Chapter 210: Release of "Double-Edged Sword"
Chapter 210
After the Spring Festival, it was March in the blink of an eye, and Lin Yuan suddenly had a burst of inspiration and wrote a song that he was satisfied with.
Whether it's due to too many distracting thoughts or some other reason, my creative process during this period has been less smooth than when I was writing "1895".
His life was quite monotonous; he basically stayed at home. Every time his agent came to see him, he would only see a disheveled Lin Yuan.
Feng Zeng: "..."
"I feel you need to hire an assistant."
Lin Yuan: "No need, just have a cleaning service come."
He was already lacking inspiration, and writing songs depended entirely on luck. With strangers around, Lin Yuan felt the pressure mounting, and he probably wouldn't be able to write anything at all.
The only good news is that he's no longer impetuous.
The latest song he wrote is called "Gentle Island". He may have been in a good mood, or he may have suddenly had a tender thought, which is why he chose such a title.
The music style is also very gentle.
Probably because... the weather was really nice that day.
The sky outside the window was an unbelievable blue, without a single cloud. In the distance, the bare trees of winter seemed to have suddenly regained their green. Sunlight mixed with the smell of dust drifted into the window, and a melody echoed in Lin Yuan's mind.
That melody, if it spread and spread, slowly became a song.
When Lin Yuan sings it, his voice unconsciously softens.
"At least there's been some progress," Feng Zeng comforted him. "Don't rush."
“I’ve never been in a hurry,” Lin Yuan said. “I always feel that seeing weather like this makes people want to love life.”
It can even evoke feelings of being moved or excited.
Lin Yuan had just finished expressing his feelings when he saw his agent staring blankly at him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Yuan asked curiously.
"I just think... he truly lives up to his reputation as an actor." Feng Zeng smiled slightly.
Lin Yuan's meticulousness while filming is also reflected in his real life, but it's not easily noticed.
"Sing this song?" the manager suggested.
Lin Yuan generously granted his request.
After Lin Yuan finished singing it once, his manager commented that this was indeed the gentlest song he had ever heard Lin Yuan sing.
Next, Lin Yuan can definitely develop in this direction.
...
Time passed slowly, and Lin Yuan updated his daily life less frequently. On the other hand, Lingdang became more and more mischievous. Now she has indeed learned to open the door. Fortunately, she is only a bully at home. When she sees other cats outside, she looks silly and just hides.
After raising the bell, Lin Yuan became even more certain—there are just too many ways for celebrities to make money.
He wore a T-shirt with bells printed on it during the Star Glory Video New Year's Eve show, and immediately a brand approached him, saying they wanted to collaborate with the bells to release a new product, on the condition that Lin Yuan would promote their new product.
The brand offered a high price, but Lin Yuan didn't agree. He could only sigh that if he were famous enough, even his cats could become worth a fortune.
This world is definitely too kind to celebrities.
"Don't talk to me like that, so resentful of the rich," the agent said. "You're already rich enough."
"Can't I even express a sigh?"
Before he knew it, it was April, and May was approaching. Lin Yuan was still living a life of doing nothing.
"Double Edge" has been officially scheduled for release on the first Friday of July.
"We didn't run into each other." Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief. "It seems the production team has high expectations for 'Double Blade'."
Generally speaking, movies that dare to be released in early July usually have a very high opinion of themselves.
"But thinking about it, it makes sense. With you and He Mian already here, why wouldn't you have confidence?"
Lin Yuan: "...Don't flatter me, thank you."
"Number one box office winner for a live-action film, Best Actor at the Walt Disney Awards, a grand slam of three major awards...aren't these all you?"
"Stop." Lin Yuan quickly stopped Yu Ying. "Don't do this shameful play, I can't take it."
"Double Blade" is Lin Yuan's only remaining work, so he has to participate in its promotion no matter what.
In May, Lin Yuan was still at home doing nothing, but by June, he had already felt the heat of the summer movie season.
