Lu Manman was a die-hard fan of Geng Bochuan and an influential big fan in his fan club. She has been a fan of him since his debut. Whether it’s boosting data, selling promotions, counteracting negativity, or feuding with rival fans, she was always at the forefront.
As a big fan in the circle, when the news of the preview of ‘Chasing the Light’ was released, Lu Manman and several other big fans like her received complimentary preview tickets from the official organizers, and were invited to attend the film preview.
Lu Manman came with a mission today. As one of the lucky few to receive preview tickets, she promised a group of sisters on Weibo to share her viewing journey in real-time.
According to Lu Manman’s preference, she is notoriously fond of sweet and indulgent stories. In her own words, she can’t bear cruelty as she grows older and only wants to indulge in eye candy and sweet treats.
If her son1She’s a mother fan so she calls GBC ‘son’. She actually calls him zaizai = 崽 zǎi – child / young animal, this is usually used as an endearment for babies. But I am using ‘son’ initially to show her as a mother fan. hadn’t played the lead role in ‘Chasing the Light,’ Lu Manman would have felt a chill down her spine just by seeing the word “tragedy” in the premise, and she would never have come to torture herself like this.
But this is her Chuan-zai’s first leading role in a movie. As a mother fan, how could she resist such temptation?
Lu Manman steeled herself and entered the cinema. She had already prepared herself mentally beforehand. She prepared two packs of tissues and reminded herself every few minutes that she was here just to admire her baby’s performance and to focus on the story so as not to be too distressed.
However, as the saying goes, plans can’t keep up with changes. Despite telling herself not to focus on the story, Lu Manman was completely captivated by it from the very beginning, unable to resist its pull.
When she saw Cheng Ye sell his house to save Cheng Ling, her heart ached with mixed emotions. Seeing the poor but heartwarming life of the two brothers, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Yet when she saw the brothers striving to become better people, Lu Manman felt gratified and happy.
She laughed and cried throughout, even taking time to enthusiastically promote the film on Weibo.
Manman from Chuan-zai’s Family: awsl2AWSL (啊我死了): “啊我死了” (ā wǒ sǐ le) in Chinese, which literally translates to “Ah, I’m dead!” It’s used to express a strong reaction to something, often in a humorous or exaggerated way. It can convey shock, amazement, embarrassment, or a sense of being overwhelmed, similar to saying “Oh my god!” or “I can’t believe this is happening!” in English internet slang., our Chuanchuan acted so well! He’s so cool and charismatic, I’m completely smitten quq!
Manman from Chuan-zai’s Family: Oh heavens, what an angel, the younger brother is so adorable! These brothers are too loving, awysl3AWYSL: This term is a variation of AWSL, with the “Y” possibly standing for “已经” (yǐjīng), meaning “already.” So, AWYSL could be interpreted as “Ah, I’m already dead!” It’s used in similar contexts as AWSL, to express an even stronger reaction.!
The fans who weren’t lucky enough to attend the preview were tormented by her posts. They promised that they would not read spoilers, but they could not help but masochistically refresh Lu Manman’s Weibo.
Some fans saw her excited state and asked with some doubts, wasn’t this a tragedy movie? Why can’t they see the slightest bit of sorrow after eating a razor blade in her Weibo?
Lu Manman stared at the screen while blindly typing on her keyboard to answer fans’ questions.
Manman from Chuan-zai’s Family: It’s not abusive at all, they might be going for a heartwarming approach. I’m getting dizzy from all the sweet interactions, wuu. These brothers are quite a catch, and they’re both so adorable. If I cry, it will definitely be tears of warmth, wuu wuu!
Manman from Chuan-zai’s Family: All my sisters must go watch ‘Chasing the Light’ after its release! What heavenly director is this Director Ye? It’s shot so beautifully!! Reckless recommendation, I’ll behead myself if it’s not good, kswl4KSWL: short for 磕死我了 (kē sǐ wǒle). It’s used to describe something or someone so cute that it’s “killing you”.!
What Lu Manman didn’t expect was that just after posting that Weibo, the originally heartwarming family story took a sharp turn for the worse due to the appearance of one person.
