Chapter 40. The Moment of Reunion—
After seeing the assistant director off, Xia Chan returned to the staff room in the back hall alone and sat there for a very long time.
Du Na and the others assumed she was tired, so they wisely left the room without disturbing her, leaving her alone.
Xia Chan sat there quietly from dusk until nightfall.
The neon lights outside the window gradually lit up, and the shop signs along the street lit up. She stared at a clear and handsome face on the billboard in silence for a long time.
The renovation of the banquet hall and suites took a total of seven days.
Seven days later, the production team of "The Boundary Line" planned to hold a pre-production press conference in the banquet hall of Tianze Store. This was the first time that they had invited major media outlets and fans to participate in interviews and promotional activities before filming began.
Director Wang Yue and the main actors will be present at the press conference.
At that time, there will be many people and a variety of customers, so fans and ordinary customers will have to be separated. The entire front hall will be divided into two groups and will be spinning like a top.
Xia Chan originally assigned herself to handle the regular customer section, but Du Na and Yu Lianxin were so busy and overwhelmed after managing the guests a few times that they had to ask Xia Chan to step in.
Helpless, she had no choice but to switch places with Yu Lianxin and go to the banquet hall.
They first dealt with the arriving media and fans, and then waited at the door for the film crew.
During their free time, Duna and a few other young girls from the front office chatted together.
"Hey, I heard... the lead actors in Director Wang's film this time are Sang Ning and Lu Sheng!"
"Yes! Lu Sheng's fan club only announced it yesterday! They kept it so secret... I can finally see Lu Sheng this time!"
"However, yesterday a marketing account revealed that the surprise in 'The Internationale' isn't Lu Sheng, but someone else that no one would expect! It's like opening a blind box, making everyone quite curious..."
"Who is it? Who is it...?"
Xia Chan overheard something, seemingly casually, but her expression remained unchanged as she slightly pursed her lips.
When a trailer belonging to the film crew stopped in front of the hotel building, two figures got out of the vehicle one after the other, with the help of their assistants.
This immediately drew shouts from the fans nearby.
"Ahhh, Sang Ning! Sang Ning!"
"Lu Sheng! Lu Sheng!"
"Sang Ning's mom loves you!!"
Many fans held up support signs and pushed forward, while the celebrity's bodyguards and hotel security guards also stepped forward to maintain order.
After they finally managed to squeeze through the crowd, Xia Chan and several front office colleagues led them into the elevator.
Then another private RV stopped behind theirs, and another figure got out, surrounded by assistants.
He was wearing a light blue shirt, white trousers, a white face mask, and a black fisherman's hat;
Although her face was not clearly visible, the moment her figure appeared, it elicited screams from the fans at the scene.
"Ahhh, the sunken boat crosses the river!"
"It's the Sunken Boat Ferry!!"
"Sunken boat crossing! Sunken boat crossing!"
Duna and several other girls from the front office were also slightly surprised, and they couldn't help but look at each other with delight and discussion.
"It's actually the Sunken Boat Ferry!"
"Shenzhoudu actually took on a role?"
"Ahhh, the sunken boat crossing! The sunken boat crossing!!"
Xia Chan's face turned deathly pale in that instant. She stared at him blankly through the surging fans and bodyguards. After a long while, as he walked through the crowd and entered the elevator, she quietly stood behind Du Na and turned her face slightly away.
Xia Chan had considered the possibility of meeting Shen Zhoudu again someday. She just hadn't imagined it would happen in this setting, on this day.
Modern technology and networks seem to make everyone nowhere to hide, and also bring everyone incredibly close together.
She had long thought that perhaps one day he would find her, and then suddenly appear before her, meeting her startled eyes with his usual gentle smile, "Hi, long time no see."
Back then, when she ordered Siyi and Huangmao to delete him, he went crazy, adding them all and calling her from all sorts of unfamiliar numbers.
Several times, Siyi and Huangmaola were so reluctant to accept Chenzhoudu's verification requests that they begged her to let them through. She could sense the urgency and helplessness in his obsessive and crazy behavior.
It wasn't that I wasn't moved or felt reluctant;
But her emotions will always be defeated by reason.
Some things in this world are simply impossible, no matter how much you try to explain them.
She didn't want to waste time and energy betting on any tiny possibility.
A dream is just a dream. No matter how beautiful the dream is, you have to wake up when it's time to wake up. And she will never let herself be trapped in a dream world.
That day, when she saw his name on the notice, she knew that the scene she had imagined countless times over the years might finally come to pass.
Even after countless attempts to build her life, when he suddenly appeared before her, bridging the gap of years and the screen, she instinctively went blank and tried to avoid him.
Inside the banquet hall, various media outlets sat in the front row, their cameras and microphones aimed at the stage, while fans sat in the back row holding up colorful support lights.
The support color for the "Sinking Boat Crossing" is light blue, a pure blue like the sky. Surprisingly, it doesn't look inferior at all when mixed between the two main actors, as if it supports a small piece of free sky in a field of red flowers.
Director Wang Yue first thanked all the media and guests present today, and then chatted with everyone in a casual manner.
After the grand opening ceremony, it was time for a Q&A session with the media. Various media outlets eagerly began asking questions.