As Yu Ying said, the competition during this year's summer movie season is indeed fierce.
In the week that "Double Edge" was released, four big-budget films were released on the same day, two of which had casts that were no less impressive than "Double Edge," with the lead actors being well-known A-list stars.
It's worth mentioning that, by now, almost all the movies scheduled for summer release have been officially announced, but Lin Yuan hasn't seen Chen Cong's name mentioned.
In his memory, Chen Cong was a regular during popular film seasons like the Spring Festival and summer holidays. Lin Yuan felt a little uncomfortable not seeing him.
“I also thought he would have a movie coming out this year,” He Mian said.
Lin Yuan asked his agent for information, and He Mian also asked his agent, and the result was—
"How could he have been returned?" Lin Yuan was quite curious.
"What else could it be? Another big flop." Feng Zeng looked at Lin Yuan. "Didn't you follow the Spring Festival film season this year?"
Lin Yuan shook his head.
He usually doesn't pay attention to these things unless he's in a movie, unless it's a movie his friend is in and he wants to share it to show his support, then he'll pay special attention.
“This time it was particularly disastrous,” Feng Zeng said. “I just can’t understand it. He clearly doesn’t have much audience appeal, so why did he have to be the lead in a big-budget film? Hasn’t he learned his lesson from the failure of ‘Eagle Soars to the Sky’?”
Chen Cong's approach is to star in low-budget films to win awards, and to play the second lead in high-budget films to earn box office revenue. Considering the balance between awards and box office, he would also favor films like "Grandpa's Courtyard".
Lin Yuan and He Mian both felt that the other party was being quite cunning.
But it must be said that this is indeed the safest and easiest route to success.
"Could it be that he has lost his mind?"
Feng shook his head and looked at Lin Yuan: "I think... it has something to do with you."
Lin Yuan pointed at himself: "Me?"
He can't bear the brunt of this huge burden.
“It’s because of ‘The Storm’,” the agent said. “He starred in a special effects disaster movie, which is said to be a Hollywood team with a very high production cost. The director is Samuel, but I don’t know why the movie turned out so poorly and the box office was also mediocre.”
Lin Yuan: "..."
"So this is... the route of 'Storm'?"
Sure enough, Chen Cong was still the Chen Cong he knew.
Because of the success of "The Storm," he knew the audience's acceptance of this subject matter, which gave him the courage to star in it.
"The cost was 800 million, and the box office was 290 million." Feng Zeng sighed. "You should calculate how much money was lost by watching this movie."
Lin Yuan: "..."
“Even if Chen Cong has a strong foundation, the person who supported him can’t make him work,” Feng Zeng said. “The 800 million yuan budget is definitely inflated, but even with a discount, it’s enough for this film to flop big.”
He guessed that Chen Cong still disapproved of Lin Yuan getting high box office returns.
When a person becomes obsessed with something, they will unknowingly lose their rationality.
Thanks to the sensationalism of marketing accounts, Chen Cong was made a laughing stock by Lin Yuan, which naturally made him resentful and eager to turn the tables.
"Does my achievement seem to have come very easily?" Lin Yuan couldn't help but ask.
"They just don't know," the agent said, silently patting Lin Yuan's head. "Don't take it to heart."
The promotion for "Double Edge" began in mid-June, with the main focus being on the two lead actors, He Mian and Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan discovered that he and He Mian were always together on the roadshow schedule. The production team would rather reduce the frequency of roadshows than not make sure that He Mian and Lin Yuan were together.
The two: "..."
He Mian rubbed his forehead: "Isn't the intention a little too obvious?"
"That's what I wanted to say too."
It's obvious they want to create a romantic pairing between the two of them.
Neither Lin Yuan nor He Mian currently have this idea.
Although there are many romantic moments in the plot of "Double Edge," both actors agree that their acting in the film is superior.
At the very least, the audience should see their breakthrough performances, rather than just focusing on the on-screen couple.
"Let's just take it one step at a time," He Mian said helplessly.
