In the dimly lit cinema, the nervous people included not only the main creative team, but also the fans of the actors who came to watch the premiere.
Among domestic films of the same period, the pre-sale box office of "Time Bargain" was almost at the bottom, and the screening rate of theaters across the country was less than 10%.
It can be said that it is the least favored movie among the New Year's Day movies.
If the next feature film is still of low or medium quality, then the box office prospects of this movie will be over.
Ji Li's fans sat in their seats, their eyes fixed on the big screen in front of them. It was a cold December, but they were so nervous that their palms were sweating.
Strictly speaking, "Time Lobbyist" is Ji Li's third film and television work since his debut.
Ji Li became famous for his roles as Song Zhao and Xie Yan, but the entertainment industry is a place where updates happen very quickly, and popularity is a luxury that is consumable.
Once an actor does not have continuous exposure of his works, he will easily be eliminated by the market.
During the past few months when Ji Li was hiding away filming, various statistics on Weibo have declined. In fact, his die-hard fans are waiting for him to become popular again with his new movie.
After all, as long as this movie is successful, the box office results can still be directly linked to Ji Li!
"Please, please, you must give your strength."
"Please, if this movie really fails, Jilizizi will definitely be the one who is ridiculed the most by the outside world."
After all, when Ji Li was at his most popular, he was called the "top star reserve" by the outside world, so he must not "crash" halfway!
Fang Yue heard some discussions coming from around her, apparently from two fans of the Ji family.
She still couldn't help herself, hiding her CP fan attribute and said, "No, we have to believe in Jili, he has never let us down."
Even if he is only the third male lead in the movie, and even if the current pre-sale box office is poor, he will definitely make a comeback and become a dark horse for the outside world to see!
Ji Li has this kind of physique that makes him popular overnight!
“That’s right!”
The three star-chasing girls looked at each other, and the nervousness in their hearts dissipated at the same time. They were suddenly full of anticipation for the next movie.
Since his debut, Ji Li has encountered many setbacks, but he has always been able to become more courageous and turn adversity into success.
This time, he will surely be able to stage a comeback!
After a series of film and television company credits, the movie finally officially began playing.
From the very beginning, there is a depressing and tragic tone.
The heavy rain hit thousands of tombstones, as if singing a tragic song of fate.
The black umbrellas gathered in the camera lens fluttered in panic. The guests who came to pay their respects were frightened and were fleeing in panic.
Suddenly, a thin figure was trying to push the crowd away, "Make way! Everyone, make way!"
Those few simple words were a throat-wrenching plea, and the desperate cry hidden within immediately attracted everyone's attention.
The camera turned 180 degrees, revealing the face of the person coming, who was Xiang Sui'an played by Ji Li.
The first character shot in the movie is not of the male or female protagonist, nor the second male or female protagonist, but of the third male protagonist, Ji Li?
However, before Ji Li's fans could feel pleasantly surprised, they were shocked by the change in the other party's eyes.
From disbelief at first, it eventually turned into despair.
The slightly dimmed eyes revealed the character's inner emotions and infected everyone present!
Such a change only takes five or six seconds.
This acting is so awesome!
This empathy ability is so strong!
"What's going on? What happened?" Just as questions like these popped up in everyone's mind, the following scene gave them the answers -
Right in front of Xiang Sui'an, the male protagonist Cheng Yu, played by Feng Cheng, had cold hatred in his eyes and a bloody knife in his hand.
——Tick-tock.
The camera moves downward following the blood drops.
Cheng Yu was stepping hard on a man in a suit who had fallen to the ground. The man was begging weakly, and blood was gushing out of his stabbed abdomen.
Under the scouring of heavy rain, the flowing blood opened up a magnificent and sad picture in front of the tombstone.
It was not until this time that the four big words of the movie title "Time Lobbyist" appeared on the screen.
Everyone held their breath at the same time, and the shock and curiosity in their hearts were infinitely magnified after this opening scene.
Blood at the beginning?
Where can I find how youth movies are performed? It’s exciting, so exciting!
"Oh my god, isn't this a youth movie? Why is it opening like this?"
"What's going on between Ji Li and Feng Cheng's characters? I didn't see this scene in the trailer before!"
"So exciting! This movie must be very interesting!"
Light discussions arose from all directions. After the atmosphere created and laid the groundwork at the beginning, everyone's expectations and curiosity about the movie were fully aroused.
Wang Zhang, who was sitting in the first row, heard the commotion behind him and curled his lips in satisfaction.
Just wait, the fun has just begun!
The screen suddenly flashed white, and Xiang Sui'an struggled out of bed and woke up. He looked at the calendar on the wall and murmured miserably, "...Is it starting again?"