"Director Wang, I'd like to ask where the inspiration for your new work came from? How many awards are you aiming for with this film?"
"I'd like to ask Professor Sang Ning and Professor Lu Sheng, what new thoughts do you have about each other this time?"
"I'd like to ask Mr. Shen Zhoudu, you rarely take on acting roles, but this time you accepted Director Wang's film 'The Dayline.' Was it the script that moved you, or was there some other reason? Are you planning to enter the entertainment industry in the future?"
As soon as a reporter finished asking a question, a cheer from the audience for "Chenzhoudu" immediately erupted.
Xia Chan stood in a corner of the banquet hall, looking at the stage. She was almost invisible because of the shadows cast by the lights.
Chen Zhoudu smiled and stood up to take the microphone. His face was already made up, and the clean and simple makeup made him look exceptionally handsome and refined.
This drew cheers from the fans below.
Shen Zhoudu said, "I just feel that this character is very similar to myself."
His voice sounded exceptionally clear and deep through the microphone, and Xia Chan gazed at him silently.
Could you elaborate?
He sought Wang Yue's opinion, and after receiving Wang Yue's agreement, he smiled at everyone and said, "The International Date Line, in the real geographical concept, is the meridian used for changing the date, and it is also the boundary between 0 o'clock and 24 o'clock. From west to east, the date decreases by one day; from east to west, the date increases by one day."
“In this story, some people live in ‘yesterday’, some choose to chase ‘tomorrow’, but only the character Yi is always on the dayline, unable to go back to the past yesterday, and unable to move towards the future tomorrow.”
The character he plays in the drama is called One.
"So he could only keep himself on this line forever, constantly chasing after that yesterday that could never be returned to. He kept searching and persisting, so he never crossed that line."
Xia Chan stared intently at the stage, her fingers unconsciously clenching. The reporter then asked, "Are you also searching for something?"
This time, Shen Zhoudu avoided the main point and didn't answer. Instead, he smiled and said, "Please continue to support our film and television works in the future, such as 'The International Date Line'."
Her smile drew another round of excited shouts from the fans. Even Xia Chan's colleague, who had previously said she liked Chen Zhoudu, couldn't help but squeeze her hand in excitement.
Xia Chan could only smile at her.
Towards the end of the press conference that day, a media outlet suggested, "Director Wang, let's all take a group photo!"
Wang Yue readily agreed and encouraged everyone to stand together and take photos with wide-angle cameras.
Suddenly, a fanatical male fan rushed onto the stage and towards Sang Ning amidst the crowd.
"Sang Ning! I love you!"
Bang!
Sang Ning was thrown backwards by his embrace!
The incident happened suddenly and unexpectedly. Before anyone could react, the person was tackled to the ground by Lu Sheng, Shen Zhoudu, and several others. Then, a chaotic commotion and screams erupted from the stage.
The fans below were also shocked and immediately rushed forward, asking what was going on.
Xia Chan was shocked and quickly pressed her earpiece to call for help, shouting "Security! Security!" as she rushed towards the stage.
The situation in the hall had become chaotic at this moment. Some of Sang Ning's fans were frantically pushing and shouting to see how she was doing, while others were trying to rush forward in the chaos.
Hotel security guards and celebrity bodyguards were blocking the way, and arguments and reprimands broke out in a chaotic scene.
"Don't push! Don't push!"
"Step back! Don't push!"
Xia Chan and several front-of-house staff managed to squeeze into the inner ring of the crowd. The fan from before was being held down by two bodyguards and was still shouting wildly:
"Sang Ning! I love you! Marry me!"
"Sang Ning——"
Sang Ning was clearly quite frightened and was being comforted by Wang Yue, Shen Zhoudu, Lu Sheng, and the others.
Just as Xia Chan was about to go over to offer condolences on behalf of the hotel, a media person carrying a camera was suddenly pushed forward by the crowd behind them, and the camera was about to smash into someone's back—
"careful!"
The camera was pointed directly at Chenzhoudu. Xia Chan cried out in surprise and instinctively stepped between the camera and him.
Hearing the commotion, Chen Zhoudu turned around and saw the figure blocking his way. He instinctively grabbed her shoulder and moved aside.
Two bodyguards quickly stepped forward to stop the camera and steady the person carrying it. Chen Zhou and Xia Chan, however, stumbled a few steps to the side due to inertia and almost fell.
"Hug..." After barely managing to stand, Chen Zhoudu hurriedly raised his eyes, about to apologize.
Xia Chan also hurriedly raised her eyes, her gaze meeting a pair of brown eyes.
The two locked eyes.
In an instant... all the chaos ceased, and all sounds seemed to have vanished.
Only the alleyways, the cicadas' chirping, the rooftops, the stars… a unique blend of elements belonging to a particular summer day seemed to be suddenly awakened by something. So close, yet so far, like a dream. It pierced deep into the heart, from the eyes. A long, stunned silence lingered between them.
That instant.
The International Date Line crosses 0:00.
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Author's Note: We're reunited!! [Sprinkling flowers]
Thank you "夏络艺德" and "pomelo" for the nutrient solution! Thank you, love you both! [Sprinkling flowers]
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