Lin Yuan could only nod in agreement.
As it turned out, both of them underestimated the enthusiasm of their fans.
As soon as the movie's promotional period began, fans dug up an old paparazzi photo that had captured the alleged affair long ago.
Lin Yuan and He Mian rubbed their foreheads at the same time: "We should have forgotten about it a long time ago, shouldn't we?"
It's been dug up again.
"Isn't this a dark history?"
However, even if it's a dark history, as long as fans are enthusiastic, it can greatly help the box office of "Double Edge".
Neither Lin Yuan nor He Mian could interfere, so they could only let the fans have their way.
However, taking advantage of the roadshow opportunity, Lin Yuan and He Mian shared their insights from this collaboration.
In He Mian's eyes, Lin Yuan has the great talent to be an actor, but his level of hard work surprised him even more.
In Lin Yuan's eyes, He Mian is also the kind of actor who never does things half-heartedly: "Sometimes I feel like he is fighting with the character."
Their words were full of appreciation for each other.
The relationships between celebrities are usually not judged by words, but rather by their eyes, expressions, and the most subtle body language.
There was absolutely no sense of unfamiliarity between Lin Yuan and He Mian.
It wasn't the kind of forced familiarity, but rather a natural and spontaneous expression of familiarity.
even--
“When Lin Yuan said he was struggling with the character, I felt He Mian was about to cry.”
"It must be that feeling of... meeting someone who truly understands you."
"He Mian has always been said to have become famous easily, not because of his strength, right? He has worked with so many actors before, and some of them have openly said that they envy him for having so many fans. In fact, he has worked hard."
"+1, Lin Yuan mentioned a lot of filming details, and He Mian seemed very happy."
"How could I not be happy? This collaboration was secured by He Mian, and Lin Yuan is such an outstanding actor. Who wouldn't be happy to be appreciated by someone like that?"
From the perspective of He Mian's fans, they can only feel the sincerity in Lin Yuan's words.
Others would also praise He Mian, but Lin Yuan gave so many details, without a trace of perfunctoriness. He didn't need to envy He Mian for having many fans, nor was he jealous of He Mian, which made people feel that these praises were so precious.
"They didn't even start tearing it apart..."
The billing order in "Double Blade" is also a point that netizens find quite interesting.
He Mian's name is above Lin Yuan's, which means that He Mian is the lead actor in the movie "Double Blade".
In terms of status, Lin Yuan has already surpassed He Mian.
Lin Yuan did not express any dissatisfaction, and the fans did not fight back at all; instead, everything was harmonious.
Lin Yuan participated in every single one of the promotional events for "Double Blade," demonstrating a high level of cooperation.
In short, the crew was incredibly harmonious, completely different from what outsiders predicted.
Even the marketing accounts don't know how Lin Yuan and He Mian managed to get along so well.
He Mian and Lin Yuan both experienced overnight fame and rushed to the top. The fierce battles they went through are well-known. Logically speaking, when two actors with such fierce battles meet, there should be at least a big fight. However, nothing happened between the two of them.
If there are so many interesting things to talk about at an event, then the movie itself must be even more captivating.
In mid-June, Double Edge released a set of trailers.
The background is dim, which inexplicably makes people feel cold. In the scene, a life-or-death crisis appears at the same time as the sound of bells and soothing water droplets.
As the camera zooms in, even the most subtle emotions of He Mian and Lin Yuan can be detected—their skin texture appears abnormal on their seemingly calm faces, as if they are twitching.
But you wouldn't notice it at all without careful observation.
The tense atmosphere lingered, making it hard to breathe.
—Never before in He Mian's many works has he shown such a delicate performance.
The scene shifts to another dark, rainy night.
First came the frantic roar of the heavy rain, the desperate gasps, and the heavy heartbeats like those of a wild beast. Then, a flash of white light appeared, and under the light of lightning, He Mian's pale face suddenly came into view.
On this rainy night, he transformed himself into a demon and began his revenge.