The gears of fate turned back, and time froze back to seven years ago.
“Is this a flashback shooting technique?”
"Is it reincarnation?"
Everyone was speculating, but they had to suppress their curiosity and continue reading.
Based on past market experience, if a youth drama wants to become a big hit, being pleasing to the eye is still an extremely critical factor.
In this regard, the casting of the movie is still very reliable.
As the male trio of Feng Cheng, Wei Lai and Ji Li appeared on stage, enthusiastic cheers from female fans rang out in the theater.
So handsome! So handsome!
The unruly school bully, the taciturn academic genius, and the well-behaved and gentle good student, three handsome guys of different types, standing together is a pleasure to watch.
Someone shouted in agony, "Damn it, why were there only ugly guys in my school days! If only there was one handsome guy who belonged to me!"
This sentence immediately triggered laughter from the star-chasing girls.
“Who wouldn’t want to?”
"I don't ask for much, just look like Ji Li! My sister's little cutie, my mother's treasure..."
When Ji Li heard these remarks, he couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips, but his eyes were still focused on the big screen.
Soon, the story reached its first climax - when Xiang Sui'an returned home from school, he saw his stepfather brutally torturing his mother with domestic violence.
As soon as veteran actor Wei Guofu appeared on the screen, many viewers gasped.
Help!
Childhood shadow is coming!
Why is Mr. Wei playing a domestic violence man again?
Not only that, everyone was also pleasantly surprised to find that the actress who played Xiang’s mother was actually the film queen Song Chenxing?
What’s going on with the crew’s publicity?
There are so many big names! Why wasn’t it promoted well before!
The fans' puzzled thoughts had just arisen when they were interrupted by a voice coming from the movie.
Suppressed sobs, explosive curses, and the sound of belts whipping each time... The collaboration between the powerful actors Wei Guofu and Song Chenxing immediately brought the audience into the horrific atmosphere of "domestic violence."
Under Xiang's mother's weak plea, Xiang Sui'an struggled and hesitated for a moment, then quickly returned to his room, closed and locked the door.
A new round of beatings could be heard outside, but he sat at his desk indifferently, like a stranger who was not involved in the whole process.
Such an indifferent attitude made many viewers frown.
Xiang Sui'an, what's wrong with you?
That's your mother! She is now tied up and beaten by the beast! Shouldn't you go save her? Go quickly!
Wang Peng, who was sitting in the guest seat, saw this scene and thought he had found the perfect material for "criticism".
Tsk tsk, Ji Li is no good. Just based on his expressionless and wooden acting skills, how could they have touted him as the new generation of acting talent?
That’s right, with two veteran actors competing against each other, there’s no way a young guy like him can keep up!
Then you can criticize his acting skills in the film reviews!
With such disgusting thoughts in mind, Wang Peng continued to watch the following plot with a critical attitude.
Xiang Sui sat quietly at the table and silently took out his test paper. He pressed the curled corner with his palm, but his shoulders trembled unnaturally.
The fragile test paper was suddenly torn apart, and a teardrop fell on the crudely printed words, staining them with a heavy black color.
The camera tilted upwards, revealing Xiang Sui'an's red eyes filled with tears.
He had already clenched his fists tightly to prevent himself from uttering even a single cry. The bottomless despair in his body instantly touched everyone present.
Without a single line of dialogue, everyone could understand Xiang Sui'an's inner cry for help.
They blamed the boy wrongly.
Xiang Sui'an is so thin, how could he possibly beat his strong stepfather? It’s not that he doesn’t want to save her, but he is powerless!
This kind of thing is probably not the first time that it has happened to this mother and son. There must have never been anyone who could really save them from the dire straits.
The audience wanted to understand this and waited anxiously for the next development.
Xiang Sui'an couldn't bear it after all, and rushed out with desperate courage to protect his mother.
"Get away! Don't touch my mother!"
The boy's long-suppressed outburst was met with even more cruel treatment from his devil stepfather.
The timid girls didn’t dare to watch anymore. They covered their red eyes. The sounds of curses and whipping mixed into their ears, making their hearts ache.
Xiang Sui'an fainted, and the old family photo that fell from his pocket to the ground immediately made everyone cry.
The male audience members also looked serious, and many even gritted their teeth at Wei Guofu's performance.
Fuck you!
If you beat your wife and children, are you still a human being?
Everyone is still immersed in anger and grief, but the plot doesn't give them a chance to breathe.
The camera suddenly turned and returned to the alley outside the house.
The same cries for help and sounds of violence came from inside the house, another round of domestic violence.
