities, such as large-scale family gatherings and outings, have gradually been replaced by modern forms of entertainment. In particular, young people prefer to travel during the holidays rather than return to their hometowns to reunite with their families.

As a result, the "traditional flavor" of the Spring Festival is gradually being replaced by modern lifestyles.

Cheng Sheng still prefers the 'traditional' Spring Festival.

After taking a stroll around the village, and seeing that the Spring Festival Gala was about to start, Cheng Sheng returned home to watch the Gala with his parents.

Watching the Spring Festival Gala is one of the few forms of entertainment available in the village.

Cheng Sheng chatted with his parents for a while, and then the Spring Festival Gala began.

The first program of this year's Spring Festival Gala is "Blessing Spring," performed by Jie Xiaodong, Mei Ting, Liu Mei, Huang Yi, Chen Hao, and others.

The program, a 4-minute and 25-second opening song and dance, showcases the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival through cheerful melodies and dances, serving as the starting point for the entire gala.

Ring ring ring!
Just after watching the program, Cheng Sheng's phone rang.

"Whose is it?" Mr. Cheng asked in surprise.

"It's someone from the previous film crew. They must be calling to wish me a Happy New Year. The TV is too loud, so I'll go outside to answer it."

Cheng Sheng told his parents and then went to his room.

The message reads: "Changchang, Happy New Year."

Happy New Year, Director Cheng.

The caller was Su Chang, who sweetly congratulated Cheng Sheng.

"You're not watching the Spring Festival Gala on New Year's Eve, so why are you calling me?" Cheng Sheng said with a smile.

"I'm at my godmother's house, and I happen to have some free time right now, so I'm calling to wish you a Happy New Year."

Two days before the Lunar New Year, the main creators of "The Great Tang Dynasty" finally finished their trip to Xiao Rizi Kingdom and were able to return home to spend the New Year with their families.

Unfortunately, Su Chang has no family left and used to spend the Spring Festival alone. This year, she was invited by Liu Yifei to spend the Spring Festival at her home.

“Director Cheng, I have Yifei and my godmother with me. They also want to wish you a Happy New Year,” Su Chang said.

"Okay!"

"Happy New Year, Director Cheng. I wish you all the best for your new film next year."

A different, more mature female voice came through the phone; this must be Liu Xiaoli.

(End of this chapter)