His face was filled with coldness, like a beast that had abandoned its humanity.
Next, the camera shifted to the two of them during their time at the police academy.
The two shared their dreams with each other, imagining how to change their current lives. Back then, the sky wasn't so gray and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.
But... when the harsh reality arrives, they have no choice but to face it, even if they don't want to.
They were just two pieces on the chessboard, incredibly insignificant.
The He Mian in the trailer for "Double Edge" seems to be a completely different person from the He Mian who bowed his head in praise by Lin Yuan at the movie's promotional event.
Even though the film crew had ample time to hone the actors and study their every expression and movement, He Mian's scenes were still unlike anything fans had ever seen before.
Both the director and Lin Yuan said that He Mian's performance in this film would shock everyone.
The trailer probably already gives us a glimpse into the details.
"expect!!!"
“There is another detail that has been overlooked – during the roadshow, Lin Yuan and He Mian both mentioned that they have scenes together in the movie, but this was not shown at all in the trailer.”
I want to go see it now!
"Oh my, when 'The Powerful Minister' aired, who would have thought that Lin Yuan would actually collaborate with He Mian?"
"In the top tier, it's like kings don't meet. They'll only cooperate when everyone's down on their luck. Seriously, Lin Yuan and He Mian didn't try to trip each other up, which is quite touching."
Many netizens are quite disgusted by the behavior of actors in the same production team fighting over billing order and comparing themselves to each other. With so many conflicts after the show airs, they might as well not take the role at all.
"Double Edge" thus garnered initial goodwill.
...
In the first week of the summer movie season, among the six new films, "Double Edge" is not the most expensive. The most expensive film is "The Battle of Tianya," a period fantasy film starring superstar Liu Yande, which features both big names like Liu Yande and several up-and-coming male actors.
However, these kinds of movies generally either make a huge profit or flop, with very few options in between.
Either the special effects and plot are so exciting that viewers feel they can't miss it, or it's so bad that it's appalling and receives a barrage of negative reviews online.
To be honest, this is a subject Lin Yuan wouldn't choose to tackle.
"I can't act either," He Mian said honestly.
The two chuckled – being frontline workers, their work inboxes were never short of scripts like this.
They are victims.
Objectively speaking, this type of subject matter accounts for about 30% of the scripts Lin Yuan received that had appalling plots.
More special effects mean less room for plot development.
The ability to tell a compelling story within a limited space is clearly a test of a screenwriter's skill.
However, the scripts Lin Yuan received often had thinner plots. The production team seemed to think that as long as the special effects were good enough, the audience would definitely come to watch.
They clearly think the audience is a bunch of idiots.
These kinds of production teams love to cast well-known actors, hoping to make up for the shortcomings of the plot with special effects and actors. Lin Yuan and He Mian are easy targets.
I just don't know how good this "Battle of the Ends of the Earth" will be.
"It's highly unlikely to work," Feng Zeng concluded definitively.
Lin Yuan glanced at him.
"During the economic crisis, Liu Yande lost a lot of money, and it is said that he is now accepting any script."
Lin Yuan: "...How do you know so much?"
"Everyone who needs to know knows, except for the audience."
Lin Yuan: "..."
He couldn't help but let out a moment of silence for the audience.
Moreover, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the ticket price for "The Battle of the Ends of the Earth" will not be too cheap.
However, among the six new films this week, the one with the best pre-sale performance is "Double Edge". Although Liu Yande is a recognized superstar, he is not currently at the peak of his popularity. In recent years, Lin Yuan and He Mian have been more popular.
Besides "The Battle of the Ends of the Earth," this week's release also includes the Hollywood film "Ghostbusters 3." The first two films performed well, especially the first one, which was a typical example of a small investment yielding a big return, and the producers made a lot of money.
In addition, there's a road movie, an animated film, and a sports film. Overall, there are several movies that are worth going to the cinema for.
Lin Yuan enjoys watching special effects movies in theaters, but he usually watches more artistic movies at home, taking the opportunity to analyze the actors' performances.
