Chapter 29
#The plot of the movie "Eight Years of Separation" overlaps with four other articles# was a trending search that was spontaneously pushed to the top by netizens, but the popularity quickly dropped after a while.
It is obvious that someone is spending money to pull the post down, but netizens can't do anything about it. Many fans of the four articles have come out to express their intention to boycott "Eight Years of Separation".
Surprisingly, the next day, the hashtag's popularity rebounded, along with a new hashtag #QianPingXinScreenwriter#. Netizens, sensing a whiff of gossip, clicked on it and saw a trending post listing all the projects Qian PingXin had written to date, along with a detailed comparison chart showing plot overlaps. Netizens were so shocked by the list that they almost lost their composure.
In the following day, these two tags kept rising and falling, attracting more and more passers-by to watch the fight between the gods.
By 8pm, the two tags finally disappeared. But then another one suddenly appeared: #QianPingXinAccusedOfPlagiarism#.
@Hongyan Law Firm V: We have accepted Ms. Wang's authorization and will represent her in handling the matter of "Delicious Marriage, Good Wife" written by screenwriter Qian Pingxin, which is suspected of plagiarizing her "Scholar's Wife" published in JJ Literature. We will use legal means to protect the client's rights.
Netizens who clicked on the link were in an uproar. It's well known that plagiarism lawsuits are not easy to win, especially when the case involves a script being copied from a drama. Could this really be a case of final vindication?
Later, as more and more people compared "Eight Years" to Qian Pingxin's previous works, the boycott of "Eight Years" gradually grew. Coupled with the release of several strong films during the Qingming Festival, "Eight Years" was further squeezed out of the screening schedule, and its box office performance became increasingly dismal.
◆◇◆
He Tong asked Yan Dajiang for two days' leave and returned to Yancheng with two bodyguards the day before Qingming Festival.
On the day of Qingming Festival, a thin mist rose early in the morning and the sky was a little dark.
He Tong went to the cemetery on the outskirts of the city accompanied by Uncle Zou.
They arrived early and entered the cemetery before the crowds of tomb-sweepers arrived.
He Tong held a large bouquet of flowers in each hand, while Uncle Zou beside him carried offerings, sacrifices and incense sticks for tomb sweeping in both hands. The two bodyguards following behind him, one carried a bucket for burning sacrifices and the other carried a small bucket of water.
They followed the stairs to the top and came to an area that was separated from the other tombstones by a small fence.
There are four tablets lined up in the fence.
He Tong didn't let anyone else do it. After handing the flowers to the bodyguard, he rolled up his sleeves and pulled out the few small grasses beside the tombstones. Then he wet a towel and wiped all four tombstones carefully.
Then he took the bouquets and placed them between the two monuments on the left and the two monuments on the right.
"Dad, Mom, Aunt Fang, Uncle Ye, I'm here to see you."
After a moment of silence, He Tong and Uncle Zou lit incense and candles and placed offerings.
As Uncle Zou was arranging the table, he kept on talking about how both his children were doing well and how his life was busy and fulfilling now.
After burning incense, Uncle Zou and his bodyguards retreated to a distance, leaving He Tong alone to burn offerings in front of the tomb.
He Tong slowly burned the gold and silver paper and gold ingots alone, reading the words on the tombstone through the flickering flames that rose above the rim of the barrel. The air was distorted by the heat, making the words seem to waver.
After a long while, He Tongcai whispered, "I don't know if my rebirth is the blessing of your spirits in heaven, but you can rest assured now. This time, Brother Ye and I will be fine."
After a while, he began to slowly recount what happened in the previous year, telling how he was admitted to Yancheng Media, how he and Ye Yuze started acting, how the movie starring Ye Yuze won an award, and how Ye Yuze became the best actor.
He didn't even notice that as he spoke, the sadness he had when he first arrived was gone from his face, and he couldn't help but smile warmly.
When He Tong threw down the last few pieces of gold and silver paper, footsteps were heard behind him.
He Tong didn't turn around. He knew who was coming.
As in previous years, Fang Qi walked over to He Tong, arranged the two bouquets of flowers, lit a stick of incense, and worshipped at each of the four tablets before retreating to He Tong's side.
Neither of them spoke, just quietly waiting for the candle to burn out.
Fang Qi didn't speak until the candle had burned down. "I heard from Achen that Xiaoze and you went on a tour of Lake City."
"Yeah." He Tong nodded, "He revisited all the places he, Aunt Fang, and Uncle Ye had visited before."
Fang Qi let out a barely perceptible breath, turned around and patted He Tong's shoulder.
He Tong was still smiling, and he didn't know who he was talking to: "Don't worry, Brother Ye is working hard to get over it."
Back then, after escaping the kidnappers' den alone, the young Ye Yuze remained remarkably calm. Whether he was identifying the mastermind to the police or hearing the news of the four adults' deaths, he didn't break down. He simply calmly took He Tong home and then calmly handled all the aftermath.
It was not until the day of the funeral that He Tong discovered that he had fainted while standing with his eyes open.
Therefore, He Tong has been sweeping the graves and paying homage to the ancestors by himself over the years, and insisted on not letting Ye Yuze come with him.
For He Tong, the sudden death of his parents was a bolt from the blue, yet he could only passively accept the devastating news. His grief was pure, his hatred was pure, and his emotions had a clear path to vent. After getting through the initial period, he would slowly move on and face life anew.