Unlike the script which was filmed with two separate story lines, the movie uses clever camera connections to connect the story lines of the two time and space together, running side by side.
But this time, Xiang Sui'an was no longer as timid as before. He picked up a brick, went into the house, and slammed his scumbag stepfather!
The scumbag was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground, no longer having the strength to commit violence.
Xiang Sui'an picked up the bloody belt leisurely and whipped the other person again and again, with murderous intent slowly gathering in his eyes. That aura was even more terrifying than Wei Guofu's during the "domestic violence"!
The audience's suppressed emotions were released at this moment, and they couldn't help but applaud in their hearts -
Well done!
This kind of domestic violence man should be beaten! He should be beaten to death!
Soon, everyone understood everything from the conversation between mother and son.
It turned out that Xiang's mother, who was about to escape, was caught by the scumbag and suffered a new round of beatings.
In the end, Xiang's mother cruelly abandoned Xiang Sui'an, and she fled from this painful home under the cover of night. Xiang Sui'an stood alone at the door of his house, and the reluctance and helplessness in his eyes hurt everyone.
"How can this be? Don't all go to An An!"
"Why does Jili always play such a pitiful role? My heart is not made of iron!"
"Same scene, same role, how Ji Li plays it gives completely different feelings! So powerful."
"It's so cool to see this family of three acting together on the same stage. Ji Li is awesome. He's not inferior to the veteran actors in terms of aura."
Feng Cheng and Wei Lai looked at each other and were completely convinced by these comments!
As the leading actors, they naturally understand Ji Li's acting ability.
Compared to the messy shooting scene at the beginning, the impact of the pictures presented on the screen now is thousands of times greater!
If there is any male actor who is born to be on the big screen? Then Ji Li must be one of them.
He can magnify any subtle facial expression to 100% effect through the screen and draw ordinary audiences to empathize with him.
Ji Li is definitely a leader among their young actors and has unlimited possibilities in the future.
Suddenly, someone exclaimed in the darkness, "Holy crap, it's only been fifteen minutes?"
The total running time is eighty minutes, and the plot is so tight from the beginning?
This movie is so amazing!
Although Ji Li is only the third male lead, there is a reason why Wang Zhang puts his story at the forefront.
If everyone's initial expectations for the movie were only 50 points, then with Ji Li's interpretation, the expectations would be raised to 80 points!
After watching this clip, Wang Peng felt that his face was swollen.
How can it be said that Ji Li’s acting is bad? It's obviously ridiculously good!
No, no, this black spot is totally unfounded. He needs to open his eyes wider and look for other problems.
The plot slowly unfolds——
The hero and heroine get to know each other, meet and fall in love, it's so sweet that it makes people laugh.
When they were young, they promised to work hard for each other, but in the end they could not resist the fate. They separated in the vast crowd, and when they met again, they were already separated by life and death.
Everyone then realized that the funeral at the beginning was actually the heroine's.
The hidden core character of the script is actually the third male lead, Xiang Sui'an.
In his reincarnations, he tried to change everyone's misfortune, but the tragedies arranged by fate came one after another and would not let anyone go easily.
In the end, Xiang Sui'an had to watch his friends suffer misfortunes one after another, and he still failed to save the male protagonist from being thrown into prison.
The end of the movie returns to the opening scene.
The male protagonist Chengyu was taken away by the police who arrived, and it seemed that everyone's tragedy had come to an end.
"I am like a lobbyist who is outside of time, but I try to fulfill each of them in reincarnation after reincarnation."
"But in the end, I couldn't save others, let alone myself."
After Ji Li's two deep voice narrations, the big screen went dark.
The film seemed to have ended like this.
"There is no reincarnation this time? What happened?"
"Why is An An so unwilling to let himself go? After so many reincarnations, he should know that he can't change the ending."
The sobbing in the audience had not stopped yet, and many people asked questions with lingering feelings.
Yes, why?
Xiang Sui'an has clearly been beaten to a pulp by reality, but he still insists on going his own way?
Is there any possibility that this cycle will ever end?
Just when everyone was puzzled, the big screen unexpectedly lit up again.
The sound of sirens pierced the air.
Xiang Sui'an watched the police car driving away, and Cheng Yu's words of advice before he was taken away lingered in his mind.
"Sui'an, don't worry about me, just live your own life."
The movie screen suddenly went back quickly, and the scenes of the two people's daily interactions flashed across their minds.