At first, he thought that "Double Edge" might not have an advantage in this release window, but after learning about the competitors, Lin Yuan felt that the competitors were not so scary.
"Ghostbusters 3" is a horror film, and its target audience is relatively small. Viewers are unlikely to bring their families to see it, which limits its box office potential.
The same applies to animated films.
However, on the Chinese film rankings, there happens to be an animated film ahead of "The Storm," so Lin Yuan can't be too sure of anything.
Anything is possible.
The only thing Lin Yuan was certain of was that "Double Blade" was not a bad movie.
...
[By the way, "Double Edge" has been released, but whose box office success is it?]
[They're so busy chasing results now, what if the movie flops? Who's going to take responsibility?]
[Let me state this here: regardless of whether it flops or makes a profit, the harmonious relationship between Lin Yuan and He Mian during the promotional period will definitely not be repeated.]
[What are they pretending for? They're the biggest fakes in the entire entertainment industry. They're clearly rivals in private, but they act like best buddies. Who believes that? They'll do anything to trick audiences into going to the movies. Do they think the audience is stupid?]
[+1+1.]
Absolutely, just wait and see.
The pre-sale results for "Double Edge" easily exceeded 100 million yuan. Even if the movie is not the kind of film that audiences like to watch, the appeal of Lin Yuan and He Mian is there, so the pre-sale data will not be bad.
Of the six new films, "Double Edge" got 20% of the screenings, which is neither good nor bad. "The End of the World" got more than 30% of the screenings, and "Ghostbusters 3" also got slightly more screenings than "Double Edge", but not by much.
These three films cut nearly three-quarters of the screenings, making the screenings of other new films look rather dismal.
There were no promotional events for the film crew that day, so Lin Yuan and He Mian made an appointment to go to the cinema together to watch the finished film.
"There are still more people watching 'The Battle of the Ends of the Earth'." Lin Yuan glanced around. "The screening schedule is also quite good."
The movie that came before "Double Edge" was "The Battle of the Ends of the Earth". There were quite a few people in the theater before, but after the tickets were checked, the number of people suddenly dropped by more than half.
"When they check the tickets for 'Double Edge' later, let's sneak over to 'The Battle of the Ends of the Earth' and take a look to see how the movie is going."
He Mian didn't speak, but glanced at Lin Yuan with a look that seemed to say, "Are you serious?"
"Just kidding." Lin Yuan gave an awkward smile. "I'll probably get dragged out later."
Many viewers are also waiting for "Double Edge".
Today happened to be a hot day in City A. The weather got hot very quickly. If he hadn't made plans with He Mian beforehand, he would have changed his mind and stayed home.
Summer is not a suitable season for disguise, and Lin Yuan and He Mian were both dressed in hats, sunglasses, and masks, looking extremely sleazy.
He Mian: "..."
He really wanted to tell Lin Yuan not to define himself like that.
...
Sangzi rushed to the 2 PM showing of "Double Edge." Today was a weekday, and she took advantage of the time off she had saved up to go to the movies with a friend.
Her friend liked He Mian, and the two hit it off immediately.
The two arrived at the movie theater right on time. In a few minutes, it would be time to check tickets. Sangzi hesitated between drinking a Coke and going to the milk tea shop next door to buy a cup of milk tea. As long as she could buy it within ten minutes, it shouldn't delay her from watching the movie.
Just then, her friend nudged her.
Sangzi was browsing the mini-program of a milk tea shop, struggling to decide what to order. She thought her friend had a specific type of drink she wanted and could just tell her directly, but unexpectedly, her friend pressed her even harder.
Sangzi turned her head in confusion.
Her friend lowered her voice and whispered in her ear, "Isn't that Lin Yuan over there? And isn't that He Mian next to him?"
"Is it too hot? Are you hallucinating?"
"What hallucination? Look!"