That afternoon, Cheng Ye had just finished collecting protection fees and reached his doorstep. He was surprised to find the door wasn’t properly closed. From inside came a man’s yells and curses, accompanied by muffled gasps that couldn’t be suppressed.
Cheng Ye’s heart sank as he swiftly kicked open the door. The following scene nearly made his eyes pop out. His beloved, well-behaved younger brother Cheng Ling was pinned to the ground by a strange man, being choked until his face turned blue from asphyxiation.
The audience was also shocked by this abrupt turn of events. Who could have foreseen that just a second ago, the brothers were living peacefully, only for such a stark conflict to erupt the next?
Lu Manman’s hand holding the popcorn froze midair for a long while as she was stunned speechless. It hadn’t even been two minutes since she posted that Weibo – how did this happen?!
Cheng Ye charged forward like a madman, his face devoid of the usual indulgence towards Cheng Ling, filled only with vicious determination. Before the man could react, he kicked him to the ground, straddled him, gripped his throat with one hand, and clenched the other into a fist, raining blows on his face.
Punch after punch, Cheng Ye showed no mercy, putting his entire body’s force into each strike with deadly intent.
But after all, he was only nineteen years old, and he looked a little thin due to long-term malnutrition, so his strength was still very different from that of an adult.
At first, he was able to suppress the man with a strong force and resist the attack. But as time went by, as his strength was exhausted, the man who was originally passively beaten seized the upper hand.
Cheng Ling was momentarily dazed from the lack of oxygen. After seeing his brother being beaten, he stumbled forward to stop the assault, shoving the man aside. But when the man regained his footing, he immediately slapped Cheng Ling hard across the face.
The camera spun dizzily from Cheng Ling’s perspective, all sounds fading away after that slap. The shaky image showed Cheng Ye anxiously saying something to him, but he couldn’t hear a thing.
Seeing the man advancing on Cheng Ling again, Cheng Ye shielded his brother and grappled with the man once more, taking several blows that split his lip. Feigning weakness, he surreptitiously picked up a shard of the broken vase.
As Cheng Ye was about to strike, he heard Cheng Ling’s voice behind him: “Don’t!”
Cheng Ye’s movements froze, and the man discovered the shard. The best opportunity had been missed. The man crushed Cheng Ye’s hand holding the shard under his foot until he could no longer grip it.
Clank —
The shard fell to the ground with a crisp sound, announcing Cheng Ye’s utter defeat in this fight.
Before leaving, the man broke the lock on the drawer and took the meager twenty thousand yuan inside. He spat at the exhausted brothers with disdain and strode off without looking back.
Left behind was a scene of destruction, and the battered Cheng Ye and Cheng Ling.
After the man left, Cheng Ling struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall. He staggered over to Cheng Ye, eyes reddened, and softly called out, “Gege.”
Cheng Ye extended a weary yet gentle hand to lightly touch his brother’s face, asking, “Does it hurt?”
“No,” Cheng Ling could no longer hold back his tears, which silently trailed down his cheeks. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”
It turned out that the man was Cheng Ling’s biological father, who had somehow found out which school he attended and followed him home.
Cheng Ling’s father was a good-for-nothing drunkard. His mother ran off with someone else soon after giving birth to him. The bastard never took care of his son. If not for the kind neighbors who frequently helped, Cheng Ling might have silently died long ago.
The old bastard was addicted to alcohol and would vent his frustrations on his son whenever he drank. The day Cheng Ye found Cheng Ling, he had been beaten to near-death. Thinking he wouldn’t make it, the father finally panicked and, fearing discovery, dumped him far away in the wastelands.
If not for Cheng Ling’s strong will to live, stubbornly crawling towards the road, and if Cheng Ye had not happened to pass by that route, there would be no Cheng Ling in this world.
The three years living with Cheng Ye were the happiest and most peaceful days of Cheng Ling’s life. But such days were far too fleeting. Cheng Ling never dreamed that demonic father would reappear, and in such a manner before him and his brother.
Cheng Ye listened silently, falling into a long silence before finally saying, “Brother is the one who should apologize to you.”
Cheng Ye smoothed Cheng Ling’s disheveled hair and whispered in his ear, “Come find Brother sooner in our next life, Brother will protect you.”