When Chengyu rode away excitedly on his bicycle, he looked at Sui An;
When Cheng Yu knelt in front of the two elders' spirit tablets and cried bitterly, he looked at Sui An;
The look Seong-woo gave Su-an when he proudly announced that he was in love;
The look Chengyu gave Xiang Sui'an when he was down and out in his rented apartment after the breakup;
The look Chengyu gave Sui-an when he seriously injured someone with a knife at the funeral;
…
The obscure and unspeakable feelings were almost expressed out loud at this moment, and finally turned into a response from Xiang Sui'an.
"Ayu, it's time for me to live my own life."
The film came to an end, and everyone was immersed in the final reversal and couldn't recover from it.
Is it really like this?
Is this how Xiang Sui'an feels about Cheng Yu? Isn't this hidden too deeply? If it weren’t for the eye edit at the end, they wouldn’t have been able to tell at all!
Not to mention the audience, even Feng Cheng, who played Cheng Yu, was dumbfounded.
He suddenly looked at Ji Li, who was two seats away, and lowered his voice and said, "Ji Li, do you know the final plot? Why isn't it written in the script?"
Ji Li curled his lips and smiled without saying anything.
This was the deepest foreshadowing that he had laid down since the first day of filming after discussing it with director Wang Zhang.
Feng Cheng always liked to joke around, he raised his eyebrows and teased, "Ji Li, you didn't really fall in love with me during the filming, did you? I can consider dating you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Cheng met a sharp gaze, "You, the male protagonist, seem to be very leisurely?"
“…”
The moment he recognized the other person's face, Feng Cheng was so frightened that he almost lost his soul. "Teacher Qin, Teacher Qin Li?"
It’s over. When will my boss come? And he was actually sitting next to Ji Li!
What nonsense was he just talking about? Teacher Qin Li wouldn't think there was something wrong with his sexual orientation, right? He was just joking with Ji Li, he is really a straight man!
Feng Cheng thought anxiously, and another strange idea came to his mind -
Isn't that right?
Why did Teacher Qin Li look at him as if he was on guard against a love rival?
Fortunately, Qin Li's death stare did not last long. He quickly left the venue before the lights in the hall came on.
After the ending song finished playing, the light in the theater finally returned.
I don’t know who shouted first, “Good movie!”
This brief but true evaluation immediately received applause from everyone.
I have to say that the editing level under Wang Zhang's personal supervision is completely online, and the shot rhythm, music nodes, and every part are arranged seamlessly.
Among the five main actors, not a single one's acting skills were a drag.
Feng Cheng and Wei Lai are equally good, and both performed very well in the scenes with emotional outbursts.
The crying scenes of the two actresses were more touching than the other, causing many viewers to shed tears again and again, and they couldn’t stop crying at all. They even used up all the tissues they brought!
For a movie like this, if it’s not 100 points, then it should at least be 95 points!
Wang Peng, who watched the drama with tinted glasses, was in a dilemma. To be honest, he was already impressed by the movie and for the first time he felt that "making money by cheating others" was against his conscience.
The main creators were once again invited to the stage to be interviewed by the media.
It was not until then that the media understood the purpose of the premiere arrangement.
Because only by watching the feature film in person can they admit from the bottom of their hearts that "Time Traveller" is a movie that completely exceeds the passing line.
It is different from ordinary youth movies. The plot is more novel, and there are no obvious shortcomings in the friendship and love lines.
I have to mention that the foreshadowing in the movie is so wonderfully arranged that it is totally worth watching twice or three times!
Pre-sale performance is at the bottom?
No, it's the outside world that misjudged this movie and completely underestimated it!
As long as the subsequent word of mouth can ferment, there is still room for competition for the New Year's Day box office champion!
In the audience, a fan cried out, "Ji Li, you are the best, you interpreted the role so well!"
Because the pre-sale box office was not good, the anti-fans have been jumping around a lot on Weibo during this period——
"The success of the little beggar Song Zhao is due to the two main actors Qin Li and Yuan Yifei, and the success of the villain Xie Yan is due to the perfection of the characters in the script.
Ji Li just has no idea how to act. Without the support of a big star in this movie, his acting will definitely be a mess.
Wow, look at the pre-sale box office. It’s already so popular that even my mom can’t recognize it before it’s even released. ”
Now the facts are in front of us. Ji Li used the least amount of roles in "Time Lobbyist" in exchange for the most brilliant and eye-catching performance.
The fans felt relieved and are looking forward to the official release after midnight tomorrow.
Just wait and see.
With this role, Ji Li will definitely receive praise and recognition from the outside world! Slap the haters in the face like crazy!
…
The media interview lasted nearly half an hour before it ended, and Ji Li returned to his own single lounge. As soon as he entered the door, he was pushed against the wall forcefully and gently.
Qin Li held the back of his lover's head and kissed him without saying a word.
"Qin Li... Woo..."