Sang Zi looked in the direction her friend was pointing. In a corner of the theater, two people were standing very conspicuous, the kind of conspicuous that couldn't be hidden even in the dark. The figure of one of them... well, she would recognize him even if he were ashes.
Sang Zi: "..."
What incredible luck!
I walked into a movie theater by chance, randomly selected a showing, and somehow ended up meeting someone in the vast sea of people. What else could this be but fate?
A minute later, Sangzi and her friend exchanged a glance and made a decisive move.
If she were alone, she probably wouldn't have had the courage to go up and take a photo, but now she's not alone.
If not now, when?
Choosing to take a day off today was a great decision.
Sang Zi suppressed the scream that was about to erupt, but even after entering the movie theater, she was still very emotional.
She was so lucky today!
Lin Yuan and He Mian's seats were right in front of her!! Directly in front of her!!!
It felt like she could touch Lin Yuan's hair if she just stretched her hand forward.
"How am I supposed to watch movies like this?" Sang Zi exclaimed.
My friend shared the same sentiment.
In short, both of them were in a daze, and at the beginning, they both felt that they probably wouldn't remember the plot of "Double Edge" today.
However, once the film started playing, the two of them found themselves unconsciously engrossed in it.
"Double Edge" is a story about an undercover agent, and judging from the gloomy sky, you can tell that this story has a sad undertone.
Shen Yuan and Ye Li tried to climb out of poverty and live the happy life they longed for, but they couldn't achieve their wish, and disaster still struck.
No matter how hard the two try, they are just wasted resources to those in power.
The two had no choice but to participate in the undercover mission assigned to them.
At first, Sang Zi was excited that Lin Yuan was sitting in the front row, but after the two of them were sent to become undercover agents to achieve certain people's goals, her heart sank.
She could already guess what kind of story the movie was going to tell next.
Why does a tragic ending always seem to fall on the character played by Lin Yuan?
This time, He Mian was added as well.
After joining the gang, although Shen Yuan and Ye Li completed many tasks as required by the boss, they were still suspected.
The moment the two were brought to the interrogation room, Sangzi even held her breath. She had a feeling that the boss would pull out a gun and make one of them splatter blood.
Fortunately, none of this happened.
But Sangzi was still deeply impressed by the light and shadow in the cage.
Having chosen to attend police academy and become police officers, Shen Yuan and Ye Li naturally hoped to bring bad guys to justice and imprison them. However, at this moment, although they were walking under the dazzling sunlight, their location was no different from that of a prison.
They should be the ones locking up others, but now... it seems like they're the ones being locked up.
After being suspected, their peaceful life did not last long.
Seeing the previous plot, Sang Zi knew that Shen Yuan and Ye Li had been sent over, which involved some shady deals, but the two of them were unaware of it and continued to live a life of walking a tightrope.
Crisis constantly plagued the two.
Sadness is one too.
This time, however, it wasn't the gang that inflicted sorrow on the two, but rather—
Shen Yuan burst into tears in the heavy rain.
He was soaked in the rain, and the vibrant smile on his face vanished. In the reflection of the lightning, he transformed into a Shen Yuan who had never appeared before.
He has completely transformed.
In the face of utter powerlessness and despair, Shen Yuan activated his self-protection mechanism.
At that moment, looking at He Mian on the screen, Sang Zi couldn't even suppress the urge to cry.
Even though the actor was sitting in front of her, the development of the story pulled her back from her distraction.
The despair Shen Yuan felt at that moment almost shook her heart, and like the heavy rain, it chilled her to the bone.
In Sang Zi's memory, He Mian was not an actor with such outstanding acting skills.
But at this moment, the other party was indeed exploding, and the sense of despair emanating from the character even permeated the entire theater.
Whether it was her imagination or not, Sangzi even heard sobbing sounds around her.
She noticed that Lin Yuan in the front row stretched out his fist in the darkness, and He Mian also stretched out his fist and lightly touched it with Lin Yuan's.
-----------------------
Author's Note: It's here!! [Sprinkling flowers]
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