But for Ye Yuze, it was almost like watching his loved ones being murdered. He had escaped with their help, but he couldn't save them. This feeling of powerlessness and guilt could even crush an adult, and Ye Yuze was only fifteen years old at the time.
Over the years, he had woven a thick cocoon around himself, refusing to step out into the world. When necessary, he would put on a smiling mask for others to see, living like a walking corpse. Only He Tong could penetrate that cocoon and touch the real him.
But now, a crack has appeared in that shell.
He Tong lowered his eyes and looked at the tombstone, with a gentle smile on his face.
"I think the day when Brother Ye can come to see you is getting closer."
The sky brightened, the mist dissipated, and a faint but not negligible ray of sunlight broke through the clouds and shone onto the ground.
◇◆◇
Ye Yuze and He Tong's filming on the set of "Tian Yao" went smoothly, wrapping up a few days ahead of schedule. However, the entire crew will continue shooting until the beginning of June, and they may be needed to return for some additional scenes during this period.
The day before filming was completed, "The Painter" was officially taken off the screen.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, the art film "The Painter" was hardly affected by the Qingming Festival period, and maintained a steady attendance rate in the later period, and finally the box office exceeded 1 billion.
Although it only exceeded a million, it was still a ten-year high. Fang Chen was so happy that he was completely lost in thought and gave a big red envelope as a bonus to everyone involved in the project.
"Eight Years of Separation" was the opposite. Its premiere was a stellar success, with fans' high scores dragged down to 3.4 within days. Following the plagiarism scandal, the film's already weak box office performance plummeted, ultimately being pulled from multiple theaters after just 20 days, with a total box office of just 250 million yuan. The film's production company is reportedly tackling the screenwriter.
However, after finishing work, He Tong and Ye Yuze ignored the disturbances from the outside world and went straight home to enjoy the feast prepared for them by Uncle Zou.
He Tong even thoughtfully opened a bottle of wine, under the pretext of celebrating the box office revenue exceeding 1 billion.
Unfortunately, he was stopped by his brother Ye after just a few drinks, and Uncle Zou took away the bottle and cups.
He Tong got drunk and acted crazy: "Brother, you don't love me anymore, you won't even let me drink!"
Ye Yuze stuffed him a glass of honey water: "I love you, so I give you something sweet."
He Tong then happily picked up the water cup and began to sip it.
Uncle Zou watched the two of them laughing and joking happily from the side.
After taking a shower in the evening, He Tong stayed in Ye Yuze's room and refused to leave, insisting on playing tablet next to his brother Ye.
"Brother, do you think I should develop some talents?"
"Hmm?" Ye Yuze, who was reading the financial report on the computer, responded nonchalantly.
"Look, you can play the piano, paint watercolors, and even better at Chinese calligraphy and painting. You can even sing a few opera pieces. But I can't do anything. Wouldn't it be embarrassing for you to tell others if I told them?"
"Oh. So what do you want to learn?"
"I just don't know what to study. This has been bothering me lately."
"You're pretty good at Sanda, aren't you?"
"But if I have to perform on a show in the future, I can't find someone to beat up on the spot."
"Then don't go on a talent show."
He Tong hissed. Brother Ye was the most ruthless, cutting off the firewood directly.
"By the way, brother, have you ever watched the variety show?"
"Not interested."
"Some variety shows are actually quite interesting. Reality shows about travel and life, for example, can really bridge the gap between celebrities and the general public. There are also some brain-teasing shows, like the Werewolf script-killing game. Many people enjoy watching others play it even though they can't do it themselves. I think Zhilei Video should consider investing in a few of these shows themselves, or bringing them in. If they can create one or two that get a good reputation, the return rate will be quite high."
He Tong thought about how various variety shows would continue to be popular for many years to come, so he mentioned it secretly.
Ye Yuze took off his blue light blocking glasses and turned to look at him: "What good project have you found?"
He Tong waved his hand. "No, it just suddenly occurred to me. I've been lurking in the fan groups lately, and I've noticed they mention variety shows quite frequently. After all, the production cycle is short, and you can livestream while recording, so market feedback is immediate. And then you can release an edited version and air it on TV, and you can earn two waves of traffic from one event."
Ye Yuze lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "That's a good idea. I'll talk to Uncle Zou later and have the lower-level departments make some emergency plans and assess the risks."
He Tong chuckled: "We also made a lot of money from 'Painter' this time..."
Ye Yuze raised his eyebrows: "You want to invest?"
"The money is just sitting there anyway, and it can also help Zhilei share the risk."
"It depends on the board's opinion... Let's look at the plan first."
Ye Yuze closed his computer and stood up, then said, "How long are you going to stay here with me? Do you want to sleep here directly?"
He Tong smiled and asked, "Is that okay? The bed is so big anyway, we won't be too crowded. Let's just follow the ancients and have a candlelit night chat."
Ye Yuze glared at him: "Do you know my sleeping habits?"
He Tong was stunned, then thought carefully. In his previous life, he had cared for the disabled Ye Yuze for nine years and hadn't noticed any unusual sleeping habits. And before that... he didn't seem to have ever entered this room while Ye Yuze was sleeping.
So I could only shake my head: "What habit?"
"When I'm at home..." Ye Yuze raised the corners of his lips slightly, deliberately dragging out his voice, "...I'm used to sleeping naked."
“…”
He Tong was so shocked that his mouth opened wide, and he finally ran away.
The author has something to say: Thanks to the little angel aug for the nutrient solution~~
Thanks to the little angel Hanhan Benhan for the nutrient solution~~
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