After that day, the illusion of warmth and peace was completely shattered, and Ye Zhou’s blade hidden beneath the guise of tranquility gleamed with a chilling light in the darkness.
Sharp conflicts assailed them one after another, leaving the audience gasping for breath.
The drunkard father had taken away the remaining money from selling their house as well as the brothers’ entire savings. They became so impoverished they could barely afford food, let alone rent.
To earn more money, Cheng Ye frequently participated in fights, rushing to the front every time. He never left a brawl unscathed, just for the meager compensation and medical expenses the gang leaders sometimes provided to the injured.
Cheng Ling, who had always been obedient, learned to skip school at some point until a teacher called Cheng Ye, saying Cheng Ling hadn’t attended for a week.
Early the next morning, Cheng Ye secretly followed Cheng Ling and discovered he wasn’t going to school but working odd jobs at a small restaurant.
Unable to control his anger any longer, Cheng Ye strode up to Cheng Ling and slapped him across the face.
It was the first and last time he raised a hand against his brother.
Making matters worse, the drunkard father had tasted blood and would show up every few days demanding money from Cheng Ye, sometimes even bringing other thugs. Of course, Cheng Ye refused, so he was beaten each time.
They had considered moving, but with limited funds and the drunkard always a step ahead, no matter where they went, he would follow like a shadow. After two fruitless moves, Cheng Ye gave up.
Although he gave up moving, Cheng Ye never stopped resisting. Each time the drunkard came for money, Cheng Ye fought him, living a half-dead existence.
Until one day, as Cheng Ye pinned the drunkard down, bloodying his face, the drunkard realized in shock that he could no longer defeat this young man he once controlled.
After that, the drunkard became smarter, bringing some thugs when demanding money next time. Cheng Ye was beaten again but refused to back down. The next day, he led people to find the drunkard’s territory and broke three of his ribs.
The drunkard never bothered Cheng Ye again after that.
The gloomy tones finally brightened again with the drunkard’s departure, giving the audience some relief after being oppressed by the series of sharp conflicts to the point of breathlessness.
The day Cheng Ling’s university admission letter arrived, Cheng Ye excitedly took a group of brothers out for a hearty celebration. Amidst the lively atmosphere, they racked their brains to generously bestow Cheng Ling with all the well-wishes they could muster.
The brothers stayed together the entire summer vacation. No matter what Cheng Ling asked for, Cheng Ye would not refuse. They sat on the rooftop of an abandoned factory building, gazing at the endless sky and glittering stars, envisioning the infinite possibilities of their future.
At this moment, every audience member hoped and wished for these brothers, who had endured so much hardship, to finally cast off the pain and gloom of the past. They wished for them to start anew on a fresh journey of limitless potential.
Lu Manman, who had been holding her breath, finally let it out. Her beautiful eyes were swollen like walnuts as she wiped away tears with a tissue and took out her phone to post on Weibo.
Manman from Chuan-zai’s Family: How wonderful, every person who struggles with all their might to live deserves to be cheered and applauded.
After posting, Lu Manman tucked her phone away, thinking to herself that although the process was a bit bumpy, at least the story had a satisfactory ending. It was a heartwarming and empowering tale. While a bit cruel, it was still within an acceptable range. This trip was truly worthwhile. When the film is officially released, she will definitely re-watch it multiple…no, twenty times!
Many shared her sentiment. Although the happily-ever-after ending was a bit clichéd, the quality demonstrated so far did not fail to make this a fine work.
Some veteran critics, having seen this far, already had a rough idea of how many points to award ‘Chasing the Light’ and how to write the review – what to praise, what to critique.
The renowned critic Jun Yi noticed the relaxed expressions of his peers, and his eyes flashed with a hint of amusement.
Ever since watching ‘A Farce’ and writing a review for it, Jun Yi had been very interested in Director Ye Zhou who could make such a film.
After ‘A Farce’ became a dark horse smash hit with nearly 3 billion yuan during the National Day golden week, there had been much controversy within the industry over the film, with mainstream opinion attributing its success to timing, luck, and the marketing strategy rather than recognizing Ye Zhou’s directorial abilities.
Some critics even publicly mocked him, saying that with just a marketing plan and luck, even a fresh graduate could achieve such results.
