Chapter 69: Let's Watch Another Movie (Please Vote and Support)

The entertainment industry is a place where resources reign supreme. With resources comes exposure, and with exposure, naturally, there is buzz, discussion, and traffic. Without a continuous influx of resources, the intensity of exposure diminishes, and you can only slip quietly off the trending lists, overshadowed by other topics. After all, not everyone is like He Luoluo, who can make it to the trending searches just by drinking a glass of cold water.

An Chuxia’s popularity soared alongside the film “Youth With You.” During her debut, she never made it onto the trending searches, but this time, thanks to the new movie’s promotional campaign, she was featured several times. The director of “Youth With You,” Zorro, is a master of campus romance films, having produced several blockbuster youth romance movies. With the dual assurance of box office and reputation provided by Liang Chuan, “Youth With You” reached a fever pitch, second only to Shengshi Entertainment’s debut film “Guardian.”

Director Liang Chuan hails from Star Emperor Entertainment, one of the industry giants, and the promotional resources were maxed out. The cast consisted almost entirely of talented young actors. The reason Liang Chuan’s youth romance films receive both critical and commercial success lies in his meticulous casting of young actors. For important roles, he only selects those who have genuine talent and acting skills; the new generation of idols who bring their own traffic or invest in joining the cast can only play supporting parts.

For these traffic-driven idols, Liang Chuan specifically created a type of role within his films: a character that is crucial and indispensable in every aspect, yet with only a handful of scenes, most of which get cut further in post-production. This satisfies investors, ensures the film gets bought out by the idol’s fans, and still achieves respectable reviews. This maneuver is known in the industry as “Chuan-style filming.”

Even though many talentless traffic stars know their inclusion in Liang Chuan’s films is just to leverage their follower base for later promotion, they still scramble to join his projects. Liang Chuan’s youth romance films come with a guarantee of good reputation. If any idol participates in a critically acclaimed film, they can boast about it afterward, and their fans will have something solid to brag about. Both sides get what they want.

As the film’s release approached, Liang Chuan continued to lead the cast to various variety shows to promote the new movie. Among those under his wing was An Chuxia, who performed the film’s ending song.

During one program interview, An Chuxia was cornered by a reporter who asked, “What are your thoughts on the singer He Luoluo?”

At her debut, Brilliant Entertainment poured countless resources into An Chuxia’s first album, only to have it intercepted by independent musician He Luoluo, who succeeded without any promotional backing. Not only did this embarrass Brilliant Entertainment, it also left An Chuxia in the shadows, with many netizens labeling her a “flower vase”—someone with looks but no substance. Supported by one of the music industry’s giants, yet unable to surpass a complete unknown without any promotion, what else could she be but a flower vase?

Tall and elegant, An Chuxia’s expression stiffened noticeably at the question. He Luoluo was a lifelong wound: not only did he ruin her perfectly orchestrated debut, painstakingly prepared for half a year, but he nearly drove her into depression. Sometimes, despite flawless preparation and an attitude of absolute certainty, failure strikes unexpectedly. The more thorough the preparation, the greater the blow.

If the company hadn’t refused to give up on her and allowed her to sing the ending song for “Youth With You,” An Chuxia’s career might have ended for good.

Neither An Chuxia nor her manager Xu Li expected the reporter’s sudden question. It wasn’t that Xu Li was unprepared or lacked professionalism; rather, all reporters admitted through the program’s vetting process were from entertainment newspapers partnered with Xiang Province Television. Their questions should have focused on movie-related news, not anything that could bring negative coverage to the film—like An Chuxia’s debut being overshadowed by He Luoluo. The question came out of nowhere.

Nevertheless, An Chuxia’s professionalism shone through. Though she longed to have security escort the reporter out, her face quickly returned to normal. Smiling, she replied, “He Luoluo is very talented. I deeply admire Jia Bei, the lyricist and composer of ‘Dispel Sorrow.’ I hope we can collaborate someday.”

Jia Bei’s signing with Shengshi Entertainment hadn’t been made public yet, and companies across the industry were still trying to recruit him. Brilliant Entertainment, backing An Chuxia, was no exception.

After dealing with the persistent reporters, An Chuxia let out a long sigh. She’d been rushing from one promotional event to another, barely finding time to rest. Her haggard appearance could only be concealed by the makeup artist’s skillful hands. Returning to the hotel, she collapsed onto the soft, round bed, wishing for her mind to shut down and sleep until the world faded away.

Not long after, agent Zheng Ming and her assistant knocked and entered. Seeing An Chuxia nearly asleep, manager Xu Li gently said, “Today’s schedule is done. Tomorrow, you just need to attend the film premiere and participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.”

“Mm,” An Chuxia responded sleepily. “Sister Li, isn’t ‘Guardian’ also premiering tomorrow?”

She had been so busy promoting her film and new song that she hadn’t paid much attention to movies outside “Youth With You.” But “Guardian” was everywhere, its advertisements impossible to ignore, and its buzz easily eclipsing “Youth With You.” An Chuxia couldn’t help but notice.

Her ordinary-looking agent replied, “Yes, both are set to premiere on July second.”

The assistant, puzzled, asked, “Sister Li, why is ‘Youth With You’ releasing on the same day as ‘Guardian’? Shengshi Entertainment poured so many resources into that film—it’s trending even higher than ours.”

Isn’t this just asking for trouble? It was obvious that “Youth With You” couldn’t compete with “Guardian.” Despite having director Liang Chuan at the helm, talented young actors, and popular idols, it still couldn’t match “Guardian” in terms of cast. “Guardian” featured not only a film emperor but also several veteran actors and a new generation of skilled performers. Director Wen Shan was also a trusted name in the industry. Shengshi spared no expense in promotion, throwing every resource they had. From every angle, the assistant felt “Youth With You” should have avoided clashing with “Guardian.”