Ji Li just uttered a vague sound, and Qin Li took the opportunity to pry open his lips and teeth. His flexible tongue licked every part, causing waves of numbness.
Ji Li simply stopped struggling, put his arms around Qin Li and started a deep kiss actively and shyly.
The two people's hot breathing sounds blended together, their heartbeats were like drums, and their desire for each other exploded without any concealment.
There was a trace of emotion in Ji Li's eyes, and he uttered an unbearable groan. He always felt that Qin Li's kiss was indescribably fierce and tough.
Fortunately, the other party soon noticed his discomfort and withdrew slightly to give him some breathing space.
Qin Li turned his head and kissed his hot earlobe, asking word by word, "When you were filming this movie, did you like Feng Cheng very much?"
“…”
Ji Li was stunned, and the last bit of his rationality suddenly pulled him back to reality, "What?"
Qin Li met his eyes and spoke again with a sour tone, "On the first day of filming, you followed him on Weibo."
"You ate hotpot with him, and he even held you in his arms and took a photo."
With every additional word, the sour smell in the air became stronger.
Ji Li had long forgotten about this trivial matter. Seeing that Qin Li remembered it so clearly, he immediately snorted with pride, "How old are you? Why are you still jealous of such a child?"
Qin Li was obviously not satisfied with his answer and bit his lower lip as punishment, "Who do you like then?"
"You're asking even though you know the answer." Ji Li stroked Qin Li's Adam's apple and answered seriously with a smile, "I like you."
After saying this, he suddenly leaned forward with evil intentions, and as expected, the other party suddenly let out an uncomfortable and suppressed sound.
Qin Li met his lover's eyes that showed he had successfully 'provoked' him, and with passion he leaned in and kissed his lips, "Baby, don't deliberately harass me, or you'll end up in trouble."
Ji Li glanced down and thought to himself -
If lovers are sure about each other, isn't it normal to have sex? Anyway, he has been coveting Qin Li's body for a long time, so it's not a loss anyway.
Qin Li hugged him tightly and teased, "Are you satisfied with what you see? Do you want to try it?"
Ji Li's cheeks felt hot.
In the lounge backstage at the cinema? It's not appropriate.
But when you think about it carefully, why does it feel a little exciting?
"What's wrong?" Qin Li noticed his look.
Ji Li put away his inexplicably rippling thoughts and turned a blind eye, "There's nothing between Feng Cheng and me, and I'm not interested in him."
Those looks were the natural expression of his character as he immersed himself in the role.
Rather than saying what he has towards Feng Cheng, it would be more accurate to say what the real-life screenwriter Mu Suian has towards 'A Yu'.
It is said that for every thousand readers, there are a thousand Hamlets.
Whether to understand it as friendship in adversity or one-sided love is up to the audience.
Ji Li pulled him to sit on the sofa and asked about business.
"You guys from Larch should have a say in movie promotion, right? What's going on with this movie now?"
Although it was temporarily scheduled, the early promotion and marketing was really weak. In addition to their starring roles, there are so many big names making guest appearances, so why aren't they promoting them?
"The producers are unreliable. I just had Yexing take back the rights to promote the film a few days ago."
The producer said that during the early stage of filming, the investment funds of Oak Star had been almost used up, and they had no money for subsequent publicity.
It's obviously an excuse for not doing anything.
Qin Li didn't want to be involved in any cooperation with them, so he asked Li Xing and the person in charge of the production company to sign a supplementary agreement and take control of the sovereignty of the film's promotion and distribution.
Of course, if the movie becomes a big hit, the biggest money makers will be Qin Li and his Li Xing.
Qin Li couldn't let go of his lover's fingertips and asked, "Baby, which one do you think would be better, an 80-point movie or a 50-point movie?"
Ji Li raised his eyebrows and immediately understood what the other party meant. "Are you planning to use the marketing method of 'dark horse counterattack'?"
The quality of their film itself is not bad, as long as word of mouth can get good, and word of mouth can drive subsequent box office...
Such a benign marketing method is completely applicable.
"Don't worry, I've already arranged everything." Qin Li pinched his lover's earlobe and assured calmly, "I will give each of your works the applause they deserve."
Qin Li couldn't wait to let everyone know what a great actor his lover was.
Ji Li chuckled twice, and he lazily leaned in Qin Li's arms, seeming to enjoy this moment of tenderness.
Suddenly, a dark light flashed across Ji Li's eyes, as if he had thought of something important.
"Qin Li, some colleagues have secretly thrown dirty water at me, and I want to throw it back now."
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
#A moment of silence in advance for a certain dish, the Yueji couple will soon play mixed doubles!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com