However, after repeatedly watching ‘A Farce’ countless times, Jun Yi believed Ye Zhou was a director severely underestimated by the industry, with an exceptionally strong and unique personal style.
Details are the easiest to overlook, but Ye Zhou’s handling of the details in ‘A Farce’ was exquisitely refined, enough to know he was not as useless as the outside world deemed him.
And Jun Yi found that Ye Zhou was very adept at foreshadowing. It was difficult for audiences to detect the build-up before plot twists occurred, but once the twist happened, looking back, audiences would be surprised to realize that there were signs all along, just no one had noticed them at the time.
At the same time, he seemed to be a merciless dream-crushing machine. The more beautiful and warm something appeared in his lens, the sharper the underlying conflicts and clashes tended to be.
Like Killer No. 3 in ‘A Farce’, like Cheng Ye in ‘Chasing the Light’…
Ye Zhou was like an experienced veteran magician, conjuring beautiful illusions for the audience through his lens. As the audience indulged in this beauty, he would gradually tear away the illusion, revealing the cruel, horrifying reality filled with bared fangs.
The stark contrast easily left a profound impression on audiences.
While the atmosphere in the theater now was relaxed and joyful, Jun Yi was far from as optimistic as the others. Based on his understanding of Ye Zhou, the louder everyone laughed now, the harder they would cry soon enough.
Jun Yi pursed his lips, replaying the details and clues he had noted down in his mind, piecing them together slowly as he tried to decipher Ye Zhou’s thoughts.
The turning point was likely centered on Cheng Ye, no doubt about that. But exactly which aspect would it start from? Jun Yi pondered for a moment, a vague guess forming in his mind, though he dared not be certain.
Sure enough, the screen showed Cheng Ye, dressed in a borrowed suit, sending Cheng Ling off to university registration. After completing the procedures and packing Cheng Ling’s belongings, Cheng Ling walked Cheng Ye out of the school gates.
Before parting, Cheng Ye asked in a joking tone, “Will Ah Ling take good care of himself?”
“Will you miss Brother?”
“Of course, Ge, I’ll call you often,” Cheng Ling smiled, revealing two sharp little fangs, his eyes brimming with reluctance.
“No need to call, Brother is very busy. Just text me if anything comes up, I will reply when I’m free.” Cheng Ye opened his arms, and Cheng Ling fell into his embrace like when he was little.
Cheng Ye stroked his brother’s tousled hair tenderly and whispered in his ear, “Brother will miss you too.”
An ordinary, commonplace sentence, even Cheng Ye’s tone was no different from usual. But Cheng Ling never dreamed that these would be the last words his brother ever said to him.
After that parting, Cheng Ye silently disappeared from Cheng Ling’s life.
Cheng Ling saw Cheng Ye again eight years later during a pursuit mission, a bullet piercing through his chest right in front of Cheng Ling. Cheng Ling stood dazed, holding him tightly, feeling the warmth in his embrace gradually fade away.
Everything happened so abruptly that many in the audience didn’t have time to react. As they tearfully waited for what happened next, eager to know what transpired in those eight years…
The screen gradually faded to black, the credits rolling slowly into view.
Though the main feature had ended, not a single person left the theater. Everyone remained quietly seated, unwilling to leave.
The theater lights also didn’t turn on. In the pitch darkness, the sounds of chains and footsteps echoed through the vast space. Accompanying these noises, the previously dark screen finally began to brighten.
The orange-clad prisoner was a man in his early forties with a long scar on his face. His handcuffs were removed by the prison guards before he was locked into the interrogation chair.
Of the two police officers in uniform interrogating him, one was Cheng Ling. He looked much thinner, almost unrecognizable, devoid of any expression like a precise machine.
From the interrogation, the audience learned that the prisoner’s name was Scar, the ringleader of one of the vicious gangs responsible for nine deaths and twenty-eight injuries in a recent violent clash.
During questioning, Scar freely admitted his crimes. After the questioning ended, Cheng Ling said something to the other officer, who took the recorded materials and left, leaving only Scar and Cheng Ling in the room.
Scar stared at Cheng Ling for a moment, as if suddenly recalling something, and chuckled, “Hey, aren’t you…the kid Cheng Ye adopted?”