“We never intended to compete for first place,” Xu Li explained, smiling at the assistant. “Shengshi Entertainment invested a hundred million Summer coins in ‘Guardian’—a high-budget, large-scale production. Our ‘Youth With You’ only had a ten million investment. The two films differ in investment, genre, target audience, and expected outcomes.”

“Guardian” was Shengshi’s entry into the film industry—a stone cast to open new doors, aiming for the monthly box office crown. “Youth With You,” on the other hand, was the third installment in director Liang Chuan’s youth romance tetralogy, focused on maintaining reputation and winning awards. Each had different goals.

The formidable “Guardian” was a commercial film, which only highlighted the artistic atmosphere of “Youth With You,” helping Liang Chuan secure accolades. Lacking business acumen, the assistant couldn’t grasp any of this, making the question pointless.

…

July’s sign is Leo. July marks the start of the summer break—a time when the film industry is ablaze with competition. Countless production companies fight tooth and nail to secure a slot in the summer release schedule. Alongside the Spring Festival, the summer window is the hottest period in China.

Eight films released in July alone, with seven more lining up for August. A total of fifteen films would hit theaters during the summer break, all carefully selected elite productions. Dozens more were filtered out in the process.

At Kyoto University, the tall Lin Yu had already purchased two tickets to “Youth With You,” inviting her crush to watch the movie together. Campus romance films were perfect for heating up their feelings, leading to a successful hand-holding.

Arriving at the cinema, Lin Yu saw the packed auditorium and pouted slightly. So many people—it would be embarrassing to make a move. Thinking of what might happen later, her cheeks flushed as she stole a glance at her crush beside her.

He smiled, placing a huge bucket of popcorn between them.

Soon after, the movie began. Lin Yu and her crush munched on popcorn as they watched, their hands occasionally brushing as they reached into the bucket at the same time. Nervous anticipation filled the air, making Lin Yu’s almond-shaped face turn even redder.

The big screen lit up. The story opened with a pair of high school neighbors who grew up together—sharing everything from toddler years, kindergarten, elementary, middle school, and now high school. Not only were they schoolmates, they were classmates as well. Though childhood friends, they were also lively rivals, unable to go a day without bickering.

In their senior year, they found themselves in the same class again. One day, a transfer student suddenly joined the class. She was the male lead’s desk mate from middle school. The teacher arranged for her to sit beside him.

Old friends reunited, conversation flowed easily, and the transfer student had come specifically for the male lead. Their interactions increased, and since she was both pretty and academically strong, she began tutoring him during breaks.

Previously, the male lead spent every break joking around with the female lead. Now, the female lead grew angry and sullen, refusing to speak to him, even leaving school alone on her bike after class. Midway home, her tire burst, causing her to fall and scrape her leg.

Just as she was lost and helpless, the male lead arrived, sweating and out of breath, lifted her up, and ran a long distance before hailing a taxi to the hospital.

Lin Yu’s eyes sparkled—this childhood romance was something everyone yearns for.

At that moment, as she reached for popcorn, her hand fumbled, grasping nothing. Confused, she tried again, unexpectedly grabbing a large hand. Instantly, Lin Yu tensed, her mind going blank.

Who knows how long passed before she recovered and stole a glance at her crush, only to see her own right hand firmly held in his.

Gasp!

Lin Yu took a sharp breath.

Was it really this easy? So finding a partner was just like that? Her heart fluttered wildly, blooming with joy.

She watched the rest of the film intently, enjoying the sweetness.

As the movie neared its end, the protagonists finally confessed and embraced. An Chuxia’s ending song, “Embrace,” played, elevating the sweetness to its peak.

Lin Yu noticed couples throughout the auditorium hugging, and even heard soft kissing sounds behind her.

This was a public space—how daring could they be? Lin Yu stiffened, wondering if her crush would do the same.

But nothing happened. Her crush simply held her hand until the movie ended.

What was this feeling of disappointment? Lin Yu, freshly basking in romance, found herself acting oddly.

Soon, the movie concluded. The lights came on. Only then did Lin Yu realize that nearly everyone who came to see the film was part of a couple; only a few were pairs of girlfriends. Then again, maybe those weren’t girlfriends, but couples as well.

Gasp!

Lin Yu lowered her head, letting her crush lead her out by the hand.

Outside, many who had just exited the screening were still discussing the film.

“The leads were so sweet, I feel like I’ve been force-fed romance.”

“The male lead is so handsome, and the second female lead is gorgeous—I love her eyes.”

“I want to see it again.”

“Who played the female lead? I’m a fan now.”

“I heard this was shot at Lucheng No. 1 High School. Is that true?”

“No wonder Director Liang Chuan—he’s just amazing.”

“I think the ending song is beautiful.”

“This is definitely the drama of the year—so much romance from start to finish. Too bad there’s no way to rewatch yet; tickets are sold out.”

Everyone was talking about the movie, its plot, and the leads.

As Lin Yu and her crush left, a fresh wave of ticket holders passed by, heading in for the next showing.

Her crush checked his phone and said, “It’s still early. Why don’t we watch another movie?”

“Ah!” Lin Yu was stunned.

Wasn’t this the time to grab a meal or something? Her roommate had told her that’s how dates went.

Why was this so different?

Still dazed, Lin Yu replied, “But we don’t have tickets.”

Today was the premiere for several films in July, and tickets had sold out during presales. She’d gone through great lengths to snatch two tickets for “Youth With You.”

—

PS.
Will revise after posting.