Cheng Ling remained silent, and the interrogation room fell into a lengthy hush lasting over ten seconds. Just as Scar was running out of patience and about to demand to be taken back, he suddenly spoke up.
“Was Cheng Ye working under you these past eight years?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Scar burst into laughter, shaking his head derisively. “You really don’t know where your brother’s been for the last eight years?”
“You really know nothing.” Scar gazed at Cheng Ling for a while before clucking his tongue in amazement. “Your brother sure treated you well.”
“You little brat really lucked out, huh? Despite having such a waste of a father, you also had a brother willing to die for you.”
“So, some things are better left unasked about in too much detail. Just live well.”
As those words finished, the door creaked open and footsteps accompanied by the scraping of chains on the floor rang out as the screen plunged back into darkness.
By the time Lu Manman exited the theater, night had completely fallen. Wiping away the incessant tears streaming down her face with tissues, she awkwardly entered the restroom. Catching her smeared makeup and swollen, walnut-like eyes in the mirror, her turbulent emotions surged forth again.
She shakily took out her phone and posted on Weibo:
Manman from Chuan-zai’s Family: Just finished watching.
Not long after posting, many fans diligently awaited updates and actively asked questions. The most common questions were: was the movie was good, was Chuanchuan handsome, and how did she feel after watching.
Lu Manman rubbed her and swollen eyes and responded to each fan’s question. When asked about her current feelings, she first typed out a lengthy passage pouring out her complicated emotions.
But just before sending, she changed her mind. After a moment’s hesitation, she deleted the entire long response and slowly typed out a few words instead: Want to send the director some razor blades.
Clearly, many shared her sentiment. Due to the massive box office success of Ye Zhou’s previous film, news of ‘Chasing the Light’s’ preview screening had garnered considerable attention.
Now that the screening had ended, social media platforms were starting to see feedback about the movie.
On a certain question-and-answer site, one query was quickly voted to the front page: How do you view the ending of ‘Chasing the Light’?
The top upvoted response was from the renowned film critic Jun Yi from the industry. This was his answer:
Thank you for the invitation. Unexpected, yet inevitable given the circumstances. This answer contains some spoilers, so readers who have not seen the film, please exercise caution.
Summarizing based on the clues left by the director, coupled with Scar’s line in the post-credits scene, we can arrive at one conclusion:
Cheng Ye was in prison for those eight years and had likely just been released. The reason for his imprisonment is still uncertain, but it’s speculated that Cheng Ye killed Cheng Ling’s deadbeat father. More details will have to wait until rewatching the film multiple times after its official release before conclusions can be drawn.
The preview screening of ‘Chasing the Light’ unexpectedly received decent word-of-mouth, prompting many theaters that had originally not planned to allocate a significant number of showings to the film to urgently discuss whether to increase the screening quota.
If ‘Chasing the Light’ had been directed by some unknown newcomer, even with an excellent preview reception, theaters would not have given it a second glance, let alone proactively increase its screening allocation.
But the director of ‘Chasing the Light’ was Ye Zhou – an…how to put it…exceptionally uncanny director! The more he’s criticized, the higher he soars. The less faith placed in his work’s performance, the more dazzling the results.
The higher-ups in the industry are a somewhat superstitious bunch. With ‘Chasing the Light’s’ positive preview reception coupled with Ye Zhou’s extraordinarily lucky streak as a director, it prompted emergency meetings across multiple companies.
Initially, everyone was still undecided, as the subject matter of ‘Chasing the Light’ made major theater chains hesitant – it was just too bleak a topic unlikely to appeal to audiences.
The summer blockbuster season was in full swing, with theaters teeming with crowds. A film with high screening allocation but low attendance would be an immense loss for them. It had to be carefully considered.
Two full days of meetings between major theater chains failed to reach a consensus, until…
The film critic ‘Flying Melon’ who had previously lambasted ‘A Farce’ and Ye Zhou, embarrassingly had to delete his scathing post and go into hiding, resurfaced about a year later to once again voice his disdain, thoroughly trashing Ye Zhou’s new work ‘Chasing the Light’ from storyline to direction.
Upon learning of this, the theater chains finally resolved their days-long dilemma, unanimously deciding to increase the screening quota for ‘Chasing the Light’.
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